1. Globalization:
an introduction

2. thematic overview

3. integration of economies
 A company is formed in Germany to build a waste for
energy plant
 It tenders for and gets a job in Spain for a Turkish client
 Part of the plant is built by Czechs; another part is built
by Slovaks
 The materials used are selected in quality and price
balance from all around the world

4. equality and inequality
 Inside all of these companies there is a workforce
comprised of top European engineers
 Managers from Turkey and Germany
 Supervisors from Czech and Slovakia
 Workers from Eastern Turkey (Anatolia)
 What sort of equality / inequality in payments and
conditions do you expect?

5. communication
 Mobile phones
from Samsung in South Korea
 Lenovo computers from China
 Siemens telecoms system from Germany
 Java from Sun Systems in America

6. brand recognition
 McDonalds (hamburger – America)
 McDonald‘s regional variations to suit local
tastes – worldwide)
 McDonald‘s symbols recognizable
everywhere

7. trade versus aid
 Which brings a country more:
 when we trade with them?
 when we give them aid money?
 What does the country need to do to turn
trade or aid into a successful economy?

8. outsourcing
 I phone up to complain or just get information
– it‘s a hotline number – I am in
Gummersbach – the person I speak to could
be in China, India, Singapore – anywhere…
 Why do companies do this and how does it
make economic sense – or does it?

9. brands
 Some brand names have established
themselves worldwide:
 Mercedes
 the dollar
 McDonalds
 Apple
 Which advantages and problems does this
bring with it?

10. exploitation
 I am Indian and live in Mumbai
 I work a 14 hour day for a few dollars per day
 But I produce shoes or clothes for a world-wide
brand
 My fellow workers in America and Europe get
very much higher wages
 Is this fair –
 if not how can it be stopped?

11. growth
 Some countries are growing their economy
very fast: India, China Bangladesh and
Vietnam are good examples
 Who benefits from this?
 Is it the ordinary workers?
 Why isn‘t our economy or America‘s growing
like this?

12. poverty
 Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain
amount of material possessions or money
 Absolute poverty or destitution refers to
being unable to afford basic human needs,
which commonly includes clean and fresh water,
nutrition, health care and education
 About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live
in absolute poverty today

13. environment
 Deforestation
 Water pollution
 Overpopulation
 Air pollution
 Global warming etc.

14. monopoly power
 Examples like the Chinese state
 Large oil companies e.g. BP, Shell &
Standard Oil
 What are the effects of monopolies?
 How can this be prevented?

15. capitalism
 Capitalism is the dominant method the world
uses today. Is that acceptable?
 Are the Euro, large banking corporations and
casino banking in need of change?
 How?

16. culture
 In the past, when I went to Japan or China, I
experienced totally different culture patterns
 With globalization, cultural features are
disappearing which helps communication
 Is it also good for the survival of local cultural
values - especially minority ones?

17. free trade?
 Powerful blocks like Russia, China, America
and the EU can determine who trades with
whom and at which prices
 Is that helpful for the free trade idea which
globalisation is supposed to develop?

18. technology and the internet
 Worldwide communication
 Speed
 Social networking
 Planned 9/11s
 What are the advantages and disadvantages
of technology and the web?

19. shrinking world
 I can be in America in a few hours?
 My money can be in Australia in seconds
 Is this only positive or are there negative
sides too?

20. terrorism
 There are various kinds of terrorism:
 State as in e.g. Libya, North Korea
 Interest group e.g. animal rights
 Political group e.g. Jihadists
 They are partly a consequence of world-wide
links?
 What can we do to control or end them?

21. accountability
 In a global world of multimedia connections, fast
transport, multinational companies, national and
international governments
 Who is responsible, answerable and
accountablefor what?
 Does the individual have any power any more or
are we helpless?

22. These have been some of the themes
raised by ‚globalization‘
In pairs
select one of these themes,
or another approved by me.
Discuss it now with your partner,
and start to prepare
a powerpoint presentation and handout
together on that theme
The pairs should all contain one person
who is good at English and one who is weaker
Each theme can be handled only once.

23. Thank you for listening
and participating
Any more questions?