Understanding the Global Environment Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Global Environment Essay Globalization can be defined as a process whereby goods, services, labor and capital are moved around the globe (Friedman, 2000). This movement in most cases than not is a harmonized one with interconnectedness that is institutionalized. There is usually a set of relations that are global in nature that are established to ensure that the resources found in the world though in short supply, are used efficiently. The movement is acknowledged to the rise in economic integration globally that has in turn increased investments and trade. The world due to globalization is turning into a global village in that it is headed towards living in a world without borders. In a nutshell, globalization is a transformational process whereby the local phenomenons are transformed into global ones. The people in the universe are undergoing the process of being united into a single societal unit that functions as one (Ulrich, 2000). The globalization process entails bringing together of sociocultural, economic, technological and political forces. The economic aspect is more vivid in that a national economy is incorporated into international economies as a result of imports and exports trade, foreign investments, cash aids and technology spread. Though there has been sharing and exchange of goods, knowledge and even services among people and countries since time immemorial, the technological development and reduction of barriers has quickened the whole process. The state is thus put in a state where it is accountable not only to its people but to the whole globe. States are somewhat powerless in the in light of these global relations to an extent that they may be unable to control their personal economies at least in terms of autonomous economic policy implementation. The interconnectedness brought about by globalization has reduced time and space overcoming barriers to social organization and economic growth hence allowing them to be worldwide in its operations. Therefore globalization is linked to the vast spread of new technologies (Giddens, 2000). Globalization affects each and every individual. It imparts in each individual a sense of belonging not only to ones country of origin but to the global community as a whole. Globalization has made most societies if not all come to realize that they need each other to prosper and no one can live in isolation. Globalization is not a new thing. Most of the recent studies of globalization are a appraisal of the previous one just modified with improvement in technology. With time man has evolved and come up with new things thanks to evolution in technology that have eased globalization as compared to the previous face of globalization. The first globalization wave is believed to have been between the years 1870-1914 followed by the second wave in 1960 to date (Jones, 1995). These two waves of globalization have there differences too. In the first wave, there was industrialization of the north and de-industrialization of the south. As a result, wide income discrepancy was generated between groups that were close. The second wave on the other hand de-industrialized the north and industrialized a big part of south if not all. Transport costs during the first wave of globalization were very high. This led to limited trade and the industries were very rare and stagnating. The high cost in transport contributed largely in the stagnating of industries having them scattered in the north and southern parts. Therefore it was very hard for entrepreneurs to interact hence impairing innovations and any progress in technology. The world was more like retarded in its growth. The second wave came with diminished transport costs. This led to high investment rate that led to the growth of the world market as a whole. Specialization was adopted that promoted and stretched trade (Sassen, 1999). The two waves can be said to be basically different but ostensibly similar. The first wave was marked by long term flow as compared to the second wave that was characterized by short term flow of capital. Advancement in technology in the second wave is what aided in the short term fall of capital that also included very high pace of exchange of information. Therefore, in the second wave of globalization, exchange of ideas was much more important than any other form of trade as compared to the first wave. The kind of trade that existed during the first wave was that of intra-industry foreign direct investment that was among nations that had similarities and focused on services, industrializing and outsourcing. The second waves nature of trade involved much larger intra-trade between similar states focusing on differentiation of products and economies as compared to first waves inter-industry trade. Second, the initial conditions are very dissimilar and this matters greatly. There is great income difference in the countries involved that is seen now which is the second phase as compared to the previous. This has great impact on policy making and the surrounding environment more especially in the third world. Furthermore, the 19th century trade and de-industrialization disillusioned countries such as India and made it very hard for them to embrace the laissez-faire trade and policies investments. On a more positive note though, the gap between the rich and the poor slightly narrowed on the second phase of globalization due rapid technology transfer (Friedman, 2000). Though there can be skepticism about the world becoming smaller in the sense that it is termed as a global village, globalization has brought a new wake of change evidenced world wide. The time has reduced in the aspect of conveyance of information, transport systems have improved thanks to technological boost and services like medical can be termed as international thought most of them are financially bound. The fact that the world is interconnected, many parts of the world still remain left out in the globalization network. These countries include much of the sub-Saharan Africa therefore presenting thus making globalization not so much global. Global implies that it is supposed to include every part of the universe and the way it is at the moment, the inclusion is uneven. According to history, capitalism is more of the driving force of globalization. With that aspect in mind, globalization has had ambitions to the world wide level with respect to resources and market. To some extent, globalization is just an extension of capitalism in an advanced stage not something utterly new. It has been done before with Aquarius and after that with postmodernism. Globalization should therefore not be looked at as a new phase in world history because it has not taken the whole world but just a part of it. The globalization process did not start the other day, it has been an on going process for centuries now all though currently much more experiences of the same are felt. Benefits of globalization 1) Economic growth in countries The countries that participate well with the world economies have had their economies grow much faster and consistently as compared to those countries that have detached themselves closing their borders to globalization forces. These countries that are open to globalization have had their economies growth rates increase to the rate of 2. 55% higher on average scale compared to those that are closed to globalization. (Friedman, 2000). 2) Improvement of standard of living and poverty reduction Globalization has brought faster economic growth to countries that have embraced it. Due to the high rate of economic growth, the people have had their standards of living improved and in the process poverty rate reduced. An effective example is India which due to globalization has had its poverty rate reduced by half. This is due to the fact that a wide product range is made accessible to people by the availability of cheaper imports and through competition, efficiency and quality production is guaranteed. 3) High life expectancy level Growth of wealth as a result of economic improvement that comes with globalization has led to access to not only good health care but also treated water. This has increased peoples life expectancy in that people are no longer dying from curable diseases; they have access to the medical services they require. Research shows that 85% and more people are expected to live for at least 60 years. This is twice as much years as it was expected 100 years back. 4) Globalization has led to the reduction of investment barriers. As a result foreign investments have increased in many countries boosting economies and creating jobs for the citizens in that country. According to research, these foreign investments by 2003 totaled to US$575 billion as compared to US$23 billion in 1975. 5) The world has become a global village thanks to globalization therefore leading to improvement and accountability as far as the environment is concerned. This is a positive impact to the environment encouraging people to conserve the environment by use of less polluting agents of technology. There is also the use of renewable energy resources in place of limited natural resources and promoting their imports and exports (Sassen, 1999). 6) Solving of international conflicts Globalization has brought with it increased interdependence among countries leading to the formation of institutions such as world trade organization and World Bank that aid in the settlement of inter government squabbles. This has enabled international tensions on political and economic issues to be resolved having set rules that are internationally agreed upon and using those rules as the resolution approach. This has booted peace in many countries because not many countries would want to get into conflicts with their trading partners. 7) Respect of cultural diversity Migration from country to another is as a result of globalization. People are free to travel to other states and this has led to awareness and appreciation of the diversity that is there in the cultures of the world. This has improved the democratic aspects of life and every person regardless of culture has his or her rights respected. 8) Globalization has led to improvement of technology in the global sense. This has in turn reduced the cost in communication, business and even education. Disease eradication has also been made easier because the world comes together in the wake of a new ailment to find its cure. Technology and improvement of modern communication has also eased the flow of information around the world. The whole world is put on the know if anything happens anywhere in the globe (Giddens, 2000).

vampires :: essays research papers

Vampires True vampires possess different characteristics, powers and weaknesses than the fictional vampire. The outward appearance is only slightly different to that of a human, their eyes are usually larger and more defined with long lashes. Their features are often pointed; the females and males are slender. This helps hide their inhuman strength; therefore their opponents almost always underestimate them. All vampires are attractive; because of this vampires are almost always hunted by the same sex, to help prevent the hunter from forming an emotional attachment with their intended victim. Vampires are in a sense immortal. They cannot die of old age and are always in their prime at around 20 – 30 years of age (physically). They are immune to almost any diseases and poisons and cannot spread a disease from one human to another. They can recover from most wounds; a new vampire might take three days to recover from a wound that would take an older vampire three minutes. Vampires can of course be killed if the wound is large enough that they will die before they have time to heal, this means that old vampires are almost impossible to kill as they heal almost instantaneously All vampires are extremely strong generally the older they get the stronger, faster and smarter they get. Age is not everything in the power department; the quantity of self-discipline and will power the vampire has limits the force it can gather. The powers/abilities that the average vampire has are: - Weaponry, All vampires have an affinity with weapons, they can pick up almost any weapon and use it effectively, young or new vampires are trained in weaponry and martial arts. Vampires usually become an expert in one or two weapons. Vampires are the best assassins but aren’t used very often because they aren’t easily found and the reluctance of the seeker because of the misconception that the vampire will kill them, and then ask about the job proposition, when it would actually happen the other way around, in most circumstances. - Vampires are stronger and faster than any other known species, even Elves who are widely thought of as the fastest and strongest sentient creatures that still exist. Some common misconceptions about vampires are: - Sunlight is traditionally a way to kill a vampire. This is partly true, vampires are allergic to sunlight, especially young vampires, the reaction lessens the older and more experienced the vampire becomes.

Chinese Starbucks Essay

Starbucks has found success in the USA because of marketing towards â€Å"20-40 year old men and women who are concerned with social welfare† thus creating the coffee house atmosphere-Heather Karr Employee of Starbucks in Madison, WI. The coffee house in the US includes college students studying, young professionals having casual meetings, â€Å"Soccer Moms† grabbing a cup of Joe after dropping the kids off at school, etc. All-in-all Starbucks is selling not coffee but the idea of a â€Å"coffee break†, a time during the day that one can sit back, relax, and forget about the daily grind. Starbucks had to consider this as part of their main success and research China’s culture to see this same possibility existed for them there. Luckily they found that it did. Due to China’s communistic government implementing a â€Å"One Child Law† the same age demographic surprisingly existed: 20-40 year old men and women who want a place to socialize and take a break from their lives. The Family Planning Law in China was implemented to control the growing population in China, has many exceptions, and began in 1978 (enforced in 1979). Learning about this law in a history class previously, I never considered it in a marketing aspect. These individuals have grown up as single children and may have a sense of entitlement. They are well educated as the US media is always reporting on their countries’ amazing international grade reports. So, this group of â€Å"Little Emperors† are more aware of western culture than generations previous and Starbucks had to of discovered that they could give these people a taste of the western world. Lastly, Starbucks had to consider China’s tea consumption before expanding. While the US likes their coffee, China prefers tea in their social events. How could Starbucks take their signature product of coffee and still be successful? They had to sell the coffee house experience and that’s exactly what they did. 2. Discuss the key political and legal factors Starbucks had to consider in the Chinese marketplace. What are the risks of entering a country with these factors? What changes have occurred in China’s polit- ical and legal structure to the advantage of foreign companies? The standout political/legal factor for Starbucks expanding into China is Communism. Starbucks company originated in a democratic capitalistic country where it became successful. Expanding into China requires a lot of research into not just foreign laws but a very strict and controlling government that frowns on western practices. In 1999 when Starbucks began its expansion they did it with joint ventures meaning they licensed the right for Chinese citizens to sell Starbucks coffee and use their logo. Joint ventures and dictatorship are risky ideas and Starbucks could have easily failed. They made their risk minimal by only receiving royalty fees for the license to use their logo. China became a member of the World Trade Organization in 2001 thus opening the ability for American companies to freely participate in their market. Starbucks took this opportunity buy out is partners and take control over the 60 stores in existence in 2006. From 1999-2006, Starbucks had plenty of time to learn about Chinese culture and educate themselves in Chinese business that allowed them to feel confident about expanding in the future. 3. What demographic factors were important for Starbucks to understand in China? What were the demographics they decided to target? As I stated in my answer to question one, Starbucks had to understand their own target demographic in the successful US market and see if they could replicate that in China. Luckily for them it did. Political factors like the â€Å"One Child Law† gave way to a culture shift among previous generations that allowed for the 20-40 year old demographic to thrive. These citizens are independent, educated, and desire to socialize amongst their peers with no where to feel at home in. Starbucks, by â€Å"tweeking† their menu slightly and adding more dining space than other shops in other countries, adapted to these Chuppy† demands and found success. 4. What was the initial global-market strategy Starbucks employed to enter China? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages to this early strategy. How has their strategy changed since then and why? Initially Starbucks implemented a joint venture strategy. Meaning, they licensed their company for use in China believing that Chinese business individuals could have a better chance at success than they could. They also took that opportunity to learn and educate themselves about Chinese culture and business all the while receiving royalties for the licenses. This was a minimal risk for them as China was not a country that allowed a global market place to exist until its membership in the WTO in 2001. Their membership created an opportunity for Starbucks to take control of its licenses and eventually to expand further into the country.

Should Condoms Be Given in Schools Essay - 745 Words

Each year there are many unwanted babies born, or even worse aborted in this country. Many which are born to young people with little or no education about condom use and sex. With a little education about condom use and safe sex many of these unnecessary pregnancies could be prevented. Many parents do not educate their children about sex; therefore the burden usually falls on the schools. Condoms should definitely be readily available in the school system, along with a Sex Education program that includes how and why to use condoms properly. Some of us have the memory of the day your mom or dad finally had that embarrassing conversation of the â€Å"birds and the bees.†Trying your hardest to pay attention to the subject at hand; but the†¦show more content†¦In a perfect world everyone would waits till marriage to have sex. This is so not a perfect world. It makes more sense to educate them about condom and sex, rather than childbirth and infants. Sexually transmit ted diseases are spread during sexual activity. Diseses can even be spread from one person to another unknowingly. The carrier could be unsystematic; no physical signs of illness and unaware that they are infected. The Sexually transmitted disease HIV can lay dormant for years. This is a preventable epidemic. â€Å"Knowledge is power†. If our schools have the opportunity to teach this information to students about condoms and sex a better effort can go forth to improve the spread of disease. Helping students to understand the importance of sexually healthy lifestyles helps make up overall good health. Pregnancy is always a possibility of sexual activity, another vital reason to have condoms available in the school systems. Condom use can greatly reduce the chances of an unplanned pregnancy. So now the question of how condoms should be distributed to the students. Should they be right out in the open in restrooms and other common areas? No, proper distribution of condoms is im portant also. Condoms are used to prevent serious medical conditions. It only makes sense that medical staff should be involved in giving the product to student. This can also ensure that if thereShow MoreRelatedResearch Paper – Sex Education in Public Schools1569 Words   |  7 PagesResearch Paper – Sex Education in Public Schools It’s been a number of days since I’ve written here, and for that I have to answer that there have been a number of projects under works that I’ve had to tend to. For now, I will take the time to show you a research paper I’ve spent most of the day writing for my Comp I class. Sex Education in Public Schools Sex education in public schools here in the United States has, for at least the past decade, supported and utilized abstinence-only sex educationRead MoreCondom Distribution in Public Schools Essay1379 Words   |  6 PagesAllowing condoms to be distributed in public schools has had much controversy over the years. 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