GEOPOLITICAL FRAMING OF RESILIENCE: GLOBAL BUSINESS DISCOURSE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THAI SMES

Abstract

Sustainable development increasingly unfolds within a fragmented geopolitical order, where trade realignment, supply chain reconfiguration, technological competition, and policy fragmentation reshape firms’ operating environments. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in export-oriented emerging economies such as Thailand are particularly exposed, yet little is known about how globally circulating geopolitical narratives shape managerial cognition under resource constraints. This study investigates how global business discourse frames resilience and how such framings inform Thai SME decision-making. Drawing on a dataset of 14 high-relevance video clips selected from an initial pool of 40, the study applies a four-stage filtering process (keyword search, multi-criteria scoring, threshold-based screening, and diversity-based selection). Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), informed by framing theory (Entman, 1993) and sensemaking theory (Weick, 1995), identifies one core theme—Geopolitical Disruption—and four interrelated mechanisms: Economic Fragmentation/Regionalization, Supply Chain Reconfiguration, Technological Competition, and Adaptive Leadership/Resilience. Findings reveal that geopolitical narratives frame disruption as persistent rather than episodic, reorient business systems from efficiency toward resilience, and recast supply chains and technologies as politically exposed infrastructures. These narratives function as cognitive scaffolds that Thai SMEs do not adopt but actively translate under conditions of capital scarcity, export dependence, digital capability constraints, ESG compliance pressures, and climate vulnerability. The study proposes a conceptual sequence—Global Geopolitical Narratives → Cognitive Framing → SME Constraints → Strategic Resilience Decisions—to explain firm-level adaptation. By linking geopolitical discourse to SME sensemaking and resilience strategy, the study supports SDGs 8, 9, 12, and 13, advancing an inclusive resilience agenda for Thailand.