Analysis of stakeholder concerns with a view to avoid organisational conflict in B2B systems

In recent years there has been a remarkable increase in information exchange between organizations due to changes in market structures and new forms of business relationships. The increase in the volume of business-to-business (B2B) transactions has contributed significantly to the expanding need for electronic systems that could effectively support communication between collaborating organizations. Examples of such collaborating systems include those that offer various types of business-to-business services, e.g. electronic commerce, electronic procurement systems, electronic links between legacy systems, or outsourced systems providing data processing services via electronic media. Development and running of B2B electronic systems has not been problem free. One of the most intractable issues found in B2B systems is the prevalence of inter-organisational conflict reported to exist and persists between the participants of interorganisational electronic networks. There have been very few attempts, however, to prescribe any practical method of detecting the antecedents of such conflict early in B2B development to facilitate smooth construction and the subsequent operation of B2B services. The research reported in this paper focuses on the identification and analysis of antecedent conflict in a joint process involving different organizations in a B2B venture. The proposed method involves identification of domain stakeholders, capturing and packaging their views and concerns into a reusable form, and the application of captured domain experience in B2B systems development. The concepts and methods introduced in this paper have been illustrated with examples drawn from our study of six web-enabled payroll systems.

Functional group conflict in information systems development

This paper discusses how interpersonal conflict between IS developers and clients can disrupt IS projects.  It is suggested how potential problems can be avoided by getting the 'soft' factors right which can lead to improvements in information systems development (ISD) processes.  However little is being done in most organisations to review success from this perspective.  Measurement of ISD quality tends to favour the product rather than the human drivers that influence the development of the product.  Several ideas are put forward that can be used to resolve conflict and tp better involve stakeholders in the ISD process.

Trade, openness and domestic conflict: an empirical investigation for latin America

This paper explores whether there is an empirical relationship between trade, openness and domestic conflict for Latin America based on the analytical framework of Garfinkel, Skaperdas and Syropoulos (2004). Using ordinal regressions and Markov switching models for seventeen countries, we identify the factors responsible for the initiation and sustenance of domestic conflict. Our overall results suggest that: (i) increased trade openness reduces domestic conflict intensities but (ii) over dependence on agricultural exports, along with poor socio-political performance, lead to sustenance of low intensity conflicts. We also analyze conflict duration using proportional hazard models and find that over-reliance on agricultural exports plays the main role in conflict sustenance after controlling for socio-political factors.

Sexual conflict and polyspermy under sperm-limited conditions : in situ evidence from field simulations with the free-spawning marine echinoid Evechinus chloroticus

For free‐spawning organisms that release gametes into the sea, sperm limitation (too few sperm to fertilize all eggs) is a major factor limiting reproductive success. Given such circumstances, the presence of several mechanisms to prevent polyspermy (too many sperm) may seem paradoxical; however, a growing body of data suggests that natural fertilization levels, though variable, can routinely be high. Under such conditions, polyspermy is much more likely. The tension between sperm limitation and polyspermy represents sexual conflict because males, in competing to fertilize as many eggs as possible, can impose lethal costs on eggs if multiple sperm gain entry. Here we present data for a marine invertebrate indicating high levels of polyspermy under sperm‐limited conditions. When the sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus was induced to spawn in situ, mean rates of polyspermy were 17.3% ±3.4%, and polyspermy was recorded at rates as high as 62.7%. Polyspermy was nearly always present, even when fertilization rates were <50%, confirming predictions that it should be present under sperm‐limited conditions. Both sperm limitation and polyspermy imposed substantial reproductive costs, and we conclude that both sexual conflict related to polyspermy and sperm limitation have been simultaneous strong selective forces shaping the evolution of reproductive traits in the sea.

Wrestling with `conflict of interest` in sport management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the relationship between sport and business has increased the complexity of ethical issues affecting contemporary sport management. Specifically, this paper seeks to define conflict of interest and how it is manifested in both business and sport.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a conceptual discussion of the issue of conflict of interest as it relates to the management and governance of sports organizations. Relationships between business ethics, governance and sport management are examined in the quest to understand conflict of interest and its prevalence in and relevance to sport management.
Findings – Conflicts of interest within the sport industry may have the same structural elements as those occurring in mainstream business, such as benefits, obligations and issues of trust, but it is the higher societal expectations and values placed on sport and sporting organizations that provide the key points of difference.
Practical implications – Through collaboration with sport management practitioners, via inductive in-depth research, a clearer definition of conflict of interest and the range of situations in which it may occur can be developed. It is through a continued research effort in this area that sport managers will be better able to both identify and manage conflicts of interest as they occur.
Originality/value – It is the lack of definitive examples or guidelines for recognition of an actual or a potential conflict of interest that appears to cause the greatest confusion within sport management. By drawing together the key concepts found within the extant literature, a clearer understanding of what constitutes a conflict of interest is provided by this paper.

Re-emerging conflict in the Solomon Islands? The underlying causes and triggers of the riots of April 2006

The recent tensions in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, in April 2006 provide a clear warning that despite the presence of the Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands, led by the Australian government, many of the issues that led to prolonged conflict in 1998 have not yet been adequately addressed. This piece of research examines the root causes of continued conflict as experienced by the people themselves, and the triggers for the sudden explosion of violence in April 2006. It offers insights into the successes and failures of the international presence in the Solomon Islands, as well as presenting local opinions on the likelihood of further conflict. Based on the findings some suggestions are made regarding the targeting of programs, and the adaptations that may need to be made in the approach adopted by the international community.

Conflict resolution across cultures

Objective: To investigate the dimensions of culture that may underlie difficulties in cross cultural conflict resolution.

Method: 43 Australian and 40 Chinese creative artists completed an 82-item scale measuring the four dimensions of cultural values identified by Hofstede. They then responded to two conflict scenarios by answering a series of questions based on the Littlefield, Love, Peck, and Wertheim model of conflict resolution.

Results: The groups did differ on each of the four cultural value dimensions. They interpreted and responded to the scenarios differently.

Conclusions: The value dimensions of culture are associated with conflict response, and further studies investigating the role of gender and individual conflict pathways are required in order to develop guidelines for intercultural conflict resolution more fully.

Stakeholders and strategic planning in non-profit organisations : case studies in complexity and conflict

The experiences of two Australian non-profit member-benefit associations as they attempt to develop strategic plans are explored, with emphasis on the influence of the many stakeholders in this process. We conclude that
corporate strategic planning is a complex, conflict-ridden, and largely
unsuccessful process in non-profit member-benefit associations because of the number and commitment of stakeholders. Therefore we suggest that future research should focus on clarifying whether such corporate management techniques are actually appropriate for all non-profit organisations, and, if they are, how non-profit organisations can best manage the process, taking into account the values and needs of stakeholders.

Conflict resolution and policy making mediation in the Mekong River Basin

The Mekong River serves China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam covering an area of approximately 795, 000 square kilometres and the Mekong River basin is a delicate eco-system rich in natural resources and bio-diversity. Competing demands for increasingly scarce supplies of water, the reciprocal impacts of land and water uses and inadequate governance arrangements have given rise to conflicts that has to be resolved by policy making to facilitate a process, whereby the main principles adopted in the Mekong River Agreement can be implemented.