Christina Stringer

Trust and commitment in Vietnam: the industrial distributor's perspective

Purpose – Emerging economies provide a challenging backdrop for the building of trusting and committed cross‐border relationships; weak legal institutions and a turbulent business environment necessitate such relationships between business partners to effectively cope with external instabilities. The purpose of this paper is to focus on foreign supplier‐incumbent industrial distributor relations in the emerging economy of Vietnam.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an exploratory and expository study of relationship marketing incorporating personal experiences and the opinions of five incumbent industrial distributors in Vietnam.Findings – Using Lewicki et al.s multi‐dimensional conceptualization of trust (which included the dimension of distrust), this exploratory study corroborated with preceding works in identifying some of these positive consequences of trust; but diverged from this research area, by also identifying the areas of distributor distrust that marked out the constraints of the rela...

Environmental upgrading of apparel firms in global value chains: Evidence from Sri Lanka:

Buyer firms in the apparel industry are using environmental standards to coordinate their global value chains (GVCs). In turn, supplier firms are complying with environmental standards as a way to increase their competitiveness. This article addresses the nascent gap in the GVC literature in relation to firm- and chain-level responses to environmental concerns, which enable apparel firms to upgrade. The article examines the drivers and conditions under which apparel firms embrace environmental upgrading in Sri Lanka. Findings suggest that GVCs represent both the drivers of environmental upgrading and the means by which to obtain the knowledge needed to upgrade particularly for firms in relational networks. The strategic intent and capability of the suppliers to assimilate the transfer of knowledge and upgrade are critical. However, upgrading does not necessarily yield higher profits for supplier firms. The incentive for upgraded firms to maintain their environmental performance is competitive advantage arising from reduced costs.

Stepping Through the Looking Glass: Researching Slavery in New Zealand’s Fishing Industry

Qualitative researchers may encounter unforeseen risks when undertaking fieldwork; however, such risks are not widely addressed in the management and international business literatures. Furthermore, risks to participants and their families, and translators, is also an important phenomenon seldom explored in the literature. In this article, we reflect on our investigations of slavery in the foreign charter vessel sector of New Zealand’s fishing industry. Third parties threatened and intimidated many of those involved in our research, for example, through direct confrontation and surveillance. We contend that methodological awareness around risks and coping strategies needs further development, particularly in the management and international business literatures. Knowledge of potential risks and coping strategies can help mitigate consequences and, by doing so, enhance research designs.

Seeking to maintain the integrity of the fair trade model: a case study of Trade Aid importers

Purpose – The movement of profit‐orientated corporations into the fair trade value chain has caused some socially orientated fair trade organizations to question the direction the movement is taking. One organization at the forefront of the debate is Trade Aid (NZ), Inc. (hereafter Trade Aid), a New Zealand based socially orientated fair trade organization actively engaged in fair trade since the 1970s. This paper seeks to evaluate how Trade Aid is seeking to reformulate fair trades vision of empowerment and partnership constructively.Design/methodology/approach – A single case study approach is undertaken to examine how a socially orientated organization is adhering to and seeking to advance fair trade values. This research draws from the global value chain literature, which analyses how industries are governed. The relational co‐ordination or governance mode, which is characteristic of mutual dependency between supplier and buyer firms, is used as a framework for investigating the fair trade industry. ...

Labour standards and regulation in global value chains: The case of the New Zealand Fishing Industry:

Building on the concept of polarity in global value chains, we explore how the nature of the governance of a global value chain can evolve and how contingencies can reshape governance arrangements. A case-study of the New Zealand fishing industry highlights how parties inside and outside the global value chain came to contest labour standards, laying the base for credible regulation. In 2011 through a series of convergent events, migrant crew on board South Korean fishing vessels, hitherto exploited, abused and isolated, emerged as a significant actor to bring about a clear transition in the governance of a multipolar global value chain. In this paper, we analyse the series of events which led to regulatory change and consider whether the dynamics from the case offer lessons for improving labour standards and regulation in global value chains more generally.

New Zealand's Agro-Food Trade to Korea

In response to a changing global regulatory environment the Korean government is opening the domestic agro-food market to international players. While opportunities in Korea are increasing for New Zealand agro-food exporters, trade reflects New Zealands traditional export base of beef and dairy products---characteristics of the first and second food regimes---and the conceptualization of an emerging third regime centered around kiwifruit. This paper examines New Zealand agro-food trade to Korea with emphasis on the role of the New Zealand producer marketing boards. Keyword(s): Korea, Asia, New Zealand, food regimes, marketing bonds, agro-food trade

Environmental Upgrading in Pakistan’s Sporting Goods Industry in Global Value Chains: A Question of Progress?

The key objective of this paper is to examine factors which encourage or impede the environmental upgrading of Pakistani sporting goods firms in global value chains (GVCs); the sporting goods industry being one of Pakistan’s main export sectors. Our research shows that buyer firms can be influential in the environmental upgrading of suppliers in GVCs due to their market power and resources. Supplier firms comply with environmental standards set by buyer firms to avoid being excluded from GVCs. However, not all GVCs provide conditions for environmental upgrading by supplier firms, since this depends very much on the type of network (governance mechanisms) in which the firms are embedded. In this paper, we explain how capable suppliers in relational networks were able to successfully embrace and implement environmental upgrading

Aztec multilatinas: characteristics and strategies of Mexican multinationals

Purpose This paper provides an overview of the Aztec 13 – the top 13 multinational enterprises in Mexico. Different from research that groups countries and regions, the purpose of the paper is to deliver a nuanced picture of these multinationals in terms of their key characteristics and the strategies they follow when they internationalize. Design/methodology/approach All data sources that have been identified and reviewed are documents, printed and electronic. The Aztec multilatinas were identified using Forbes Global 2000 (2017). Other data sources such as media texts, company annual reports, reports filed with the Mexican Stock Exchange and the US Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as investor presentations, were collected and analyzed. Data sources were published in English and Spanish. The analytic procedure adopted entailed identifying, selecting, making sense of and synthesizing the data contained in the documents. Findings Aztec multilatinas have specific characteristics which, to a great extent, influence their internationalization strategies. Characteristics include the geographical location of their headquarters, their origin and history, their ownership structure and ties with families and government. These factors, combined, help to describe in greater nuance the internationalization strategies and activities of the Aztec 13. Such a detailed and focused description is a first necessary step for subsequent potential theorizing. Originality/value This paper contributes to the vibrant scholarly conversation on multinational enterprises from less researched regions and countries. Latin America is such a region and Mexico is such a country. Focusing on a single country and its top 13 multinationals allow a comprehensive description and disciplined analysis, with no dangerous generalizations to large regions and even larger settings such as emerging markets multinationals and with no false claims for theorizing.

A governance deficit in the apparel industry in Bangladesh: solutions to the impasse?

The rapid growth of Bangladesh’s apparel industry has been facilitated by the emergence of global value chains (GVCs) connecting local suppliers with global buyers. The growth of the industry, however, has occurred without the parallel development of supportive institutions, resulting in a governance deficit highlighted, in part, by ongoing disasters in which workers have been killed or injured. Building on the GVC governance literature, this chapter discusses the need for public, private and social governance actors to work together to address the governance deficit in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza collapse. The chapter highlights the limitations inherent if one form of governance seeks to tackle problems in the industry and concludes that a mix of the three types of governance is needed.

INVERSIÓN AGROINDUSTRIAL DE NUEVA ZELANDA EN SUDAMÉRICA: UNA PERSPECTIVA DE LA CADENA DE VALOR GLOBAL .

A partir del analisis de la cadena de valor global como marco teorico, este articulo analiza la inversion realizada por empresas agroindustriales neozelandesas en Sudamerica. Una importancia vital dentro del analisis de la cadena de valor global la tienen las firmas lider de un sector para establecer y mantener vinculos de produccion. Dos de las empresas agroindustriales mas importantes de Nueva Zelanda con relacion activa con Sudamerica son Fonterra Co-operative Limited, la quinta empresa de productos lacteos mas grande del mundo, y PGG Wrightson, el proveedor de servicios rurales mas grande de Nueva Zelanda. Nuestro estudio indica que al integrar a Sudamerica en su cadena de valor global, las empresas agroindustriales neozelandesas estan dando forma a vinculos de produccion y desarrollando nuevos mercados, mientras siguen aportando valor a las practicas agrarias locales.