Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Positive Effects of Globalisation

Positive Effects of Globalisation Abraham Darby Academy 29105 Thomas Smith 3139 Is Globalisation affecting our lives for the better? Is Globalisation affecting our lives for the better? Globalisation is not a new concept; early explorers went off in to the unknown and came back with exotic foods, sports and fashions that were unheard of. People of the UK eat potatoes on a daily basis, but they aren’t even British! However, the advent of internet technology and low cost air travel have given globalisation prominence. Globalisation refers to the increased inter-connectedness of the world and how the world is getting smaller (well, metaphorically speaking). Globalisation is now reaching out and touching the lives of an increasing amount of people around the globe. Consider your own World for a moment – how is your lifestyle affected? The car in the garage, the food in the kitchen, the phone in your pocket, the clothes on your back or the computer you use? I myself have had my lifestyle greatly influenced by globalisation. My iPad, Xbox and video games all are either manufactured or created in another country and shipped to the UK. Indeed, many of the TV p rogrammes I enjoy are also produced overseas. This shows that our world has become increasing connected and interdependent in terms of culture cuisine, fashion and technology. But is it a change for the better? Causes The cause of globalisation can be linked back to a few main changes. Firstly the improvement in air-travel throughout the 20th century has resulted in a vast increase in the amount of movement of people and goods between countries. Graph 1 shows that between 2000-2008 the volume of exports in developing countries doubled, most likely due to the easier access and advancements of air-travel and transport. Everything from food to technology can be produced in a different country and then flown to us. This in turn has allowed a greater sharing of cultural ideas. Secondly, the development of communication such as the internet and mobile phone technology has meant that it is easier than ever for people to develop and share their ideas. It allows someone with a computer in Britain to access information published in another country or find out about other cultures without having to visit the country. This has allowed a larger spread of cultural information and ideas. Map 1 depicts the amount of internet users in the world, by country. From the map, I conclude that the internet has become a revolutionary tool in the spreading of culture and information. The main users appear to be Asian nations like India and China. As these are large developing nations with large populations, it is not surprising to see that a large percentage of the population use the internet. As you can see, there is also a positive correlation between population size and number of internet users. Another reason for globalisation is the creation and growth of Multi-National Companies. As of 2009, there were 889,416(3) globally, meaning there are a lot of companies with branch plants in multiple countries. The most famous examples of MNC’s are Coca-Cola, Apple and McDonalds. Each of these MNC’s has factories, offices or places of business in countries all around the world or they sell their products to millions around the world. The fact that so many exist, show how interconnected we all are and that many peoples’ lives and cultures are influenced by these expanding companies. Global trading blocs have further reduced national barriers, for example the EU as has the growth of a global media.4 Effects Globalisation results in positive and negative impacts (Table 1). Table 1: Globalisation – the good and the bad The sharing of information has meant that for example, an event occurring in south East Asia can be known about quickly or instantly in countries like the UK. Thus allowing NGO’s to get accurate information about what happened and be able to use facts when asking for donations. A good example of this is the recent Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Due to the internet and other communication technologies, news of the event was instantly available to other countries and this allowed them to act accordingly. This rapid sharing of information has led to problems like global warming and conflict in overseas nations being more well-known and for people to call for more action to be taken.5 Many critics claim that LEDC’s do not receive many benefits of globalisation and are only used for their cheap labour and resources. This therefore creates the effect of ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer’ in many peoples’ eyes. The most well-known examples of this are MNC’s like NIKE, Apple and Primark who mainly locate their manufacturing operations in newly industrialised countries. They often move to a country with cheaper labour if costs begin to rise or get too high for their liking. To add to this, some MNC’s take little care of the workers or areas they set up their operations in. The news is often filled with stories of sweat shops, terrible working conditions or other poor ways of treating the area. The case study of Coca-Cola in India shows how well known and respected MNC’s can ‘exploit/take advantage of the countries they operate in. Perspectives Anti-globalisation campaigners and those who oppose/disagree with globalisation believe that clothing, language, diet, tradition and other cultures are being destroyed and re-shaped into a more capitalist or westernised style. A prime example of this that American TV programmes or movies are more likely to be a worldwide success than those of other countries like India, which also have large media industries. This perhaps accounts for the term ‘Bollywood’, whereby Indian entertainment/film makers are using a globally renowned place name ‘Hollywood’ to raise awareness of Indian film. Many people have an opinion on globalisation, be it an MP in London, a business man in China or a villager in Kenya, Africa, probably because globalisation is wide reaching. These perspectives often differ depending on who you ask. Kofi Annan, views globalisation as a positive phenomenon. Kofi is a Ghanaian diplomat and part of the UN9, he has seen the world and dealt with many situations involving other countries. Therefore he clearly knows what he is In terms of culture, Mr Annan seems to believe that globalisation has benefited the different cultures of the world and now better from having had other cultures interact with theirs. For my local area, globalisation has had a very positive effect. Globalisation has led to an influx of culture such as film, food (Chinese, Indian and Thai) and the creation of hundreds of jobs and has brought several big Multi-national companies to Telford. MNC’s like RICOH employ about 900 people10 in Telford alone. Ricoh Company, Ltd is a multi-national imaging and Electronics Company based in Japan. It was founded in 193611 and opened its Telford branch in 1987.12 Its Telford branch manufactures cameras and projectors, all of which are sold either in the UK or shipped abroad to other countries for sale. And this isn’t the only MNC in Telford. Companies like ENTA (Taiwanese) and Johnson Controls (American) all have factories in Telford, providing products and employment for the local area. If globalisation hadn’t happened, the unemployment rate in Telford would be much higher. Therefore my local area has benefited quite a lot from globalisation, be it in emplo yment, products or services, and perspective on the subject is positive. Scenarios In terms of scenarios for globalisation and culture, there are but two; a scenario where globalisation extends its influence and a scenario where it recedes. If globalisation were to extend further, it will mean fewer areas of the world remain untouched. This could have massive implications for culture in both MEDC’s and LEDC’s. For MEDC’s it would mean greater access to products or ideas from other countries. This however, may not affect the culture of MEDC’s like the UK a lot; mainly due to MEDC’s being â€Å"multicultural† societies and the influx of more culture will simply expand the already dynamic range of culture in these countries. But in terms of work, shops and services it is a different story. By allowing more MNC’s from other countries to enter, the prospect of more jobs, services and products increases. Consequentially, it also increases the risk that local businesses will have to close or go out of business. In 2012, the UK saw almost 4,000 shops and 54 retailers close up and go online or go completely bust, affecting more than 48,000 employees15. This shows that even though globalisation brings lots of benefits it can destroy traditional or small local businesses. For LEDC’s an increase in globalisation could be either good or bad. An increase in globalisation could bring more MNC’s to a country or area and with it, benefits. But it could also bring negatives like exploitation or damage to the environment. The local areas culture could be seriously affected, as they replace traditional dress with MEDC style clothing or food, like McDonalds or Coca-Cola. This can be a good thing but it would destroy or significantly weaken local culture and could eventually disappear. The other scenario, where globalisation recedes, provides a very different picture. If fewer MNC’s exist in other countries surely countries would become a bit more ‘self-sufficient’ (being able to do it themselves). For an MEDC, this would mean many aspects of our lifestyle would go or more likely, be harder to come by. Books, movies, foods (Eg: bananas) and clothing would be harder to get as there may be fewer companies willing to ship them to the countries which want them. This could mean that MEDC culture changes, as the lack of foreign products or ideas means that a specific MEDC culture could develop. For local business, it means that more people may use them instead of bigger companies, essentially increasing their usage and profits. For LEDC’s, this scenario would seriously affect their culture. As the media shows us every time they are in LEDC’s like in Africa or the Philippines for example, every day people seem to wear t-shirts, shorts or other similar clothing branded with MEDC MNC logos. Now, without globalisation, this sort of clothing would most likely become harder to acquire. This can be both a good and a bad thing. It’s a good thing for the LEDC’s culture as it allows them to readopt traditional clothing or move away from MEDC influence. It can also be a bad thing as they may rely on these clothes and without them may not have any at all. Another way that LEDC’s would be affected is that with less MNC’s in their countries, fewer jobs may be available to the people living in LEDC’s. This could have a negative effect on the economy of LEDC’s which rely on MNC’s for financial income and jobs. Moreover, less MNC’s would mean workers and communities in LEDC’s would not suffer from poor working conditions or other MNC related problems. Conclusion In conclusion, I have been able to identify that globalisation is mostly affecting our lives for the better. It facilitates the sharing of ideas, knowledge and culture, which in turn has allowed the world to become more interconnected and shared. However, this is not always a good thing, as globalisation has been, and still is, responsible for exploiting workers, damaging environments and eroding cultures. From my evidence and research, I have found that globalisation causes more harm in LEDC’s than in MEDC’s. In MEDC’s, globalisation brings more positive effects than negatives and people in MEDC’s seem to have adopted it into their lives. In the future, it would be good if MEDC’s could ensure that the benefit they gain from globalisation in LEDC’s is fully and fairly reciprocated Bibliography: Gap minder map www.bit.ly/1gLW9Bm or http://www.gapminder.org/world/#$majorMode=map$is;shi=t;ly=2003;lb=f;il=t;fs=11;al=30;stl=f;st=f;nsl=t;se=t$wst;tts=C$ts;sp=5.59290322580644;ti=2010$zpv;v=0$inc_x;mmid=XCOORDS;iid=ti;by=const$inc_y;mmid=YCOORDS;iid=0AkBd6lyS3EmpdC1PcWJUZldDelFyQXdaOEtDUG9HSUE;by=const$inc_s;uniValue=8.21;iid=phAwcNAVuyj0XOoBL%5Fn5tAQ;by=ind$inc_c;uniValue=255;gid=CATID0;by=grp$map_s;sma=65;smi=2.65$cd;bd=0$inds Number of MNC’s http://www.numberof.net/number%c2%a0of%c2%a0mncs-in-the-world/ Causes of globalisation http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/401/trade/what-caused-globalization/ Positive effects of globalisation http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/globalisation/globalisation_rev4.shtml Volume of exports 1990-2009: http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/coher_e/mdg_e/development_e.htm Coca-Cola protest India – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/CocaColaIndia.gif Kofi Annan quote – http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/__data/assets/image/0018/2628/study-globalisation-uk-brighton.jpg What is the UN – http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/ RICOH employment numbers- http://www.shropshirestar.com/shropshire-business/2013/05/28/telford-ricoh-factory-workers-face-uncertain-future/ RICOH founding – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricoh RICOH Telford founding – http://www.ricoh.co.uk/about-ricoh/ricoh-uk/history/index.aspx RICOH picture – http://www.therecycler.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ricohtelford.jpg Case study – India and coco cola – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola#India store closure numbers (2012) – http://www.retailresearch.org/whosegonebust.php 1909 words excluding tables and headings

Monday, January 20, 2020

The Importance of the House in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. H

The Importance of the House in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Steveson used the architecture of Dr. Jekyll's house very intelligently. The house can be regarded to be parallel to Dr. Jekyll's double personality. Throughout the book, the house lends itself as a powerful prop, by which it is possible for Dr. Jekyll to use his house even when he is in the form of Mr. Hyde. The house, like Dr. Jekyll, has a dark side. On the front side of the house, it seems to be an elite, upper class, respectable home. However, the rest of the house is quite the opposite. As the book described it – 'discolored wall on the upper; and bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and so did negligence.'; Therefore the back door could be used by Mr. Hyde, with very few suspecting Mr. Hyde of having any connection to Dr. Jekyll. Steveson fit the architecture of the house into the story cleverly. The house supports Dr. Jekyll's secret of being Mr. Hyde at times. The house symbolizes the double personality of its ow ner. Therefore Dr. Jekyll and his house have parallel characteristics. We are introduced to the back door right at the beginning of the book. The door is said to be – ' equipped with neither bell or knocker, was blistered and distained.'; Along with the introduction of the door is the introduction of Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde's appearance is described as 'something displeasing, something downright detestable.'; So right from the beginning, we are aware of Mr. Hyde's connection with this mysterious door. Mr. Enfield's story on page 2 gives a good understanding of the shady character of Mr. Hyde. A quote from the book that best describes this is ' The next thing was to get the money; and where do you think he carried us but to that place with the door? – whipped out a key, went in , and presently came back with the matter of ten pounds in gold and a cheque for the balance on Coutts's, drawn payable to bearer, and signed with a name that I can't mention.'; But as the story progresses we learn that the house belongs to Dr. Jekyll. The fact that Dr. Jekyll is only seen in the front of the house, which is well furnished and respectable, brings about the contrasting features of the house. This is also a good time to note that this contradiction of the two sides of the house signifies that Dr. Jekyll is obviously hid... ...ekyll was a man, who had always followed the rules of society. He was a respectable man, and had never had any adventures. By becoming Mr. Hyde, with the help of his knowledge of science he was satisfying his evil side. But he could not altogether forget about society. Although Dr. Jekyll's reputation was still important to him, and he becomes a hypocrite in the process, he found a way to hide his hypocrisy and keep his reputation as it was. This is why he had to use his private and public identity the way he did. The house clearly caters to Dr. Jekyll's double personality. Steveson uses the house as a prop throughout the book. The story never would have worked if the house's architecture was not like it was. It is almost too much of a give-away that the house was made in this way. But no reader if the book would realize this unless, it was thought about more, or studied. In conclusion, the house of Dr. Jekyll is much more important then one would think at the beginning of the book. If the architecture was not planned by Steveson the way it was, the story would not have been as good. Steveson used the house greatly to his advantage, and greatened the mystery of the novel.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Problem Solving Paper Essay

There are many steps in solving any problem at hand. People think that it is an easy process, unfortunately it’s not. A process was created in aiding in overcoming obstacles that may arise whenever an individual has to solve a problem. Solving any problem requires creativity in finding exactly what the challenge is in order to find a remedy to the problem. Throughout this paper, I will discuss the numerous stages in the creative process and select a personal challenge that I had to deal with throughout my life and venture through the creative process in order to solve the problem. Brainstorming is very important when it comes to solving a problem. By brainstorming it allows an individual to have many remedies to a problem no matter how difficult it may be. A person’s mind must be creative but in order for it to accomplish this there must be a challenge. Looking at chapter 5 of the course textbook I found that there are four stages of the creative process which are searching for challenges, expressing the problem, investigating the problem, and producing ideas. Stage one- searching for challenges: Serving my four years in the United States Marine Corps provided me with a challenge when it came to leading and solving problems quickly. One of my personal challenges that I had to deal with was when I was in Manama, Bahrain. I was a team leader with second fleet antiterrorism security team also known as FAST. We were tasked with having to provide security at the United States embassy. Upon arrival I knew that we were going to be faced with some challenges. I was a squad leader in charge of 25 Marines under me. In the military there is no point in planning because at the end of the day  plans fail and a person must improvise. Five days into providing embassy security my guys under me including myself was getting very sick from going outside into the heat and coming back into the freezing air of the embassy. I quickly had to make a decision on what I had to do to solve the problem fast. I set up a three-day post rotation splitting half my guys located at the outside and the other half located at post inside. I did this so it would minimize the exposure to the temperature changes that we were dealing with. A decision had to be made quickly on what needed to be done because protest was taking place outside the walls of the embassy and there could not be a lack when it came to security. Stage two- expressing the problem: For an individual to express a problem it takes a lot. At times it can be very difficult to point out a problem because of fear of getting into trouble. Bringing the issue up of my guys getting sick to leadership was a bit of a challenge because the Marine Corps do not like weak leaders. Leadership expects professionalism out of the squad leaders and they must depend on squad leaders to make good sound decisions. When I looked at the issue at hand it was a no-brainer I knew I would probably look weak but I was making a smart decision. If I wouldn’t had made a decision to prevent my guys from getting sick there would have been a lapse in security and that was an issue that was unacceptable to me and my leadership. Expressing the problem to my leadership gave me the confidence to go through with the plan and feel like I did the right thing. Stage three- investigating the problem: Looking at the problem I knew that it would be easy to implement the fix but I had to see if it was going to actually work. Now that we knew that going in and out of certain temperatures would make people sick we would know how to set up security positions with personnel that was available. The first three days didn’t go so well but after four days I noticed a dramatic difference in in the welfare of my Marines, including me. When I came to my leadership with the problem at hand and proposed the fix, they told me to really look at the problem and see if my plan would work. Upon investigation I concluded that the problem was fixed even though it took a little sacrificing. Fortunately, at the end of the day there was never a lapse in security and leadership was happy. Stage four- producing ideas: When coming up with a solution to the problem I checked with the leadership to make sure it was okay to implement my plan. Leadership told me not to over think the problem at hand, just come up with a quick fix to the problem considering we were only here for six months. Producing many ideas helped me have a choice of what I wanted to do. For an individual to come up with more than one idea gives an individual a broader choice, which makes solving a problem a whole lot easier. Being a leader is not hard to do; it’s about coming up with ideas, implementing them and leading from the front with integrity. Conclusion: Looking at and implementing each stage of the creative process gave me the opportunity to come up with a solution to the problem at hand. Making the right decision was important for me because it showed my leadership that I could perform under pressure. The creative process made me think of many ideas to the problem and what I had to do to fix the problem. If I would not have used the creative process the issue would not have been resolved. When you ask other people what their opinion is on an idea it shows a willingness to fix a problem at hand. Brainstorming is critical because it helps you come up with a solution and gives the individual many ideas on what they can do to fix the problem. Without the critical thinking process it would be difficult when it comes to solving problems. People depend on other people, but as long as you go through the steps of the creative thinking process anyone can find a fix to any problem that they may face in life. References Ruggiero, V.R. (2009). The Art of Thinking: A guide to critical and creative thought (9th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Friday, January 3, 2020

The Controversial Developments Of Genetic Engineering

Technology is advancing at a rate today that would leave people from as recently as one decade ago in awe. Among the groundbreaking developments is genetic engineering, which is when scientists modify the genetic makeup of an organism, whether it be altering an animal, plant, or other living thing. Genetic engineering can do many wondrous things for today’s society, such as make crops grow in more adverse conditions, and rid humans of certain malformations and medical conditions. According to Sam VanOrman, another modification that should be added to that list is genetically modified mosquitos; however, I respectfully disagree. VanOrman employs several high-quality reasons as to why mosquitos should be released into the wild, the first of which is that all genetically modified organisms â€Å"should be considered individually, rather than as a whole,† and that each case should be looked at with all of its variables. To look at them as a whole would, quite simply, be sil ly. Every situation with genetic modification in differing organisms needs to be examined because each organism has a different role, and therefore a different impact on the environment, as would the modification. His second reason is that â€Å"Mosquitoes and the reasons behind the genetic modification of the organisms are much more beneficial than harmful,† and backs this up with facts listed on the infographic, such as the fact that it could rid the world of mosquitoes as a whole, as well as three very deadlyShow MoreRelatedThe Genetic Engineering Debate Essay1411 Words   |  6 PagesIn recent discussions of genetic engineering, a controversial issue has been whether genetic engineering is ethical or not. In â€Å"The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering,† JC Polkinghorne discusses about the moral status of the very early embryo and therapeutic cloning. J. H. 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