Example Interview Guides for: Bestseller, Gap, and Danish Fashion & Textile.
Bestseller Interview Guide Signing
You said before that it was unclear what the Accord even was back when you signed it. So, why did you sign it? Were you getting pressure from anyone? Government, DIEH, etc.
You said previously that not knowing what you were signing proved difficult afterwards. How so?
Has the Accord become what you expected it would, given the lack of initial clarity?
Accord
You said before that the Accord could have a little more influence of business. What kind of influence?
How could it be different?
Does the legally binding clause change how you work with the Accord? If it wasn’t legally binding, would you do things differently?
You mentioned previously that the legal clause is a benefit. How so? What’s the difference between agreements with and without a legally-binding clause?
Has the Accord increased or decreased your workload?
Should the Accord continue beyond 2018? In what capacity?
Is there a need to build skills and competencies within Bangladesh? Or should the focus be on bringing the factories up to code? What is the Accord doing, and which should it do?
Business Practices
How many factories are you a lead on?
Do you have any shared factories with the Alliance? What’s it like working with the Alliance?
Now that the 2-year sourcing agreement has passed, have you changed the factories that you work with in Bangladesh? Or the volumes that your source from each?
Has the Accord changed how buyers/merchandising do their work?
Where in the hierarchy of things does CSR fall within Bestseller?
You said before that Bestseller has financed 10 million dkk. How much of this has gone directly for improvements? Do you foresee investing even more?
You mentioned previously how you work together with the other brands to share updates on remediation.
Has the Accord changed how you interact or collaborate with competitors?
Responsibility
You said previously that it should be the government’s job, rather than the brands’, to address issues like safety and minimum wage. In an ideal world, what would the division of responsibility be? How is it actually? Is there an intermediary solution?
You shared before that you worked for an NGO and were surprised when you joined the company side of things. What were some of the surprises?
What’s the role of consumers? Do you have any research on what your consumers think about sourcing issues?
87 Gap Interview Guide
Alliance Formation
• What was it about RP that spurred such movement in the industry?
• What is Gap’s primary motivation for engagement? (consumer demand, moral imperative, risk mitigation)
• Why did Gap seek to form the Alliance instead of joining the Accord?
• What are the pros and cons of the Alliance vs the Accord?
Alliance Organization
• In your capacity as an Alliance board member, what are your key tasks?
• What differences might your board membership make to Gap, compared to companies who don’t have a representative on the board?
• How does the Alliance board work with the advisory and labor committees?
• What were some of the key challenges for the Alliance when it started?
• What challenges does the Alliance face currently?
• Have there been any unintended or spillover effects of the Alliance, either on the industry or on Gap specifically?
• What’s the future for the Alliance?
Legal
• What are your thoughts on the legal provision of the Accord? Why is it problematic?
• Would you prefer to join a voluntary initiative – like the Alliance – or have clearly-laid out regulation to follow?
Consumers
• Consumers – different in US and Europe? How did that affect your decision?
• What role do consumers play in social sustainability?
• Did you hear any feedback or concerns from your employees? How interested are they in Gap’s sustainability commitments?
Collaboration
• Collaboration – has the Alliance changed how you work with your competitors?
• Did you work with your competitors much in a pre-competitive environment before?
Government
• In an ideal world, who should be responsible for such tasks?
• How has this impacted your relationship with the Bangladesh government?
• What should the role of the Bangladesh government be?
• Has the Alliance been impacted by the US government? Changed the regulatory environment?
Roles and Responsibilities
• How have roles and responsibilities for public goods shifted in the past few years?
• With this shift and companies like Gap doing more, does that change the expectations – and criticism – that you face?
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• Is this just part of what it means to do business in an era of globalization? Or has the pendulum swung too far?
• Do you want to be political?
89 Danish Fashion & Textile Interview Guide
Role of Danish Government
What was the perspective of the Danish government on the Accord?
What did the government do to encourage companies to sign up? Why?
Which ministry? Who was involved?
What were the sticks and carrots that the government used?
What do you see as the primary reason (or reasons) that Danish companies ultimately joined the Accord?
Was this approach something new? Or reflective of a usual way of working with companies?
Did this approach have any unintended effects?
If and how has the government been involved since then?
Did other governments take similar approaches?
Current Efforts
What is Danish Fashion & Textile currently doing in Bangladesh? Why?
Is the situation in Bangladesh unique? Or do companies face similar issues in other countries they source from?
Has the role of DF&T evolved or changed in the last few years? How?
What types of questions, concerns and/or requests do you hear from companies regarding Bangladesh and the Accord?
How have the roles and responsibilities of companies in their supply chains evolved in the past 10 years?
In an ideal world, who should be responsible for things like building construction and electrical safety?
In the real world, who should be responsible?
Do companies want to be political, that is, take on additional responsibilities? Is this just part of what it means to have a global supply chain, or has the pendulum swung too far?
As companies take on additional responsibilities, do you think this changes the expectations of them? If so, just for the companies who step up to do more, or for the industry as a whole?
Do you see any differences in the approach or practices of Scandinavian companies versus those from other countries?
What’s the future for DF&T?
Accord
What do you see as the biggest differences between the Accord and Alliance?
One of the biggest differences cited between the Alliance and Accord is the Accord’s legal liability clause. How important do you think this clause is?
Do you think or see companies behave differently because of the legal clause?
If the legal clause didn’t exist, how do you think things might be different?
Are you aware of any exercise of the legal clause, that is, have any companies been brought to suit?
What are the greatest strengths of the Accord? Biggest shortcomings?
Does the Accord represent a new way for companies to operate and do business in a global world? Why or why not?
Even with the Accord, ILO Better Work program, and the work that DF&T is doing, are there still any gaps?
What’s the future for the Accord?
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Appendix 4: First Order Codes