Diversification and expansion in large diversified New Zealand companies : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography at Massey University

Diversification and spatial expansion are investigated in relation to eight Type III companies in New Zealand. The case companies are delimited on the basis of a three stage classification of corporate growth and organisation. The conceptual background to the thesis also includes an examination of more general aspects of corporate decision making, strategy, and the expansion and impact of firms in space. Two areas of research are examined - (a) the incidence and nature of diversification in the eight companies, and (b) spatial aspects associated with diversification and expansion. A case study approach is used to outline the diversification and spatial expansion of the companies over time. A three-fold classification of diversification is proposed: diversification within and between activity groups and diversification function. Diversification is then viewed in relation to the respective growth developments of the case companies. On the basis of these accounts, a number of conclusions are drawn on the temporal development of diversification in the spatial expansion of the eight companies. Diversification was found to be an important component in the corporate growth and geographic expansion of the case companies. Furthermore, a review of the geographic distribution of their activities suggests the companies have an important contribution to national and regional development in New Zealand

Escalating Commitment: Business Investments and CSR

There are many instances, in all areas of business, in which individuals can become committed to a course of action that begins costing more than it is producing. Because it is often possible for persons who have suffered a setback to recoup their losses through an even greater commitment of resources to the same course of action, a cycle of escalating commitment can be produced (Staw, 1981). This thesis serves to address prior literature and prior studies based on the theory of escalation behavior . We furthered our research by conducting an experiment using university students to test certain said theory with the incorporation of specific variables (i.e. tax-avoidance strategies vs. sustainable investing). As such, this thesis was designed with the purpose of trying to understand why such behavior exists and what factors may have significant influence on the cycle known as escalating commitment

The health and social consequences of an alcohol related admission to critical care: a qualitative study

Objective: To examine the impact of critical care on future alcohol-related behaviour. Further, it aimed to explore patterns of recovery for patients with and without alcohol use disorders beyond the hospital environment. Design: In-depth, semistructured interviews with participants ( patients) 3–7 months post intensive care discharge. Setting: The setting for this study was a 20-bedded mixed intensive care unit (ICU), in a large teaching hospital in Scotland. On admission, patients were allocated to one of the three alcohol groups: low risk, harmful/hazardous and alcohol dependency. Participants: 21 participants who received mechanical ventilation for greater than 3 days were interviewed between March 2013 and June 2014. Interventions: None. Measurements and main results: Four themes which impacted on recovery from ICU were identified in this patient group: psychological resilience, support for activities of daily living, social support and cohesion and the impact of alcohol use disorders on recovery. Participants also discussed the importance of personalised goal setting and appropriate and timely rehabilitation for alcohol-related behaviours during the critical care recovery period. Conclusions: There is a significant interplay between alcohol misuse and recovery from critical illness. This study has demonstrated that at present, there is a haphazard approach to rehabilitation for patients after ICU. A more targeted rehabilitation pathway for patients leaving critical care, with specific emphasis on alcohol misuse if appropriate, requires to be generated

Management of 'Tough' fish syndrome (TFS) in tropical Saddletail Snapper to re-instill market confidence

A major achievment of this research is the confirmation of fish age being the primary driver of toughness in cooked Saddletail snapper flesh. Knowing the cause provides confidence to develop solutions and make business decisions for the reef fish fisheries . The influence of other fish physiological factors was shown to have little impact with respect to fish flesh toughness. Additionally, there was no apparent connection between flesh toughness and seasonality nor year to year conditions. The possibility of toughness being engendered through in appropriate chilling immediately post capture was ruled out as a factor contributing to tough fish syndrome (TFS). The outcome following on from identification of the cause of TFS surrounded developing procedures for reducing the incidence of tough fish where the cause was preventable . However, as post-harvest handling was not a contributor to toughness, implementing alternative handling procedures was irrelevant. The focus of this outcome shifted to developing strategies to ensure fish at risk of exhibiting TFS did not enter the value chain . This was addressed by provision of currently available technology on non - invasive ultrasonic imaging and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to the industry partners

STOCKER CATTLE OWNERSHIP VS. CONTRACT GRAZING: A COMPARISON OF RISK-ADJUSTED RETURNS

Stocker cattle ownership is compared to contract grazing using stochastic simulation. Returns are evaluated for both cattle owners and caretakers in contract grazing agreements. For caretakers, contract grazing is significantly less risky than cattle ownership. For cattle owners, contracting reduces risk only slightly while significantly reducing expected returns.Livestock Production/Industries,

Simulation Based Evaluation of Integrated Adaptive Control and Flight Planning Technologies

The objective of this work is to leverage NASA resources to enable effective evaluation of resilient aircraft technologies through simulation. This includes examining strengths and weaknesses of adaptive controllers, emergency flight planning algorithms, and flight envelope determination algorithms both individually and as an integrated package