ASSIGNMENT 1

SUBMITTED TO PARVI BHARTI MAM

COUNTRY CHOOSEN: NEW ZEALAND

Country profile:

Geography
New Zealand is located in the South Pacific Ocean at 41°S 174°E, near the centre of the
water hemisphere. It is a long and narrow country, extending 1,600 kilometres (990 mi)
along its north-north-east axis with a maximum width of 400 kilometres (250 mi).The land
size of 267,710 km2 (103,360 sq mi) makes it the sixth-largest island country. New Zealand
consists of a large number of islands, estimated around 600. The islands give it 15,134 km
(9,404 mi) of coastline and extensive marine resources. New Zealand claims the 9th largest
exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 4,083,744 km2 (1,576,742 sq mi), more
than 15 times its land area.

Economic Environment
New Zealand's economy is based on agriculture and services such as tourism, retail, and
wholesale trade. The agricultural sector is the largest industry in the country, with pastoral
farming and horticulture being the most important categories. Agriculture represents 6.6%
of GDP and 6.1% of the total workforce. Main agricultural products include dairy (the
country is the 8th largest milk producer in the world), meat, wood, fruit (mainly peaches,
plums, nectarines, drupe, cherries, apricots, and kiwi), vegetables, seafood, wheat, and
barley. New Zealand also has a thriving wine industry and is rich in many natural
resources, in particular gas, oil and coal. Migrants make up 15% of the agricultural
workforce in New Zealand.

Industry represents 19.2% of GDP and 20.4% of the workforce. Main industries include log
and wood articles, food processing, manufacturing, mining, transportation equipment,
construction, aluminum production, and paper products. Prefabricated homes figure to
factor strongly in New Zealand's housing and urban development programme.

The services sector represents 65.6% of GDP and employs 73.5% of the population. Main
services include financial services, real estate services, and tourism - which is one of the
most important sources of foreign currency. Other important sectors include retail and
wholesale trade, restaurants and hotels.

Legal and Regulatory Regime

Corporate Regulation
The Companies Act 1993 forms the core of the corporate regulatory system.
It provides for:

 the registration of companies

 rules for directors and officers, shareholders or members
 disclosure and reporting requirements
 restructuring rules
 insolvency rules
 investigation and enforcement of the law
 The removal of companies from the register.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)

 MBIE is responsible for policy and legislation about corporate

regulation.
 Contact MBIE for information about any proposed changes to the law
or policy.
New Law on Investment and Enterprises

As well as a highly friendly regulatory and tax environment we offer investors many other

benefits that enhance the whole experience of doing business.

Where else would you be able to put in a good day at the office then be back at the beach, out
on your boat or on the first tee of your local golf course in an hour or less? Where else could
you and your family have such easy access to some of the best ski-fields, countryside, wineries,
lodges and restaurants in the world?

It’s all part of the attraction of doing business in New Zealand.We’re the second easiest country
in the world to do business in, according to the World Bank’s 2015 Doing Business report. They
also rated us top in the world for ease of starting a business, protecting minority investors and
for getting credit.

Business Etiquette and Culture

New Zealanders can be somewhat reserved, especially with people they do not know. Once
they develop a personal relationship, they are very friendly, outgoing and social. Expect to
receive respect from people and try to focus on being honest, direct, and demonstrating a
sense of humour. Locals will trust you until they are given a reason not to.

Business Meeting Etiquette 

 Schedule appointments ahead of time. Plans should be made at least one week in
advance by telephone, fax or email. It is generally easier to schedule meetings with
senior level managers if you are coming from another country. Note that it can be
difficult to schedule meetings in December and January since these are the prime
months for summer vacation.

 Arrive at meetings on time or even a few minutes early and expect a brief amount of
small talk before getting down to the matter at hand. If you do not arrive on time, your
behaviour may be interpreted as indicating that you are unreliable or that you think
your time is more important than the person with whom you are meeting.

 Present your business case with facts and figures. Emotions and feelings are not
important in the New Zealand business climate.

 Maintain eye contact and keep a few feet of personal space.

  Meetings are generally serious events, though have a relaxed atmosphere.

 Don’t exaggerate claims or use hyperboles. If you make a presentation, avoid hype. New
Zealanders are interested in what people 'can do' not what they say they can do.

Negotiations in New Zealand

 Don’t be in a hurry. The negotiating process takes time.

 Don’t attempt high-pressure sales tactics.

 Start your negotiations with a realistic figure. It is not a bargaining culture and New
Zealanders do not expect to haggle over the price.

 Be direct and expect the same in return. Kiwis appreciate brevity and are not impressed
by more detail than is required.

 Agreements and proposals must state all points clearly. All terms and conditions should
be explained in detail.

Gift Giving

Gifts aren’t generally exchanged in business situations. If invited over to someone’s home it is
polite to bring a small gift such as chocolate, wine, or pastries.

Titles and Business Cards

Most people will want to interact on a first name basis as quickly as possible. It's best to begin
addressing people using, Mr., Mrs. or Miss, followed by the full name or surname. Follow the
lead of your host regarding how and when they use first names. There is no specific protocol
surrounding the giving and receiving of business cards.

Employment Law
Under New Zealand employment law, employers and employees both have rights and
responsibilities.

Your employer must treat you fairly, pay you at least the minimum wage set by the
government, and meet their other employment law obligations. They must also make sure your
workplace is safe.

Employee rights and obligations

You must do your job competently and follow workplace health and safety rules. You must also
stay within the conditions of your visa.

Some of your key employee rights are covered on this page. For more information about the
current minimum wage and your employment rights, go to the Employment New Zealand
website. It has information in 14 languages and a free online course where you can learn about
your minimum rights.

Ethical issues
Unethical Leadership

Having a personal issue with your boss is one thing, but reporting to a person who is behaving
unethically is another. This may come in an obvious form, like manipulating numbers in a report
or spending company money on inappropriate activities; however, it can also occur more
subtly, in the form of bullying, accepting inappropriate gifts from suppliers, or asking you to skip
a standard procedure just once. With studies indicating that managers are responsible for 60%
of workplace misconduct, the abuse of leadership authority is an unfortunate reality.

Toxic Workplace Culture

Organizations helmed by unethical leadership are more often than not plagued by a toxic
workplace culture. Leaders who think nothing of taking bribes, manipulating sales figures and
data or pressuring employees or business associates for “favors” (whether they be personal or
financial), will think nothing of disrespecting and bullying their employees. With the current
emphasis in many organizations to hire for “cultural fit,” a toxic culture can be exacerbated by
continually repopulating the company with like-minded personalities and toxic mentalities.
Even worse, hiring for “cultural fit” can become a smokescreen for discrimination, which can
result in more ethical issues and legal ramifications.

Discrimination and Harassment 

Laws require organizations to be equal employment opportunity employers. Organizations

must recruit a diverse workforce, enforce policies and training that support an equal
opportunity program, and foster an environment that is respectful of all types of people.
Unfortunately, there are still many whose practices break with EEOC guidelines.  When
discrimination and harassment of employees based on race, ethnicity, gender, disability or age
occurs, not only has an ethical line been crossed but a legal one as well. Most companies are
vigilant to avoid the costly legal and public ramifications of discrimination and harassment, so
you may encounter this ethical dilemma in more subtle ways, from seemingly “harmless” off-
color jokes by a manager to a more pervasive “group think” mentality that can be a symptom of
a toxic culture. This could be a group mentality toward an “other” group (for example, women
aren’t a good fit for our group). Your best response is to maintain your personal values and
repel such intolerant, unethical or illegal group norms by offering an alternative, inclusive
perspective as the best choice for the group and the organization.

Unrealistic and Conflicting Goals

Your organization sets a goal—it could be a monthly sales figure or product production number
—that seems unrealistic, even unattainable. While not unethical in and of itself (after all, having
driven leadership with aggressive company goals is crucial to innovation and growth), it’s how
employees, and even some leaders, go about reaching the goal that could raise an ethical red
flag. Unrealistic objectives can spur leaders to put undue pressure on their employees, and
employees may consider cutting corners or breaching ethical or legal guidelines to obtain them.
Cutting corners ethically is a shortcut that rarely pays off, and if your entire team or department
is failing to meet goals, company leadership needs that feedback to revisit those goals and re-
evaluate performance expectations.

Questionable Use of Company Technology

While this may feel like a minor blip in the grand scheme of workplace ethics, the improper use
of the internet and company technology is a huge cost for organizations in lost time, worker
productivity and company dollars. One survey found that 64% of employees visit non-work
related websites during the workday. Not only is it a misuse of company tools and technology,
but it’s also a misuse of company time. Whether you’re taking hourly breaks to check your
social media news feed or know that your coworker is using company technology resources to
work on freelance jobs, this “little white lie” of workplace ethics can create a snowball effect.
The response to this one is simple: when you’re working on the company’s computer on the
company’s time, just don’t do it, even as tempting as it may be.