| Polarized depictions of Nike's production networks and their labor regimes fuel representations of transnational corporations (TNCs) in the global economy. This project ventures beyond previous portrayals to uncover powerful forces that shape Nike's transnational relations. By employing an expanded commodity chain approach, the thesis arrives at case-specific accounts of change along Nike's business networks. This augmented approach enables a more thorough investigation of firm networks (Nike and Feng Tay of Taiwan), a commodity chain (production of the Air Understudy), a region where they interact (South Viet Nam), a localized labor regime upon which they depend (Dong Nai, Viet Nam), and the consumers that influence their behavior (transnational consumer-labor movements).; Rather than view Nike's production networks as static and hierarchical, this project regards Nike's expansive production network as a multidimensional and dynamic social construct. The analysis reveals the potential of highly significant effects of often undervalued factors in commodity chain studies, such as the role of contractors and linkages between labor and consumers. Findings show that formal and informal networks affiliated with Nike, comprised of liaison officers, contractors, workers, regional authorities, and consumers in various target markets, are influenced by and in turn influence Nike's global production arrangements. Investigating the extent of 'feedback loops' among these agents provides more effective ways of understanding why changes occur along business networks.; The methodology incorporates multiple sources of data collected in numerous field sites and includes field observation, factory studies, labor surveys, in depth interviews, and published and unpublished data. In sum, the findings of this thesis show that a revised commodity chain approach that considers the multidirectionality of relations, in both their horizontal and vertical dimensions, provides a more effective way of understanding why multiscalar networks change in response to a variety of conditions. |
