La infancia es un mito y “otro mundo”

This research started with a simple observation in the global apparel global value chain, that specialty retailers rely to a varying degree on the services of sourcing agents and trade intermediaries to interface with suppliers in their sourcing regions, despite the significant intermediation costs, and that they do so even though they have fully staffed sourcing departments. The research process emerged in three distinct stages:

Stage 1. The first critical stage was the definition of the research question, more specifically understanding considering existing theory what critical function is being

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performed by intermediaries in the apparel GVC and the extent to which these functions can be performed by the lead firm directly. Also important in the problem definition was a thorough review, and continuous monitoring of industry data and publications to ensure that the emergent theoretical research questions were relevant to industry practice.

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The definition of the research problem, illustrated in Figure 4.1, was the lengthiest stage, as it entailed a thorough review of theoretical literature, the examination of retailer annual reports and presentations, case studies, and industry studies from international organizations, think tanks and industry watchdogs, as well as respected books on apparel sourcing, and industry paper and online publications. From the examination of existing information, it became apparent that only in-depth interviews with key decision makers in the apparel GVC with a constructivist approach could create theoretically insightful and reality-proofed knowledge on the emergent research questions regarding the structural and strategic determinants of firm boundaries in offshore outsourcing.

Stage 2. With the research problem framed and an initial theoretical model as a guideline, I moved on to the second stage, developing the field study (Figure 4.2). I tackled at first the critical issue of securing the participation of a sufficiently diverse sample of industry sourcing executives that could bring depth of direct knowledge regarding both daily practice and strategic decision-making, and at the same time allow the required source triangulation to ensure the quality and trustworthiness of the study’s findings.

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Figure 4.2 Developing Qualitative Study and Field Research

Sampling for the interviews was purposive, seeking to include global sourcing executives with experience at multiple top US specialty retailers. Source triangulation was ensured by interviews with executives with the industry’s premier agents and intermediaries in the US and in Asia, as well as with owners of large factory groups in Asia, who serve many of the other retailers not directly included in the sample. I then

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developed an interview protocol (Appendix B), based on the study’s theoretical model, with questions on the pros and cons of the different supplier interface governance modes, followed by multiple questions and prompts for each of the determinant variables under study. I conducted the interviews in three distinct rounds scheduled a few weeks apart, which allowed me to adjust the interview protocol between rounds. The different stakeholder roles of agents and intermediaries in the GVC also required the development of a related but distinct interview protocol for them (Appendix C). In the process, I removed questions that only lead buyers can answer, and adding a few supplemental questions on trust in the GVC, to investigate more in depth the relational barriers in the buyer-supplier interface, and how trust gaps in cross-border exchange are brokered.

Stage 3. The field work was concluded a few weeks after the last round of interviews, with the verbatim transcription of all interviews, ushering the study into its third stage (Figure 4.3.), that consisted of analysis of the findings, their mapping against the theoretical model and the final write up.

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Figure 4.3 Analyzing the Research Data

As a first step, I edited the verbatim transcriptions to remove certain colloquialisms, occasional banter, and some of the characteristic choppiness of conversational oral communication. In the process, I also added some initial coding and comments, in MS Word document comment format. These codes were developed in progress, primarily to allow a first mapping of the participants’ statements against the theoretical model and the study’s eleven propositions in an extensive Excel spreadsheet,

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to assess patterns of concordance and patterns of contrast in the responses. This is a critical part of the constructivist approach, in which knowledge is constructed through consensus in the participants’ contributions. In consideration of the volume and sophistication of the information collected, as well as the dialectic nature and the variations in order and content of the interviews, I opted against the use of software tools like NVIvo to code and analyze the transcription. Word clouds developed for the full interviews, and for the response portions failed to yield interesting insights, but rather appeared to reflect the idiosyncratic use of language of the individual participants. The number of non-native English speakers, as well as the different national contexts in which the participants live and work also contributed to my choice to eschew the use of text- analysis software, and to map the results manually.