Limitations of this research and implications for further research Error!

remain unexplored and which need to be addressed. First, the population of non-Thai nationals in this study is relatively small (29 non-Thai recently recruited staff at Thai universities). As already stated, this is to be expected because the non-Thai national staff numbers across the total system Thai university system account only 1.34% OHEC (2008) of the academic workforce in Thailand. As such, further research should replicate the current research specifically targeting non-Thai national academic staff to explore the full range of issues around attraction and retention of this group of academics. In addition, this study found that the current use of Thai university websites by non-Thai nationals is low. This additional research, therefore, could attempt to explore the reasons for lower use by non-Thai academics.

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Table 5.2: Guidelines for well-designed Thai university websites

Component/Attribute Things to do Things to avoid

Fonts • Use 12-point size or at least 10-point size

• Use ‘Sans serif’ font style such as: Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, and Helvetica

• Alternatively, use a ‘MS Sans serif’ that is compatible with both Thai and English characters to avoid font error issues.

• Using very long pages

Colours • Use the colours that reflect to university’s uniqueness

• Using more than four colours on one page

Graphic animations • Apply graphic animations to increase meaningful and understanding of the subject

• Use of too many graphic animations that delay speed of page loading

• Use of colours that are too vivid and that may negatively impact a university’s image

Use of attractors • Provide FAQs section to assist web users to find answers to common questions

• Update university activities and events regularly

Logos and Mottos • Visibly present logo and motto on the website

• Present the university’s motto and statements in both Thai and English

Discussion forum • Strictly control messages posted on the forum

• Require forum members to initially register before being able to access the forum

• Allowing a negative message to be conveyed because it can affect university image negatively

Presenting staff

achievements • Show staff rewards and advice on how they may achieve similar success to encourage performance improvement

• Inequitable judgments can negatively affect staff satisfaction; carefully consider content placed on discussion boards

Others • Cleary provide job descriptions and total rewards (e.g. salary and benefits)

• Frequently monitor server hosting to quickly respond to server errors

• Check for valid links and ensure every link remains valid

• Present pictures of the university’s buildings and landscape to increase interest of potential applicants

• Provide full university contact information

• Provide a quick and easy link to job vacancies

• Provide quick and easy search facilities

• Regularly update information provided on the website

• Out-of-date information presented on the website

Modified based on previously recommended general website design principles (Cober et al. 2003; Cyr & Trevor-Smith 2004; Gehrke & Turban 1999; Kent, Taylor & White 2003; Tan & Wei 2006; Thelwall & Harries 2004; Turban, Daniel B 2001; Turban, E & Gehrke 2000; Vate-U-Lan 2007) using the results of this research to build on previous research to provide a Thai university-specific checklist for high quality website design.

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Second, the participants in this study were chosen from only public universities, thus, the findings may be most helpful for public universities. However, there are different characteristic between public and private universities in Thailand. For instance, the findings of Pinitjitsamut (2009) revealed a different level of educational standard in terms of teaching and research quality between public and private higher institutes in Thailand. Therefore, to extend the current results, collecting and examining data from a combination of public and private universities would be useful for addressing issues within the total Thai tertiary education system. It would enable comparisons to be made.

Third, this study mainly focused on how universities use their own website to successfully communicate their employer brand. The current research findings were similar to those of previous studies where websites were found to increasingly be the first place potential applicants go for information (Searle 2006). Additionally, it was also found that use of discussion forums, as an internal communication tool, may easily and speedily enable contact with and between staff in the university. However, an organisation’s website is not the only way in which potential applicants are attracted. Other online sources need to be considered as they can be helpful tools for contacting prospective and current staff. For instance, social network sites (e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter) should be considered (Jing et al. 2010). Doherty (2010) commented that Twitter is one of the social network websites that allows an organisation to send messages, known as tweets, to candidates. The job vacancies can be posted and promoted on Twitter as a distributor site. Doherty (2010 p. 14) claimed that “Tweets can be an effective way to post vacancies, as senders can” … “restrict delivery of tweets to their list of followers”. This may form a future method of attraction with global reach for Thai universities (Jing et al. 2010). Online social networks allow universities to connect with available candidates whom they otherwise might not have been able to reach. Furthermore, using social networks can create a social community and it may lead employees to transfer and share their knowledge across the organisation (Chow & Chan 2008). Consequently, for further research, it may be useful to examine how universities are utilising social networks for attracting and retaining talented staff.

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5.9 Summary

This chapter presented a critical discussion of the research findings and attempted to provide potential explanations to clarify the results emerging from this investigation. It attempted to summarise the findings by comparing the results with the review of previous studies presented in the literature review chapter with regard to the research questions and purpose. Research contributions were discussed to assist practitioners who may apply the findings of this research to improve the quality of Thai university websites leading to improved quality of Thai university staff resulting in an overall improvement in the tertiary education system in Thailand. Limitations and implications for further research are mentioned in the last section.