The course covers key issues relating to the South Pacific Business Environment and the development of sustainable responsible business enterprises. Corporate social responsibility, regionalism, utilization of natural resources, impact of culture on business problems, labour relations, national economic planning, public policy analysis, government support for business , entrepreneurship, privatisation, private sector development and the consequences of foreign investment will be considered. The relationship of business, sustainable development, culture and the natural environment as well as the ethics of various viewpoints and practices constitute major themes. The course involves the analysis of Pacific Island business enterprise case studies and the growth prospects of industries and innovative products and services.
Unlike our MBA core courses in business economics, accounting, finance, management information systems and human resource management that focus on a particular discipline, MBA 434 South Pacific Business Environment is an integrative course. It draws on the knowledge and skills learned in Business Economics and it analyses the whole spectrum of sustainable business development challenges for enterprises operating in the South Pacific business environment. The focus is on Pacific enterprises and the competitive environments in which they operate, their future growth prospects and long-term strategy for sustainability.
The course is composed of the following ten units.
Unit 1 Pacific Island Economies: an Overview
Structure of Pacific island economies
Economic features: Natural and human resource endowments
Production and trade
Education and labour markets
Associated cultural features
Land tenure issues
Population growth and migration
Unit 2 Privatisation and Public Sector Reform
Historic reasons for large public sectors
Reassessment of the role of the public sector
Privatization
Commercialization of government enterprises
Public-private partnerships
Alternative methods of service delivery
Unit 3 Planning in the Public and Private Sector
National Planning systems to promote Sustainable Economic Development
Role and functions of National Strategic Development Planning systems
New approaches to economic planning and strategies to promote green growth
Sustainable national infrastructure planning to support private sector growth
Role of sector, industry and regional plans
Corporate planning in private and public enterprises
Unit 4 Strategies to Promote Private Sector Development
Lessons from the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Surveys
Measures to improve the business environment
Government support for small business, small business centres, microfinance and training programs
Preparing business plans and feasibility studies
Export processing zones, and tax free zones
Export market development
Small business and Pacific culture
Reforming the legal framework and commercial law issues
Unit 5 Foreign and Local Investment and the Business Environment
Investment policies and strategies
Factors affecting foreign investments and the role of investment promotion agencies
Role of incentives
Review of major investment projects and risk analysis
Environmental and social impact of large scale mining projects in PNG
Local versus foreign investments
Unit 6 Culture and Entrepreneurship
Small business development
Training entrepreneurs
Business incubators, innovation centres, technology parks
Unit 7 Sustainable Development of business enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility
Sustainable development policies and strategies
Promoting corporate environmental and social responsibility
The clean technology and green business revolution
Developing green business enterprises
Waste and energy reduction measures
Pollution taxes and incentives for green business
Carbon footprint reduction strategies and policy measures
Corporate social and environmental responsibility
Sustainability reporting
Unit 8 Public Policy Analysis for Sustainable Development:
Research and consulting skills for sustainable development
Role of policy analysis for sustainable development
Public Policy Formulation and participation of stakeholders
Tools of policy analysis, cost-benefit analysis and the planning balance sheet approach
Stakeholder Analysis of large scale mineral resource development projects
Policy instruments and measures and monitoring and evaluating the business environment
Unit 9 Growth Prospects of Industries.
Agricultural sector development
Forestry and sustainable yields
Fisheries development and Pacific tuna
Mining industry development and corporate social responsibility
Service sector development
Tourism development strategies
Role of tourism master plans
Technology and back office development
Unit 10 Globalization, Regionalism and Trade
Trade: an engine of growth for the Pacific
Regional trade agreements, PICTA and PACER
Trade policies issues
Role of the World Trade Organisation
Protection through tariffs and quotas
The Pacific and World economy, benefits and costs of globalization
Labour mobility and the transfer of jobs from high wage counties to low wage countries
Role and effectiveness of the CROP regional organisations, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
Role of the Asian Development Bank
Role of the IMF and World Bank
Multi-national corporations in the Pacific
- Lecturer: James McMaster