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 units.
Weekly Lecture Schedule
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Week |
Session |
Unit |
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1 |
1 |
Unit 1 Pacific Island Economies: Overview How to analysis the business environment of a Pacific Island country Sources of data and reports Social structure of Pacific island Countries Population and mirgation Health and Land tenure issues
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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1 |
2 |
Economic structure of Pacific island economies Economic features Production and trade Education and labour markets
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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1 |
3 |
Unit 2. Fiscal Policy and Fiscal Indiscipline in PICs Fiscal Policy brief Fiscal indiscipline issues Recommendations
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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2 |
1 |
Unit 3. Economic Distortions, Problem and Austerity Measures Economic Distortions in PICs Typical Economic Problem Typical Austerity Measure
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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2 |
2 |
Unit 4: Planing and National Development Plan and Sectoral Growth Prospects Need for a National Development Plan Planning process Objective of a National Development Plan
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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2 |
3 |
Structure of a National Development Plan 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
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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3 |
1 |
Unit 5: Privatisation and Public Sector Reform Reassessment of the role of the public sector Privatization: Definition and rationale Privatisation of production Denationalisation and load sharing State owned enterprises Benefits and costs of privatization
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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Table 1: Weekly Lecture Schedule (cont…)
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3 |
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2 |
Unit 6: Globalization, Regionalism and Trade Trade: an engine of growth for the Pacific Trade policies issues Regional trade agreements, PICTA and PACER
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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3 |
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3 |
Regional bodies Role of the Asian Development Bank Role of the IMF and World Bank Multi-national corporations in the Pacific
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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4 |
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1 |
Unit 7: Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Environment Sustainable development policies and strategies Promoting corporate environmental and social responsibility Environment and Climate Change Environmental Challenges faced by Pacific Island countries
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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2 |
Climate Change challeges faced by Pacific Island countries Issue of Carbon trading and REDD+ programs
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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4 |
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3 |
Unit 8: Strategies to Promote Entrepreneurship and Private Sector Development, Local and Foreign Investment Entrepreneurs and the process of new venture creation Common features of entrepreneurship in the Pacific Islands region Asian Development Bank, Private Sector assessments for PICs Lessons from the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Surveys Measures to improve the business environment for entrepreneurs. Government support for entrepreneurship through business incubation, microfinance schemes, business mentoring, small business centres and training programs Financing new and growing business ventures, angel investors, the role of development banks
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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5 |
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1 |
Unit 9: Culture, Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Business Practices Examine of culture and tradition affects business practices business success factors and Pacific cultures Business ethics and corruption in the Pacific Islands
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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2 |
Corruption and Economic growth Examine some of the business Sustianable Development practices and Corporate Social Responsibility
Class presentations/discissions/Q&A and seminars |
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- Lecturer: Mahendra Reddy