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The purpose of the chapter is to determine specific and common features of social conflicts and economic crises and substantiate the necessity for their complex research within the theory of economic conflicts.

For determining the differences between social conflict and economic crisis, the authors use the methods of deduction and comparative analysis; for determining the common features of conflict and crisis of socio-economic system, the authors use the method of induction, synthesis, analysis of causal connections (logical analysis), and the methodology of the systemic approach. Also, the method of formalization (graphic presentation of authors’ conclusions) is used.

Comparative analysis of conflict and crisis of socio-economic system according to the existing scientific ideas is performed, and it substantiates that traditional differentiation of social conflicts and economic crises contradicts the scientific ideas on integrity of socio-economic systems in the integrity of the public and economic components. Based on the theory of systems, common features of conflict and crisis of socio-economic system are determined. It is shown that conflict is a wider notion than crisis, which is a private manifestation/example of conflict. An algorithm of conflict’s transition into crisis of socio-economic system is presented.

The universal scientific category should be “economic conflict,” which has the features of social conflict and economic crisis. The offered notion specifies the categorical tools of economics and provides a possibility to study previously neglected social effects of crises of economic systems as manifestations of conflicts in them. The obtained conclusions allowed for systematization of scientific knowledge in the sphere of contradictions of socio-economic systems. Due to this, it is possible to study cyclic fluctuations of these systems within multi-disciplinary studies at the joint of social and economic science and within the economic theory.

Spirituality has long played an important role in conflict and crisis management at both individual and organizational levels, and the interest in spirituality is increasing day by day. Spirituality gives meaning or purpose to one's life and minimizes the potential for conflict, so spirituality has a mitigating role in conflict and crisis processes. In addition, spirituality is thought to foster values such as equality, honesty, compassion, avoidance of harm, respect, peace, justice, forgiveness, sense of duty, reliability, good citizenship, gratitude, optimism, gratitude, love, dedication, and empathy. Therefore, it can be said that employees who have internalized such moral values will definitely reflect them in their actions and discourses in conflict and crisis situations and will achieve successful results. In fact, spirituality drives the behaviors of employees in both crisis management and coping with crisis management. In this context, it can be said that employees with a high level of spirituality can choose the integrative conflict style in conflict situations and can manage conflict positively and thus prevent a crisis from occurring. It is also foreseen that religious spirituality will play a positive role in conflicts and create a peaceful environment in organizations.

This paper is a part of the application trend of the development of the grey systems theory. The purpose of this paper is to present the use of the GDM model in the diagnosis of the occurrence of crises in family businesses. The issue of the occurrence of conflicts and crises in family businesses is one of the most important and common in management science in Poland.

In the paper using the GDM model (in which the weights of the criteria were determined using the modified Thurstone method), the authors presented a way to diagnose the occurrence of crises in family businesses for a sample of Polish family businesses using, among others, a questionnaire-based survey.

As a result of the conducted research, it turned out that in eight surveyed businesses no symptoms of conflicts were diagnosed. In three businesses, the symptoms of conflicts were diagnosed, but they did not threaten their existence. In the case of four businesses, the symptoms of crisis that threaten their existence were diagnosed and immediate remedial action was recommended to them.

The authors are of the opinion that the presented research results may be a reason for the validity of using the GDM model in the diagnosis of crises in family businesses. At the same time, it is recommended to undertake further research on, inter alia, conflict fields in family businesses, or on the use of the modified Thurstone method as a part of determining the validity of decision-making criteria in GDM models.

Purpose – Researchers rarely touch on the phenomenon of crisis in the relationship itself combined with relationship conflict caused by turbulence in the relationship environment – specifically for emerging markets. The aim of this study is to develop a theoretical view for studying how firms manage business relationships when facing crises caused both by involved parties and by contextual factors.

Design/methodology/approach – Based on a business network perspective, the paper develops a relationship view stressing trust/distrust, commitment/de-commitment and uncertainty/knowledge as central explanatory relationship elements. The paper employs longitudinal case study method and discusses how the relationship between the Swedish firm Ericsson and Telefónica in Argentina for the period of 1998–2004. The process view is composed of three phases: the start-up phase, a phase of crisis and instability and finally a phase of restoration.

Findings/originality – With the assumption of extensiveness in relationship development and high risk in falling from conflict into critical problems in emerging markets, the paper has elaborated new theoretical and empirical thoughts. The study gains further strength from the fact that the number and intensity of crises is increasing because of the escalation in global interdependency. It contributes further knowledge on strategy decisions like exit, wait and see, take the risk and advance affecting the firms’ business relationship.

Contemporary armed conflicts predominantly take place in developing countries and there are often non-state actors involved in them. Civilians have been deliberately targeted in recent conflicts, and the international community has paid more attention to their protection. Human security means that individuals’ safety is a priority on the security agenda. Organizational learning is necessary in crisis management in order to evolve and provide tools to ensure human security. Organizational learning in crisis management requires individual learning, but individual learning does not necessarily lead to organizational learning at the level of institutions. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the development of crisis management and peace-building when taking into account crisis management personnel's experiences and their value in organizational learning processes. The results are applied to the context of humanitarian logistics that have special features including pace in comparison to other crisis management contexts.

The empirical material consists of a Delphi panel process representing 15 experts and interviews of 27 individuals who had served as employees in civilian crisis management and military crisis management duties in Kosovo. The interviewees from the military side had background of being either a reservist or professional officer.

Interaction and communication abilities are required from crisis management personnel and institutions. Personnel in crisis management need opportunities to give and receive feedback. At the personal level, work in crisis management is important for an individual. Returning home may be more challenging for an individual than starting to work in a mission. The framework of organizational learning is adequate for developing crisis management and humanitarian logistics.

Crisis management personnel's feelings and opinions in depth have been rarely studied and the present study provides information about this personal level. Because of using two methods focussing on organizational learning and feedback, partial methodological triangular was carried out, which increased the reliability of the results. In regard to humanitarian logistics, feedback arrangements are also important when intending to develop learning organizations. Return arrangements for personnel in humanitarian logistics are also an important focus of study.

Purpose – This chapter draws on several areas of scholarship to consider the impact of economic crises on the utility of economic costly signalling theory (ECST).

Design/methodology/approach – The chapter introduces the problem of economic crises into the debate over ECST to better understand its practical utility. It first highlights the pacific benefits anticipated by ECST to provide a conceptual baseline. It then reviews contemporary economic and political science literature that links economic integration, economic crises and external conflict. Finally, it introduces a perspective on how the conditions created by economic crises reduce the ability and willingness of states to send economic costly signals.

Findings – The chapter finds that the value of ECST to security policy is problematic when considering the occurrence of economic crises.

Originality/value – This chapter advances the debate over capitalist peace theory by introducing the problem of economic crises to the discourse.

In explaining ethno-territorial conflicts, leadership preferences have an odd status. In case studies, leadership preferences are often viewed as highly significant causes but are not usually defined and measured explicitly. In large-sample statistical studies, leadership preferences are only captured by weakly related proxy variables. This paper aims to fill this gap by developing suitable theory, which can be used consistently in both case study and statistical applications.

Formal bargaining models are used to examine the expected impact of variation in leadership preferences. Relevant leadership characteristics are then used to construct measures of variation in leadership preferences, which are applied in case studies.

In bargaining models, variation in leadership preferences is expected to have a significant impact on ethno-territorial conflict outcomes. More extreme nationalist leaders and, more conditionally, strongly power-seeking leaders, should be more likely to be willing to use force to modify the status quo – although more moderate nationalist leaderships are also willing to do so under certain conditions. In five case studies, these formally derived hypotheses receive initial empirical support.

Theoretically and empirically, further refinement of research on variation in leadership preferences promises to add significant value. Formally, it is worth investigating the expected impact of additional preference types. Empirically, it is important to invest in measures of leadership preferences across large samples.

Hit by an unprecedented financial crisis, the Greek society has been also swept away by an acute political crisis, rising political polarisation and social unrest. At the same time, over the last decade, Greece has faced an unparalleled state of emergency, with thousands of refugees and immigrants entering every year and remaining in the country, often in extremely difficult living conditions leading to ‘an exceptional crisis within the crisis’. In fact, during the recent years, immigration and the ‘refugee crisis’ have been among the most controversial topics on the Greek policy agenda and one of the principal issues that shapes public discourse and raises the most questions about social cohesion and the fundamental values of the Greek society. Media representations of the refugee and migrant ‘crisis’ have played a significant role in how this controversial issue is presented in the Greek public discourse as well as in how people perceive and respond to it. Within this context and having as a starting point the theoretical approach of peace journalism, this chapter explores the ways in which four national Greek newspapers portrayed immigration within different periods of the Greek crisis between January 2011 and September 2015. Research results reveal two different periods in the analysed news stories, one between 2011 and 2014, when immigration was portrayed as a ‘domestic problem’ and the other, in 2015, when the situation was designated as a ‘European refugee crisis’. In both cases, however, it was evident that immigration was positioned high on the agenda of the Greek newspapers, despite major political events taking place within the same periods. Findings were presented and discussed on four different but interrelated levels: immigration (1) as a source of conflict and polarisation, (2) as a political issue, (3) through securitisation and victimhood and, ultimately, (4) through a ‘journalism of conventions’ lens, with very important consequences on the quality of information (extensive lack of solutions related to immigration and asylum issues, absence of refugees' voice, insufficient context, among others).

The purpose of this paper is to open up new lines of research into the engagement of corporations during humanitarian crises. The paper provides an introduction to core concepts in the delivery of humanitarian assistance, as well as a comprehensive overview of when, why, how, and to what effect corporations engage in humanitarian action.

Building on extant literature and policy reports, the paper synthesizes concepts and insights to map the interdisciplinary field of research on corporate engagement in humanitarian action.

The paper systematically reviews and describes different dimensions of corporate engagement for delivering humanitarian action and explains key complications that inspire new research questions. In particular, the paper highlights challenges associated with getting corporations to engage in humanitarian action; challenges associated with ensuring effective corporate engagement; and challenges associated with ensuring ethical engagement.

By raising new questions about corporate engagement in humanitarian action, this paper develops an original and positive research agenda for international business, management research, and related fields.

A comment by an analyst-cum-investor reads, “A year ago, I didn't expect the U.S. economy to fall into recession in 2008 because I was confident consumers would continue to do what they do so well: spend money. I had plenty of company, and ultimately we were all wrong.” During the Fall of 2007, while working in Tokyo to prepare a manuscript for publication, I wrote, “I come to a rather disturbing prognosis about the U.S economy: high likelihood of a recession” (Azis, 2008). Indeed, it is always tricky to predict crisis and recession, let alone to comprehend how a small segment of a financial market, that is, subprime credit, could bring down the world's largest economy into the worst recession since World War II. Every Spring semester on the first day of my class on “Economics of Financial Crisis,” I always cautioned students that financial crisis is explainable but not predictable.