Attachment C FGP Protocol

Attachment C: Debriefing Protocol

Introduction

1. Confirm correct respondent, as listed on the form

2. Project overview

   1. Exploratory research to understand how companies handle their manufacturing, especially manufacturing that is contracted out

   2. This research will inform future research projects looking at how to most accurately classify different types of manufacturers

3. Confidentiality assurances

   1. All information will be kept confidential, used to inform the research results

   2. No identifying information will be stored or shared

   3. Can decline to answer any questions

   4. Answers will be used for research only, no updates to their official information will be made

4. Debriefing overview

   1. Using the completed form, will go through the questions one by one

   2. Goal is to talk about how respondent answered the question and identify anything that was confusing or difficult on the form

Background Questions

1. Respondent position, tenure and location

2. Establishment background

   1. Is this location part of a larger company/an enterprise?

      1. What role does your worksite play within the enterprise?

      2. Where are other offices located? Where is HQ?

   2. Can you tell me briefly about what you do there?

3. Response process

   1. Are you the person listed in Q1?

      1. (If not): Who gave it to you?

      2. Probe to find out if they are in HQ and were sent the form from a different location. If so, additional probes need to be added throughout to ensure the answers referred to the original establishment and not HQ or the firm as a whole

   2. Did you consult anyone else to answer the questions?

      1. (If yes): Were they at the same location?

   3. Do you think you were the best person to complete this form?

   4. How long did it take you to complete the form?

Question Debriefing

#5. Read question aloud

4. If yes. You said yes, what manufacturing is done at your exact location?

5. (If yes): What types of products do you manufacture at that location?

   1. Are these final products that go out for sale, or intermediate products that you or other companies use to make other products?

5a. Read question aloud

6. What does this question mean to you?

   1. How did you arrive at the percent of revenue from manufacturing for other companies?

      1. Did you consult any records in formulating your response to this item?

      2. Is this information you had yourself, or did you have to go to another part of your company

      3. (If multi-unit): Is this information tracked by your individual worksite?

7. Does your company track sales revenue by the different products sold, by who/where manufactured, or something else?

   1. (If multi-unit): Does the headquarters of your company track this information by your location individually?

5b. Read question aloud

8. What does this question mean to you?

1. (If multi-unit): Did you include products made for other locations or branches of the company, or just for your own individual location?

2. How did you arrive at the percent of revenue from manufacturing for your company?

   1. Did you look at any records?

   2. Is this information you had yourself, or did you have to go to another part of your company

   3. (If multi-unit): Is this information tracked by your individual worksite?

9. Does your company track sales revenue by the different products sold, by who/where manufactured, or something else?

1. (If multi-unit): Does the headquarters of your company track this information by your location individually?

#6. Read question aloud

10. What does “arrange for any products to be manufactured…” mean to you?

1. (If response was yes): Please tell me about the way your establishment does this

2. Where are the facilities that manufactures products for you?

3. (If multi-unit): Does your company as a whole have any international manufacturing facilities?

   1. (If yes): How does your specific location interact with the international manufacturing facilities?

11. What does ‘independent manufacturer’ mean to you?

1. Does your company use any ‘independent manufacturers’?

1. Where are they located?

2. (If multi-unit): What relationship does this specific location have with the independent manufacturers?

12. (If multi-unit): How does HQ play a role in your manufacturing?

1. Does this location determine what and how much gets made or is that determined at HQ?

13. Was this question easy or difficult to answer?

#6a. Read question aloud

14. .You said [X%], how did you calculate that answer?

15. Did you have to consult any records to answer this question?

1. What records?

2. What department generally creates or manages those records?

1. Does your company track sales revenue by the different products sold, by who/where manufactured, or by some other method?

16. (If a multi-unit): Do you track this information yourself or is it tracked at HQ?

1. (If track self): Does your companies HQ also have this information at the same level of detail?

17. Was this question easy or difficult to answer?

#7. Read question aloud

18. Repeat the question. You said [yes/no], can you tell me about your answer?

19. Does your specific location have contracts with any manufacturing facilities within the US to produce products for you?

1. Where are those manufacturing facilities located?

2. Did you include them in the question?

1. (If no): Why not?

3. (If multi-unit): What roles does this location play with those contract manufactures?

20. Looking at question 6 and 7, are those two questions asking the same thing or something different? How so?

21. The question says “exclude products manufactured by domestic facilities owned by your company” what do you think that means?

1. Does your company have any manufacturing facilities within the US?

2. Did you include them in this question?

#7a. Read question aloud

22. Repeat the question. You said [X%], how did you calculate that answer?

23. Did you have to consult any records to answer this question?

    1. What records?

    2. What department generally creates or manages those records?

24. Was this question easy or difficult to answer?

Read Skip Instruction Aloud

25. There is instructional text in the red box. Did you notice that when you filled out the form?

26. Was it clear whether you should answer question 8 or not?

27. Probe on any navigational errors found

#8a. Control IP: Read question aloud

28. You said [___]. Can you explain your answer?

1. What does ‘intellectual property’ mean to you?

2. (If some or all): How does your location control the IP?

3. (If some):

   1. How does the control of IP vary by product?

   2. Would you be able to give a percent of products for which you control the IP?

#8b. Control design: Read question aloud

29. You said [___]. Can you explain your answer?

1. (If some): How does this vary by product?

30. What aspects of design were you thinking of when you answered this question?

31. Is controlling the design and controlling the intellectual property the same or different?

#8c. Control or Direct Production: Read question aloud

32. You said [___]. Can you explain your answer?

33. How do you control or direct production within your location?

1. Probe: Does this include day-to-day management of the manufacturing facility?

2. Probe: Does this include scheduling or coordination of the manufacturing facility?

34. Does your control over production vary depending if it’s your own manufacturing facility or manufacturing that you’ve contracted out to another facility?

#8d. Own product: Read question aloud

35. You said [___]. Can you explain your answer?

36. What products are you including in this question?

#8e. Set price: Read question aloud

37. You said [___]. Can you explain your answer?

38. Do you set the final retail price? The wholesale price? Something else?

#8f. Arrange for sale: Read question aloud

39. You said [___]. Can you explain your answer?

40. How does your specific location arrange for the sale of products?

#8g. Assume any loss: Read question aloud

41. You said [___]. Can you explain your answer?

42. Are you familiar with the term ‘entrepreneurial risk’? What does that mean to you?

2. (If yes): Is this question asking about entrepreneurial risk, or something else?

#9. Probe for inconsistencies with information provided earlier in debriefing#9a. Probe for multi-units: Read question aloud

43. This question asks for the same type of information as 8a, but instead of asking about your specific location, it’s asking about any worksite in the entire company. Was the difference between the questions clear to you?

44. Probe for differences been 8a and 9a

    1. For 9a, what products did you include? Just those manufactured in your specific location or those manufactured anywhere in the company/enterprise?

       1. Did you include products that are made for the company by an independent manufacturing facility?

#10. Read question aloud

45. What is this question asking for?

46. How did you determine the top three selling product lines?

47. Are these the top three products for just your individual location only, or for the full company?

48. How did you calculate the percent of sales revenue?

49. (For manufacturing plants): Do you track the revenue of the products you produce at your location by their final sales price? Something else?

Comments

50. Ask about any comments the respondent included

FGP Concepts Debriefing

51. One of the main goals of this research is to identify companies that contract out their manufacturing, otherwise known as ‘outsourcing.’ Would you say that your company engages in outsourcing? Tell me about that

1. (If multi-unit): Would you say that your specific location engages in outsourcing, or is it something that your company does as a whole?

52. (If multi-unit): Another main goal is to determine if individual locations of a larger company can answer these questions, or if the questions should be sent only to headquarter locations.

1. Did it make sense to you to answer these questions overall?

2. Were there any that you felt that would be better answered at HQ?

3. Do you think that HQ would be able to answer these questions for your individual location?

4. Where would be the best place to send this survey? Your location or HQ?

Interviewer notes

• Will have to introduce worksite concept upfront and ensure that they are answering the debriefing questions about their individual location; but also want to find out where they answered the survey questions about originally, so will need to figure out how best to do that.

• For multi-units, want to find out how they think about, and talk about, their ‘parent company,’ ‘headquarters,’ ‘firm,’ ‘enterprise, as a whole, and understand their relationship with them.

• Probe on any errors or inconsistencies found in reviewing the returned form, or any missing items.