Stakeholders Research Project

Stakeholders Research Project Introduction Preliminary stakeholder identification around any natural resource proves vital to carrying out meaningful trans- disciplinary researches with regard to managing that particular resource. Stakeholders may be defined as all players capable of impacting, or being impacted by, any action or decision (after Freeman 1984). Natural resource management research scholars (e.g. Grimble and Wellard 1997; Dougill et al.

2006; Ravnborg and Westermann 2002) constantly report that the inclusion of stakeholders in finding solutions facilitates mutual learning and negotiation, improves stakeholder buy- in and support of actions and decisions, and decreases conflict. Trans- disciplinary study strategies build on this rationale through assimilating stakeholders and integrating the diverse kinds of ideas and knowledge they bring with them to the table in socially- sound, solution- focused studies (Lang et al. 2012; Bracken et al. 2014; Hurni and Wiesmann 2014). Quite frequently, project reports and scholarly papers’ descriptions pertaining to stakeholder identification are vague.

Thus, research scholars who are not very familiar with trans- disciplinary research or with a given topic or location have no well- defined tools or explicit examples for serving as the starting point of their study. Numerous brilliant review articles offer typologies for understanding and analyzing natural resource management stakeholders (e.g. Reed 2008; Prell, Hubacek & Reed, 2009; Reed et al. 2009). But not much information may be found on how a stakeholder population may be identified.

Practitioner- focused guidelines prove more useful (e.g., Caribbean Natural Resources Institute- issued guidelines, which cover simple questions and steps one may follow when it comes to stakeholder identification) (Renard 2004) (p.7). But these continue to significantly underscore author knowledge whilst being rather vague on the subject of how and using whom one can resolve identification- related questions.

As trans- disciplinary studies encourage scholars to engage stakeholders and generate solutions and knowledge, the filling of this gap ought to be prioritized and a structured, workable instrument provided for identifying stakeholders (Leventon, Fleskens, Claringbould, Schwilch & Hessel, 2016). Possible Research Stakeholders Stakeholders imply every entity with a vested interest in a given study. For instance, a study on emotional intelligence (EI) and married couples’ marital satisfaction will have the following stakeholders.

· Volunteers: These are couples voluntarily participating in the study, who will undergo screening for ascertaining whether or not they satisfy conditions for inclusion in the study. · Researchers: Individuals carrying out the research project. · Investigator: The individual in charge of performing the research at research site · Sponsor: The individual, firm, or institution primarily responsible for initiating, funding and managing the research. Ethical Considerations A few expected and extensively recognized principles of ethical conduct include: Harmlessness and voluntary participation.

Study subjects need to understand the fact that their participation is voluntary, their non- engagement or engagement has no harmful consequences, and they are free to stop participating in the research at any stage of the project if they desire with no unfavorable consequence (Bhattacherjee, 2012). When instructors require their pupils to answer any questionnaire and state that participation in the survey research is purely voluntary, pupils need to have no fear and understand the fact that declining participation will hurt their grades in no way.

One example of unethical conduct when carrying out a survey research which is supposed to be voluntary is: providing bonus points to participants and depriving non- participants of that benefit, as such a decision serves to place anybody who refuses to participate at a clear disadvantage. For avoiding such scenarios, instructors can have non- participants perform another task to recoup those bonus points without having to take part in the study, or simply provide all with bonus points regardless of whether or not they participate.

In addition, all participants have to be provided with a form of informed consent explicitly outlining their right of refusing participation and withdrawal rights (at any stage), which they must sign and return prior to recording their responses for research purpose. An additional requirement in medical researches is specifying all potential participation-related risks. In case of minor participants, consent of a parent or legal guardian is required.

Researchers have to retain the forms of informed consent for a specified time period (normally 3 years) following data acquisition process completion for complying with scientific conduct norms in their workplace or field of expertise (Bhattacherjee, 2012). Confidentiality and anonymity. For safeguarding the long- term well- being and interests of research participants, all scientific researches should safeguard their identity by employing the confidentiality and anonymity principles.

The word ‘anonymity’ is used to imply that study authors or report readers are not able to identify any response provided with any particular participant (for instance, using mail surveys with no identification mark or number used for tracking who responds to the questionnaire and who doesn’t). Anonymity is especially important if one is studying undesirable or deviant behaviors like downloading movies illegally or using drugs, as respondents might not answer questions truthfully if unsure of anonymity.

Moreover, anonymity ensures participants are safeguarded from authorities like law enforcement agencies who might be interested in their identification and tracking at some later date (Bhattacherjee, 2012). Disclosure. Research scholars are normally obliged to offer potential participants some information pertaining to the research (e.g., information on study purpose, research scholars, expected outcomes, parties with the potential to derive benefits from study outcomes, etc.) prior to the data acquisition stage, for helping them decide on whether to continue participation or not.

But, in certain instances, disclosure of this information can end up biasing participant responses. For example, if the research aims at examining the extent to which participants will give up their personal views and conform to “groupthink”, and participants are required to first hear others’ views on a given subject and then state their own, study purpose disclosure beforehand might sensitize participants to the treatment.

In these cases, even if authors cannot disclose research purpose prior to carrying out the research, they ought to do so immediately after collecting data, besides listing out potential participant harm or risks in the course of the study (Bhattacherjee, 2012). Confounding variables may have an influence on study direction.

Confounding variables may be defined as variable besides independent variables of interest, which can have an influence on the dependent variable and have the potential to result in erroneous conclusions pertaining to the link between dependent and independent variables. It is extremely vital to plan studies bearing in mind elimination of differences owing to confounding variables. One means is by controlling a potential confounding variable, that is, by making it identical in case of all participants.

For instance, in the given research, one may include marital couples with both partners in the labor force, or only couples with children (McDonald, 2014). Social factors having the potential to impact a study include socioeconomic standing, familial status (neutral or joint), number of kids, whether or not both partners work, relationship patterns, communication, sexual- life related complications and age difference. The study’s potential policy implications include enhancement of people’s EI in marriage.

People may be taught to evaluate their negative feelings and emotions and manipulate them for tackling marital challenges. Marriage counselors or programs may take advantage of this study’s outcomes by including education and tasks within their training programs targeted at improving the EI levels of partners. References Bhattacherjee, A. (2012). Social science.