Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
This thesis assesses how United States drone strikes against al Qaeda Central in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, in Pakistan, between 2004 and 2011, affected the broader organization of al...Show moreThis thesis assesses how United States drone strikes against al Qaeda Central in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, in Pakistan, between 2004 and 2011, affected the broader organization of al Qaeda. This research was conducted by means of a 7-S analysis of al Qaeda’s broader organization throughout two timeframes: from 1988 until 2001, the pre-drone phase, and from 2001 until 2011, the intra-drone phase, across seven organizational factors, namely Shared Values, Strategy, Structure, Systems, Style, Staff and Skills. This paper found that US drone strikes directly impacted al Qaeda’s Structure, Style, Staff, Skills and Systems and indirectly its Shared Values. Al Qaeda’s Strategy remained unaffected. The drone program affected al Qaeda mostly by denying al Qaeda secure communications, killing large numbers of operatives, thereby accelerating al Qaeda’s educational and promotional processes, and by disrupting the intergenerational transfer of skills and knowledge.Show less
Active listening (AL) is an important leadership skill within the workplace. It is essential to investigate a possible causal association between AL, employee well-being and other measures....Show moreActive listening (AL) is an important leadership skill within the workplace. It is essential to investigate a possible causal association between AL, employee well-being and other measures. Therefore, the main question of this research is: “What is the effect of extraversion and gender on active listening skills of leaders in organisations and how does this skill relates to employee well-being?” A questionnaire was spread among 374 Dutch employees. The results showed that AL-skills of a leader have a positive relation with employee well-being. Also, female leaders apply active listening more often compared to male leaders. The results pointed out that extraversion does not have a negative relation with the AL-skills of leaders in organisations. Furthermore, Female leaders are better at AL compared to male leaders, but this difference is not larger for non-extravert leaders compared to extravert leaders. Future longitudinal research should confirm the causality between the variables.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
Freshwater is an essential yet scarce good, that is predicted to only become scarcer because of climate change and growing populations. In addition, freshwater in rivers is often shared between...Show moreFreshwater is an essential yet scarce good, that is predicted to only become scarcer because of climate change and growing populations. In addition, freshwater in rivers is often shared between multiple countries. Despite multiple predictions by scholars and experts, states often do not go to war over freshwater. Instead, most disputes end in the signing of a treaty. However, these treaties are not always fair and do not, actually, always end conflict. In the view of this research, treaties are merely a way in which states fight, without using violence, and should thus be seen as a part of ongoing conflict, rather than the end of it. In addition, despite theoretical predictions, international organisations do not play a large role in the creation of River Basin Organisations and neither do hydrohegemons.Show less
