Profile

Incorporating Pacific values and approaches with business disciplines in a concerted and cross-disciplinary context. Motivated and driven by strong values in the delivery and achievement of high quality outcomes in learning, teaching, and research. Proven leadership in project management, customer relationship management and operations. Career includes corporate management positions; industry focus group membership and corporate project leadership.

Academic career started 2005 moved from Customer Services and Retail Operations management at BP to complete a Bachelor of Business at Unitec Business School. Upon graduation offered a fulltime position with the Centre for Pacific as an Academic Development and Support lecturer to assist Pacific business students. Subsequently, June 2009 was offered a part-time lecturer position in the Department of Management and Marketing (DoMM) in Operations Management 2009 (became fulltime January 2010). I successfully, in collaboration with DoMM, completed two major international research projects GEM Tonga, 2009 and GEM Vanuatu, 2010.

15 years of industry and management experience, 2 years teaching experience and Pacific research. Course development specifically embedding Pacific dimension across business programmes/courses. I am passionate about success and retention of Pacific youth. I am a founding member and Chair of Vasa Pasifika Creative Learning Trust, a social enterprise to fill a gap by providing academic and social services to Pacific youth at risk and wider community; ongoing development of programmes and initiatives for targeted group. I have established an organisation Spacific Innovations as a vehicle to provide support to Pacific Women in Business in West Auckland.

Core skills: (1) Strong communicator and listener (2) analytical skills (3) project management (4) Strong facilitation and presentation skills (5) Strategic thinker and follows through to completion (6) systems and critical thinker (7) strong networking ability.

Research Interests

My interests are in Pacific entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurship, indigenous entrepreneurship; Pacific business approaches and practices

Areas of Research

Pacific entrepreneurship; Pacific women entrepreneurship; Indigenous entrepreneurship

Teaching Interests

1. Operations Management
2. Pacific entrepreneurship / business
3. Organisation and Management
4. Innovation and entrepreneurship
5. Project Management

Hobbies/Other Interests

Time with family and friends, travel, walking, beach, movies and netball.

Publications

Mirzaei, M., Vellore, S., & Saifoloi, M. (2019). Weaving Authentic Assessments into Operations Management Teaching. New Zealand Applied Business Education, Christchurch - New Zealand.

Mirzaei, M., Dodd, P., Yates, A., & Saifoloi, M. (2019). Student learning experiences as they interact with assessments. ITP Research Symposium, Napier - New Zealand.

Saifoloi, M., Papoutsaki, E., Williams, M., Harris, U. S., & Naqvi, M. (2016). Participatory Video and The Pacifica Mamas: A Pilot Project.. Auckland, ePress (Vol. Unitec ePress Research Report Series (2)).

Williams, J., Bhat, R., Bridgman, G., Donaghey, S., Saifoloi, M., Williams, M., and Woodruffe, P. (2014). Linking the spaces between: An interdisciplinary media content production project for community engagement. . Paper presented at the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Annual Conference: The digital and the social: communication for inclusion and exchange. Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Annual Conference: The digital and the social: communication for inclusion and exchange. ISSN 1448-4331.

Saifoloi, M., Stowers-Ama, J., Papoutsaki, E., Williams, M., Davis, C., Kailahi, S., & Naqvi, M. (2014). Participatory Video and the Pacifica Mamas: exploring visual dialogue as an enabler for social and economic change. OURMedia conference, Diverse Communities - Diverse Media, University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea.

Saifoloi, M., Papoutsaki, E., Williams, M., Davis, C., and Stowers-Ama, J. (2014). Participatory Video and the Pacific Mamas: Exploring visual dialogue as an enabler for social and economic change. Our Media International Conference: Diverse Communities, Diverse Media, University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea.

Saifoloi, M., Williams, M., Papoutsaki, E., and Davis , C. (2013). Participatory Video; an interdisciplinary pilot study with the Pacifica Mamas. Unitec Research Symposium, Auckland, New Zealand.

Saifoloi, M. (2013). Participatory Video: Using visual dialogues in supporting the Pacific Mamas, West Auckland. Unitec Faculty Creative Arts and Business FOCI reports, Unitec Institute of Technology.

Solomona, M., and Davis, R. (2012). Exploring Entrepreneurship Policy in a Pacific Context: The Case of Tonga. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business (Vol. 16 (2)).
https://hdl.handle.net/10652/2240

Solomona, M. (2012). How have Samoan entrepreneurs in Samoa coped with the aftermath of the tsunami in2009? The author investigates key entrepreneurial behaviour of entrepreneurship particularly when dealing with uncertainty and overcoming obstacles in the context of Samoa micro-entrepreneurship. Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand, 2013-07-24T04:04:26Z.

Solomona, M., and Davis, R. (2011). Exploring Entrepreneurship Policy in a Pacific Context: The Case of Vanuatu. Samoa II Conference, National University of Samoa.

Talakai, M., Solomona, M., and Davis, R. (2011). Comparative Analysis on Factors Constraining Entrepreneurial Activities in Tonga and Vanuatu. 15th Cross Cultural Research Conference, Kona, Hawaii USA.

Solomona, M., and Davis, R. (2011). Exploring Entrepreneurship Policy in a Pacific Context: The Case of Vanuatu. Samoa II Conference, National University of Samoa.

Davis, R., Solomona, M., and Gunaratne, A. (2010). Benchmarking Entrepreneurial Behaviour in the Pacific GEM Vanuatu: Policy recommendations. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Australian Agency for International Development (Vol. 1).

Davis, R., Solomona, M., and Gunaratne, A. (2010). Benchmarking Entrepreneurial Behaviour in the Pacific GEM Vanuatu: Volume 2 - Adult Population Survey. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID) (Vol. 2).

Davis, R., Solomona, M., and Gunaratne, A. (2010). Benchmarking Entrepreneurial Behaviour in the Pacific Gem Vanuatu: Volume 3 - National Experts Survey and Qualitative Research. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID) (Vol. 3).

Davis, R., Solomona, M., and Gunaratne, A. (2010). Benchmarking Entrepreneurial Behaviour in the Pacific GEM Vanuatu: Volume 4 - Appendix. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID) (Vol. 4).

Davis, R., Solomona, M., and Gunaratne, A. (2010). GEM Vanuatu: Interim Report to AusAid. AusAID. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID).

Solomona, M., Davis, R., and Tiseli, T. (2010). Exploring Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: The Case of Vanuatu. Australia and New Zealand Marketing Academy, College of Business and Economics, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Solomona, M., Davis, R., and Talakai, M. (2010). Exploring Entrepreneurship in Tonga: Factors that Constrain and Promote Entrepreneurial Activity. Australia and New Zealand Marketing Academy, College of Business and Economics, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Davis, R., and Solomona, M. (2010). GEM Tonga: Presentation of Results to AusAid and Local Community Stakeholders. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID). ANZMAC Conference 2010, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Davis, R., and Solomona, M. (2010). Presentation of GEM Vanuatu Results and Policy Implications to Vanuatu Government. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID). ANZMAC Conference 2010, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Davis, R., Solomona, M., and Gunaratne, A. (2009). Benchmarking Entrepreneurial Behaviour in the Pacific GEM Tonga. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID) (Vol. Volume 1 - Policy Recommendations).