WIRED SINGAPORE? : THE IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC NETWORKS ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF BUSINESS LINKAGES IN SINGAPORE
ALVIN SAW TEONG CHIN
ALVIN SAW TEONG CHIN
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Abstract
Singapore is ready to become the most wired nation in the world. Electronic networks in business linkages have a key role to play in this transformation. With their ability to compress space-time, E-networks will have widespread and enduring ramifications on the organisation of activities through space. Their importance must be seen in the context of globalisation and the strategy for Singapore to become a global information-hub. This thesis began as an investigation of the impact E-networks have had on the geography of business linkages in Singapore since the time of their arrival nearly a decade ago. A review of the literature on the subject revealed that there existed an overwhelming optimism as to the extent to which E-networks would change society and its organisation. This body of work has been augmented by empirical research with almost elated predictions of change coming from all quarters. Given the multivariate ways in which E-networks were expected to impact society, a qualitative research methodology was thought most appropriate to examine these phenomena as it provided the greatest scope for gathering rich, varied data. Twenty-nine in-depth interviews were performed as a result. This qualitative data set was augmented by some quantitative data obtained through Short Informal Telephone Interviews (SITIs), of which there were twenty. Once the data was collected and analysed however, it was found that E-networks had not had as great an impact on business linkages as expected. The thesis subsequently changed to an analysis of the reasons why this was so. It was found that eight social-cultural factors played an important role in determining the adoption of E-networks. These factors have been more-or-less overlooked by the literature, but they nonetheless represent formidable barriers to overcome. These factors should therefore be given greater attention when discussing the impacts of E-networks.
Keywords
E-networks, Business linkages, Social-cultural factors
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Date
1999
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