Change Activism – Can You Help Important Research?
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July 1, 2011Coal Seam Gas..Food..Trade With China..Democracy
July 12, 2011We all know there are people who stand up for matters important to society and who want to make a change. Petra Meyer is a PhD Commerce candidate and her research is part of an ongoing project to develop theory about activism and hopefully finally engage the activists / boycotters in product development processes.
Petra believes listening to activists/ boycotters holds the potential of product or service improvement which benefits the community and strengthens its importance.
As editor of PWF I contributed to Petra’s research nearly a year ago now.
About The Research On Change
Petra’s research focuses on products which concern a lot of us and can affect everyone in our society.
In the past, community activism as well as communities boycotting services or products, have been really effective in changing the plans of organisations or governments.
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*However, there is still a lot of misunderstanding by both governments and companies as to what people really want.
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What People DO About Change – Petra’s Findings
Petra’s research clearly shows:
(1) In the majority of cases people try to approach governments and/or manufacturers first before they become an activists or advocate.
(2) Activists or advocates are experts in their field with an enormous knowledge about the topic they are concerned about.
(3) They also have the skills and personality to stand up for their beliefs.
(4) The activists or advocates always represent a community that has the desire to be listened to.
The Next Research Phase – Proving The Theory Is Right
Petra has developed a questionnaire to test this theory with about 600 participants. It needs to be completed by 24 July 2011.
To find participants she has done a lot of advertising on the internet and facebook but she doesn’t have the money to pay a data collection company.
She is therefore asking everyone for help and is hoping PWF readers will assist by following this link to her online survey – anonymous – which takes about 30 minutes.
Contact Petra
Petra is a Faculty of Commerce student at the University of Wollongong, NSW.
She would really appreciate your support and is happy to send you more information about the research.
Her contact details are via email on pkm894@uowmail.edu.au.
Please help – go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/makechanges
3 Comments
You bet!
Hello everyone,
I would like to say a big “thank you!” to all of you who make this research happen! It is fantastic to have so many people supporting it, I really appreciate it. If you have not looked at the survey yet, please do so aor pass it on to others, who are concerned about products which can affect everyone in our society. Best wishes, Petra
Dear Petra,
May I respectfully suggest you additionally do some serious “change activism” work within your own University. I can explain how the University of Wollongong offered New Age Planning Consulting Services, “for payment”, to a large NSW Rural Shire, that included no vision for the future, nor ears open, nor willingness to consider such vision, that would make the appropriate and required land provisions, to cater for future, substantive, local economy, boosting growth, by the worlds fifth largest industry, Tourism” The Shire’s EDO requested your University do that before completing their job in hand, the Shires Future LEP, but it would not do so. I am happy to provide dates, names and full details.
And I am ashamed to say we also have allowed to have developed, by people inexperienced in life and industry, a HR industry that is deaf to experience.
Is the pen, or voices, ever going to be mightier than a successful working project example ? That is the real Question ?