Stakeholder and Governance Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stakeholder and Governance Analysis - Essay Example Its aim is to raise awareness on the dangers of the pandemic especially among the youths who are more vulnerable. The initiative is meant to promote quality health to all through the provision of clean and safe water to drink as well as awareness campaign against the spread of HIV/Aids. The main aim of the initiative is the fight against spread of HIV/Aids pandemic. The roundabout bolted on top of borehole was designed as a play power for the children hence they would be subconsciously consuming the Aids awareness information inscribed on the billboards while at play. They would be pumping clean and safe water for domestic use into the overhead tank which promotes better, quality health through the reduction of waterborne diseases and provision of water for vegetables. Stakeholders are often referred to as people who have interests in a certain project as well as those who are affected by that project. The major stakeholders in this case are the manufacturers of the roundabouts, local government, commercial advertisers, and children in particular as well as other ordinary members of the community who are beneficiaries of the project. Empowerment is mainly in the form of sponsorship from either the government or other charity organisations. The manufactures can be offered financial assistance for this noble cause by donor agencies such as NGOs. This would go a long way in establishing similar projects in many areas across the country. Stakeholders in the category of beneficiaries can be empowered through the provision of financial assistance that can be used to start small scale income generating projects that may improve the quality of their lives. Projects should be run by local community members who are the beneficiaries as a way of creating a sense of belonging such that they would utilise the project to the fullest extent inorder to achieve the desired goals. This initiative is meant to

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Psychology Essay

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Psychology Essay Organisations are struggling in the current competitive economic climate. Ensuring organizational survival may ultimately come down to attracting and recruiting skilled employees (Barber Roehling, 1993). Terpstra (1994) identified recruitment as an essential strategy for organisations to prosper and survive in the global economy, suggesting the initial attraction and selection of candidates may be the most important foundation for organisational performance. As the realisation of the link between human-capital and financial growth is now a shared knowledge across sectors, the crucial importance an employee holds is broader acknowledged (Gardner, 2002). Recruitment is a fundamental organisational activity defining who will constitute the organisation (Turban Cable, 2003). The difference between a mediocre and exceptional hire could mean momentous differences for organisational profit (Wicklund-Hansen Weyergang-Nielsen, 2007). Thus the benefits of efficient and successful recruiting are increasingly recognized in research and literature (Barber, 1998; Billsberry, 2007; Breaugh, 2008). Recognising the importance of employees, individually and as a whole, organisations are increasing their recruitment investments. Ralston Brady (1994) modestly suggested the average cost of recruiting and selecting to be over $2000 per individual. Given such large amounts are spent, there is both an expectation and a demand for recruitment to be of organisational benefit. The study by Terjesen, Vinnicombe and Freeman (2007) addresses the need for adapting recruitment practices to up-and-coming graduates, soon to constitute the labour force of the 21st century. Research findings by Ryan, Sacco, McFarland and Kriska (2000) emphasize also the importance of recognising the individual applicants choice in the recruitment process. However, Ryan and Tippins (2004) argue there are still large gaps between research and practice in this area. Recruitment in the current labour market Recruitment takes place in a wider societal context and shifts in the labour market will subsequently affect recruitment activities. In tighter markets potential candidates are likely to be less critical of the process as they are in desperate need for a job (Cable Judge, 1996). Contrary, in a flourishing economy where organisations are in demand of multiple hires, the on-going competition leads to a lack of high-quality candidates. Fernà ¡ndez-Arà ¡oz, Groysberg and Nohria (2009) claim organisations will face challenges when recruiting to replace the plentiful baby boomers. Some business sectors are especially prone to this and hence compete for the best candidates, also known as the war for talent (Ferris, Berkson Harris, 2002; Hiltrop; 1999). In contrast to much of Europe, Norway is a country where the economy is boosting (Takla, 2012). With an unemployment rate of 2.7% and increasing growth in the industry, Norway finds itself in a position where some occupations actually lack qualified workforce. Low unemployment rates will naturally increase competition for the best people (Ferris, Berkson Harris, 2002), but in Norway this is also combined with a strong economy and growing companies. Recent figures from the Norwegian labour and welfare administration revealed a need for 16.000 engineers in the imminent future (Kaspersen, 2012) The numbers are consistent with research predicting technical and engineering skills of particular shortage in the years to come (Dohm, 2000). Businesses in unrelenting demand of talent are consequently competing, all depending on qualified employers to survive (Tulgan, 2001). How recruitment is managed should be of essential value especially for organisations in such a position. A recent survey showed that 92% of organisations within the oil- and gas sector in Norway were in demand for graduate engineers (Vartdal Riise, 2012). One of the largest technical universities in Norway plans to expand their capacity for engineers by several hundred (Amelie, 2012a). An emerging job market consisting of desperate organisations and cohorts of new graduates triggers the need for further insight into attraction and recruitment. Defining recruitment Recruitment literature stretches over a wide spectre, thus claiming necessity to clarify a definition for the thesis at hand. Also, it must be distinguished between the two organisational activities recruitment and selection, tightly linked and often occurring simultaneously. Recruitment can be viewed as the initial and sustained attraction of candidates, whereas selection is the process of selecting among potential employees (Rynes Boudreau, 1986). Research on recruitment has often been subject to critique of having a static view of a process that is rather quite dynamic (Barber, 1998). In response this thesis views recruitment as an on-going process consisting of several stages (Saks Uggerslev, 2010) and will apply the following definition for recruitment: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the actions organizations take to generate applicant pools, maintain viable applicants, and encourage desired candidates to join those organizations (Dineen Soltis, 2011, p.43). This definition differs from B arbers (1998), critiqued for only focusing on attraction of candidates. Hence, it is desirable utilizing a definition that acknowledges the ultimate outcome of recruitment, namely a candidate ´s job offer acceptance (Ferris, Berkson Harris, 2002). Five dimensions of recruitment As the area of recruitment research is versatile, Barber ´s (1998) distinction between five dimensions of recruitment will be applied in the following paragraph. This serves as both a framework for organising a wide research area, as well as discussing previous work with its inevitable strengths and limitations. Clearly illustrated by these examples are how the dimensions are inextricably linked, underlining recruitment as dynamic and complex (Boswell, Roehling, LePine Moynihan, 2003). Context Rynes (1991) highlights the obvious fact that recruitment occurs in a wider contextual setting. The economic climate, labour market, organisational size and business-sector are all potentially influencing factors (Rynes, 1991; Rynes, Heneman Schwab, 1980; Taylor Bergmann, 1987; Turban, Campion Eyring, 1995). As the experience of recruitment inevitably will vary, it can be of value to have more specific recruitment research related to a given context (Derous Schreurs, 2009). Moreover, the need to recognise context as a variable in concrete research is much needed, as a great deal of recruitment studies is done in experimental settings. For example, Rynes and Miller (1983) manipulated recruiter knowledge, recruiter affect, and job attributes to measure effects of recruiter influence. Goltz and Giannantonio (1995) manipulated recruiter friendliness in an experimental video-condition study. Both studies found recruitment activities to have an effect on candidates, confirming the cont ributing value of experimental studies in the development of recruitment research (Chapman, Uggerslev, Carroll, Piasentin Jones, 2005). However, suggestions have been made that research designs using simulating job-applicants can lead to understated research claims (Rynes Miller, 1983; Uggerslev, Fassina Kraichy, 2012). Barber (1998) argues studies of experimental nature contribute to a simplification of the complexity the recruitment process holds. A simulated study does not necessarily capture the many variables and external occurrences that will influence a candidate in a real-world setting (Chapman, Uggerslev, Carroll, Piasentin Jones, 2005). Studies utilizing real job seekers in an actual recruitment setting might validate the strength of previous findings, if holding true to contexts where influence of a recruitment process truly has consequences both for candidate and organisation. On the other hand, manipulating variables in recruitment activities would be ethically challenging (Highhouse, Lievens Sinar, 2003). Therefore, studies done in a real-life setting must choose a method in line with strict ethical considerations. Players Naturally receiving most attention in recruitment research has been organisational representatives and candidates. Recognising both parties is the social process paradigm with a view of recruitment as a two-way, inter-subjective interaction (Herriot, 2002). This perspective has progressively earned respect as an alternative to the dominating psychometric paradigm by allowing for the candidate ´s voice to be heard (Billsberry, 2007). The development towards a social process rather than a one-sided organisational choice leads to interesting interactions between candidate and organisation in the current economic climate. A number of recent studies have attempted to determine the best strategy for attracting and convincing candidates to accept job offers in a competitive market (Ferris, Berkson Harris, 2002; Turban, Forret Hendrickson, 1998; reference possibly Boswell et al, if not finding any other more about a competitive market). Extensively debated is whether recruiter characteristics and behaviour actually have an influence on candidates. Alderfer and McCord (1970) were among the first to explore the possible effect of recruiter characteristics; a continuing topic of interest as recruitment research has evolved. The meta-analysis by Chapman, Uggerslev, Carroll, Piasentin and Jones (2005) concluded that recruiter behaviour such as being personable influenced candidate attraction to organisations. By applying signalling theory (Spence, 1973) to recruitment, research has demonstrated how candidates view recruiters in the recruitment process as signals of unknown organisational characteristics and attributes (Turban, Forret Hendrickson, 1998). Rynes, Bretz and Gerhart (1991) found recruiters to act as a symbol of interpersonal relations in the organisation, indicating candidates use recruiter behaviour as images of interpersonal work relations. Chapman and Webster (2006) later concluded recruiter influence app ears more complex than anticipated. However, Breaugh (2012) points out that less attention has been devoted to recruiter effects over the last few years. Also, a majority of recruiter-candidate interaction research is built on experimental designs, possibly ignoring effects from a real-life human interplay (reference). It is further suggested that qualitative research could prove value beyond the majority of existing quantitative research (Breaugh, 2012). Activities Organisations facilitate recruitment activities such as campus career fairs, employment interviews and site visits to attract candidates (Arvey Campion, 1982; Turban, Campion Eyring, 1995). The review by Rynes, Heneman and Schwab (1980) and more recent research by Collins and Stevens (2002) both state that recruitment activities have the potential to influence candidates, possibly by signals of wider organisational attributes (Turban, 2001). However, there is still a need for a better understanding of how recruitment activities affect a candidate (Turban, 2001). Breaugh (2008) highlights the site visit as a recruitment activity given undeservedly little attention. An exception is the study by Turban, Campion and Eyring (1995) extending preceding research by demonstrating just how influential the site visit can be on actual job acceptance decisions. Another interesting aspect of the site visit is the possibility to meet future colleagues beyond organisational representatives often sent from the human resource department. Consistent with the suggestion by Rynes and Miller (1983), Rynes, Bretz and Gerhart (1991) found that meetings with any given organisational representative is less influential than meeting someone from the same functional area as the candidate. The site visit typically consists of several activities and Turban, Campion Eyring (1995) suggest future research continuing to investigate how applicants interpret and make meaning of attending one. Saks and Uggerslev (2010) critiques existing research for an exaggerated focus on single activities. Consequentially some activities can come across as having a very small or large influence, possibly limited by research methodology. Those who ultimately accept a job offer will have been through a more extensive process, very likely consisting of several activities. Whereas initial stages are critical to determine candidate ´s further pursuit, later stages have a profound effect on the final job acceptance decision. Recruitment activities do not occur in a vacuum. The overall experience of a recruitment process based on combined effects of activities must be acknowledged (Saks Uggerslev, 2010). Phases Experimental studies often break the recruitment process down to smaller units for investigation. This approach ignores that going through a recruitment process is not likely to be experienced as single events with a separate effect on the candidate, but rather as a process consisting of phases (Boswell, Roehling, LePine and Moynihan, 2003). The early stages of recruitment have been suggested critical, because this can decide candidates willingness to proceed with a given organisation. Critical contact theory addresses how applicants are influenced in their first meeting with organisational representatives (Ralston Brady, 1994). Rynes, Bretz and Gerharts (1991) study demonstrated the possible detrimental effects of a single interaction, showing a number of candidates actually chose to withdraw from recruitment based on a negative first impression. Due to the stress job search can hold as well as anticipation of evaluation, it has been suggested job applicants enter the process with uncertainty as a salient emotion (Proost, Derous, Schreurs, Hagtvet De Witte, 2008; Rynes, 1991). Moreover, uncertainty is likely to persist as candidates are faced with consistently limited information (Barber Roehling, 1993). Assessing levels of uncertainty is difficult in a simulated setting, unfortunately undermining a great deal of existing research (Breaugh, 1992, as cited in Barber Roehling, 1993). Studies have demonstrated that candidates weigh various information and organisational features differently throughout the recruitment process (Carless, 2005; Jaidi, Van Hooft Arends, 2011). The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) suggests peripheral processing is superior to central processing in the primary stages of a recruitment process (Larsen Phillips, 2002). The former type of information processing typically leads to a focus on environmental cues rather than relevant job characteristics. Saks and Uggerslevs (2010) study on college students found that rather focusing on the effect of a single activity or stage, the total combination of the whole recruitment process should be considered. Contrary, it has been suggested that various stages of the recruitment process in itself does not significantly influence a candidate final decision (Lawler, Kuleck, Rhode Sorensen, 1975; Powell Goulet, 1996). Findings from previous research thus prove conflicting; suggesting candidates may go through recruitment with or without a diverse range of perceptions, emotions and thoughts that influence their final decisions. Outcome For organisations to maximise utility, the ultimate end goal of a recruitment process is job offer acceptance from desirable candidates (Jackson Schuler, 1990). Nevertheless, much research has often studied candidate ´s reactions at a given point during the process. Attracting and maintaining candidates are obviously necessary requirements for a viable recruitment process. Yet, acknowledging the process inherent dynamic nature combined with the fact that organisations attempt to actively influence a potential candidate; the effects of this influence must be assessed. The study by Aiman-Smith, Bauer and Cable (2001) revealed that different factors lead to job attraction and actual job pursuit. An extensive amount of research measures only candidates attitudes, perceptions and impressions, rather than actual choice (Rynes, Bretz Gerhart, 1991). Many studies approach recruitment from the organisations view, attempting to establish how an applicant can be persuaded to accept a job of fer (Jaidi, Van Hooft Arends, 2011; reference). Such studies operate with the implicit assumption of a candidate actually making a choice (Boswell et al., 2003). However there is less knowledge of how the candidate perceives this choice or decision-making. The perspective of a candidate who has been through a full recruitment experience with the result of accepting a job offer is less investigated and will inevitably provide knowledge of important aspects of recruitment (Saks Uggerslev, 2010). Graduates A large part of an organisations recruitment activities revolve around new graduates, of interest for the new skills and updated education they contribute with (Turban, Forret Hendrickson, 1998; Wayne Casper, 2012). The recent years have witnessed changes in recruitment practices as competition for graduates tightens (Branine, 2008). However, recruitment literature and research has often been criticised for overly emphasizing college graduates (Breaugh, 2008; Rynes, Heneman III Schwab, 1980). Nevertheless, multiple interesting aspects serve justice to focusing on this particular group of job seekers. Career theory refers to the transition from student to employee as an important one, significantly affecting a person ´s life (Super, 1980). Previous research has found inexperienced job seekers to be more likely influenced by recruitment practices (Feldman Arnold, 1978; Larsen Phillips, 2002). Walker, Field, Giles and Bernerth (2008) demonstrated how candidates limited job experience and job search influenced their perception of recruitment activities. Seeking full-time employment for the very first time might be a particular meaningful event where one is exceptionally aware of recruitment practices because of their novelty. Graduate recruitment is both voluminous in size and investments( Rynes Boudreau, 1986). In addition, the study by Terjesen, Vinnicombe and Freeman (2007) suggested the coming workforce, generation Y (1977-1994) differs from previous generations. As organisations are increasingly acknowledging human capital as a competitive edge, the need for educated workforce is not likely to decrease. Liden and Parsons (1996) points out that educated candidates approach job-searching differently than candidates seeking lower level jobs, where the former is more discriminating in the process. Collectively, this demonstrates new graduates as a sample of interest for further investigation. Rather than attempting to generalise across all job seekers, clearly quite distinctive, this study recognises and appreciates graduates as a separate target group for research. Aim and research question In summary, Barbers dimensions call attention to recruitment research in the field, where context and realistic human interaction is acknowledged. There is a need to further investigate how recruitment activities and recruiter behaviour are elements of a whole recruitment experience leading to the ultimate outcome of a candidates job offer acceptance. The current economic climate holds exciting times for new graduates. Indeed, Celani and Singh (2011) highlight the competitive benefit an organisation could gain from enhanced understandings of candidate ´s reaction and appraisal of recruitment practices. By acknowledging the individual as the organisations most valuable asset, an expectation follows to consider the individual ´s perspective, also in recruitment. Breaugh (2012) highlighted the valuable in-depth insight to the candidate ´s perspective from the previous qualitative work of Rynes, Bretz and Gerhart (1991) and Boswell, Roehling, LePine Moynihan (2003). Based on a person-centric approach, Weiss Rupp (2011) suggest the human subjective experience should guide more research. Insight from candidates own words about recruitment experiences has been of inspiration (Billsberry, 2007). Therefore, the study employs a phenomenological approach to address the following research question: How does a recent graduate experience the recruitment process? A phenomenological approach Phenomenology is concerned with exploring the richness of a real, concrete, daily-lived phenomenon (Finlay, 2009). The transition from graduating student to working professional has been proven a major one, additionally supported by life-stages theory and career theory (Ng Feldman, 2007; Schein, 1978, Super; 1980). Billsberry (2007) argue job-related events such as obtaining or changing jobs are of significance, but they are also a natural experience in the inevitable progression of life. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is an approach of exploration of a lived experience (Clarke, 2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis is therefore suitable to explore how a new graduate experience a recruitment process. Something about why not other qualitative methods? However, merely stating that a study is of phenomenological nature is not sufficient for methodological rigour. Adopting a philosophical stance underpinning the method of choice should be done to uphold methodological clarity (Lowes Prowse, 2001). The transcendental phenomenology as described in the original work of Husserl request suspending all presuppositions of a phenomenon through bracketing (Smith, Flowers Larkin, 2009). This standpoint has been critiqued for not recognising the cognitive aspect of a human being situated in a contextual world (Wilding Whiteford, 2005). Furthermore, the researcher ´s seminal role in identifying, defining and formulating research is consistent with Smith ´s (2004) recommendation to avoid a superficial attempt of bracketing. The philosophical foundations underlying IPA is simply not compatible with complete bracketing, as the interpretative component inevitably acknowledges the researcher ´s role. Heidegger advocates a hermeneutic phenomenology with interpretation at its core (Smith, Flowers Larkin, 2009). Utilizing a double hermeneutic acknowledges the dual role of the researcher, where one tries to make sense of the participants experience after the experience has been subject to sense making from the participant itself (Smith Osborn, 2003 double check book Uni). Rather than shallow bracketing, not adequate to its true form as proposed by Husserl, reflexive bracketing was done in resonance with Ahern ´s recommendations (1999). As being reflexive involves more than having an awareness of one ´s standpoint, but should be consciously exercised throughout the research process, a full reflexive account is given in section x.x (Finlay, 2002). A main goal in phenomenology is being able to understand what a particular experience is like for someone else (Creswell, 2007). Rooted in the phenomenological approach is the recognition that an experience takes place in a specific context (Willig, 2009). The contextual setting of the study will subsequently be addressed in the following section. Context To advocate high-quality research, Stiles (1993) advise explicit awareness of the social and cultural context of the research (as cited in Elliott, Fischer Rennie, 1999). IPA recognises that the individual is positioned in a context, inevitably influencing the individual sense-making process (Clarke, 2009). Furthermore, the aspect of context has often been overlooked in recruitment research, pointed out by Rynes (1991) more than twenty years ago. Erhart and Zieger (2005) continuously emphasize researchers to render the environmental context where organisational recruitment takes place. Several authors have highlighted the important factor of the current labour market (Rynes, Heneman Schwab, 1980; Turban, Campion Eyring, 1995). In response and in the belief of context-depending findings, the following paragraph will give a brief description of the context where this study took place. The region of Western Norway thrives on the oil business and a majority of workplaces originates within this sector (Boe Hornbug, 2012). Stavanger, one of the largest cities in the region is often referred to as the oil capital of Norway. Several large international oil companies base their Norwegian head offices in this part of the country. Due to constant development over the last years and a forecast of continuous growth there is a pressing need for qualified engineers. The present study was conducted in an oil company employing 70.000 across the world, whereby 2000 of these work in Norway (Taraldsen, 2012). A recent survey completed by engineering students from the largest University in the area demonstrated the company ´s high status; the company was rated among the top five most popular employers (Hult, 2012). The company still emphasizes advertising their vacancies through the most popular job-search base in Norway. In general, job advertisements underline the companys attractiveness by emphasizing their abilities and position in the market. The adverts also encourage potential candidates to apply by embracing the uniqueness of each individual employee. During winter 2011/2012, the company carried out a recruitment process for their graduate programme, hiring 25 trainees after receiving several hundred applications. On the basis of their recent recruitment experience, a number of the newly hired trainees were asked to participate in this study. Acknowledging the criticism of recruitment research ´s large focus on graduate samples (Rynes, Orlitzky Bretz, Jr., 1997), nevertheless this was seen as a factor adding to the interest of this study. The social, the cultural and the heavy media focus on the oil business sector may lead to both expectations and pressure for a new graduate. A survey of the labour market during spring 2012 demonstrated that 82% of engineer graduates already have a contract signed by completion of their education (Amelie, 2012b). Organisations are ambitious in their search for talented candidates and as a result initiate recruitment at early stages (Gjerde, 2012; Halvorsen Ellingsen, 2011). While the offensive approach of competing organisations can contribute to an awareness of the attractiveness of engineers, it can simultaneously force feelings of pressure, rush and st ress to the process of securing a job. Method Design To explore new graduates experience of a recruitment process, a cross-sectional study of qualitative nature was conducted. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse semi-structured interviews. Procedure The researcher made contact with the organisation through a personal acquaintance in February 2012. Being aware of possible challenges in regards to organisational access, the researcher took several steps to ensure a smooth process (Johl Renganthan, 2010). Through mutual agreement between the researcher ´s area of interest as well as the organisation ´s need, a suitable sample for research was identified. The sample was chosen purposively to ensure all the participants had experienced the phenomena of interest, necessary to give insight into a particular perspective of the experience (Smith, Flowers Larkin, 2009). Striving for a homogeneous sample, sample criteria were set to be recent graduated engineers who through the process of obtaining their first job naturally had been through a recruitment process. It was established prior to commencement of research that participants had been exposed to various recruitment activities. To increase credibility for the study the human resource senior manager of the organisation sent out the first informative e-mail, encouraging participation. This was also done to ensure the participants felt comfortable sharing their experience, given they were recently hired at the organisation. Further, the researcher established contact per e-mail with the individual with thorough information (Appendix X: Information sheet). E-mail contact is considered efficient for both parties in establishing contact and to make further arrangements for the interview (Seidman, 2006). Given practical considerations and various start-dates, 14 individuals were contacted. As IPA is concerned with the quality and not the quantity of accounts, the researcher searched for a smaller sample as 3-6 participants is recommended (Smith, Flowers Larkin, 2009). However it was found useful to initially contact a larger number, being aware that some participants may withdraw (Seidman, 2006). All but one were initially positive, however situational factors led to a final sample of 6 participants. The researcher found this sample to fulfil the requirement of both suitable size and saturation (Kvale, 2007). Participants The sample consisted of Norwegian citizens, 3 females and 3 males (6 in total) between the ages 22-28. All participants had experienced various recruitment processes, including a site visit arranged by the organisation prior to being hired. The participants were all recent graduated engineers with a BSc or an MSc degree within various fields of engineering. All participants had their education from Norwegian universities where recruitment activities arranged by several companies had taken place in various forms. All but one participant resided in the greater area of Stavanger. Fictitious names were given to each participant to ensure anonymity. Interviews Inviting to a rich, detailed and personal account of the individual ´s experience, semi-structured interviews were chosen as method for this study. This is the preferred method for IPA as its flexibility allows for the experience of interest to lead the interview, rather than fitting it into pre-determined categories of a structured interview (Smith, 1995). Two pilot interviews were conducted early in the process, as strongly advised by Seidman (2006). This familiarises the researcher with the complexities an interview may hold. Although not identical with the actual sample, the volunteers for pilot interviews were also recent graduates having undergone recruitment processes in their search for jobs in the past year. Hence pilot interviews were useful to provide insight into possible important aspects of a recruitment experience and also led to changes in the interview structure such as fewer and less non-directive questions. The pilot was also seen as valuable training in interview technique, which according to Kvale (2007) is mastered through extensive practice. The interview guide was developed after wide reading around the topic of interest as well as inspiration from the pilot. Advised by Smith, Flower and Larkin (2009) it was attempted to approach the area of interest sideways. Rather than asking direct questions, which may be leading the participant, the questions attempted to facilitate a discussion around the topic of interest. The interview commenced by the open-ended question Could you tell me about how you got this job? (Appendix X). For an open-mind in regards to the participant ´s experience, open-ended questions were asked, allowing the participant ´s answer to steer the direction of the interview (Smith, Flowers Larkin, 2009). Although having prepared possible follow-up questions, the researcher exercised flexibility throughout the interviews to fully be able to attend to the personal experience of the individual. Probes and prompts were used as suited. The interview session was rounded off asking each participant if they had anything further to add which had not been addressed in the interview, but that was seen as important in their recruitment experience (Kvale, 2007). Interviews were held in the workplace during week 26 and 27 at the participant ´s convenience. The researcher made sure to be allocated a room in sufficient distance from the participant ´s department, to s

Reports of Gods Death Are a Bit Premature Essays -- Philosophy essays

The Reports of God's Death Are a Bit Premature      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arguing the death of God is a debate that will last until eternity. Regardless of exploration or religious zeal there are far too many human viewpoints leaning towards the idea of and the strong need for faith. Believing in God for some is as natural as walking upright and it would seem that through such unquestionable faith God would somehow still be alive. But perhaps He is only surviving with the help of life support.    For example, it would be difficult to tell a passionate Fundamentalist Christian that God was not alive in his or her heart. Therefore, Nietzche's claim of God's demise would fall on deaf ears, for he or she would, in a sense, be keeping God alive with their faith. However, for the sake of Nietzche's favorite subject and perspectivists everywhere, suppose God has in fact died. According to the "madman" we are all responsible (Kaufman 126), but how did it happen and what do we do to solve the problem? Even more curious, is it a problem? So there they are, like some sort of bad movie, standing around with a body lying on the floor. It is nighttime and the classic storm is occurring outside complete with pouring rain, thunder and lightning. Those present stare at the figure in disbelief. Some, however, are not surprised. Others shake their heads at the inevitability of it all. A few cry, but what is on all of their minds is this: who is it?! His death has left him slightly disfigured, n ot in a morbid sense, but just enough to make him hard to identify, not only for who he is, but what place he held in all of their lives. There is no question that he once held a position of great power and esteem, and that he once had a profound effect on generatio... ... the first time ever, we as humans hold God's fate in the balance. Perhaps this is not only Nietzche'sperspective, perhaps this is truth. We are all, in fact, responsible for His survival. But like Mark Twain's famous quote about himself, the reports of God's death are a bit premature.    Works Cited Kaufman, Gordon D., God the Problem Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1973. Nietzxche, Friedrich. The Gay Science: With a Prelude in Rhymes and an Appendix of Songs New York: Vintage Books, 1974. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Soloman, Robert C. and Kathleen M. Higgens. Reading Nietzsche . New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Spinoza, Baruch. The Collected Works of Spinoza   Edited and translated by Edwin Curley. Vol. 1, The Ethics   Princeton: The Princeton University Press, 1985. Reports of God's Death Are a Bit Premature Essays -- Philosophy essays The Reports of God's Death Are a Bit Premature      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arguing the death of God is a debate that will last until eternity. Regardless of exploration or religious zeal there are far too many human viewpoints leaning towards the idea of and the strong need for faith. Believing in God for some is as natural as walking upright and it would seem that through such unquestionable faith God would somehow still be alive. But perhaps He is only surviving with the help of life support.    For example, it would be difficult to tell a passionate Fundamentalist Christian that God was not alive in his or her heart. Therefore, Nietzche's claim of God's demise would fall on deaf ears, for he or she would, in a sense, be keeping God alive with their faith. However, for the sake of Nietzche's favorite subject and perspectivists everywhere, suppose God has in fact died. According to the "madman" we are all responsible (Kaufman 126), but how did it happen and what do we do to solve the problem? Even more curious, is it a problem? So there they are, like some sort of bad movie, standing around with a body lying on the floor. It is nighttime and the classic storm is occurring outside complete with pouring rain, thunder and lightning. Those present stare at the figure in disbelief. Some, however, are not surprised. Others shake their heads at the inevitability of it all. A few cry, but what is on all of their minds is this: who is it?! His death has left him slightly disfigured, n ot in a morbid sense, but just enough to make him hard to identify, not only for who he is, but what place he held in all of their lives. There is no question that he once held a position of great power and esteem, and that he once had a profound effect on generatio... ... the first time ever, we as humans hold God's fate in the balance. Perhaps this is not only Nietzche'sperspective, perhaps this is truth. We are all, in fact, responsible for His survival. But like Mark Twain's famous quote about himself, the reports of God's death are a bit premature.    Works Cited Kaufman, Gordon D., God the Problem Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1973. Nietzxche, Friedrich. The Gay Science: With a Prelude in Rhymes and an Appendix of Songs New York: Vintage Books, 1974. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Soloman, Robert C. and Kathleen M. Higgens. Reading Nietzsche . New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Spinoza, Baruch. The Collected Works of Spinoza   Edited and translated by Edwin Curley. Vol. 1, The Ethics   Princeton: The Princeton University Press, 1985.

Modern Day Hero Essay

When you head the word ‘hero’ most people picture a buff man, wearing a cape; like Superman and Batman. A hero can be anyone from a family member to someone in the community. I believe my mother can be portrayed as a hero. She volunteers in her spare time, is a teacher, and is a friend to everyone she meets. My mother has a tendency to volunteer for anything, but it’s usually within the school she works at. Before we moved here, she was head of the P.T.A., always finding ways to raise money for the school. She even got a new playground for the school so the kids could enjoy recess without having to worry about injuries. She has also organized many walk-a-thons for kids with Autism at her school. She takes action and is really god in what she does. My mother is also a teacher. She teaches kids with Autism, which I think is great. Especially because she has a lot of patience with those kids. She teaches each kids one-on-one, at their own pace. She takes her time to make sure that each student has an understanding of what is going on. She also makes a connection to her students’ families, and makes sure the parents are involved with their child. She is really good at what she does. My mother can befriend anyone she meets. You can be a complete stranger and she will compliment you, no matter what. This one time we were at shopping at the mall when we saw this lady drop $100 on the floor. My initial thought was to keep it, but then my mother picked it up and gave it back to the lady. In return, the lady brought us all a coffee. Leason being, what goes around comes around. Most people think of hero’s as someone famous and important. I believe my mother is a hero for many reasons. She’s a teacher, can befriend a complete stranger, and loves to volunteer. In my eyes, my mother is what I call a hero.

Detection and Differentiation of Tomato Cell Death Essay

The lesions, yellowing, abnormal growth, and drying of tomato leaves at the early stage of the plant affect its fruit bearing. This phenomenon is ascribed to cell death which caused primarily of either â€Å"programmed cell death† or as consequences of the plant’s spontaneous response with pathological agents. Although cell death is an integral part of the plant’s development, extraneous loss of the cell results to the aforementioned consequences. Thus, proper regulation of cell death must be done. Since apoptosis and necrosis can possibly occur in plants, the determination of the type of cell death is crucial in the identification of the appropriate technique for its regulation. In this study, sterilized Solanum lycopersicoides seeds will be germinated at 25  °C culture laboratory. Prior to experimentation, the generated cells will be washed and a two-millimolar pyruvate will be added for ATP production. Then, the cells will be exposed to 2. 5 micromolar of oligomycin for ATP depletion. Also, to limit energy generation to cytosolic ATP production cell will be incubated in the 5 millimolar glucose with 2. 5 micromolar oligomycin. After this, cells will be incubated with staurosporine. Meanwhile, the cell death will be analyzed with respect to morphological criteria, intracellular proteolysis, and DNA fragmentation through conventional agarose gel electrophorosis or field inverted gel electrophoresis. While death detection of the cell will be done by means of Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay, ATP measurement will be done through luminometry. Moreover, phosphatidyl serine traslocation analysis will be done by means of Annexin-V-FLUOS technique to be followed by confocal microscopy and fluorescent-activated cell sorting. Detection and Differentiation of Tomato Cell Death Introduction The term â€Å"apoptosis† was derived from a Greek word which literally corresponds to â€Å"falling off† or â€Å"dropping off†, as analogous to abscission to signify cell death as integral part of every organism’s life cycle (Gewies, 2003). In the mid-nineteenth century, it has been noted that cell death occurs in parallel with physiological functions for every multi-cellular organism (Gewies, 2003). In connection to this, in 1964, expert postulated that cell death occurs not accidentally, but rather in a controlled sequence of steps (Gewies, 2003). Meanwhile, cell death is classified either as apoptosis or necrosis based on morphological and biochemical changes undergone by the cell (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). As such, plasma membrane of the cell may suffer necrosis due to extreme physiological conditions like hypothermia and hypertonic environment (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). This plasma membrane damage can also be induced by pathological agents and viruses. On the other hand, the cell can incur apoptosis even at normal physiological conditions, thus, often called as â€Å"programmed cell death† or â€Å"cellular suicide† (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). The â€Å"programmed cell death† involves intricate biochemical processes; pathogens and environmental stresses attack every cell by means of chemical signals. For example, death signals can be originated from malfunction in DNA repair mechanism, cytotoxic drug treatment, ligation of cell surface receptors, and irradiation (Gewies, 2003). In relation to this, plant responses to inhibit pathogenic growth and disease development by means of protective genes activation which in turn, through chemical reactions, kills the infected cells. The cellular death process then is directed by specific signals and independent biochemical processes in every cell (Dickman, Park, Oltersdorf, Li, Clemente, and French, 2001). Hence, understanding the intricacy of cell death requires an intensive knowledge on chemical principles behind apoptotic or necrotic process. Literature Review Apoptosis, on the basis of pathological and physiological conditions, serves a crucial role in the development of multicellular organisms and regulates cell populations in different tissues (Gewies, 2003). Apoptotic processes direct biological processes such as elimination of harmful cells, differentiation, immune system regulation, and homoeostasis (Gewies, 2003). Hence, apoptotic program dysfunction may lead to pathological conditions like viral infections, cancer, and even AIDS (Gewies, 2003). On the other hand, necrosis occurs when the cell’s inability to regulate homeostasis led to the passage of extraneous water and cellular ions into the cell which results to swelling and lysis (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). As a consequence, the organelles are then exposed to the extracellular fluid. In contrast, apoptosis may arise even at normal cell condition or tissue homeostasis (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). This involves chromatin accumulation, cytoplasmic and nuclear condensations, cytoplasm and nucleus transformation into apoptotic bodies that encapsulate nuclear material, ribosomes, and mitochondria (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). While in vivo necrosis results to damaged tissues causing inflammation, the apoptotic bodies formed by in vivo apoptosis are engulped by adjacent ephitelial cells or macrophages (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). Conversely, the apoptotic bodies formed by in vitro apoptosis undergo â€Å"secondary necrosis† or final swelling and bursting (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). Every human body has an estimated 1014 cells that are in continuous progress (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). In fact, hundreds of thousands cells are generated through mitosis in every second but almost equal number suffers apoptosis due to specific tasks and homeostasis regulation (Gewies, 2003). For instance, the elimination of the tail, and the separation of fingers and toes of a tadpole during its metamorphosis are all attributed to cell death (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). In addition, newly formed or perilous lymphocytes are destroyed through cell death (Schulze-Osthoff, 2008). Furthermore, programmed cell death or PCD has been observed in variety of species such as in mammals, metazoans, nematodes, insects, cnidaria, plants, and even in unicellular organisms (Gewies, 2003). Thus, cell death is scientifically viewed as essential in the functionality maintenance of an organism. Even though plants have the capability to protect themselves from pathogenic invaders through cell death, viral pestilence and antibiotic stressors, most often, are the cause of loss in tomato harvest (Xu, Rogers, and Roossink, 2004). As defensive response, cell death occurs only in the infected sites or termed as hypersensitive response (Morel and Dangl, 1997). Other means of plants’ defense are through cell wall reinforcement, phytoalexin synthesis, and defense-related genes activation (Kazan, Murray, Goulter, Llewellyn, and Manners, 1998). In hypersensitive response, the pathogen is restricted to a specific part of the plant through localized necrotic reactions (Taliansky, Ryabov, Robinson, and Palukaitis, 1998). Significance Researches showed that at some points PCD of plants and animals is similar. As such, jus like animal cells, plant cells generate apoptotic bodies during apoptosis (Greenberg, 1996). Also, DNA fragmentation is both observed in plants and animals apoptosis (Greenberg, 1996). Moreover, antiapoptotic gene, homologous to dad 1, in animal cells was also detected in plant cells (Greenberg, 1996). However, despite these similarities, differences were also noted. For instance, unlike animal cells, plant cells do not exhibit phagocytotic characteristics. In fact, dead cells of the plants may still perform important functions for the whole architectural organization of the plant (Greenberg, 1996). Hence, further exploration on the nature of PCD in plants should be done to gain an intensive understanding on the underpinning principles behind plant cell death. Similarly, yellowing, abnormal growth, and drying of tomato leaves at the early stage of the plant directly affect its photosynthetic activities. These observations are ascribed to cell death which caused primarily of either â€Å"programmed cell death† or as consequences of the plant’s spontaneous response with pathological agents (Greenberg, 1996). Although cell death is an integral part of the plant’s development, extraneous loss of the cell results to the aforementioned consequences. Thus, proper regulation of cell death must be done. Since apoptosis and necrosis can possibly occur in plants, the determination of the type of cell death is crucial in the identification of the appropriate technique for its regulation. Therefore, it is an imperative to determine the possible type of death, under specific physiological conditions, experienced by tomato cells in order to employ the appropriate intervention in regulating cell death. Experimental Design Sterilized Solanum lycopersicoides seeds will be germinated at 25  °C culture laboratory (Leist, Single, Castoldi, Kuhnle, and Nicotera, 1997). Prior to experimentation, the generated cells will be washed and in the absence of glucose, a two-millimolar pyruvate will be added for ATP production (Leist, Single, Castoldi, Kuhnle, and Nicotera, 1997). Then, the cells will be exposed to 2. 5 micromolar of oligomycin for ATP depletion. Also, to limit energy generation to cytosolic ATP production cell will be incubated in the 5 millimolar glucose and 2. 5 micromolar oligomycin concoctions (Leist, Single, Castoldi, Kuhnle, and Nicotera, 1997). After this, cells will be incubated with staurosporine or STS, a cell death inducer. Meanwhile, the cell death will be analyzed with respect to morphological criteria, intracellular proteolysis, and DNA fragmentation through conventional agarose gel electrophoresis or field inverted gel electrophoresis (Leist, Single, Castoldi, Kuhnle, and Nicotera, 1997). While death detection of the cell will be done by means of Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay or ELISA of Roche Technology, ATP measurement will be done through luminometrical technology of Boehringer Mannheim Biochemicals (Leist, Single, Castoldi, Kuhnle, and Nicotera, 1997). Moreover, phosphatidyl serine or PS traslocation analysis will be done by means of Annexin-V-FLUOS technique to be followed by confocal microscopy and fluorescent-activated cell sorting or FACS analysis (Leist, Single, Castoldi, Kuhnle, and Nicotera, 1997). Cell Death Detection and Differentiation The following instrumental techniques will be utilized in this study for the detection of tomato cell death, and for the apoptotic and necrotic death differentiation. Agarose Gel Electrophoresis of Nucleic Acids Nucleic acids are nucleotide polymers joined by diester bonds of the sugar units (Devor, 2005). These linkages between nucleotides give a negative overall charge to the nucleic acid polymer. Molecules with net electrical charges move predictably under electrical field. Hence, when nucleic acids are subjected to semi-solid gel matrix, they move toward the positive pole (Devor, 2005). In an agarose matrix, the mobility of nucleic acids can be formulated by treating its viscosity as gel density with respect to its entire length (Devor, 2005). This migration is then expressed as a negative exponential function of the radius of nucleic acid (Devor, 2005). ELISAPLUS Cell Death Detection ELISAPLUS is a one-step colorimetric technique of detecting cell death. It can differentiate necrosis from apoptosis with relative quantification (Roche Applied Science, 2007). This can be done without cell staining. ELISAPLUS can be utilized for culture supernatants, plasma, lysates, and serum (Roche Applied Science, 2007). About three hours after induced apoptosis, histone-complexed DNA fragments can be detected through immunochemical method (Roche Applied Science, 2007). On the other hand, the histone-complexed DNA fragments are determined directly in the culture supernatant (Roche Applied Science, 2007). Annexin-V-FLUOS Annexin-V-FLUOS, employed for microscopic and cytometric analysis, is done by means of direct fluorescence staining (Roche Applied Science, 2007). This technique can differentiate necrotic from apoptotic cells and typically used for apoptotic detection of membrane-altered cells especialy in PS-translocation (Roche Applied Science, 2007). In line with this, freshly isolated cells and suspension or adherent cell lines are the appropriate samples for this test (Roche Applied Science, 2007). As such, the PS of the cell surface and necrotic cells are stained by FLUOS or green dye and Annexin-V-Alexa or red dye respectively (Roche Applied Science, 2007). Lastly, about 15 minutes after induced apoptosis, determination test is already done (Roche Applied Science, 2007). References Devor, E. J. (2005). IDTutorial: Gel Electrophoresis. Integrated DNA Technologies. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://www. idtdna. com/Support/Technical/TechnicalBulletinPDF/Gel_Electrophoresis. pdf Dickman, M. B. , Park, Y. K. , Oltersdorf, T. , Li, W. , Clemente, T. and French, R. (2001). Abrogation of Disease Development in Plants Expressing Animal Antiapoptotic Genes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 19, 12, 6957-6962. Gewies, A. (2003). Introduction to Apoptosis. Apo Review. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://www. celldeath. de/encyclo/aporev/apointro. pdf Greenberg, J. T. (1996). Programmed Cell Death: A Way of Life for Plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 93, 12094-12097. Kazan, K. , Murray, F. R. , Goulter, K. C. , Llewellyn, D. J. and Manners, J. M. (1998). Induction of Cell Death in Transgenic Plants Expressing a Fungal Glucose Oxidase. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 11, 6, 555-562. Leist, M. , Single, B. , Castoldi, A. F. , Kuhnle, S. , and Nicotera P. (1997) Intracellular ATP Concentration: A Switch Deciding Between Apoptosis and Necrosis. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 185, 1481–1486. Morel, J. B. and Dangl, J. L. (1997). The Hypersensitive Response and the Induction of Cell Death in Plants. Cell Death and Differentiation, 4, 671-683. Roche Applied Science. (2007). Apoptosis, Cell Death and Cell Proliferation, 3rd ed. Mannheim, Germany: Roche Diagnostics GmbH. Schulze-Osthoff, K. (2008). Apoptosis, Cell Death and Cell Proliferation, 4th ed. Roche Applied Science. Mannheim, Germany: Roche Diagnostics GmbH. Taliansky, M. E. , Ryabov, E. V. , Robinson, D. J. and Palukaitis, P. (1998). Tomato Cell Death Mediated by Complementary Plant viral Satellite RNA Sequences. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 11, 12, 1214-1222. Xu, P. , Rogers, S. J. and Roossink, M. (2004). Expression of Antiapoptotic Genes bcl-xl and ced-9 in Tomato Enhances Tolerance to Viral-Induced Necrosis and Antibiotic Stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101, 4, 15805-15810.