https://hdl.handle.net/10182/6413 Thu, 25 Jan 2018 15:14:47 GMT 2018-01-25T15:14:47Z https://hdl.handle.net/10182/8851 An investigation of relationship quality and supplier performance in New Zealand red meat supply chains Lees, Nicholas Julian Supplier relationships and performance have become increasingly important in agri-food supply chains. This research aimed to investigate buyer-supplier relationships in the New Zealand red meat industry. Specifically, this meant examining how relationship quality, as well as supplier characteristics and relationship attributes affect supplier performance. The analysis improved the conceptualisation of relationship quality by bringing together constructs from the relationship marketing and social capital literature. This established that relationship quality and social capital were closely related constructs. By combining social capital and relationship quality this created a broader measure of the overall strength of the relationship. The findings show that improving supplier performance requires taking into account both supplier characteristics and relationship attributes. Furthermore, relationship quality played a significant mediating role between all the relationship factors and supplier performance. The implications of this research are that there are specific ways buyers can improve supplier performance. This involves identifying and selecting suppliers who have superior ability, motivation and customer focus. They also need to avoid selecting suppliers with high levels of self-direction. Improving supplier performance also involves influencing relationship attributes and improving the quality of relationships with suppliers. In particular, processors need to ensure that suppliers experience positive value from the supply relationship. Furthermore, they need to manage the interaction between specific assets, dependence and use of coercive power. Fri, 15 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10182/8851 2017-12-15T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10182/8800 Collaboration, cooperation and power in food supply chains Lees, Nicholas J.; Nuthall, Peter L. This research develops an integrated framework of long-term agri-food supply chain partnerships and the cooperation and collaboration this requires. It builds on existing frameworks within the economic, managerial and sociological literature, clarifying the conceptual definitions of these constructs and develops these to provide a more comprehensive understanding. The results have wide application and expand the understanding of cohesive and beneficial food supply chains. A multi-disciplinary approach is used, drawing from constructs in transaction cost economics, resource dependence and social exchange theory. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to explore the importance of the variables likely to influence cooperation and commitment and how this creates value for all supply chain stakeholders. The main objective of this research is to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of supply chain relationships in the global food system. This will help develop long-term partnerships between the various stakeholders in order to meet the higher product specifications and delivery schedules required by international consumers. It will also enable policy makers to support the multiple stakeholders in food supply chains to create a better and fairer system in the delivery of food choices for all. Sun, 01 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10182/8800 2015-02-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10182/8766 Competitive advantage through responsible innovation in the New Zealand sheep dairy industry Lees, Nicholas J.; Lees, I. This paper explores the opportunity for New Zealand to establish and sustain an internationally competitive sheep dairy industry. It also evaluates the role of responsible innovation (RI) within the New Zealand sheep dairy (NZSD) industry and whether this can support a competitive advantage. In the context of agrifood supply chains RI has received little attention despite the fact that these industries have significant environmental, ethical and social impacts. The research also addresses the lack of evidence as how to put RI into practice and the claim that the practical applicability of RI not possible. The French sheep dairy industry was used as a comparative case study for the New Zealand industry. Information was gathered through a literature search, the comparative case study and interviews with New Zealand and French industry experts. Comparisons were made between the strategic capabilities and structural forces of the sheep dairy industries in both France and New Zealand. The study found that for the New Zealand sheep dairy (NZSD) industry to achieve a competitive advantage would need to pursue a differentiation strategy that focused on customer responsiveness, innovation, sustainability and quality. Furthermore, the study identified that RI had the potential to assist the NZSD industry by providing distinctive competencies to develop a competitive advantage. This is because there were existing resources and capabilities that provided a platform for differentiation. There were also strategic and economic drivers in the NZSD industry that encouraged RI as a competitive strategy. This indicated that for RI to occur there needed to be economic incentives that encouraged companies to pursue this strategy. Wed, 27 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10182/8766 2017-09-27T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10182/8608 Internationalisation of Indonesian SMEs Revindo, Mohamad Dian Indonesia faces rapid changes in its international trade policies and environment owing to its engagement in various bilateral, regional and multilateral free trade agreements. Free trade escalates business competition for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the domestic market through cheap imported products and the increasing operation of foreign enterprises, but offers enormous opportunities for SMEs to export and venture abroad. However, Indonesian SMEs are less able to take advantage of foreign market opportunities than their large counterparts and only account for a small share of Indonesia’s non-oil and gas exports, contradicting their important contribution to business establishment, employment provision and value added creation. This study analyses the internationalisation of Indonesian SMEs, with focus on their direct-export activities. In particular, the study examines the characteristics of exporting and non-exporting SMEs in terms of export stimuli, export barriers, network relationships and participation in government’s export assistance programmes. The study investigates the strategies and processes undertaken by SMEs to become exporters along with the factors influencing SMEs’ export engagement, the determinants of SMEs’ export intensity and the factors influencing SMEs’ performance improvement due to export engagement. The policy measures to foster SMEs’ exports are formulated based on the research results. Primary data was obtained from survey questionnaires administered in April-August 2014 to SMEs in seven provinces in Java, Madura and Bali regions and central government agencies whose policies are related to SMEs and/or international trade. The survey yielded a response rate of 53.76% and 497 usable responses, including 271 exporting SMEs and 226 non-exporting SMEs. Descriptive statistics were used to distinguish the characteristics of exporting and non-exporting SMEs. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimensions of export stimuli and export barriers. The empirical frameworks include binary logistic regression to estimate the determinants of SMEs’ export engagement and fractional logit regression to estimate the determinants of SMEs’ export intensity and exporting SMEs’ performances. The descriptive statistics results show that SMEs are stimulated to export because they aspire to find new markets, but they initiate export activities because of the presence of foreign buyers. SMEs plan to begin exporting to neighbouring countries but they, in reality, initiate export to large and high income countries. SMEs’ timing to become exporters varies across provinces. Exporting SMEs in Bali and Yogyakarta, two main tourist destination provinces, on average take less time to internationalise from the outset, indicating a born global firm phenomenon probably due to high exposure to foreigners. The estimation results show that SMEs’ propensity to engage in export activities is influenced by the international work experience of the owners/managers, product, location, firm age, firm size, central government assistance, network relationships with non-government actors and their perceptions of export barriers. SMEs’ export intensity is affected by the international work experience of the owners/managers, location, firm age, firm size, export experience, export market, central government assistance, network relationships with non-government actors and their perceptions of export barriers. Engaging in export activities may improve SMEs’ performances, but the performances are influenced by owners/managers’ education level, firm size, export experience, export intensity, the presence of foreign investors and SMEs’ participation in central government’s export assistance programmes. SMEs encounter various export barriers at pre-exporting and exporting stages. At the pre-exporting stage, SMEs are less likely to engage in export activities if they perceive difficulties in tariff and non-tariff barriers, informational and human resource barriers, distribution, logistics and promotional barriers, business environment barriers in host countries, procedural barriers, and foreign customer and competitor barriers. At the exporting stage, SMEs are prevented from sustaining and developing their exports mainly by informational and human resources barriers, distribution, logistics and promotional barriers, financial barriers, foreign government barriers, procedural barriers and price barriers. However, the policy makers and the SMEs have different perceptions on the severities of each type of export barrier. The results provide new evidence on firm internationalisation theories, namely the Uppsala Model, the Network Model, the Resource-Based View and the International New Venture Theory. The results give insight for the policy makers seeking to identify potential exporters, develop effective assistance to remove the main export barriers and strengthen the function of internationalisation networks. The results also provide insights for SMEs’ managerial teams to enable the speeding up of their internationalisation process. Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10182/8608 2017-04-12T00:00:00Z