This section describes the data collection, the different strategies and the justification for their selection. The main sources of data were semi-structured interviews and documents. However, for a better understanding of the workings of the industry relative to the study objectives, selected conferences and meetings32 were attended, informal conversations were also held with persons at all three levels of the study.
4.4.1. Documentary Research
Documents are an important source of data in this research. Other researchers have discussed the importance of documents to the social researcher (eg. Prior, 2003; Scott, 1990). Traditional approaches to documents in research see them as mute evidence, as Hodder (2012) describes the written text. However, others such as Scott (1990) and Prior (2003; 2008) consider documents to be active agents and that they play a role in social interaction, as part of the human network of actors.
32 1) Britain and the Sea 3. ‘Enriching Britain’s Maritime Capability.’ Plymouth Graduate School of
Management, 11-12 September, 2014; 2) London International Shipping Week. ‘Maritime Welfare: The Big Debate.’ The Willis Building, London, 8 September, 2015. 3) International Festival for
Business 2016. ‘UK National Maritime, Invest in Blue.’ Exhibition Centre, Liverpool, UK, 15-16 June,
2016; 4) Seafarers International Research Centre 21st Anniversary Symposium. Cardiff University,
Cardiff, 29-30 June, 2016. 5) NAUTILUS International Symposium. ‘Jobs, Skills and the Future.’ Radisson Blu Hotel, Cardiff, 4 October, 2016.
This description of documents is in keeping with my experience with the MLC and the other documents used in this research.
Documents are described as the consequences of social activities and are not created for research purposes (Payne and Payne, 2004: 61). The key issues examined in this research were derived from negotiations in the meetings to develop the MLC which were recorded and produced as meeting documents. Also, policy and regulatory documents are a result of the socio-political context within which they were created and are directed at social action. Prior (2003; 2008) invites us to expand our research relationships with documents beyond the accustomed encounters as mute evidence. Documents play an active role in the decisions taken in my research, from conceptualizing the study through to the analysis. As I read, re-read and follow document trails, they became a guide to the deliberations and how decisions were taken (Stake, 1995: 68). As a partially retrospective study, the documents also helped in reconstructing events of the MLC negotiations as they unfolded over the 5 years.
As the main document, the MLC was the source of the research problem and therefore the portal through which I entered the study. It was also used extensively during the interviews both by myself and some interviewees. I particularly used my copy of the MLC as a buffer and evidence as to what the provisions in question required in order to legitimize the questions I was asking. It was a case of “the MLC says…” rather than me the researcher. In this way I positioned myself as one who was seeking to understand the directives given in the MLC which the ILO and the shipping industry framed as being very important, rather than an intrusive researcher. Owing to the limitations of memory (asking persons to recall events that took place over 14-15 years prior) and subjectivity on the part of interviewees, the documents were important in aiding recall and served to corroborate interview responses. Table 4.1 shows the main categories of documents as they were used in the research. Appendix II presents a detailed list of the documents used in the research.
Table 4.1: Categorization of Documents used in this Research
Archival Active PR documents
- ILO Meeting Records - ILO Reports - Discussion Papers submitted by representative groups to the MLC negotiations - MLC - MLC MOSH Guidelines - ILO Applicable Codes - Relevant ILO Conventions - ILO Flag State
Implementation Guidelines - ISM Code
- MCA Code of Practice - Relevant UK Government Laws and Policies
- ITF Guidelines - Brochures - Pamphlets - Annual Reports - Official Websites of Representative groups (seafarers’ and shipowners/ship-managers) Source: Author
Scott (1990: 96-111) proposes four criteria for assessing documents to be used in research: authenticity, credibility, representativeness and meaning. These criteria were taken into consideration in assessing the documents for this research. The documents were authentic and credible in being official public documents of the ILO and the organizations which the interviewees represented. Official websites were perused as recommended by interviewees, which were used to corroborate documents and gain additional information and insights into organizations. As such, the documents used were deemed to be representative of the kinds of documents produced by these organizations. As public documents giving instructions and stating official positions, their meanings were taken as unambiguous and reflecting the organizations’ intentions. That said however, it is understood that the main documents do not necessarily reflect all the concerns and issues that might have influenced the MLC deliberations and final outcome (see eg. Trebilcock, 2009; 2008).33 Many issues appeared to have been discussed informally or in smaller workgroups and a summary of outcomes documented rather than the discussions in full.
While some details of deliberations may have been lost, the documents also proved valuable in providing some insights into the operations of the global
33 These are two in-depth interviews conducted with the spokesperson of the seafarers’ group and
the shipowners’ group in the MLC negotiations, as part of the ILO Century Project. They were not available to participate in the study, but these interviews provide rich data on the behind the scene dynamics.
governance machinery of the ILO and how standards are made (at least for the maritime industry). The documents importantly outlined the various interests and offered a window into the concerns of the architects. They showed how proposals were made and defended, what concessions were made, and how conflicts were resolved. The documents allowed for a better understanding of the inner workings of the ILO standard setting apparatus and how this relates to the final product which might not reflect the initial concerns brought to the discussions.
In the main, 48 key documents were instrumental to the research (Appendix II). These comprised all committees and subcommittees meetings from 2001, when the MLC negotiations began, up to 2006 when the convention was adopted. These and other documents, were read and key themes and issues of relevance to representation, and the wider issue of how this process affected standards developed were noted. Documents presented for consideration to the meetings by interest groups, and draft MLC texts produced at each stage were read. Provisional and final resolutions coming out of the adoption conference were also read. Active documents were read noting instructions given as to the mode of participation and how the system should be arranged, for example UK Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Code of Safe Working Practices (COSWP), and regulations to which this document refers. Some of these documents also made references to other documents and therefore document trails were followed to get a full understanding of the issues of interest.
4.4.2. Semi-structured Interviews
Interviews are common and acceptable methods of data collection (Rubin and Rubin, 2012; Fontana and Frey, 2005). They can be structured, unstructured or semi-structured. Semi-structured interviews were chosen for their flexibility in keeping with the nature of the research as an exploration of a newly developed convention, but also allowing for some structure and formality, particularly in dealing with the corporate-type participants (Rubin and Rubin, 2012). This study is retrospective in parts, as the main events took place between 2000 and 2007 requiring participants’ recall. The flexibility of the semi-structured interview
allowed participants the space to expand on narratives and facilitated the natural emergence of information. Semi-structured interviews encouraged more in-depth descriptions and facilitated probing to gain a deeper understanding of the topic under study (Rubin and Rubin, 2012).
The interview questions were guided by the research question and organized according to the main objectives at each level. Three basic interview guides were developed for each of the levels although modifications were made where necessary depending on the interviewee’s area of expertise. Although these were organized according to sections, the interview flow directed the questioning rather than adhering to any pre-set order. The guides are found in Appendices III-V. The interview scheduled went along with a consent form, that respondents were asked to sign if they wished (Appendix VI).