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Item The approach to measuring the returns to secondary and tertiary qualifications in New Zealand : an investigation and update using data from the 2001 census : a research thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Economics at Massey University, Department of Applied and International Economics, College of Business, Massey University(Massey University, 2004) Penny, Nathan JThis study investigates the approaches to measuring the returns to secondary and tertiary qualifications in New Zealand using the latest Census of Population and Dwellings data from 2001. It calculates the returns to qualifications using income function analysis, elaborate analysis and also extends the elaborate analysis by using the quantile regression technique. It reports returns within a narrow band for both methods and at a similar or higher magnitude to previous years. However, the results reported using the net present value (NPV) criteria reveal higher social returns to qualifications than private returns. This contradicts previous literature. In the policy implications section, the study recommends policies focus more on reducing the level of forgone earnings. Also, the study finds that income function analysis is better suited to measuring income inequality and its link with education. Furthermore, the study concludes that elaborate analysis, using the NPV criteria, allows better comparison of the marginal returns to educational investments of varying scale and duration. Finally, the quantile regression estimates show that point estimates of the mean return give a poor indication of the distribution of returns.Item Recent graduates and the labour market : a study of graduate expectations and experiences in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Human Resource Management, Massey University(Massey University, 2002) Coulon, AllanaThis research examined graduate transitions from study to work in New Zealand by investigating the expectations, experiences, and satisfaction with early career for three consecutive graduate cohorts. It was timely, in light of increasing participation in tertiary education; a national emphasis on the development of a learning society and lifelong learning; and the unpredictable and highly competitive labour market in New Zealand. Several key findings emerged from this study, notably: graduates encountered significant turbulence in the first eighteen months of their career; and whilst most graduates had entered stable employment, in many instances they were underemployed. The findings challenge the limited nature of current data collection processes for the annual New Zealand Vice Chancellors Committee graduate destinations report. Given the importance, both politically and socially, of the need for accurate reporting, it is essential for the current data collection techniques to be revisited.Item Japanese language skills as an economic resource in New Zealand business : a comparison of the perceptions of tertiary students of Japanese regarding the value of language skills with the perceptions of students of international business and employers in tourism and trade in Canterbury : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Philosophy at Massey University(Massey University, 1996) Shaw, Carolyn AnnForeign language education in New Zealand has traditionally focussed on European languages. Asian language programmes are relatively new and have largely been introduced within the existing system, which allows few learners to reach high levels of proficiency. A survey of firms involved in exporting and tourism in the Canterbury region was conducted regarding the way companies communicate with their Japanese clients and associates, to what extent staff possessed Japanese language skills, where and how these were used and how they were valued. The results were then compared with results of a survey of a sample of students in the Canterbury region who were studying either Japanese or International Marketing. Findings revealed that the more important the Japanese market was to a business in either tourism or exporting, the more likely they were to see language skills as a valuable resource and to invest in persons with these skills. In exporting language skills were commonly utilised at middle and top management level, whereas in tourism they were more commonly used in customer liaison and lower level activities. Language skills were generally ranked after functional and technical skills in terms of importance, although this varied depending on the importance of the Japanese market. It would appear that increasingly, language skills are viewed as an economic resource when combined with other skills.