Rejec, Jure and Dujovski, Nikola (2013) VARIATIONS OF STRATEGIC APPROACHES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SLOW-BURN AND ACUTE CRISIS (AN EXAMPLE OF WILDFIRES IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA). In: INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE THE BALKANS BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE: SECURITY, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION, 5-8, Ohrid.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Key aspects to be addressed within this discussion are related
to the discipline of crisis management, a discipline that is relatively in its
infancy and therefore related terminology abounds. Whilst the
comprehensive study of crises can be traced back to the 1960s and 70s -
mostly in areas such as psychology, sociology and disasters (Booth, 1993), it
is the Tylenol poisoning disaster in the USA of 1982 and events such as
Chernobyl, Bhopal and Challenger that gave rise in Europe to the discipline
of crisis management (Mitroff, 2001; Falkheimer & Heide, 2006). The
subsequent developments in this discipline have led to crisis management
being described as a ‘heavily applied field’ where managers’ interest/demand
for tools they could use in the face of a crisis started to grow as well
(Coombs, 2000: 77)
Slow-burn crises (also referred to as low-intensity or creeping crises)
are often related to likely effects stemming from global warming; i.e.
droughts, heavy rain falls and related floods, famine etc., or epidemics like
HIV/AIDS, rabies or others whose source might be diffuse - both in terms of
space and time and the full consequences of which may not be fully apparent
from the outset. On the other end of the spectrum are acute crises most
commonly put into the category of major emergencies. These usually have
an initiating event, identifiable boundaries and a clear time span between
initial recognition and declaration of an end to the crisis is limited and fairly
clear (Institute of Lifelong Learning, 2006b).
What this paper will examine are perspectives on conceptualizing the
phenomenon of crisis and the coping mechanisms employed once a crisis
occurs, or in other words once it is recognised that it is occurring. In so doing
the key terms referred to in the title will be firstly looked upon. Putting
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definitions on the table and exploring some related theories, the paper will
then move to a case study of the situation surrounding wildfires in the
Republic of Macedonia. As it will be shown even a dispersed situation like
this can fall into the category of either slow-burn or/and an acute crisis, what
implies that not only effects of seemingly remote situations should be
regarded as a slow-burn crises. Rather, managerial efforts should be vastly
applied to low-intensity events, the so called ‘creepers’ since it is these types
of crises that at a first sight usually appear sudden or acute, but have actually
been first a creeping crises not detected on time (Bernstein, 2011). Therefore,
whilst a subtle division is sometimes made between different categories of
crises, in the case of slow-burn and acute crises such divisions should be
treated with caution as also a slow-burn crisis can result in an inherently
acute shock if not treated on time. Consequently, albeit approaches between
the two types of crises might differ in several aspects, the focus of strategy
deployment should be based on an understanding that a slow-burn crisis
presents a stage in the process of an acute one.
For the purpose of this paper, the terms crisis and disaster are used
interchangeably and approached in a context of required managerial action of
a low-intensity situations. A crisis is referred to the stage where successful
management may still lead to a successful outcome, and a disaster presenting
an event where harmful effects already took place and damage needs to be
limited (Institute of Lifelong Learning, 2006b). As strategic approach of
dealing with such events is subject to this discussion, managers and/or
decision makers are regarded as political officials, organisational leaders or
other senior public officials that maintain executive powers, unless otherwise
referred to in the text.
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Scientific Fields (Frascati) > Social Sciences > Political science Scientific Fields (Frascati) > Social Sciences > Other social sciences |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Security |
| Depositing User: | Ms. Olivera Trajanova |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Feb 2021 20:55 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Feb 2021 09:21 |
| URI: | https://eprints.uklo.edu.mk/id/eprint/6263 |
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