Introduction to Strategic Industry and Corporate Research

Who is it for?
The target group is new union researchers and others involved in strategic campaigns who want to understand strategic research.

Aims
To explain how strategic industry and corporate research can contribute to campaigns that will strengthen and grow unions.

To introduce participants to key strategic industry and corporate research methods and skills.

Learning outcomes
At the end of this course participants will be able to:

• Explain why strategic industry research is important for campaigns that will strengthen and grow unions
• Explain the role of researchers in working with officials and organisers as part of a campaign team and planning process
• Identify major factors in the economic, environmental social and legal context that impact on industries and unions
• Define industries and sectors relevant to their unions and identify areas of employment growth and decline.
• Identify the unions involved in the industry, indicate ways of mapping union density in the industry and areas of potential union growth
• Identify key corporations/agencies in industries and sectors, and use strategic questions to identify decision makers and how to influence them to achieve union goals
• Use research tools to find sources of information about ownership, management, financial and relevant government regulation
• Identify community stakeholders and ways of analyzing potential allies, and apply this in a case study
• Use case studies to apply research, identify key issues and influence decision-makers
• Identify how all of the above research can contribute to developing campaigns to strengthen unions