Can-Seng Ooi | University of Tasmania (original) (raw)
Papers by Can-Seng Ooi
Asian tourists and cultural complexity: Implications for practice and the Asianisation of tourism scholarship, 2019
Asian tourist behaviour is often characterised along essentialistic terms such as Asians are coll... more Asian tourist behaviour is often characterised along essentialistic terms such as Asians are collectivistic and hierarchical. The essentialist approach to understanding culture faces serious criticisms. In using cultural complexity instead of culture, this paper introduces functional culture and negotiated culture perspectives, as derived from structural functionalism and conflict theory respectively, to situate Asian tourist behaviour. Cultural complexity is manifested as a dynamic web of stable and yet changing social manifestations. The pool of contrasting and contradicting cultural manifestations is a resource for members of society to express, control and navigate the variety of situations they encounter in life. The diversity of potential cultural expressions also provides society room to experiment, respond and manage changing circumstances. This paper offers implications from the functional culture and negotiated culture perspectives on the management of Asian tourists. It also addresses the academic implication, in the context of the Asianisation of tourism scholarship.
Journal of Place Management and Development, Jun 6, 2022
Purpose This paper aims to explore the complexities of engaging with local stakeholders in destin... more Purpose This paper aims to explore the complexities of engaging with local stakeholders in destination branding. As the main creators and drivers of the destination brand, many brand authorities metaphorically “give ownership” of the brand to local stakeholders, for them to “take ownership” of it. This paper examines the inherent challenges of this process. In the Tasmanian destination branding process presented here, the Tasmanian authorities used best practices to generate a sense of ownership of the destination brand among local tourism businesses. Some players engaged, but many did not. The study shows the necessity to understand the dynamics between giving ownership of the brand and the various local tourism business stakeholders actually taking ownership. Design/methodology/approach This study looks at an Australian destination branding experience, namely, Tasmania’s “Go Behind the Scenery”. Primary data were gathered through 14 in-depth interviews with tourism operators, selected through a purposive sampling approach, based on their various levels of participation in the branding processes. The interviews aimed to understand how they variously engaged with the brand and processes of ownership. Findings This study shows that a relatively open interpretation of the brand can welcome wider engagement and generate a sense of ownership through the local businesses’ own interpretations. But there are also barriers for these stakeholders in developing an even stronger sense of ownership. They need more support in addressing their individual circumstance before the brand can align with their business. Originality/value This paper accentuates an ownership gap, understood as the gap between giving ownership (mechanisms to transfer ownership from brand authorities to stakeholders) and taking ownership (stakeholders assume responsibility for and manifest the brand). In identifying a gap between these two aspects of engagement, this paper initiates a more nuanced discussion on the mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in the branding process.
Identities-global Studies in Culture and Power, May 16, 2022
XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018), Jul 16, 2018
Forschung und Praxis an der FHWien der WKW, 2017
Indonesia and The Malay World, Mar 1, 2003
In 1995, under fierce competition in the tourism industry, the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board ... more In 1995, under fierce competition in the tourism industry, the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) 1 and the Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA) released a blueprint to make Singapore into a 'Global city for the arts'. Among other things, Singapore will have three national museums (STPB and MITA, 1995; STPB, 1996 [a], 1996 [b]). They are the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and the Singapore History Museum (SHM). These three National Museums of Singapore (NMS) will help the ...
Multilingual Matters eBooks, Dec 31, 2023
Annals of tourism research empirical insights, May 1, 2023
Bakhtin was a literary theorist and was the widely acknowledged father of dialogism. This working... more Bakhtin was a literary theorist and was the widely acknowledged father of dialogism. This working paper shows how Bakhtin and dialogism can be used to capture complexity, ambivalence and ambiguity in the social world. In following the spirit of dialogism, I will refer to my own research experiences in tourism and art worlds, through which I will reveal my own inclinations – which can be read as biases – in my research knowledge production. Through the concept of genre, heteroglossia, polyphony and carnivalesque, dialogism allows social science researchers to identify and structure the forces of order and disruption in society. There are methodological consequences if one is to follow dialogism. Besides having to get deep into the empirical field, dialogism challenges by raising questions on the manner we collect data, the extent to which we can present a holistic analysis, the ways to engage alternative analytical interpretations and the approach to address a researcher’s own biases.
... He announced that the Economic and Development Board (EDB) has allocated S$500 million to dev... more ... He announced that the Economic and Development Board (EDB) has allocated S$500 million to develop the digital media industry for the period between 2006 and 2010. ... Film Festival, there are now also individual festivals for Chinese, Malay and Indian arts and cultures. ...
Scholars and the practice community unanimously advocate sustainable balanced and sensitive touri... more Scholars and the practice community unanimously advocate sustainable balanced and sensitive tourism development. Engaging with locals and setting up public-private partnerships are frequently championed. This working paper introduces a set of lenses in the moral philosophy tradition and argues that the current pragmatic solutions to sustainable tourism development could not resolve issues of authenticity, equity, rights and fairness. There are three in-built moral limits in the tourism market, and namely: the market assumes it can price everything including culture and nature; the market distributes welfare through one's ability to pay rather than one's needs; and the market is structured in ways that benefit some groups more than others. The so-called solutions are compromises, and are tainted ideologically and politically. This work-in-progress is merely a starting point to a longer discussion on how narratives of balanced sustainable tourism development gloss over the contradictions in the tourism market.
Asian tourists and cultural complexity: Implications for practice and the Asianisation of tourism scholarship, 2019
Asian tourist behaviour is often characterised along essentialistic terms such as Asians are coll... more Asian tourist behaviour is often characterised along essentialistic terms such as Asians are collectivistic and hierarchical. The essentialist approach to understanding culture faces serious criticisms. In using cultural complexity instead of culture, this paper introduces functional culture and negotiated culture perspectives, as derived from structural functionalism and conflict theory respectively, to situate Asian tourist behaviour. Cultural complexity is manifested as a dynamic web of stable and yet changing social manifestations. The pool of contrasting and contradicting cultural manifestations is a resource for members of society to express, control and navigate the variety of situations they encounter in life. The diversity of potential cultural expressions also provides society room to experiment, respond and manage changing circumstances. This paper offers implications from the functional culture and negotiated culture perspectives on the management of Asian tourists. It also addresses the academic implication, in the context of the Asianisation of tourism scholarship.
Journal of Place Management and Development, Jun 6, 2022
Purpose This paper aims to explore the complexities of engaging with local stakeholders in destin... more Purpose This paper aims to explore the complexities of engaging with local stakeholders in destination branding. As the main creators and drivers of the destination brand, many brand authorities metaphorically “give ownership” of the brand to local stakeholders, for them to “take ownership” of it. This paper examines the inherent challenges of this process. In the Tasmanian destination branding process presented here, the Tasmanian authorities used best practices to generate a sense of ownership of the destination brand among local tourism businesses. Some players engaged, but many did not. The study shows the necessity to understand the dynamics between giving ownership of the brand and the various local tourism business stakeholders actually taking ownership. Design/methodology/approach This study looks at an Australian destination branding experience, namely, Tasmania’s “Go Behind the Scenery”. Primary data were gathered through 14 in-depth interviews with tourism operators, selected through a purposive sampling approach, based on their various levels of participation in the branding processes. The interviews aimed to understand how they variously engaged with the brand and processes of ownership. Findings This study shows that a relatively open interpretation of the brand can welcome wider engagement and generate a sense of ownership through the local businesses’ own interpretations. But there are also barriers for these stakeholders in developing an even stronger sense of ownership. They need more support in addressing their individual circumstance before the brand can align with their business. Originality/value This paper accentuates an ownership gap, understood as the gap between giving ownership (mechanisms to transfer ownership from brand authorities to stakeholders) and taking ownership (stakeholders assume responsibility for and manifest the brand). In identifying a gap between these two aspects of engagement, this paper initiates a more nuanced discussion on the mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in the branding process.
Identities-global Studies in Culture and Power, May 16, 2022
XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018), Jul 16, 2018
Forschung und Praxis an der FHWien der WKW, 2017
Indonesia and The Malay World, Mar 1, 2003
In 1995, under fierce competition in the tourism industry, the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board ... more In 1995, under fierce competition in the tourism industry, the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) 1 and the Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA) released a blueprint to make Singapore into a 'Global city for the arts'. Among other things, Singapore will have three national museums (STPB and MITA, 1995; STPB, 1996 [a], 1996 [b]). They are the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and the Singapore History Museum (SHM). These three National Museums of Singapore (NMS) will help the ...
Multilingual Matters eBooks, Dec 31, 2023
Annals of tourism research empirical insights, May 1, 2023
Bakhtin was a literary theorist and was the widely acknowledged father of dialogism. This working... more Bakhtin was a literary theorist and was the widely acknowledged father of dialogism. This working paper shows how Bakhtin and dialogism can be used to capture complexity, ambivalence and ambiguity in the social world. In following the spirit of dialogism, I will refer to my own research experiences in tourism and art worlds, through which I will reveal my own inclinations – which can be read as biases – in my research knowledge production. Through the concept of genre, heteroglossia, polyphony and carnivalesque, dialogism allows social science researchers to identify and structure the forces of order and disruption in society. There are methodological consequences if one is to follow dialogism. Besides having to get deep into the empirical field, dialogism challenges by raising questions on the manner we collect data, the extent to which we can present a holistic analysis, the ways to engage alternative analytical interpretations and the approach to address a researcher’s own biases.
... He announced that the Economic and Development Board (EDB) has allocated S$500 million to dev... more ... He announced that the Economic and Development Board (EDB) has allocated S$500 million to develop the digital media industry for the period between 2006 and 2010. ... Film Festival, there are now also individual festivals for Chinese, Malay and Indian arts and cultures. ...
Scholars and the practice community unanimously advocate sustainable balanced and sensitive touri... more Scholars and the practice community unanimously advocate sustainable balanced and sensitive tourism development. Engaging with locals and setting up public-private partnerships are frequently championed. This working paper introduces a set of lenses in the moral philosophy tradition and argues that the current pragmatic solutions to sustainable tourism development could not resolve issues of authenticity, equity, rights and fairness. There are three in-built moral limits in the tourism market, and namely: the market assumes it can price everything including culture and nature; the market distributes welfare through one's ability to pay rather than one's needs; and the market is structured in ways that benefit some groups more than others. The so-called solutions are compromises, and are tainted ideologically and politically. This work-in-progress is merely a starting point to a longer discussion on how narratives of balanced sustainable tourism development gloss over the contradictions in the tourism market.
We outline a strategic response capability framework drawing on cognitive neuroscience to explain... more We outline a strategic response capability framework drawing on cognitive neuroscience to explain stakeholder sensing and anticipations as essential input to environmental analysis. Stakeholders receive stimuli from ongoing interactions with the firm and thereby sense current environmental changes and form anticipations about future performance that provide early signals about needs for proactive strategic responses. Based on insights from literatures on cognitive neuroscience, marketing and strategy we develop a strategic response capability model driven by stakeholder sensing and anticipations with associated propositions. We discuss the implications of the proposed framework and suggest future research venues to further uncover the microfoundations of the firm's strategic response capability.
Ooi, Can-Seng. 2021. "The creative reputation dilemma: Professional and emotional negotiation of cultural value". In Lehman, Kim; FiExploring Cultural Value: Contemporary Issues for Theory and Practice, 2021
This chapter is based on more than a decade of art world research in Singapore but offers a singl... more This chapter is based on more than a decade of art world research in Singapore but offers a single case of a composer who has composed a work for an orchestra. This study presents the creative reputation dilemma faced by many artists who attempt to be more entrepreneurial. Most countries promote their creative economy, and that has generated a class of artist entrepreneurs or 'artrepreneurs'. Professional artists are encouraged and challenged to be economically independent and also to make their practice more profitable. For many artrepreneurs, maintaining their creative reputation comes with emotional costs. The thick description in this chapter demonstrates how an artist negotiates with the patron in finalising a new piece of commissioned music. But they failed to close the deal. This case deviates from studies that focus on successes in the creative industries. Creativity entails experimentation and creating new things, but new things may not be well-received. Nonetheless, these 'unsuccessful' works are part of the art world and contribute to creating cultural value in society.
Culture Unbound: Journal of Current …, Jan 1, 2010