Business School

Strategy and international business

Research in strategy looks at how firms position themselves in industries and compete against rivals, but also examines how firms make their most important internal decisions. In New Zealand, research in strategy is often connected to issues in international business because of the importance of international trade to the New Zealand economy.

Most staff working in this area are either bilingual or multilingual and are conducting research that can help New Zealand firms seeking to do business in Asia, the Americas and Europe. Research in strategy and international business currently traverses:

Strategising processes
The ways in which managers in organisations make and implement the decisions that are critical to survival and organisational performance.
The international growth and competitiveness of firms from small economies
Analysis of New Zealand’s internationalising firms in a range of industries and analysis of other firms trying to compete from small economies.
Strategy in emerging economic giants
The strategies underpinning the international expansion of firms from the "BRICs"; Brazil, Russia, India, and China, including the international strategies of Chinese multinational firms.
Business alliances and competitive dynamics
The impacts on business growth and performance of collaborative business strategies.
Strategic management in New Zealand’s export-intensive industries
The systemic analysis of ownership, financing, production, human capital, and marketing issues in critical export sectors.