Religion Interview Essay
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practitionerinterviewassignment.fa15.docxREL 368 Christian Ethics for Business World
Practitioner Interview
The purpose of the practitioner interview is twofold: (1) to determine whether the 5-fold definition of “practice” is, or can be, a fair description of a real world business activity; (2) to determine if the practice-nature of business contributes to morality in business.[footnoteRef:1] [1: “Morality” here is to be defined in Aristotelian terms, as intentional activity directed toward the ultimate good, or, in Wadell’s terms, “training in happiness.”]
Your assignment, therefore, will be to initiate a face-to-face interview with a practicing business person. I will assign you a business person who has volunteered to be put on a list of interviewees, or you may interview a business person you know. The only stipulations are (1) you may not interview a professor; (2) you may not interview a relative (3) the interviewee must have at least 5 years in the field and (4) the interview cannot be conducted by e-mail or telephone. To make things easier for you, two-three students will conduct the interview of one businessperson together. However, each student must make his or her own written report. The written report (3 pages single-spaced max.) will be a translation of the hard data of the interview into an essay that uses the data to support (or deny) the claim that your interviewee’s business activity is a practice after all. Begin your essay with a thesis statement: “In this essay I will defend the claim that business in the form of [a description of the business activity of your interviewee] is (is not) a practice and that [name of your interviewee] is (is not) a practitioner.” *Don’t feel pressured by your admiration of the interviewee to conclude that their business activity qualifies as a practice. Then compose paragraphs explaining how the oral data you collected exemplify each of the marks (one paragraph per mark). In the past, it has helped to briefly define the mark before commenting on whether it applies to your interviewee. It may hurt if I cannot tell that you have really learned the mark.
Conclude your paper with a paragraph that a) explains whether or not your interviewee is a practitioner; and b) if they are, spells out your estimation of where your s/he lies on the following spectrum (remember, the further to the right, the more good character as well as technical skills is displayed):
trifler……novice……journeyman…..expert practitioner
Finally, Note at the end of your paper whether you a) handed in hand-written notes, b) emailed them, etc.
Below is a sample conversation that you can use to set up an interview.
“Hello, my name is _______ . I’m an business student at the University of Dayton. I understand that you are an alum, is that right? The University gave me your name in hopes that you might be willing to help me out with some information for a class project. I’m taking a course called “Christian Ethics and Business” and we’ve been assigned to interview practicing business persons in the Dayton area concerning whether or not business is morally formative by its very nature.
Would you be willing to meet with me (and a classmate) for a 30-minute interview? We could meet you at your office or wherever would be most convenient for you.
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