Low scores for Asia competency - report

MEDIA RELEASE

Monday, 7 May 2007

Low scores for Asia competency - report

The low ratings for New Zealanders’ ability in Asian languages and cultural sensitivity are areas of concern if this country wants to increase its business engagement with the Asian region, says a new Asia New Zealand Foundation report.

The Reality Check: Asian Perceptions of New Zealand Business People report says learning how to operate in different business cultures is a key piece of advice from successful New Zealand business people but it appears that the country is slow to take it up.

The report is based on research into how New Zealand business people are perceived in Asian economies such as China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Its release comes at a time when a number of iconic New Zealand manufacturers like Fisher and Paykel and Sleepyhead are establishing production in or considering moving it to Asian countries, highlighting the need for New Zealand companies to internationalise production to remain competitive.

While the report finds that New Zealanders may be well perceived in many areas, it is essential that the country does not “relax in light of this fast-changing and dynamic economic environment in Asia”.

“This initial overview suggests that New Zealanders need to develop their business skills to take advantage of opportunities in Asia. Action is required to develop at an individual level for business people and at an educational level within business schools and professional business development,” the report says.

It also recommends the development of stronger university and research institutional relationships between New Zealand and Asia if the country is to “leverage capability and acquire technological expertise”.

The Reality Check report will be one of the focal points for the Action Asia Business Summit being held by the Asia New Zealand Foundation at the Sky City Convention Centre in Auckland on July 9-10.

A keynote speaker for the summit is the internationally respected economist Clyde Prestowitz, president and founder of the Economic Strategy Institute in Washington and author of Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Wealth and Power to the East.

The Reality Check: Asian Perceptions of New Zealand Business People report is here: http://www.asianz.org.nz/files/asianz_realitycheck.pdf

ENDS

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