The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the possibilities of applying virtue ethics in the HR-profession by presenting the foundation for virtue ethics and addressing how it could be transformed into virtue ethical principles for HR-practitioners in Swedish work-life. I address the questions how virtue ethics could support HR-practitioners in doing ”the right thing” and how a HR-practitioner should be. I argue that the fit between virtue ethics and the HR-profession rests on principles of moral consciousness and intellectual reflection and on the principles of practice and developing excellence. I also argue that moral institutionalization through measures of professional ethical codification could form an important practical feature. Mediated by the concept of phronesis, I define four core virtues for HR-practitioners: trustworthiness, cooperation, justice and integrity. I conclude that virtue ethics could be pivotal in promoting positive culture, forming the basis of increased trust, confidence and security within organizations.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka ett urval erfarna HR-representanter inom offentlig verksamhets upplevelser av att arbeta med stressrelaterad ohälsa. För studien valdes en kvalitativ forskningsmetod bestående av semistrukturerade intervjuer med efterföljande tematisk analys. Ett snöbollsurval ledde till åtta deltagare (n=8) fördelat på sju organisationer. Stressrelaterad ohälsa är en vanlig orsak till sjukskrivning i dagens samhälle och en del i gällande arbetsmiljölagstiftning. Analysen resulterade i fyra övergripande teman; stress, arbetsmiljö, ambitionsnivå och HR-funktionens roll. Resultatet visade att stress är ett komplext ämne. Många gånger beror stress på annat än arbetets utformning såsom till exempel privatliv eller höga ambitioner hos medarbetare. Den sociala och organisatoriska arbetsmiljön spelar också roll för den upplevda stressen och det är HR:s uppgift att ge chefer rätt förutsättningar för att bedriva arbetet mot stressrelaterad ohälsa.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka enhetschefernas förväntningar på HR-funktionen inom den offentliga sektorn, samt kartlägga om dessa förväntningar även stämmer överens med vad som var möjligt i en viss organisation. Studien som genomfördes var kvalitativ och semistrukturerade intervjuer tillämpades under datainsamlingen. Studien utfördes med ett bekvämlighetsurval vilket resulterade i att åtta enhetschefer inom två kommuner valdes till studien (n=8). Detta medförde att studien riktades mot fyra huvudsakliga HR-funktioner. Data från de semistrukturerade intervjuerna bearbetades med en tematisk analys. I studiens resultat framkom det fyra aspekter angående enhetschefernas förväntningar på HR. Aspekterna som framställdes var samverkan, kommunikation, problematik och HR-funktion. I studiens slutsats framkom det att enhetschefernas förväntningar på HR delvis stämde överens med vad som var möjligt inom de två utvalda organisationer.

Denna studie syftade till att undersöka sociala representationerna om personlighetstester i samband med rekrytering bland kommunalt anställda HR konsulter. Alla konsulter arbetade på småländska höglandet och arbetade helt eller delvis med rekrytering. Data samlades in via semi-strukturerade intervjuer. En kort litteraturgenomgång om aktuell forskning ger en inblick i vad man vet här och nu och fungerar som en teoretisk utgångspunkt för läsaren. Med tematisk analys delades respondenternas svar upp i olika kategorier och teman för att identifiera gemensamma sociala representationer. Tre visade sig vara gemensamma för alla sex deltagare – tillit, bekräftelse och ambivalens.

Högre utbildning har under längre tid diskuterats i relation till arbetsmarknaden, där kraven på anställningsbarhet under det senaste decenniet blivit mer uttalat. Dock ifrågasätts högskoleutbildningens utformning och dess relevans för arbetslivet, då mycket av undervisningen fokuserar på abstrakta teorier istället för konkreta metoder. Detta dilemma dyker även upp inom de utbildningar som ska forma personalvetare. Intresset i denna studie mynnade därför ut i att undersöka lärares samt studenters förväntningar och upplevelser av utbildningsinnehåll och anställningsbarhet inom ett personalvetarprogram. Vår studie baseras på åtta intervjuer, fyra stycken inom respektive grupp, och visar att studenterna i regel har ett mer kortsiktigt perspektiv på vad personalvetarutbildningen önskas resultera i, där det finns en önskan och förväntning om att undervisningen ska vara mer praktisk. Detta resultat ligger i linje med våra föreställningar och den tidigare forskning som vi tagit del av. Lärarna däremot har ett mer långsiktigt perspektiv där utbildningen genom sin teoretiska anknytning ska leda till personlig utveckling samt kritiska reflektioner. Personlig utveckling i form av ökade allmänna kunskaper framkom överraskande nog även hos studenterna, dock inte lika tydligt. Slutligen kunde en tydlig koppling mellan anställningsbarhet och högre utbildning urskiljas, där begreppen samspelar med varandra. Utbildning uttrycks vara det mest centrala i anställningsbarhet då individen därigenom erhåller viktiga kompetenser och färdigheter för det kommande arbetslivet. Andra faktorer som framkom vara viktiga för en individs anställningsbarhet sammanfattas i kategorierna arbetslivserfarenhet, relevanta kompetenser samt personliga egenskaper.

The master thesis is focused on employer branding in the company the Heineken Czech Republic. The aim of the theoretical part is to summarize and describe the main concepts and approaches concerning the employer branding on the basis of foreign and Czech scientific literature and thematic articles. The practical part will be focused on employer branding analysis at the Heineken Czech Republic. Information on building an employer's brand in the company will be identified through questionnaire survey and interviews with key actors in the company who play a vital role in creating an employer brand through both in-house and outsourced activities. Finally, I evaluate the issue of the employer branding in particular company, identify shortcomings and opportunities and at the and suggest few recommendations and possible steps to improve.

This master thesis is focused on a position and functions of personnel department in the company adidas ČR s.r.o. The important part of the thesis is analysis of the employees perception of the personnel department in the company and the analysis of feedback on personnel activities. The theoretical part describes the findings about evolution of personnel work and personnel functions, it also provides the knowledge and instructions how to change the role of human resource professionals in organizations in order to meet the competitive challenges of today and tomorrow. The practical part is dealing with the topic of perception of human resources department and it works with the output from feedback on personnel activities in the company. In the thesis, there were used methods of personal interviews with the company managers and on-line questionnaire for the employees. As an output of the thesis, there were identified the opportunities for the improvement of the current perception of the human resources department and its functions together with some recommendations and guidelines for potential changes and improvements.

The aim of the master thesis is to identify and evaluate the most appropriate and effective tools to build employer brand both externally and among employees. The theoretical part is focused on a brand theory and a concept of employer branding which, based on the labor market development not only in the Czech Republic, becomes more relevant. The methodology of the thesis consists of an analysis of the relevant scientific literature and an analysis the good practice of two selected technology companies in the Czech Republic that meet defined criteria. In the practical part a questionnaire was conducted in order to explore the perception of the employer brand among the IT public. The conclusion of the thesis is devoted to summarizing the theoretical and practical knowledge into a guide that provides important insights for IT start-up companies when building an employer brand.

Pronounced seasonal adaptations in physiology and behaviour are exhibited by mammals living in polar and temperate habitats. These include the development of a winter coat, altered fat reserves, reproductive quiescence and food hoarding. Maintaining constant body temperature (Tb) during winter is energetically very costly, and so many small mammals periodically abandon homeothermy in favour of heterothermy. The two principal heterothermic strategies are daily torpor and seasonal hibernation, in which bouts of profound hypothermia range from a few hours to several days (respectively). It is now clear that hypothalamic thyroid hormone (TH) regulation, and specifically the availability of the active metabolite triiodothyronine (T3), is a critical regulator of seasonal reproductive cycles in many species including birds and mammals. The impact of this signal as a switch for seasonal changes in physiology has been highlighted by the demonstration that blockade of this pathway prevents seasonal adaption in hamsters. Peripheral TH signalling is also a principle regulator of metabolic rate in mammals. Despite these findings nothing is yet known about the involvement of central (hypothalamic) and peripheral TH cycles in the expression of torpor and hibernation. Within this thesis, the role of TH dynamics both in the brain and peripheral circulation is examined within three models of heterothermia: the Siberian (Phodopus sungorus) and European (Cricetus cricetus) hamsters, which employ daily torpor and hibernation, respectively, and the laboratory mouse (Mus Musculus) which exhibits torpor in response to metabolic stress such as food restriction. To delineate TH regulation and signalling in the context of both seasonal and acute physiological responses, the expression of genes involved in thyroid hormones conversion (e.g. Deiodinase type II (Dio2) and type III (Dio3) and transport (e.g. Monocarboxylate transporter 8, Mct8) within the ependymal layer of the ventral 3rd ventricle have been detailed across seasonal (long (LD) and short day (SD)) photoperiods, and during normothermic and hypothermic conditions. Furthermore, TH concentrations have been directly measured within the hypothalami of P. sungorus and C. cricetus, and TH responsive genes (e.g. Hairless (Hr) and Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) to determine the potential impact of regional T3 signalling. As expected, Dio2 and Dio3 expression in P. sungorus exhibited a strong seasonal cycle indicative of elevated T3 production during SD (reduced Dio2 and elevated Dio3). Unexpectedly, total T3 measures from hypothalamic extracts revealed no significant alteration either seasonally or during torpor/hibernation in hamsters. However, Hr expression in the ependymal layer and TRH expression in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) suggests low T3 concentrations during SD are localised to specific regions and does not encompass the whole hypothalamus per se. In addition, altered serum TH concentrations implicate seasonal and torpor associated dynamics that may play a role in seasonal adaptation and hypothermia. Finally, data from transgenic mice strongly implicate the melatonin-related receptor (GPR50) in leptin signalling and aberrant thermogenesis in mice.

The H+-ATPase rich (HR) cells of zebrafish larvae are a sub-type of ion-transporting cell located on the yolk sac epithelium that are responsible for Na+ uptake and H+ extrusion. Current models of HR cell ion transport mechanisms in zebrafish larvae are well established, but little is known about the involvement of the various ion transport pathways in regulating intracellular acid-base status. In the present study, a ratiometric imaging technique using the pH indicator dye BCECF was developed to monitor intracellular pH (pHi) continuously in larval zebrafish HR cells in vivo. Initial validation experiments demonstrated that HR cells subjected to respiratory acidosis (1% CO2) or metabolic alkalosis (20 mM NH4Cl) exhibited changes in BCECF 513/438 emission ratios which were consistent with the expected effects of these treatments on pHi. Subsequent experiments focussed on the involvement of the two principal apical membrane acid excretory pathways, the Na+/H+ exchanger (isoform NHE3b; zslc9a3.2) and the H+-ATPase (atpv1aa) in pHi regulation. Additionally, the role of HR cell carbonic anhydrase (“CA2-like a”) was investigated because of its presumed role in providing H+ for Na+/H+ exchange and H+-ATPase. To do so, relative HR cell pHi changes were monitored during acid-base challenges in shams and in fish experiencing morpholino gene knockdown of either NHE3b, H+-ATPase or “CA2-like a”. The temporal pattern and extent of intracellular acidification during exposure of fish to 1% CO2 and the extent of post-CO2 alkalization were altered markedly in fish experiencing knockdown of “CA2-like a”, NHE3b or H+-ATPase. Although there were slight differences among the three knockdown experiments, the typical response was a greater degree of intracellular acidification during CO2 exposure and a reduced capacity to restore pHi to baseline levels post-hypercapnia. Knockdown of “CA2-like a”, although presumed to limit H+ availability to NHE3b and H+-ATPase, yielded qualitatively similar results to knockdown of either single H+ excretory pathway. The metabolic alkalosis and subsequent acidification associated with NH4Cl exposure and its washout were largely unaffected by gene knockdown. Overall, the results suggest markedly different mechanisms of intracellular acid-base regulation in zebrafish HR cells depending on the nature of the acid-base disturbance.