Intro. - Juraj Stembera

Hello everyone,

my name is Juraj Stembera, but I prefer Yuri; tends to spare everybody headaches :)

Home is here in Montreal and always has been, but my nationality is Czechoslovak. The nation of great tasting beer, beautiful women and terrible food!

I am currently a U1 Management student majoring in MIS.

Travel? Grateful for it! Visiting many different countries and cultures has certainly awarded with unforgettable experiences that have characterized my dynamic personality :) Perhaps many stories to be told, but not necessarily shared :D

I love smilies & emoticons and my hobbies include hockey, snowboarding & bedroom gymnastics

I look very forward to meeting most of you over the next month and obviously, learning organizational behavior with Prof.Karakas! I'm sure most of us will agree: "Keep rolling in the chocolate, Sir!"

Executive Summary?!

Hey guys,

I don't know if it is just me or not, but I suddenly realized I had no clue what an executive summary was, but here's a link that kind of gave me an idea, so here it is in case you are in the same situation.

There is a sample executive summary attached too so it might be helpful.
Good lucks!

Executive Summary?!

introduction to myself

HI!
My name is haoxi. I am studying in accounting. I had a previous science background.
I like to listen to music, play piano and read books in my past time. I am of Chinese in origin. I have been in Montreal for almost 12 years. I learned French and English when I came to this country.
Now, I plan to finish my undergraduate degree in accounting and pursue a graduate school later on. The reason why I stayed in this course is that I think I will get lots of interactions with classmates in projects and I like this style of learning. I hope we'll have lots of fun together and see you in class!
haoxi

Intro

Hi, my name is Andrew Maloney. I am going into U1 in the Faculty of Management this year and am going to concentrate in Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

I am originally from Toronto and enjoy sailing, surfing, scuba diving and flying. This is the second management class for me sofar and I love them already! I have only been in this class a very short time, but find what I see very interesting!

little intro.

Hi, my name is MoonJin Kim, I am a first year student major in Psychology and minior in East Asian Language and Literature . Oh! I'm in Faculty of mangment by the way..

I am orginially from Korean, but I lived in Toronto more than half of my life. I could speak Korean and English. As for the short term goal I would like to learn French and Japanses. I like to scuba dive and taking photographs(but I am photophobia, don't like picutre of my self).

The reason that I choose to stay in the course, is that I didn't know what to expect from mangment core courses. I thought this could be great chance to start and experience the style of learning. This is my first management class that I am taking at McGill, and so far I am happy about it. I look forward to meeting you guys. :)

Bonjour à tous!

Hi everyone! It is a pleasure to meet you all!

My name is Marie-France Chartier and as it can suggest, well, I am French-Canadian, born and raised in Montreal. I recently came back from Ireland where I went on exchange this past academic year. Those last months were the best of my life!!!! I met many people from all over the world and I had the opportunity to visit some of them in their home country! As you can see I absolutely love travelling and I wish to see as much of the world as I can during my lifetime... Because once you start, you can't stop!

On a more personal note, I am a management student doing two concentrations, one in international business and one in strategic management. I'll be taking Spanish classes in the Fall and Winter semesters and hopefully be able to say something constructive by the end of the year. Wish me luck. I will then be graduating in May 2008 and can't wait to go travelling again! But until then, I will continue spending time with my friends and family, reading, training, studying and, off course, walking my dog. :)

I can't wait to see you all in class next Monday and continue our learning together! I hope we'll be able to learn from each other through our different experiences and views of the world. I love this class, its concept and all its different readings and new ideas. It's a great opportunity we have to be here and let's take advantage of it! See you all very soon! Cheers ;) MF

Who is Barbara?

Hello everyone!

My name is Barbara de Lima, and no... I don't come from Peru or have any associations with the country although I'd love to travel there one day! I'm actually Venezuelan though my parents (and ancestry) are Brazilian... so call me what you will.


I'm doing my major in Chemical Engineering with my minor in both Environmental Engineering and Management (which some people might find an oxymoron). My passion regarding these fields is energy management both in regards to environmental concerns such as air pollution controls to improved technologies in the energy field like energy efficiency and our well known alternative energy sources.



I have lots of things I'm truly passionate about... for starters I introduce you all to my pet Akita. No she's not a rat or mouse... she's a ferret. I also have another ferret but she doesn't like to have her photo taken quite often. I am an animal lover at heart, but these playful, clever, thieving little clowns steal my heart every day. I also love all aspects of science like chemistry, environment, medicine, and biotechnology. My music taste is very peculiar liking Mendelssohn all the way to Metallica (pre-Load) which my piano professor at my music conservatory thought was highly unusual. I also love ancient history and mythology. I am particularly fascinated by Egyptian mythology and history and one of my dreams is to actually go and visit the great remains of this amazing civilization. In the end, I love to learn new things, to "think outside the box." I love challenging ideas that will widen my range of experiences and knowledge. It is for this precise reason why I am here in this course. I hope that I may learn from all of you as well as our professor... to challenge my mind. Hope to meet you all! Oh... and purple is my favourite colour *smile*

Barbara D.

Sukhjina's Intro

Hey guys, my name is Sukhjina. I switched out of management and decided to go back into sciences again. I am currently in my first year in Nutrition at the MacDonald Campus and may decide to do a minor in management. I have only taken a few classes at McGill, but I believe that this will be the only course that will give me the chance and time to learn something about myself.

I was born in Montreal but am of an indian background. I enjoy dancing, shopping and spending time with my family and friends. I have a part time job at a Ford dealership where I help with the accounting departement. I replace people when they are on vacation so I learn quite a bit from their jobs and it was because of them I decided to go into management.

I hope to learn something about myself from this course and look forward to learning something from all of you as well.

Ashita's Intro

Hey guys, my name is Ashita Kapoor, I am a first year student at the Macdonald Campus currently doing my Bachelor in Food Science. This is my first management class that I am taking at McGill, and so far it seems to be a lot better than I expected.
A little bit about myself, well, I was born here in Montréal, and my nationality is Indian. I have just returned from 2 months of vacationing in India on my own. During this time I got the chance to understand my culture more deeply, visit my family, discover more about myself and learn how to survive in 48 degree weather.
Some of my interests and hobbies are travelling, dancing, shopping, yoga, outdoor sports and spending time with my family and friends. I am currently working at Remax as a receptionist part time.

I’m glad I decided to take this class because Mr.Fahri Karakas does a fine job motivating students and am able to create an entertaining and attention-grabbing atmosphere to the class. Also, I find the projects that we are doing are going to help us for the long run after we graduate. I hope to make the most of it, and use the information learned in the long run. Good Luck and I look forward to knowing you all in more detail over the summer.

Take Care

Raymond Chan's Intro

Hello everyone, my name is Raymond Chan. I come from Malaysia, this is my third year living in Canada. I'm currently going into u2 of electrical engineering. My interest are in cycling and photography.

I'm taking this course to complete a minor in management. So far I like how the course is progressing. It's quite different from what I heard about the course in the winter. I'm excited to read everyone's contribution to this blog; you are all very interesting individuals, I look forward to know everyone better.

Isabelle's Intro

Hi! I’m Isabelle. I am from Montreal, but I have spent the last 2 years traveling by myself and working as an international model. I have lived in France (Paris), Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto), China (Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou), Taiwan (Taipei), Australia (Sydney) and South Africa (Cape Town). People always ask me what my favourite place was: Sydney, by far. It’s an easy-going life, all about the beach and hanging out with friends. What’s not to like? I headed there for 1 ½ month and ended up staying for 3, it’s so hard to leave! I love traveling (of course), meeting new people and learning about different cultures. I speak French, English, Spanish and I am currently learning German. Traveling has definitely formed the way I am. I have made many friends worldwide and I keep all those memories very close to my heart. I am now a U1 Bcom student, and I hope this experience will help me in my future career.

introduction to myself

Hey everyone! my name is amanda shenstone, and I am going into my second year in the BCom program. I am originally from Cookstown, Ontario, but I have spent the past 11 years living in south florida (naples, to be exact). I found winter to be a little cold...
I've been working as a shift leader at Starbucks for over a year, which I really enjoy even though it can drive me absolutely crazy at times, especially since I'm working full time and taking two classes right now.
I originally decided to take this course so that I could take german in the fall and not have so many core courses, and now I've become really excited about this hands-on experience.
My favorite things to do are travel (I've spent time in families in Spain, France, and Germany, and I've visited Italy) and spend time with my wonderful boyfriend.
I hope to always be healthy and happy, and I wish the same to all of you. I can't wait to get to know you!!
~amanda

Introduction to Gonz

Hello,

I am B.Sc. student at McGill graduating next year but I decided to take some electives in various disciplines because it is a great asset to have exposure to different fields. So I have taken courses in all basic sciences, computer science, art history, languages and management (Science students enjoy a very flexible curriculum :) )

I am originaly from Colombia but I have been moving all over the place, partly due to my parents moving around and partly because I like travelling and I take advantage of any opportunity in which I can visit or live in a different country.

I hope everyone else is also liking this class!

Gonzalo

Brittany's Intro

Hello, everybody! I'm from Sudbury, Ontario, 'famous' for the world's largest nickel and that's about it. I here at McGill to study Music & Education (it's a concurrent program). I'm taking this class because I'm also doing a minor in management which probably sounds totally random, but many of the skills I'm learning here are applicable to both the classroom and administrative aspects of education. I hope to someday run my own music school or be a prominent member of the arts community where I settle. I'm passionate about volleyball (indoor and beach), music (duh), and Harry Potter - which I'm reminding to all of you comes out in just over a day :D

Socialization and Self-Introduction

Hey Everyone :)
My name is Anne and I am in the Stream 3 section of the BCOM program. Due to the new BCOM program, I decided I wasn't going to put myself through hell next semester and take 10 core courses ... I therefore am taking OB now and I took Managerial Econ during the first summer semester .. great summer really.

So about me: I was born and raised just outside of Montreal and therefore, I speak both french and english. I spent the year of 2006-2007 in Italy working my way around the Quebec education system and completing a grade 12. Travel is my passion and definitely something I would love to do after all this is done. I love meeting new people and learning about different cultures. My goal is, wherever I end up, to make a positive change in the way people view the world. This class has, so far, been very different than what I had imagined a management course would be. I hope we can all take the idealism presented and use it in the future.

take care

Alexis Jackson

Hi my name is Alexis and I am going into my second year in the Management program. People often ask my what my background is because I admit it's pretty hard to figure out but my mother is Chinese and my father is English. Unfortunately I haven't picked up my dad's English accent. I grew up in North Vancouver, and although I love the beauty of BC I decided to move back to Montreal for the summer because, well in all honesty, the drinking age there is 19. I am a basketball player, a beach bum, and a night owl. I decided to take this class because I wanted room in my schedule next year to work on my minor in Political Science and decided to stay in the course because I was inspired by Professor Karakas and the way he has designed the course. I think it's rare to find a class that allows for one on one time with the Professor, that encourages student collaboration, and that focuses on lifelong learing outside of the classroom. I am excited for the next 6 weeks and I look forward to getting to know each of you better! :)

Lili's intro

Hey everyone:) My name is Li Li. Yes, my first name is Li and my last name is Li. I'm new to the field of management because i studied health science in cegep. I'm majoring in Finance and I'm a U1 student. Things I like to do in my spare time includes travelling, snowboarding and karaoke. I was born in Guangzhou, China and I lived in Albany, New York for 3 years. Then I came to Montreal when I was 13 years old.

Well, looking forward to get to know all of you!

Ryan's Intro

Hey guys,

It's really early for me, but I just got to work (I'm interning) and they have nothing for me to do. During the summer I am interning at the head offices of Dex Clothing, while I enjoy my first summer in Montreal and take this OB course.

I am entering U2 in the Mcgill management program, and have moved here from Toronto. I live in the McGill Ghetto and love the atmosphere that Montreal offers.

This course has been great so far, and should continue to be as it has challenged me to reflect on and try to develop my personal life, and go beyond what is said in a textbook.

I look forward to being co-authors with all of you!
- Ryan Slavin

Kyan Zeng

Ok, so first of all I gotta say that my name isn't Kyan. (It sounds like the pepper.)

But I'm not a fraud! I just decided using this name starting last year since I thought it would give me a fresh start in Montreal. (I'm not running from the police either.) My real name is Min Qian Zeng; the un-pronouncablity of my name is also why I go by Kyan. So Professor Farakas, in case you were wondering who the hell Kyan is joining this blog, that's me aka Min.

My life story is kind of complicated, making the question "Where are you from?" very hard to answer. But basically, I am born in China, and raised in Japan and Canada. I could call it: Made in China, Used in Japan, Refurbished in Canada.
I'll be going into 2nd year Management next year, majoring in Finance. Very excited to count money! Ok, jk. But I am excited to have joined this interactive class, and am proud that I have not fallen asleep yet. (I never do of course.)
As short term goals, I would like to master Korean, French, my sketchy German, how to cook edible food, and some other things I should not mention here. My longer term goals are to tackle the pile of dishes in the kitchen.

For the moment I work in HMK Client Consulting Services in Alexis Nihon, Atwater. The company manages the clients of an online casino group, and I handle the Japanese gamblers. (Ok, this all sounds sketchy, but I'm really not a fraudster.) The job is pretty scary becuase in Japanese there is a whole level of polite language when dealing in business and I, as a university student, constantly feel very sketched out by the complexity of it, and often resort to creating my own polite-ish-words to deal with my low vocabulary.

Anyways, long babbling short, nice to meet you all!

JP's Intro

Hi my name is Jean Philippe Peladeau and believe it or not I'm actually an anglophone despite the francophone name. I'm a BSc student in Microbiology and Immunology and I'm going to be finishing this major next year. I'm at a point where I realize that I don't want to pursue a career in lab work and so I am looking for something more dynamic. I've come to this class in hope of finding something more academically motivating for myself and I think I have. I've only taken one other class in Commerce and so far I've enjoy the experience. It is really incredible to see just how different the courses are structured from one discipline to another. I'm just glad I've found something a bit more open ended.

Becky Yao

Hi all, my name is Becky. I am a first year Management student. I was originally from Taiwan, moved to Canada about 5 years ago and studied high school in White Rock, BC - a beautiful place with beaches, trees, and lots of lovely seniors... to say... it's more of a place for retired people. I am glad that I chose Mtrl for it really is a vibrant and diverse city. More about me... Chocolate is my passion. Outdoor sports and adventures are a way of life. Friends and family are what bring life in me. I might not be an out-spoken person, but I certainly have my own thoguhts and opinions. Hope we all enjoy and take the most we can out of this class. Cheers.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Djibrane Larrabure and I am a BCom student doing a major in Finance and a concentration in International Business. I am half Peruvian and half Comorian (yes...Comoros is a country...it is a set of islands in Africa off the coast of Madagascar for those who haven't heard of it lol). I've moved around alot to different countries but spent most of my life in Canada. I decided to take this course because I am interested in global issues, especially those relating to business and politics. Ultimately when I graduate I hope to become a diplomat for the Canadian government or the UN, but for now I spend most of my time studying, taking it easy, and getting involved in different projects going on in and around McGill.

Joan's Introduction

Hi everybody! My name is Joan Schwartz and I'm a very talkative, energetic and sarcastic Latin American/Israeli. I get over-excited about very little and perhaps insignificant things. This "ability," however, has allowed me to employ a colossal amount of motivation in (almost) everything that I've done in my short life. Right now, though, I'm having a little trouble finding my path in life, more specifically: my career. Where to go? How to do it? What's so special about me that the good companies will want to hire me? You'll see what I'm talking about when you arrive to your last year at McGill. That's right, I'm a fourth-year student and I'm taking a first-year course with you (but don't fear a thing, I alone will not bring the class average up!). When I came to McGill, I started by majoring in finance, and, throughout the years, passed through almost every concentration possible. Finally, I ended up in accounting and economics. Before I came to McGill, though, I studied communications and PR, and graduated with my first B.A. No, I'm not 25. I'm not 24. I'm not 23. I'm a simple, often-boring 22-year old who's loving this class and can't wait to graduate in December!

Introduction: Duong Pham

Evening folks. My name is Duong and my major (for now) is Industrial Relations and Economics. I've always been a bit of a floater, a person who goes through life without any sort of direction so I guess this course is as good for me as any. I've worked in a wide variety of industries in my life among them: IT, Construction, Security (current), Service, Sales, Social Services (or something that resembles it), a very brief stint in behind the scenes television and currently I am exploring the Finance industry. I am very interested in the stock and derivatives markets and I am VP of the McGill Stock Exchange Consortium which is sort of going through a name change right now and I am always open to talking about anything even remotely connected to the markets. I've also recently gotten into real estate and am interested in going deeper into this industry, especially in Montreal where a large percentage of the population are renters. Sounds like I keep busy but in reality, I don't. I am a security guard part time and I work late, late hours when no one is around so I just end up doing my school work at my job. This affords me a lot of time to focus on real estate and my investment portfolio on my off days which takes a couple hours a week and allows me to sleep away the days and afternoons and wake up in time to go out on the weekend. It's a bit unconventional of a schedule but it fits me perfectly.

A large part of my identity and world view comes from my upbringing, which is probably a little different than the average McGill student and where I come from (Toronto). I am a very proud Canadian and that is something I always keep in mind where ever I go. I am very opinionated and have no qualms about discussing issues that other people find touchy and I swear A LOT so I can come off as a real jerk but I'm actually a pretty nice and laid back, sociable guy in public. I am open to discussing any issue no matter how small, even politics which I absolutely detest, because talking to people is something that entertains me the most.

Fahri Karakas - introduction

I thought it would be a good idea to start the first introduction blog myself. I am Fahri Karakas, from Turkey. I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, specializing in Organizational Behavior. I have been teaching on Organizational Behavior and Leadership at McGill and Bogazici Universities. My research interests include values and spirituality in the workplace, global leadership, global peace, bridging world cultures and religions, interfaith dialog, peace and values education, social responsibility, inspirational management education, social innovation and complexity, positive change in human systems, positive organizational scholarship, and appreciative inquiry. I have just began publishing in journals like Leadership in Action, Global Business and Organizational Excellence, International Journal of Humanities and Peace, Equal Opportunities International, Journal of Globalization for Common Good, Leadership Excellence; and Vital Speeches of the Day. I am a member of Academy of Management, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, and Academy of International Business. I am serving as the president of Quebec Horizon Foundation and a board member of Dialog Foundation in Montreal.

As a researcher, my vision is the following:

"We need new innovative, creative, interdisciplinary and holistic paradigms of thinking, research and teaching based on positive values, spirituality, social responsibility and service for our common good as well as for global peace, prosperity and wellbeing in the 21st century."

My mission:
"I want to make a positive difference in human systems, organizations, communities and the world based on spirituality, values and social responsibility through my research, teaching and service."

I have a deep passion for teaching. Teaching has always been my biggest passion in life.
I love all my students. I believe the teacher-student relationship is not a contractual one limited to the class. It is a lifetime relationship. I will always try to be supportive, available, helpful, encouraging, nurturing, motivating, and positive. I give utmost importance to practicing my values in the teaching profession: compassion, generosity, innovativeness, devotion, friendship, modesty, conscientiousness, hope, creativity, sincerity, and enthusiasm.

Years before, I dreamed about teaching, about my future students, about you. I always said to myself:

"One day...

I will design such a course that all students will love the experience.
I will design such a course that I will discover the pearl in each student.
I will design such a course that it will have a positive impact in the lives of my students.
I will design such a course that we will all learn from one another."

And I hope that day finally arrived now! I have very high expectations from each of you.

Here is the opportunity for us bring out our best strenghts, talents, abilities, passions, team work, and creativity that we have inside.

I love you all!
- Fahri Karakas

PS: I am sorry this has been so long. Normally it was one paragraph but somehow kept flowing.

Introducing ourselves

Dear colleagues,
Some of you have suggested that we introduce ourselves to each other before uploading our projects and work. I think this is a great idea! We want to know each other more closely as a learning community. We are co-authors here after all! So I would like you to post your first blog as a paragraph introducing yourself. In your own words, how would you describe yourself? Why have you taken this course? What do you hope to get out of this experience? Feel free to just be informal and tell us about yourself. You can upload your picture as well if you like. Please label this entry as "Socialization and Self-Introduction". I feel it has been a previledge for me to meet you through your first projects and the interviews That I conducted with each of you this week. We have some of the best creative global minds here! I believe this will be a transformational enriching learning experience for all of us. Thanks and welcome again!

Hans Rosling at TEDTalks: Global Development Data

This is a great presentation by Hans Rosling on Gapminder, world development and global health.

Reflecting on the role of business on society in the 21st Century: THE CORPORATION

After viewing the Canadian documentary "The Corporation" together, I would like to invite you to reflection and brainstorming on the changing role, power, responsibilities of modern corporations on society in the 21st century.

The Corporation documentary, produced by Joel Bakan, Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott, has been displayed worldwide, got more than 25 international awards and created great controversy in the world of business.

The film charted the development of the corporation as a legal entity from its origins and analyzed the "personality" of the corporate "person" by using diagnostic criteria from the World Health Organization. The argued result is that the corporation is a psychopath. Do you agree?

Today we will try to come up with a SWOT analysis of corporations and MNCs in the 21st century. What are the strenghts and weaknesses associated with them? What are the opportunities and threats ahead of us in the 21st century?

To reflect more on the issue, I recommend the resources and thinking provided at the film website: http://www.thecorporation.com/ Check the web site for ideas, projects, resources, and educational tools.

Spiral Dynamics

Today we will be touching upon an innovative model called "Spiral Dynamics". Don Beck and Chris Cowan has written up an influential book called "Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change". Spiral dynamics is a transdisciplinary model bridging complexity, values, social change, and diversity. The basic argument is that human nature is not fixed and adaptable to new circumstances. Humans and human societies construct new, more complex, conceptual models of the world that allow them to handle the new problems. Each new model ("meme") includes and extends all previous models. Spiral dynamics is based on the concept of Memes; systems of core values and collective intelligences. Memes are like DNA's of society: They include self-propagating ideas, values, habits, living styles, or cultural practices.

First tier Memes

Beige: Archaic-Instinctive - survivalistic/reflexological meme
Purple: Animistic-Tribalistic - magical meme
Red: Egocentric-Exploitive - dominionist meme
Blue: Absolutistic-Obedience - purposeful/authoritarian meme
Orange: Multiplistic-Achievist - scientific / strategic meme
Green: Relativistic-Personalistic - communitarian/egalitarian meme

Second tier Memes

Yellow: Systemic-integrative meme
Turquoise: Holistic - global meme

To learn more about the "Spiral Dynamics" model please click on the address below and read the article called The Never-ending Upward Quest: Spiral Dynamics.

http://www.wie.org/spiral/content/spiraldynamics.pdf

Understanding complexity, dynamism and transformation in social, human, ecological systems: Panarchy

Panarchy is a conceptual framework to describe evolving hierarchical systems with multiple interrelated elements. The aim is to understand the transformation in social, natural, ecological complex systems. This trans-disciplinary model can be adapted and applied to organizations, nations, and societies.

Panarchy is an innovative transdisciplinary model bridging the new sciences, ecology, biology, ecological economics, environmental policy, management, and complexity. Panarchy is the dynamic structure in which natural and human systems (such as forests, corporations, institutions, civilizations..) are interlinked in continual adaptive cycles of growth, accumulation, restructuring, and renewal. These transformational cycles take place at various scales ranging from micro levels (a drop of water) to macro levels (the biosphere), over periods from days to eras. By understanding these cycles and transformation dynamics, researchers can identify different points and transition phases at which a system is capable of accepting positive change. Panarchy can be used to foster resilience and sustainability within human and natural systems.
Creating institutions to meet the challenge of sustainability is the objective here.

If you are deeply interested in this issue, I recommend you to read Gunderson and Holling's book: "PANARCHY: Understanding Transformations In Human And Natural Systems".
However, if you want an overall general understanding of Panarchy, I recommend the following web site to learn more about the model:
http://www.sustainablescale.org/ConceptualFramework/UnderstandingScale/MeasuringScale/Panarchy.aspx

The University of the Future

A recent editorial published in Nature argued that the traditional model of the research universities bounded by disciplines and departments needed to be changed and challenged. You can reach it below:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v446/n7139/pdf/446949a.pdf

Globalization for the Common Good 2007 Istanbul Conference: A Non-Violent Path to Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding

Dear colleagues,

Last week, the Globalization for the Common Good Iniative has had a stimulating global conference in Istanbul. The Istanbul Declaration was published at the end of the conference; which highlights so many of what we have covered last week: Global problems, solutions, and common values for humanity. Professor Kamran Mofid has just sent the Istanbul Declaration and I want to share this important declaration with you:

THE ISTANBUL DECLARATION

An Interfaith Perspective on Globalisation for the Common Good: The Sixth Annual International Conference: “A Non-Violent Path to Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding”
Istanbul 2007 • Fatih University

“All roads lead to Istanbul.” Meeting place of two continents and capital of two empires [the Byzantine and the Ottoman], Istanbul has been a crossroads of cultures for nearly 1800 years. The city offers a powerful metaphor for understanding and reconciliation between East and West. We gather here on the beautiful campus of Fatih University, grateful for their warm hospitality and support. We come together from many countries, six faiths, and countless areas of expertise to continue our exploration of pathways to Globalisation for the Common Good. In Turkey we experience the vital bio-diversity of the Earth and the rich cultural diversity of humankind. Our time here has been richly inspiring and profoundly motivating. It has yielded a very fruitful dialogue.

In this sixth international conference we affirm our shared commitment to non-violent conflict
resolution and the building of cultures of peace around the world. The urgency of the challenge is particularly apparent in a region of the world that is so tragically afflicted by violence. The time has come for concrete new democratic and non-violent strategies that reflect global, regional, and local cultural and spiritual realities.

We recognize the deep-seated human desire for harmony in diversity, the source of our strength. We strongly acknowledge the interdependence of peace with justice and ecological sustainability. We recognize the urgent need for dialogue not only among the religions but also between religion and the sciences and between the religious and secular spheres. The strong engagement of these dimensions of human endeavor is vital if we are to address the critical issues that arise in the wake of globalisation.

We believe that education is the key that unlocks the door to globalisation for the common good. We call in particular for approaches to education that nurture interreligious and intercultural understanding, awareness of interdependence, moral values, and global citizenship. These essential elements shape personal decisions of social consequence, concern for the well being of others, and respect for other human beings and for the whole of the planetary community.

The movement from the myth of redemptive violence to the new story of restorative justice has informed our inquiry and inspired our deliberations. We urge the recognition of the spiritual dimension of the global dilemma in the early 21st century and of the spiritual component that must be present in the solutions we attempt.

We believe that enduring change emerges through the cooperative activity of men and women.
Visionary activists must therefore work towards the evolutionary social transformation of fundamental values, especially those bearing on the empowerment of women.

We strongly acknowledge the vital importance of the following critical challenges for the 21st
century. Each is a source of violence. But as we address each urgent issue, we open up a wellspring of peace. The path to that end leads through respectful encounter with the other, open dialogue, and cooperative common action to address the problems that face us all in the 21st century.

• Global poverty, hunger, disease, and unmet human life needs
• International militarization and obscene levels of military spending
• Unsustainable economic, political, cultural, and ecological structures of power
• Social and economic injustice and the systematic violation of universal human rights
• Worldwide gender inequity in the social, economic, political, legal, and religious spheres
• Coercive violence against women and children, including the horror of children forced into
combat
• Rampant ecological degradation and disregard for the sacredness of all life
• Intercultural and interreligious ignorance, mistrust, fear, and hatred

We must strengthen the influence of the majority of humans that wish to live in peace. We strongly endorse efforts to combine our collective intelligence to build globalization from the bottom-up: creating a global consensus of commitment to the common good. In this way, we declare our global sovereignty and claim our global citizenship for the first time.

We urge the development of consensus for a common global action plan, beginning with a multistakeholder consultation process, and culminating in a common vision for ending poverty, reversing climate change, financing sustainable development and creating structural reforms in global trade, finance, and energy policy.

As committed participants in the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative [GCGI] we
commit our individual and group support to the following:

• To create a network of organizations whose aims resonate with those of GCGI. This Internetbased network will facilitate the sharing of ideas, information, and courses of constructive action.
• To develop and maintain – on the GCGI web site and in the Journal of Globalization for the
Common Good – a dynamic list of “what’s working”: initiatives, projects, and civil society
organizations that are making a significant contribution to the common good.
• To explore ways to encourage young persons from around the world to become actively engaged with Globalisation for the Common Good. This will include participation in future conferences, international exchange programs, interreligious and intercultural study and dialogue, and other initiatives.

Globalization for the Common Good has come a long way over the past six years. Six successful
conferences and an increasingly influential journal and web site mark our progress. We have cultivated a diverse group of scholars, leaders of civil society, religious and spiritual leaders, and global activists for intense explorations of a value-centered vision of globalisation and the common good. We invite all others who share our vision to join us on the path to a better global future.

Globalisation for the Common Good, at Fatih University, Istanbul, 8 July 2007

You can get more info at:

http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/

http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/conferences/past-conferences/2007-istanbul-declaration/