Interview protocol
| No. | Questions | Notes | Connection to study variables |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the study, consent for recording, etc | ||
| 2 | The interviewee introduces himself and his background | Ask about field of study, work sector, current role in the company and how long they have been working there | |
| A | Supply chain configuration and relationships | ||
| 3 | Presentation of the organization which the interviewee work in Which is the main activity of the firm (with REEs)? Which kind of technological process(es) do you operate? | Ask characteristics of the firm they work in: year of foundation, size, countries they operate in. Then ask about the technological process(es) operated with reference to REEs magnets supply chain | |
| 4 | What is the position/role of your organization in the REE supply chain? Which SC stages do you cover? | Ask what their position in the supply chain is, and how many stages are covered by the firm | Autonomy/level of integration in the SC |
| 5 | Which materials do you input? Who are your suppliers? Which percentage of suppliers come from outside of China? Which kind of relationships do you have with suppliers? Which types of contracts? Are there differences in suppliers’ management between Chinese and non-Chinese suppliers? | Supply side: ask about who are the suppliers of the firm and the typologies of relationships held with them (long-term vs spot, single sourcing vs multiple sourcing, etc.). Focus on China to understand the level of independence from Chinese inputs | Strategic levers (IR, SS, DR) |
| 6 | Which are the final outputs of your production process? Who are your customers? Which kind of relationships do you have with customers? Which types of contracts? | Customer side: ask about who are the customers of the firm and the typologies of relationships held with them | Strategic levers (IR, SS, DR) |
| B | REE dependence level and supply chain NRS strategies | ||
| 7 | What do you see as the main pressures and reasons to manage the issue of REEs scarcity effectively in your firm that could affect your supply chain and product portfolio? | Adapted from Kalaitzi et al. (2019). Focus on scarcity’s criticalities, its causes and consequences and the actors who drive pressures | |
| 8 | Please concentrate on a recent REEs scarcity issue (during the past five years), can you describe the main reason(s) of the scarcity? Which strategies did you use to cope with it? | Strategies for overcoming natural resource scarcity. Understand how these measures emerged: top-down or bottom-up approach, collaboration with suppliers or focal firms, etc. Determine whether the company had already developed the capacity to manage scarcity related to the supply of other raw materials | Buffering and bridging strategies |
| 9 | Which leverages of competitiveness does the firm rely on to cope with REEs scarcity and stay on the market? | Make reference to the following dimensions if the interviewee is not addressing them:
| Strategic levers (IR, SS, DR) |
| C | Institutional support | ||
| 10 | Which are the most important stakeholders for the firm? How does the firm take into consideration their requirements? Are the firm involved in projects/partnerships with the government, the European Commission, a university or other public actors? | Ask about relationships with institutional actors and the activities carried out with them. Focus on the strength of the institutional ties of the firm | Institutional logic |
| No. | Questions | Notes | Connection to study variables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to the study, consent for recording, etc | |||
| The interviewee introduces himself and his background | Ask about field of study, work sector, current role in the company and how long they have been working there | ||
| Presentation of the organization which the interviewee work in | Ask characteristics of the firm they work in: year of foundation, size, countries they operate in. Then ask about the technological process(es) operated with reference to REEs magnets supply chain | ||
| What is the position/role of your organization in the REE supply chain? Which SC stages do you cover? | Ask what their position in the supply chain is, and how many stages are covered by the firm | Autonomy/level of integration in the SC | |
| Which materials do you input? Who are your suppliers? Which percentage of suppliers come from outside of China? Which kind of relationships do you have with suppliers? Which types of contracts? Are there differences in suppliers’ management between Chinese and non-Chinese suppliers? | Supply side: ask about who are the suppliers of the firm and the typologies of relationships held with them (long-term vs spot, single sourcing vs multiple sourcing, etc.). Focus on China to understand the level of independence from Chinese inputs | Strategic levers (IR, SS, DR) | |
| Which are the final outputs of your production process? Who are your customers? Which kind of relationships do you have with customers? Which types of contracts? | Customer side: ask about who are the customers of the firm and the typologies of relationships held with them | Strategic levers (IR, SS, DR) | |
| What do you see as the main pressures and reasons to manage the issue of REEs scarcity effectively in your firm that could affect your supply chain and product portfolio? | Adapted from | ||
| Please concentrate on a recent REEs scarcity issue (during the past five years), can you describe the main reason(s) of the scarcity? Which strategies did you use to cope with it? | Strategies for overcoming natural resource scarcity. Understand how these measures emerged: top-down or bottom-up approach, collaboration with suppliers or focal firms, etc. Determine whether the company had already developed the capacity to manage scarcity related to the supply of other raw materials | Buffering and bridging strategies | |
| Which leverages of competitiveness does the firm rely on to cope with REEs scarcity and stay on the market? | Make reference to the following dimensions if the interviewee is not addressing them: Price Quality Technology and competence Regulation Sustainability of the SC (including recycling) Supplier diversification Partnerships | Strategic levers (IR, SS, DR) | |
| Which are the most important stakeholders for the firm? How does the firm take into consideration their requirements? Are the firm involved in projects/partnerships with the government, the European Commission, a university or other public actors? | Ask about relationships with institutional actors and the activities carried out with them. Focus on the strength of the institutional ties of the firm | Institutional logic | |
Note(s): The protocol is intended to be semi-structured and has been adjusted to the specific case of each interview to maximize the collection of useful and appropriate information
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