Christian Handtrack

Hard work and ability rewarded

German post graduate student Christian Handtrack’s research concerning New Zealand small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) was so competent that his Commerce Department supervisors at Lincoln University recommended a change from a Masters to a PhD programme.

In doing so, there was a need for an international component. So what began as an investigation of knowledge management in the context of SME’s in New Zealand, will now include research of similar sized businesses in the United Kingdom.

To carry out this research, a short-term exchange semester has been arranged for Christian at the University of East Anglia, before returning to Lincoln University to finalise his thesis.

While SME’s are indispensable to the New Zealand economy, very little research has been carried out as to how and by what means SME’s acquire, share and apply strategic information and knowledge that will help them in their business, he says.

“These issues are critical, as SME’s often operate under difficult conditions and are subject to global pressures from large corporations and demanding customers.”

Christian says that his findings support the claim of previous researchers that the concept of knowledge management is still under-developed in the New Zealand SME sector, as it is overseas.

“Much more attention appears to be given to daily operational activities, which suggests a short-term rather than a long-term management perspective. Most respondents indicate that they are not familiar enough with the concept of knowledge management to benefit from it in practice.”

Christian’s Bachelor degree in Commerce (from the University of Cooperative Education, Mannheim) combined study with an apprenticeship in the rental car business.

As part of that degree, he completed a thesis on cultural and communications issues relating to the expansion of a car rental franchise into East Asian and South East Asian markets. The topic interested a German publisher, who persuaded him to turn the thesis into a 150 page book.

“It was published in a series about Asian culture. You can go to Amazon.de and type my name and you’ll find my book – it’s all in German though.”

For postgraduate study, Christian sought a university where he could study in English.

“I chose Lincoln University because the offer was the best and the campus the most welcoming.”

The University has lived up to his expectations, he says.

“I’ve been impressed with the quality of my supervision and the amount of time my supervisors have given me. I also like being in the country and in the South Island.”

Christian’s strong work ethic and research ability have led to the award of a Lincoln University Scholarship to allow him to complete his doctorate, one of his supervisors, Dr Rick Fraser says.

“The final outcome of this project will be a significant practical contribution to the improved management of SME’s both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.”