Mackenzie Freeman
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Bachelor of Business (Honours) in International Business with First Class Honours
Bachelor of Business in International Business and Strategy & Management
What is the relationship between supply chain resilience and climate change? That’s the interesting topic Mackenzie Freeman is exploring for her PhD research.
“I chose to do this research because the frequency and impact of climate-related disruptions are rising and, at the same time, globalisation has enabled a world in which global supply chains are more intertwined and interdependent than ever. To manage the resulting uncertainties, supply chain resilience strategies need to be better incorporated into both short and long-term plans.
“My research seeks to understand how such strategies could be applied at a supply chain level, with the goal of continuously adapting and transforming to deal with the complexities of the modern dynamic environment. It aims to progress industry knowledge and produce a conceptual model to support supply chains by increasing collaboration, and paving the way forward to design and operationalise more resilient strategies.”
Mackenzie – whose PhD research is supervised by Associate Professor Benjamin Dehe and Dr Peter Skilling from the AUT Business School – says she first became interested in supply chain management in the final year of her undergraduate degree while gaining workplace experience as a logistics intern.
“I feel that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the modern world, and many businesses have not yet grasped the intensity of its impact. I hope that my research can become a stepping stone for businesses to progress their thinking and understanding of the need to develop resilience across their entire supply network by increasing their collaboration with partners.”
Finding her path
As passionate as she is about business and the positive impact it can make; Mackenzie admits she wasn’t always sure what the future would hold.
“I took a gap year after school as I wasn’t sure what I wanted to. During that year, I managed to secure an internship at the Estée Lauder head office, which opened my eyes to the world of business. From that point onwards, I knew I wanted to study business as I knew it would lead towards a wide range of potential roles and specialties. I chose AUT because I had heard from friends that it has a more hands-on approach to learning that develops your soft skills alongside the knowledge needed to graduate with a degree.”
It's a decision she certainly hasn’t regretted.
“I’ve loved the autonomy that studying at AUT has enabled, as it has meant that I’ve had to develop my personal soft skills, including teamwork, negotiation, networking and creative thinking, while simultaneously building my knowledge base. I’ve had so many achievements I’m proud of, including completing an AUT Edge Award, being invited to join the Beta Gamma Sigma Society, receiving an AUT Doctoral Scholarship, being awarded a scholarship through thinkstep-anz to attend the Climate Change and Business Conference in 2023, winning the Postgraduate Symposium Poster Award and being selected to be one of the doctoral student representatives.”
Advice for other students
Mackenzie has some great advice for other students who are only at the start of their own university journey.
“Make the most of your time at university! Meet lots of new people, show up for yourself and experience everything you can.”
She wouldn’t hesitate to recommend AUT’s business programmes to other students.
“I’ve loved it! I’ve had so many opportunities to explore and experience different things during my studies, which significantly built my confidence and knowledge. For example, I’ve participated in the Shadow a Leader Day, spent six months in Germany on a student exchange, interned at a large New Zealand business for my Bachelor of Business workplace experience, worked as a teaching assistant and a research assistant, and presented my PhD research at AUT’s Postgraduate Symposium.”
