title: Production outsourcing offshore in the New Zealand printing, publishing and packaging industries

authors: Skiffington, Hayden

subjects: offshore outsourcing

abstract: Purpose – The study aims to investigate the production offshore outsourcing practices of SMEs in the New Zealand printing, publishing and packaging industries. It identifies the techniques SMEs use to organise and manage their offshore outsourcing activities. The authors then develop a managerial framework to assist SMEs in their future offshore outsourcing ambitions.

Design/methodology/approach – The study takes a qualitative approach; obtaining data from a sample of 22 New Zealand SMEs in the printing, publishing and packaging industries that are actively offshore outsourcing production tasks. Data was gathered in the form of semi-structured interviews with SME managers who have carried out offshore outsourcing.

Findings – To mitigate offshore outsourcing costs, SMEs use the internet to locate suppliers and use short-term reliable contracts that are managed remotely or by intermediaries. Customer involvement was highly important during the entire offshore outsourcing process. Most SMEs developed long-term business relationships with reliable suppliers. These findings are integrated into the SME framework, which identifies ways SMEs can overcome resource constraints and minimise risks when offshore outsourcing.

Research limitations/implications – This study is confined to a single country and reports on findings for several related industries, i.e. the printing, publishing and packaging industries in New Zealand. This limits its applicability to research in other settings and other industries. However, it identifies an area of research (offshore outsourcing activities in SMEs) that could be extended to other industries and countries by future research.

Practical implications – The SME framework presents an easily understood approach that has been verified by SME managers who have successfully offshore outsourced production tasks. The research proves that SMEs can offshore outsource within the constraints of limited physical and managerial resources.

Social implications – The study showed that the decision-making process to outsource is supported by the transaction costs approach. Firms have to balance out total cost considerations in making their decision to offshore (including contingency costs) to ensure that the savings from outsourcing are greater than the transaction costs. The resource-based view of the firm is also used to suggest that offshore outsourcing means that firms may be able to improve their own competences by providing (through their suppliers) access to more sophisticated and higher-quality processes.

Originality/value – The research contributes to the growing area of SME offshore outsourcing research, providing detailed empirical evidence of SME offshore outsourcing activities occurring in New Zealand.

text: Production outsourcing offshore in the New Zealand printing, publishing and packaging industries Purpose – The study aims to investigate the production offshore outsourcing practices of SMEs in the New Zealand printing, publishing and packaging industries. It identifies the techniques SMEs use to organise and manage their offshore outsourcing activities. The authors then develop a managerial framework to assist SMEs in their future offshore outsourcing ambitions.

Design/methodology/approach – The study takes a qualitative approach; obtaining data from a sample of 22 New Zealand SMEs in the printing, publishing and packaging industries that are actively offshore outsourcing production tasks. Data was gathered in the form of semi-structured interviews with SME managers who have carried out offshore outsourcing.

Findings – To mitigate offshore outsourcing costs, SMEs use the internet to locate suppliers and use short-term reliable contracts that are managed remotely or by intermediaries. Customer involvement was highly important during the entire offshore outsourcing process. Most SMEs developed long-term business relationships with reliable suppliers. These findings are integrated into the SME framework, which identifies ways SMEs can overcome resource constraints and minimise risks when offshore outsourcing.

Research limitations/implications – This study is confined to a single country and reports on findings for several related industries, i.e. the printing, publishing and packaging industries in New Zealand. This limits its applicability to research in other settings and other industries. However, it identifies an area of research (offshore outsourcing activities in SMEs) that could be extended to other industries and countries by future research.

Practical implications – The SME framework presents an easily understood approach that has been verified by SME managers who have successfully offshore outsourced production tasks. The research proves that SMEs can offshore outsource within the constraints of limited physical and managerial resources.

Social implications – The study showed that the decision-making process to outsource is supported by the transaction costs approach. Firms have to balance out total cost considerations in making their decision to offshore (including contingency costs) to ensure that the savings from outsourcing are greater than the transaction costs. The resource-based view of the firm is also used to suggest that offshore outsourcing means that firms may be able to improve their own competences by providing (through their suppliers) access to more sophisticated and higher-quality processes.

Originality/value – The research contributes to the growing area of SME offshore outsourcing research, providing detailed empirical evidence of SME offshore outsourcing activities occurring in New Zealand.

year: 2013

title: The long-term effects of feeding honey compared with sucrose and a sugar-free diet on weight gain, lipid profiles, and DEXA measurements in rats

authors: Chepulis, Lynne Merran

subjects: HDL-cholesterol

abstract: To determine whether honey and sucrose would have differential effects on weight gain during long-term feeding, 45 2-mo-old Sprague Dawley rats were fed a powdered diet that was either sugar-free or contained 7.9% sucrose or 10% honey ad libitum for 52 wk (honey is 21% water). Weight gain was assessed every 1 to 2 wk and food intake was measured every 2 mo. At the completion of the study blood samples were removed for measurement of blood sugar (HbA1c) and a fasting lipid profile. DEXA analyses were then performed to determine body composition and bone mineral densities. Overall weight gain and body fat levels were significantly higher in sucrose-fed rats and similar for those fed honey or a sugar-free diet. HbA1c levels were significantly reduced, and HDL-cholesterol significantly increased, in honey-fed compared with rats fed sucrose or a sugar free diet, but no other differences in lipid profiles were found. No differences in bone mineral density were observed between honey- and sucrose-fed rats, although it was significantly increased in honey-fed rats compared with those fed the sugar-free diet.

text: The long-term effects of feeding honey compared with sucrose and a sugar-free diet on weight gain, lipid profiles, and DEXA measurements in rats To determine whether honey and sucrose would have differential effects on weight gain during long-term feeding, 45 2-mo-old Sprague Dawley rats were fed a powdered diet that was either sugar-free or contained 7.9% sucrose or 10% honey ad libitum for 52 wk (honey is 21% water). Weight gain was assessed every 1 to 2 wk and food intake was measured every 2 mo. At the completion of the study blood samples were removed for measurement of blood sugar (HbA1c) and a fasting lipid profile. DEXA analyses were then performed to determine body composition and bone mineral densities. Overall weight gain and body fat levels were significantly higher in sucrose-fed rats and similar for those fed honey or a sugar-free diet. HbA1c levels were significantly reduced, and HDL-cholesterol significantly increased, in honey-fed compared with rats fed sucrose or a sugar free diet, but no other differences in lipid profiles were found. No differences in bone mineral density were observed between honey- and sucrose-fed rats, although it was significantly increased in honey-fed rats compared with those fed the sugar-free diet.

year: 2008

title: The Development and Evaluation of a Cultural Competency Training Programme for Psychologists Working with Māori: A Training Needs Analysis

authors: Waitoki, Waikaremoana

subjects: Māori

abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a cultural competency training programme for clinical psychology students to work with Māori consumers.  A pilot programme (study 1) was developed from the international and national cultural competency and bicultural training literature.  Following the pilot, it was identified that the programme could be made more robust by conducting a second study the training needs analysis using the critical incident technique.  Study two was conducted with 30 experienced clinical psychologists who had worked with Māori clients.
  
The training needs analysis sought to identify the awareness, knowledge and skills (AKS) that the experienced psychologists used in their practice with Māori.  An unexpected finding from study two was that the psychologists used distinctly Māori-cultural practices incorporating Māori tikanga and Māori knowledge with their clients even though they had little or no bicultural course content in their clinical training.  The data from the pilot programme, and the training needs analysis were used to refine the final workshop.  
The workshop was delivered to two university sites over a two-day period using intern clinical psychologist.  The programme evaluation had three components: (1) analysis of pre and post programme questionnaires; (2) analysis of the retrospective questionnaires (3) and an analysis of a participant’s case report on a Māori consumer. 
The themes that evolved from this research are that the critical incident technique is a useful way of identifying bicultural training material that would otherwise go unnoticed.  In relation to training evaluation, there is a real need to develop meaningful measures of bicultural competency acquisition for clinical students.  The finding advances the proposition that a distinct Māori psychology exists that could potentially challenge the relevance of Western psychology for Māori.  
A contextual theme underpinning bicultural training programmes is that training and practice occurs against the backdrop of Pākehā dominance in all aspects of academia and society. Consequently, there is a need to find a balance between Māori and Western psychological knowledge.  Future uses of this research will be in developing and evaluating bicultural training programmes, developing appropriate measures of cultural competency acquisition and assessing the potential for a distinct Māori psychology.

text: The Development and Evaluation of a Cultural Competency Training Programme for Psychologists Working with Māori: A Training Needs Analysis The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a cultural competency training programme for clinical psychology students to work with Māori consumers.  A pilot programme (study 1) was developed from the international and national cultural competency and bicultural training literature.  Following the pilot, it was identified that the programme could be made more robust by conducting a second study the training needs analysis using the critical incident technique.  Study two was conducted with 30 experienced clinical psychologists who had worked with Māori clients.
  
The training needs analysis sought to identify the awareness, knowledge and skills (AKS) that the experienced psychologists used in their practice with Māori.  An unexpected finding from study two was that the psychologists used distinctly Māori-cultural practices incorporating Māori tikanga and Māori knowledge with their clients even though they had little or no bicultural course content in their clinical training.  The data from the pilot programme, and the training needs analysis were used to refine the final workshop.  
The workshop was delivered to two university sites over a two-day period using intern clinical psychologist.  The programme evaluation had three components: (1) analysis of pre and post programme questionnaires; (2) analysis of the retrospective questionnaires (3) and an analysis of a participant’s case report on a Māori consumer. 
The themes that evolved from this research are that the critical incident technique is a useful way of identifying bicultural training material that would otherwise go unnoticed.  In relation to training evaluation, there is a real need to develop meaningful measures of bicultural competency acquisition for clinical students.  The finding advances the proposition that a distinct Māori psychology exists that could potentially challenge the relevance of Western psychology for Māori.  
A contextual theme underpinning bicultural training programmes is that training and practice occurs against the backdrop of Pākehā dominance in all aspects of academia and society. Consequently, there is a need to find a balance between Māori and Western psychological knowledge.  Future uses of this research will be in developing and evaluating bicultural training programmes, developing appropriate measures of cultural competency acquisition and assessing the potential for a distinct Māori psychology.

year: 2012