Colin Campbell-Hunt

This article is based on a study of 16 in-depth case histories of New Zealand firms. It uses both the traditional and the “born-global” approaches as a framework to study the internationalization processes of the firms. The authors use the histories to conduct a systematic analysis of the extent to which firms that might be categorized as following a traditional or born-global internationalization path differ in the strategies they have used and in their prior motivations and capabilities. The main findings are that many attributes of the born-global model also characterize firms that began their internationalization along traditional lines but were radically transformed in the process of achieving global reach. This study identifies the consequences of rapid international growth, referred to as “the gusher,” among these firms and the destabilizing effects of the experience as the firm is taken in unexpected directions. The authors conclude that the born-global model has much in common with the internationalization of small entrepreneurial firms and that its most distinctive elements lie in the model's relevance to an increasingly globalized world economy and in the more aggressive learning strategies that are required to follow this path.

A study of the evolution of competitive capabilities in exemplar New Zealand firms identified that technology strategy played the key role in motivating the firms' transition to positions of global prominence. Adequate description of these transitions required a view of technology strategy that is more dynamic than those typically available. We use complexity theory to identify, first, a number of positive feedback loops that have driven the technological progression of these firms, second to identify the complex webs of strategic development within which technology has progressed, and finally to explain why these trajectories carry firms to positions of distinctive advantage. These loops come together to impel firms through a radical transition from broad technology dabblers to focussed technology specialists. We view the study as exploratory to a class of studies aimed at understanding the evolution of technology strategy over time.

In late 2004 a New Zealander, John Hood, will become the first external appointment to head Oxford University in its 900-year history. Napier-born and raised, Dr Hood studied engineering at Auckland University where he took his doctorate in 1976. He then took up a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford, where he added an MPhil in management and played cricket for the University. These two universities continue to command a special place in his affections. A 19-year career in industry with Fletcher Challenge – at the time New Zealand's largest corporation – took him to senior group responsibilities as CEO of Fletcher Challenge Paper. In 1999, he took on his present role as Vice Chancellor of Auckland University. His record there of innovative and dynamic leadership has surely been instrumental in attracting the attention of his other alma mater, and in attracting him back to Oxford.