School of Management – Te Kura Whakahaere : MBA Research Papers

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.wgtn.ac.nz/handle/123456789/30541

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 26

Open Access
Analysis of New Zealand Specific Electric Vehicle Adoption Barriers and Government Policy
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2016) Zhu, Jiayi (Jason)
The New Zealand (NZ) Transport sector represents over 40% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector. Electric Vehicles (EV) are fast emerging globally as a viable alternative to traditional fossil fuel burning cars. In hope of addressing the low EV adoption in NZ, the Ministry of Transport published a series of EV policies in May 2016. The literature review found a broad spectrum of EV adoption barriers from a global perspective covering technology, economic, social, environmental, and political factors. However, the analysis of barriers from a NZ perspective is overly simplistic and largely based on international findings with little empirical evidence specific to NZ. The most influential barriers specific to NZ are deemed as 1) range; 2) charging time; 3) purchase price; 4) charging facilities and 5) NZ car market. While there is literature which evaluates global policies and suggests effective policies for NZ, there is no current research that evaluates whether the latest NZ government policy is going to be effective in improving EV uptake in NZ. These papers tend to prescribe a solution of government policies without truly knowing whether their assumptions about EV adoption barriers apply to NZ. Using a mixed methodology, a questionnaire containing both quantitative and qualitative research questions was carried out. The findings of this paper show there are four major NZ specific barriers, namely 1) high purchase price; 2) unknown cost of ownership (i.e. service, maintenance and repair); 3) lack of charging facilities and 4) lack of EV knowledge. Other barriers highlighted by literature such as range and charging time are found to be less influential barriers. Overall, the sentiment for EV adoption is positive and the government policy is deemed to be reasonably effective as it either directly or indirectly addresses the above four barriers; however, certain policies such as ones addressing the cost of ownership can be improved.
Open Access
Thinking about Thinking: Insights for Junior Officers in the New Zealand Defence Force
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2016) Margetts, Roger
As military thinkers our thinking is influenced by cognitive shortcuts or heuristics, and flawed by the associated predictable errors or biases. We are largely unaware of these effects and how they influence our decision outcomes. The current research seeks to create an approach that develops an awareness of heuristics and biases, and their effects on decision making. The aim is to answer two questions: (1) Have heuristics and biases important to the Military Appreciation Process (MAP) been identified? If so, have steps been formally taken to include heuristics and biases in the training and use of the MAP?; (2) Do instructors of junior officers believe that a heuristics and biases checklist could be developed to improve the use of the MAP by junior officers? A review of the heuristics and biases literature revealed two relevant outcomes. One was that the body of original and updated academic research on heuristics and biases and the effects on decision making remain valid. The second is that other military organisations acknowledge these effects and discuss measures to address them. However they have not taken the next step and formally enacted these measures. Exploratory qualitative research was undertaken to establish perspectives and understandings of the MAP by instructors and a key informant. Semi-structured interviews that incorporated a card sort exercise were conducted to identify which biases matched each step in the MAP. Participants strongly believe there is benefit and usefulness in developing a checklist that addresses the heuristics and biases associated with using the MAP. The results of the card sort exercise were analysed against criteria in three reference models – consensus, theoretical (based on a synthesis of the literature), and best fit. Parameters of fit were analysed at four levels. The analysis is summarised in a deceptively simple model that forms the basis of a usable checklist. The current research contributes to the heuristics and biases literature as it relates to military decision making processes. The mutual understanding of key heuristics and biases, and their match to individual steps of the MAP is seen as an important resource in the development of a checklist. Both instructors and a key informant believe that the checklist will assist them in improving the use of the MAP by junior officers.
Open Access
A Comparative Analysis of Leadership Styles in New Zealand and India
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2016) Gandhi, Mayur
This research paper provides insight, analysis and comparison into commonly used Leadership styles and behaviours in New Zealand and India. Research was conducted via interviews with leaders in both countries and analysed qualitatively using a thematic approach. The data was benchmarked against Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions and Goleman’s Six Leadership Styles. The findings illustrate there is a dramatic difference in the approach to leadership in each country. India has a more authoritative approach where New Zealand maintains a highly democratic stance. The report highlights how different the leadership styles are in each nation it also offers insight into some of the commonalities. It also offers insight into the implications of the study along with potential avenues for further research.
Open Access
Challenges of Public-Private Partnership in the Cultural Sector
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2016) Ganason, Vera
The purpose of this business research project is to identify the challenges of public-private partnership in New Zealand, particularly in the cultural sector. With the baseline funding remaining static over the last few years, there is a need for the cultural sector to engage with private sectors as an alternative source of funding to enable it to safeguard New Zealand’s cultural assets which incorporates maintaining cultural site and delivering cultural activities. Accordingly, the objective of this business research project is to gain a better insight and understanding regarding the challenges of public-private partnership in the context of New Zealand’s cultural sector, particularly through the experience and views of the research participants. This research will highlight the key challenges and the impact these challenges have in determining the success or failure of public-private partnership projects. Analysis on the data generated from the interviews with the research participants revealed similar and dissimilar challenges of public-private partnership. However, it was evident from the interviews with the research participants and the current literature that there were benefits and opportunities in public-private partnership in the New Zealand cultural sector. The recommendations, specifically focused on stakeholder management were provided to assist the cultural sector mitigate the challenges of public-private partnership. The recommendations were also aimed at assisting the cultural sector maintain a successful long-term partnership with their private financiers. Ultimately, a successful public-private partnership will provide the New Zealand cultural sector with an alternative strategy to source finances to bridge the gap in funding required to preserve New Zealand’s cultural assets which incorporates maintaining cultural sites and delivering cultural activities. The structure of this business research report is as follows: Section 1 to Section 5 provides the purpose and objective of this research; an introduction on the definition and value of culture to New Zealanders; background information on public-private funding and why it is an alternative source of funding; and discusses the findings in the current literature. Section 6 consists of the research design which includes the research methodology; research method; planning and resourcing for this research. Section 7 to Section 9 provides the findings from this research; a discussion comparing and contrasting the finding with those in the current literature; and recommendations to mitigate the challenges of public-private partnership, particularly in the context of the New Zealand cultural sector.
Open Access
He Pāpori Hinonga Whakamoe: Exploring Contributions to the Indigenous Social Enterprise Network in New Zealand
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2016) Cowie, Janelle
There is a misalignment between Māori Social Entrepreneurs believe social enterprise to be and the interpretation of Māori values from the support services perspective. Without the knowledge of why Māori choose social enterprise, and the inherent values system that operates within these models support services will continue to only partially understand the core motivations. For Māori, social enterprise is not explicitly phrased, it is implicit and a lived experience. The social values of their organisation has multiple layers beyond the direct social impact of their core activity. It generates income for their whanāu, improving the oranga of the wider community (at hapu or Iwi level), creates a positive self-determination movement, and reinforces cultural survival. This report explores contributions to the indigenous social enterprise network in New Zealand. It provides valuable information for Māori Social Entrepreneurs and the support services. Phase One focused on the value systems and motivations behind why Māori choose a social enterprise model. The second phase which interviewed employees from Māori Women’s Development Inc, Ākina Foundation, Te Puni Kōkiri, and Nga Tai O Te Awa whose organisations support social enterprise endeavours and challenged their perspective of Māori social enterprise. This marriage of the two groups highlighted several discrepancies in their understanding and knowledge of Māori social enterprise. The research leads to four key findings recommendations for the sector. It also presents opportunities to broaden the reach of current research, and extend the knowledge on the topic with quantifiable data methods. Māori Social Entrepreneurs biggest internal struggle is a trade-off between social and economic value. There is a complete comprehension of the weighted currency of a for profit model over a social enterprise or non-profit model. Economic drivers are strong but conceptually, and often in practice, energy is invested in the social merit of their individual endeavours. Phase One participants placed emphasis on generating income as a core driver, but not for it’s pure economicvalue; to enable them to fund their purpose and increase the wellbeing of their community, as opposed to creating profit. Their organisations are legitimised at a moral level, and their operating models reflect this. Urban Māori Social Entrepreneurs are being underrepresented in current support service capacity. They feel isolated despite the physical access to support services involved in this research and other mainstream services. Mainstream services operate in urban areas, but for accessibility and cultural incompatibility reasons, these services are failing Māori Social Entrepreneurs. Effort by Phase Two participants highlighted a concerted focus on regional areas. This has created a gap, where urban, Māori Social Entrepreneurs have been overlooked. This is especially relevant to the male participants of Phase One, who have also been challenged by traditional support networks such as the Iwi and their concept of what role tech start-ups have in the cultural survival and wellbeing of their people. There is an opportunity for support services to develop cultural models and mentorship to enable capabilities further within urban centres. Developing the language must be a core focus for the sector, and is not a mutually exclusive task. The ambiguity of definition and scope presents an opportunity for Māori to contribute to the shaping of the language. They can develop a culturally specific model, and language on their own terms. Social enterprise has an undeniable positive impact on both the New Zealand economy and welfare of the population. This has the potential of building cultural tenacity in a new hybrid sector, post Treaty settlement New Zealand.
Open Access
New Zealand public service leaders and organisational change inception: A framework for deciding what to change
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2016) Boone, David
Organisational change in the public sector is important to keep pace with the external environment and increasing customer expectations in order to maintain and improve the effectiveness of public service. This study analysed the change management experiences of eight public service leaders in New Zealand. Through conversations understanding was gained around the early stages of change management, in particular, how decisions are made about what to change. Analysis of relevant literature identified a gap relating to how change needs are diagnosed and how change management vision is established. Existing change management guidance is largely focused on management practice once the secondary state of an organisation, the state after change, has already been envisaged. The idealism “deliver change” is a common suggestion in change management literature, however the interpretation and guidance around delivering change is just that – change delivery, not change inception. To undertake an examination of how public service leaders go about diagnosing change needs, referred to in this report as change inception, the following research question provided focus for this study: How do public service leaders describe their experiences of change inception, and what can be learned from these experiences? A synthesis of the literature review findings and the data collected from interviewing public service leaders led to the development of a framework for change inception thinking. This framework is intended to be applied and adapted by future public service leaders in diagnosing the change needs of public service organisations.
Open Access
Awareness and Perception of Intellectual Property Rights and its processes in New Zealand – The disconnect between innovation and commercialisation, a study based on the Students at Victoria University’s School of Design
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2014) Hill, Martina
In New Zealand intellectual property (IP) is seen as an economic driver, however in recent years patent applications have plateaued and design applications decreased in comparison to the previous years. A review of the New Zealand IP system suggested raising IP awareness through education. Students studying at the School of Design at Victoria University create new IP on a daily basis; however currently the school plays no active role in providing IP information to its students. A survey conducted with media and industrial design students confirmed that students have only a basic understanding about IP rights and have not necessarily the knowledge or understanding on how to protect their IP. Most of the time registering a patent requires external investment, disclosure of the IP to other parties as well as getting lawyers involved to ensure the process is followed appropriately. The research identified that there are two succinct parts to the IP protection process. The first is about making an informed decision about whether and how to protect the IP and the second part of actually taking actions to protect the IP. The first part is particularly important for students to decide if they want to continue with the second part, where patent attorneys need to get involved in particular for patent applications. It is recommended that the School of Design lead an initiative with its stakeholders to raise not only awareness, but also understanding by making the first part of the IP protection process part of the overall design process and IP in general part of the curriculum. This will encourage students to think actively about IP rights. They will learn how to make informed decisions about their IP, which is not only beneficial for the students, but also for patent attorneys, IPONZ as well as students’ future employers and the New Zealand economy.
Open Access
Laboratory employee’s reflections towards change in transitioning from a public to a private laboratory service
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Topiwala, Priyanka; Stewart, David
Laboratory testing plays a critical role in health-care, providing clinicians with information that enables disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. However like all public health care systems, laboratory services face increasing pressures that come from marketplace, environmental and political factors. These factors led the three District Health Boards (3DHBs) of the Wellington region i.e. Wairarapa, Hutt and Capital & Coast District Health Boards to work together towards service integration of hospital and community based laboratory testing which subsequently led to privatisation of the hospital laboratory services. The topic this research investigates is ‘laboratory employee’s reflections towards change in transitioning from a public to a private laboratory service’. This research topic is important as analysis of the literature revealed the small amount of data available on how employees view and undergo change and the mechanisms they employ to cope with change. The research topic is also relevant at the organisational level as the findings will enable a review of the transformational change process based on employee’s reflection which may also reveal ways in which transitioning through the change as well as through privatisation can be made easier for employees. This investigation is based on an interpretative qualitative approach, as the focus is on understanding the social world through an examination of the interpretation of that world by its participants i.e. laboratory employees (Bryman & Bell, 2011). Thus, this study explored the views of laboratory employees based at Wellington Regional Hospital and Hutt Hospital laboratory sites. Semi-structured interviews with thirteen participants were conducted to collect the data. The data was analysed via thematic analysis and then coded to reflect common themes and conceptual relationship underlying the employee’s reflection of the transformational change process. The findings of the interviews suggested that communication plays a key role in the respondents understanding, engagement and involvement in a change process. Communication was cited as the biggest barrier towards change. It was also acknowledged that there is strong presence of public sector ethos amongst the laboratory employees, which can create a lack of commitment towards the privatisation process, as employees perceive a loss of quality in the service provided to patients as a result of decisions being driven by commercial imperatives. Additional barriers to change were also identified in the form of change fatigue, lack of engagement and involvement of employees in key decisions in regards to the way the future service would be provided. Healthcare professionals show high levels of autonomy due to the nature of their profession, hence any change initiative that does not have the support of these professionals or is perceived to decrease quality of the service will be resisted to some extent. The process model of stressors and coping mechanisms in transformational change presented by Robinson & Griffiths (2005) was useful in determining what the sources of stress were for the respondents and the mechanisms they used to cope with these stressors. The stressors identified to be aggravated for the current change process included increased workload, uncertainty and interpersonal conflict. The coping mechanisms utilised by the respondent’s strongly correlated with the coping mechanisms that the process model proposed in the literature. This report highlights employee’s reflection of the drivers and barriers to change as well as how employees cope with transformational change in the form of privatisation.
Open Access
An Activity Based Management study of LTC service provision in community pharmacy
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Sharma, Utsav; Lubberink, Martien
New Zealand has undergone a period of previously unprecedented change to the community pharmacy sector. A new funding model was implemented in 2012 with the goal of rewarding pharmacists for patient contact and clinical input, rather than solely for the number of medicines dispensed. The change has been immensely challenging for pharmacy, as they have coped with funding and service model changes. The new funding model saw the introduction of the Long Term Conditions (LTC) pharmacy service. The LTC service is designed for people with complex health and medicines management needs and medicine adherence issues. Patients in the LTC service receive more frequent dispensing, along with adherence reminders and increased pharmacist support. The pharmacy receives a monthly fee for this additional work, and is required to complete ongoing and time consuming paperwork. There is a lack of awareness about the actual cost to pharmacy of providing the LTC service as there is an absence of any studies that have attempted to define the resources needed to deliver the service and the activities that drive these costs. The aim of this report is to define the actual cost to pharmacy of delivering the LTC service through the lens of Activity Based Management (ABM), and define cost drivers using a time driven activity based costing system (TDABC). Research Method: Primary data was collected through a semi-structured survey and 18 responses were elicited from participating pharmacies. TDABC was employed to estimate the cost of providing the LTC service. Findings: Results indicate that the monthly payment of $20.80 per LTC patient registered is insufficient to cover ongoing costs. In addition to ongoing monthly costs, pharmacies incur one-off costs to initiate a new patient into the LTC service. One off costs show a positive relationship with ongoing costs and wide variation is observed for costs between pharmacies. The major cost driver was identified as pharmacist time. Recommendations: Future studies should examine the processual variations in pharmacies with low-cost and high cost profiles with the aim of providing pharmacists with more efficient options for delivering the service. Greater utilisation of software through automation of patient eligibility and administrative tasks could help free up pharmacist time.
Open Access
Diversity is everywhere, inclusion isn’t: An explorative study into the ethical and diversity outcomes of social media recruitment in New Zealand
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Rodani, Louisa Motamedi; Donnelly, Noelle
New Zealand is known to be a socially diverse and inclusive nation. It was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893, and has had 30 years of sex discrimination legislation. There are 213 different ethnicities living in New Zealand, and the country ranks second in the global index of employee diversity. New Zealand’s life expectancy is one of the highest among the OECD countries, and its migration balance is one of the most volatile. There is no doubt that the future demographic of New Zealand is changing; so what does this mean for the New Zealand workplace? According to ‘Rainbow Tick’; while diversity is everywhere, inclusion isn’t; and it will soon become a matter of competitive sustainability for organisations to effectively manage ‘inclusively’ within this diverse environment. While there is a growing trend to utilise social media and e-recruitment to attract new talent, and to address person-organisation fit; this study seeks to explore whether these tools actually enable ‘inclusive recruitment’, or in fact increase the likelihood of unethical practises and homogeneous organisations. This review acknowledges the need for New Zealand organisations to stay commercially viable, and to increase awareness of the global marketplace in which they operate. It also provides recommendations for employers to take a critical look at their recruitment processes as they evolve from a purely Human Resources function to wider organisational responsibility, which integrates with Strategic Objectives, Communications and Brand Management strategies.
Open Access
Blue Oceans: Looking overseas for business success - How do New Zealand SMEs internationalise and manage branding in foreign markets?
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Palazzetti, Daniele; Stewart, David
The purpose of this study and its underlying research questions is to understand how New Zealand SMEs, that fall within knowledge intensive service industries, internationalise and manage branding in foreign markets. The research is important because it aims to provide insight into cost effective means for SME’’s to directly deliver service solutions to international markets. Consequently, this will allow companies to further build and develop their resources, assets and markets. New Zealand is a small market economy with limited growth potential and domestic market opportunities. Therefore, companies are considering extending their sales activities and customer reach to foreign markets and develop international networks. In the literature review, a strong link between internationalisation and FSA has been established and Dunning (1997) suggested that firms develop a competitive advantage in their home market and transfer this advantage to international markets with CSA. Other literature pointed out that FSA and company capabilities can also be acquired and augmented abroad. Therefore, these can act as a driver and motivator for firms to internationalise. This is a phenomenological research and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The findings of this research suggest that business have to focus on global niche markets and provide quality outputs in order to effectively compete internationally. The primary method for internationalisation is through personal and direct relationships with international key clients which facilitate foreign market entry. The organisational structure and corporate culture are key competencies that must be managed or they can turn into a barrier.
Open Access
Business Models: A Unit of Analysis for Company Performance
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Ormrod, Nicholas George; Cummings, Stephen
Business models have been popularised in recent practitioner literature as a tool for summarising and representing how a company generates value. But academic consensus remains absent with a multitude of different definitions and typologies generally structured for application within a single focal business. There remains an opportunity to use the business model beyond intra application and act as a unit of analysis for inter-enterprise comparison. Weill et al (2006) have created a typology titled the MIT Business Model Archetypes. This research applies the MIT typology to New Zealand’s publically listed companies to generate a business model landscape. Several financial metrics are used to compare the performance and patterns of different business models. Interesting patterns emerge such as 33% annual compound growth for gross shareholder returns exhibited by one archetype, and a total of six out of nine that exhibit higher returns than the S&P/NZX50 index. The two research questions proposed are; can a business model be used as a unit of analysis? And, do some business models perform differently than others? The results of this analysis evidence a positive response to both questions.
Open Access
Future marketing and engagement considerations for the non-surgical cosmetic enhancement industry for educated and professional male and female millennial generation target audiences
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Kadam, Sudipa; Stewart, David
This paper examines the relationship between the cosmetic enhancement industry and the generation of people who were born after 1980. It describes how millennial target audiences represent a significant investment opportunity for purveyors of cosmetic enhancement services and products. The paper also analyses the literature in the non-surgical facial aesthetic sector in the cosmetic enhancement industry and traces development through history as well as the need to effectively fine tune and improve its relationship with customers and media in the digital information age. The design and delivery of an interview series and online survey was undertaken to test and find a vector match for the intersection of millennial audience wants for cosmetic enhancement with their preferences for consumption of advertising, marketing and media on digital platforms. Companies that have products and services need to engage and converse effectively with millennials to ensure the market hears them and interacts in an economic sense.
Open Access
Perceived User Adoption Barriers in e-Government viewed from the practitioner’s lens
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Chin, Hoe Wai; Stewart, David
Going digital is a common fad shared amongst organisations today, in gaining the efficiencies by replacing tradition brick and mortar services with digital online services. There are a vast amount of different users we must consider when making such decision such as removing brick and mortar services. There are defined forces and adoption barriers faced by users not either willing to change or the inability to transition easily on to digital services. Making a decision to go digital organisations must be better informed about these forces and adoption barriers. The research will aim to provide insights on the key barriers to adoption that are impacting on effective implementation of digital services to support results 9 and 10. The research assesses the perceived barriers to adoption in e-Government from a practitioner’s point of view. Thus, the main question this project seeks to address is “What are the level of awareness and importance placed on barriers to adoption in e-Government services from a practitioner’s point of view?” The research will aim to provide the rich insights from data collected from practitioners to determine the size of the problem within New Zealand.
Open Access
Equal Opportunities: Towards a greater understanding of the fulfilment of Women’s career aspirations in senior management
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Syme, Bettena (Tina); Bryson, Jane
Firms are beginning to understand that a key to economic growth and competitive advantage lies in gender diversity within senior leadership positons, yet the number of women who hold senior managerial positions remains disproportionately small. Research shows that many women who aspire to senior management plateau in middle management positons despite obtaining the necessary education, skills and expertise to advance. Therefore this exploratory study sought to understand how women approach their career decisions, within the context of their lived realities, by focussing on the research question “what factors or circumstances influence women middle managers career planning and advancement decisions? “. Eight women were interviewed who held middle management positons for at least 5 years. From analysis of the interview text five interconnected themes emerged: Trial and error, Mentorship, Self-confidence, Value alignment and Perceived organisational value. These themes add insight to the existing literature addressing how women approach their careers and lives. Furthermore the findings of this research indicate actions that can be considered by organisations to support the retention and development of women’s career pathway towards senior management. Areas for future research are also identified.
Open Access
Innovation in professional services in a context of disruption
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Bailey, Andrew; Brocklesby, John
This research is focussed on how large professional services firms in New Zealand innovate in the context of and as a response to potential disruption. The theory of disruptive innovation describes how incumbents can be overwhelmed by innovative new entrants. Typically these new entrants begin in markets which are unattractive to incumbents because they can’t make money there with their existing business models. Therefore, some have claimed that new businesses must be set up, or various dual approaches adopted, to survive against disruptive new entrants. Semi-structured interviews were held with senior members of large professional services firms to understand their perspective on how innovation is managed in their organisation in the context of potential disruption and the capabilities which support them in doing this. From these interviews, a number of themes emerged which were compared with some of the approaches advocated by the literature in terms of responding to potential disruption. The research found that large professional services firms in New Zealand are focussed on how they can enable innovation from within the firm – typically built off the back of client demand and concentrating on how they work differently with clients, using new methodologies and resourcing models – particularly partnering with third parties to play a service aggregator role – to deliver better outcomes for clients and maintain the professional services firms’ incumbency. At the same time, there are some tentative steps to think about how incubation and/or ‘dual organisations’ might be able to test more disruptive, alternative business models.
Open Access
Opportunity Assessment and Decision Making Processes Undertaken When Considering Offshore Vocational Education and Training
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Wanhill, Richard; Ang, Siah Hwee
Globally, as the number of students choosing international education continues to grow, we are also seeing the rise of a fast growing subsection of international education, referred to as Transnational Education. Transnational Education is a shift away from the traditional international education market of recruiting students from their home country to that of the education provider’s country. With Transnational Education, the model is flipped, with learners studying in their home country, whilst being awarded a qualification from another country. UNESCO describes Vocational Education and Training as “educational programmes that are designed for learners to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies specific for a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades” (UNESCO, 2011). New Zealand has a Vocational Education and Training system that is world recognised, with the teaching experience, skills, knowledge, programmes and infrastructure that could be of value to other countries, in particular developing countries in Asia. This qualitative research project looks at how New Zealand education providers, in particular Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs), assess opportunities and make decision when considering offshore Vocational Education and Training in the TNE environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior employees of eight of New Zealand Institutes ITPs, representing 50% of the New Zealand sector. Two international competing countries are identified, to compare and contrast approaches to the opportunity assessment and decision-making processes for offshore delivery of Vocational Education and Training. This research project finds that there is differences between the way New Zealand education providers assess opportunities and make decisions, compared to the competing countries. From the literature review it determines that both of the competing countries have widely available formalised templates, decision-making tools, checklists and matrix, that have been developed for the good of that country’s providers, when considering whether to go/not go offshore. This research then discusses a number of key themes that came through during the semi-structured interviews. The development and use of widely available templates, decision-making tools, checklist and matrix is something that the ITP sector in New Zealand believes would add value, reduce risk and improve quality. The ITP sector would like to work closer with government agencies, and for these agencies to remove barriers to success and work with the sector as enablers. The literature review and the views of most of the interviewees identified the opportunity for the development of a model that is focused on lower level trades training for developing countries. When this is linked to New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreements with Asia, it becomes a region of focus. The final discussion point looks at the value of the New Zealand ITP sector working closely with a central government agency to develop a joined-up approach that helps New Zealand education providers standout in the global market.
Open Access
Backstage – the play within a play: Utilising a dramaturgical metaphor to consider the rapid development of team culture in short-term stage crews
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Sealy-O’Donnell, Sue; Proctor-Thomson, Sarah
This research project asks the question of how short-term theatre production teams (stage-crew), are able to rapidly develop a strong team culture within an environment which does not allow the luxury of time for the standard stages of team culture formation. Utilising a dramaturgical metaphor as a methodological framework, allowed consideration of how these groups create trust, shared rituals and behaviours and establish self-governing tools that may benefit both the individual and the group. The research results showed evidence of four key practices which are critical to their ability to rapidly develop team culture; specific context, individual strategies, techniques that aid self-governance and emotional management. This research is beneficial not only to those studying the formation of team culture, but also the study of temporary, project and mobile teams. In addition practitioners will benefit from this research within a number of areas including, those within the creative industry, (particularly those with similar extreme time limitations), those interested in roles where physical safety necessitates the rapid development of trust and those interested in the collective nature of team development and group efficacy.
Open Access
Enterprise App Adoption: An investigation of the key factors that affect the adoption of mobile apps by Commercial Bankers at a financial services organisation
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Livingston, James; Stewart, David
The purpose of this study is to examine the key factors that affect the adoption of mobile enterprise applications by Commercial Bankers. A review of technology acceptance literature relating to mobile apps for employees found that there was a lack of qualitative studies in this area. A phenomenological approach was used for this qualitative research. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted to deeply explore the participants' point of view, feelings and perspectives about mobile apps. The findings of the interviews confirmed three key advantages to using mobile apps as part of the participant’s employment: time saving, better customer conversations and faster decision-making. The data analysis isolated five key barriers: poor quality data, perceived value, ease of use, reduced customer understanding and mobile devices characteristics. Organisations wishing to speed the adoption of mobile apps by their employees should evaluate the importance and significance of these five identified barriers to adoption, and plan how to overcome them.
Open Access
Innovation & the professional service firm: Insights into the Locus, Patterns, and Tensions of Innovation in a Fast-Growing Information Technology Consultancy in New Zealand
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) Lee, Darren; Bernard, Jean-Grégoire
This research investigated the locus of innovation through a time-frame of ten years for a fast growing, privately-owned New Zealand information technology professional service consultancy firm. Emergent patterns related to the firm’s innovations were analysed along with the classic consultancy conundrum - the management of tension between future-focused innovations or present-day profits. An in-depth single case study approach was employed where the units of analysis were each innovation of the firm. Semi-structured interviews of 23 current employees involved in innovation activities across all levels of the organisation were conducted. This led to the discovery that less innovation occurred at the inception of the firm where the priority was to sustain the business in the short term. As the firm matured, the rate of innovations increased. The locus of innovation shifted from Top-down to Bottom-up as the firm grew. Further analysis showed that Top-down innovations had a higher likelihood of resource allocation and scaling at the firm. The consultancy conundrum is a constant tension that will continue to exist for the firm. The firm employs a number of “semi-structures” both formal and informal in nature to manage that tension. The findings of this research present a case for an inverse pattern of innovation for privately-owned professional service firms – where innovation occurs at the later stages of the firm’s growth life-cycle.