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    Lupe fa'alele : releasing the doves : factors affecting the successful operation of Samoan businesses in New Zealand : a thesis presented in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology, Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Vao'iva Tofilau, Ma'atusi S.
    This thesis explores levels of Samoan entrepreneurship in New Zealand. It identifies unique challenges and opportunities Samoan entrepreneurs face when establishing businesses in a migrant setting. There is a growing body of knowledge in New Zealand on ethnic businesses, in particular, what constitutes an ethnic business, what facilitates and impedes their success, and the contribution they make to the New Zealand economy. Samoan entrepreneurship, however, remains an academic terra nova. Little is understood about what Samoan entrepreneurship looks like; is there a typical Samoan business, for example; what sorts of challenges do they face when negotiating and navigating cultural and business challenges in the New Zealand business environment; and what does this all mean in terms of success in both the business and community contexts? This thesis considers a qualitative research approach to investigate the lived experiences of Samoan entrepreneurs in New Zealand. The research draws on the experiences of fifteen male and six female Samoan entrepreneurs. The participants interviewed for this study included entrepreneurs who were born and educated in Samoa, those born in Samoa and partly educated in both Samoa and New Zealand, and entrepreneurs born and educated in New Zealand. The research examines how entrepreneurs differ from one another in the way they operate their businesses and the manner in which they negotiate their obligations towards family, religion, community and business responsibilities. Earlier literature on ethnic entrepreneurship has emphasized the importance of ‘social embeddedness’ of entrepreneurs in their social and community networks as key factors in operating a successful business. This study however looks to build on and extend this concept to a mixed embeddedness focus that highlights the combination of cultural, institutional, structural elements of the business environment and relevant strategies that entrepreneurs use to create a successful business. The findings in the study emphasize that the mixed embedded approach produces more successes and a variety amongst Samoan entrepreneurs especially when they negotiate the requirements of both fa’a-sāmoa in conjunction with the institutional and the regulatory responsibilities of the New Zealand business environment. The implications of these findings would be valuable for other migrant operated businesses in New Zealand.
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    The impact of the small and medium enterprise support programmes on the livelihoods of micro-entrepreneurs using sustainable livelihood framework : a case study of Enterprise Mongolia Project Phase 2 by United Nations Development Programme in Mongolia : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Ganbold, Mongoljin
    The aim of this research is to explore the impact of Enterprise Mongolia Project EMP-2 project on the livelihoods of the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) using Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) in the context of Mongolia. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used in order to carry out this research. The study started firstly with the review of existing literature followed by field research to explore in depth rural livelihoods and SMEs in Mongolia. The research is conducted in two phases. The first phase comprises examining the case study of Enterprise Mongolia Project 2 (EMP-2) and discusses the role of SME support programmes in poverty reduction. The second phase of the research method comprised of conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 entrepreneurs. The overall objective of the research is to identify the changes resulting from the project intervention (EMP-2) using sustainable livelihood approach and to find out the relationship between the livelihood assets and enterprise of SME owners. The researcher uses Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) to explore the human, social, financial, and physical and natural resource based assets that enable the poor to enhance their capabilities and reduce their vulnerabilities. A qualitative study is conducted by consenting the SME owners who were beneficiaries of the EMP-2. Unstructured and in-depth interviews were conducted; interviews were taped, transcribed and thematically analyzed by using NVivo 10. Data has been collected from three major regions of Mongolia which are Selenge Aimag, Khenti Aimag and Uvurkhangai Aimag. Out of 20 respondents, 8 belong to Selenge Aimag, 6 belong to Khentii Aimag and 6 belong to Uvurkhangai Aimag respectively. Results are extracted from Nvivo 10, word frequencies, word trees, results previews and qualitative model is generated with the help of Nvivo 10. Results clearly demonstrate that the EMP-2 project provided support in terms of financial capital, human capital, physical capital, social capital and natural capital and this improves the livelihoods of the small and business entrepreneurs in Mongolia. Findings of the study also illustrates that EMP-2 project ease out the funding’s and loan processes, provide training to their workers and resolve the issues in regards to water shortage and energy shortage. The results of this study can be used by the NGO’s and other charity organizations to go in Mongolia and introduce projects like EMP to provide support to SME owners so that their livelihood can improve and poverty can be reduced or eliminated. Keyword: EMP, SMEs, Mongolia, Livelihoods, Sustainable Livelihood Framework
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    Equitable development? : good governance, women and micro-enterprise initiatives in the Cook Islands : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2000) Lawrence, Christine
    In light of the importance that development agencies have placed on good governance policies, micro-enterprise initiatives, and the role of women in development in recent years, this thesis addresses the question: Have the incentives for Cook Islands women to begin micro-enterprises under good governance reforms led to equitable development? It begins by examining the ways in which good governance policies could both stimulate and detract from equitable development for female micro-entrepreneurs both in theory and practice. An evaluation of the impact that the Cook Islands' Economic Reform Programme has had on equitable development for former public service employees who began a micro-enterprise follows. In accordance with Longwe's (1994) Women's Empowerment Framework, equitable development is measured in terms of material welfare, access to the factors of production, society's willingness to alter the gendered division of labour, participation in decision-making processes, and control over both the factors of production and the benefits of development. This thesis argues that an expansion of the micro-enterprise sector of an economy will not automatically follow the implementation of good governance policies. While the land tenure system could favour smaller businesses in the Cook Islands, Western-style business practices have sometimes conflicted with cultural norms, and micro-entrepreneurs have been disadvantaged in international and local markets by their limited resource bases and poor economies of scale. In addition, by reducing the amount of cash available to consumers and stimulating significant migratory outflows, the economic reforms have further fuelled regional inequalities by making it more difficult for entrepreneurs residing on the outer islands than those based on Rarotonga to begin businesses. This thesis also concludes that the operation of micro-enterprise initiatives has had a mixed impact on equitable development for Cook Islands women. More men than women have benefited from Government business incentives and Cook Islands women have typically been restricted to industries that yield low returns because of their skill mixes. In addition, while many have enjoyed increased flexibility in their time use, fewer Government services coupled with the effort required to manage their businesses have increased some women's workloads, causing poor health, reducing the time that they have spent with their families and precluding some from participating in decision-making processes. On a positive note, the growth in tourism has supported the micro-enterprise ventures of Cook Islands women. In addition, successful female micro-entrepreneurs have been empowered by improvements in their self-confidence, personal income, and access to credit, together with more equitable divisions of labour and greater control over family businesses and household incomes.