Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers Archive
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Publication Lifespan: September 2008–June 2020
About The Journal
Students play a key role to supporting and improving business and management research at the Gustavson School of Business. We have students at all levels engaging in research, from undergraduate to doctorate students.
At the undergraduate level, research is tied to our international exchange. Many of our undergraduate students enroll in International Business Research (COM 470) to give students who go on exchange an opportunity to develop their research and writing skills by analyzing a business issue that relates to an international site location. They explore a topic of their choosing, reporting on a phenomenon that affects the entire country or region. Or, they can focus on a specific issue that pertains to a particular private, public or not-for-profit organization.
From September 2008 to June 2020, the best papers from this course were showcased annually in a publication entitled Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers.
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Item Sweden is a nesting ground for young start-up entrepreneurs(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2008) Whyte, JamesThis paper explores the business climate in Sweden and the recent steps Sweden has made to make their country an attractive place for young international entrepreneurs to begin their careers. Through an examination of Sweden’s laws, labour force, education system and culture (supported by first-hand testimonials), the author builds a convincing case that places Sweden as an international leader in entrepreneurial thinking and policy and a favourable climate for first time start-ups.Item Changing poverty and inequity through business(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2008) Tanner, Matthew R.Business has the capacity to positively change the global problem of poverty and inequity but traditional ways of doing and thinking about business must be transformed and revolutionized. This paper will illustrate how business can become an innovative tool for social change by focusing on the pioneering principals of microfinance and the market Base of the Pyramid (BOP). These two business models will be examined in a macro and micro context to allow the reader to fully envision how the concepts can be used to change the brutal reality of the World’s demographics. Latin America is focused on throughout the paper because it is saturated with poverty (nearly 1/4 of Latin Americans live on under $2 US per day) and has the highest rate of inequity in the World. This paper proves that if business does not harness the ideas of Microfinance and the market of the BOP, economic and social consequences have the potential to become more devastating. These two business models enforce that there is an opportunity to make a profit while providing much needed services and products to the poor. The prospects of using business to fight poverty and inequity are vast and the results can be extraordinary.Item Compulsory licensing in Thailand(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2008) Mann, SimranThe government of Thailand instituted compulsory licenses on several types of cardiovascular disease and antiretroviral medications in 2006. This report focuses on the debate of compulsory licensing for these drugs and whether the Thai government is justified in this policy implementation. The research finds that the compulsory licensing policy adopted by the Thai government is not justified due to the following arguments: a) Thailand’s health expenditure is among the lowest, b) the country is in a strong economic position to afford western medicines, c) Thailand has high tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, d) the GPO generates millions in profit and produces low-quality generic versions, e) international pharmaceutical companies have revolutionized health care by developing safe drugs for global diseases, and f) there are alternative approaches other than compulsory licenses that could be employed.Item IKEA: A strategy for success(2008) Luu, GarretThe way business is conducted has changed significantly over the years due to globalization and rapid advancements in technology. The economy is ridding itself of small family owned businesses and is replacing them with giant multinational corporations. These corporations are complex machines, which need highly skilled personnel to ensure their success. This paper examines how multinational corporations employ strategies and techniques that enable them to manage employees from varying diverse backgrounds. It focuses on IKEA and what they have done to transform a single store located in southern Sweden into the international powerhouse it has become today. The paper studies the underlying reasons for their success and how IKEA has spread its corporate culture through the utilization of its expatriates.Item Disneyland Paris: Europeanizing a resort an international expansion experience(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2008) Louie, AmandaThis paper explores the cultural challenges faced by The Disney Company during their international expansion into the European market. With wildly successful park launches in America and Japan, Disney was hungry for further growth and global reach. However, the subsequent launch of the Euro Disney Park near Paris in 1992 did not attract the guest numbers expected and instead was met with some resentment and hostility due to anti- American sentiment. This paper discusses the cultural blunders made by Disney that lead to the disappointing launch. It will focus on the operation and marketing strategies of the company with comparisons drawn between American and French culture to highlight the different perceptions of the park. The paper will also discuss the actions taken by Disney to “Europeanize” the park to appeal to their new marketplace. The report aims to enlighten readers that even the most successfully laid plans must be thoroughly re-examined with a cultural lens during international expansions.Item Swensen’s must engage in market penetration and diversification to retain its leading position in the Thailand market(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2008) Douglas, KaileeThis paper will determine ways in which Swensen’s Ice Cream Parlour can retain its leading position in the premium ice cream market of Thailand. Analysis of the company, market, and customers determined that Swensen’s must engage in market penetration and diversification growth strategies. Market penetration includes opening university locations, promoting beverages, engaging in customer relationship programs, increasing the experience, and reducing the delivery gap. Diversification growth strategies include offering souvenirs, food items and media. In conclusion, these recommendations will allow managers to improve the company’s position against competitors, and maintain Swensen’s as the most popular destination for all ice cream lovers.Item The Dutch Business System in transition: An application of Whitley’s Business Systems approach for the use of executives, managers, and policy makers(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2008) Brewis, EricThe changing nature of the Dutch business system has serious implications for businesses wishing to expand into the Netherlands, and for businesses that already operate within it. This paper attempts to clarify these changes by dissecting the nature of the system into three mutually related components based on Whitley’s business systems approach. These components include the nature of market organization, the political system, and the labour system, and are substantiated with evidence from previous studies, as well as from personal discussions with individuals that have lived in the Netherlands. In general, the basic conclusions of the research suggest that changes in voter preferences in the Netherlands have resulted in more capitalistic political policies, such as increased tax incentives for entrepreneurial start-ups, which have in turn, resulted in lower trade union participation rates, and a less egalitarian corporate atmosphere with more individual incentives for performance. For managers, this means that less emphasis needs to be placed on practices such as collective bargaining and equality, and that more emphasis needs to be placed on sustaining their competitive advantage, knowing that more small to medium sized enterprises will be entering the marketplace. However, despite these changes to a more free-market approach, the Netherlands still remains a corporatist system, where trade unions still play a significant role. Thus, the Dutch business system is not as laissez-faire as in Canada or in the United States, but is more free-market than it used to be in response to the collapse of their traditional welfare state.Item Note from the editor(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2008) Goerzen, AnthonyItem Front Matter(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2008)Item Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, Volume 1 (September 2008)(University of Victoria Libraries ePublishing Services, 2008)Full issueItem Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, Volume 2 (September 2009)(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2009)Complete issue for Volume 2, September 2009Item Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, Volume 3 (September 2010)(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2010)Complete issue for Volume 3, September 2010Item How businesses in the Czech Republic are benefiting from its integration into the European Union(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2009) Starke, KevinThis paper will explore how businesses in the Czech Republic have benefited from its accession into the European Union (EU). Both the process of accession and the necessary changes that the Czech Republic had to make will be outlined. The costs and benefi ts associated with EU membership will be described. Recommendations will be made for changes to the government and their policies regarding human resource development, tertiary education and innovation so that the country can overcome current challenges. The current opinions of Czech citizens will be stated and analyzed showing both their support for the EU membership and their fears of losing autonomy. Costs and benefits will be broken down into two groups, those arising from the EU market and those related to central decision-making and governance. Both groupings will be evaluated to show that most costs occur in the short run, and that the long-run benefits are much greater.Item A sui generis system: An in depth analysis of European Union governance and political innovation and its effect on business(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2009) Spicer, MikeThe formation of the European Union (EU) just over 50 years ago signalled the beginning of a new era for European businesses. The eventual removal of trade barriers and increased co-operation between members along with the more recent eastern expansion has led to a more interdependent system where some firms are struggling to sustain their competitive advantage. This paper attempts to clarify the EU’s unique blend of capitalism, governance and corporate lobbying as an example of Europe’s history of political innovation. Secondarily it investigates the effects these factors have on business within the EU, with emphasis placed on the Dutch business environment. Indeed, the EU is a constantly evolving political structure that highlights the increased pressures of globalization and economic interdependence. Furthermore, the greater liberalization associated with the EU has encouraged the Netherlands to pursue a strategy of more strict market capitalism, a departure from its social welfare roots. The establishment of multi-issue politics participation in multiple trade associations and interest groups, as well as more informal networks, has become a source of competitive advantage for Dutch firms. Due to their ability to maintain high positions within these associations and create a standardization of group actions, firms can influence the outcome of the EU’s decision-making process. Although the EU has brought about many changes within the structure of its members’ business systems, it is also reflective of the trend of globalization. This paper illustrates the interdependence and interaction between firms and political institutions within the European Union.Item Austrian Airlines: An analytical examination using Porter’s Diamond(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2010) Forman, BrettAustrian Airlines’ long history of operating as an Austrian owned company has finally come to an end after their poor performance in 2008. This paper analyses the means by which Austrian Airlines has been able to compete globally for so many years in the competitive airlines industry and proposes reasons for their past success. The four components of Michael Porter’s Diamond of National Advantage were used to analyze the company, in combination, with two other variables that have an effect on all four of the components, the government and chance. The main four components of Porter’s framework include firm strategy, structure, and rivalry; demand conditions; related and supporting industries; and factor conditions which together work as a framework to determine the factors that allow Austrian Airlines to have a national comparative advantage. The information used in the paper was gathered from the company’s annual report, various online sources that are not affiliated with Austrian Airlines, Michael Porters book “The Competitive Advantage of Nations” and primary data from a customer satisfaction survey. From this analysis, it is evident that Austrian Airlines derives its ability to compete from many different sources such as the country’s geographical location and the supporting industries located around their main airport hub in Vienna. It will become more apparent in the coming year, when more information is published, as to why the company’s performance in 2009 was so poor which forced the privatization of the company.Item Chilean wine: A short- and long-term assessment of one of South America’s oldest industries(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2009) Bradley, JonathanThis paper will begin by taking the reader through a brief history of the Chilean wine industry and more specifically, the largest producer within that industry: Conchay Toro. My goal is to examine the current state of the global wine industry, and the selected company, to gather a greater understanding of where the company is and where it needs to go to remain competitive in the future. Using the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, the paper determines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the company, and what can be done to exploit their strengths and mitigate their threats. It will also use Porter’s Five Forces Model to help the reader get a better understanding of the competition in the global wine market. The paper will ultimately conclude, among other suggestions, that a change in pricing strategy and promotion, combined with investment in wine-making outside of Chile’s borders is necessary for Conchay Toro to be a major market player in the long term.Item Global cork demand: The competitive challenges facing Portuguese producers(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2010) McCombe, DanielThis paper profiles and examines the competitive landscape of the Portuguese cork industry through the lens of an individual producer, Jan Dalhuisen, a plantation owner and cork producer of over 20 years. His unique experience as a cork producer, summarized in the form of an article, is used as a reference point in identifying linkages in the competitive challenges he faces to those facing the domestic and global cork industry. Foremost, domestic market conditions of the industry are examined, analyzing the evolution of the primary factor input of production: labour. Next, emerging trends in production of this unique market in Portugal are evaluated. The focus, in these two areas is to find determinants of domestic supply and demand conditions and ascertain how they are effecting the macro-economic environment. That is, what economic forces in the domestic cork industry are impacting the global competitiveness of individual producers? Second, global supply and demand trends are assessed, specifically, changes in the landscape of the wine bottling industry, its historic use of traditional cork stoppers, and the emergence of substitutes. In respect to substitutes, global market data is examined to assess if their emergence has had significant impact on global pricing trends of natural cork. Finally, the implications of all observations for manufacturers and producers in the Portuguese cork industry are stated. Individual and collaborative strategies for industry members to utilize are discussed, all with the clear objective to improve competitiveness for the Portuguese industry as a whole, as well as sustain profitability for small scale producers.Item The influence of culture on business and corporate social responsibility in France(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2009) Weberg, HeatherIn today’s global marketplace, corporate social responsibility has become essential to longevity and success of the business model. With emergence of the triple bottom line approach to management, corporations face increasing pressure to adopt sustainable business practices, promote transparency in financial reporting and acknowledge stakeholder interests. This paper attempts to utilize the theoretical framework based on the triple bottom line to examine French business practices and gain a better understanding of the profound impact that culture has on corporate social responsibility. In this context, analysis of three cultural elements that have influenced corporate policy in France for centuries: dignity, honour, and patrimony, provide an international perspective on business. While corporate culture in North America has been criticized for its obsession with profit maximization in the short run, French businesses have respected cultural values in promoting a holistic, long-run approach to social responsibility. Therefore, valuable lessons can be learned from the French whose approach to corporate social responsibility hinges on the intrinsic link between consumers, fi rms, a market economy and the realization that in order to achieve sustainable development, a model of growth must embrace all elements of the dynamic business environment.Item Note from the editor(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2009) Goerzen, AnthonyItem Small but mighty: Environmental sustainability in Singapore(Bachelor of Commerce Best Business Research Papers, 2009) Casey, TerraThis research paper’s objective is to identify the ways in which Singapore is a global leader in environmental sustainability. Focusing on water conservation, reclamation and waste management, this paper describes the initiatives that Singapore has successfully implemented, the ways in which it has done so, and suggestions on how other developed countries, such as Canada, can become more environmentally responsible through the integration of government initiatives and policies. Results indicate that Singapore is successfully meeting its various goals, and is striving to further its development of initiatives in an effort to continue to be a global leader in environmental responsibility.