title: Relative surplus population and uneven development in the neoliberal era: Theory and empirical application

authors: Neilson, David

subjects: relative surplus population

abstract: This paper offers the groundwork of an alternative to mainstream (un)employment theory that builds on Marx’s account of the ‘active army’ and ‘relative surplus population’. With special application to the current neoliberal era, Marx’s long-range labour market analysis is connected to a mid-range account of capitalism’s uneven development in historical practice. This alternative approach is then adapted to an ‘empirically adequate’ statistical mapping of the relative surplus population’s contemporary global composition. Under neoliberal global capitalism, the relative surplus population is identified as being larger than the active army, and is unevenly composed and distributed across developed, developing and underdeveloped countries.

text: Relative surplus population and uneven development in the neoliberal era: Theory and empirical application This paper offers the groundwork of an alternative to mainstream (un)employment theory that builds on Marx’s account of the ‘active army’ and ‘relative surplus population’. With special application to the current neoliberal era, Marx’s long-range labour market analysis is connected to a mid-range account of capitalism’s uneven development in historical practice. This alternative approach is then adapted to an ‘empirically adequate’ statistical mapping of the relative surplus population’s contemporary global composition. Under neoliberal global capitalism, the relative surplus population is identified as being larger than the active army, and is unevenly composed and distributed across developed, developing and underdeveloped countries.

year: 2011

title: Gaining and Losing Respect of the New Zealand Public: Adidas' 2011 Rugby World Cup Jersey Pricing Crisis

authors: Farquhar, Kayleigh

subjects: Marketing, Public relations, Rugby, Sports Marketing, Crisis Management, All Blacks

abstract: As principal sponsors of the All Blacks over the past 13 years, Adidas have gone to great lengths to ensure their advertising campaigns reflect respect for the New Zealand public in relation to the traditions, history and heritage of the All Blacks, and the importance of rugby as the country’s national sport. Their carefully crafted advertising campaigns and television commercials have articulated Adidas’s understanding and respect for the historical legacy and primal power of the All Blacks (Scherer & Jackson, 2007) allowing the brands to form a successful co-brand (Motion, Leitch & Brodie, 2003). However in August 2011, Adidas released their Rugby World Cup Edition supporter’s shirt to the New Zealand public selling for $220.00 in New Zealand retailers. This price was over $100.00 more (including shipping) than prices set by international websites selling the exact same shirts. The pricing of this jersey led to a public outrage and quickly became a public relations crisis for Adidas.

Through a two phase qualitative research design this study aims to understand the New Zealand public’s response towards Adidas after the jersey pricing crisis by understanding the role that (dis)respect plays in the response. The first part of phase one involved gathering data via a media analysis (Altheide, 2000) to identify the main stages in the crisis from news articles, followed by a nethnography (Kozinets, 2002) of the public’s reaction at the different stages of the crisis. The second phase of the research design involved a survey that consisted of four open ended questions and six demographic questions.

The analysis of the crisis stages identified the importance of crisis response strategies when dealing with a crisis (Benoit, 1997). This study highlights the need for organisations to carefully consider the believability, timing, consistency, target audience and of the type of crisis response method before employing any strategy. This finding contributes to the literature by identifying how implementing incorrect and slow response strategies can impact a brands reputation.

The bloggers and participants responses reveal the importance of respect in maintaining and developing relationships in sponsorship. This study demonstrates how disrespectful behaviour in sponsorships can negatively impact relationships with the public. This finding is specifically important for organisations that sponsor national teams, as it is clear from this study that national teams, like the All Blacks, are a key signifier of national identity. Thus organisations need to respect the local communities in which they operate. This study shows how the consumer response towards Adidas as a result of their perceived disrespectful behaviour is intensified due to the attachment with the All Blacks and the jersey. This research adds to the sponsorship literature by demonstrating how sponsoring organisations treat the public plays an important role in building and maintaining quality relationships. Thus it is concluded from this study that fans value respect and that respect is a mainstay in sponsorship.

text: Gaining and Losing Respect of the New Zealand Public: Adidas' 2011 Rugby World Cup Jersey Pricing Crisis As principal sponsors of the All Blacks over the past 13 years, Adidas have gone to great lengths to ensure their advertising campaigns reflect respect for the New Zealand public in relation to the traditions, history and heritage of the All Blacks, and the importance of rugby as the country’s national sport. Their carefully crafted advertising campaigns and television commercials have articulated Adidas’s understanding and respect for the historical legacy and primal power of the All Blacks (Scherer & Jackson, 2007) allowing the brands to form a successful co-brand (Motion, Leitch & Brodie, 2003). However in August 2011, Adidas released their Rugby World Cup Edition supporter’s shirt to the New Zealand public selling for $220.00 in New Zealand retailers. This price was over $100.00 more (including shipping) than prices set by international websites selling the exact same shirts. The pricing of this jersey led to a public outrage and quickly became a public relations crisis for Adidas.

Through a two phase qualitative research design this study aims to understand the New Zealand public’s response towards Adidas after the jersey pricing crisis by understanding the role that (dis)respect plays in the response. The first part of phase one involved gathering data via a media analysis (Altheide, 2000) to identify the main stages in the crisis from news articles, followed by a nethnography (Kozinets, 2002) of the public’s reaction at the different stages of the crisis. The second phase of the research design involved a survey that consisted of four open ended questions and six demographic questions.

The analysis of the crisis stages identified the importance of crisis response strategies when dealing with a crisis (Benoit, 1997). This study highlights the need for organisations to carefully consider the believability, timing, consistency, target audience and of the type of crisis response method before employing any strategy. This finding contributes to the literature by identifying how implementing incorrect and slow response strategies can impact a brands reputation.

The bloggers and participants responses reveal the importance of respect in maintaining and developing relationships in sponsorship. This study demonstrates how disrespectful behaviour in sponsorships can negatively impact relationships with the public. This finding is specifically important for organisations that sponsor national teams, as it is clear from this study that national teams, like the All Blacks, are a key signifier of national identity. Thus organisations need to respect the local communities in which they operate. This study shows how the consumer response towards Adidas as a result of their perceived disrespectful behaviour is intensified due to the attachment with the All Blacks and the jersey. This research adds to the sponsorship literature by demonstrating how sponsoring organisations treat the public plays an important role in building and maintaining quality relationships. Thus it is concluded from this study that fans value respect and that respect is a mainstay in sponsorship.

year: 2013

title: He Piko, He Repo: Environmental DNA as a biomonitoring tool for wetland restoration

authors: Bird, Starsha

subjects: colonisation

abstract: Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots, harbouring distinctive species while providing numerous ecosystem services. Unfortunately, throughout human civilisation, they have been systematically degraded, resulting in a dramatic global loss in wetland extent, the establishment of invasive species and the extinction of many natives and, in Aotearoa New Zealand, impediment of the special connection Māori share with their repo (wetlands). Monitoring wetland biodiversity to take appropriate restorative action and minimise further degradation is imperative, particularly in the face of climate change. Environmental DNA (eDNA; genetic material released by organisms into the environment) is an increasingly popular non-invasive biomonitoring method that provides information about the presence or potential absence of species inhabiting a given ecosystem, but has yet to be optimised for wetland environments. My thesis aimed to address the consequences of colonisation on the relationship between Māori and their wetlands, and to explore the value eDNA holds for wetland biomonitoring. The first analysis (Chapter 2) delved into the past (post-European settlement; 1840s), the present (2023), and the future (2073) of Opuatia Wetland (Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand) through a series of interviews with three individuals who whakapapa to (are connected with) Opuatia Wetland and its surroundings. I found that Opuatia Wetland once flourished with native biodiversity, and kai (food) was readily available. However, land confiscation by European settlers marked the downfall of this once productive and connected catchment such that it is presently in a fairly degraded state, dominated by exotic species, with Māori feeling disconnected from their whenua (land). Considering the future, the interviewees envisioned a revived abundance of native species and desire for restoration efforts to be facilitated by both mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and science. The second analysis (Chapter 3) examined a publicly available eDNA database to retrieve data from 26 wetland sites across Aotearoa New Zealand to understand taxonomic diversity patterns. Here, I showed that DNA sequence composition varied across the motu (country), illustrating that varying environmental conditions among wetland types influences biodiversity. Notably, most sites were dominated by >50% exotic species. These findings highlight the value of publicly shared data for generating new insights, and the need for resource allocations to tackle the persistence of exotic species in wetland ecosystems. The third analysis (Chapter 4) focused on analysing biodiversity dynamics at a single wetland and tested various eDNA sampling techniques. I sampled four spatially distant sites across Opuatia Wetland at three time points during an austral spring and simultaneously obtained data from conventional taxonomic surveys, tested three different filter sizes, and assessed DNA degradation rates using foreign DNA. I found significant differences in biodiversity across time and space, and when using different eDNA collection filters. Foreign DNA persisted for up to one week post-release within a 10 m radius, and combining conventional and eDNA methods provided a more comprehensive overview of biodiversity patterns. These findings collectively showcased key changes in biodiversity, even over short spatial and temporal scales, and identified parameters to consider for wetland biodiversity monitoring and associated data interpretation. It is only a matter of time until the impacts of climate change and invasive species take firmer hold of Aotearoa New Zealand's distinctive and fragile environment. Undoubtedly, eDNA can be part of the solution to mitigate these challenges, owing to its versatility across ecosystem types, capacity to extend to various substrates, and accessibility for researchers and citizen scientists alike. As eDNA methods continue to improve and become integrated into ongoing biomonitoring schemes, building equitable and empowering relationships between Māori and researchers/government bodies will best ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand repo and other environments are maintained and conserved for future generations.

text: He Piko, He Repo: Environmental DNA as a biomonitoring tool for wetland restoration Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots, harbouring distinctive species while providing numerous ecosystem services. Unfortunately, throughout human civilisation, they have been systematically degraded, resulting in a dramatic global loss in wetland extent, the establishment of invasive species and the extinction of many natives and, in Aotearoa New Zealand, impediment of the special connection Māori share with their repo (wetlands). Monitoring wetland biodiversity to take appropriate restorative action and minimise further degradation is imperative, particularly in the face of climate change. Environmental DNA (eDNA; genetic material released by organisms into the environment) is an increasingly popular non-invasive biomonitoring method that provides information about the presence or potential absence of species inhabiting a given ecosystem, but has yet to be optimised for wetland environments. My thesis aimed to address the consequences of colonisation on the relationship between Māori and their wetlands, and to explore the value eDNA holds for wetland biomonitoring. The first analysis (Chapter 2) delved into the past (post-European settlement; 1840s), the present (2023), and the future (2073) of Opuatia Wetland (Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand) through a series of interviews with three individuals who whakapapa to (are connected with) Opuatia Wetland and its surroundings. I found that Opuatia Wetland once flourished with native biodiversity, and kai (food) was readily available. However, land confiscation by European settlers marked the downfall of this once productive and connected catchment such that it is presently in a fairly degraded state, dominated by exotic species, with Māori feeling disconnected from their whenua (land). Considering the future, the interviewees envisioned a revived abundance of native species and desire for restoration efforts to be facilitated by both mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and science. The second analysis (Chapter 3) examined a publicly available eDNA database to retrieve data from 26 wetland sites across Aotearoa New Zealand to understand taxonomic diversity patterns. Here, I showed that DNA sequence composition varied across the motu (country), illustrating that varying environmental conditions among wetland types influences biodiversity. Notably, most sites were dominated by >50% exotic species. These findings highlight the value of publicly shared data for generating new insights, and the need for resource allocations to tackle the persistence of exotic species in wetland ecosystems. The third analysis (Chapter 4) focused on analysing biodiversity dynamics at a single wetland and tested various eDNA sampling techniques. I sampled four spatially distant sites across Opuatia Wetland at three time points during an austral spring and simultaneously obtained data from conventional taxonomic surveys, tested three different filter sizes, and assessed DNA degradation rates using foreign DNA. I found significant differences in biodiversity across time and space, and when using different eDNA collection filters. Foreign DNA persisted for up to one week post-release within a 10 m radius, and combining conventional and eDNA methods provided a more comprehensive overview of biodiversity patterns. These findings collectively showcased key changes in biodiversity, even over short spatial and temporal scales, and identified parameters to consider for wetland biodiversity monitoring and associated data interpretation. It is only a matter of time until the impacts of climate change and invasive species take firmer hold of Aotearoa New Zealand's distinctive and fragile environment. Undoubtedly, eDNA can be part of the solution to mitigate these challenges, owing to its versatility across ecosystem types, capacity to extend to various substrates, and accessibility for researchers and citizen scientists alike. As eDNA methods continue to improve and become integrated into ongoing biomonitoring schemes, building equitable and empowering relationships between Māori and researchers/government bodies will best ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand repo and other environments are maintained and conserved for future generations.

year: 2023