Benyawarath Nithithanatchinnapat’s Three Minute Thesis
Digital Economy Readiness: A Country-Level Investigation
This proposal highlights the need for research in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) workforce and social inclusion as a mechanism to better understand a country’s readiness to engage and compete in the digital economy (here after referred to as digital economy readiness). This study will explore how Trauth (1999, 2000) Influence-Impact Model can be applied in explaining interrelationships among the country’s social context and ICT sector factors. This dissertation will be structured in a three-essay format. Essay one will examine factors influencing the country’s ICT-enabled economic performance. Essay two will reveal factors affect a country’s ICT talent shortage. Essay three will refine the original research framework by exploring patterns of the country’s regional development and social indicators, in addition to those addressed in essay one and two, which could potentially influence the country’s digital economy readiness.
Benyawarath Nithithanatchinnapat’s Powerpoint presentation can be viewed here.
About Benyawarath
Benyawarath is currently a PhD candidate and an instructor at Carson College of Business, Washington State University (WSU). Before joining WSU in 2012, she was a lecturer at University of Thai Chamber of Commerce. She started her career in academic in 1998 as a lecturer at Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand, right after she finished her undergraduate degree in Computer Science. Thinking that IT is quite a vocational field, and hands-on experience would make her a much better teacher, she went on to get her masters in information systems management, and an MBA in Finance in the US. After finishing her masters, she worked mainly in banking industry. Five years in banking IT helps her to possess not only technical and business systems analysis skills, but also teamwork and project management. As a practitioner, she also worked in one of the national-level telecommunication project. Under Junior Consultant role, she was responsible for researching on spectrum management and giving consultancy to Thailand’s National Telecommunication Commission. All these experience got her interested in doing research at both national policy and banking industry levels.