Downsizing has had a significant influence on organizational life over the past 20 years. When organizations downsize, two groups of people emerge, those who are laid off and those who remain in the organization. The experiences of those remaining in the organization, or the organizational survivors, have been neglected. This study presents an interpretivistic examination of the experiences of survivors with regard to their perceptions of conflict and procedural justice during and after downsizing. The data gathered for the study is based on thirty-one interviews with employees in TeleCo, a downsizing organization. TeleCo is a diversified organization with facilities and subsidiaries worldwide. In 2001, changes began taking place within the organization, one being the implementation of company-wide layoffs. Telecomm, the division highlighted in this study, has laid off 200 of the 350 workers in one facility. This study revealed three overarching categories of conflict frames employees use to make sense out of their experience as survivors. Procedural justice components of choice, voice, and feedback were also determined to influence the perceptions of survivors and their overall opinions of downsizing

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of culture conflict in second-generation Indo-Canadian women. An existential-phenomenological approach was used to gain an understanding of culture conflict from the perspective of those who have experienced it. Five second-generation Indo-Canadian women participated in this study. The participants took part in an in depth, unstructured interview in which they were asked to describe their experience of culture conflict. The interview was taped and transcribed. The transcripts were then analyzed and common themes were explicated. The 29 themes that emerged from the data were written into an exhaustive description of the experience of culture conflict. The themes and exhaustive description were then presented to each of the participants for validation. From the exhaustive description, the essential structure of the experience of culture conflict was also formulated. The findings of this study are discussed in terms of implications for further research as well as implications for counselling individuals who are experiencing culture conflict.

For some individuals a conflict arises between their religious and sexual identities. Such a conflict can be extremely distressing, and may cause to many adverse and negative psychological consequences. A sample of 10 participants (between 25-54) were recruited and interviewed. Using content analysis, major themes were identified and grouped. Within the interviews a major homogenous experience arose between all the respondents. This homogenous experience can be classified with five major superordinate categories: (a) sources of conflict; (b) emotional and cognitive consequences of conflict; (c) exploration of gay identity; (d) current negative emotions, and (e) religion as a source of strength. Although counseling was considered by participants as helpful, participants pointed to external factors outside of the counseling setting as the most efficacious.

For the design of power-sharing practices in deeply divided places, there are two main macro-political strategies: consociationalism, developed and defended by Arend Lijphart, and centripetalism, associated with the work of Donald L. Horowitz. In this thesis, I consider the academic debate between advocates of the two approaches and consider the extent to which either model represents a successful tool of ethnic conflict management. Two broad questions are asked: can centripetalism promote political stability in deeply divided places? Can consociationalism? I address these questions by engaging a comparative case analysis of six deeply divided places, three of which have adopted centripetal institutions (Fiji, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria’s Second Republic) and three of which have adopted consociational institutions (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, and Northern Ireland). I present three central arguments in the thesis. First, centripetalism should not be recommended as a strategy of conflict management in deeply divided places. Its track record in such places reveals serious weaknesses. Indeed, it has tended to promote instability and exacerbate division rather than promote moderation. Second, consociationalism is better able to promote stability in deeply divided places. Third, consociationalism’s prospects of promoting stability are further enhanced when it is implemented in a revised and expanded form, labelled here as “comprehensive consociation.” This type of power-sharing addresses issues that go beyond concern with just political institutions, such as security sector reform, property restitution, and the return of refugees. These are the type of issues that are most likely to promote political instability if left unresolved. Failure to deal with such issues, I argue, is likely to make it more difficult for elites to agree to share power, or to maintain such arrangements. / Thesis (Ph.D, Political Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-02-12 12:11:51.013

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Conflict is inevitable in a rapidly changing society. The education sector represents a microcosm of this society and is thus as susceptible to conflict as any other sector. The purpose of this study is to explore how and by what means the National Union of Tertiary Employees of South Africa (NUTESA) manages conflict at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). This was explored by identifying some of the major sources, aggravators/moderators and conflict behaviour that exists at DUT as well as the process that NUTESA uses in addressing and resolving conflict. The study also identifies the conflict management styles and strategies that NUTESA uses in resolving union and management conflict. This study uses a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews to collect the data. Ten committee members of the National Union of Tertiary Employees of South Africa at DUT are interviewed. Data is analysed using descriptive and interpretive approaches. Analyses of the data indicates that NUTESA believes that conflict should be managed constructively and effectively to prevent conflict from escalating and leading to disputes. NUTESA has been pro-active and innovative in many ways at DUT which has promoted good relationships, especially with management, and has fostered open communication, understanding, trust and sensitivity. The process that NUTESA uses in managing conflict is largely dictated by the grievance procedure document specified by DUT. This policy document affords the unions, employee and management the opportunity to communicate and discuss work related issues in a fair and objective manner. Beyond this, NUTESA is extremely committed and protective of its members in many ways, as this study shows. NUTESA are open to communication and believe that a participatory approach benefits all parties within DUT i.e. both management and its members. Being part of the collective bargaining and the labour consultative forums has certainly been a move in the right direction as these forums provide NUTESA with a perfect platform for open and honest discussion with management especially where the interests and the rights of employees are at stake. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu Natal, 2006.

For some individuals a conflict arises between their religious and sexual identities. Such a conflict can be extremely distressing, and may cause to many adverse and negative psychological consequences. A sample of 10 participants (between 25-54) were recruited and interviewed. Using content analysis, major themes were identified and grouped. Within the interviews a major homogenous experience arose between all the respondents. This homogenous experience can be classified with five major superordinate categories: (a) sources of conflict; (b) emotional and cognitive consequences of conflict; (c) exploration of gay identity; (d) current negative emotions, and (e) religion as a source of strength. Although counseling was considered by participants as helpful, participants pointed to external factors outside of the counseling setting as the most efficacious.

Securities on movables are one of the major feature of credit mechanisms. / Under domestic law, this type of guarantee is widely used, specifically in France, Great-Britain and Canada, under different forms. On the other hand, due to legal uncertainties surrounding operations bearing an international character, securities on movables are rarely used in international transactions. / Regrettably, this established fact, particularly illustrated by French law, appears to go against modern tendencies to favour the internationalisation of commercial activities. The analysis of the rules of French private international law in the light of the corresponding rules of English and Canadian law allows us to identify the main obstacles in the international traffic of securities on movables and to propose reforms initiatives. / Consequently, the analysis of several ratified or drafted international conventions which are related to some aspects of securities on movables in an international context can bring suitable solutions to problems raised by the internationalisation of securities. This thesis proposes that these international agreements carrying conflict of law rules or uniform substantive law constitute the most promising means of regulating these mechanisms which are directly connected to modern international financing.

In 2000, the World Bank estimated that 2.8 billion people lived on incomes of less than $2.00 a day. Meanwhile about forty percent of the world's population endured conflict, most of them from the same subset. The implementation of foreign assistance to mitigate poverty and conflict is a key focus of politicians, bureaucrats and social scientists. The goal of this research is to discover relationships among foreign aid, conflict, and socio-economic development, and assess the implications. Other evaluations either approach this issue from a hedonistic, theoretical standpoint, or follow a stylized project evaluation method. This research is intended to create a bridge between the two approaches by: 1) proposing theoretical models of assistance and conflict accounting for current status quo, and 2) introducing novel empirical methods to analyze the causes and effects of development, intervention and conflict. The research begins with a comparative analysis of different schools of thought concerning foreign intervention, conflict and development. Contemporary philosophies and policies provide the basis for assumptions and inquiries addressed in the latter part of this dissertation. The review is followed by a critique of relevant data and their sources. A theoretical model of foreign assistance allocation and its possible impacts on conflict is proposed. The theoretical model is verified through an empirical examination using inductive casual inference methods. It is concluded that under current mandates and policies, aggregate foreign assistance has no effect on conflict and development in poor countries. Research is then directed toward analyzing the effect of foreign assistance on conflict, disaggregated by sector. Agricultural and food security assistance were identified as the most effective method of mitigating conflict. The next segments of research concentrate on agricultural development. A model of agricultural development is proposed that will promote food security and mitigate conflict. In the last analysis, a direct causal relationship is found between commodity prices and conflict. Findings are summarized in the conclusion, and recommendations are provided for policy re-evaluations.

This thesis argues that the return of remains deserves greater attention in humanitarian action. When remains are returned in an undignified manner, or not at all, this can harm the deceased person’s family and provoke the surrounding community. The inability to return remains has a significant impact on the deceased’s family. A conceptual framework – using concepts of posthumous dignity, boundary objects and moral injury – is outlined in this thesis. An extensive literature review was conducted to landmark events and publications regarding human remains and the impact of returning remains to families. After examining a variety of sectors and professions for return-of-remains practices, it has been observed that the way in which remains are returned to families, including what they are interred within and surrounded by, is critical to preventing moral injury and other distress to the families. The thesis also contends that efforts to return remains to families are widely and well received by affected communities; however these efforts require a well-coordinated approach of standardised procedures. Examples of prevailing practices from several professions are used to propose a humanitarian approach for the return of remains to families, with a goal of safeguarding the dignity of the dead and helping families cope with their loss. An analysis of such case material makes possible the formulation of recommendations on how to improve practices in the humanitarian sector. Protecting the dead is a responsibility of the living, and guidance is needed on how to return remains in an appropriate and sensitive manner.