Dr. Savita Tangwongkit, EEBA Alumni
Savita Tangwongkit was a student in the EEBA program, who majored in Agricultural Business and Food. She completed her Bachelor’s degree with flying colors – having been awarded with Second Class Honors within 3.5 semesters, she graduated back in 2014.
Her Bachelor’s degree with the EEBA program
Growing up, Savita has always been fond of languages, English in particular. Prior to studying in EEBA, she spent her senior year of high school in the USA as an exchange student.
“My most favorite class of all was Economics, and it was at that moment I knew studying Economics in an international program would be a perfect match for me, and the best choice to start on for my academic journey.”
She was inspired to choose Kasetsart University, as both of her parents are professors at the Faculty of Agriculture. She spent most of her childhood and summers in her parents’ office. She grew to love the environment, atmosphere and everything about the university as this was, in a way her second home. Most importantly, she trusts the university’s academic excellence.
All in all, the striking reasons that drew her to choose to study in this program at this university was her self-interest in Economics, compounded by her fondness in English communication and having spent most of her youth in the university.
“EEBA met all the qualifications I wanted to pursue and the program offered me the specialization I was seeking for.”
Savita shared that there were a thousand things that she had acquired from EEBA, all of which were extremely essential and had assisted her through her transition from postgraduate study to a wider academic community.
She mentioned that,
“In terms of skills, every course offered by EEBA provides all the foundation, knowledge and skills that are needed to meet the higher academic qualifications. I have to say that through the courses EEBA has provided, my PhD journey became easier and was much less of a pressure than I expected.
Given the Principles of Microeconomics, Marketing for Agri-enterprises and Agriculture & Resource Economics as examples, these courses provided me with all essential knowledge I needed in contributing to my research in the agricultural economics field.
With my EEBA background, I was able to formulate ideas about research, its methods and the process. It helped me a lot in designing and structuring my thesis, especially in the fields related to agricultural products, farming and the agricultural business sector.
Another subject that had much relevance to my work and I would have been struggling to perform if without it, would be the Fundamental Econometrics. This subject played a major role in helping me when it came to performing the entire data analyses of my work, and it drove the development of my thesis forward much faster, more organized, and much more smoothly.”
According to her, if you are about to pursue PhD and have zero background or knowledge on how to perform your analysis and what other aspects need to be taken into account, you will have no other choice but to start from scratch, which she has seen in many of her colleagues. It was a very challenging path and it made their research process much harder than hers.
In addition to obtaining essential skills needed, she said that EEBA also provides you with a network of connections with successful academics and experts in the field. During her PhD journey, there were several times when she found issues in her work, and she was able to get in contact with a couple of her previous EEBA professors, to ask for their scientific based advice. They were nothing but nice as they gave their useful suggestions without any hesitation at all even though she had graduated from the program years ago.
How did EEBA help you in your life goals and plans?
Back then, although she wasn’t entirely sure of which area of Economics she was passionate about, studying in EEBA helped her discover her field specialty, Agricultural Economics.
“Joining the EEBA program was more than just an education. The program gave me experiences, skills, confidence and knowledge relevant to improve my career prospects and helped me reach the career of my choice. For me, this program and my chosen major were the best choices I have ever made, otherwise I might not have made it this far to be where I am today.”
As a person who always wanted a career where she is constantly learning and improving, just like her parents, she made it a goal to also go into academia as a career path. She is looking forward to the challenges of having fresh knowledge, researching, publishing her own works and building her ability in her chosen field.
To potential and current EEBA students
Savita’s advice to those interested in the EEBA program,
“When you join EEBA, you will become part of a thriving community of undergraduate students. You will learn from friendly and approachable academic staff who are experienced leaders in their fields of expertise and in such a positive environment. They will constantly encourage and support you throughout your entire journey as a student and beyond.
By joining EEBA, you will be equipped with a strong understanding of the broad principles of entrepreneurial economics. The program will be a stepping stone for a wide range of professional careers as it will help you progress your career forward successfully.“
MSc at the University of Manchester, UK
2015 – The Degree of Master of Science in International Business and Management with Merit, The University of Manchester, UK
There were several reasons as to why Savita chose to pursue her Master’s degree in International Business and Management at the Manchester Business School.
The course also gave her the opportunity to learn and gain a thorough understanding about different successful business management practices in the global arena.
First and foremost, the course had allowed her to master her knowledge on the subjects she loved from her Bachelor’s – to develop the ability to think and be equipped with the vital skills and a global perspective for today’s globalized economy, particularly in an international context.
Since international business often deals with multinational enterprises, their management and strategies and their role in both globalization and localization of economic activities, studying in this field allowed her to build a sense of how globalization has brought about a growing connectivity between businesses, markets and individuals across nations.
Above all else, this course has also enabled her to explore and gain expertise in the political economy and how it can influence international trade, which has always been the area that has deeply interested her the most.
“The Manchester Business School, MBS is a triple-accredited and research-led Business School. This course, in particular, is currently ranked 5th in the UK and 24th globally according to the QS Business Masters ranking 2021, while the university itself has current international rankings that are placed among the world’s best universities for its best research performance and academic reputation (i.e. ranked 23rd, 27th, and 35th by the Time Higher Education, QS, and Academic Ranking of World Universities, respectively).“
PhD at the University of Reading, UK
2022 – The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural, Environmental and Food Economics, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading, UK. (Course starting date, September 18, 2017)
There are a number of important issues that need to be considered when choosing your PhD program. First things first, is to identify the right area or topic of your PhD research, where for Savita, it is related to agricultural policy and economics. Then, you must choose where you want to go, WISELY!
Two primary reasons why Savita chose to do her PhD at the University of Reading; first, because of its highly regarded reputation, Agriculture at this university has been ranked in the top ten in the world for several years in a row.
Second reason was entirely because of her supervisors. Many believe that a good supervisor can guide a struggling student to success. A bad supervisor can destroy even an exceptional student’s dreams. This is because the key factor in a successful PhD program is the supervision process where both PhD students and supervisors are playing positive roles. You need supervisors who can be a source of inspiration in creating ideas and are able to provide you support, guidance and any necessary means that fosters your research agenda.
Savita opted for a PhD because she wanted to be able to share her knowledge and academic expertise to the young generation and to be a part of shaping the future generations too. In order to do so and to work in academia as a lecturer or a university researcher, having a PhD is usually one of the main qualifications.
Because of her own intellectual curiosity and her comfort being in the academic environment, she innately loves research and she wants to achieve something new in her area and would love to see her research being put into practice. She loved it so much that she was willing to spend another four years on it!
“I believe that getting an advanced degree represents my best intellectual, professional and personal interest.”
What does having an advanced degree do for you?
Why is doing a PhD worth it, you ask? It facilitates you to accomplish something big!
Yes, the process of doing a PhD is often recognized as a training in creativity – creating a new base of knowledge, preparing to discover the unknown that is significant, critical reasoning, thinking in-depth from different angles, confidence, and professionalism. However, in addition to those, you will also gain transferable skills such as professional presentations, public speaking, teaching, and networking. Savita has taken up numerous opportunities to grow as an academic.
For example, during her time as a postgraduate researcher, she attended oral academic presentations at international research conferences related to agricultural economics and rural policies where she was able to present her work to other researchers.
“I learnt a great deal from other researchers including getting groundbreaking ideas and practical advice through receiving critical responses that I had previously not thought about at all. Moreover, attending academic conferences gave me an opportunity to make valuable contacts through networking where I got to meet professionals in my field. From my personal experience, I also won the best presentation award on Agricultural Economics and Rural Policies from the ICAERP 2020 International Conference. This achievement has energized me even more so in my research.
My research supervisor also gave me a chance to engage in teaching undergraduate students at the university. Teaching during a PhD was a huge undertaking for me in expanding my horizons and putting my knowledge into practice in a new environment.“
“Most importantly, I was able to make an original contribution to my chosen subject, and the influence of this contribution could become a reference point for future academics, researchers and students, and possibly even benefit the future policy formulation – which is kind of a nice way to look forward to when you think about the end results of the research you accomplished along the way.”
The difficulties and challenging times during a PhD journey
It is undeniable that the journey to obtaining a PhD degree is a long process where your motivation could often dip and peak along the way, especially when you are at the beginning. Oftentimes, you will experience lack of self-confidence as you get stuck in your comfort zone and feel as if you also lack the relevant experience. You will also feel uncertain about your focus and direction, and that may cause you to feel as if you’re drifting which may lead you to experience imposter syndrome.
However, all of these challenges that you will face can be 100% overcome and the rewards you will get is extremely worthwhile. You will see that your capability and competency building will sky rocket professionally and you will realize that you are tougher than you thought.
Doing PhD requires thousands of precious hours researching and reading literature, but for Savita, she found out that once you are reading something that is relevant to your own subject of interest, you will be able to find it interesting and enjoy it. Having the skills to efficiently filter through large amounts of information and purposefully capture and use just what you need can build your competitive advantage in your field. This was not something that came natural to her, but doing PhD completely changed her in a positive way.
To overcome all the difficulties during your PhD journey, you need to strengthen your self-discipline and internalize your self-regulation as a PhD student. Moreover, you should stay curious, ask and discuss with your supervisors or other important persons in your network when you are confused or uncertain about something.
It is also important to keep track of every milestone you achieve by giving yourself regular rewards. However, if you find that your research is causing you to drift away – make sure to refocus your goals, go for a jog or exercise, or maybe set a weekend routine to destress. It is important to constantly increase your mental resilience when you deal with tasks that take so much more time and a higher level of work.
Finally, Savita advises to not fear failures or taking risks. By doing a PhD, you will graduate by producing new and creative work. This means that it is very likely that you will face many dead ends, because no one knows the answers, and that you will sometimes see yourself making far less progress than you expected even if you feel as if you’ve given a huge amount of effort already.
“These things will typically happen, but you will be alright. Please keep in mind that you can learn more from your failures than successes; where each time you keep trying, you do better and better, and the reward of your own creative work will keep you going. Just remember, at the end of the day, it’s all on you.”
Her research study
Her thesis is entitled, “THE SURVIVAL OF THAI SUGAR PRODUCERS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE WAKE OF WTO-ENFORCED CHANGES TO THE THAI SUGAR REGIME”.
Her personal area of interest has always been in the field related to Thai cane and sugar regime since her undergraduate years – her final year project dissertation was also in the same focus.
For her PhD thesis, the problem statement began with the realization that at present, the Thai sugar sector is at a key juncture when policy reform is being forced upon the sector by international pressure. After a long period of stability created by protectionist policies as in 2016, Brazil filed a request with the WTO for consultations with Thailand regarding alleged breaches of WTO rules by the subsidy regime applicable to the Thai sugar sector. In an effort to avoid being challenged at the WTO, the Thai government initiated a process of policy reform as part of a broader industry restructuring, in order to bring the sector up-to-date with developments in the international sugar market. While the impacts of large-scale policy reform of the Thai sugar regime are likely to be significant, especially on the fortunes of Thai cane farmers and sugar millers, to date there have been very few empirical studies of the potential impacts. Her thesis attempts to address this research gap by investigating the likely responses of both cane producers and millers to a suite of alternative policy regimes.
The purpose of her research is to provide evidence to inform this decision through assessing the impact of a range of policy options reflecting different levels of market liberalization.
The main aim is to explore the effects of different policy scenarios that are available for the government to undertake, covering a spectrum of policy approaches on the libertarianism-protectionism dimension in terms of the number of farmers remaining in cane farming, cane and sugar supply, and structural change in the industry. Her thesis also looks at how Thai producers would respond differently under different policy environments and what are the motives and important drivers or barriers behind their likely responses.
“It’s my hope that the results from my thesis could contribute to an on-going discussion about possible scenarios of change to the Thai sugar regime by providing empirical evidence about how the industry is likely to respond to different policies, and therefore will be useful for informing the future direction of Thai sugar policy.
Another object of my thesis is to show the government what would happen in the sector if each of the scenarios were to be implemented, so the government can recognize where further readjustments might be needed. I believe that the farmer and miller sectors can also use my research’s results to help manage their business strategy if they know which policy is going to be implemented.”
What’s next for Savita?
There are three things Savita says she needs to do. First, she is now applying for a lecturer position at the Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University Kamphaengsaen Campus where she grew up. She wants to be a part of influencing students and making a difference in her community.
Second, is to continue researching and making her research publications. She is currently working on publishing parts of her PhD research in academic journals and writing policy briefing, as she believes that to some extent, her work could help inform relevant policy makers in Thailand of the findings of the research.
Lastly, she is also working on having her thesis published in full which would allow other researchers and students to access it.
Final words of encouragement for those interested in pursuing a Phd
“Earning the highest level of degree of formal education, the doctorate – the experience is both rewarding and challenging.
You must first have a plan in advance and include a plan B into your grand plan and be very organized. Strong and effective time management is key to your research success. There is not a one-size-fits-all way to work as a PhD student, hence you should maintain a healthy work-life balance by searching for a routine that works best for you. Starting a PhD can be very tough and extremely stressful, requiring a huge amount of personal investment i.e., with massive amounts of reading, researching and writing, and it is a long journey of hard work.
Don’t feel pressured to work 24/7 because this is not sustainable, and don’t forget to live a life because you need quality time for hobbies, family, and friends in order to function at your peak level. Otherwise, you may suffer from the effects of having a very hectic schedule. I suggest that it is better to develop a good balance and work steadily throughout your program than to work intensively and burn out.
Two more suggestions are that; do not compare yourself and your PhD work with others, because everyone’s work is different, and you are conducting original research that reveals something new. Don’t worry if you have more or less data, experience, or perhaps that you are taking more time than your peers. You are accepted in your program because you deserve it. You just need to do what works best for you, manage your expectations and have that positive attitude to keep yourself moving forward. These are important!”
Lastly, she suggests to those who are interested in the same journey as hers to be aware of the imposter syndrome – which every PhD student has probably gone through, especially in their early stage of their doctorate program. It is real and everybody experiences it at some point as well as feeling fed up and dissatisfied. These feelings can be overcome at some point as long as you have got your heart set on your PhD.
“Remember that you are doing something incredible – contributing not just to yourself but to other people in society, and at the end of the day, you will make yourself extremely proud especially when you get to call yourself a Dr. So, embrace your competencies, all the opportunities, and enjoy it!
