Globalisation in Terms of Social and Economic Trends

Globalisation is not a single phenomenon. It has become a catch-all concept to describe a range of trends and forces changing the social and economic structures of the world. Globalisation may be defined as ‘becoming or making world-wide†, but it has also been referred to as Westernisation. Globalisation as argued by Professor Ruud Lubbers, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, is considered to have a number of distinct elements to it, which include Economic, Technological, Political, Cultural and Environmental. Economically, greater world integration or globalisation has been greatly encouraged since the Second World War, with the introduction of free trade agreements such as GATT (General Agreement on Tariff†s and Trade). Additionally, regional trade agreements have also been developed, which have included ‘single markets† established by the European Community and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). Technologically, the IT revolution has provided a massive improvements in our ability to store and manipulate data using ever more powerful computers. More important however, is the communication abilities of these computers. The Communications Revolution has resulted in the ‘shrinking† of the world. Politically, it was not until the collapse of the former Soviet Block in the late 1980†³s and the general acceptance of the free market (deregulation) and democracy, coupled with the emergence of the ‘Tiger† economies of the Pacific Rim, that the term globalisation has taken on true significance. Culturally, there has been a spreading of Westernisation, or perhaps more accurately Americanisation through the media of films, television and music. Following the Second World War, the USA fearing the rise of communism, actively encouraged and subsidised the world-wide distribution of films effectively advertising (if only subliminally) the benefits of capitalism and the American Dream. As a consequence to the dilution of cultures, France for example has since introduced legislation requiring radio stations to play a minimum of 40% of music originating from or sung in French. Environmental problems are increasingly becoming global problems. Therefore, countries are no longer able to look at environmental issues in isolation. This has been dramatically illustrated for example by the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, the depletion of the ozone layer and acid rain over Scandinavia. Countries now need to act collectively (as per the Rio Conference) for there to be any chance of reversing or just slowing the damage being caused to the environment. Globalisation of the economy has not been based purely on free trade but also on the free movement of capital. This has promoted direct foreign investments from one country into another (e.g. massive Japanese investment into the EU, especially the UK) which has had a strong influence on the globalisation of the national economies. As an economic phenomenon, globalisation has resulted in a shift away from a world of distinct national economies to a global economy in which production is distributed internationally and finance is able to flow freely and instantly between countries. Multinational businesses have vast economic powers, whilst institutional investors and financial gurus such as George Soros are capable of influencing the currency rates, economic policies, and interest rates of individual nation states (e.g. September 1992, the UK was forced to leave the European Exchange Rate Mechanism). The framework of rules within which economic activity takes place is increasingly defined within the international framework of organisations such as the WTO (World Trade Organisation), the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the World Bank, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and G7-8 summits, together with the regional trading blocks such as the European Union and NAFTA. Globalisation is arguably both a cause and a consequence of the information revolution. It is driven by dramatic improvements in telecommunications, exponential increases in computing power coupled with lower costs, and the development of electronic communications and information networks such as the Internet. These communications technologies are helping to overcome the barriers of physical distance. Communities of various types, including NGOs (Non-Government Organisations) which include international interest groups like Amnesty International or Greenpeace, as well as business and labour organisations, now function across national borders. Greenpeace is a prime example: the Shell Brent Spar case illustrated the ability of such internationally organised interest groups to successfully exert commercial and political pressure in multiple countries simultaneously. In turn, social policies affecting individual citizens are becoming more sensitive to international influences, especially when highlighted by the global news media. While globalisation is transferring numerous decisions to the international arena, political and constitutional reforms in many countries involve attempts to decentralise decision-making from central government to more regionally autonomous authorities to cater for a sense of ‘local† identity (e.g. new Labour polices on devolution for Scotland and Wales). These trends appear contradictory, but in practice they are causing the development of new multi-level policy systems. Consequently, borders are becoming increasingly difficult for governments to define and maintain. Therefore, national governments are being forced to redefine their roles, responsibilities and policy relationships. In the same way, multinational companies will find that they will not only have to deal with global trends but also the local laws and customs of their intended markets and manufacturing centres. Globalisation has raised fears that the sovereignty of nation states is being undermined. If sovereignty can be defined as the ability to exercise control without outside interference, then nation states are clearly experiencing diminishing sovereignty. Governments must recognise and work on the assumption that most issues they are required to deal with are affected by or will affect to some extent the international competitiveness of the country. Governments' own responses to globalisation or the search for joint solutions to global problems have further effects upon sovereignty. Participation in international organisations or the adoption of international agreements puts limits on policy options available to governments. This may even require modifications to long-standing domestic policies and practices. Interdependence is narrowing the degree of domestic policy independence. Unilateral action may not be the most effective way to achieve policy goals. For example, the exploitation of resources such as fisheries would inevitably result in the severe depletion, if not destruction, of common stocks (European Common Fisheries Policy) . Many other important policy goals cannot be met by governments acting alone. In combating environmental problems and international crime etc, the interests of individual nations, therefore, may only be protected by collective action. The competition for international investment encouraged by the activities and mobility of multinational enterprises means that most traditional domestic policies such as education and training, taxation, social protection, economic regulation and labour legislation have become international. Even a nation's domestic management policy is a matter of great concern to its trading rivals, because this will ultimately affect a country†s efficiency and consequently its competitiveness. Government policies must increasingly be made more consistent with or competitive against those of their main trading rivals. This was highlighted by Britain†s decision to opt out of the Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty. Monetary and fiscal policy decisions can no longer be taken on the basis of exclusively domestic considerations. Currently more than 10 times the amount of finance needed to support the current volume of world trade, is traded daily on the world currency markets. This means that 90 per cent of that activity could be seen as pure currency speculation. This is far in excess of what central banks can hope to influence through their own interventions, especially in the absence of any joint action. In recent years, the Labour Party in the UK, after four successive election defeats has gradually moved its economic policy broadly in line with that of the current Government. This may be seen as an attempt to gain credibility with the UK electorate but perhaps most importantly, to gain credibility with the International Money Markets which will have the opportunity of voting with their funds! The improvement of communications this century from sailing ship to satellite has contributed directly to the globalisation of the world†s economies and political systems. Technological globalisation of Information Technology has moved across cultural and physical barriers, effectively eliminating the capacity of countries (however draconian) to isolate themselves from the world outside. Despite this, Iran has recently banned the use of satellite television, but control will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve because the information revolution which has also provided e-mail and the Internet has democratised information. It may seem nonsensical for the need to obtain a visa to physically visit someone to whom you are able to talk to electronically on a daily basis. The result is that free speech and civil liberties are becoming increasingly international. Borders will no longer act as boundaries, especially with respect to information (IT has effectively eliminated the capacity of countries to keep out foreign influences, good or bad) and the flow of finance and crime. Therefore, numerous problems can only be tackled in collaboration with other countries. Ultimately, the goal of globalisation is to achieve a world economy reaping the benefits of additional trade and, consequently, mutual dependency (no two countries with a MacDonalds franchise have ever gone to war with each other!), therefore creating more jobs and prosperity for the participating countries. However, some such as Martin Khor, an economist and director of the NGO Third World Network, believe that free trade within a global market will polarise the poorer countries from the richer nations still further. According to some estimates, the industrialised countries, which make up 20% of the GATT membership, will gain 70% of the additional income arising from the implementation of the Uruguay Round of GATT. The globalisation of trade finance and information is perhaps the tip of the globalisation iceberg. The challenge to governments may be made more acute by a host of other internationalisation†s under-way, which include areas such as crime and population movement (economic refugees). Even if it is considered by some to be less than desirable, the increasing globalisation of the world seems unavoidable. In the long term, little may be gained by nation states resisting the impacts of globalisation, which may ultimately prove to be ineffective and counter-productive. To conclude, the ever-improving technology and consequently communications available to businesses, have enabled the creation of a global economy of production and finance, enabling industry to make use of territorial divisions, playing one country or trade-block off against another to maximise subsidies, savings in taxes, avoidance of anti-pollution regulations and guarantees of political stability and favour. With this, a new political structure is emerging with national sovereignty being an ever-looser concept (illustrated by the gradual and continuing integration of individual nation states into the European Union), which is contributing to the emergence of a phenomenon described by Robert Cox as ‘macro-regionalism†. He considers there to be three macro-regions in the making: Europe based on the European Union; an Eastern Asian sphere centred around Japan; and a North American sphere centred around the USA and looking to embrace Latin America. Perhaps the emergence of these macro-regions is part of a natural evolution towards a truly global state?

Environmental sustainability of Nestlé Essay

Introduction The environmental and sustainability report has become more and more important information to reflect the corporate social responsibility of the company. The companies, in particular the big multinational companies listed in the public, have paid much attention to disclose the relevant information recently (Environmental Leader, 2008). Nestlà © is one of the famous food manufacturing company, and this present paper is to study the relevant environmental and sustainability of Nestlà © accordingly. Environmental sustainability of Nestlà © Based on the sustainability report of Nestlà ©, the relevant environmental sustainability performance information of Nestlà © has been clearly laid out, including government and systems, life cycle approach, the impact of water, climate change, air emissions, transports and distribution, packaging optimization, waste and recovery and biodiversity (Veritas, 2012). In light of the information provided by Nestlà ©, the value of Nestlà © in relation to the environmental sustainability is to enhance its environmental performance and efficient operations, decrease the negative impacts on the natural resource, and constantly employ the cost saving approaches in terms of raw materials, water, etc. Meanwhile, the goal of Nestlà © is to supply the delicious food and beverages, as well as obtain the better environmental performance, with a view to enhance the efficiency of business operation and environmental impact accordingly (Veritas, 2012). In Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s report of environmental sustainability, it has introduced various actions that Nestlà © carried out this year in order to achieve the environmental sustainability goals. The actions taken by Nestlà © include investing CHF 143 million in environmental improvements, performing the relevant project to enhance the environmental impact by reducing water use, non-renewable energy consumption, GHG emissions, avoiding waste and enhancing the utilities of the products, such as the packaging. In addition, Nestlà © also has worked with the suppliers to improve the performance of its supply chain (Veritas, 2012). Nestlà © has provided the quantity information of its performance environmental sustainability since year 2001, including reducing 17% GHG emissions, reduced by 58% and 42% per tonne of product in terms of water withdrawals and energy consumption respectively. Meanwhile, the renewable energy consumption has reduced to 12% of total energy consumption, and the wa ter discharges has reduced by 64% per tonne of product. The efforts that Nestlà © put into the environmental sustainability may increase the cost of its business, but on the other hand, those efforts can also generate more production volume. For instance, the total on-site energy consumption slightly increased by 0.5%, while the total production volume increased by 73.3% over the same period since year 2001. Furthermore, Nestlà © has obtained various awards and recognitions of its performance in environmental sustainability, such as 2011 Stockholm Industry Water Award, 27th World Environment Center Gold Medal award for its commitment to environmental sustainability (Veritas, 2012). Based on the information provided by Nestlà ©, it has demonstrated that Nestlà © has paid much attention to the environmental issue and Nestlà © has the high social responsibility of the environment impact. Meanwhile, there are various elements that heavily influenced the operations of Nestlà ©, and Nestlà © needs to face the relevant challenges of those impacts, including the access of the clean water, constant innovation for the tasty and nutritious food and beverages for the growth population, reducing GHG from its operation, etc. (Veritas, 2012). In the end, the efforts and resources that Nestlà © engaged has not only obtained the long terms positive impact of its corporate profits, but also established the favorable corporate image of its brand and obtained the highly reward for the public (Kolk, 2004). Conclusion To sum up, Nestlà © has established a systemic approach in environmental sustainability and has disclosed the comprehensive environmental sustainability reports to the public. Nestlà © is not the company that only simply chases the growth of its financial revenues, but it also focuses on the environmental impact caused by its business. The release of the relevant information that the company engaged in sustainability activities can make the shareholders and the public know much about the value of company, and generate the positive influences in the long term.

Morality Play Essay

In life people strive consistently to choose between what is right and wrong. Most never take time to critically evaluate what factors drive their moral compass. Most have never taken the time to understand the conflicts that arise within their moral decisions. Analysis of the philosophical quiz â€Å"Are you a moral realist? † results gave me the opportunity to scrutinize my own moral compass. To follow I will discuss my opinion on the results of the quiz and the impact it had on my foundation of morality. I agree completely with the analysis. Upon completion of the quiz I learned that I was a moral objectivist and a moral relativist. Questions number two and eight provided me with the most glaring obvious evidence of my moral inconsistency. I felt very strongly that what is right or wrong depends on individual viewpoints and society supports this statement. When the Supreme Court is hearing case a group of justices vote on what is right. They don’t always the same opinion but the perception of what is being told is what makes a law and dictates what is right. Question number eight is in direct conflict because in no uncertain terms I believe it is wrong no matter whom you are, where you are, to torture innocent babies just for fun. My strong feelings in that regards completely nullifies right and wrong being based on individual viewpoints. The quiz result stating my position is inconsistent is correct. I was surprised by the results of the quiz; it opened my eyes to the truth of my ethical principles. I understand now that morality is something that I have failed to evaluate. The truth that I have discovered of my morality is that it is in conflict. This conflict exists because I have been guided by outside factors in my views of what is ethical. For example, politics tells me that freedom of religion is a right protected in the constitution so in my mind it became wrong to challenge someone’s religious views no matter what their views made them do. Being that I rationalized it is not justifiable to challenge someone religious views then a woman put to death in another country in the name of religion is not wrong due to the religions moral authority. I can say I have indeed fell victim to the distinguishing between descriptive ethics and normative ethics. Individuals have a diverse array of moral beliefs, which vary from person to person and culture to culture. To say this is to simply describe what is the case (Chaffe pg. 225). I have come to realize a person being killed in the name of religion is something that happens but it doesn’t mean that it is something that should happen. One could say my moral compass pointed north on some occasions and south on others. I see clearly that in every circumstance when a question was asked I thought how it applied to me. In truth my ethical judgment comes from a selfish place. In each scenario my determination was made by looking at what is appropriate for me and secondly society as a whole. I think the inconsistency in my morally can be attributed to two facts. The first is what is good for me always comes first and that I am torn between allowing descriptive and normative ethics govern my decisions. With morality there is what is and what should be, and with my own personal morality the same applies. My personal conflicts ethically stem from failure to consciously asses my moral compass. Morality is much more than someone’s beliefs governing their actions, it’s about an acceptance of what is right and wrong universally no matter a person’s culture, religion, or background. By assessment of my moral compass I have uncovered that I must take a closer look at what should be and stop being guided by what is. Bibliography Chaffee, J. (2011). The philosopher’s way: thinking critically about profound ideas (4th ed. ). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.

Professional Development Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Development Plan - Assignment Example This is something I want to continue for the rest of my life; because what benefit my profession is going to be of if it is not being done with its true essence. Of handling patients As much as I value my personal professional progress I respect the aura of my profession equally. I want to it with confidence and successfully. To serve on the managerial level has always been one of my most desired dreams. I believe I can utilize my leadership skills to the most by serving at a managerial position, it will not only be a good move for my personal professional career but I will also be beneficial for my organization. I will achieve this goal by keeping a balance between my studies and work life during my masters. By gaining more work experience along with my MSN I first want to become Manager Nursing at my facility and then eventually achieve my ultimate goal. These are some major goals which I want to achieve in the coming three years of my life confidently. Strong motivation and confidence will lead towards a successful professional development for individuals (Mackay, 2007). These may seem just three goals but my entire professional future depends on the successful achievement of these goals. And in order to achieve these goals I will have to achieve small targets almost every single day, because these small everyday goals are going to make up basis for the fulfillment of these major goals of my life (Ryan, 2012). Hansen, R.S. and Hansen, K. (2008). What Do Employers Really Want? Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-Seekers. [Online]. Available at: http://www.quintcareers.com/job_skills_values.html (Accessed 26 January

Behavioural Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Behavioural Finance - Essay Example Fair distribution 8. How can fair distribution of resources be achieved? 9. What factors are to be considered in ensuring fair distribution? 10. How is inequality a challenge in fair distribution? Inclusion criteria Inclusion of the material for literature was based on relevance to the research questions and its relevance to the research topic Exclusion criteria Any material that was deemed irrelevant to the research topic was discarded; the relevance of the material to the research topic was determined by reviews of its title and abstract Relevance of research questions to the topic The view has been taken that a progression through the research questions will provide an in depth overview of the research topic. The research questions have been designed to capture all views of the new economic paradigm and the different aspects of the new economic paradigm that scholar have identified. Despite the limited literature that is available in this area, the research questions have helped t o conduct an exhaustive literature review. Table of contents Abstract 2 Table of contents 5 Introduction 6 Happiness and Well-being 7 Efficient allocation of resources 9 Ecological sustainability 11 Fair distribution 12 Analysis of the literature 13 Conclusion 14 References 15 Introduction The world has for a long time yearned for a change, the people recognise that the social, political and economic conditions in the universe are not at par with the needs of the society. Ancient economists such as Adam Smith in his ‘wealth of nations’ argued that competition would be used to distribute good and services in the world as individuals were taken as rational beings. However, it has been discovered that human beings are not rational... However, despite these advancements, the variation gap between the wealthy and the underprivileged has been rising, both in nation-to-nation comparison and within the countries. Adverse and extreme climatic conditions have increased in frequency and severity and adapting to these changes has now become a reality. Due to the rising population, the demand for natural resources has risen which has led to overexploitation of natural resources and degradation of the environment, food and oil prices have skyrocketed and debt crisis in most countries has reached an alarming levels. This paper will deal with the new economic paradigm and all the perspectives that are associated with it. These trends shows that the world has no option but to act; however, there are more benefits that come with change than just avoiding the negative effects that may result due to failure to change. Change and innovation through testing and advancement of new models are key determinants in human advancement, for instance, the global financial and European debt crisis does not only require people to imagine of a better world, but rather, to act and create that world. The need for a new economic paradigm was boosted when the 193 member states of UN general assembly adopted a consensus resolution 65/309 on happiness: towards a holistic approach to development, this resolution characterised happiness as fundamental human goal and a universal aspiration.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 34

English - Essay Example The new iPad is truly worth its price because it serves the owner in a lot of ways and with high quality of standards. There are many gadgets and equipments which have made life easier and entertaining for us and iPad is one of them. In day to day life we have some moments which are boring and time consuming like waiting for something or traveling and it becomes difficult to pass time. Now an iPad can be used to pass time conveniently by reading a favorite book on it or by playing a game or watching a movie on it. Time is very precious for everybody in this fast world and iPad provides an opportunity to utilize the time properly. Hence an iPad justifies its price by serving us in many useful ways. Among many devices which have made our life easier, comfortable and entertaining, iPad is one which helps us to utilize our time conveniently which is normally wasted or boring. The time we spent on waiting or traveling can be made entertaining by using an iPad. We can use an iPad for playing games or watching movies or reading a book of choice while we are riding a bus or a train or an airplane or waiting for somebody or something. Nobody, whether young or old, wishes to waste time uselessly and iPad has given us the best option to utilize the time which was normally wasted. An iPad is worth investing in because it serves its purpose in many ways by entertaining people. A few years back, it was very boring and difficult to pass time while waiting or traveling. We didn’t have any option to do anything except for reading newspapers or magazines which were seldom available. Now we have many devices that can be used to pass time conveniently by entertaining ourselves. iPad has made it possible and the time can be passed by reading a book or watching a movie or playing a game on an iPad. Now passing the time in waiting or traveling is no longer a problem and an iPad is well worth its price. The

From Francovich to Brasserie du Pecheur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

From Francovich to Brasserie du Pecheur - Essay Example Francovich5 is a landmark case because it established the fact that European Community law confers certain rights on individuals and if there is an infringement of these rights by a Member State, then the State will be legally and financially liable and will have to make reparation to the individuals concerned for the losses and damages sustained by them due the Member State’s breach of Community law. Application of national law where individual rights may be violated, will be limited by the obligation of the Member States to implement the EU Directives. Francovich, Bonfaci and others filed the suit against Italy for failure to implement the provisions of a European Directive that was not directly effective in Italy and required payment of unpaid wages to individuals in the event of the insolvency of their employer. Italy was held liable for damages to be paid to the Plaintiffs. In specific reference to the damages sustained by individuals and the obligation of the Member Stat e to assume liability, the Court relied upon Article 5 of the EEC Treaty in establishing that such a principle was inherent in the Treaty. State liability had earlier been established in other cases, where the supremacy of individual rights had been established to the extent of requiring states to be liable if those rights were infringed.