Data sources

Like many other ethnographic studies this study utilises multiple sources of data. To simplify the presentation of all of them, I would divide them on major sources – those

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that play the central role in the research and constitute the predominant part of my data; and minor sources – those that were instrumental for the purposes that emerged during the process of gathering the major data.

The primary and most significant major source is the observation that was made in all the sites inside the store building: market place, staff canteen, office area and the meetings of the personnel (different sites such as office rooms or somewhere in the market area). Observations contributed to the study more than other methods, to be more precise, observing the work process, meeting and recreation activity was the most fruitful method that provided me with the majority of the textual materials suitable for the analysis. The data constitutes the Microsoft Word document textual transcriptions of my jottings that I was making at the field and the written materials that I was typing after every observation day. They include memos about the fieldnotes that had the information that I did not have time to write during the observation. Observation answered most of the questions and provided most plentiful data which made me avoid using the interviews as a primary method.

However, very large part of data was gathered through another major method that is asking participants questions while observing. I was always trying to do this in informal atmosphere as if I was just maintaining the conversation. For instance, questions to my colleagues about their other occupations appeared quite natural while asking them to switch shifts with me. Sometimes, when I could not find that way to ask questions from co- workers I informed them that I need something to complement my research (every one of them already knew that I am doing the study as I informed the participants about it to avoid ethical issues) and then asked a question. I do not call this method interviewing, as those small conversations consisted of a couple spontaneous questions. This data constitutes the transcribed jottings as well that contributed to the observation notes each observation day.

Minor data sources were mostly used for answering the specified questions and all provided the important information that could not have been derived from the field using just observation method. Firstly, it’s one interview that I have arranged with the head of HR as the only expert in the questions that I could not answer myself. Questions such as the meaning of the language skills in the recruitment process or the work contract topic were discussed at that interview. The ethical issues of that paper, the probable influences on the image of the corporation were discussed also there. I transcribed the whole 31 minute

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interview recording and analysed only the specific parts that were interesting for the research afterwards.

During the two months period I was doing a sort of quantitative research focusing only on counting the number of concrete iterative actions. Studying the topic of migrant precariousness the question of shift extension came up. It was specifically interesting to get to know who most often extends the working time doing overtime work or taking extra shifts, the foreign or Finnish workers. This required just counting those who did it each day. I was counting only when I was working which is 5 times a week and I affirm that two months were enough due to the fact that the timetable for everyone is every week different and all the members of the replenishment department during the two months’ time had the same probability to be included in my data. During that time the department was approximately half Finnish and half immigrant which gave them equal chances to be marked as those who extend the shift or take an extra shift. This numerical data contributed to the topic of migrant precariousness significantly, as I have got the grounds to make an assumption for the vulnerability of their position in the corporation.

Another part of data is the announcements that are made for the personnel of the store before its opening. I listened to those announcements and discussed them with sales workers briefly to understand the fluctuations of sales and its relation to the weather changes. This is a minor data that was also fixed in textual form which contributed to the topic of the unpredictability of the need in the workforce. Part-timers’ working timetable is dependent on those fluctuations that results in unpredictability of salary which is a part of the precarity topic.

One of the minor parts of data used for this study is the weekly paper printed for all the personnel that is working in the store to keep them informed about the news, vacancies available in all Finnish branches of the corporation and so on. I used this document data for the topic of the English language meaning for the corporation.

One of the peculiarities of the methodological approach to this study and one of the data sources is the technique of “remembering” that I use here. I was employed in the shop since mid-December 2015, but I have started my observation in October 2016 (and continued until July 2017). I decided that I will not start the observation from scratch, trying to abstract my mind from everything I have seen before, on the contrary, I utilised

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the past experience. Some of the data includes parts that I did not notice at the moment of observation, but I remembered it from the time I was working there. It means that not being a beginner in the field actually contributed to the research. By recalling, I could look at the past and compare it to what I see right now. For instance, when I observed where workers sit at the break and with whom they prefer to communicate, I could also say how same people formed groups before, was it in the same way 2 months ago as I see right now, or did something change. This method puts me deeper into the field and gives me wider insight of the phenomena I am studying. Moreover, I used this technique for some instrumental questions, those that I did not need to answer with observation, for instance, defining the working routines. I remembered the basic actions of the logistics workers as I myself was doing them in my job.

Finally, the visual data such as schemes and pictures of the staff canteen supported essentially the analysis of the group formation and personnel communication by studying the sitting pattern closely.