Potential Sources Of Conflict Research Articles

The Gap in Attitudes Toward Withholding and Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment Between Japanese Physicians and Citizens.

According to some medical ethicists and professional guidelines, there is no ethical difference between withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. However, medical professionals do not always agree with this notion. Patients and their families may also not regard these decisions as equivalent. Perspectives on life-sustaining treatment potentially differ between cultures and countries. This study compares Japanese physicians' and citizens' attitudes toward hypothetical cases of withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. Ten vignette cases were developed. A web-based questionnaire was administered to 457 citizens and 284 physicians to determine whether they supported withholding or withdrawing treatment. In a case where a patient had an advance directive refusing ventilation, 77% of the physicians and 68% of the citizens chose to withhold treatment. In a case where there was an advance directive but the patient's family requested treatment, 55% of the physicians and 45% of the citizens chose to withhold the ventilator. When a family requested withdrawal of the ventilator but patient wishes were unknown, 19% of the physicians and 48% of the citizens chose to withdraw the ventilator. However, when the patient had also indicated their wishes in writing, 49% of the physicians and 66% of the citizens chose to withdraw treatment. More physicians were prepared to withdraw dialysis (84%) and artificial nutrition (81%) at a patient's request than mechanical ventilation (49%). A significant proportion of Japanese physicians and citizens were reluctant to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment, even in cases where the patient had indicated their wishes in writing. They were more likely to withhold than withdraw treatment, and more likely to withdraw artificial nutrition than mechanical ventilation. Japanese physicians gave significant weight to family views about treatment but were less likely to agree to withdraw treatment than citizens, indicating a potential source of conflict in clinical settings.

The State of Social Cohesion in the Post-Settlement of Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Abstract Since the settlement of Rohingya people in Cox’s Bazar, national and international ngo s have undertaken initiatives such as trust-building and community relationships for establishing social cohesion between the Rohingyas and host communities. However, cohabitation between the two communities is far-behind, and social conflict between the two communities has been a reality for the host society. By applying multiple approaches – perception survey among the local people, focus group discussion (fgd) among the Rohingyas and key informant interviews, this article finds that Rohingya settlement has resulted many challenges such as scarcity of resources, competition over livelihood options, price hikes, decaying of the physical environment, and security complexities. These challenges have been a source of generating conflict instead of building social cohesion in Cox’s Bazar. Survey results outline that local people are anxious about population growth, social unrest, illicit business and drugs, and potential political conflict. The fgd among the Rohingyas explores the uncertain future of the refugee, frustration over livelihood, health, and education for their children. Overall results highlight that social, economic, environmental and political changes in the post-settlement phase post-2017 have been a potential source of conflict. Analysis suggests that the conflict potential for the host society stemming from the Rohingya displaced population is significant enough that the host government and international organisations should consider actions, policies, and diplomatic actions to address the social tension and remedy the emergent problems in the area. Such measures include those that strengthen efforts at repatriation initiatives for the refugee population, and those that can ensure livelihood opportunities for them without compromising such opportunities for the host population.

СУБЪЕКТИВНЫЕ ПРЕДСТАВЛЕНИЯ ПЕРСОНАЛА ОБ ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ: ОБОБЩЕНИЕ ОПЫТА ПИЛОТНЫХ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ

This article analyzes pilot studies of personnel risks, professional motivation and organizational closeness. All studies relate to significant problems in the field of human resource management of modern organizations. The novelty of this work is determined by the strategy of personnel analysis not as an object of managerial influence, but as an active subject in the system of organizational relations. The study of the organization from the standpoint of the subjective perceptions of the employees made it possible to identify a separate type of personnel risk due to the personality and thinking of the employee. The developed methodology for assessing subjective risks in an organization made it possible to identify areas of uncertainty in the subjective perceptions of personnel about the organization as sources of potential conflicts and security threats. The study of professional motivation shows the complexity of the structure of professional motivation of staff, which is specifically regulated by the functions of locomotion and evaluation. The analysis of the perception of the closedness of the organization found that certain management practices will contribute to the closeness of the new experience among employees, the rejection of organizational changes and a decrease in job satisfaction. The article defines the practical significance of each empirical study. The conclusions discuss the possibility of training an extended strategy for researching the personnel of organizations of future specialists and managers, as well as the relevance of the tasks of effective human resource management.

Hydropowering sustainability transformation: policy frames on river use and restoration in Finland

Hydropower, as a flexible energy source, has sparked renewed interest in the ongoing decarbonisation of the society. Simultaneously, a wider transformation of the socio-ecological system towards more sustainable practices of energy production is required. Our paper draws from the sustainable transformation theory and the concepts of transformability, hydro-social cycle, and aquatic regime to study a system of water governance and regulation in Finland. Our case study data consists of 16 semi-structured interviews and 207 news articles from Yle national broadcast company. We studied the policy frames to reveal how the water governance actors understand, view and make sense of future river use and restoration, and how they utilise the frames for strategic purposes. Results demonstrate that the future river use and restoration were framed by four modes of thinking: 1) hydropower as a ‘cultural trauma’, 2) restoring rivers and dam removal after hydropower construction and operation to improve ecological flows in rivers, 3) improving the social acceptance of hydropower and dam removal, and 4) improving the efficiency of the hydropower regime as a flexible source of power. Our paper shows that to enable pathways for socio-ecological-technical transformations of aquatic ecosystems further scientific scrutiny should be focused on reconciliation of the interest of river restoration, recreational uses of aquatic environments and the flexible energy function of hydropower in energy transition. Removal of migration barriers and small-scale hydropower plants and building fishways and bypasses are part of this transformation. Furthermore, the river regulation needed to give impoundment facilities the flexibility, causes changes in water levels which may be a potential source of conflict between riparian residents and hydropower operators. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed on water governance that recognises the local dynamics and interactions within the social-ecological systems.

Fecal contamination of urban parks by domestic dogs and tragedy of the commons

Contamination of public parks by dogs is a potential source of conflict among park users, causing “tragedy of the commons” problems. Besides the social conflict, feces can pose serious health risks to both dogs and humans. In this study we analyzed the extent and patterns of the distribution of dog feces in the urban parks of the City of Calgary. We collected dog feces from randomly selected locations in the urban parks. The average density of dog feces by the different dog leash policies of the parks and the distribution pattern of the fecal density within the parks were assessed, and the total contamination of the public parks for the entire city was estimated. We found off-leash parks to be significantly more contaminated than other types of parks. We estimated 127.23 g/ha of dog feces are left unpicked in city parks in total every week. Dog feces were found more often and in greater amount in off-leash parks, and near park entrances and parking lots, than in on-leash parks and away from the park entrances. These results suggest that public park visitors, especially those visiting off-leash parks, are likely to be exposed to large amounts of dog feces. Designation of parks as on-leash and educating dog-owners may be an effective approach for reducing the fecal contamination.

Assessment of Situation Awareness Conflict Risk between Human and AI in Process System Operation

The conflict between human and artificial intelligence is a critical issue, which has recently been introduced in Process System Engineering, capturing the observation and action conflicts. Interpretation conflict is another source of potential conflict that can cause serious concern for process safety as it is often perceived as confusion, surprise, or a mistake. It is intangible and associated with situation awareness. However, interpretation conflict has not been studied with the required emphasis. The current work proposes a novel methodology to quantify interpretation conflict probability and risk. The methodology is demonstrated, tested, and validated on a two-phase separator. The results show that interpretation conflict is usually hidden, mixed, or covered by traditional faults, and noises in observation and interpretation, including sensor faults, logic errors, cyberattacks, human mistakes, and misunderstandings, may easily trigger interpretation conflict. The proposed methodology will serve as a mechanism to develop strategies to manage interpretation conflict.

The political influence of transnational corporations in Latin America countries. The example of Petrobras

The article presents an analysis of the activities of the Brazilian corporation Petrobras as a political actor. The choice of Petrobras as an object of research is due to its key position in the country's oil sector, its status as a state-owned enterprise and the amount of financial and other resources available to it. The main part of the study reveals the characteristic features of the company as an actor that has and implements a number of types of power: structural, instrumental, institutional and infrastructural. Despite the fact that most of the corporation's shares are owned by the state, Petrobras has a certain autonomy to make decisions and implement them in the oil sector. Such autonomy, on the one hand, makes it necessary to build mutually beneficial relations both with the state and other participants in economic and political processes. On the other hand, it can turn into a potential source of conflicts between the government and the management of the corporation. The study showed that the effective use of these powers allows Petrobras to assert and expand such autonomy and maintain its status as an important socio-economic and political actor.

Transitioning to civilian life: The importance of social group engagement and identity among Australian Defence Force veterans.

Veterans transitioning to civilian life after leaving the military face unique health concerns. Although there is a significant body of research exploring veterans' experiences of transition and predictors of well-being, there are limited studies examining how social group engagement influences veterans' transition. We explored how Australian Defence Force veterans' social group engagement and identity influenced their adjustment to civilian life and well-being. Forty Australian veterans (85% male; mean age = 37 years, range = 25-57 years) took part in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants completed two mapping tasks (a social network map and life course map) that provided a visual component to the interviews. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically and interpreted by adopting a social identity approach. Joining the military involved a process of socialisation into military culture that for most participants led to the development of a military identity. An abrupt or difficult discharge from defence was often associated with a negative impact on social group engagement and well-being in civilian life. Veterans' social group memberships may act not only as positive psychological resources during transition but also as a potential source of conflict, especially when trying to re-engage with civilian groups with different norms or beliefs. Military values inscribed within a veteran's sense of self, including a strong sense of service, altruism and giving back to their community, may operate as positive resources and promote social group engagement. Engaging with supportive social groups can support transition to civilian life. Reintegration may be improved via effective linkage with programmes (e.g. volunteering, ex-service support organisations) that offer supportive social networks and draw upon veterans' desire to give back to community. Social mapping tasks that visualise veterans' social group structures may be useful for clinicians to explore the roles and conflicts associated with veterans' social group memberships during transition.

Professional teamwork and communication in the operating room-Anarrative review

HintergrundEin Operationsteam ist ein für Störungen anfälliges Konstrukt aus hierarchisch und oft geschlechtlich differenten Mitgliedern, die unterschiedlichen Berufsgruppen angehören. Zieldiversitäten der einzelnen Akteure unter ökonomisch steigendem Leistungsdruck bergen Konfliktpotenzial im Arbeitsalltag. Dies kann negative Auswirkungen auf die Patientensicherheit und die wirtschaftliche Effizienz des Klinikbetriebs haben.ZielZiel dieser Übersicht ist es, den Leser/die Leserin für die im operativen Klinikalltag bestehende Problematik zu sensibilisieren und ein Bewusstsein für die möglichen Lösungsansätze einer guten Kommunikationsstruktur und Teambildung sowie einer Moderation von außen durch ein Operationssaal(OP)-Management zu schaffen.MethodenNarratives Review anhand einer Literaturrecherche relevanter Originalarbeiten und Expertenempfehlungen der Datenbanken PubMed/MEDLINE; Schlüsselworte u. a. Teamarbeit, Kommunikation, OP, Teambildung.Ergebnisse und SchlussfolgerungKommunikation und Teamarbeit im OP sind von immenser Bedeutung für die Patientensicherheit und die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung eines Klinikbetriebs. Verbesserungen in der Kommunikationsstruktur u. a. durch die konsequente Durchführung eines Team-Time-Out und eine „Moderation von außen“ (OP-Manager) bieten Lösungsansätze zur Vermeidung von Konfliktpotenzial im klinischen Alltag an.

Views on Conflict related to the Causes of Conflict and the Management Strategies

This article discusses the views of conflict related to the factors causing conflict and conflict management strategies. The results of the discussion show that other potential sources of conflict are personal factors which include the value system that each individual has, personality characteristics that cause individuals to be unique and different from other individuals. The fact shows that certain personality types, such as individuals who are very authoritarian, dogmatic, and have low regard for others, are potential sources of conflict. If one of these conditions occurs in a group, and employees are aware of it, then the perception arises that in the group there is a conflict. Each group has different goals and each strives to achieve them. This problem occurs because when groups become more attached to their own goals or norms. This situation is called perceived conflict. The problem solving strategy in conflict is the basic assumption that all parties have a desire to handle the conflict that occurs and therefore it is necessary to find measures that can satisfy the parties involved in the conflict. On the basis of these assumptions, the problem solving strategy must always go through two important stages, namely the process of finding ideas and the process of maturing them.

The quality of Cochrane systematic reviews of acupuncture: an overview

BackgroundMany systematic reviews of clinical trials on acupuncture were performed within the Cochrane Collaboration, the evidence-based medicine (EBM) most recognized organization. Objective of the article was to systematically collect and identify systematic reviews of acupuncture published in the Cochrane Library and assess their quality from a methodological perspective.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was performed in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to identify the reviews of acupuncture conducted until June 2019. The methodological quality of the included reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR 2 checklist, an evaluation tool for systematic reviews.ResultsOut of a total of 126 eligible reviews, 50 systematic reviews were included. According to the AMSTAR 2, 52% of Cochrane Systematic Reviews (CSRs) were of low quality, due to the presence of one or more weaknesses in at least one of the domains defined as critical for the methodological quality assessment. The less satisfied critical domain was inadequate investigation and discussion of publication bias. Declaration of potential sources of conflict of interest, and funding of the authors of the review and of the included studies were other important weaknesses.ConclusionsThe main methodological flaws in the included CSRs were related to topics of relatively new concern in the conduction of systematic reviews of the literature. However, both, lack of attention about retrieval of negative studies, and statements about conflict of interests are crucial point for the evaluation of therapeutic interventions according to EBM methodology.

A Qualitative Study of the Perception of the People of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area on the Usefulness of the Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana

This paper seeks to create awareness on the perception of the people of Akyem Abuakwa about the usefulness of chieftaincy Institution in Ghana today. In pre-colonial Ghana, the chieftaincy institution was the main system of governance and adjudication of justice. It is the oldest form of government in Ghana. The institution equally in present times is ripped with a number of violent conflicts. With this development, some people are of the opinion that the institution has outlived its usefulness in contemporary Ghanaian society. There is the argument on the issue of chieftaincy institution and its usefulness in the Ghanaian society. Probing the situation, 200 indigenes from the Akyem Abuakwa state in the Eastern Region of Ghana were selected through quota and purposive sampling techniques in a cross-sectional study. The article found that few people in the traditional area believed that the institution is a potential source of conflict and violence while the majority of the people believed the institution is a blessing to the society because it brings about peace, stability and development in Ghana.

Persuasion without polarization? Modelling persuasive argument communication in teams with strong faultlines

Strong demographic faultlines are a potential source of conflict in teams. To study conditions under which faultlines can result in between-group bi-polarization of opinions, a computational model of persuasive argument communication has been proposed. We identify two hitherto overlooked degrees of freedom in how researchers formalized the theory. First, are arguments agents communicate influencing each other’s opinions explicitly or implicitly represented in the model? Second, does similarity between agents increase chances of interaction or the persuasiveness of others’ arguments? Here we examine these degrees of freedom in order to assess their effect on the model’s predictions. We find that both degrees of freedom matter: in a team with strong demographic faultline, the model predicts more between-group bi-polarization when (1) arguments are represented explicitly, and (2) when homophily is modelled such that the interaction between similar agents are more likely (instead of more persuasive).

Pagos por captura de carbono en el mercado voluntario en México: diversidad y complejidad de su aplicación en Chiapas y Oaxaca

Los proyectos forestales inscritos en el mercado de carbono voluntario en México son instrumentos que se basan en la mercantilización de un servicio ecosistémico y que consisten en la venta de créditos a un precio establecido en el mercado. Este artículo analiza las características de gobernanza de estos proyectos a través del estudio de dos casos representativos en el país, buscando con ello entender los fundamentos que sustentan su aplicación y el marco institucional en el cual evolucionan. El análisis se basó en una revisión bibliográfica sobre el tema de instrumentos de mercado y trabajo de campo en las comunidades donde se aplican los proyectos forestales. Los resultados muestran que los proyectos de captura de carbono en el mercado voluntario representan una forma de gobernanza ambiental emancipada del Estado, basada en el acuerdo de varios actores con papeles específicos, con marcadas diferencias en los esquemas de funcionamiento establecidos en los contratos. Se detectó que el tipo de tenencia de la tierra es una fuente potencial de conflicto en la aplicación de este tipo de proyectos, los cuales dependen además de la capacidad de cooperación de las comunidades donde se emprenden. Tales proyectos integran iniciativas locales para solucionar un problema a escala global a través de la democratización de la gestión ambiental. Sin embargo, su fundamento neoliberal hace que estos proyectos estén en función del mercado y que, paradójicamente, se busque un mecanismo de solución en el mismo lenguaje monetario que ha causado la crisis ambiental.

Legal Politics of Interreligious Relations within the Pluralism Framework in Indonesia

Religious diversity contributes to nation building positively. However, it can also be a potential source of conflict. The multi-religious communities in Indonesia face many conflicts that triggered by religion. This problem demands a strategic anticipation, especially in juridical view. Juridical anticipation means the state frames legal policies that regulate the relations between religious communities in Indonesia in order to achieve a harmonious life. The political law of interreligious harmony established by the government in Indonesia will unable to implement properly if indirectly intervene by the community. The public must keep discussing and seeking to maintain inclusive relations between religious communities to achieve religious harmony in Indonesia which is based on tolerance and cooperation in the life of society, nation and state.

Unwanted catches, quota systems and the EU Landing Obligation: An economic and econometric analysis

The EU Landing Obligation (LO) is inspired by an environmental concern. Bycatches cannot be thrown at sea anymore but brought to land because of many (ethical) and mostly environmental concerns. Discards, in fact, can generate negative impacts on the marine ecosystems and ecological equilibrium, given increased mortality in fish populations and impact on marine biodiversity. The LO has also implications for the organization of the fishery sector (that bears costs of re-organization). The more fishers stick to the rule the better environmental management is guaranteed. The LO generates a trade-off (and potential source of conflict) between fishery markets efficiency and marine environmental protection. The paper, therefore, explores under what conditions markets and environmental protection can "match".The paper takes an economic perspective and provides an economic analysis of (a proposed) discard quota system for regulating unwanted catches in the European fishery sector. Using a simple model, the study evaluates whether and how the regulation designs proper mechanisms that align incentives for different economic agents (e.g. fishers and environmental concerned regulators), which are characterized by different objective functions. The study also provides selected empirical analysis. Results show that fishers choice to comply (or not) with the regulation and the proposed discard quota system, is not only affected by the legal constraint/discard ban per se but also by (1) a set of market conditions that vary day by day and (2) the degree of credible incentive design and implementation of the regulation (and related degree of credible applicability of the fines). An important aspect for the efficient working of the quota system refers to the need to design a mechanism that is also based on experience and evidence. For instance, in the Sicilian case study examined here, the probability to illegally discard UWC varies according to the type of product that is caught. In this perspective, the proposed UWC quota trade has the highest probability to work the higher is the probability (for the fisher) to be fined, the higher are the UWC price and the quantity. On the contrary, the UWC quota trade has the lowest probability to work, the lower is the probability to be fined, the lower is the quantity of UWC and the higher is the price in illegal markets.

The Drug Business as a Field of Struggle in Turkey

ABSTRACT The organization of the street-level drug business has been a central concern of many contemporary urban crime ethnographies in the West; however, it has never been researched in Turkey. Addressing the literature gap, this article examines the methods of a local drug enterprise in Ankara through offender-based research. Ethnographic data demonstrates that the local drug trade tends to be structured as a field of struggle in which agents make affective investments and wrestle for material and symbolic rewards, characterized by fast cash and notoriety. Resultantly, two main ranks emerge, of drug enterprise owners and dealers/lookouts. Enterprise owners journey far in their criminal trajectories and thus hold a higher level of street capital dependent on their prestige and infamous reputations. However, lookouts consist of lower-class, disadvantaged youths lacking any experience aside from daring and physical prowess. Their search for recognition and an ethos of criminal cultural consumerism create a potential source of conflict and therefore nourishes the dynamism of the field. Unless the marginalized youths’ such psychosocial dynamics are considered, anti-drug policies will go wide of the mark due to their ignorance.

Marine seafood production via intense exploitation and cultivation in China: Costs, benefits, and risks.

Identifying strategies to maintain seafood supply is central to global food supply. China is the world’s largest producer of seafood and has used a variety of production methods in the ocean including domestic capture fisheries, aquaculture (both freshwater and marine), stock enhancement, artificial reef building, and distant water fisheries. Here we survey the outcomes of China’s marine seafood production strategies, with particular attention paid to the associated costs, benefits, and risks. Benefits identified include high production, low management costs, and high employment, but significant costs and risks were also identified. For example, a majority of fish in China’s catches are one year-old, ecosystem and catch composition has changed relative to the past, wild and farmed stocks can interact both negatively and positively, distant water fisheries are a potential source of conflict, and disease has caused crashes in mariculture farms. Reforming China’s wild capture fisheries management toward strategies used by developed nations would continue to shift the burden of production to aquaculture and could have negative social impacts due to differences in fishing fleet size and behavior, ecosystem structure, and markets. Consequently, China may need to develop novel management methods in reform efforts, rather than rely on examples from other large seafood producing countries. Improved accounting of production from fisheries and aquaculture, harmonization and centralization of historical data sets and systematic scientific surveys would improve the knowledge base for planning and evaluating future reform.

Legal aspects of transboundary water management: An analysis of the intergovernmental institutional arrangements in the Okavango River Basin

AbstractThe Okavango River Basin is a transboundary basin which serves as an important source of water resources for three riparian Southern African states, namely Angola, Botswana, and Namibia. If not properly managed, the Okavango River Basin is a potential source of conflict amongst the three countries. In order to reduce the likelihood of disputes among riparian states, the Governments of Angola, Botswana, and Namibia have signed and ratified an agreement establishing the institutional framework for the management of the shared water resources. This article discusses the legal aspects of the institutional arrangements in the Okavango River Basin. It highlights the importance of river basin organizations in the effective management of transboundary watercourses. This article concludes that the institutional arrangements between the riparian states with access to the Okavango River provide the framework for resolving possible disputes peacefully. Further, it concludes that these institutional arrangements promote co-operation over the management of the shared water resources.

Conscientious Objection and Physician-Employees.

This article attempts to motivate a reorientation of ethical analysis of conscientious objection (CO) by physicians. First, it presents an illustrative case from a hospital emergency department for context. Then, it criticizes the standard pro- and anti-CO arguments. It proposes that the fault in standard approaches is to focus on the ethics of the physician's behavior, and a better way forward on this issue is to ask how the party against whom the physician exercises the CO ought to respond. It connects this question with recent trends in physician employment models, which suggest that CO may become a potential source of conflict in the future. The article then develops a relational account of CO that extends James Childress' insights about the nature of CO in "Appeals to Conscience" (1979). This relational account characterizes CO as a two-place relation between conscientious objector and expectant party, in which the conscientious objector makes a request of the expectant party, which has implications that will be welcome and unwelcome for both the pro- and anti-CO camps. Finally, the paper applies this relational account of CO to the case when the physician is an employee. This application demonstrates that it is highly context dependent whether or not an employer should accede to the CO requests of physician-employees.