Potential Sources Of Conflict Research Articles

Wahrnehmung und Entwicklung urbaner Orte

Abstract Structural, economic, social and ecological interaction and change are both innovation drivers as well as a potential source of conflict about urban space. Focal points such as squares, traffic junctions and streets with a central function, the so-called “urban places”, are especially sensitive to this kind of continuous change. The main objective of this study is to identify the requirements of two selected stakeholder groups, the residents and the users of a specific urban geographical area in order to gain statistically relevant information on preferred treatment options with regard to future development. The results of the survey conducted for this purpose and its interpretation indicate the current strengths and weaknesses of six “urban places” in the “Glattalstadt” and identify the potential for improvement. Based on these results, the primary fields of operation can be derived for public authorities, project developers and owners of real estate, who are the main actors in changing the buil...

Placing the Monocots: Conflicting Signal from Trigenomic Analyses

Despite recent significant advances in understanding angiosperm phylogeny, the position of monocots remains uncertain. We present here a phylogeny inferred from four genes that unambiguously unite monocots with eumagnoliids. A well-supported position for the monocots was obtained only after we replaced the available nuclear 18S rDNA sequence data with data from phytochrome C in a matrix that also included plastid rbcL and ndhF and mitochondrial atpl. Over 5000 base pairs of sequence data from 42 taxa were analyzed using Bayesian inference. The results of these analyses united monocots with the eumagnoliids in a well-supported clade. Although the substitution of phytochrome C for 18S data led to a highly supported position for the monocots, comparison with more densely sampled single-gene studies revealed conflict among data sets. This indicates that larger data sets from each genome should be explored explicitly to evaluate the position of the monocots, and that each of these larger data sets also should be investigated for insight into potential sources of conflict.

Consumer versus Producer Expectations and Motivations Related to “Superior” Quality Meat

This paper reports findings from an exploratory study on consumer and producer expectations of “superior” quality fresh meat in Belgium. The aim of the study is to investigate how Belgian consumers perceive “superior” quality and to confront consumer expectations with the producer's motivation to supply “superior” quality meat. In the first phase consumer and producer beliefs, as well as attitude and behaviour towards the quality of fresh meat were established. In the second phase consumer motivation to buy “superior” meat, and the motivation of producers to engage in the production of “superior” quality meat, were investigated. The insights from this exploratory research yield hypotheses about differences and potential conflicts in consumer's and producer's view on “superior” quality meat. The main potential source of conflicts pertains to price expectations. Ultimately, the findings of consumers and producers are to be confronted in order to obtain an integrated vision on “superior” quality meat.

Pricing irrigation water under asymmetric information and cost recovery constraints

The objective of this paper is to discuss how policy makers may deal with irrigation water pricing under asymmetric information, positive transaction costs on payments and cost recovery constraints. The issue is dealt with through the development of a principal agent model and its application to a pilot case study in Emilia Romagna, Italy. The results show that using a menu of contracts may improve the overall social welfare derived from irrigation. However, differences in performance among instruments (and hence the choice of the optimal pricing strategy) are critically determined by the amount of the full cost of water and of transaction costs. Moreover, differentiation among farmers may encounter policy obstacles as a potential source of conflicts.

Performance of Farmer-managed Irrigation Systems for Rice Production in East Java Province, Indonesia

This paper addresses the importance of an institutional mechanism to allocate and distribute irrigation water properly, to reduce conflicts and to mobilize financial support for sustainable rice production. The study reveals that the contributing factors affecting the performance of farmer-managed irrigation systems for rice production are plot size and the application of seed, fertilizer and pesticides, and the influencing factors are water adequacy during the dry season and a fixed schedule of intermittent flow of water distribution. Water inadequacy and dissatisfaction on the timeliness of water distribution are the potential sources of conflicts, whereas the ability of farmers to pay irrigation fees and the acceptance of a fee system are the major concerns about the financial support for irrigation operation and maintenance. The accountability of a water user's association is the main factor influencing the success of an institutional role in the sustainability of rice production.

Debt Equity Choice in Europe

Using a sample of over 5,000 European firms, we document the driving factors of capital structure policies in Europe. Controlling for dynamic patterns and national environments, we show how these policies cannot be reduced to a simple trade-off or pecking order model. Both corporate governance and market timing impact upon capital structure. European firms limit themselves to an upper barrier to leverage, but not to a lower one. Debt constrains managers to payout cash, and equity may become cheap during windows of opportunity. Internal financing, when available, is preferred over external financing, but companies limit future excess of slack as it constitutes a potential source of conflict.

Inter-organisational collaboration in family-centred practice: A framework for analysis and action

Inter-organisational collaboration in the human services is challenging because of the multiple and complex nature of the inherent potential sources of conflict. In this paper, a conceptual framework is advanced for assessing the sources of conflict at five levels of analysis: (i) inter-organisational; (ii) intra-organisational; (iii) inter-professional; (iv) inter-personal; and (v) intra-personal. While yet to be systematically tested, this conceptual framework may assist practitioners, managers and policy makers in the human services to enhance collaboration across organisational and sectoral boundaries.

Including Spatial Heterogeneity and Animal Dispersal When Evaluating Hunting: a Model Analysis and an Empirical Assessment in an Amazonian Community

: Hunting in tropical forests is typically most intense near human settlements, and this creates gradients of decreasing animal densities toward those settlements. Within the context of this spatial pattern, we evaluated the status of game in the hunting grounds of an indigenous community in eastern Ecuador. We constructed a spatially explicit model of hunter‐prey interactions that mimicked the hunting in the village and included realistic animal‐dispersal rules. We compared predictions from the model with distributions of animal harvest rates and catch per unit effort of 12 game species. Six species were overharvested in part or all of the area, and two other species were probably being overharvested, although high dispersal rates complicated the interpretation. We then compared our method with methods that have been used previously. We argue that because our method provides information about the spatial extent of overharvesting, it could be particularly useful in informing decision makers about where to establish no‐take areas and could therefore aid in improving the sustainability of hunting in tropical forests.

Globalization and metropolitan expansion: residential strategies and livelihoods in Caracas and its periphery

This paper describes how the twin processes of globalization and impoverishment affect different groups in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. These processes are closely intertwined with the territorial expansion of the city and its growth from the Caracas Metropolitan Area into the larger Caracas Metropolitan Region. The result is territorial segregation, with wealthier groups residing in centrally located and “gated” spaces whilst the impoverished middle-and lowincome groups are pushed to the periphery, where they compete for space and where different values and social identities are a potential source of conflict.

Democratic America in Northeast Asia: U.S. Strategy, Missile Defense and Implications for Allied Defense Relationships*

This article examines the potential impacts of U.S. missile defense coupled with the updated national security strategy on allied defense relationships with Japan and South Korea. Facing predominantly asymmetric threats from the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction from actors including rogue states such as North Korea, the U.S. has embarked on a long‐term plan for deploying missile defenses. However, in the near‐term, the technological feasibility may not correspond with the current official rhetoric concerning missile defenses. Failure to recognize potential sources of conflicts stemming from these issues within the alliances could fundamentally weaken both America's military strategy and the political foundations of the alliances.

Are All Dads Equal? Biology Versus Marriage as a Basis for Paternal Investment

The stepfather relationship provides a source of potential conflict in remarriage families, because the mother and partner may have different interests in the well‐being of children from a prior union. Using three different theoretical perspectives—biology, sociology, and selection—this paper examines the engagement, availability, participation, and warmth of residential fathers in married biological parent, unmarried biological parent, married stepparent, and cohabiting father families. The data come from 2,531 children and their parents who were interviewed during the 1997 wave of the Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Biology explains less of father involvement than anticipated once differences between fathers are controlled. Marriage continues to differentiate paternal investment levels, as do age of child and financial responsibility to nonresidential children.

Reasons for Conflict: Lessons from Bargaining Experiments

In this paper we experimentally study the effects of fairness, spite, and reputation formation on conflict. We show that fairness preferences are a potential source of conflict and that intentions play an important role in the perception of fairness. Further, we show that feelings of spite may affect the occurrence of conflict. Finally, we study reputation formation as a possible source of conflict. We show that people invest in a reputation of being a tough bargainer. This does not automatically increase conflict, however. The reason is that through reputation, information about one’s opponent is much better than in anonymous bargaining. (JEL: A 13, D 63, D 23, C 92, K 42)

When Adaptation Fails

A rationale based on adaptive learning is used to explain inefficient bargaining under private information. A dynamic bargaining model using genetic algorithms is developed in which independent but interacting negotiators coevolve their offers. A computer simulation analysis is conducted that compares bargaining outcomes under complete and incomplete information. Results show that inefficient bargaining (i.e., delays and failures to agree) may be due to problems in the agents' adaptive processes that arise because of incomplete information and that adaptive failures may occur even under complete information. Adaptive learning is identified as both a mechanism for resolving conflict and a potential source of conflict.

Project Team Dynamics and Cognitive Style

Problem-solving styles and interpersonal dynamics of project teams are often critical factors for a team to function effectively. To study problem-solving styles and track intra-team interactions, the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI) was used to determine the cognitive styles of engineering and management students in Bucknell's Institute for Leadership in Technology and Management (ILTM). KAI scores allowed interpretation and characterization of data from student journaling assignments that recorded observations about project team members' abilities to work and communicate with each other. KAI results show correlations with both positive and negative aspects of project team experiences. The results indicate potential sources of conflicts in project teams comprised of mature individuals working in a corporate environment.

Antipredator defense as a limited resource: unequal predation risk in broods of an insect with maternal care

The allocation of parental investment is a potential source of conflict within broods whenever offspring are able obtain differential access to the parental resource. Unlike the provisioning of food, parental antipredator behavior is usually considered a resource that benefits all offspring simultaneously. In the thornbug treehopper (Umbonia crassicornis), offspring form aggregations in exposed positions on host-plant stems. They are subject to intense predation, and maternal defense is their primary means of protection. I examined the distribution of risk within these offspring groups, using natural variation in the outcome of more than 500 predation attempts (324 recorded on videotape) by vespid wasps (Pseudopolybia compressa )o n 18U. crassicornis aggregations. I found three influences on an individual offspring’s risk of predation. The first was the presence of a defending female: as expected, offspring were much more likely to survive contact with a wasp if the female was present than if the female had disappeared. The second influence was position relative to other offspring: when wasps were successful in removing an individual, they almost always removed it from the edge of the group. The third influence was distance from the female: the closer an offspring was to the female at the time it was contacted by a wasp, the higher its likelihood of survival. The distribution of risk is determined largely by the behavior of defending females and the prey-searching behavior of wasps. The nature of risk within these aggregations sets the stage for two forms of sibling rivalry: selfish herd behavior and competition for access to maternal defense. It also raises the question of how a parent should allocate defense among offspring when it is unable to defend them all simultaneously. Key words: parental care, predation, Pseudopolybia compressa, sibling rivalry, Umbonia crassicornis. [Behav Ecol 13:125–133 (2002)]

The Contested Landscapes of World Heritage on a Tourist Island: the case of Garajonay National Park, La Gomera

This paper considers the World Heritage Site of Garajonay National Park on the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands). It is based on a research project carried out during 1999-2000 that explored the circumstances surrounding its declaration as a National Park and inclusion into the World Heritage List, in conjunction with the consequences for local communities which ensued. The proximity of Garajonay National Park to a large concentration of mass coastal tourism constitutes a further source of potential conflict which may have a wider relevance to other sites of a similar and indeed diverse nature. This paper, therefore, examines the configurations of space and social relations occasioned by the processes of social change, conservation and tourism development in and adjacent to this protected forest. In doing so it elucidates the manner in which these processes are locally mediated in and through contested values over the meaning and purpose of nature conservation in this 'world heritage space'. It argues that a sense of the forest as a place of cultural belonging has been marginalised in favour of its intrinsic ecological value.

The United Nations in East Timor: Intervention at the Military Operational Level

This is a study of a humanitarian intervention in Southeast Asia led by a neighbouring state. The focus of the article is the first month of the International Force East Timor (INTERFET) operation led by Australia on behalf of the international community, with strong regional support, at the invitation of Indonesia. The article deals with the practical considerations that confronted senior military commanders as they implemented INTERFET's United Nations Security Council mandate at the operational level. INTERFET sought to shape events in East Tim or through the deterrence of certain Indonesian force elements while at the same time developing effective co-operation with senior Indonesian military officers. Various aspects of the INTERFET operation are analysed. Introduction Australia, on behalf of the international community, led and implemented the United Nations-sanctioned intervention in what was still Indonesian territory in East Timor in late 1999. This article looks at how that this was done at the operational level -- the level at which military commanders plan and implement operations within a designated theatre. The time period employed here is the important first month of the International Force East Timor (INTERFET) operation. It was during this time that INTERFET (and Indonesian) military commanders confronted their greatest challenges. Developments in this small poor province were the focus of intense international attention. The smallest of incidents could have provoked an international incident. This article sheds light on how senior INTERFET (and where possible Indonesian) military officers managed the practical implementation of national responses to a humanitarian tragedy on the ground. It touches on how INTERFET's senior officers interpreted and responded to events. INTERFET sought to shape events with a combination of deterrence, engagement, and co-operation with the Indonesian armed forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, or TNI). The application of military operational warfighting concepts in a peacemaking environment is also touched on, including INTERFET's provision of higher level military protection for its lightly armed and unprotected supply ships in response to submarine and air combat threats. INTERFET was a remarkably successful peacemaking mission. It achieved its goals in co-operation with Indonesia. Little blood was shed. Yet, the success of this operation at the outset depended on INTERFET depriving any potential adversary the opportunity to use force in the expectation of achieving a realistic gain. This was achieved by the use of higher-level military capabilities along with very well equipped and determined soldiers on the ground. This approach was complemented by co-operation. TNI commanders responsible for East Timor were kept fully briefed on INTERFET's intentions and were given the space to retire gracefully from East Timor. Mechanisms were established to allow senior INTERFET and TNI officers to raise issues of concern and to work through problems. Potential sources of conflict were generally diffused. Methodology The study is weighted towards an INTERFET perception of events. This is a consequence of research access to officials and officers who influenced INTERFET's decision-making. It is hoped that in due course a corrective study capturing Indonesian perspectives derived from interviews with key relevant TNI officers will be possible. This study is drawn from interviews with senior officers of the staffs of the maritime and land components of INTERFET. Other very senior officials and officers kindly provided their time to explain some of the wider facets of the operation. These interviews were supplemented by an account of the INTERFET operation by its Commander, Major General Peter Cosgrove, and by specialist studies by the Australian Defence Force Maritime and Land Warfare Studies Centres. In addition, other participants shed light on the tactical level. …

Entrepreneurial Paradoxes in Business Format Franchising: An Empirical Survey of Finnish Franchisees

MiiK- TUUJNANEN IS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR at the University ofJyvaskyla, School of Business and Economics, Finland. Kimmiiiio Hyrsky is researcher at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Finland. The study explores Finnish franchisees' entrepreneurial chai-acteristics and the advantages and disadvantages they encounter in operating their businesses. It adds to our existing knowledge about factors affecting success and failure in developing and sustaining amicable and rmiutually beneficial franchisee-franchisor r elationships. This is particularly relevant since recent evidence suggests that franichise survival rates and profitability are not so favourable as previously thought when compared to independent small businesses. The results displayed ttie paradoxical nature of franchisor-franchisee relationships. It was found that support given by the franchisor might gradually lose some or most of its value if it is not consistently renewed and updated. Thus, for instance, franchise fees often started to become, first a source of dissatisfaction, and later even a potential source of conflict. Moreover, the results indicated that although defining a franchisor as anl enti eprenietu- is geiierallv ac ceptecl, enltrepreneurial activities by franichisees could be viewed as a paradox. I'he motivational drives of fi-anchisees seemet to chan-ge as they become iioi- e experienced. The mioi-e experieiiced o enitrepreneuirial the franchisee was the imiore likely he or she was to becone frustrated with the frarichisor's goals.

Strategic Stewards: Managing Accountability, Building Trust

This study examines professional accountability systems as a potential source of conflict in the relationships between librarians and their overseers. The structure of these governance systems, combined with the motivations of the stakeholders within the system, generates conflict. Potential for conflict is not uniform across the professional accountability systems in public libraries because librarians strategically manage in the conflict-generating structure and because the professionalism generates trust, offsetting some potential for conflict. This study enriches our understanding of the strategic behavior of professionals, utilizes a positive model to study accountability relationships, and sheds light on the work of a very common, but little studied, public agency. Libraries and conflict? Joining the two seems to be a contradiction of terms. As many of the participants in my study commented, Everyone loves libraries. Yet city managers report that these well-loved local public services are often a thorn in their flesh.1 Likewise, librarians circulate stories in their professional network of skirmishes between librarians and the elected city officials. If everyone loves libraries, what causes these conflicts? 'In personal interviews, several city managers noted that stories of conflicts with the public library are common at professional meetings. 2The quote is from the American Library Association Code of Ethics (ALA 1998). J-PART 10(2000):4:757-777 This study examines the potential for conflict under a mandated professional accountability relationship. Conflict arises when elected officials are unable to influence a professional's decision on a matter of importance to the officials' constituents. In public libraries, this situation may arise because an autonomous library board serves as a buffer between the elected official and the librarian on matters of policy in many states. In this study, specific attention is paid to the strategic behavior of librarians as professionals seeking to provide the highest level of service to all library users while managing accountability relationships with their overseers.2 757/Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory I This content downloaded from 207.46.13.15 on Sat, 23 Apr 2016 05:07:48 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Managing Accountability, Building Trust

Determinants of the Sources of Conflict Perceived by Manufacturers and Distributors in the Spanish Chemical Sector

This work has focused on the potential sources of conflict which may arise within an industrial distribution channel. The following sections report the theoretical bases which are applicable to this area of study, as well as the results of an empirical research work conducted in companies belonging to the Spanish chemical sector. The aims of this work were to identify the sources of conflict perceived by the manufacturers and distributors of this industry, stating the existence of discrepancies in their respective perceptions and discovering the variables able to influence the intensity with which each of these potential conflicts appears (from the manufacturers' perspective).