INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIAL SCIENCES DIGITAL TEXTBOOK(PSYCHOLOGY-ECONOMICS-SOCIOLOGY):MIKE BUSARELLO

TED Talks At TEDGlobal University, Shereen El Feki shows how some Arab cultures are borrowing trademarks of Western pop culture -- music videos, comics, even Barbie -- and adding a culturally appropriate twist.

Via Seth Dixon

The Olympic committee and designer came under withering criticism for manufacturing the garments in China.

 

Two current controversies (Team USA clothing being made in China and Mitt Romney's potential involvement as Bain outsourced jobs) are fundamentally about what Americans think about globalization and the impact of globalization on the United States.  Globalization is most certainly a mixed bag at every scale.  What is intriguing about these controversies is that most Americans see themselves as net 'victims' of globalization, while many people outside the United States would view the United States as an overwhelming beneficiary of the economic and cultural processes that are collectively called globalization.  So what is it?  Do Americans just want to have their cake and eat it too?  Can a country only embrace the beneficial elements of globalization without accepting that negatives  inherently will come with them as a package deal?  How can a country (or the world, individual) maximize the advantages of globalization while minimizing the negatives?     

Via Seth Dixon

On July 2, 1962 -- 50 years ago today -- Sam Walton opened the very first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas.

 

The Walmart business model has profoundly reshaped the economic paradigm of retail these has 50 years.  Walmart is commonly cited as a business that exemplifies the processes of globalization.  How has Walmart reshaped aspects of society such as industrial production, environmental standards, labor, urban shopping locations, the outsourcing of manufacturing and consumption? 

Via Seth Dixon

The Mekong River was once a wild and primitive backwater. Today, growing demands for electricity and rapid economic growth are changing the character of what is the world's 12th-longest river.

 

Economic progress for some often entails job loss and environmental degradation for others.  The once isolated and remote Mekong is experiences some impacts of globalization with residents having mixed feelings about the prospects. 

Via Seth Dixon

Sometimes a single unlikely idea can have massive impact across the world. Sir Harold Evans, the author of They Made America, describes how frustration drove...

 

The economies of scale that globalization depends on, relies on logistics and transportation networks that can handle this high-volume.  In a word, the container, as mundane as it may seem, facilitated the era within which we live today. 

Via Seth Dixon

As U.S. factories enjoy a pickup in business, and need to hire more people, many are facing a perplexing situation --a dearth of skilled manufacturing workers in America.

 

Even in a time when so many are lamenting the lack of factory jobs available to American workers because of the outsourcing of manufacturing, factories can't find the qualified machinists and other critical skilled positions to operate a factory at capacity. 

Via Seth Dixon

Brazil has overtaken the UK as the world's sixth largest economy, the Centre for Economics and Business Research says.

 

The "BRIC" countries are surging forward and are seen as major players in the global economy (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Brazil just recently past the U.K. as the 6th largest economy.  China passed Japan not more than a year ago.    Furthermore, Russia and India are poised to pass the traditional European economic powers (U.K., Germany, France and Italy) by 2020.  In this restructuring of the global economy, what will the impacts be on various regions of the world? 

Via Seth Dixon

Many companies have moved their customer service lines to Manila to take advantage of workers who speak lightly accented English and are familiar with American culture.

 

The geography of globalization is epitomized by relentless change and marked by continual turnover.  Cultural and economic factors play significant roles in creating potential advantages for receiving outsourced jobs (whether that is beneficially long-term is another discussion). 

Via Seth Dixon

Some four decades after welcoming foreign assembly plants and factories, known as maquiladoras, Mexico has seen only a trickle of its industrial and factory workers join the ranks of those who even slightly resemble a middle class.

 

Despite making such consumer goods like BlackBerry smartphones, plasma TVs, appliances and cars that most people in the US, for instance, consider necessities, Mexican workers in these factories seldom get to enjoy these items because, as this article argues, the labor system keeps them in poverty.  Foreign investment in these businesses keep unions out and attracts workers from poorer areas, allowing low-cost labor to prevail.  Less than $8 a day is the going wage - great for the bottom line and consumer prices but very bleak for those who toil in this system.

Via Seth Dixon

With the country also known as Burma taking steps toward democracy and respect for human rights, Coke is returning after a 60-year absence. What are the two nations where it still won't be doing business?

 

Globalization has made many companies and products ubiquitious throughout the world.  We take their presence as a matter of course, a sign that the largest brands are in essentially every country in the world--but not all.  Until recently Coca Cola was not in three markets, all for political reasons.  Now that Burma is becoming more democratic, Coca-Cola will bring their product to all countries of South East Asia.  Any guesses on the 2 countries that still don't have Coke?

 

UPDATED CORRECTION: Thanks to the great people at About.com 's geography page, I was informed that there are more than just the initially listed two countries (North Korea and Cuba) not within the Coke universe (such as Somalia and East Timor to name a few).  For more on this see: http://geography.about.com/b/2012/06/15/coca-cola-in-every-country-but-three-no.htm

Via Seth Dixon

DETROIT — For the first time in more than 20 years, U.S. automakers are questioning a pillar of manufacturing: The practice of bringing parts to assembly lines right before they’re used.

 

What are the economic advantages to 'just-in-time' manufacturing?  What are some of the weaknesses that are a part of these transnational supply chains?  Is this the end of that economic model?  Why or Why not?  This article is a great reading for understanding industry and economic development . 

Via Seth Dixon

Although slavery is no longer legal there are still millions of people living in slavery today. One place and industry where slaves still exist is the cocoa ...

 

The world's leading producer of cocoa is Côte d'Ivoire and dirty secret is that slavery is commonplace on cocoa plantations in West Africa.    Children are smuggled from countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso and then are placed on remote, isolated plantations.  While statistics are all guesstimates, this video is purporting that 35% of the world's chocolate is produced by slave labor (I've seen higher estimates).  What factors lead to this horrific condition?  How is this a geographic issue?    

Via Seth Dixon

Many hold it as an article of faith that global trade will be an ever-growing presence in the world. Yet this belief rests on shaky foundations. Global trade depends on cheap, long-distance freight transportation. Freight costs will rise with climate change, the end of cheap oil, and policies to mitigate these two challenges.

At first, the increase in freight costs will be bad news for developed and developing nations alike but, as adjustments in the patterns of trade occur, the result is likely to be decreased outsourcing with more manufacturing and food production jobs in North America and the European Union. The pattern of trade will change as increasing transportation costs outweigh traditional sources of comparative advantage, such as lower wages.

Via Tony Burton, Seth Dixon

All Business is Local: Why Place Matters More Than Ever in a Global Virtual World.

 

Yes there are processes of globalization that are reshaping many dynamics, but as John Quelch and Katherine Jocz argue in their book coming out next month, this is an age of semi-globalization.  Even the world's best global brands are highly attuned to local tastes, cultures and patterns.  'Company bosses who focus too much on glamorous global strategy and the big picture risk getting burned in a world where the vast majority of business transactions are local' because of the difficulties in getting the local part of the strategy to resonate with consumers.   

 

How is the world still incredibly local?  What type of jobs are 'non-outsourceable?'

Via Seth Dixon

This is an incredible video because of the shocking footage of blatant disregard for worker safety.  This can lead to an interesting discussion concerning how China has been able to have its economy grow.  What other ways has China (or Chinese companies) been "cutting corners?"  How does that give them a competitive edge on the global industrial market?     

Via Seth Dixon