Understanding Internet User Profiles: A Case Study of Thailand

Thailand is experiencing the unforeseen growth in Internet penetration like in many developing countries. Internet users are eager to go online and try our new applications. In order to understand the whole picture of the market, it is important for one to understand the user behaviors first. This study aims to analyze the Internet user behaviors, using Thailand as a case study, and group the users according to their usage behaviors. The findings show four groups of Internet users which are different from traditional literature which has not been updated since 2012. They are, namely, (1) Online Hardcores, (2) Rational Users, (3) Social Addicts, and (4) Social Followers. These groups have different behaviors when it comes to the usage of different applications on the Internet. It is found that most Thai users use social network applications and short messaging services, such as Line and Whatsapp. Therefore, the majority tend to be the socializers. However, it was found that Thai users often use many applications in one day. They do not stay only on social networks but also use other programs as well. The results also show that Internet users grouping is still the area that can be further developed as the users and applications keep changing

Effects of telecommunication liberalization in Thailand and the Philippines

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2001.Includes bibliographical references (leaves [149]-158).This thesis hypothesized that extensive telecommunications liberalization would not increase the penetration rate of the fixed telephone service better than other, less competition-oriented, policy alternatives. The hypothesis was validated in the case of Thailand and the Philippines. However, for the cellular mobile telephone and Internet services, extensive telecommunications liberalization could increase the penetration rates better than other, less competition-oriented, policy alternatives. Thus, the thesis demonstrates that past research has not paid sufficient attention to this issue and has assumed that the more extensive reform could lead to the faster and the better telecommunications development of all telecommunication services. The thesis suggested that less-developed countries (LDCs) should realize that they do not have to fully implement liberalization reforms, but should instead specifically tailor their telecommunications reform policies to their own pace and needs. This study found that extensive liberalization reforms or extensive opening of the market does not necessarily increase penetration rates of services better than other less competition-oriented policy alternatives under the following conditions: Assuming that the services have not yet reached their saturation levels based on the S-curve,(cont.) 1. Users perceive the service as a necessity; and 2. the government perceives the service as a basic necessity; and 3. the government strictly commits and implements purposeful policies with the intention of increasing penetration rates of the services through the distribution of service provision authority. Or, 4. If the liberalization is implemented after the saturation level of the service is reached. The thesis results have the policy implication that liberalization can be a useful and effective alternative to lead to higher penetration rates, when and only if, the country and its people understand its goals, effects and implications and, more importantly, when the government provides the policy framework for universal service for the benefits of its people so that the liberalization can lead to self-sustainable development.by Donyaprueth Krairit.Ph.D

The New Face of Internet User Typology: The Case of Thailand

As the number of Internet users grows rapidly, the way users access the Internet and their behavior change. This study focuses on Internet user typology, which is an area that has not been recently examined. The research explores whether the Internet user typology specified in previous literature is still applicable in the present and, if not, what has changed. The results reveal that the previous way of categorizing users into several types based on their activities alone is no longer applicable. Consequently, the researcher proposed a new methodology to group users based on applications and the frequency of accessing them, coupled with the use of demographic data. The survey-based cluster analysis shows four Internet user types in Thailand. Only one group is similar to previous literature, which is the non-users. In addition, there are three new groups of users that have characteristics that are completely different from the typologies in the previous literature. The most interesting and unexpected finding is the new type of user that the researcher calls the self-satisficing group, the name of which could be related to the concept of satisficing theory in economics

Developing a Conceptual Framework to Evaluate Public B2B E-Marketplaces

Business-to-business (B2B) e-marketplaces are Internet-based inter-organizational trading platforms that facilitate and foster the exchange of information, products and services, and other business transactions among many buyers and sellers. Despite the proliferation of B2B e-marketplaces, many B2B e-marketplaces have failed. A well-developed framework or standard for evaluating B2B e-marketplaces is scarce in the literature. Previous studies indicate the need for a comprehensive evaluation framework for evaluating performance of B2B e-marketplaces. This research presented a framework to evaluate performance of public B2B e-marketplaces that support small exporters. Factors contributing to the performance and effectiveness of B2B e-marketplaces were explored. The proposed conceptual framework integrated factors from both B2B e-marketplace performance and Web site evaluation perspectives. Expert interviews using a semi-structured approach were conducted in order to verify the proposed conceptual framework. On the basis of thorough review of literature and expert interviews conducted, this study proposed eleven factors to evaluate public B2B e-marketplaces. This research contributes to the literature by building an integrated framework to evaluate the performance public B2B e-marketplaces. It also contributes to the B2B e-marketplace industry by offering a practical mean for public B2B e-marketplace market makers or managers to evaluate and improve their e-marketplaces

INTEGRATING VISUALIZATION AND MULTI-ATTRIBUTE UTILITY THEORY FOR ONLINE PRODUCT SELECTION

Effectively selling products online is a challenging task. Today's product domains often contain a dizzying variety of brands and models with highly complex sets of characteristics. This paper addresses the problem of supporting product search and selection in domains containing large numbers of alternatives with complex sets of features. A number of online shopping websites provide product choice assistance by making direct use of Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT). While the MAUT approach is appealing due to its solid theoretical foundations, there are several reasons that it does not fit well with people's decision making behavior.This paper presents an approach designed to better fit with people's natural decision making process. The system is called VMAP for Visualizing Multi-Attribute Preferences. VMAP provides on one screen both a multi-attribute preference tool (MAP-tool) and a product visualization tool (V-tool). The product visualization tool displays the set of available products, with each product displayed as a point in a 3D attribute space. By viewing the product space, users can gain an overview of the range of available products, as well as an understanding of the relationships between their attributes. The MAP-tool integrates expression of preferences and filter conditions, which are then immediately reflected in the V-tool display. In this way, the user can immediately see the consequences of his expressed preferences on the product space.The VMAP system is evaluated on a number of factors by comparing users' subjective ratings of the system to those of a more traditional MAUT product selection tool. The results show that while VMAP is somewhat more difficult to use than a traditional MAUT product selection tool, it provides better flexibility, provides the ability to more effectively explore the product domain, and produces more confidence in the selected product.Visualization, multi-attribute utility theory, choice assistance, online shopping, usability evaluation