Documents Bartley, Tim 2 results

"Scholars often rely on static and distant images of ‘decoupling' to describe the limited influence of ‘corporate social responsibility' (CSR), among other organizational and global scripts. New insights can be gained by looking closely at how local advocates seek to leverage symbolic commitments. Leveraging can be a route to what we call ‘contingent coupling', a circumstantial shrinking of the gap between legitimating symbols and concrete conditions. Based on interview data, this article maps several modes of leveraging by examining how unions in apparel/footwear factories in Indonesia sought to use foreign brands'/retailers' CSR commitments. The modes include not only cross-border activist campaigns but also more subtle and previously overlooked forms of negotiation. Our qualitative accounts and a quantitative analysis of factories suggest that CSR has been a platform for some modest gains for Indonesian unions, but it has not allowed robust, transformative changes. This elucidation of leveraging suggests hypotheses about conditions for tighter coupling."

"Recent controversies have drawn attention to the growing day labor industry in the U.S. While academics and activists have documented and criticized day labor agencies' practice of externalizing costs onto the workforce, less attention has been paid to the informal organization of this form of work. At first glance, the day labor industry may appear to be little more than an anonymous "spot market," but this glosses over the subtle relational and reputational dynamics at play. This article uses qualitative and quantitative evidence to uncover the informal order of the day labor hall, as experienced by homeless workers. Dispatcher discretion over the allocation of jobs leads day laborers to adopt several strategies for combating anonymity in this market. We argue that dispatchers' perceptions of workers' loyalty and reliability shape the allocation of rewards, thus inserting a small measure of stability into this highly contingent form of work."