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to Table of ContentsAction Research Design Besides conducting and publishing research reports and journal article studies on the four research questions, we would like to do two more things (For background on action research, see http://web.nmsu.edu/~dboje/TDactonresearch.html). First, we want to involve governments, academics, workers, unions, and NGOs in the host countries in improving working conditions. This is what we have referred to as the experiments in "French Taylorism." Second we would like to promote dialogue with Nike Corporation, government agencies, monitoring groups, workers, and sub-contract factory owners (and managers) that leads to improved working conditions and improved monitoring. As reviewed, there is already a trend we identify as increased government control on the horizon. By inviting dialogue, we do not mean compromise, or surrender of independence or our research, rather a commitment to platforms for conversation, where we might disagree but agree to come to the table. Keeping our independence is our main reason for not requesting monies from Nike for this study.
Here are the two proposals:
Reaching out to other voices -- The idea of the event is to have facilitators work with the study groups and interested stakeholders to develop the research and dialogue opportunities, such as "French Taylorism." We would like members from each of the four study groups to coordinate between local action that is already present within practitioner, government, union, and academic groups in the nations we are studying (several are already among our country experts or members of study teams, but there are others out there). This requires planning and rehearsal. We believe a set of four 90 minute meetings, one for each study group to meet with other academics and members of the stakeholder groups listed above would facilitate the research question development and lead to dialogue among stakeholders that can have positive impact. We have already been accepted as a Professional Development Workshop by the History, Research Methods and Organization Development and Change Divisions, for the August, 2001 meeting of the Academy of Management meeting in Washington D.C. See Academy of Management in Association Section of this proposal. The Four Study groups have also been invited to meet and present at the International Academy of Business Discipline Meetings in Orlando Florida in April, 2001. Nancy Landrum and I are also submitting a proposal for a study group workshop for the IABS meeting for their March, 2001 meetings. Note, many study group members travel great distances, so funding for conference travel and fees is being sought. For example, Professor Alexis Downs is currently contacting Business For Social Responsibility http://www.bsr.org/ for possible support for our conference and research travel expenses. These venues will allow us to flesh out details on sampling and study design issues. Nike along with country experts, and other stakeholders are invited to these sessions. The main concern is to develop not only basic but action research experiments in alternative wage, working conditions, networking, and other systems.
Leadership Forums - On this objective on government and monitoring -We propose to conduct leadership forums with governments (in the nations we are studying), Nike Corporation, factory owners (and managers), workers (and their representatives), and monitors such as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Fair Labor Association, Workers Rights Consortium, Global Alliance and others we discover. It is crucial to provide spaces of alliance without compromising ethical functioning, agendas or vision of the four study (sub) groups.. This is quite a challenge, but postmodern (and some modern) research is about such problematics. We are interested in putting the results of our research into action. "This means processes, commitments and frameworks that facilitate forums that result in dialogue and in collaborative social action. Such collaboration does not infer the lack of conflict, contradiction or dissonance, neither does it assume consensus [This approach to action research] refers to strategic relationships that dismantle inequities of power, operate at multiple levels and are committed to social and environmental justice." (See 'The politics of sustainable ecology' by Angana Chatterji, 2000:108).
One option open to us is to submit a grant application to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for "The Business of Government." Recent work by Dara O'Rourke (2000) has suggested ways that PWC can improve its inspections of labor practices in thousands of factories it inspects around the world.
O'Rourke, Dara (2000). Monitoring the Monitors: A Critique of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Labor Monitoring. Unpublished paper September 28th, 2000, MIT. To download entire report using ADOBE see http://web.mit.edu/dorourke/www/PDF/pwc.pdf
PWC endowment fund has a call for research and leadership forum grant applications that for "Leveraging the Private Sector. This area focuses on innovative ways in which the public sector can leverage private sector assets, expertise, and incentives to achieve public sector missions. Examples of leveraging the private sector include contracting out, outsourcing, privatization, and public-private-non-profit partnerships." Since PWC is the leading monitor for governments and universities who purchase apparel made by workers in outsourced and subcontract factories, they may entertain a proposal. Awards of $20,000 are for either research or conducting forum events. Deadline is June 29, 2001. http://endowment.pwcglobal.com/ The theme of the Annual Academy of Management meetings in Washington D.C. in august, 20001 is also on the theme of "how governments matter?" (see call below).
There are other funding sources and other venues for promoting dialogue and action research implementation of our research efforts.