ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on Pauline Lewis and her reconfiguration of factory work as meaningful and creative; therefore, her policies and treatment of workers. Lewis's refusal to subject workers to the onus of traditional factory work, her reconfiguration of the typical corporate hierarchy and her challenge to gender constructions within the workplace are not merely employment policies; they are important entrepreneurial innovations that provide sharp contrast to conventional business practices. Lewis shares her company structure and business policies immediately with her customer, who, she imagines, is part of the circle: she started oovoo because of her love for handcrafted art and a desire to build a business based on positive relationships among women. The O on Oovoo represents the embroidery circles Lewis work with in Vietnam; oovoo is the circle that connects producers, vendors and customers. Lewis also shelters her producers from the workplace alienation typically encountered in manufacturing environments and gives them an opportunity to engage in creative processes.
