Understanding Globalisation: Impacts and Perspectives

2. Globalisation is the many ways in which people and places are becoming even more closely linked in economic, cultural and political ways. What is Globalisation? http://www.gatm.org.uk/?p=157 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H6kZWxuulU

3. Globalisation – joins up parts of the course

4. Learning Objectives & Outcomes Know– what globalisation is Understand – understand the impact of globalisation Skills– photo analysis, A* - A Evaluatethe impacts of globalisation, using examples, B Explain the causes of globalisation and how globalisation has positive and negative impacts C-D Define globalisation and describe the impact on the world

5. What is Globalisation? • rising petrol prices, food from the ‘global village’ • the latest gadgets • global climate change, biodiversity hotspots • the global ‘war on terror’, Millennium Development Goals, ‘Live 8’ new migrations of people global music, art and fashion

6. What is Globalisation? Developments in communications and transport have reduced the importance of distance and this has aided globalisation. For example: • internet and satellite connections have speeded up financial flows and business decisions • the costs of communication have fallen • containerisation has reduced shipping costs • cheap flights have brought air travel to the masses in richer nations • English has become the international language of business

8. Globalisation – Good or bad? Good or bad? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeWayRm0cmU More good and bad! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc6IonDlMPY BBC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXwLYFfZdZg

9. What has caused it? • Use your information sheet and pages 88-89 and pages 91-93 to help you Make a poster and write down your own ideas on paper as you will share these with another group

11. What is Globalisation? Categorise these impacts of globalisation into positive and negative

12. What is Globalisation?

13. Analyse the 10 cartoons What are they saying about Globalisation?

14. Causes of Globalisation Look at the Postwar globalisation timeline graph and identify some of these main indicators. Make a note of the key reasons.

15. Read ‘The Impact of new technologies on lifestyles’ from the student booklet • DARTs activity • Look at the bullet points and write down what impact you think they have on people lives. • Read ‘the impacts of globalisation on the working lives of three people’ – highlight the positives and negatives of globalisation’ in 2 different colours Extension: Complete the task at the bottom of the page… in 200 words, and with examples, explain the benefits and problems associated with globalisation

16. Social and Economic impacts: coffee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bH1X4Yn5Vw Watch the clip and make notes on Social and Economic Impacts of coffee trade.

17. ‘Explain the benefits and problems associated with globalisation, using examples.’ On 24th June 2010 the new, highly innovative and much desired smart phone, the iPhone4, was released by Apple and placed on shelves all over the world. Within two months more than 2.5 million units had been sold in countries including America, Great Britain, Chile, Argentina, Italy, Hong Kong and Australia. In total the iPhone4 and its predecessors have collectively sold more than 40 million units and within the first few days of release, Apple had made a profit of $330,669,000. Without globalisation Apple would never have been able to achieve any of this. However, globalisation also has its negative aspects. In order to look at the benefits associated with globalisation it is therefore first necessary to understand exactly what we mean by the term. ‘Globalisation’ is the connection, and its growth, of trade and communication between countries linking them closely together via their economy, environment and society. It increases the connectivity and mobility of the world’s markets, allowing countries to specialise and trade in their main industries. Some see globalisation as progress in the world market which will be beneficial for the majority of people. In the modern world, globalisation has become associated with capitalism. Capitalism is ‘the condition of possessing capital’ (www.genderandhealth.ca). It refers to an economic structure where goods and services are exchanged on a profit basis. Consequently, the rich become richer whilst the poor become poorer. The pair, globalisation and capitalism, traditionally have gone hand in hand, and many would suggest one cannot be achieved without the other. This essay is going to investigate the benefits and problems associated with globalisation and how globalisation affects the more economically developed countries (MEDC’s) and those less economically developed (LEDC’s). One of the benefits of globalisation is that it encourages free trade around the world. Free trade is a way of trading goods and services. Countries with an abundance of one product or crop are able to trade with others who require their produce. Consequently, they can make their product as competitive as possible and make maximum profits from them. This is a benefit both socially and economically. People are provided with jobs to reduce unemployment, and are able to make a living. The laws of free trade say that governments are not allowed to interfere with any deals and therefore prices are a true reflection of supply and demand. However, this does also mean that rich countries/companies can demand and set the price for a product and can abuse the workers with low prices, pay and conditions. Another advantage of globalisation is that customers all over the world are able to buy products that may not have been available in their country such as food stuffs, technologies and clothing. We are now able to buy strawberries and tomatoes all year round, and have our clothes made abroad in order to reduce wages and overheads and consequently lower the cost of the final product. The average family in the UK is approximately £7,000 per year better off, owing to reduced costs for goods and services from the impact of globalisation. This advantage of globalisation benefits the economy of the exporting country, as exporting is a major industry and many interdependent countries rely on the produce available to feed and clothe their population. A perfect example of working with countries abroad in order to reduce prices is the high street, low price clothing store, Primark, which has been named the ‘least ethical clothes shop in Britain’ (The Independent). The store prides itself on its tops for £2 or jewellery for £1, but in recent years, they have been highly criticised. When questioned, Primark stated that ‘We can afford to offer our customers low prices by utilising a number of cost saving strategies. ... Also, we buy and sell in bulk - Primark has 198 stores in Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Holland, Spain, Germany and Portugal. Our buying power allows us to buy in bulk and we pass the cost savings back to the customer.’(Primark Website; www.primark.com) A further example of the advantages of globalisation is the wide spread development of technology and scientific discovery. If a cure for any illness is discovered in one country, it can be applied around the world to saves lives. Between 1995 and 1999, Centres for Disease Control (CDC) worked in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO) to try and eradicate polio from the only four remaining endemic countries- Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. In this time, the number of reported cases of polio was reduced from over 32,000 to just 1,126 through the funding of nearly 280 million oral doses of polio vaccination, a national immunisation program in priority countries (a system where every child under five is properly immunised by two doses of vaccination) and the hiring of medical officers, public health advisors and support staff within the countries that are most at risk. Without globalisation, this would not have been possible and the societies of LEDC countries would likely be ridden with disease and illness. However capitalism has meant that many of the poorest countries, with the highest incidence of disease, are unable to afford the necessary vaccinations and drugs without aid from larger, richer MED countries. International pharmaceutical companies, intent on making money and expanding globally, are frequently unwilling to lower their prices in order to sell their medicines where they are most needed. An example of this is Africa, where AIDS is destroying the lives of millions of people- 88% of the population are living with the disease. However, only a few of the 6 million people in developing countries have access to the necessary medication. This is owing to its sheer expense- ($10,000 to $15,000 USD per person per annum) and many patients inability to afford this. Ironically, although it is responsible for the distribution of drugs and cures, it is also the reason why we need these drugs and cures. Globalisation has meant that millions of people, animals and food stuffs are carried across the world every single day, aiding the spread of some of the deadliest diseases and infections the world has ever seen. In the 15th Century, Small Pox, brought over by European settlers, killed around ninety percent of the ‘New World’ and more recently, infections like Bird Flu (Avian Influenza), which originated in Asia but was carried, by animals and humans around the globe, resulted in infecting more than 500 people, 299 of which were fatal. This form of globalisation affects the population massively. Moreover with a disease such as Bird Flu, large proportions of live stock can be infected and have to be culled, thus reducing the availability of food and potentially damaging the environment. Another disadvantage of globalisation is the exploitation of workers. China has become the manufacturing capital of the world, owing to its high population and unemployment. This makes China, and countries such as Vietnam and India, a very appealing location for transnational companies. Many companies expanding into these countries have in the past been guilty of exploiting the workers in order to gain maximum profits. Many have given low pay and poor conditions to the workers, whilst others have refused to trade fairly. Nike has factories in all three of these countries, employing more than 500,000 workers between the three. This is beneficial to both the social aspect of the country and the economic aspect. Despite Nike being accused of slave labour, insufficient wages and bad working conditions, when investigated by ‘TIME, by CNN’, it was discovered that in actual fact, Nike provided a light, modern factory area with decent wages for local standards. However, many workers are not as lucky as this, and have to work in sweatshop conditions for pennies. Companies such as Primark have been accused of this. Furthermore, globalisation has caused serious damage to the environment over the years. Destruction of natural habitats to make way for factories, crop fields and cattle ground, is causing extinction of rare animals, loss of tribal culture and exploitation of locals. Between 1966 and 1983, McDonald’s fast food chain was responsible for 3/5 of deforestation in Central and South America to make room for cattle rearing. Furthermore, owing to its massive fuel consumption (growing by eight percent per annum), a result of globalisation, China is responsible for much deforestation. Teamed with capitalism, this has meant that thousands of miles of rainforests have been destroyed for logging, or to make room for farm land. It has been said that if deforestation continues at its current rate, Indonesia would be logged out by 2020 and Papua New Guinea by 2026. In conclusion, it would appear therefore that globalisation has both many benefits and many problems. Globalisation to most MEDC inhabitants can only be seen as beneficial. They have new technology, medicine, fresh out of season food and cheap fashion available. In addition, by embracing capitalism, they are able to trade wherever they want in the world and make enormous profits. Even most LEDC’s would not want to see an end to globalisation. It means that they have a market for their goods and that in theory they could sell them for the best price. However, what frequently happens is that LEDC’s are exploited by the big global organisations for their cheap land and even cheaper workers. Multinational companies become their only market and offer a price for goods that frequently in the past has not provided a good quality of life for the workers. Consumers in the West however, are becoming more aware of this and are making a stand more and more in the exploitation of workers in these poorer countries. For example, the Co-Op recently became the first supermarket to stock only Fair Trade bananas and Fair Trade goods are becoming more and more available. Globalisation in the past has been associated with loss of culture, destruction of land and habitat and on growth based purely on greed and the accumulation of capital. However, it does not have to be that way. Globalisation can work for the good if it is managed effectively. Companies have to have an ethical approach and consumers have to be made aware of the implications of what they are buying. This is happening more and more but there is still a long way to go before globalisation becomes a fair and balanced process. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_4 http://www.freeessays.cc/db/26/hal10.shtml http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/trade/costs-and-benefits-of-globalisation/ http://www.thepoultrysite.com/bird-flu/bird-flu-news.php Explain the benefits and problems associated with globalisation, using examples. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_4 http://www.freeessays.cc/db/26/hal10.shtml http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/trade/costs-and-benefits-of-globalisation/ http://www.thepoultrysite.com/bird-flu/bird-flu-news.php