Students:2010/2011 student case studies

Foreword

My 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?

Good luck in your considerations and writings!

Jana Dlouhá

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

Before I will start with the concrete issue of my case study I like to give a brief introduction on the globalization itself.

General introduction on globalization:

Globalization is more than a word for a worldwide phenomenon; it affects all of us in our today’s lives. It can have considerable, concrete negative effects like the loose of someone’s job or can rest rather unseen, which means without consideration of the consumers when for example parts of cars are built in Eastern Europe and the complete car is later sold in Germany and therefore considered as “German-Quality-Product”. Processes of globalization have direct impact on our consumption, like the availability of fresh tropic fruits, coffee and cheap clothes. Globalization has also touristic and migrational aspects that affect the cultural perspective of a country (Backhaus, N. 2009, 13-14). It is really complicated to define globalization in general, because different groups like globalization supporter and antagonists have a very unequal look on this issue. Another problem is that globalization creates winner and loser, so it is problematic to make a general judgement on if the globalization process is good or bad.

I really like the attempt of a general definition of globalization by Anthony Giddens (1996, 85) where he describes globalization as a process during which social interactions between human beings from our entire world are widening and an intensification happens. Caused by this process distant places get connected in a kind that actions at one place affect and are affected by others far away (Backhaus, N. 2009, 16).

Dimensions of globalization:

An attempt to structure the theme of globalization will be made in the following paragraph. Because of the complexity of this theme globalization is divided into different dimensions. This divition is based on Giddens (1996, 92). The figure is adapted from Backhaus (2009, 24).

My focus lies on the capitalistic global economy, because it has a deep impact on the globalization and has a strong influence on our lives. The system of the world market is very powerful and can lead to negative consequences like the financial crisis in 2008/2009 in a very global form.

Outline of my case study:

In my case study I like to concentrate on the economic side of globalization. As introduction I will focus on market economy and the allocation of world trade. Then I will highlight global crises that can be seen as consequences of a global economy. After that I like to focus on some detailed example like the textile industry as an example for changes in production and the labour conditions. I also like to do a short side track to the Global Compact and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the limit of such commitments. As possible future prospects I will finish with an overview about some models of employment for the future.

Wolfgang Mularzyk

My paragraph

--> Area for introduction

Frank Bröhan

Hello World My paragraph

Sarah de Pasqualin

The global vs. local space for gender inequality

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.

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 apply. The case study examines how this change relates to the globalisation process. Furthermore, also focuses on the changing availability of resources, transportation, information exchange, etc. 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 are people and the environment where they live affected by this change.

Petr Gut

paragraph