DISCOURSE AND PRACTICE: ELECTRONIC FIRMS IN SINGAPORE AND THE ASIAN ECONOMIC CRISIS

Abstract

In the last decade or so, geographers and economists have paid greater attention to the significance of discourses and metaphors. While acknowledging the importance of discursive constructions and metaphorical representations of economic space, I extend the argument by examining the practices that may result from such discourses. Through the analysis of ministerial speeches and media reports, and data from survey instruments and personal interviews, this thesis focuses on interpretations of the AEC at the firm level: how they may differ from official conceptions, and the extent to which government rhetorics (embodied in ministerial speeches and policy actions) are accepted, contested or negotiated in business practices. The different scalar representations and responses of local and foreign firms are also compared. Results show that discourses and representations at the national (government) level does not 'flow' or 'trickle down' to the firm level unproblematically due to factors such as personal experiences, varying firm circumstances, extent of intra-firm and interfirm networks, and the existence of various formal and informal information channels. Firms have their own explanations and understanding of the AEC and often disagree with the effectiveness and usefulness of certain policy responses. Abilities to weather the crisis also differ significantly among local and foreign firms. This research thus addresses the empirical gap in other studies done at the national scale, which overlook the richness of data and diverse experiences and strategies of firms in weathering such events.