The Adoption and Use of ICT in Thailand and Vietnam

Abstract

This exploratory study compares the adoption and use of ICT in the developing nations of Vietnam and Thailand by examining the nature and structure of the IT profession in medium to large size organizations. A theoretical framework is used with three related components: domains of IT professional expertise; the scope of the IT professional's knowledge, skills, and experience; and specific knowledge and skills associated with the domains of professional expertise. The findings provide insights that are not found in existing reports which address ICT issues at a national rather than an organizational level. In particular, findings concerned with the first two components of the framework for both nations are compared to predictions about the adoption and use of ICT in organizations in technologically developed nations. ABSTRACTThis exploratory study compares the adoption and use of ICT in the developing nations of Vietnam and Thailand by examining the nature and structure of the IT profession in medium to large size organizations. A theoretical framework is used with three related components: domains of IT professional expertise; the scope of the IT professional's knowledge, skills, and experience; and specific knowledge and skills associated with the domains of professional expertise. The findings provide insights that are not found in existing reports which address ICT issues at a national rather than an organizational level. In particular, findings concerned with the first two components of the framework for both nations are compared to predictions about the adoption and use of ICT in organizations in technologically developed nations.

An investigation of ICT knowledge and skills in Vietnam

“…The theoretical framework used in this study describes the knowledge and skills required of IT professionals using 3 components: 6 domains of IT professional expertise; items representing the expertise associated with each of the 6 domains; and sourcing strategies that organizations may adopt in order to acquire fundamental IT skills and knowledge. Earlier forms of this framework were used in 8 studies conducted in developing nations including exploratory studies of ICT in Vietnam (Lau et al, ; Winley & Lau, ) and Myanmar (Lau, Winley, Lau, & Tan, ) as well as studies of IT professional knowledge and skills, ICT education, and national ICT policies in Thailand (Winley, Arjpru, & Wongwuttiwat, ; Winley & Wongwuttiwat, ; Winley & Wongwuttiwat, ; Wongwuttiwat, ; Wongwuttiwat, Arjpru, & Winley, ). It is noted that the data for the 2 studies in Vietnam by Winley and Lau () and Lau et al () were collected in early 2011.…”

“…In the study conducted in Vietnam in 2011 by Winley and Lau (), it was found that 83% of organizations predicted that over the next 5 years there would be a significant increase in the demand for expertise in Domain 1 rather than the decrease shown in Table . However, for Domains 2, 3, and 4, the increases predicted by Morello () in Table were supported by approximately 68% of the Vietnamese organizations with no indication of any significant decreases in demand for these 3 domains.…”

“…Domain 5 was introduced into the framework by Winley and Lau () based on the extensive number of previous studies (eg, Bullen, Abraham, Gallagher, Kaiser, & Simon, ; Glenn & Gordon, ; Wongwuttiwat et al, ; Srinutapong, ; Winley et al, ; Morello, ; Plummer et al, ; Wongwuttiwat, ) which identified the importance of a range of personal characteristics of IT professionals working in any of the Domains 1 to 4 (eg, personal traits, problem solving skills, ability to work cooperatively in various types of work environments, and communication skills). Winley and Lau () reported that in year 2011 in Vietnam these personal characteristics were rated as being either significantly important (82%) or moderately important (18%).…”

“…Morello () predicted that for the majority (70%) of organizations operating in developed nations there would be an increased demand for versatilists, but there would be no increased demand for specialists. In Vietnam, Winley and Lau () found a high demand for versatilists, a moderate demand for specialists, and a low demand for generalists.…”

“…There is limited research and comprehensive analysis of ICT knowledge and skills demands in Vietnam, and research has focused mainly on specific areas of ICT adoption such as out‐sourcing (Huong, Katsuhiro, & Chi, ; Le, ), knowledge management (Q. T. Pham & Nguyen, ), e‐commerce (L. Pham, Pham, & Nguyen, ; Rowe, Truex, & Huynh, ), e‐government (Khanh, ), e‐banking (L. Pham, Cao, Nguyen, & Tran, ), and enterprise resource planning (L. Pham & Teich, ). The most recent analyses of ICT knowledge and skills demands in Vietnam are by Winley and Lau () and Lau, Winley, Leung, Tsang, and Lau () which were both based on data collected in 2011. The purpose of this study is to update and extend those exploratory studies of ICT knowledge and skills demands in Vietnam.…”