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    The role of interpersonal relationships in supply chain integration : a thesis by publications presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Wang, Bill
    Purpose –This research aims to explore the role of inter-personal relationships within a supply chain integration context. Firstly, it proposes a conceptual model addressing the interrelationships between interpersonal relationships, inter-organizational relationships, and supply chain integration. Secondly, it investigates the influence of interpersonal relationships on supply chain integration. Lastly, it examines how interpersonal relationships influence interorganizational relationships to enable supply chain integration. Methodology/approach – Based on a comprehensive literature review, the study first proposes a series of propositions and establishes a conceptual framework to illustrate the relationship between interpersonal relationships, inter-organizational relationships, and supply chain integration. Then, the study applies an exploratory/investigational approach of multiple case studies and empirically examines how interpersonal relationships affect inter-organizational relationships and supply chain integration. Findings – The study proposes that interpersonal relationships can indirectly and positively influence supply chain integration, mediated by inter-organizational relationships. Personal affection acts as a relationship initiator, and personal credibility serves as a gatekeeper while personal communication works as a facilitator and plays more important roles than personal affection and credibility. Also, interpersonal relationships can initiate and enhance interorganizational relationships to enable supply chain integration. In the formative stage of supply chain integration, personal affection and credibility play key roles, whereas personal communication becomes more significant during the operational stage. Originality/value – The study advances supply chain integration literature by extending the focus from that of firm level to the level of individuals, and introduces interpersonal relationship dimensions to explore inner mechanisms of supply chain integration. It demonstrates that interpersonal relationships are able to initiate and motivate firm level integration, which modifies the presumption that firm level relationships are predominantly established first in Western cultural contexts. It also sheds light on applying theoretical lenses in supply chain integration. It extends social exchange theory from relationships between parties that are on the same level to different levels of interpersonal and inter-organizational relationships. Meanwhile, it applies resource dependency theory by addressing how interpersonal relationships influence dependence levels on supply chain partners to form firm level relationships. Furthermore, it extends resource orchestration theory by suggesting that inter-organizational relationships and interpersonal relationships can be orchestrated to achieve supply chain integration capabilities. Implications –The study provides insights for practitioners who have limited "hard” firm level resources. Managers should be aware of the significance and characteristics of interpersonal relationships, and decide when and how to deploy both interpersonal and interorganizational relationships as resources during the integration process. In the formative stage, managers should utilise boundary spanners with good personal credibility. More physical contact with counter-partners should be encouraged to foster personal affection, thus initiating the formation of inter-organizational relationships. In the operational stage, personal communication should be strengthened to facilitate the supply chain integration process. On the other hand, managers should mitigate the conflict between primary business interests and subordinate interpersonal friendships.
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    Repoliticising development : the diaspora knowledge network (DKN) ChileGlobal and its contribution to development in Chile : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Malecki, Axel
    Throughout the last fifteen years, developing countries have increasingly devised diaspora strategies to tap into their overseas migrant populations for the purpose of achieving national development objectives. Endorsed by multilateral donor organisations, the private sector, NGOs and supported by bilateral donor agencies, diaspora strategies tend to represent diasporic communities as development actors whose entrepreneurial expertise, business knowledge and access to resources can be usefully captured via social and monetary remittances. However, critical scholarship cautions against simplistic assumptions that underpin the often elite-based attempts of governments to leverage their diasporic collectives via selective policies. Moreover, the so-called ‘rise of the diaspora’ as a development actor, has also generated concerns suggesting that the state-integration of diasporic groups for development rationalities signifies a process of de-politicisation and control. Building on multi-sited research, this thesis engages with the practices, shifting coalitions and their outcomes of the Chilean diaspora knowledge network ChileGlobal. The ChileGlobal knowledge network initially emanated from the World Bank’s Diaspora for Development programme in 2005 with the particular goal to foster innovation and economic development in Chile and, as such, was positioned as a distinct economic actor. Through the use of post-structurally informed concepts, and attending to the multiple sites of interaction within ChileGlobal, this thesis maps out how attempts to expand the scale and scope of ChileGlobal reconfigured and mobilised this knowledge network in unintended and far-reaching ways generating diasporic spaces of contestation and ambivalence. By tracing the different sites and trajectory of ChileGlobal, as well as its politics of expansion that resulted in subsequent change of the constituency of ChileGlobal network, this thesis demonstrates how the partial transformation of this diaspora network from an economic to a political actor signifies a narrative that runs counter to broad claims about the depoliticising effects of contemporary development projects. Instead, the diaspora community assembled around ChileGlobal is indicative of the malleability and ambiguity of diaspora networks as development actors as well as their potential to challenge existing public policy orthodoxy and dominant discourses of economic and calculative practices in contemporary Chile. Moreover, this thesis also highlights how simplistic outward focused diaspora strategies often fail to take into account how local, mundane, place based norms and cultures often shape and mediate the transfer of diasporic contributions.
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    Knowledge creation in New Zealand manufacturing : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Product Development at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Campbell, Hamish
    Organisational knowledge creation is a key driver of innovation and competitive advantage. The ability to successfully create new knowledge and embody this knowledge into new products, processes, or services is critical to the ongoing survival of an company. Organisational product development activities and practices interplay with the organisational knowledge base to produce these results. The objective of this research was to investigate the knowledge creation processes and practices utilised by a group of New Zealand manufacturers. A series of in-depth interviews was conducted with senior managers of a group of 33 manufacturing companies in the Wellington and Manawatu regions of New Zealand. The majority of the companies saw product development as an important organisational activity, but at the same time only half of the companies made use of a formal product development process. The most important and most frequently used product development activities were related to the physical design and manufacture of a product, and on assessing the viability of a product concept in the early development stages. The activities least frequently used were notable in that they all focussed on intangible elements of the product development process, e.g. test marketing, detailed market research and pre-launch business analysis. Tacit-orientated information sources were identified as being crucial to the companies' overall business activities. Customers, along with personal experience and company staff were identified as the three most important information sources to the companies' overall business activity. Overall the companies placed a greater value on their tacit-based knowledge than their codified knowledge. The companies were ranked based on the innovativness of their knowledge creation activities. The 33 companies were separated into three groups: highly innovative, moderately innovative and least innovative companies. The knowledge creation processes and activities used by these three groups were explored to identify the characteristics that separated the highly innovative companies from the others. Overall the key distinctions were: • a greater degree of formal business planning; • a greater optimism for their company's overall position in five years; • better utilisation of both internal and external-based tacit knowledge; • a more strategic approach to information acquisition; • a greater use of formal product development processes; • a more intensive product development programme; • a shorter product development process; and • better application of the organisational knowledge base for product development activities. Overall, the highly innovative companies demonstrated a greater willingness to take on the challenge of developing new products and to expanding and growing their markets and their business. Perhaps as much as anything it appeared to be this group's attitude to innovation that separated them from the other companies in the study. The highly innovative companies were less formal in terms of their organisational management systems and practices than the moderately innovative companies in the study, but were achieving far greater levels of product innovation. One point to note is the slightly lower level of reported product success amongst the highly innovative companies. This is likely attributable to the shorter product development process that these companies were using, although this is not conclusive and would require further research.
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    Network relationships in international entrepreneurship : a multilevel analysis : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2012) Stangl, Loren M.
    This thesis extends knowledge on the relationship between networks and internationalisation for innovative entrepreneurial firms, by exploring the phenomenon at country, industry, and firm levels. Through multilevel analysis, this thesis builds on the network approach to internationalisation, a theoretical cornerstone in the emerging field of international entrepreneurship research. The globally-focused study investigates institutional and economic factors influencing the proportion of innovative entrepreneurial firms engaged in international business in 51 countries. Variables representing networks, at a country-level, are identified and tested. Findings illustrate that networks are positively and significantly associated with higher proportions of innovative entrepreneurial firms reporting substantial overseas engagement. The industry-focused study argues industry-specific forces influence development of networks for internationalisation. This study synthesises 32 empirical articles on internationalisation of software small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Findings identify patterns of network influences on foreign market strategies (reactive/proactive), market selection, and entry mode decisions. Characteristics specific to the software industry also encourage the development of networks for internationalisation. The firm-focused study explores network relationships used by New Zealand software SMEs for innovation and internationalisation. Using multiple case study methods, findings indicate network patterns relate to the founder’s prior entrepreneurial and international experience, firm size, innovation type (incremental/radical) and internationalisation type (incremental/radical). The integrated findings from this multilevel analysis provide insights into how networks create awareness, pathways, and competencies for internationalisation. In doing so, this thesis extends understanding of the interconnected, complex, and multilevel relationship between networks and internationalisation for innovative entrepreneurial firms.