ABSTRACT
A number of powerful general arguments were made by respondents as to the unsuitability of carving Southeast Asia into regional business streams. Unlike the practically borderless European and North American continents, the national divisions and interconnections within the ASEAN bloc were felt to be both deeper and far more complex, providing contextual constraints to the wisdom of global business streams. Business streaming in the former areas is relatively easy and can help save costs by facilitating greater customer focus. The process is far more difficult in Southeast Asia, where markets are geographically distant and culturally diverse. Thailand, for one, is widely held as being subject to forces described as “culturally distinct,” having never been colonized by a Western power. In stark contrast, the Philippines has been
colonized by not one but two nations, drawing cultural nuances from both during nigh on four hundred years of occupation.
