Environmental Awareness

Transboundary pollution: Examine the growth of environmental awareness as a consequence of these global interactions.

Last week the world celebrated Earth Hour. It was a worldwide event where everyone would conserve energy to raise environmental awareness. This event shows that there is a growth in efforts to promote environmental efforts. One reason for the need of a rise in environmental awareness is the growth of transboundary pollution.

The world is shrinking due to Transnational corporations which means the boundaries of countries are shrinking. It is becoming easier for pollution to affect more and more countries. The transport of goods can create pollution in the home country, the country where the goods are being transported to, and all of the countries in between. The grandness of the oceans also connect many countries together, so pollution can be carried by winds or water currents. An example would be mercury that is dumped at the Arctic which is found in fish in North America and Greenland.

NGO's and other groups are trying to spread the idea that we are all connected and our actions can affect others in far away places. If pollution continues to rise and the negative effects continue to show we might have to have an earth day instead of just an hour to make a statement that changes need to be made.

Outsourcing in the Philippines

Outsourcing in the Philippines

BBC article used for research: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-14149615

Call centers are very evident in the Philippines, and this industry will continue to grow because the Philippines is a great place for outsourcing. there are many reasons why the Philippines is such an appealing place for outsourcing.

• The workforce is relatively cheap, workers are payed $20 dollars a shift, which is about 1000 pesos. Filipino workers are cheaper to employ than American workers.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ITS ABOUT THE MONEYYYYY$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

• Many Filipinos speak English fluently without obvious accents.
• Filipinos are in tune with American culture which allows them to connect and understand their customers.
• The Philippines has a youthful population with a large workforce that is looking for jobs.
• The Philippines has a stable government (if you don't factor the corruption) which makes it a safe place for foreign business. 

"In real life we would actually be Filipino or Indian"

The improvements in information and communications technology allows call centers to exist and grow. I think that outsourcing can be good for the Philippines as it is a high paying job that brings the world closer together. If corporations continue to outsource jobs to the Philippines, the lives of poorer Filipinos can be improved with these high paying jobs. 

I guess they make these ads for everything now.

Question time:

I think that outsourcing can be very beneficial to the Philippines and the Filipinos, but obviously there are problems as well.
What do you think the problems are with outsourcing in the Philippines? 

And just because were talking about call-centers and calling people #ThrowBackThursday #SorryItsActuallyFridayMorning #SorryForBringingThisSongBack

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Filipino Economy

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Filipino Economy

(There were no pictures in the article so I took a screen shot of the title)

Article Link:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/03/20/14/ph-retail-industry-seen-grow-asean-integration

Article Summary:

The economic integration of the Philippines into ASEAN will begin sometime in 2015. This integration can be a great boost to the country's retail industry. More ASEAN retail brands will be introduced to the Philippines, and more Filipino brands will be introduced to ASEAN markets. The SM investment corporation is leading this integration. The Philippines will hold a retail conference to try to attract more tourists and possible retail partners.

Personal thoughts:

First of all, I'm proud that a finished a whole article without any pictures. One thing to check off of the bucket list.

I think it is a good idea that the Philippines is expanding their markets. A growing Filipino economy can mean better lives for Filipinos and can help smaller local businesses expand their markets. The corporation spearheading this movement is the SM investments corporation which is run by the Sy family. Henry Sy is the richest man in the Philippines and the 98th richest man in the world. The success of this movement makes him even richer and more influential in South East Asia. Quoting a musical genius, Kanye West "No one man should have all that power" The same goes for corporations as well, but there are TNC's that are more powerful than many countries. 

An increase and tourism can also introduce the Filipino culture and introduce other cultures to the Philippines. This can create problems though, because the homogenization of cultures contributes to the loss of cultural identity. I think it is good that more Filipinos will be introduced to foreign cultures and be able to buy from foreign retailers to increase global awareness, but the loss of culture is definitely a weakness.
In the Philippines many of the richer families have large influences on the local politics  connecting these economies can  possibly allow these richer families to gain political power in other countries.

Cultural Diffusion

One Direction Penshoppe EDSA billboard

There are two different temperatures in the Philippines: hot and not as hot but still hot. Wearing suits in a tropical country is impractical, but there are many Filipinos who prefer suits to the local barongs. The weather in the Philippines is appropriate for tanktops, but there are people who insist on wearing hoodies lookin' at you Sanch. Pop culture, celebrities, and transnational corporations promote this style of fashion and people around the world admire it. Transnational fashion corporations promote their brand with celebrities, people buy clothes to dress like their favorite celebrities, fashion companies give the people what they want. It is a vicious cycle that is accepted around the world. I used Penshoppe in my example which started out as a local Filipino brand, which is now a transnational corporation. This transnational corporation is spreading consumerism with foreign celebrities and they encourage filipinos to accept their culture. 

I am a part of the cycle  even though  I don't dress very well , but the majority of my clothes are from international brands. It is difficult to choose between local and popular cultures.

These little things are actually big things...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGPeNN9S0Fg

Pros and Cons of Globalization

Globalization Pros and Cons
Pros	Cons
Countries can share ideas and information better and imitate things that are successful.
Culture spreads and people become more aware of the traditions and beliefs of others.	Original culture can be lost when it is mixed with foreign cultures and youths may reject their own original culture and traditions.
Travel and communication has become more accessible and more convenient.	The process of globalization needs a lot of shipping and construction which can do great damage on environments. Rural and environmental areas can be compromised for urban developments.
There is now a worldwide market for better international trade.	Larger transnational companies may dominate smaller local companies.
	It is easier for large transnational companies to exploit poor women and children for work and even sex in LEDCs

Albertross Textbooks

growing interdependence of countries


increasing volume of cross-border transactions

variety of cross border transactions

increasing volume of international capital flows

widespread diffusion of technology

A perfect image that summarizes the definition as a whole

Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan

Disaster Reflection

1.How does the devastation brought from Typhoon Haiyan make you feel?
When I first heard about typhoon Haiyan days before it hit I brushed it aside even though people were calling it the next super typhoon. When the typhoon was happening... ill finish my blog later

2.How should people prepare for and respond to disasters like Typhoon Haiyan?

3.Why do people live in vulnerable areas?