Does the project manager have the authority to stop work on the project for any logical reason that imaginable?

Yes, on behalf of the owner, if any non-conformance or negligence by the contractor is observed.

no, as he is not the owner and the sponsor

In my opinion If there is any valid reason for project not to be completed, then the project manager have the right to consider this option. It is always better to stop at the right time than to face failure, loss of funds a trust. However proper analysis should take place before such decision. The project can be kept on hold during the assessment period, however this should not take long due to the resources which could have been allocated on another assignment.

The authority of the project manager depends on the type and structure of the company he works for. If it's completely projectized ( such as most of the construction company) then he has more authority to terminate the project for any inconvenience or for project going out control of it's planned objectives.

In other company structures, the decision is shared between the project manager and the sponsor or executive manager. more like a suggestion.

on other types, the project manager has no authority on any decision (like cost, time or risk) but to coordinate people.

The Four Functions of Managers Management involves far more than just telling others what to do. Before any of you decide that you think you can do your boss's job, let's take a look into more of what a manager does. The major functions that a manager completes can be categorized into four different functions known as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. For some of us, we only see the final two - leading and controlling - but you should know that for every managerial behavior you do see, there is an equal amount that you do not. Behind the manager's closed door, he or she spends a good deal of his or her time planning and organizing so that he or she can effectively carry out the functions of leading and controlling. Managers spend a good deal of time planning, leading, controlling and organizing. manager Now, before you think your boss is different, you should also know that the four functions of management are standard across industries, whether that be in a manufacturing plant, a home office, a grocery store, a retail store, a restaurant, a hotel, or even an amusement park. Effective managers understand how planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are used to achieve organizational success. Unfortunately, I do not have a rebuttal for those of you who have ineffective managers, but perhaps learning a little more about the four functions of management will help to identify what steps your ineffective manager needs to take to become an effective one. Try to think about the four functions as a process where each step builds on the others. Managers must first plan, then organize according to that plan, lead others to work towards the plan, and finally evaluate the effectiveness of the plan. These four functions must be performed properly and, when done well, become the reason for organizational success. Planning The first of the managerial functions is planning. In this step the manager will create a detailed action plan aimed at some organizational goal. For example, let's say Melissa the marketing manager has a goal of increasing sales during the month of February. Melissa needs to first spend time mapping out the necessary steps she and her team of sales representatives must take so that they can increase sales numbers. These steps might include things like increasing advertisements in a particular region, placing some items on sale, increasing the amount of required customer-to-sales rep contact, or contacting prior customers to see if they are interested in purchasing additional products. The steps are then organized into a logical pattern so that Melissa and her team can follow them. Planning is an ongoing step and can be highly specialized based on organizational goals, division goals, departmental goals, and team goals. It is up to the manager to recognize which goals need to be planned within his or her individual area. Organizing The second of the managerial functions is organizing. This step requires Melissa to determine how she will distribute resources and organize her employees according to the plan. Melissa will need to identify different roles and ensure that she assigns the right amount of employees to carry out her plan. She will also need to delegate authority, assign work, and provide direction so that her team of sales representatives can work towards higher sales numbers without having barriers in their way. Leading The third function of management is leading. In this step, Melissa spends time connecting with her employees on an interpersonal level. This goes beyond simply managing tasks; rather, it involves communicating, motivating, inspiring, and encouraging employees towards a higher level of productivity. Not all managers are leaders. An employee will follow the directions of a manager because they have to, but an employee will voluntarily follow the directions of a leader because they believe in who he or she is as a person, what he or she stands for, and for the manner in which they are inspired by the leader.

The project manager need to communicate efectively with the Project Owner or senior executives management related to any project issues and the reasons for stop/terminate the project. So, In my openion, the project manager does not have the authority to stop work on the project for any kind of reasons, but his authority is just to execute the project by deployimg the existance resources.

Yes, project manager has the authority to hold the project for any reason that could impact the project negatively in areas such as scope, quality, unbudgeted and unnecessary cost, health and safety. However, i think a smart PM should have a contingency plan for this stop or hold in order to make sure that the project will not be delivered late, especially if there are penalties for later delivery. Moreover, taking such a decision is recommended to be based on a risk assessment, shared with project stakeholders holders and approved by project sponsor. 

Project manager has the right to stop a certain work in the project but it doesn't mean that he can just stop it due to hes logical reason,  a well oriented project manager will and always coordinate first with his team of engineers before he will make a certain decision. a project does not only composed of a project manager it includes a team of professionals that will help the project manager in making a fair and quality decisions.

The project manager technically should not have the authority. Having said that, he needs to involve the project sponsor and let him/her know about the state of the project, and then take a mutual decision on a consolidated basis. 

I think the answer will be yes, he owns this rule especially in the construction projects when he discovers any actions from the contractor which they valuated as an out - work specifications actions,  and they lead to bad consequences on the structure and its users  

Yes, a project manager should stop construction or the project if it is a matter of safety or ethical reasons, however he/she has the responsibility to make the share or stake holders aware of the situation .... what good is it to place a building on a spot which has been overlooked and a sinkhole is starting to form... or lives could have been saved if people would have listened to the engineers about the failing O rings on the space schedule;

Yes, he/she should stop the project and checking on the issue ... a human live is more worth than a few days delay in a project or even close it down ... yes the project manager should account to the owners/stake holders and why it been done ... any project with a problem should be shut down, being investigated  and proper measures  initiated to fix the problem ... in most cases fixing the mistake now is less costly than fixing it when the project is completed