Two educators from well-known universities in Vietnam have been awarded the 2019 RMIT Vietnam doctoral scholarships for women. One recipient will examine transnational programs at higher education institutions in Vietnam and the other on consumer behaviors in the country’s retail industry.

Nguyen Thi Phuong from University of Economics and Law - PHOTO: RMIT UNIVERSITY VIETNAM

With more than five years of management experience in the higher education sector, Nguyen Thi Phuong, head of the Academic Department, British Education Project at University of Economics and Law under Vietnam National University HCMC, hopes to further develop her research in the field of transnational programs.

“I graduated with an MBA from the transnational program of the University of Gloucestershire, UK. After that, I took up many senior management positions in transnational programs, which provided me with extensive background knowledge that supported my PhD thesis a lot,” Phuong said.

“In the context of internationalization in the higher education sector, my research will take an in-depth look at the effect of institutional governance on the performance of transnational programs in Vietnam Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).”

Phuong hopes the outcomes of her research will be useful for higher education administrators who are deploying transnational programs at their HEIs.

She believes women face more challenges than men when it comes to entering PhD programs, as well as applying for scholarships. However, she encourages women who are considering embarking on this journey, saying: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

Nguyen Thi Van Anh from the Academy of Finance Hanoi - PHOTO: RMIT UNIVERSITY VIETNAM

Meanwhile Nguyen Thi Van Anh, a lecturer of marketing at the Academy of Finance in Hanoi, will use the doctoral scholarship to fulfill her interest in digital marketing, particularly consumer behavior.

Over the next three years at RMIT Vietnam, she will study how customers relate to many retailing channels available to them, and ultimately how they come to choose a channel to purchase a product.

“With an omni-channel retailing environment, where consumers can purchase online, in-person, and through other methods, consumers can start their journey in one channel and end it in another one, as there are no barriers between channels,” Van Anh said.

“In such an environment, it is essential to understand customer behaviors throughout their journey so that companies can better allocate their resources.”

She hopes that her research will help businesses increase the effectiveness of information searches and consumer purchase steps in order to create the best shopping experience for customers.

Since 2017, RMIT University Vietnam’s doctoral scholarships are offered annually to encourage women to further participate in research, especially in fields like engineering, where female participation in the labor force is low, and in business, where senior leadership is predominantly male. Each scholarship, worth more than VND700 million (US$30,750) covers the tuition fee of a standard three-year full-time research doctorate.

SGT