Examples:

People all around the world are more aware of other people, cultures and countries. The production of goods and services happens in many countries – and often the making of one product may involve several countries. Globally communications between countries happens much more quickly and easily due to the internet, the media, etc. There are several corporations around the world that are based in many different countries – production may occur in one country, head office is in another, sales occur on another and so on.

Why the situation occurs?

There are many reasons why globalisation occurs – it would be impossible to explain them all here but here are a couple of reasons and further research can be done on the websites below.

One reason the situation occurs is due to advances in transport and technology. It is now much easier to make goods and move them around the world as transport costs have come down in price. This means there are now many well-known global companies dealing in most countries around the world. The downside of this however is that many of these multi-national companies can produce goods in the cheapest locations or ones with few health and safety or labour laws. They can often be seen to be exploiting people in their pursuit of profit and can treat people (staff and workers) badly.

Also with the growth and advancement in information and communications technology people are more knowledgeable about other places and cultures around the world. It is easier for people to keep in touch with others in far away places and even meet new people using tools such as the internet. Travel has also become a part of everyday life as well as again transport costs have reduced. Many places have found that they have lost their own culture as tourism takes over.

How you can make a difference:

Tackle the issue – find out about the differences in people’s lives around the world and also why these occur. Find out about the effects of globalisation on the lives of people in countries other than you own.

Find out about companies that are global and discuss issues that arise because of their size, where they operate and how they treat their employees in different coutries. Look also at the effect on local businesses.

Find out about the practices of ethical companies who promote trade which treats local people more fairly. What goods do they produce, what effect does this have on the lives of local people. What are the views of others on 'fairtrade' products?

Use the materials and tools provided to follow the process of:
1. Identify the problem
2. Develop Awareness and empathy
3. Take action
4. Measure the change

Resources and links:

http://www.ilo.org/fairglobalization - Follow up to the report by the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization

http://www.worldbank.org - The website of the World Bank. The World Bank Group’s mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in the developing world. It is a development Bank which provides loans, policy advice, technical assistance and knowledge sharing services to low and middle income countries to reduce poverty. (Website in English and Arabic.)

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk - An organisation whose primary communication aims are to raise awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark, to deepen understanding of the mark and to increase sales of Fairtrade certified products. The Fairtrade organisation supports local producers and ensures that these producers are treated fairly in the global markets.