External Perceptions of the European Union: A Survey of New Zealanders' Perceptions and Attitudes towards the European Union. NCRE Research Series No. 1, February-March 2003

[From the Introduction] The changing profile of New Zealand society, the possible weakening of traditional ties to the UK, as well as New Zealand’s potential Asian “identity”, all serve to underline the need for empirical analysis of contemporary general public perceptions of Europe, one of the dominant economic, political and cultural partners for New Zealand. On the other side of this important relationship, the European Union places great value on its external relations. This initial study offers a unique view of the EU from the outside; the findings constitute the beginning of a longer-term analysis of NZ-EU perceptions. This brochure presents the results and concluding comments of a quantitative study of the perceptions of the EU among New Zealand citizens. The study was launched and carried out by the National Centre for Research on Europe, at the University of Canterbury. These results are the first of their kind in New Zealand. There has been no previous study that explores public opinion on the EU within New Zealand. It is hoped that this report will be useful to all those interested in this important region. It is also anticipated that the survey will be repeated at regular intervals to track the trends in New Zealand views of the EU

How can Country-of-Origin image be leveraged to create global sporting goods brands?

International audienceWhile much marketing research has focused on brand creation and management, less isknown about the creation of sport brands. This paper complements the stakeholder model of brandingand brand creation, which highlights the role of a firm's stakeholders in the analysis of brands, byincluding country-specific factors based on location and Country-of-Origin (CoO). Using a sample ofinnovative New Zealand-based firms, our qualitative study uses a comparative case method in twosubsector settings to investigate how they have built outdoor sport brands based on that country'sparticular country-specific factors. We show how firms are able to leverage New Zealand's strong sportproduct category-country associations to create brand value. Our findings confirm that CoO imagetogether with sport product category-country associations enables the creation of brands in sportproduct categories. Our paper contributes to theory and practice by extending understanding of brandcreation by demonstrating the importance of location and product category. Further researchdirections are suggested

The Influence Of Location And Product Innovation On Internationalisation - Insights From New Zealand's SMEs In The Outdoor Sport Goods Industry: New pathways good sports good business

International audienceThis research builds on theory around location-based and firm-based advantages. It investigates the role of location as a source of country-specific advantages (CSAs) and the role of product innovation as a source of firm-specific advantages (FSAs) with regards to firm internationalisation. The context of this research is New Zealand based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the outdoor sport goods industry, particularly the sub sectors yachting and outdoor clothing. The results provide insights for both researchers and practitioners in international business and sports business. The first key finding is that New Zealand as location matters. SMEs in the outdoor sport goods industry tend to rely their strategies on CSAs that are based on the location. Secondly, a strong connection between product innovation and internationalisation is suggested. High levels of internationalisation are found for firms that rely their strategy on location-based advantages and product innovation. The yachting sector as cluster in New Zealand is confirmed. Further research is recommended on cluster in the outdoor sport goods industry in other locations

The Expansion of the Sport Goods Industry

International audienceThe importance of sport in the European countries has increased significantly over the lastdecade. Sport has become more relevant economically and socially for various reasons. Socialaspects include sport participation, sport for health and economic activities directly or indirectlyrelated to sport (Breedveld et al., 2013; Dolles & Söderman, 2011). European sport policyinitiatives such as the White Paper on Sport (Commission of the European Communities, 2007)or the Study on the Contribution of Sport to Economic Growth and Employment in theEuropean Union (SportsEconAustria, 2012) show an increasing interest in sport from a politicalperspective.This chapter focuses on one major economic aspect of sport – the sport goods industry. Itconsists of three sections, a case study and conclusions. The first section gives definitions forsport, sport industry and sport goods industry. The chapter then follows the expansion of thesport goods industry in Europe over the last five years (based on MarketLine (2015a) industryreports). This expansion is analysed by comparing the market value of the sport goods industrywithin Europe and the US. We look at the value of trade in the European sport goodsindustry and also compare the sport goods industry with other sport industry segments. Wethen discuss the major drivers of growth in the European sport goods industry and differentfirm-level strategic approaches. The third section discusses Contemporary and FutureCritiques. Our case study explores the expansion of a large French sport goods retailer andmanufacturer. We close with reflections on the case

Growing new MNEs in New Zealand: the FSA/CSAframework revisited

International audienceAbstract Purpose - This article aims to investigate how country location, as a source of country-specific advantage (CSA), and product innovation, as a source of firm-specific advantage (FSA), influence the international expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their growth to become multinational enterprises (MNEs). It also aims to confirm internalization theory by testing the applicability of an extant concept, the FSA/CSA framework for the international expansion of SMEs. Developed and empirically validated largely in the context of the MNE, this paper seeks to show how the framework can be applied in the context of SMEs that develop into MNEs. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative approach is employed within a single industry setting using multiple cases. Propositions are formulated to explain the theorized relationships between innovation and the growth of SMEs in a sector which depends heavily on specific CSAs. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and archival data, and are analyzed in data displays, tables and matrices. Findings - The article finds that location of the industry cases as a source of CSAs, and product innovation as a source of FSAs, are highly relevant for growing New Zealand SMEs into MNEs. The study applies internalization theory to the growth strategies of SMEs. Originality/value - This research combines extant theory and a specific context in order to analyze phenomena through a distinct conceptual lens. It confirms the CSA/FSA framework by applying it in a new empirical context. It can inform decision-makers in growing SMEs on the strategic and international implications of firm and location advantages. Keywords Firm-specific advantage, Country-specific advantage, Internalization theory, New Zealand, Small and medium-sized enterprises, International expansion, Product innovatio

Towards a Sensemaking View of Organizational Decision-Making

We propose a process model of organizational decision-making that integrates sensemaking and choice processes, which are usually decoupled in the sensemaking and decision-making literature. We argue that a sensemaking approach to decision-making can shed light not only on how decisions are made, but also on the process of meaning-making and on how organizations enact and make sense of their environment. We argue that such approach is shaped by three determinants (External and internal triggers, firms’ attention structures, and firms prior experience and knowledge) that interact to explain different decision-making trajectories by which decision-makers engage in sensemaking processes to construct shared interpretations that guide their choice processes

Networks, Learning and the Lifecycle

This empirically-driven paper presents a conceptual framework relating the use of inter-organisational networks to learning, moderated by the firm and industry lifecycles. The data imply that the ability to fundamentally change network focus, which we have called network revolution, could enhance firm learning. This network-structure-process-learning nexus is explored by combining the entrepreneurial and industrial, marketing and purchasing (IMP) literatures. We suggest that bringing these two literatures together in this way will contribute to expanding the scope of network studies by focusing on the dynamic processes and learning outcomes of networks, both from an intentional (revolutionary) and from an emergent (evolutionary) perspective.Inter-organisational networks Horizontal networks Evolutionary networks Emergent networks Revolutionary networks Intentional networks Organisational learning Firm lifecycle Industry lifecycle