Why Do We Need Global Governance Politics Essay

Why Do We Need Global Governance Politics Essay Ruling the world has been the main aim for every major leader throughout history. It is the feeling of power and achievement that makes one feel superior to any other citizen with older examples such as Alexander the Great to later (1900s) ones such as Hitler and Lenin who eventually aimed for the same concept. However, the consequences of the actions of these leaders also resulted in corruption and revolution. Not only conflicts between average citizens were created, but also nation states prepared themselves to fight back. Since the Second World War, organizations and unions have been created to maximize global governance and interference in order to prevent unbalance between states. Not only should one country have a say towards world issues, but decisions should rather be taken together and internationally which is the main characterization of global governance. Global governance derives from local democracy. The local laws further expand to national law where unions or organizations such as the European Commission unite the local and national votes into one. Today, global governance is at a point where it is being observed by not only statesmen but also its citizens. It has reached a peak where the involvement and cooperation of all societies is vital. The world situation is worsening where jobs have been lost; most farmers have been replaced due to globalization and environmental issues have cost billions. Yet, the biggest test (since the formation of UN) that global governance has been put to is the major economic crisis during these past recent years. It has experimented the boundaries and abilities on how states have taken action in the direction of governance and responsibilities towards world issues. It is therefore vital for such issues to be acknowledged, understood and spoken out about and by applying the three points, decent coope rations between states are created, debated upon discussed on how to tackle these issues. State-building With global interference and governance, new states that dont have the ability to nationally build themselves up get the aid needed to sustain their state (e.g. Kosovo) from international movements and organizations. This concept also applies to failed or collapsed states for legitimate reasons. An example of this is the post colonial states. It was after the Second World War when states were being de-colonized and were gradually attaining independence from the help of the UN trusteeship council that assisted them to attain and stabilize their independence. This illustrates and proves that without global governance, that would not have been possible. A federation of all humanity together with a sufficient means of social justice to ensure health, education, and a rough equality of opportunity, would mean such a release and increase of human energy as to open a new phase in human history. H.g Wells  [1]   It is a key role to have international involvement for a sustainable working economy and fair global politics. With globalization, one of the most important factors is the functioning and facilitation between borders and governments cooperating. By standing united, countries have more capacity through joint efforts than they most likely individually both economically and politically. An economical example is taken with the agricultural subsidies in France. Today millions of Euros of Frances GDP goes to agricultural farmers as subsidies every year, it is most likely that this would not be a possibility if it was not for the common policies which it is heavily dependent on of the European Union and the cooperation of countries such as Germany (being called the core countries, with France of Europe  [2]  ) -a major supplier of French subsidies. Schengen By referring to the Schengen Zone, one can clearly see how global governance has turned to work out for the best. It is kept as a foreign policy where it first (of many reasons) make travel exceptionally simple. Another byproduct with the Schengen Zone though is that it also controls criminal movements. E.g. one may believe that it is very simple for criminals to pass around borderless countries without being checked at borders and sent back to their original location. Yes, indeed this is true, though at the same time it is very difficult for them to hide. When looking back before the creation of Schengen, if a criminal had illegally left and fled a country, due to judiciary policies and processes, these two countries (the original country and the one where the criminal fled to) would have to go through legal negotiations and procedures to be able to send people with such criminal records back. However, today due to being in a joint venture or an agreement, such issues do not occur. Instead of each country being very compact with its rules and borders, zones such as the Schengen have become stronger as a whole and less harsh internally. So yes, it may be very difficult to become part of the Schengen, but once you are in, you are free to go wherever within the border. WTO World Trade Organization EU is aiming for a good common market between all nations including fair trade, therefore many organizations have been created to to keep issues such as trade and production of supplies arranged and fair between all countries. The World Trade Organization is the only global international organization that deals with the rules of trade between nations  [3]  . Although the system has various flaws, the core values or the principles are important in bringing countries and policies together. The way of cooperation may be strong; however the idea behind it is to establish fair rules and trades so that countries unlike e.g. the US can as well compete in the global market. This was a main aim of global governance which has proved to have some succession. An important factor to keep in mind though is the comparisons of how the globe is today compared to the past. These days, the problems we face are different to the ones before. There is more terrorism (as people go by such means to get their voices heard), there is a more rapid climate change, financial problems and also pandemics such as HIV, which cannot be tackled easily and will be in need of global efforts. It is therefore very difficult as an individual state to face these problems and tackle them than it is more likely with the help of the trusteeship of other countries. Global governance is a vital key towards mitigating conflicts and wars. Before the League of Nations, there was barely a platform for nations to meet and do decisions together. It was basically only individual states and the congress of Vienna and the Council of Europe. In other words, today, if a state wants to go into war, she can be stopped by its membership partners and together they will deal with the problems not having to use armed forces. If you compare this to the times before global governance was so important and played a role, then this country would already be preparing for this war. This proves that trusteeship is based on respect towards one another. It is like the second voice that makes you double think and council to before taking it a step further. The League of Nations (1900-1924) The League of Nations was an important breakthrough after the First World War with one main task: to maintain a war from happening again. It was after the chaos that erupted from the treaty of Versailles that people looked for hope in this league and mainly wanted stability. This international body was created by Mr. Woodrow Wilson, who also was the president of the United States. What is ironic though is that the US decided they would not join this league, being as powerful as they were and as isolating as they were becoming. The idea behind the League of Nations was very bright and many were keen on how it worked. Britain and France were the two most important nations that had joined this league as neither Germany nor Russia was allowed into it due to its internal problems. Germany who is claimed (by the Treaty of Versailles) to have started the war was not seen a as a part of the international community and was therefore not allowed to join the decision makers in the League of Nations. In one way though, this was a great relief to the league as it did not have to finance the country in bad times. In spite of the joining of these two nations, the league was a good idea and it was a kick-off for global governance. It aided countries economically though not militarily (as in what the United Nations is doing today) due do its lack of weapons after the World War. The league has been proven to be successful and given a great push towards global governance, the members together have prevented wars from occurring and by this cooperation, communication between the members has been enhanced. Which reforms are needed in the UN for global governance? Following the current economic situation in the world; booming of sub-national communities, the rise of strong nation states, successful regionalism and no compatibility in the globalization, things are bound to go on as long as there is no democracy and compromises triumph at all levels, so it was the responsibility of the UN to step in and make the difference (Reforms at the UN). The UN is also charged with the responsibility of addressing governance challenges in sub-national and national frame work being one of the major international community organizations and has to take the role of supporting national governments democratic reforms. They have been claims on a major disconnect between the management of the international communities and the reforms that are associated with them. Gupta (p346) says that due to the above conditions, the UN had to do something and tackle those pending reforms. Though it had very many topics to be addressed, the main areas of concentration were sugg ested to be economic issues, security and legal affairs. It should be noted that the UN role in the mentioned issues vary and differ from each other. Calls for reforms were also received from world leaders such as the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Felder (p36) asserts that he warned the UN that time was running out for them to make global governance reforms on economic, political and environmental crises. He stated that the world was facing a lot of challenges like global warming, recession, poverty and nuclear proliferation and said that the world is getting impatient of waiting for the reforms. He mentioned some specific areas that he felt really needed to be reformed like the expansion of it membership, restructuring of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, equal rights of voting among nations and the curbing of the green house gases. The Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi also called for reforms in the Security Council so as to make the body more representative and effective and economic reforms that would take into account the voices of more countries. Reforms needed in the UN for global governance Most of the panel members were for the idea of the reforms being undertaken by the United Nations but some still said that no reforms were needed. Though there were some disagreements here and there on some specific issues like the World Health Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organizations, the call for reforms was clear both from inside the UN and the outside world. The reforms cut across several areas and agencies and differed from one to the other depending on the importance and the how adverse the area was affected. On July, Kofi Annan released the Maurice Strongs plan who was the Executive Coordinator to begin reforms of the United Nations which at that time was considered as a sprawling system. The reforms mainly involved the implementations of the many recommendations that were brought forward by the commission on Global Governance (Klingbeil, p349). The UN had appointed a Commission to look at the global economic and financial crisis and it had come up with its own recommendations reforms. The reforms covered areas such as; The International trade in Agriculture and the Right to Food. As a branch of the right to live, the right to food was aimed at guaranteeing every human being to be free from hunger. To achieve this, the Agricultural trade policy had to be formed to help fulfill this right. This was not obvious as it could also serve as a hindrance if it was conceived but in neglect of the human rights (Bongang, p86). It called for all the states to respect all the human rights while entering trade agreements. Basing on the report from the commission, especially the part covering the World trade Organization and the right to food suggested the strengthening of the special role of agriculture in trade agreements. This would ensure that the two are compatible with the states responsibility to fulfill its populations Food rights. The commissions came up with the possibilities to reconcile the human rights requirements and trade policies (Global Policy Forum). The commis sion also had recommendations towards a Socially Responsible and Democratic Global Economic system. It suggested for transparency, accountability and governance in central banks, national governments and international financial institutions. These institutions had rushed blindly with efforts to rescue the global financial system and the reforms were to step in and check on this urgent pace. The commission then came up with proposals and principles which would strengthen these reforms and enable the institutions move towards a more democratic global economic system and socially responsible. The proposal faced challenges as these institutions denied some of the allegations on transparency and accountability (Zifcak, p50). Like the Central Bank claimed that it would be transparent only if it followed simple and previously policy goals particularly on commitment to use monetary policies in fighting the price inflation on commodities and not asset bubbles. The policy asserted that the as set inflations can be ignored considering the consumer price inflation and at the same time the asset deflations also cut into profits. The Security of Council also came to question and the commission suggested a new approach to it. This was not the first time the Security Council had come under scrutiny as the UN members had been discussing reforms on it over decades but nothing had really come out of the discussions. The suggestion was that a council which was newly forged and one that had a common ground on which progress could be easily made. The Security Council is charged with the responsibility to maintain peace and security internationally. The council comes up with resolutions that bind all members the UN Member States. The responsibility needed a lot of reforms in order to become more democratic, transparent and accountable to the UN member States and to the public. The reforms are as delicate as they are political in nature and the situation worsens when it gets to enlargement and debates covering regional political rivalries. The procedural issues also make the reforms more complicated as there are some w hich can be implemented while others require voting which will need amendments in the UN charter and changes in the council composition. The proposals may result to the Member States holding on to their old positions although they will be given the freedom to change (Oxford Journals). Members are also going to find other avenues to address their issues and the reforms will remain a national interest issue that have strategic interest regionally and global power ambitions. The International Financial System also needed reforms according to the commission as it was at the peak of financial crisis hence something had to be done to avoid such situations in future. It advocated for the repudiation of the US dollar to be the key international currency and that it should be able to bear responsibilities that come along (Herman, p213). The commission also insisted on the importance of adjusting mechanisms that will solve the imbalances in the international payments and how the capital controls stabilizes the international financial market. It directed most of its efforts on the role of the regional monetary cooperation. The reforms faced challenges from the US which was against any changes that would result to the dollar loosing its standards though it accepted to adjust the voting shares between European countries and Asia. There was a strong call for sustainable Governance for the 21st centaury. To attain this, the UN had to address economic and environmental crises and the changing geopolitics. The UN was running out of time to position itself in a way that it could effectively manage the new global changes that included the financial and economic crisis, energy and food crises and climate change. Hence the commissions recommended the transformation in policies governing human resource and provide findings for UN research. It also came up with ways of improving the leadership policies by Secretary -General especially in times of crises and the establishment of an institution that was independent analytically. The UN was asked to improve its own policies on research capacities, planning and better division of labor between other multilateral organization and the UN. The UN also had to check on its democratic support and it was challenged to come up with a new beginning democratically. The financial cri sis was believed to be the opening for democracy support and to achieve a democratic future, the UN was supposed to respond directly to crisis especially concerning economic vulnerable, it should direct specific focus on young democracies and support them and come up with ways of strengthening international organizations. Which model should we use in global governance and why? When it comes to governance, all aspects should be included so as to come up with a government that is efficient, democratic and meets all the needs and expectations of the people it governs. This is to say that in governance, the executive, legislature and judiciary should not be divided into separate and independent bodies. Such divisions limit the proper working of the government and the excesses by the government since all these three are required for making, executing and administering laws. This not only applies to a nation but cuts through even for global governance hence the best method that can be used in global governance should be a model that includes all the three branches of government. With the incorporation of all the three, then we will achieve the global governance that we need. With the prevailing world situations and crisis, we need institutions and governances that are democratic, transparent, accountable and those that can work properly with the civil societies and the NGOs. All these are beyond what a single country can achieve no matter how powerful it may be to solve all these and still be responsible enough to cater for the responsibilities of all the mankind. Trenkov (p90) says hence the need for a world institution which has the legitimacy, clout and the caliber to handle effectively all these weaknesses and enact the possible reforms. An organization that can be fit to do such is the UN. We need a government that will ensure that international cooperation grows stronger despite the rise in the number of rifts and divides, global governance that will provide solutions to the increasing security concerns, come up with policies that will strengthen the c ivilians and not the military. One which has policies that protect and conserve nature and also addresses all the causes of insecurity clearly providing good solutions. All these are just but some of the roles the UN. The UN considers dialogue and diplomacy in handling military parties, pass resolutions and sends peacekeepers to solve disputes. The UN has peacekeeping troops and personnel in more than 110 countries which are normally send all over the world for peace keeping missions. Some of the organizations that have exercised global governance include International Criminal Court, MDGs and Kyoto. The NGOs and civil societies have also been working globally without biases. They have worked together in issues like protecting the environment, helping the poor in fighting HIV/AIDS and have taken part in prosecution for crimes against humanity. Treaties such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have contributed in large extent to the global security and economic development. What are the main difficulties when achieving global governance? The issues and difficulties with global governance usually start at the same point which is state sovereignty. The Westphalian system the concept of nation-state sovereignty based on two principles: territoriality and the exclusion of external actors from domestic authority structures   [4]  is widely popular and accepted worldwide. Any kind of attempt of an external interference with any kind of domestic issue is usually not widely welcomed. States can feel this comes with a loss of their independent decision making. However what one must always consider is that all states are involved in the decision making process and that means that the outcome selected is a product of their thinking as well. It does not mean that a state can be governed by a third power and that it can interfere in its issues without their permission. Other than the actual issue of loosing the concept of self decision making and sovereignty, the concept of the ruling system of global governance itself is often considered a problem. This is mainly related to the way of how for example the United Nations system is carried out. As it is the largest decision making body in terms of the global governance issue, it can be used as an example for any further innovations of the system. Overall the main difficulty to overcome in the UN is the system of votes and the share of power. There are two main problems with this topic. Firstly the system of votes gives every country the same vote no matter what size, political and economical characteristics it might have. As this may seem like a rather fair system, which is how it was initially meant, in real daily basis of decision making in the UN it means that states much smaller in size and economical power can decide on issues which do not relate to them at all or will not influence them at such a large scale. The second problem the UN might have in terms of its power sharing is the widely criticized Security Council and overall the fact that a few set selected states with rather larger amounts of power, govern the UN and have a bigger say in the decision making process which is then unfair because no matter what issue comes up a hand full powerful countries in the world will always be at the centre of the decision makin g, often rather than those who would be influenced by this issue in the future. Another major issue of global governance comes down to the characteristics of a democratic process. In an ideal democratic discussion as all parties should be heard and considered and a debate over all the concerning aspects should be carried out, the process of decision making through global governance can be longer as compared to the one on only a national or regional scale. As the duration of the decision making process grows the effectivity of the policy implemented declines. To conclude the major points that make it difficult for achieving global governance these would include : fears of losing state sovereignty, criticism of the vote share both in the General Assembly and the Security Council and the speed of decision making and its effects on implementing various policies. How to overcome these difficulties of global governance The reason behind why some states are threatened by global governance and fear the loss of sovereignty is due to the fact that either they feel excluded from the decision making and fear that they will be ruled by another power or that there are issues which tackle topics that might be considered as nationalist. To improve this a different system of voting sharing could be imposed. If decision making only touches a few countries than these countries should have a bigger say in the process as it will concern only them and no one else. However it is important to somehow maintain the process as of course countries may be biased. Therefore this policy would usually not be helpful if only one country is concerned by a topic as naturally it would just defend its stand without any need to compromise. On a regional scale of a few countries that all understand the issue and might bring something new into a collective debate, it would be more progressive to only apply regional governance rather than global. Another positive aspect of this solution would be the fact that countries that are not involved with such an issue what so ever would not spend on time on such things and would be able to focus on other important issues that need to be solved. The fact that certain issues may concern topics that touch the nationalist side is widely known. As the sense of nationalism usually varies across the world it is very difficult to point out exactly what topics should be off limits when it comes to the decision making. While topics such as culture are very obvious, other aspects vary as different countries take pride in different areas and losing the power to fully ad solely decide in such areas would mean losing a sense of national pride. Such topics that should be off limits should be discussed and decided by the general body of the global governance to avoid any sense of misunderstanding and unnecessary pressure in the future. A reform in the Security Council has been widely discussed. It is obvious that this system does not fully support democracy but on the other hand benefits few and takes away power from the small states. The main problem with Security Council seems to be the fact that the setting we practice now in the UN can be rather permanent. Some suggest a rotating presidency would bring more efficiency in the Un as the decision making would then be balanced. However this on the other hand might not be the most effective solution as any kind of mistake could be blamed on the ruling circle before the present Security Council. One of the greatest improvements global governance needs is interconnectedness. As global governance is an aspect of globalization it should stand up to the standards of growing interconnectedness of the world. This means it should connect its public and private sectors, regional and global aspects and encourage citizenship participation. A greater interconnectedness of public and private sectors be it in the economical, educational or medical sector would not only help to improve these areas by bringing in new aspects and a broader view on things but would work in a greater stabilization of the sectors and most importantly it would possibly prove more efficient in implying certain policies and would make it a faster process when implementing various policies. A more cooperative regional and global approach would help focus on the areas really needed in regions in turns rather than trying to generalize a solution which may not be as efficient at times. If regions were able to present a unified solution in the start it would mean that the issue of single votes would not be as problematic as before. An encouraged citizenship participation could bring in new ideas and aspects and again a more focused approach on certain ideas. A citizens view might bring in new insights and ideas which on a greater scale if they are unified can serve the populations specific needs rather than generalized policies. It should be a vital point in the decision making of global governance which is only highlighted by this quote of Listening to what citizens have to say is the surest way of meeting their needs. And the organization of world governance needs to be founded on the satisfaction of these needs. The principles of citizenship are therefore a necessary condition in the creation of any new model for managing the planet.  [5]   It is important to understand why achieving global governance is so important, what it would bring to world citizens and what are the criteria for overcoming difficulties with global governance. For this it seems rather appropriate to quote Dr. Rajesh Tandon, president of the FIM  [6]  (Montreal International Forum) and of PRIA (Participatory Research in Asia) and his works on Democratization of Global Governance for Global Democracy: Civil Society Visions and Strategies (G05) conference. Democratic policy at the global level requires legitimacy of popular control through representative and direct mechanisms. Citizen participation in decision making at global levels requires equality of opportunity to all citizens of the world. Multiple spheres of governance, from local to provincial to national to regional and global, should mutually support democratization of decision making at all levels. Global democracy must guarantee that global public goods are equitably accessible to all citizens of the world  [7]   Conclusion So to conclude it is important to understand the points mentioned above fully as without legitimacy and control of power, equal opportunities to all world citizens, democracy and accessibility of public goods and services a reform of global governance is not possible as it needs the basic criteria to develop. Fears of losing state sovereignty, issues of nationalism, criticism of the vote share both in the General Assembly and the Security Council and the speed of decision making and its effects on implementing various policies all have to be dealt with through a changed voting system in the UN, areas restricted to global governance and areas that are off limits and should only be dealt with on a national scale, a reform of the Security Council and very importantly a greater need of interconnectedness on all levels. The UN would not have managed to meet its expectations and the requirements of the 21st century without reforming several aspects of its governance. Its responsibility is to protect the ordinary people against poverty, conflicts, diseases, hunger and erosion of the natural environment. With the reforms at place, the organization is now in the best position to carry out these global governance issues that happen to be under the jurisdiction of the organization, it is independent and indispensable to the international community and has all it takes to handle global governance issues. Hence we can see that the UN is the best global governance we can have to promote peace, rule of law, protection of human rights and development of the poorest regions in the world. Bibliography/Sources

Method of Radical Doubt

The method of doubt that is used to attain certainty was formulated by famous Western philosopher Rene Descartes (Burnham & Fieser). It was initially formulated to be a method for religion, science, and epistemology (Burnham & Fieser). He lived in the 16th to 17th century, and created works on mathematics and physics (Burnham & Fieser). His method of radical or hyperbolic doubt was a product of his being a radical skeptic. This position means that Descartes did not readily accept anything as true. Moreover, he did not immediately classify anything as knowledge. Thus, contrary to the inclinations of philosophers and thinkers of his time, he never believed in anything unless they passed his test of indubitability (Burnham & Fieser). Descartes vehemently denied the prevailing concepts of his time, as put forward by the Aristotelian, Scholastic, and Medieval traditions (Burnham & Fieser). This gave birth to his determination to be a radical skeptic, which for him allowed him to start anew in his quest for a philosophical foundation (Burnham & Fieser). However, it is important to note that Descartes’ radical skepticism is different from the position of other skeptics, which is doubting for the sake of doubting. Feature Article Relative Rates:  Free-Radical Bromination Being a radical skeptic, Descartes desperately searched for true knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). For him, knowledge is based on truth and indubitability (Burnham & Fieser). A certain proposition would only be accepted as knowledge if it were true and does not entertain doubt (Burnham & Fieser). For example, one’s knowledge of a table is brought about by his belief that it is true and real. Descartes formulated a criteria of knowledge based on clarity and distinctness, which gives a person confidence in his determination of whether a statement is worthy of being accepted as true knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). Descartes’ radical skepticism is characterized by his comprehensive rejection of the reliability of accepting ideas as truth or knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). He is known for the wide-ranging premise that truth is not represented by a person’s ideas (Burnham & Fieser). For him, ideas cannot be automatically classified as truth (Burnham & Fieser). Quite the contrary, ideas obscure a person’s perception of the truth. (Burnham & Fieser). Thus Descartes rejected all ideas that are susceptible to doubt. In this connection, he likewise excluded mere wishes or opinions from real knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). For him, such dubitable ideas could not serve the purpose of determining the foundation for philosophy or knowledge (Burnham & Fieser). Descartes’ method of hyperbolic doubt was explained in detail in his work published in 1641, entitled Meditations on First Philosophy, wherein he discussed issues regarding the existence of God and the distinction between mind and body (Burnham & Fieser). In this book, Descartes concluded that there is at least a doubting being whose existence is independent of its body; namely, himself (Burnham & Fieser, 2006). Descartes’ method of hyperbolic doubt consists of several stages (Burnham & Fieser). First, it involves the identification of a class of knowledge that is unreliable because it is not credible (Burnham & Fieser). This class of knowledge refers to sensory information, or those gathered from sensory stimuli (Burnham & Fieser). Descartes’ choice of doubting sensory knowledge is based on his stand that sensory knowledge has been known for failing in the past (Burnham & Fieser). Furthermore, Descartes claims that there is a distinct possibility that it will still fail in the future. Moreover, he referred to optical illusions, which are sensory knowledge that is based on deception. They make a person believe that his perceptions differ from what truly exists in the world (Burnham & Fieser. For Descartes, therefore, sensory knowledge cannot be trusted. Descartes next subjected his own ideas to radical doubt (Burnham & Fieser). This he did by imagining that there exists a God who deceives him into thinking his thought, beliefs, and perceptions. (Burnham & Fieser, 2006). However, due to Descartes’ strong belief in God, he later replaced the idea of God as the deceiver to avoid disagreeing with his Christian belief, and conjured the idea of a malevolent demon who deceives him (Burnham & Fieser). Under this test, Descartes was able to conclude that even his own ideas cannot be trusted because they can still be doubted, since they could have been implanted in his mind by the malevolent demon (Burnham & Fieser). Finally, Descartes settled with the conclusion that he exists (Burnham & Fieser). This conclusion he reached through mental intuition, because he noticed that there were statements that are presented to his mind with sufficient clarity and distinctness that there is no reason to doubt them (Burnham & Fieser). This gave rise to his famous phrase, â€Å"I think therefore I am,† or â€Å"Cogito ergo sum (Burnham & Fieser).† This cannot be doubted, because the fact that he doubts shows that there is an existing entity who performs the doubting (Burnham & Fieser). If he did not exist in the first place, then there is no being whom the malevolent demon would be deceiving (Burnham & Fieser).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In sum, Descartes arrived at one conclusion using his method of radical doubt. This conclusion is that it is the indubitable truth that he is a thinking entity that exists (Burnham & Fieser). Works Cited Burnham, D. & Fieser, J. â€Å"Renà © Descartes (1596-1650).† The Internet Encyclopedia of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philosophy. 2006. 1 Apr. 2007 .      

About Time Essay

When introducing his book, author Adam Frank tells us that he is setting out to â€Å"unfold the grandest conception of the universe we human beings have been able to imagine and explore. At the same time embracing our most intimate and most personal experience of the world — the very frame of human life. † â€Å"This book is about time, both cosmic and human. † For those interested in the complex journey of humanity through the cosmos, Frank does not fail in his quest to unravel the unique web of ‘time’ into a thread of understandable science. That is if you can take a partially solved puzzle and write a book that connects the proverbial dots of known science and cultural anthropology with the partially understood theories of cosmology and related sciences. Mission accomplished by Frank. Upon first receiving this book, I was hopeful that Frank would present the material of thousands of years of science in a unique and interesting way; setting his writing apart from the hundreds of other astronomy books I’ve read. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay Frank, being a seasoned writer and astrophysics professor, did not disappoint. Frank takes you on a conversational journey, filled with real life examples, both personal and historical, to share his view of some of the most multifarious ideas being considered in our galaxy today. The first few chapters are a review of compound science related to our galaxy, but Frank quickly dives into a discussion of how culture has been affected by the world around it. From there Frank draws a picture from intricate ideas and theories of how society fits in the larger puzzle of cosmology. All while focusing on the measurement of time. If you are looking to take your perspective of cosmology to a new and deeper level, allow Adam Frank to steal some of your time and read his book â€Å"About Time†. Frank will surely have you viewing your society, history, and clock in a whole new perspective. Not to mention putting you on the forefront of scientific theories and cultural progress being considered in the world of cosmology.

KFC Communication in Franchise Restuarants - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2027 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? This report attempts to look at the importance of communication in the world of one of the biggest franchise restaurant that is located in global scale, KFC. KFC is a fast food restaurant chain based in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands , Inc since 1997. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "KFC Communication in Franchise Restuarants" essay for you Create order The main aspects of business covered in this report are: business demographics, organizational goals, organizational culture and ethics, management of knowledge resources, group dynamics, meeting management, stakeholders, and networks. Communication is required both within and outside the corporate in order for the employers and the employees to get involved in as efficient and productive interaction and operation. Good communication enables accompany to locate and target its stakeholders and relate to them. I believe for a corporate to grow successfully, it must appreciate the vitality of communication training. There may be special procedures to prevent arguments, reasons to or not to employ people with diverse background, and such. Business Demographics Business demography is one of the key factors affecting business success. This is because businesses necessitate the differentiation of their products, depending on different characteristics of the population. KFC needs to find its own business demographics to attract customers in many ways. One example of their business demographics usage is the location of its shops. KFC used the demographics of local population and families to locate their stores in the optimal place possible. In a region, the whole building is being run as KFC restaurant (E.g. Quay St, Auckland Central), while some KFC shops are located within the Westfield, or other bigger markets. (E.g. Edmonton Rd, Te Atatu, Auckland) It is likely that the prosperity of each shop has varied the population of the potential customers, and considering those demographics, the company would have resulted the number to decide its shop sizes. Meanwhile, as people request more of nutrition information and processing methods ab out the products, KFC followed the customers needs to communicate with these potential customers. Theyve used methods of: Website https://www.kfc.co.nz/index.cfm?contentNodeID=423 Leaflet within the newspapers Television advertisement Since demographics are the statistical analysis used to identify markets for their goods and services, such communication method was an attempt to adapt into the market regarding to the business demographics (increased number of people requiring more information about the product). Such communication process promotes KFC to attract more customers, as theyve made their products more reliable, and this can ultimately result into the business growth. Organizational Goals NZ based KFC ©s main goal is to create the tastiest and best-loved chicken in New Zealand ( ©Copy Right 2010 KFC). To share the business objectives with all the staffs and the managers of the chain restaurants within New Zealand, KFC © uses several kinds of methods to communicate with their employees. Training programme: Every single KFC staff, even a part-time worker, needs to go through the training programme for the first few weeks of their work. However, the company continues the training throughout the entire career with KFC, providing life skills, technical skills, management skills and leadership coaching. One main reason for such intense training programme of KFC is to strengthen their sense of ownership, which includes holding firm on their business goals ( ©Copy Right 2010 KFC). Employees who went through these training programme will therefore concentrate on creating the tastiest and best-loved chicken (e.g. managers instruct staffs to use better-quality oil, part-time workers pay extra attention in food hygiene). Organizational culture and ethics Nowadays, the world is very much globalized that organizations inevitably encompass people from different culture and ethnic groups. It is the organizations role to have no barriers against individuals with different backgrounds. KFC New Zealand © requires all members of the organization to use English as their official language. To testify this, they have job interviews before they employ the workers. Such process is to allow fluent communication to occur not just amongst the organization members, but also between customers. Therefore official verbal communication is not a problem for KFC ©. Informal communication allows members of the organization to strengthen their social bond. Through private conversation, staffs can share common interests and sympathy other than their business conversation. Such behavior virtually improves the relationship amongst workers and increase productivity and efficiency in their production process. Cultural bonding (same culture) allows the members to take coordinated actions. However, there exists undesirable informal communication with members of different ethnic and cultural groups. Existing discrimination or isolation against minor ethic group is officially hard to identify. So members need to gain the ability to communicate with all members without discrimination. This can be done through training programme or national education. Management of knowledge resources Effective Knowledge management directly leads to the development of organizations. It deals with the real world execution including organizational adaptation, survival and competence against environmental changes. It focuses on doing the right things instead of doing things right. Ongoing training programme of KFC © mentioned above is a good example of the organizations effort to manage knowledge resources. Apart from the training programme, KFC © introduces its members regular performance reports to seek developmental potentials. Through this process, workers can be aware of their companys position in the market and will be motivated or instructed to find a solution for development. Senior members of the KFC © also take part in seminars and conferences for technical and strategic breakthrough. These activities allow them to manage their sub-groups more efficiently. Group Dynamics In an organization where teams of human resources are needed to achieve goals and provide innovative products and services, effective team communication is crucial; this is called group dynamics. It is also the ways each person functions to create in total a corporative atmosphere and achieve common goal. The KFC © has appreciated the concept of the importance of individuals thinking and meaning to produce collective team thinking and has quoted: For us, diversity is not a target its a way of life and a way of doing business. Everyone can and does make a difference in our organization (Yum! Brands, Inc.) The organization believes in the importance of actively seeking diversity (Yum! Brands, Inc.) in everyone, meaning that everyone has the potential to participate in solving problems, servicing customers and creating richer culture for the work environment. In a diverse group, of both culture and character, it is easy to have disagreements and conflicts that may need to b e managed rather than ignored. In reaction to such problem, the concept called norms can be put to action; norms are the expectations for behavior of all members working within the team (Renz and Greg, 2000) in other words ground rules for teams. Explicit norms will make it easier for members to commit to appropriate behavior and avoid unnecessary conflict. (ChaseP, 2003, à ­Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ½Ã‹Å"à ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¬Ã‚ §Ã¢â€š ¬: 169) Table 1, below, shows some possible norms that could be considered by a team that values consensus decision making and wants its members to feel secure enough to express feelings and reveal thought. In other words, norms of high trust and openness to others ideas are vital for team learning, and ensure that the teams energy and intelligence are not wasted (ChaseP, 2003, à ­Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ½Ã‹Å"à ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¬Ã‚ §Ã¢â€š ¬: 169). Table 1: Possible norms to encourage openness. A Start and finish on time. B Attend all meetings. C Maintain co nfidentiality. Note anything you regard as confidential to ensure that it is not discussed outside the meeting. D Make sure we understand what we will each do and bring to the next meeting. E See one another as equal, i.e. set seniority aside. F See differences as an asset. G Avoid blaming one person. H Learn from mistakes. (ChaseP, 2003, à ­Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ½Ã‹Å"à ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¬Ã‚ §Ã¢â€š ¬: 388) Meeting management A meeting is the only place a group really exists and takes action as a group, not just as separate individuals (Schemerhorn, 1989) (ChaseP, 2003) There are number of advantages that meetings provide: An opportunity to share ideas and information and contribute ones thought before a decision is made. A human face for the organization. Interaction between members and solutions to problems can be offered productively. Opportunities to co-ordinate and co-operate. Increase individuals acceptance, build morale, commitment, and create a sense of belonging. For something that produces vast outcomes, board meetings are held only less than ten times annually; therefore, it is important to balance the structure of the meetings and manage interaction effectively and efficiently. The importance of correct orientation within the board meetings is appreciated by the KFC © and conducts responsibility: In preparation for meetings, Directors are advised to review t he materials that are sent to Directors in advance of those meetings. The Board believes it is critical for members to have materials on topics to be discussed sufficiently in advance of the meeting date and for Board members to be kept abreast of developments between Board meetings (Yum! Brandsinc., à ­Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ½Ã‹Å"à ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¬Ã‚ §Ã¢â€š ¬: 6). This makes sure everyone understands the meetings purpose and ensures the meeting is both productive and satisfying. To make the meeting more productive, the committee may request any officer or employee of the Company or the Companys outside counsel or independent auditors to attend a meeting of the committee (à ­Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ½Ã‹Å"à ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¬Ã‚ §Ã¢â€š ¬: 2). This encourages diversity among the meeting participants and sharing of free and useful ideas. The full Board should engage in discussions on strategic issues and ensure that there is sufficient time devoted to Director interchange on these subjects (à ­Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ½Ã‹ Å"à ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¬Ã‚ §Ã¢â€š ¬: 7). Stakeholders Stakeholders for a corporate would include employees, employers, suppliers, customers, society, shareholders, etc. who can affect or be affected by the actions of the business. The interests for each stakeholder are different, and it is for the corporate to appropriately reach them. Like almost every other corporate in the world, KFC © uses internet website https://www.kfc.com/ to reach all its stakeholders at least for the initial phase, such as contact. For the customers, the comprehensive interests, such as the value, quality, customer care and ethical products (Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia), are guided in the KFC © homepage within the Nutrition link. Legible guides to nutrition, chicken food allergies and exchange list (a meal planning system developed by dietitians primarily for people with diabetes ( ©Copy Right 2010 KFC)) are targeted for customers. For suppliers, the Supplier Code of Conduct is on display in the Social Responsibility link. C ompliance with Laws and Regulations, Employment Practices, Audit and Inspections, and Application ( ©Copy Right 2010 KFC) are explained in detail. For the benefit of the society, Packaging and the Environment, and Animal Welfare Program are explained as well. In the details are shown: KFC ©s commitment to the environment as [they] are to [their] food and customers ( ©Copy Right 2010 KFC), and the humane treatment of animals ( ©Copy Right 2010 KFC) that involves a farm level audit program leading in the areas of poultry care and handling ( ©Copy Right 2010 KFC). Networks For the network between the corporate and the people outside the business, communication is open to be reached through the contact revealed in the Contact Us link. KFC © promotes its openness in inviting new employees for numerous positions, such as assistant managers, general manager, shift supervisor and team members, to join their family. Videos filmed by current employees that reflect on their life at KFC © are available for everyone to watch on their site, allowing second-hand experience prior to applying. Conclusion In a popular, global scale corporate like KFC ©, a community is formed with every individual who take part in the business, from customers to CEO. In such vast community, communication performs a very important role in allowing a fluent and efficient production of goods and services. A good communication is also required in order to exchange information between people with same interest and different culture. Because KFC © appreciates the need for cultural diversity in its corporate, their attention to communication among employees is underscored. Punctual meetings are needless to say and are met every time, as compulsory, with bold pre-notification. To make the meetings as productive as possible, many means are incorporated. The means to avoid conflict within the company required a special form of communication called norms. This allowed a civilized compromise to take place between people with different ideas, leading to even better result. Good means of communication within a corporate brings satisfaction to the customers needs and the business.