Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T21:11:07.500Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Recruitment advertising for Antarctic personnel: between adventure and routine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2018

Hanne E. F. Nielsen Open the ORCID record for Hanne E. F. Nielsen [Opens in a new window]  and
Cyril Jaksic
Hanne E. F. Nielsen
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, Australia ([email protected])
Cyril Jaksic
Affiliation:
Lincoln University, New Zealand ([email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper examines how Antarctica has been depicted in recruitment material, and compares the expectations set up in the advertising imagery with the reality of expeditioners’ experiences. Textual analyses of advertisements and job descriptions are used to reveal dominant themes, including the trope of extremity, while interviews with those who have spent time on the ice provide reflections on the actual challenges encountered when working in Antarctica, such as boredom. Much of the popular discourse around Antarctica continues to centre on the Heroic Era (1895–1922), a time of exploration typified by men pitting themselves against nature and striding out into unchartered expanses of ice. Although modern day life on Antarctic stations differs markedly from the extreme conditions experienced by early explorers, the continent continues to be associated with notions of toughness and extremity. We argue that in some cases, advertisements may actually target the wrong audience. This has important implications for how an Antarctic station as a workplace is conceptualised, and then experienced by those who head south, with potential detrimental effects.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 54 , Issue 1 , January 2018 , pp. 65 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ackley, S. F. (2012). Book review: The global cryosphere, past, present and future, by Barry, R. & Gan, T. Y.. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 44 (4), 520–521.Google Scholar
Antarctic Heritage Trust. (2017). Working at Port Lockroy. Retrieved December 15, 2017 from http://www.ukaht.org/get-involved/jobs/port-lockroy/Google Scholar
Antarctica New Zealand. (2016). A season in Antarctica. Retrieved October 17, 2016 from http://www.facebook.com/Antarctica.New.ZealandGoogle Scholar
Australian Antarctic Division. (2002). Antarctic weather. Retrieved February 21, 2018 from http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/weatherGoogle Scholar
Australian Antarctic Division. (2017). Picture yourself here? Voyeur, January 2017, 77.Google Scholar
Australian Antarctic Division. (n.d. a). Plumber. Retrieved May 15, 2017 from http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/experiences/plumberGoogle Scholar
Australian Antarctic Division. (n.d. b). Communications operator and supervising communications technical officer. Retrieved May 15, 2017 from http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/experiences/telecommunicationsGoogle Scholar
Australian Antarctic Division. (n.d. c). Recreation. Retrieved July 27, 2017 from http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/station-life-and-activities/recreationGoogle Scholar
Bamsey, M. T., Zabel, P., Zeidler, C., Gyimesi, D., Schubert, D., Kohlberg, E., . . . Graham, T. (2015). Review of Antarctic greenhouses and plant production facilities: A historical account of food plants on the ice. 45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 12–16 July 2015, Bellevue, Washington. Retrieved June 16, 2017 from http://elib.dlr.de/96573/1/ICES-2015-060_Antarctic%20Plant%20Production%20Facility%20Review.pdfGoogle Scholar
Barbarito, M., Baldanza, S., & Peri, A. (2001). Evolution of the coping strategies in an isolated group in an Antarctic base. Polar Record, 37 (201), 111–120.Google Scholar
Berger, A. A. (2005). Media analysis techniques (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Biersner, R. J., & Hogan, R. (1984). Personality correlates of adjustment in isolated work groups. Journal of Research in Personality, 18 (4), 491–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borchgrevink, C. (1901). First on the Antarctic continent: Being an account of the British Antarctic expedition 1898 – 900. London: George Newnes Limited.Google Scholar
British Antarctic Survey. (n.d. a). Our cultural values, equality and diversity. Retrieved February 14, 2017 from https://www.bas.ac.uk/jobs/working-for-bas/our-cultural-values-equality-and-diversity/Google Scholar
British Antarctic Survey. (n.d. b). Science careers. Retrieved May 15, 2017 from https://www.bas.ac.uk/jobs/careers-at-bas/science/Google Scholar
British Antarctic Survey. (n.d. c). Antarctic fact sheet. Retrieved February 21, 2018 from https://www.bas.ac.uk/science/science-and-society/education/antarctic-factsheet-geographical-statistics/Google Scholar
Broughton, H. (2013). Behind the architecture of the UK's Antarctic station. Retrieved June 12, 2017 from https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/behind-the-architecture-of-the-uks-antarctic-stationGoogle Scholar
Burn, D. (2009, November 16). Move to Detroit for an epic adventure. Retrieved October 26, 2015 from http://www.adpulp.com/move_to_detroitGoogle Scholar
Byrd, R. & Poulter, T. (1935). The romance of Antarctic adventure. Buffalo, NY: J.W. Clement Co.Google Scholar
Carrère, S. (1990). Physiological and psychological patterns of acute and chronic stress during winter isolation in Antarctica. PhD thesis. University of California, Irvine.Google Scholar
Cazes, G., & Bachelard, C. (1989). Stress et environnement polaire. NeuroPsychologie, 4 (2), 84–92.Google Scholar
Chaturvedi, S. (2011). Emerging science–geopolitics interface in the Antarctic: The Indian challenge. National Conference on Science & Geopolitics of Arctic & Antarctic: SaGAA, India, 16–31.Google Scholar
Coleman, M. (2013, December 9). Metallica play a dome in Antarctica. Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 15, 2017 from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/metallica-play-a-dome-in-antarctica-20131209Google Scholar
Cravalho, M. A. (1996). Toast on ice: The ethnopsychology of the winter-over experience in Antarctica. Ethos, 24 (4), 628–656.Google Scholar
De Mornay Davies, J. (n.d.). British Antarctic Survey. Retrieved February, 8 2017 from http://www.notanyoldjo.com/British-Antarctic-SurveyGoogle Scholar
Doll, R. E., & Gunderson, E. K. E. (1971). Group size, occupational status and psychological symptomatology in an extreme environment. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 27 (2), 196–198.3.0.CO;2-6>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, A. J., & Devine, P. G. (1994). On the motivational nature of cognitive dissonance: Dissonance as psychological discomfort. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67 (3), 382.Google Scholar
Elmore, C. H. (1944). Quit you like men. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.Google Scholar
Farley, R. (2008). “By endurance we conquer”: Ernest Shackleton and performances of white male hegemony. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 8, 231–254.Google Scholar
Festinger, L. (1962). A theory of cognitive dissonance (vol. 2). Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
French Polar Institute. (n.d.). About Antarctica. Retrieved May 15, 2017 from http://www.institut-polaire.fr/ipev-en/polar-information/in-antarctica/Google Scholar
Fung, D. (2017, April 21). Modified Hyundai Santa Fe becomes first car to cross Antarctica. Retrieved June 15, 2017 from http://www.caradvice.com.au/544530/modified-hyundai-santa-fe-becomes-first-car-to-cross-antarctica/Google Scholar
Geoscience Australia (n.d.). Australian Antarctic Territory. Retrieved August 26, 2017 from http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/remote-offshore-territories/australian-antarctic-territoryGoogle Scholar
Glasberg, Elena. (2012). Antarctica as cultural critique: The gendered politics of scientific exploration and climate change. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan US.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guinness World Records. (n.d.). First person to cycle to the South Pole. Retrieved June 12, 2017 from http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-person-to-cycle-to-the-south-pole/Google Scholar
Gunderson, E. K. E. (1968). Mental health problems in Antarctica. Archives of Environmental Health, 17 (5), 558–564.Google Scholar
Hemmings, A.D. (2009). From the new geopolitics of resources to nanotechnology: Emerging challenges of globalism in Antarctica. Yearbook of Polar Law, 1, 55–72.Google Scholar
Jacob, S. (2012). High tech primitive: The architecture of Antarctica. In Ross, S. (Ed.), Ice lab: New architecture and science in Antarctica (pp. 55–78). London: The British Council.Google Scholar
Leane, E. (2012). Antarctica in fiction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lyne, J. (2004, December). USA's science-driven “ice highway” hitting rough sledding in Antarctica. Retrieved June 15, 2017 from http://siteselection.com/ssinsider/snapshot/sf041213.htmGoogle Scholar
Maddison, B. (2015). Class and colonialism in Antarctic exploration, 1750–1920. London: Pickering & Chatto.Google Scholar
Matuozzi, R. N. (2002). Richard Byrd, polar exploration, and the media. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 110 (2), 209–236.Google Scholar
Natani, K., & Shurley, J. T. (1974). Sociopsychological aspects of a winter vigil at South Pole station. Human Adaptability to Antarctic Conditions, 89–114.Google Scholar
National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, (n.d.). About Antarctica. Retrieved February 21, 2018 from http://www.ncaor.gov.in/antarcticasGoogle Scholar
Nielsen, H. (2017). Selling the south: Commercialisation and marketing of Antarctica. In Dodds, K., Hemmings, A. D., & Roberts, P. (Eds.), The handbook of polar politics (pp. 183–198). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.Google Scholar
Niiler, E. (2017, September 13). Antarctica is looking for a few good firefighters. Wired. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from https://www.wired.com/story/antarctica-is-looking-for-a-few-good-firefighters/Google Scholar
Norwegian Polar Institute. (n.d). The Antarctic. Retrieved February 21, 2018 from http://www.npolar.no/en/the-antarctic/Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A. (1989). Sociocultural influences on psychosocial adjustment in Antarctica. Medical Anthropology, 12 (4), 235–246.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A. (1992). Going to extremes: The cultural context of stress, illness and coping in Antarctica. Social Science & Medicine, 35 (5), 651–664.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palinkas, L. A. (2003). The psychology of isolated and confined environments: Understanding human behaviour in Antarctica. American Psychologist, 58 (5), 353–363.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A., Cravalho, M., & Browner, D. (1995). Seasonal variation of depressive symptoms in Antarctica. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 91 (6), 423–429.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A., Gunderson, E. K. E., Johnson, J. C., & Holland, A. W. (2000). Behavior and performance on long-duration spaceflights: Evidence from analogue environments. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 71 (9), 29–36.Google Scholar
Peri, A., Barbarito, M., Barattoni, M., & Abraham, A. (2000). The dynamics and the interpersonal and intrapersonal relations within an isolated group in extreme environments. Small Group Research, 31, 251–274.Google Scholar
Philpott, C., & Leane, E. (2016). Making music on the march: Sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration. Polar Record, 52 (6), 698–716.Google Scholar
Recruitment Business Awards. (2010). Results. Retrieved March 11, 2011 from http://www.recruitmentbusinessawards.com:80/categories/Google Scholar
Rolex advertisement. (1987). Where to spend the worst winter in the world. National Geographic Magazine, 172 (3).Google Scholar
Rose, G. (2007). Visual methodologies: An introduction to the interpretation of visual materials (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Ryan, G., Gubern, M., & Rodriguez, I. (2000). Recruitment advertising: The marketing–human resource interface. International Advances in Economic Research, 6 (2), 354–364.Google Scholar
Sarris, A., & Kirby, N. (2005). Antarctica: A study of person–culture fit. Australian Journal of Psychology, 57 (3), 161–169.Google Scholar
Scott, L. M. (1994). Images in advertising: The need for a theory of visual rhetoric. Journal of Consumer Research, 21 (2), 252–273.Google Scholar
Singer advertisement. (1913). The Strand Magazine, 46 (275), 89.Google Scholar
Sisodia, S., & Chowdhary, N. (2012). Use of illustrations in recruitment advertising by service companies. Journal of Services Research, 12 (2), 81–109.Google Scholar
Solignac, A. (2004). Influence des moyens de communication sur l'adaptation en situation d'isolement: Le cas d'un groupe d'hivernants en Terre Adélie. (Mémoire de DEA), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne.Google Scholar
Stephenson, R. (2016). $100 contest! Retrieved June 9, 2017 from http://www.antarctic-circle.org/advert.htmGoogle Scholar
Suedfeld, P. (1998). What can abnormal environments tell us about normal people? Polar stations as natural psychology laboratories. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 18, 95–102.Google Scholar
Suedfeld, P., & Steel, G. D. (2000). The environmental psychology of capsule habitats. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 227–253.Google Scholar
The Drum. (2010, March 11). Recruitment Business Awards announced. Retrieved September 4, 2010 from www.recruitmentbusinessawards.com:80/categoriesGoogle Scholar
United States Antarctic Program. (n.d.). About the continent. Retrieved February 21, 2018 from https://www.usap.gov/aboutTheContinent/Google Scholar
Van der Watt, L.-M., & Swart, S. (2016). The whiteness of Antarctica: Race and South Africa's Antarctic history. In Roberts, P., Van der Watt, L.-M., & Howkins, A. (Eds), Antarctica and the humanities (pp. 125–156). London: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
van Hooff, M. L., & van Hooft, E. A. (2014). Boredom at work: Proximal and distal consequences of affective work-related boredom. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 19 (3), 348.Google Scholar
Vintage Sunglasses Shop. (n.d.). Ray-Ban 12k GF deep freeze double gradient mirror sunglasses. Retrieved July 13, 2017 from www.vintagesunglassesshop.com/item_vs351.htmlGoogle Scholar
Walton, D. (2013). Global science at the end of the world. In Ross, S. (Ed.), Ice lab: New architecture and science in Antarctica (pp. 23–51). London: The British Council.Google Scholar
Yusoff, K. (2007). Antarctic exposure: Archives of the feeling body. Cultural Geographies, 14 (3), 211–233.Google Scholar