Workplace Reform and International Competitiveness: The Case of New Zealand

The Porter Report recommends New Zealand businesses pursue a strategy of high value added through upgrading competitive advantage. Central to such a strategy is the refotm of workplace relations. This paper posits two possible models for reform: one based on Japanese type practices the other building on the Australian refotnz experience. The discussion suggests the need for reforms based primarily at the level of the enterprise and conducive to behaviour which assists improvements in quality, innovation, product differentiation and flexibility

Inward FDI in New Zealand and its policy context

New Zealand, with a low domestic savings rate, has long depended on inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) to facilitate growth and development. The country's IFDI stock reached US$70 billion in 2010, and averaged 51$ 636 million in 2010 and US$ 3.4 billion in 2011, have been lower than those of other comparable economies, reliance on IFDI is high. New Zealand's policy toward IFDI is based on the creation of an attractive investment climate (low costs of doing business, low levels of corruption, few restrictions); few specific incentives are offered. Major investment sources are Australia and the United States. IFDI is significant in mining, trade and the banking and finance industries. While there is considerable public disquiet regarding the levels and sources of inward investment, future prospects look strong with the recently re-elected Government committed to further privatization

Multinationals and labour: a review of contemporary issues and concerns

In the past ten years there has been comparatively little research on the topic of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and labour despite the continuing importance of such issues and the emergence of new concerns. This paper discusses a number of current concerns and summarises relevant evidence. In the late 1980s the major issues relate to employment stability and the introduction of innovative labour practices. A number of very recent concerns include service sector MNEs, safety issues, racism and the problems of women workers within MNEs

Reviews

Reviews of The political economy of industrial relations: theory and practice in a cold climate and The Japanisation of British industry Oxfor

Reviews

Reviews of Structural adjustment in the Federal Republic of Germany, Managing change in British industry, Adjustment and economic performance in industrialised countries: a synthesis, Working hours: assessing the potential for reduction, Public service labour relations: recent trends and future prospec

Workplace Reform and International Competitiveness: The Case of New Zealand

The Porter Report recommends New Zealand businesses pursue a strategy of high value added through upgrading competitive advantage. Central to such a strategy is the refotm of workplace relations. This paper posits two possible models for reform: one based on Japanese type practices the other building on the Australian refotnz experience. The discussion suggests the need for reforms based primarily at the level of the enterprise and conducive to behaviour which assists improvements in quality, innovation, product differentiation and flexibility

Immigrant Employee Effects in International Strategy: An Exploratory Study of the Service Sector

Abstract available at http://elements.massey.ac.nz/raoutput.html?oid=18340 . COMPETITIVE SESSION TRACK 9: INTERNATIONALIZATION PROCESSES AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGIES Immigrant Employee Effects in International Strategy: An Exploratory Study of the Service Sector This exploratory study examined the influence of immigrant employee effects within a sample of small New Zealand based international service providers. Seven immigrant employees from six firms were interviewed. The interviews examined immigrant effects on five areas: knowledge transfer and application; relationships; marketing strategy; distribution channels; and market entry mode. Abstract Propositions derived from literature were tentatively tested. The findings, consistent with other literature on immigrant effects, indicated that immigrant employees play an important role in shaping these areas within small international service firms. Of particular importance was knowledge of local culture and market conditions. Immigrant employees enjoyed considerable discretion in the creation and management of customer-firm relationships. There appeared to be strong interactions between the value of immigrant knowledge, relationships, and the characteristics of service offerings. Networks created by immigrant employees appear to be particularly valuable in the face of market turbulence and the adaptation of marketing strategy. The most effective utilisation of immigrant employees is related to size of the firm, attitude of the employer, and the level of job satisfaction. Further research to confirm these exploratory findings would be useful

International business: past, present and futures

This article provides the context for futures thinking in the field of international business (IB). The article begins by considering the nature of IB. Its historical development is then elaborated, before its current significance and trends are considered. Building on the review of past and present we speculate briefly on the possible futures of IB. In so doing, we provide a basis from which the contributions to this Special Issue on the Futures of IB can be understood and situated in a broader context

Advanced producer service firms as strategic networks, global cities as strategic places

Sassen’s identification of global cities as ‘strategic places’ is explored through world city network analysis. This involves searching out advanced producer service (APS) firms that constitute ‘strategic networks’, from whose activities strategic places can be defined. 25 out of 175 APS firms are found to be strategic and from their office networks, 45 cities out of 526 are designated as strategic places. A measure of ‘strategicness’ of cities is devised and individual findings from this are discussed by drawing on existing literature about how APS firms use specific cities. A key finding shows that New York and London have different levels of strategicness and this is related to the former’s innovation prowess and the latter’s role in global consumption of services. Other cases of strategicness discussed in terms of the balance between production and consumption of advanced producer services are: Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai; Palo Alto; Mexico City; Johannesburg; and Dubai and Frankfurt

Offshoring innovation: an empirical investigation of dyadic complementarity within SMEs

Despite scholarly agreement that complementary capabilities are essential to successful collaborations, little is known about how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manage collaborative innovation through offshoring. Besides, the innovation management literature remains generally silent about when supplier joint actions could work in enhancing offshoring innovation (OI) performance. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, we aim to delineate why supplier's asset specificity and goal compatibility predict supplier's complimentary capabilities in OI. Second, we empirically explore the role of supplier joint actions in enhancing OI performance. Based on data collected from 200 SMEs having active OI relationships spanning four developed European countries, our results propose that supplier's complementary capabilities mediate the relationship between critical relational antecedents (supplier's asset specificity and goal compatibility) and OI performance. It should be noted, however, that despite their incentivising power, supplier joint actions can be a “double-edged sword” in SMEs’ OI relationships