Critical Assessment of Sustainability Policy of EURAC Convention Research Paper

Critical Assessment of Sustainability Policy of EURAC Convention Centre - Research Paper Example Its sustainable mission is to combine the meeting offers with attractive tourist experience that meets international market standards.     The current sustainable policy of the organization requires amendments related reflecting the current changes in lifestyle and technology to guarantee continued advancement. European Academy (EURAC) Convention Centre (ECC) is located at the heart of unspoiled dolomites in one of the most eco-crucial regions of Europe. The facility was designed to curtail the negative environmental impact resulting from events held in the region. ECC is located in a strategic location i.e. city center that can be accessed through eco-friendly transport means such as bikes or through walking. The facility is designed to be a professional conference and seminary facility in local, national or international functions. The 1,250 square meters covered by the facility contains an auditorium with 320 seats, conference hall, five seminar rooms, two foyers, and a computer room. ECC boasts of the highly qualified management team that contributes to the innovativeness; enhances delivery of services. The current growth in the event and leisure industry is due to the enhanced globalization. Industry globalization has led to increased income, intensive use of communication technology and newly developed cheaper means of transport (Paschinger, 2007). Organizational growth and enhanced competitiveness in the event and leisure industry requires the application of enhanced technology and innovativeness. The organization has adopted an effective sustainable policy based on technological innovativeness and focus on environmental improvement.

Legal Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Legal Philosophy - Essay Example It is not possible to choose one over the other and nor is it possible to stand in between and interrupt the constant tension brought about by it cyclic relation. Whether a particular legal philosophy is merely an abstraction or of practical value is one that is constantly changing in the highway of history where old philosophies are constantly revived and injected with new vigor and applied to new contexts which stimulate to further growth of jurisprudence itself. The application of legal philosophy is found in in a different branch of law, in law practice, legislation and judicial adjudication particularly, and because of this many are of the opinion that jurisprudence does not have value in day to day life. This problem is aggravated by the human errors of lawyers, public officials and other people educated in the nuances of law. The mental stimulations and practical value of jurisprudence is best studied and determined from the tension of the dichotomies of theoretical traditions particularly between legal positivism and natural legalism, legal formalism and legal realism, public choice theories and critical legal studies, liberal and socialist-progressive ideologies, indeterminacy/mystification and determinacy of judicial decisions, and of subjectivism and structuralism. Lon L. Fuller (1981)2, on the purpose of legal philosophy, says: As I see it, the object of legal philosophy is to give an effective and meaningful direction to the work of lawyers, judges, legislatures, and law teachers. If it leaves the activities of these men untouched, it it has no implications for the question of what they do with their working days, then legal philosophy is a failure. Legal Positivism versus Natural Law Theory. For legal positivists, rights are are such and are legal if and only if they are declared to be such by the sovereign legal authority. From their viewpoint, the government exists before the right. The sovereign, in the form of legislature or executive with constitutional legislative powers or an administrative body enacting regulations with status of law, being the exclusive source of law must grant a right otherwise it does not exist. The magistrate only enforces the strictures of the law. For legal positivists, the criterion for validity of law is posited by the sovereing and is other than morality because for them, "it is in no sense a necessary truth that laws reproduce or satisfy certain demands of morality, though, in fact they have often done so. (Hart, p.181-2)3 The law as a social construct is the premise. The moral and political aspect of law is not denied, but positivism insists that the descriptive or conceptual

Hofstedes framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hofstedes framework - Essay Example Ineffective management of productivity, on the other hand, deters productivity.The theory thus provides for effective ways of managing cultural diversity thus influencing the formation of an effective cross-cultural communication that will enhance the interaction in organizations. Culture is an important social feature that influences individual values; this implies that cultural conflicts are likely to result in the conflict of values a feature that will definitely affect the productivity at the workplace. In developing effective cross-cultural communication, Hofstede vouchers for an understanding of the cultural differences. A manager must understand the differences thereby understanding the differences in the values. This way, it becomes easier to appreciate and acknowledge cultural differences thus influencing the development of effective and considerate communication channels in the organization. Human resource managers must always strive to develop cohesive workforces that func tion seamlessly. Creating such a workforce requires the acknowledgment of the cultural differences since they influence the difference in the individual values. This way, the managers can readily discourage the manifestation of the negative personality features that may arise from the cultural differences. With such an in-depth understanding of the cultural differences, Hofstede asserts that it becomes possible for managers to barn particular behaviors while encouraging positive interpersonal skills that enhance productivity.

Ensure The Success Of Your Business Commerce Essay

Ensure The Success Of Your Business Commerce Essay In order to remain in business, business owners and organisations need to take proactive steps all the time to ensure that their businesses remain at a competitive edge, hence the need to strategically manage the human resources of the organisation to ensure overall success of the business. Human resource management (HRM) is a strategic, integrated and coherent approach to the employment, development and well-being of the people working in organisations (Armstrong, 2009). However, Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a proactive management of the employees of a company or organisation. Strategic human resource management includes typical human resource components such as hiring, discipline, and payroll, and also involves working with employees in a collaborative manner to boost retention, improve the quality of the work experience, and maximize the mutual benefit of employment for both the employee and the employer. (BusinessDictionary.com) This article will look at different models of strategic HRM, the importance of strategic HRM, an analysis of an HRM framework, the HRM process and the development of strategies as well as an assessment of the roles in strategic HRM. Models of strategic HRM Although there is some acceptance of the idea that strategic HRM should support the strategic direction of the business, there is no agreement on the best way of doing this. Two normative models epitomise the relationship between labour management and organisational strategy. The first is explored in the best practice or universal school. The second approach, where integration between strategic HRM and organisational strategy is an essential feature, is explored in the contingency and configurational schools (Porter, Bingham and Simmonds 2008). Comparison of Universalistic and Contingency models of HRM Universalistic model Contingency model There is an existence of best human resource management practices and all organisations should adopt these best practices. There are not best practices but for effectiveness, an organisations HR policies must be consistent with other aspects of the organisation. A universal relationship exists between individual best practices and the organisations performance. The main contingency factor is the organisations strategy, or the internal and external environment which is described as vertical fit. One single practice leads to a greater organisational performance. They do not consider either synergetic interdependence relationships or integration mechanisms. Many contingent works focus on a single practice i.e. a single practice is dependable on the other to achieve the goal of the organisation. REASONS FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF HRM IN ORGANISATIONS The human resources remains the most important asset of any organisation and the overall importance of human resource management is to ensure that the organisation is able to achieve success through its entire workforce in order to ensure a successful business. In the area of strategy, the HR department improves the organisations bottom line with its knowledge of how human capital affects the success of the organisational as a whole. Leaders with expertise in HR strategic management participate in corporate decision-making that underlies current staffing assessments and projections for future workforce needs based on business demand. It enables the organisation to strategically deal with HR issues which in-turn enables employees to work effectively in order to achieve the organisations goals and objectives. Human resource managements allow organisations to prioritize their organisational and business strategies hence attracting and retaining and the development of competent employees. Another reason of HRM in organisation also lies in its importance as a Legal requirement. The HR department of organisations ensures compliance with employment laws. They complete paperwork necessary for documenting that employees are eligible to work in the U.K. The employment laws also states that employers have an obligation to provide safe working conditions for their entire workforce. Hence, workplace safety and risk management specialists from the HR area manage compliance with U.K. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 by maintaining accurate work logs and records, and developing programs that reduce the number of workplace injuries and fatalities. Workplace safety specialists also engage employees in promoting awareness and safe handling of dangerous equipment and hazardous chemicals. HRM FRAMEWORK The purpose of the HRM framework is to ensure the adoption and implementation of a fair and transparent process which in-turn will retain the valuable skills and experiences of employees within the organisation. It ensures that effective consultation takes place with employees and their representatives on how these processes will be applied, ensuring effective outcomes for employees, customers and all stakeholders. Harvard framework of HRM Harvard framework is a strategic map to guide all managers in their relations with employees and concentrates on the human or soft aspect of HRM. It was developed by Beer et al in 1984. This framework is based on the belief that the problems of historical personnel management can only be solved when general managers develop a viewpoint of how they wish to see employees involved in and developed by the enterprise, and of what HRM policies and practices may achieve those goals. Without either a central philosophy or a strategic vision which can be provided only by general managers HRM is likely to remain a set of independent activities, each guided by its own practice tradition. (Armstrong, 2009) The Harvard model outlines four HR policy areas as follows: Human resource flows recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, appraisal and assessment, promotion, termination Reward systems pay systems, motivation Employee influence delegated levels of authority, responsibility, power Work systems work design and alignment of people. Which in turn lead to the four Cs or HR policies that have to be achieved: Commitment Congruence Competence Cost effectiveness HRM PROCESS AND STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT HR processes are the basis for the management of customers satisfaction with Human Resources. Customers feel comfortable and their level of satisfaction increases when there is an understanding of the HR processes, how they are connected and how they interact. In order to achieve continuous customer satisfaction these processes needs to be measured and regularly monitored to identify any gaps in the processes and improve on it for the benefit of the all stakeholders. HRM processes The HRM processes consist of the following basic areas: Planning (strategic HR planning, job design) Attracting (recruitment and selection) Attracting applicants from which to begin the selection process. This can either be from internal or external sources. Recruitment is about finding and engaging the people the organisation needs to make up its workforce. Team meetings, notice boards, intranet are methods of sourcing for people internally, and radio/TV adverts, local newspaper adverts, posters, job centre plus recruitment agencies are methods of external recruitment. Selection is assessing the suitability of potential employees and predicting which applicant will be able to carry out a job role successfully. It is characterised by the competence, experience, qualifications, education and training of the applicant. Developing (induction, orientation, training of the work-force, career development, talent management, leadership development, performance appraisal) Training the employee in order to acquire the needed skills for the job. Talent management is the process of identifying, developing, recruiting, retaining and deploying talented people with special gifts, abilities which enable them to perform effectively Retaining (compensation, benefits) HR Controlling HR strategy development HR strategies set out what the organisation intends to do about its human resource management policies and practices and how they should be integrated with the business strategy and each other (Armstrong, 2009). Strategy development is about choosing the most appropriate course of action for the realisation of organisational goals and objectives, in order to achieve the organisational vision. The process of developing HR strategies involves the following steps: Conduct a SWOT analysis of your organization. Determine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats/risks that affect the business and organization, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the workforce. The current skills of the workforce should also be taken into consideration in order to identify where skills and/or education levels may be improved. After the SWOT analysis, take a look at the organisations overall performance against target(s) for the previous year(s) in order to find out what how well the organisation has done or what problems, issues and/or challenges were faced. Afterwards identify factors that could be responsible for any change that has taken place. Set quantitative targets by drawing up SMART objectives for the future. SMART objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Develop an action plan for implementing the HR strategy. Create a timeline for the successful completion of key objectives. As long as the strategy is detailed and also depending on how big the organisation is, options may be made available for heads of departments to choose how best to deal with issues at a departmental level. Introduce and communicate the action plan to your organisation as the overall success of the strategy lies in proper implementation. Organise meetings, discussion and training sessions for senior management to raise awareness and reinforce the importance of their acceptance of the HR strategy plan letting them know how they will benefit from the plan on a personal level. ASSESSMENT OF ROLES IN STRATEGIC HRM The role of human resource managers in strategic HRM is kind of bi-dimensional as they are responsible for the development of strategic solutions that promote departmental and organisational success, and also manage the functional aspects of human resources. Workplace Safety Creating a work environment free from unnecessary hazards is a strategic role of every human resources manager. Strategic development for workplace safety entails risk management and mitigating potential losses from on-the-job injuries and fatalities. Workers compensation insurance is an area in which a strategic plan helps lower company expense for insurance coverage. Reducing accidents through training employees on the proper use of complex machinery and equipment is one of the functional tasks associated with creating a safe work environment. Compensation and Benefits The compensation and benefits structure partly determines the companys business reputation and image. Decisions made by human resources managers pay scales and employee benefits can impact employee satisfaction, as well as the organisations ability to recruit talented workers. Job evaluation, labour market conditions, workforce shortages and budget constraints are factors that HR managers consider in a strategic plan for pay and benefits. Employee Training Human resources managers strategic role with respect to employee training and development prepares the workforce for future positions within the company. Succession planning, promotion-from-within policies and performance evaluation factor into the human resources managers role. Training and development motivate employees, and in some cases, improve employee retention. Recruitment and Selection Employee recruitment and selection is also a part of employee relations though it is a separate discipline itself. Therefore, a human resources managers strategic role is to combine elements of employee relations into the employers recruitment and selection strategy. Employee Relations The sustainance of an employee relations program is an important element of human resource strategy. It includes salaries, benefits, health and safety, training and employee development. The strategic role of a human resources manager in this regard is to determine how to identify and resolve workplace issues that may jeopardize productivity, performance and working relationships. They develop tools such as employee opinion surveys and action plans, monitor compliance with labour and employment laws, address employee concerns, and provide training and guidance to supervisors and managers. In conclusion, the development of effective human resource strategies is vital to the prolonged existence and success of a business. In time past, personnel management was concerned only with the processing of applications, payrolls and staff benefits but human resources strategy today involves executive leadership teams consulting with human resources experts to develop complementary goals for human resources and the overall business.

Schizophrenia: A Matter of Perception? :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Schizophrenia: A Matter of Perception? The brain fills the pieces of information transmitted from the sensory environment that are not there or missing. For example, the blind spot in our eyes have no sensory light receptors, hence images focused on that spot are not transmitted to the brain. In fact, a hole should exist in our visual perception from the images projected onto our blind spot. This does not happen as our brain fills in the spaces with ongoing patterns that fit the image of our vision. Also, what we see and what is interpreted from what is seen spreads across a broad spectra from one individual to another. This indicates that there is no real format by which to generalize different individual's perceptions. Every input from the sensory environment is formatted and placed into context by our brain. Our brain organizes each situation into a format that makes sense to our schemata. So what happens when one's train of thought is fragmented and one's brain is unable to organize these fragments into a comprehensib le pattern? Imagine if at times, your experiences become a slide show, fragments of experiences that do not come together. This is, in fact, how many people suffering from schizophrenia describe their experiences (1). Have you ever had an experience or a vision that just does not make sense? Maybe you might not understand the cause and the outcome of a certain experience or situation, but every memory is placed into context. Our brain makes sure of this. So, when seemingly unrelated fragments of information are sent to the brain, it attempts to combine these fragments together into a most logical manner. Is it possible that the reason that schizophrenics have an impaired sense of reality is because their brains logic is askew? Schizophrenia is one of the most severe psychopathologies present today. Its causes are still vague, and the symptoms vary across a large spectrum. However, two generalized grouped of symptoms have been identified for schizophrenics: positive symptoms, and negative symptoms. Negative symptoms include lack of activity, anhedonia, and loss of interest. Positive symptoms include disorganized speech, hallucinations, and delusions experiences (1). Individuals with schizophrenia commonly experience a disorder in their perception. Their surroundings are unreal and their external sensory environment seems different from what they previously knew. In fact, their perceptions become derailed; misinterpreting situations and the chronology of events. They are unable to distinguish between reality and imaginary.

Absolutism in the 17th century Essay

It is said that Louis XIV proclaimed â€Å"I am the state!† Whether or not he really said it is debatable, but the meaning of such a statement is clear. Through the course of the 17th Century various regimes across Europe began to model their states of off the very theme of â€Å"I am the state,†; that is, the monarch personified and had absolute control over his nation. Prior to the 17th Century such absolute control precluded this absolutism. By the time of the 17th Century, however, the conditions were in place for monarchs to take absolute control to shape their nations. The conditions and forces that made absolutism a desirable form of government were the necessity of centralized control, the political instability of the time, and the rise of single sovereignty over a country. Before one goes into what causes states to adopt absolutism, one must understand it. Absolutism is defined as a form of government where â€Å"sovereignty is embodied in the person of the ruler.† The Monarch felt that he had a Divine Right, that is he was responsible to only God, and though he may respect the natural law of where he governed, generally the Monarch attempted to place his realm under absolute control. Measures included elimination of certain freedoms, centralization of power, and the creation of a bureaucracy loyal to the Monarch to help oversee the country. Through these measures, the Monarch was able to control the nobility that always threatened. The Monarch became more and more powerful as he or she began to assert power and institute absolutism. The first reason why absolutism seemed to be a desirable government form was the necessity of centralized power. War was a constant threat to a nation and it’s people. In a country divided into kingdoms and realms ruled by individual nobles and dukes, mobilization for war was a difficult and lengthy task. To better prepare a state for war a country needed a single ruler with the absolute power. Another cause was the need for efficiently raising revenue. A monarch needed absolute control to effectively raise revenue for the cost of maintaining the state. The nation-state became more and more expensive to run during this time due to the increasing frequency of wars, the costs of trade and exploration, and to support the burgeoning bureaucracy. A country divided and ruled by many different people would be  unable to raise sufficient revenue. On the other hand, a country ruled a by a single strong ruler could more easily control and manage finances. In addition, because of the nature of the time, warfare and politics became very personal. Monarchs considered countries an extension of themselves, as exemplified by Louis XIV’s supposed remark â€Å"I am the state!† To achieve this, Monarchs effectively eliminated all competition to their power, that is the nobles and the church. In the era of the Post-Reformation, it was all too easy for Monarchs to seize power from church and nobility, and this further contributed to their power. Another force at play that made absolutism seem desirable was the political instability of the time, both internal and external. France is a paragon example for this. There were many peasant revolts between 1624 and 1648, and â€Å"Nobles and Parlements took advantage of peasant revolts and the Regency to protest their loss of ancient privileges and levels of taxation. Barricades set up in Paris and the mob burst into the King’s bedroom.† King Louis XIII was powerless to stop these insurrections against his rule. Louis XIV soon came to power, and began to assert his royal authority. He put down these peasant revolts, reorganized government, and placed himself at its head. Loyal advisors were installed, and a deal with nobility which surrendered their authority in relation to the Crown in return for authority over their lands. In addition, the size of the military increased, and France began to engage in wars to help solve domestic problems. These wars were generally successful and contributed to an even higher growth in Royal authority. The successes of Louis XIV encouraged other European Monarchs to follow his example. The problems of instability seemed to be only able to fixed with a steady, but iron fist. Absolutism seemed to offer this, as the king would have authority to maintain control without interference from a constitution or a law making body. Finally, the political instability forced Monarchs to take measures that otherwise they would not wanted to take, i.e. levying heavy taxes. When the benefits of these measures came in, Monarchs often looked beyond their ideals to permanently install absolutism. To sum up, the basic political instability of the 17th Century, i.e. wars, peasant revolts, etc. paved the way for Monarchs seizing absolute control to stabilize their nations. The final cause for absolutism was the rise of single sovereignty over a country. In the times of feudalism, more than one person could have sovereignty over an area of a country. Dukes, Counts, and others may claim title to a land in addition to the Monarch’s. However the decline of feudalism brought an end to this. Kings began to assert that there could be only one sovereign to a land, and that was the King. Many new political and legal theories supported the Monarch’s absolute control over land. Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627-1704) adapted the medieval concept of kingship in his theory of the Divine Right of Kings, which argued that the king ruled absolutely by will of God, and that to oppose the king in effect constituted rebellion against God. Although people should be excluded from power, God’s purpose in instituting absolute monarchy was to protect and guide society.† Coming from a moral approach, Thomas Hobbes argued that a strong ruler could best control and protect a society. Further justifying absolutism, Monarchs pointed out that it seemed to end Europe’s religious wars and had brought social and political peace. King Louis XIV believed that such absolute rule over a people was the duty of a Monarch, and anything else was failing the people. Essentially, Monarchs based their absolute sovereignty on moral and political justifications. In conclusion, the conditions of the 17th Century made Absolutism seem to be a desirable choice for government, and rightly so. Following the example of France, many countries tried to centralize power. Yet, not all were to be as successful as France. For example, Oliver Cromwell instituted a dictatorship with many absolutist qualities, but this failed as soon as he died. But it is difficult to deny that absolutism was a powerful force in the 17th Century. Absolutism may seem harsh to people of the 21st Century, but for the many of those who experienced it, it was at least beneficial. The political instability of the time, the need to centralize, and the increasing sovereignty of Monarchs all were driving forces in making Absolutism popular and helpful. Despite its problems, absolutism eventually led Europe down the right path.

Do critical approaches Marxism, feminism, constructivism improve our understanding of international politics?

Abstract In the contemporary era, the application of critical theoretical approaches is of significant importance if one is willing to develop a more comprehensive understanding of international politics and international relations. Theoretical approaches, such as Marxism, Constructivism and Feminism cannot alone provide such an understanding, but their convergence and can significantly contribute to our increased awareness of global inequalities and the dimensions in which they occur by placing emphasis in not only on the relationship between the structure and agency, but also question their very nature and scrutinised the normative codes which guide human agency. Despite some of the limitations which the theories have, their complementary use can be used successfully in order to gain a more critical perspective on the nature of world governance. Introduction In the contemporary era, the application of critical theoretical approaches is of significant importance if one is willing to develop a more comprehensive understanding of international politics and international relations. As this essay will demonstrate, although approaches such as Marxism, Constructivism and Feminism cannot alone provide such an understanding, their complementary use can significantly contribute to our increased awareness of global inequalities and the dimensions in which they occur. Marxism The impact of Marxist theory on the development of critical theorising in international politics is one the significance of which can hardly be denied. Despite this, Marxist theorist have often been accused of not taking into account factors such as nationalism, as well as the balance of power among states in order to sustain and structure world politics (Linklater, 2013). Moreover, Marxist theories in the late 1970s and early 1980s found it increasingly difficult to devise an analytical framework for explaining the relationship of nation-states and violence in period of increased globalisation, characterised by increased national fragmentation, as well the resurgence of violent conflicts based on ethnicity (Giddens, 1985). This can the attributed to the inability of traditional Marxist thought to move beyond theorising about the significance of class conflict and the importance of social relations in terms of modes of production. Despite this flaw, more contemporary neo-Marxist theo rists have attempted to revitalise this critical approach by placing emphasis on the relationships between states, markets and the capitalist world economy in the era of globalisation (Teschke, 2003; Halliday, 1994; Rosenberg, 1994; Gamble, 1999). The application of Marxist thought has increasingly drawn attention to the problem of global inequality which the capitalist system has led to (Wallerstein, 1979; Thomas, 1999; Linklater, 2013). Thus, the importance of modes of production have successfully been utilised in order to challenge the economic discrepancy, which is characteristic of contemporary world markets and question the power relationships which exist between states on the international level. Being mainly preoccupied with material deprivation and inequality, however, Marxism has failed to take into account the norms and values which governance the structures of economics and politics, a question which has preoccupied constructivist theories of international relations. Constructivism By contrast to Marxism, Constructivism places emphasis not only on the importance of material structures, but as well as the normative dimension which is associated with it, as well the importance of identity formation and manifestation (Price and Reus-Smit, 1998). Thus, constructivism attempts to remedy the Marxist’s neglect of the importance of agency and its relationship to structure in the process of devising and implementing decisions related to international politics and relations among states in the era of globalisation (Reus-Smit, 2008).Therefore, Constructivism is complimentary to both more traditional approaches of theorising about international politics, such as Rationalism, as well as more critical approaches such as Marxism (Reus-Smit, 2013). More importantly, the significance of human agency is not deprived from the structure which determines the manifestation of the actor’s interests; in fact it calls for the critical evaluation of the institutionalised n orms which are the mediator between structure and agency. This can be of considerable advantage of understanding the contemporary global inequalities which exists, between countries from the Third World and post-industrialist Western states, as it will question not only the existing states of affairs in international politics, but also the moral dimensions of the reasoning behind it. By placing emphasis on the development of normative frameworks which are used as guides and rationale for the implementation of specific decisions in relation to international politics, Constructivism can successfully scrutinise and ‘moralise’ the power inequality among states and if used alongside neo-Marxist theories it can question both structure and agency. What both fail to take into account, however, is that agency in the era of global inequality also has a specific dimension, a problem which is addressed by Feminism. Feminism By contrast to both Marxism and Constructivism, feminist theories of international politics and international relations took prominence only in the early 1990s, though their impact for the development of the academic disciplines has been considerable (True, 2003). Feminism as an intellectual tradition questioned the very nature of the agency which had an impact on the development of international politics and introduced in the notion of ‘gender’ as an empirical category and analytical tool through which global inequality and unequal power distribution could be understood (True, 2013). Thus, Feminism, alongside Constructivism could be considered as a major breakthrough as both of them questioned the more traditional discourse of power relations and moved beyond the singular focus on inter-state relations that characterised more traditional theories in the field of International Relations (ibid.). Feminist thought has attracted attention to the specific dimensions of globa l inequality, resulting from the transformation of economic world markets. In fact, it has been suggested that the process of globalisation has increased the inequality between men and women worldwide, ultimately resulting in a ‘feminisation of poverty’ (Chant, 2007; Chant, 2008). The increased emphasis on export and outsourcing reflecting the priorities of the global financial markets, have disproportionately affected women (Marchand and Runyan 2010). This rise in inequality and insecurity is also linked to the development of violent conflicts in states where inequality between genders is high (Goldstein, 2003). On the other hand, gender equality in states is said to reduce the likelihood of the use of violence in intra-state disputes (Caprioli, 2005; Caprioli and Boyer, 2001). Therefore, it could be argued that the use of more critical perspectives in theorising about international politics could significantly contribute to our understanding of global politics and cou ld potentially results in less violent conflicts in the future if emphasis is placed on the reduction of global inequality and its gendered dimension. Conclusion As this essay has demonstrated, the critical theories of Marxism, Constructivism and Feminism could further our understanding of the nature of global inequalities by placing emphasis in not only on the relationship between the structure and agency, but also question their very nature and scrutinised the normative codes which guide human agency. Despite some of the limitations which these theories have, their complementary use can be used successfully in order to gain a more critical perspective on the nature of world governance. Bibliography Caprioli, M. (2005). Primed for violence: The role of gender inequality in predicting internal conflict. International Studies Quarterly, 49(2), 161-178. Caprioli, M., & Boyer, M. A. (2001). Gender, violence, and international crisis. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 45(4), 503-518. Chant, S. H. (2007). Gender, generation and poverty: exploring the feminisation of poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Edward Elgar Publishing. Chant, S. (2008). The ‘feminisation of poverty’and the ‘feminisation’of anti-poverty programmes: Room for revision?. The Journal of Development Studies, 44(2), 165-197. Gamble, A. (1999). Marxism after communism: beyond realism and historicism. Review of International Studies, 25(5), 127-144. Giddens, A. (1985). The nation-state and violence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Goldstein, J. S. (2003). War and gender: How gender shapes the war system and vice versa. Cambridge University Press. Halliday, F. (1994). Rethinking inte rnational relations. Palgrave Macmillan. Linklater, A. (2013) ‘Marxism’, ’ in Burchill, S., Linklater, A., Devetak, R., Donnelly, J., Paterson, M. Reus-Smit, C. and True, J., Theories of international relations (Fifth edition.). Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Marchand, M. H., & Runyan, A. S. (Eds.). (2010). Gender and Global Restructuring: sightings, sites and resistances. Routledge. Price, R., & Reus-Smit, C. (1998). 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(2013). ‘Feminism’, in Burchill, S., Linklater, A., Devetak, R., Donnelly, J., Paterson, M. Reus Smit, C. and True, J., Theories of international relations (Fifth edition.). Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Wallerstein, I. (Ed.). (1979). The capitalist world-economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.