Browsing by Author "Ooi, Can-Seng"
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Ooi, Can-Seng; Stöber, Birgit (Frederiksberg, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper compares the branding strategies of Berlin and Singapore. The respective authorities in these cities are actively marketing, branding and transforming their cities, so that these locations will be perceived as culturally vibrant, technologically advanced and attractive for investors, tourists and creative workers. While Berlin and Singapore share the same goals, they also share similar problems – how can they convince a world that is critical and cynical about the commercial images presented through their place brands? How can they convince the world that their cities are really exciting and truly creative? The arts and culture – both popular and high – are used in place branding to address some of these challenges. This paper also concludes that place branding and its authenticity must be understood in context. The emerging reality of the place means that the brand should also reflect the local entangled social, economic and political issues; the brand, in order to be authentic, should also communicate the commercial and the vision of the place. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8144 Files in this item: 1
x656557086.pdf (250.3Kb) -
Ooi, Can-Seng; Stöber, Birgit (, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper compares the branding strategies of Berlin and Singapore. The respective authorities in these cities are actively marketing, branding and transforming their cities, so that these locations will be perceived as culturally vibrant, technologically advanced and attractive for investors, tourists and creative workers. While Berlin and Singapore share the same goals, they also share similar problems – how can they convince a world that is critical and cynical about the commercial images presented through their place brands? How can they convince the world that their cities are really exciting and truly creative? The arts and culture – both popular and high – are used in place branding to address some of these challenges. This paper also concludes that place branding and its authenticity must be understood in context. The emerging reality of the place means that the brand should also reflect the local entangled social, economic and political issues; the brand, in order to be authentic, should also communicate the commercial and the vision of the place. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7773 Files in this item: 1
Creative Encounters Working Papers 6.pdf (250.3Kb) -
Expo 2010 – Performing and regulating ‘Danishness’Ren, Carina; Ooi, Can-Seng (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Using the concepts of auto-communication and micro-orientalism, this article argues that nation branding at World Expos produces and propagates notions of difference and otherness. By use of the Danish ‘Welfairytales’ pavilion at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai, we show how national Self is performed in two versions. One attempts to communicate ‘the good Danish life’ to the Danes themselves, while the other claims Occidental superiority. The case shows how the Danish exhibition is performed and regulated as sustainable and authentic and how in spite of its seemingly dialogical and interactive layout, a number of auto-communicative and micro-orientalist practices are enacted. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8557 Files in this item: 1
Ooi_2012.pdf (163.7Kb) -
Contemplating quality and trustworthiness in organizational ethnographyKoning, Juliette; Ooi, Can-Seng (Frederiksberg, 2010)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper was prepared for the “Organizational Ethnography, Assessing its Impact” theme of the 26th EGOS Colloquium 2010, Lisbon. It examines awkward moments ethnographers encounter during their field studies. We present our experiences in China and Indonesia and raise issues on how ethnographers normally impart their findings. Personally uncomfortable field situations are usually marginalised or ignored, so as not to cast doubts on the quality of our field data. We argue that the quality of ethnography would actually increase when we reflect and interrogate our awkward moments. By doing so, we identify our own politics and relate our research agenda to that of our respondents. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8060 Files in this item: 1
working_paper_Koning_and_Ooi[1].pdf (119.0Kb) -
Ooi, Can-Seng (Frederiksberg, 2010)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Societal changes are seldom discussed in the literature on city branding. The time element is important because it highlights the fluctuating reality of society. The city brand message freezes the place but in fact, the city branding exercise is a continuous process. Society emerges too. City brands are supposed to accentuate the uniqueness of the city, be built from the bottom-up and reflect the city’s identity. This paper highlights three paradoxes, pointing out that city branding processes can also make cities more alike, bring about societal changes and forge new city identities. A city branding campaign does not just present the city, it may change the city. The relationships between the branding exercise and the city are intertwined in the evolution of the place. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8014 Files in this item: 1
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Abstract: In using the Bakhtinian dialogic approach, this paper examines the microscopic interaction of three artists, two art buyers and one gallery sales executive in Singapore. The importance of galleries, as go-betweens for artists and art buyers is acknowledged in art world research. This paper however looks at the interactional levels and identifies social mechanisms that shape art buying and selling behavior. Despite the possibility of skipping galleries in acquiring art, the commercial art gallery absorbs the “emotional costs” of buying and selling art. Commercial art galleries create and maintain glamourized image of the artist; this image can be destroyed when art buyers go back stage and visit the artist. The clashes of expectations and social contexts when artists and art buyers transact can be avoided when the transaction is done through the commercial gallery. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8053 Files in this item: 1
48-Ooi-Buying_and_selling_art.pdf (225.9Kb) -
Ooi, Can-Seng (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Tourism is entwined in economics, politics, culture, and social life. Despite Denmark’s attempt to re-brand itself as a modern, trendy and vibrant destination, the Danish tourism authorities is still selling the country’s historical sights and Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales to attract a growing number of Chinese tourists. While tourism authorities want to please the Chinese, other Danish authorities are concerned with overstaying tourists who may end up as illegal immigrants. On the Chinese side, the Chinese government is concerned with the image of China and its travelling citizens; they are trying to socially engineer the Chinese into better behaved tourists. The growing China outbound tourism market offers avenues for researchers to re-evaluate some aspects of tourism studies. Earlier studies have concentrated on the domination of tourist-receiving Third World countries by tourist-supplying First World countries. Other studies have focused on tourism impacts on host societies, ignoring how tourists themselves are being socialized and managed. This article, in the case of China, shows that a class of tourists from the developing world is capable of shaping destinations but they themselves are being shaped for the global tourism market. branding Denmark, place branding, tourism impact, tourism strategy, tourism politics URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6577 Files in this item: 1
wp5-2007.pdf (207.7Kb) -
The case of CopenhagenOoi, Can-Seng; Strandgaard Pedersen, Jesper (, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The stakeholder and bottom up approach is advocated by many researchers in the place branding literature. In order for a place brand to be successful, it must be supported by the various stakeholders. Moreover, it is an ethical issue. While studies have shown how place brands fail because of the lack of consultation with stakeholders, building up consensus amongst stakeholders is easier said than done. Models are plentiful but the practice can be a different story. How should these models translate into actual practices? We looked at the Copenhagen International Film Festival and the branding of Copenhagen. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7939 Files in this item: 1
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Freedom of Expression in a Soft Authoritarian RegimeOoi, Can-Seng (København, 2006)[More information][Less information]
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6580 Files in this item: 1
working paper int_can-seng ooi_1.pdf (81.37Kb) -
Ooi, Can-Seng (, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Singapore has embarked on an ambitious program to make the city-state into a significant player in the global creative economy. The country is being re-branded as a creative city. The government agrees that in the creative economy, the environment must be conducive to experimentation and innovation. As a result, more social and political spaces have been opened up to spur Singapore’s fledging creative economy and also to signal that the nation has become more transparent and tolerant. The authorities, however, still limit the freedom of public expression on political, ethnic and religious issues. The current state of ethnic-religious harmony and political status quo is to be preserved. Singapore remains a soft-authoritarian state. Can such a country then be branded as a place conducive to creativity and innovation? This paper shows how the Singaporean government: 1) introduces and implements a set of comprehensive policies to develop the creative economy; 2) brands and re-images the city-state as an exciting creative nation; 3) communicates the new creative vision and eventually engineers local acceptance of the creative economy; and 4) promotes the image of an open society and yet maintain tight social and political control. The re-making and re-imaging of Singapore are two sides of the same coin. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7774 Files in this item: 1
Creative Encounters Working Papers 7.pdf (222.9Kb) -
Ooi, Can-Seng (k, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Singapore has embarked on an ambitious program to make the city-state into a significant player in the global creative economy. The country is being re-branded as a creative city. The government agrees that in the creative economy, the environment must be conducive to experimentation and innovation. As a result, more social and political spaces have been opened up to spur Singapore’s fledging creative economy and also to signal that the nation has become more transparent and tolerant. The authorities, however, still limit the freedom of public expression on political, ethnic and religious issues. The current state of ethnic-religious harmony and political status quo is to be preserved. Singapore remains a soft-authoritarian state. Can such a country then be branded as a place conducive to creativity and innovation? This paper shows how the Singaporean government: 1) introduces and implements a set of comprehensive policies to develop the creative economy; 2) brands and re-images the city-state as an exciting creative nation; 3) communicates the new creative vision and eventually engineers local acceptance of the creative economy; and 4) promotes the image of an open society and yet maintain tight social and political control. The re-making and re-imaging of Singapore are two sides of the same coin. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8145 Files in this item: 1
x656557094.pdf (222.9Kb) -
From Czechoslovakia To The Czech Republic and SlovakiaOoi, Can-Seng; Peji´c Kristensen, Tatjana; Lomanová Pedersen, Zdenka (København, 2004)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Tourism offers an arena through which a place identity is imagined, negotiated and contained. This paper compares the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and show how these countries construct and assert their identities through tourism. They both share a common history as Czechoslovakia, however, they are perceived differently by the outside world. These former Eastern Bloc countries are promoting themselves in several ways and they are also marginalising their socialist past and invoking their Central European identity. The Czech and Slovak search for destination identity takes into account tourists’ demands and perceptions. This paper introduces the concept of the orientalist tourist gaze, and demonstrates how orientalism may manifest in tourism. Data on how these two countries are imagined were collected in Denmark. Keywords: destination identity, host society-guest interaction, impact of tourism, orientalism URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6576 Files in this item: 1
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Abstract: Destination branding attempts to frame the place in a unique manner, so that it will stand out in the global tourism market. The assertion of uniqueness has become an institutionalized global practice for celebrating destination identity. The emphasis on uniqueness in the destination brand however overshadows another important but complementary strategy: the accreditation approach. This paper gives attention to the accreditation strategy while presenting the Singapore case. By looking at the newly inaugurated Formula One car races in Singapore and the soon-to-be-opened integrated resorts, this paper argues that the Singaporean authorities are actually making Singapore less unique and more similar to other places. This strategy is advantageous because these new attractions will draw the attention of the global masses and they will also accredit Singapore as vibrant, glamourous and trendy. So, this paper shows why – despite the attempt to be different – destination authorities are learning from each other and pursuing similar attractions for their destinations. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7952 Files in this item: 1
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Branding Singapore as a revitalized destinationOoi, Can-Seng (Frederiksberg, 2010)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Destination branding attempts to frame the place in a unique manner, so that it will stand out in the global tourism market. The assertion of uniqueness has become an institutionalized global practice for celebrating destination identity. The emphasis on uniqueness in the destination brand however overshadows another important but complementary strategy: the accreditation approach. This paper gives attention to the accreditation strategy while presenting the Singapore case. By looking at the newly inaugurated Formula One car races in Singapore and the soon-to-be-opened integrated resorts, this paper argues that the Singaporean authorities are actually making Singapore less unique and more similar to other places. This strategy is advantageous because these new attractions will draw the attention of the global masses and they will also accredit Singapore as vibrant, glamourous and trendy. So, this paper shows why – despite the attempt to be different – destination authorities are learning from each other and pursuing similar attractions for their destinations. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8052 Files in this item: 1
47-Ooi-Familiarity_and_uniqueness.pdf (207.7Kb) -
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Abstract: Tourism policy matters in cultural tourism. The starting point of this paper is the observation that many tourism policy studies draw three inter-related conclusions. One, tourism policy must be inclusive and require the support of different stakeholders (Baker 2009; Bernhard Jørgensen and Munar 2009). Two, a balanced approach to tourism policy is needed to harness the benefits of tourism while mitigating negative effects (Budeanu 2009; Chang 1997; Jenkins 1997; Leheny 1995, Newby 1994; Teo and Yeoh, 1997). Three, tourism policies should accentuate and maintain the cultural uniqueness and authenticity of the destination (Morgan et al. 2011). It seems that many tourism authorities are ignorant of local interests, unaware of the touristification of local cultures and uninterested in promoting local cultures. But local cultures and communities are what that constitute cultural tourism. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8394 Files in this item: 1
Can-Seng_Ooi_WP_2012.pdf (37.99Kb) -
Applying dialogism in social science researchOoi, Can-Seng (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: 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. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8672 Files in this item: 1
CLCS WP Ooi.pdf (94.05Kb) -
Experiences from SingaporeOoi, Can-Seng (København, 2005)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper draws inspiration from Edward Said’s orientalism, and examines how the three National Museums of Singapore – the Singapore History Museum, the Singapore Art Museum and the Asian Civilizations Museums – are orientalized. The process is mediated through the museums’ close links to tourism promotion in the city-state. The tourism authorities in Singapore have found that the city destination has become too modern and western for many tourists, and the destination has embarked on a campaign to make Singapore more oriental. The creation of the museums is one strategy to orientalize Singapore; these museums assert different layers of Singapore’s oriental identities. Each museum appropriates the tourist orientalist imagination in different ways. This paper argues that the orientalist imagination can be understood as a set of knowledge resources for the construction of local identities to enhance a destination’s uniqueness and attractiveness. Besides reviewing Said’s orientalism, this paper visits criticisms of the theory, within the context of the orientalization process of museums in Singapore. Keywords: orientalism, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore History Museum, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore tourism. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7399 Files in this item: 1
cdp05-01-csooibibl.pdf (170.2Kb) -
Ooi, Can-Seng; Gomez, James (København, 2006)[More information][Less information]
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6623 Files in this item: 1
working paper int_can-seng ooi_2-1.pdf (57.15Kb) -
Singapore as a City for the ArtsOoi, Can-Seng (, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Can the arts and cultural prosper under a less than democratic political regime? This paper looks at the soft authoritarian Singaporean government and the making of Singapore into a “City for the Arts”. Many scholars advocate that a culturally vibrant and creative city must also celebrate diversity, tolerance and experimentation. This implies that a democratic space is needed for creative energies to flow. Singapore is not known for its democracy. But Singapore has become relatively successful in being the cultural hub in the region. A more liberal approach to diversity and criticism of the authorities can now be observed but there are still many strong-handed social and political controls in the city-state. This paper shows that the Singapore authorities weigh the economic, political and social costs while they liberalize the environment to promote Singapore as a City for the Arts. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7916 Files in this item: 1
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The Place Branding of Denmark and SingaporeOoi, Can-Seng (København, 2006)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Place branding has become popular. Places brand themselves to attract tourists, talented foreign workers, investments and businesses. The brand accentuates the positive characteristics of the place; it frames the society and sells its cultures. In the context of tourism, this paper examines the branding strategies of two very different countries – Denmark and Singapore. In Singapore, the convergence between the brand message and the place reality is frequently engineered by creating new brand-related products. In Denmark, the brand tries to communicate an existing local reality; it wants to present a prevailing reality. To the Danes, the brand is descriptive and should portray the country in a positive and accurate manner. To the Singaporeans, the brand is normative and a vision of what Singaporean society ought to become. These countries share common goals when branding themselves but their branding strategies are different, why? This paper situates their strategic differences in the local social, cultural and political context. Although country branding is externally directed, domestic politics and mechanisms of local control affect how the country can brand itself. Keywords: place branding, branding strategies, Denmark, Singapore, tourism, destination URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7393 Files in this item: 1
cdp 2006-009.pdf (157.1Kb)
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