Students:2010/2011 student case studies

Reviewer's market: under this link students could find a table to sign for their reviewer.

Foreword

General thesis, based on readings about the New Zealand case (and related resources) is following: globalization is a process related to certain power games and strong (economical) interests - it creates specific "magnetic field" in which it is easy to become a winner AND/OR looser. But there are possibilities to oppose its logic and protect certain values... What are these possibilities? Are they accessible on global level or could be generated rather from local resources? Where are resources of (local) pride, responsibility, thoughtfulness?

This thesis works in relation to natural resources - and what else? Culture? Social (community) sphere? Everything that is traditional? .... And do we really need all this old-fashioned stuff?

Exemplary case study

Jana Dlouhá, Andrew Barton: New Zealand 2010: Mining in Schedule 4 Conflict

New Zealand is a country with an image of 100 % purity and economically dependent on landscape-driven tourism. Nevertheless, it also has rich raw materials throughout its land and so plans for rapid developmen,t especially of the mining industry, were discussed in 2010. The government launched a public discussion process for a "stocktake" = a review of the areas potentially rich in minerals for further exploitation. After gathering more information, a process of consultations between the public, mining interest groups and the government began – the question under discussion was whether mineral estates should be considered for exploitation if they affect highly protected land (Schedule 4). After an eight week consultation process, submissions made by citizens and civic organizations were carefully analyzed and the data obtained transparently published. The result of consultations was that the Government had to drop plans for mineral exploration or extraction in the protected areas. Many excellent lessons from the consultation process and analysis of its results can be followed in this case study.

Caroline Reibe

Globalization under the focus of economy – considering their effects on and consequences for money, work and production

Abstract to my final version of my case study: “The little Price” of the textile discounter KiK – consequences for labour conditions at textile factories in Bangladesh

This case study deals with the consequences of globalisation on the textile industry in low wage countries like Bangladesh. As an example I concentrate on the German garment discounter KiK and its supplier factories in Bangladesh. My focus lies especially on the labour conditions of the Bangladeshi workers and the existing code of conduct that was installed to guarantee good labour conditions. I explain how such a conduct should be implemented and present a schedule of a typical inspection. In addition I like to give an insight-view into the economic methods of discounter. This point includes the questions “how they can offer such cheap prices?” and “who in the end has to suffer for that?”.

Zuzana Cabejšková

Shopping centres

The structure of Czech retailing has undergone a rapid evolution since 1989. The construction of new shops and commercial centres has been so massive that it has created an image of uncontrolled sprawl. The numbers say we have recently reached the European average level as concerns the area standard (square metres of shopping space per inhabitant), which undermines the worries of environmentalists – there is probably no over-construction if it’s the same as in the rest of Europe! Examples show, however, that the development dictated by investors without much planning restrictions from the higher political level has not always been successful.

Frank Bröhan

Emission Trading Scheme: a way to reduce the climate change and the effects of the global warming?

The member states of the European Union have committed themselves to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. The key instrument to establish this reduction is the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. The implementation of the Trading Scheme is subdivided in 3 phases. The first phase which runes from 2005 till 2007, the current second phase (from 2008 till 2012) and the in the year 2013 starting phase 3. The case study illustrates the theoretical background on the several phases and instruments of the Emission Trading Scheme and describes an example where criminals steal emission certificates from companies in several member states and sell them on its own account. Furthermore should the case give opportunities and solutions how activities like that can be avoided in the future. Other questions are: “Who are the participators of the system?”, “Is the market in general usefully for our environment?” and “What developments will be taken in the future?”.

Jan Jelínek

Changing people's relationship to their environment

The case study focuses on people's relationship to their local environment in the early 21st century and compares it with the time half of the 20th century. Since that time relationship of people to place where they live and their way of life greatly transformed. For a better description of these changes, this case study directs on the landscape associated with Beskydy Protected Landscape Area.

The human relationship to the environment, the landscape or area in which they reside, can be seen as natural. View where human being is connected with home or earth-connected is in our minds very well rooted. As well as we feel that in developed countries that no longer applies. The case study describes the current situation in the Beskydy with emphasis on their change linked to globalisation. Besides it briefly directs on the regions in Austria and Spain where a similar situation already occurred. People are as well as wild animals or different types of trees closely linked to the country where they live. Linkages to the living environment can be very considerable for humans and consciousness that this applies to each is of great significance. Therefore, this case study particularly focuses on how people and the environment where they live are affected by this change.

Petr Gut

The impact of multinational corporations, global trade and extreme weather in West Africa

Agriculture is the most common source of income in the developing countries and especially in West Africa. Sadly it's also very fragile system. It's the most weather-dependent of all human activities and in this region it's highly threatened by climate change (major droughts) and destruction and degradation of the natural resource base (desertification, decreasing soil fertility and water availability). Unfortunately these are not the only problems for west african farmers. The prices of their crops cannot compete with the highly subsidized European prices which means they can't access foreign markets but on the other hand the local governments are forced to open their markets to the cheap foreign goods which is preventing the local economies from growing. And for the multinational corporation farmers from these regions serve as a source of cheap labor where they can keep low wages.

The overfishing along the coast of South-West India

The south-west coast of India consists mainly of two states, Karnataka and Kerala. Both of them are among the richer regions (Kerala is one of the richest) of India and they play a leading role in India's fishing industry. Some of the fishing centers are Mangalore and Karwar in Karnataka, and Kotchi in Kerala. Both regions have a typical tropical climate and rich sea life (the Arabian Sea). There are numerous fish species living along the coast of south-west India, such as prawns, sharks, dolphins, catfish, whitefish, silver pomfret and others. But some of them are seriously threatened by overfishing, and the stocks of catfish, for example, have already been depleted.

Unfinished case studies

Wolfgang Mularzyk

The local impacts of global data streams

My friendships, my studies and nearly my whole entity are linked with global network connections between countries, corporations and solitary citizens.

As time goes by, things changes more rapidly as in the past. The world we live in and the way we look on it has being modified. This process is going on, faster and faster, come what may. When I think of the old adage "Haste makes waste", I regard this development with mixed feelings. Cos I have decided to study information technology some years ago, my personal and commercial thoughts are always focused on the enormous dynamic expansion of global data streams.

The following case study should give a deep view into environmental impacts of the internet, the phenomenon of "Everyware" and the influence of highly available information of all aspects of life.

Sarah de Pasqualin

The global vs. local space for gender inequality

The case study deals with the gender (in)equality in the global arena and its effects on the local space. This raises many questions like, if women in the 21st century have the same possibilities as men have? Is there a difference in the labour market? How involved is the historical background in the current situation?

First of all, we should define the term gender mainstreaming. “The concept of bringing gender issues into the mainstream of society was clearly established as a global strategy for promoting gender equality in the Platform for Action adopted at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing (China) in 1995. It highlighted the necessity to ensure that gender equality is a primary goal in all area(s) of social and economic development.” (International Labour Organization)

Gender mainstreaming is a very important task of globalisation. It may require changes in goals, strategies, and actions so that both women and men can influence, participate in and benefit from development processes. One goal out of eight from the Millennium Summit in 2000 has the target to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015. This case study should clarify the current position and figure out the relations between globalization and gender inequality. In the later paragraphs I discuss the differences in gender pay gaps in depth and focus on the role of women in business life.