This thesis aims to explain how politics in 14th century Scandinavia were structured by a set of rules or norms of conduct – rules which were neither codified nor enforced by any outside agency, yet had a very real impact on the patterns by which political action was conducted. Taking inspiration from historical anthropology, the study sets out to analyze the ways in which political tensions and relationships, primarily within the royal elite, were negotiated in various situations. The source material – mainly letters of treaties, but also contemporary literary sources – are treated as remains of political communication within a common discursive framework. The findings of the study go against some established notions about politics in the 14th century that are prevalent in current Scandinavian research. On the whole, patterns of political behaviour during the period show great similarities to those of the earlier Middle Ages, despite the discontinuity implied by the idea of the 13th century as the era of "state formation" in Scandinavia. Rather, the kings and princes of the 14th century appear to have been ruled by quite similar norms of behaviour to those of their predecessors, albeit on a more complex scale. The concepts of peace and justice are shown to have been central to the way that political action was legitimized. No functional difference can be shown to have been made between "feudal" or personal relations, and those of the state. Peace was conceived as a state of harmony, which could only be achieved through the establishment of mutual positive bonds, and an active striving for justice. The latter was achieved, both with the aid of mediators and negotiators, and through the demonstration of force, in patterns largely similar to the practice of feuding. Likewise, acts of supplication and reconciliation are shown to have played an active part in the way that political relations were reified during the process of ending an armed conflict.

Do conflict parties’ characteristics influence mediation onset? Using the veto player theory, this study addresses the question why and under what circumstances mediation occurs. The predictions made by veto player theory correspond with why conflicts are, or become more intense and longer (Cunningham 2006). I argue that the number of veto players influences the cost-benefit calculations of conflict actors, as low numbers of veto players limit concession making, while high numbers of veto players exacerbate information asymmetries. Therefore, I test the hypothesis that the relationship between the number of veto players and mediation onset probability is curvilinear, with medium numbers of veto players increasing mediation incidence likelihood. Using data on mediation onsets in civil conflicts for the period 1946-2003, I find across different statistical model specifications that low and high numbers of veto players impede mediation onset. The models explain and predict mediation occurrence well, but are sensitive to model specifications, i.e. the exclusion of observations does not allow the model to reproduce the same results. The findings confirm the explanatory value of conflict costs and the benefits of a dyadic conflict analysis approach, yet suggest that more research on conflict actors’ characteristics is necessary to understand mediation.

The purpose of the study is to examine whether there is a connection between conflicts that arise between the students and the free play at the leisure center, and how these conflicts are handled. I answered the study's question with the help of qualitative interviews and observations. I interviewed four educators at four different leisure centers, and observed these activities. I have analyzed the empirical data from the sociocultural perspective. The result showed a clear connection between conflicts that arise between the students and the free play. The results also showed that the teachers in the leisure activities make use of the conflict management method mediation.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration in Project Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Cape Town, 2018. / The demand for project management specialists grows worldwide. Traditionally, certain industries have been more project-oriented than others. However, nowadays, organisations in both private and public sector have embraced Project Management as the ideal means of managing projects with the hopes of ensuring the intended benefit delivery. Project management is a skill that is in high demand in South Africa. Project managers play a vital role in the economic growth of a developing country. This has resulted in organisations investing considerable resources to ensure that they build the capacity needed to effectively manage projects. South Africa is a diverse country in terms of age, culture, education, gender, race and religion amongst a group of people living or working together. Globalization has increased diversity within the workplace which is challenging and worsened knowing the country’s history. The attributes required to be a successful project manager include excellent interpersonal, communication skills, project management skills, adept problem solving and the ability to work well under pressure, whilst being highly adaptable and logical thinker. Confidence, strong negotiating skills and being able to motivate a team in order to achieve the goals is necessary; a project manager is a leader and a skilled delegator. Managers have diverse team to manage which speaks to the need for people of the different social dispositions to be able to co-exist. In the workplace, there is generally an organisational culture that speaks largely to how things are done. The culture observed by the outside world is largely because of the coming together of all the different people, with different origins, different tastes and different objectives. In this study, a construct was developed to identify the perceptions of the subordinates about the environment they work in and to identify the exact differences – things or behaviours that are perceived to be alien to their expectations.

This study is about conflicts – or rather the hassle and fuss – that occur between students in a leisure center and assumes how the teachers who works at the center and that I interviewed experience this, and what approaches they choose when dealing with these types of conflicts. The study has a phenomenological approach and is based on a qualitative method with semistructure interviews. The theory used to analyze the interviews is inspired by Foucault theory of disciplinary power. Since there is not much research that studies conflicts in leisure center, the earlier research I have chosen to describe is based on conflict management within the whole school. Researchers in this field agree that there is not one solution that fits all, but that is largely left to the creativity of the teacher. Furthermore, earlier research point out that the exercise of power can in some contexts be positive for the students, that is if it is used correctly. Conflicts in schools are concentrated to common areas and not to the classrooms there teachers have control over the situation. The results in my study are divided into five themes. The results were in much similar to what prior researchers have found; conflicts tend to occur in common areas where there is no supervision from teachers. However, according to the teachers interviewed, students allow teachers to interrupt the ongoing conflict and solve the situation. This support that there is a hierarchical power situation in which submit to the power of the teachers. It could also be regarded as an example of positive exercise of power as it leads to conflicts being stopped. A result in my study was how the teachers interviewed talked about the use of their voice to solve conflicts. All interviewed agreed that to raise the voice has negative effects in solving conflicts. This is nothing I have seen mentioned in earlier research, and may be looked upon as a finding. / Denna uppsats handlar om konflikter som sker mellan elever inom fritidshemmet och utgår ifrån hur fritidshemslärarna jag intervjuat upplever konflikterna på skolan, samt vilka tillvägagångssätt de arbetar med vid konfliktfyllda situationer. Studien har en fenomenologisk ansats och jag har använt en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer. I uppsatsen framhålls även pedagogens maktutövning i konflikter mellan elever, och tar där avstamp ur Focaults teori om disciplinär makt. Då det inte finns så mycket forskning om konflikter i fritidshemmet så handlar den forskning som jag redovisat om konflikthantering inom skolan i stort. Tidigare forskare inom detta område är av den meningen att det inte finns någon metod som passar att använda i all konfliktlösning, utan mycket ligger i att pedagogen ska vara kreativ i konflikthanteringen. Vidare framhåller forskare att maktutövning kan vara positiv, så kallad vänlig maktutövning. Vänlig maktutövning kan, om den används på rätt sätt, vara både positiv och produktiv. När det kommer till var konflikter oftast sker, belyser tidigare forskare att konflikter oftast sker i skolans allmänna utrymmen, och inte inne i klassrummen där pedagogen har kontroll över situationen. Resultaten som jag har kommit fram till i min studie, delades in i fem teman. Det visade sig att det de intervjuade pedagogerna sade i stort sammanföll med tidigare forskning. Konflikter i fritidshemmet sker oftast i allmänna utrymmen där pedagoger har dålig uppsyn eller ingen uppsyn alls över situationen. Eleverna tillåter pedagogen att komma in och avbryta en konflikt mellan elever. Detta talar för att eleven accepterar ett hierarkiskt maktförhållande där eleverna underställer sig pedagogernas makt, och används i detta som en positiv maktutövning för att få slut på konflikten. Ett resultat i min studie och som jag inte sett diskuteras tidigare men som samtliga intervjuade var tog upp handlar om pedagogens användning av rösten som ytterligare ett maktmedel, och att det inte är någonting positivt att som pedagog höja rösten när man ska lösa en konflikt mellan eleverSlutligen diskuterar jag i studien att det inte finns någon enhetlig strategi att ta till för att lösa konflikter mellan elever i fritidshemmet, mycket handlar om pedagogens erfarenhet och tidigare kunskap inom området samt att arbeta förebyggande genom att redan börja i tidig ålder för eleverna.

Despite extensive research in conflict, relatively little is known about how psychological processes evolve over time in response to a dispute. The present research examines how cognitive and affective processes react to cooperative, competitive, or mixed cooperative-competitive interactions. Experimental predictions were derived from a model of two-actor interaction (Liebovitch, Naudot, Vallacher, Nowak, Bu--Wrzosinksa & Coleman, 2008). Specifically, it was expected that attitudes and emotional valence would exhibit stable dynamics when people encountered a neutral, continually cooperative, or continually competitive interaction. However, attitudes and emotional valence were expected to exhibit perturbation in response to transitions from cooperation to competition and vice-versa. These predictions were tested in four experiments. The first study verified most predictions, finding that people have little attitude or valence reaction to interactions that are neutral, continually coo perative or continually competitive. This study also established that people's attitudes are significantly unstable when faced with an interaction shifting from cooperation to competition, and this is experienced with negative emotions. However, interactions shifting from competition to cooperation resulted in stable attitudes and emotional valence. The remaining three experiments sought to explain the lack of psychological reaction to the development of cooperation in a previously competitive interaction. In Study 2, interaction expectancy was ruled out as a factor. Study 3 demonstrated that the reactivity to sudden competition and lack of reactivity to sudden cooperation developed regardless of interaction history. Finally, Study 4 offers evidence indicating that the lack of reaction to sudden cooperation results from factors other than the duration of cooperative feedback. The research has several important implications. First, the results provide evidence that competition is / not necessarily a key factor in promoting heightened psychological reaction in conflict. Rather, transitions between peace and conflict likely hold greater influence on psychological processes in disputes. Furthermore, the experimental evidence provides the first empirical test of the model predictions and offers insight into how the model may be improved. By combining experimental results with the model, the research provides much needed information about how mental dynamics unfold and differ in response to cooperation versus competition. / by Jay L. Michaels. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2012. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This thesis is a critique on contemporary counterterrorism and peacebuilding. It uses a single case study approach to answer the question: How can we, by studying the Mindanao conflict - which has characteristics of both ‘new wars' and ‘new terrorism' - find a juncture between peace and conflict studies and terrorism studies that could help us to better understand terrorism and thereby create more efficient frameworks and tools for countering terrorism, and addressing the root causes of intrastate conflict in order to build a lasting peace? In addressing this question the thesis aims to contribute to International Relations and more specifically the emerging literatures of ‘critical terrorism studies' and ‘critical peace and conflict studies'. Ontologically, the thesis is positioned in between the two subfields, peace and conflict studies and terrorism studies, of International Relations and draws on theories from both literatures and the more recent ‘critical' turns of each sub-discipline; critical terrorism studies and critical peace studies. The case study of the Philippines and in particular the Mindanao conflict is relatively under-researched and functions as a comparative element as it, arguably, represents a microcosm of almost every type of conflict. It is the understanding of the thesis that there is a need to understand local realities and grievances in order to build a lasting peace in Mindanao where the root causes of the conflict is being addressed. Hence, the thesis seeks to understand the root causes of the conflict by focusing on Filipino history of governance and conflict. The roots of conflict is found to be the grievances of being deprived of self-rule, autonomy, and independence and of the right to its ancestral domain after centuries of various levels of oppression as well as corruption within the embedded, archaic power structures of Filipino political dynasties. Furthermore, the thesis tests the theoretical frameworks on the on-going peace process suggesting that the institutions and ‘one size fits all approaches' in liberal peacebuilding can be found in the embedded power structures in the social, political and economic levels of the Philippines. The main contribution the thesis aims to achieve is to apply post-liberal peacebuilding theories to the Mindanao conflict by identifying and assigning the role of the liberal institutions to local elites. Therefore, the main argument of the thesis is that the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF is merely reshuffling the power within the archaic power structures of governance and political, economic and social life within the Philippines, without addressing the root causes of the conflict. Consequently, this will not lead to a long-term lasting peace in the Philippines.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:26:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lilian Moura Ramos.pdf: 1140910 bytes, checksum: 942818557f12082a7ff2f642a9b3c71c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-20 / The way in which people manage conflict in the organizational context has been researched, as well as the antecedents that influence the choice of style of management. This research aimed to identify the relationship between personal values and styles of conflict management, considering values as antecedents. Two dimensions of the poles of values were considered, based on the theory of Schwartz - Openness to Change versus Conservation and Self- Transcendence versus Self-Promotion - as well as four styles of conflict management - Domination, Evasion, Accommodation and Integration - included in the literature according to the theory of Rahim. In order to reach the goal, hypotheses were proposed, which involved the correlation between the values and the styles, as well as the prediction, considering values as independent variables and management styles as dependent ones. The research was characterized as descriptive and referred the quantitative method, by applying two data collection instruments: the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory (ROCI-II) and the scale of personal values (PVQ-21). The questionnaire was sent electronically to a non-random sample of 362 respondents from a multinational company in the automotive industry. The data were treated with techniques of correlation and multiple regression. The results indicated that some hypotheses were corroborated in full and others in part, because not all the poles of values became predictors, and some correlations between values and styles had reversed direction to that expected. / O modo pelo qual as pessoas gerenciam conflitos no contexto organizacional tem sido pesquisado, assim como os antecedentes que influenciam na escolha do estilo do gerenciamento. Esta pesquisa teve por objetivo identificar a relação entre valores pessoais e estilos de gerenciamento de conflitos, considerando valores como antecedentes. Foram consideradas as duas dimensões dos polos de valores com base na teoria de Schwartz Abertura a Mudança x Conservação e Autotranscendência x Autopromoção e quatro estilos de gerenciamento de conflitos Dominação, Evasão, Acomodação e Integração presentes na literatura segundo a teoria de Rahim. Para o alcance do objetivo foram propostas hipóteses envolvendo correlação entre os valores e os estilos, e predição, considerando valores como variável independente e estilos de gerenciamento como dependente. A pesquisa caracterizou-se como descritiva e utilizou o método quantitativo, por meio da aplicação de dois instrumentos de coleta de dados: o Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory (ROCI-II) e a escala de valores pessoais (PVQ-21). O questionário foi enviado eletronicamente a uma amostra não aleatória de 362 respondentes de uma empresa multinacional no ramo automobilístico. Os dados foram tratados com técnicas de correlação e regressão múltipla. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram que parte das hipóteses foi corroborada integralmente, como no caso do estilo Dominação com os valores Autopromoção e Abertura à Mudança e outras parcialmente, como no estilo Integração com os valores Autopromoção e Conservação, isso porque não foram todos os polos de valores que revelaram-se como preditores, e algumas correlações entre valores e estilos apresentaram sentido invertido ao esperado.

Utility coordination is an exceedingly complex effort of managing, communicating, and facilitating the avoidance and relocation of utility facilities as needed for highway projects. Utility coordination occurs throughout the design and delivery of a project and best practices are used to make sure this occurs efficiently and in the best interest of the public, who are not only the taxpayers but also the ratepayers. Recent research has attempted to enhance utility location technology and procedures, instill frameworks and tools for utility coordination, and proceduralize risk management relative to utility coordination. However, research attempting to improve various aspects of utility coordination simultaneously has led to a lack of consensus on how to integrate these research efforts into an effective standard of practice. These is also not a standard of practice for quantifying utility related risks for transportation projects. This research will attempt to build consensus and contribute to the body of knowledge in this area of utility coordination by presenting an approach to assess the relative utility risks of a project and align current and new practices to minimize those risks. Through statistical analysis of historical project data regarding utility coordination schedules and costs for transportation projects in Kentucky, this study was able to produce a model that estimates utility related risk early in transportation project development. With input and evaluation by subject matter experts, utility coordination best practices were collected and aligned to utility risks on transportation projects. A decision support tool was developed to assist in the use of the mathematical utility risk model and the best practices associated with the varying risk levels. This research also finds that there are disparities among utility stakeholders on transportation projects in regard to the effectiveness or satisfaction with particular best practices. This finding presents the need for early involvement and collaborative utility coordination to select practices that ensure utility related issues on transportation projects are minimized. The research also presents that increased use of alternative contracting methods can pose significant challenges to utility coordination on transportation projects. This stems from the finding that utility coordination practices were not uniformly effective across these varying procurement methods. Furthermore, as Departments of Transportation continue to deal with resource issues, one of which being manpower within utility coordination, the use of consultants for utility coordination presents its own set of complexities. The research finds the best application of consult-led utility coordination is through third-part consultants specializing in utility coordination, those who have been state-specifically trained for utility coordination, and prequalified for utility coordination work.

It is the purpose of this study to propose that perceptions of peacebuilding activities in all tracks of divided societies (political, civil society leaders, and grassroots), and the perceptions of the collaboration between the tracks are essential processes to a sustainable peace agreement at the political level. This study will examine multi-track peacebuilding and the collaboration (or lack of it) between tracks in Cyprus. Additionally, it will analyze the perceptions of the necessity of collaboration across tracks. The analysis of this study is conducted in two phases: (1) analyzing interviews with Track One diplomats and examining previous and existing peacebuilding processes within Cyprus through observation, interviews, and analysis of existing studies; and (2) through student observations and interviews of the Cypriot populace on the perceptions of the conflict and peacebuilding collaborations among and across tracks. The results of this research indicate that there is a need for stronger connections between the political and societal level peacebuilding strategies in Cyprus for a sustainable peace agreement. Furthermore, the findings of this research suggest that multi-track collaboration should be added to Conflict Transformation Theory.