Geographies of Commodities - Annotated Bibliography Assignment

The objective of this assignment is to choose a manufactured consumer product that is meaningful to you and to read six academic articles relevant to this commodity. This is an annotated bibliography. For this assignment, you should identify and summarize six academic sources. Try to choose the most relevant sources. You should choose articles on the commodity or industry you are studying or general articles about commodity chains, commodity networks, or supply chains. You could also choose articles on issues relevant to your commodity or your argument about the commodity, such as articles on offshore production, sweatshop labour, ethical trade etc. The sources you choose should be scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters. You could also use government research reports on your industry or on issues relevant to your sector.

Remember: be conscientious and critical in amassing and presenting the sources that formulate your argument. For this assignment, include:

1. A title page with a title, course code, your name and date.

2. A two- page statement about your commodity, its importance (to you and more generally) and your main argument(s) about this commodity and its geography.

3. Six entries. Each entry should be approximately half a page in length and should include a full citation for the source in APA style. Each entry should summarize the main questions the article addresses and the main arguments that the author(s) are trying to make, as well as any relevant findings that help you understand your commodity. Feel free to add criticisms of this article, and reflect on whether and how it helps you to understand your commodity (or not). Make sure to outline how this source helps you to develop your main arguments. Each entry will be evaluated based on how clear the summary is and whether you identify the main arguments of the paper and whether you establish the relevance for your topic.

4. You should also include a one page conclusion that summarizes your major findings and argument about the commodity, the chain, and its geography.

Use 12- point font, Times, with one inch margins. Total length: 6 pages Double Spaced. This would work out to about 1700-2000 words. In the process of reviewing your six articles, explain why the commodity is important to you and the role it plays in your life.

Craft an argument about this commodity and its geography. What chain of activities brought this commodity to you? What is significant about these processes? Are they environmentally destructive? Do they perpetuate exploitative labour relations or gender, class, racial or geographic inequalities? Is the product’s image in advertising contradicted by its production processes? Is the product trying to foster new relationships between producers and consumers (i.e. through fair trade, local production, hand-made or craft production)? The aim of this assignment is not simply to describe the commodity chain/network. Rather, the goal is to analyze the processes involved in the production and consumption of the good from the perspective of economic geography.

Objective of the Assignment

Include a discussion of the relationship between sites, explain why the commodity chain is organized the way that it is. What are the implications of this organization for workers? Environments? Consumers? Why is it important to examine this commodity chain? What geographies underpin this chain?

Possible questions to consider in your analysis of each article (these will vary depending on the article): -design/ engineering: How design intensive is the product? Is it possible to determine where design took place? What demographic target market does the design appeal to? How much investment has there been in the technical features and engineering of the product?

Production: What raw materials go into its manufacture? Where is the company that made the item headquartered? Where is this item produced? Has the geography of its production shifted in recent years? How? Why? What methods of production are used in the manufacture of this commodity? Is it characterized by labour-intensive sweatshop production? Does the company fit under “Fordist” or “Post-Fordist/flexible” models of production? Is it manufactured under a version of the Japanese production system? What model of innovation does the firm follow? Is it hand-made or subject to craft-based artisanal production? What are the conditions of employment in this industry? What type of workforce does the company employ to make this product (gender, race, age, skill)? How much are they paid? Does the company that manufactured this good have a corporate code of conduct? How successful is this code of conduct in ensuring that the rights of workers are upheld? Have there been consumer boycotts in recent years? Union campaigns?

Anti-sweatshop campaigns: Why or why not? How successful have these been? How do the conditions and geographies of production of this commodity contrast with those of its consumption? Why is this significant? marketing/advertising: What images are associated with the brand as manifest in its marketing and promotion? What meanings are created? How do these images reflect or contrast with meanings of the product forged at the site of production? -retailing: What types of stores or outlets sell the product? Why? What images or meanings are projected?

Consumption : What brand is it? Where is the market for this product concentrated internationally? What are the demographics of the market? How much did this item cost when you purchased it? Why did you decide to buy it (cost, design, function, features etc)? What does this item signify to you? Did you consider the geography of its manufacture when you purchased it? Did ethical considerations play a role in your consumption of it? You will not be able to answer all questions for the product you choose or for each article.

Some articles will be focussed on only one topic i.e. production or consumption or advertising of your product, and others may not consider any of these questions. This is a short assignment and you will not have time to discuss all aspects of the product’s chain. Orient your discussion around a few of the most interesting themes and question and develop a strong argument.

• A grade assignments: will be very well organized and written and demonstrate a high capacity to identify relevant sources and to analyze them. The two-page statement and conclusion will make clear and interesting arguments about your commodity and its geography.
• B grade assignments: will have a good organization. Each article annotation will demonstrate a good ability to synthesize and analyze the article and there will be a clear link between the articles and the main arguments of your essay. The two-page statement is well organized and the summary is on track to developing some solid arguments.
• C grade assignments: will be organized in an acceptable fashion. These assignments demonstrate some ability to analyze and synthesize the readings. The relevance of the articles chosen may be weaker, and some of the main arguments need work.
• D grade assignments: are not very well organized or written. The sources chosen are not relevant and the article summaries do not demonstrate good analytical skills.
• E grade assignments have irrelevant or non-academic sources, a weak or absent argument and demonstrate little effort.