The complexity of surprise industrial disasters, the high probability of their occurrence, their protracted effects, and the risks they impose on humanity make empirical research…
Abstract
The complexity of surprise industrial disasters, the high probability of their occurrence, their protracted effects, and the risks they impose on humanity make empirical research and international exchanges of information essential. Industrial disasters also give rise to significant ethical uncertainty which requires emergency managers, industrial leaders, and political decision makers to reformulate the manner in which expert knowledge is developed and applied to the tasks of risk reduction and public safety. In assessing the challenges posed by surprise or unexpected industrial disasters, it is the purpose of this essay to heighten awareness of the ethical dimensions of all knowledge in this field. Additionally, the concept of prohibited risk is suggested as a crucial normative variable to be analyzed in the application of this knowledge to the essential tasks of emergency management in relation to industrial disasters.
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Emergency management has come to be regarded by many analysts as a critical part of the development of sustainable communities. The emergency management function has been linked…
Abstract
Emergency management has come to be regarded by many analysts as a critical part of the development of sustainable communities. The emergency management function has been linked to issues such as environmental stewardship and community planning. Especially important is the linkage between hazard mitigation efforts and community planning in the context of building sustainable communities. But this conceptual linkage has been difficult to implement in practice. The resolution of this difficulty and a clarification of the essential linkage of hazard mitigation to community planning will require a broader definition and a reformulation of the emergency management function. It will also require an assessment and the removal of impediments that currently stand in the way of the implementation of this linkage. Practical steps can be taken to begin this important chore.
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The purpose of this paper is to suggest the utility of an emergency management perspective as a guide for policy makers as they respond to the challenges of global climate change.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest the utility of an emergency management perspective as a guide for policy makers as they respond to the challenges of global climate change.
Design/methodology/approach
This analytical paper begins with a review of scientific literature in an effort to highlight the consensus about risks and vulnerabilities associated with climate change or global warming. Applying the terminology and techniques of natural disaster planning, preparedness, response, and mitigation to climate change, an emergency management perspective is articulated as a viable framework for policy development.
Findings
Based on the evidence of a growing consensus in the scientific assessment of climate change, and the need for policy interventions to address the risks and vulnerabilities associated with it, the need for a unifying perspective for policymakers at all levels is apparent. An emergency management perspective is offered herein and holds the potential to provide a foundation for meeting that need.
Research limitations/implications
An emergency management perspective for global climate change highlights the linkages between the challenges it poses and natural disaster preparedness in general. This may enable policy analysts to draw on the natural hazards literature and techniques as a guide for planning and policy development.
Practical implications
The effort to create a consensus of approach that will enable policy makers to speak the same language, participate in the same analysis, contribute to the same dialogue, and pursue the same goals may be advanced by this discussion.
Originality/value
An emergency management perspective on climate change may offer the potential for developing the least problematic model for policy makers to incorporate as they seek to make their efforts more consistent and more responsible in the face of a global challenge.
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Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely…
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Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.
Kerstin A. Aumann and Cheri Ostroff
In recent years, theory and research have been increasingly devoted to understanding organizational behavior in cross-cultural and global contexts, with particular attention being…
Abstract
In recent years, theory and research have been increasingly devoted to understanding organizational behavior in cross-cultural and global contexts, with particular attention being paid to the appropriateness of various human resources management (HRM) practices because practices that may be effective within one cultural context may not be effective in other cultural contexts. This chapter argues that a multi-level perspective is needed to explain the interplay between HRM practices and employee responses across cultural contexts. Specifically, the multi-level framework developed in this chapter elucidates the importance of fit between HRM practices, individual values, organizational values, and societal values. Societal values play a key role in the adoption of HRM practices, and the effectiveness of these HRM practices will depend largely on “fit” or alignment with the values of the societal culture in which the organization is operating. HRM practices also shape the collective responses of employees through organizational climate at the organizational level and through psychological climate at the individual level. For positive employee attitudes and responses to emerge, the climate created by the HRM practices must be aligned with societal and individual values. Building on these notions, the strength of the societal culture in which the organization is operating serves as a mechanism that links relationships between climate, value fit, and attitudes across levels of analysis. The chapter concludes with some recommendations for future research and implications for practice.
This case has two primary purposes. First, it allows students to examine how cognitive bias can affect decision making in stressful situations. Students explore why individuals…
Abstract
Theoretical basis
This case has two primary purposes. First, it allows students to examine how cognitive bias can affect decision making in stressful situations. Students explore why individuals make flawed choices. They learn about how managers shape the context and the process through which teams make decisions. For instance, automation can create a climate in which people then struggle to cope with the unexpected when it happens. Students examine why individuals make these systematic errors in judgment. The case demonstrates that leaders need to be aware of the traps that individuals and teams encounter when they make decisions in crisis situations, and it enables students to discuss the strategies that leaders can employ to avoid these traps. Second, the case provides an opportunity to examine a catastrophic failure in detail. Students discover that it can be nearly impossible to identify a single factor that caused the failure. Instead, they learn how to apply multiple theoretical perspectives to examine a serious organizational breakdown. They become familiar with important concepts from behavioral decision theory, such as complex systems theory and how it interacts with cognitive bias.
Research methodology
The technical report released by the French Aviation Authority along with the primary flight cockpit voice recorder data were used as the basis for this case. Other available public data such as news reports were used to round out the case study.
Case overview/synopsis
On June 9, 2009, on a routine flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, Air France 447 (AF 447), carrying 220 people crashed in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Drawing from various first-hand accounts (cockpit voice recorder) and secondary evidence of the tragedy, the case provides a detailed account of the key events that took place leading up to the accident. The case describes how the pilots on AF447 were confronted with a scenario they had not faced before, and through the confusion made a series of errors. Through many of the quotes in the text, readers gain an understanding of the impressions and perceptions of the pilots, including how they felt about many of the critical decisions and incidents during the last minutes of the flight. The case concludes by highlighting the main findings of the BEA report.
Complexity academic level
This case study is appropriate for undergraduate students studying organizational behavior. It is also appropriate for MBA-level leadership and behavior classes.
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James Alma, Jorge Martinez-Vazquez and Friedrich Schneiderb
Claretha Hughes, Lionel Robert, Kristin Frady and Adam Arroyos