Environmental Change: Starbucks in Aiding the Growth of Environmental Awareness

 Examine the growth of environmental awareness as a consequence of these global interaction

To examine the growth of environmental awareness as a consequence of global interaction, I will be using Starbucks as an example. Starbucks is an American global coffee company and coffeehouse chain, and is considered to be the biggest coffeehouse company in the world with over 20,000 stores worldwide, with more than half of these stores located in the United States, and the rest spread around the world. Being one of the biggest coffeehouse companies in the world, Starbucks decided to create a more positive image towards the company and became 'environmentally friendly'. 

In 2004, Starbucks began using cups that contained 10% recycled paper,  and also introduced the system of recycling and segregating their trash in stores. 

In the Starbucks website, it is seen that they are "committed to significantly reducing and diverting the waste their (our) stores generate." In addition, the website or Starbucks also states that "By building more energy-efficient stores and facilities, conserving the energy and water they (we) use, and scaling front-of-store recycling for customers, they (we) are pushing ourselves to reduce the environmental footprint of their (our) business operations." 

Because Starbucks is a worldwide or global company, as it is located in over 60 countries around the world, these recycling practices were done in the majority of the Starbucks stores, and countries began to adapt this practice as it had a positive image on the company. Because of the growth of environmental awareness done through global interactions, it has alerted other companies, and even countries to become environmentally friendly.

This can be seen in supermarkets in some areas of the Philippines, as they now use paper bags or re-usable bags, and as well as other stores like the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, as they are using paper cups, and segregating trash. 

Source: http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/

Economic Interactions and Flows: Outsourcing

What interests me the most from the Greenfield Geography website, is the "Global Services Location Index" which is about offshoring. In this area of the website, it displays a snapshot of the top countries for offshoring. 

In order for the countries to be considered as a place ideal for offshoring, the country has to be developing, economically, while the level of skill is high, but considered to have cheap service. The top country for offshoring is India, and with China next.
This is evident in many products that we may own, as most of these products were produced in different countries like India and China. Many companies offshore their production to other countries with cheaper service in order to save costs for the business. 

Causes and Effects:

• Offshoring greatly benefits a company as it cuts down greatly on costs
• Allows countries that are developing to develop economically even more, as wealthier countries are offshoring their production, etc. to these countries. 

For example: 

The United States or American companies/businesses offshoring their production to less wealthier or developed countries like India and China. Because of this, it has been stated that there has been a great increase in the economic status of China, therefore it has been a benefit.

However, these American businesses, when offshoring production to countries like China and India, the wages for these workers are often very minimal. Due to this, it is sometimes criticised to be exploiting the population, as the prices these products are sold at, is much much much higher than the wages of the workers.

Question:

Do you think that offshoring is great for these countries, or is this considered to be exploitation of the less wealthier population, as they aren't getting paid as much as they should be (based on the prices the products they produce is sold at, for example, Nike, Apple, etc.)?

Political Outcomes: European Union

Russia to Redirect Trade Elsewhere in Case of EU-US Sanctions

Article: http://rt.com/business/russia-eu-us-sanctions-742/

• European Union and the US are imposing sanctions on Russia due to the conflict between the country and Ukraine. 
• Russia is claiming that "In turn, the EU is Russia’s biggest trade and investment partner, with trade turnover estimated at $330 billion in 2012” and that the introduction of sanctions may lead to a considerable financial losses for the EU.
• The US based companies, such as General Electric and Boeing are very concerned about the planned sanctions, as well as other countries in the EU as they will also be heavily affected. 

Due to the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, it has caused the US and the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia. However, forcing sanctions on Russia could be detrimental to the European Union as Russia is one of the biggest contributors in the EU. Imposing sanctions on Russia will also affect the countries in the European Union. As seen in the article, Latvia has “so far voiced the biggest concern over sanctions against Russia, as the adverse effect would hit the country the hardest compared to all the EU member states.” It is also said that Latvia’s economy or GDP may go down by at least 10 percent, if sanctions were to be applied on Russia. 

With this, it is shown that imposing sanctions on Russia may affect the European Union countries, but as well as big companies that are tied or are in agreement with Russia as well.

Source: http://rt.com/business/russia-eu-us-sanctions-742/

Socio-Cultural Exchange

Choose either the concept of cultural diffusion (voluntary/consented change in culture) or cultural imperialism (enforced/pressured change in culture) and using specific examples explain how transnational corporations either intentionally or unintentionally spread consumerism through your chosen concept.

Cultural diffusion is the concept of cultural beliefs and activities that spread from one group to another, such as ethnicities, nationalities, religions, etc. and is often due to globalisation; the advance in communication, and technology. 

One of the most common examples of cultural diffusion today is the spread of various foods. A transnational corporation that has aided in spreading consumerism through cultural diffusion is McDonalds. McDonalds is well known for adapting to the cultures and foods of the country their stores may be settled in. By adapting to the culture of others, it allows McDonalds to reach out to more of their consumers. For example, when I visited Hong Kong for vacation a few years ago, my family and I decided to eat at McDonalds, and the menu of the company was completely different compared to the menu that we were familiar with in the Philippines. In order for McDonalds to reach out to their consumers in Hong Kong, they added burgers that were spicy, and fit for the taste of those in the country. Another example, is the McDonalds in the Philippines, that include spaghetti in their menu, however, this cannot be seen in other countries such as the United States. Through this, it is McDonald's way of adapting to the culture of the Philippines, and as well as attracting more of the Filipinos. 

By looking at the McDonald's websites from all over the world, it shows the variety in the menu depending on the country. Not only does the food change according to the country, but as well as the name of McDonalds also change, for example in Australia, they call the store "Maccas". 

The Pros and Cons of Globalisation

Decision Matrix: Pros and Cons of Globalisation
Pros	Cons
Globalisation promotes an economic growth on a global scale. With globalisation, it creates jobs for areas that aren’t as economically developed, allowing them to develop economically. Despite the poor conditions that many may have in China or Vietnam, it allows the country to grow economically as branded companies are hiring workers from these countries to produce the products.	Globalisation has made illicit trade larger, having extreme consequences on the world’s economy such as corruption, and making jobs redundant, resulting in others losing their jobs, for jobs that pay less. For example, in the Philippines, pirated DVDs are being sold, therefore stores that sell original copies of movies aren’t attracting as much customers as before, as there is a cheaper way to purchase movies.
Due to the low cost in labor that some companies may need to pay due to having workers from lower economically developed countries, this allows their products to have a lower cost. This is an advantage to the consumers as some prices of the products may decrease.	Globalisation has led to the exploitation of the poor. Adults and children are constantly exploited and are forced to work in unsafe environments because they are in need for money to support their family. An example would be Nike exploiting their workers, it was said that “it was revealed that workers in one of its contracted factories in Vietnam were being exposed to toxic fumes at up to 177 times the Vietnamese legal limit” (Wazir)
“There is cultural intermingling. Each country is learning more about other cultures.” (Collins) One example would be in the Philippines. Due to the increase in technology and accessibility in transportation, it allows others with different cultures to visit or even migrate to the country. Brent International School is a very diverse school allowing others from different areas of the world to interact with each other and learn their culture.	One of the biggest problems that we face today due to globalisation is that the richer population is becoming increasingly richer while the poor stay poor. While richer families are using globalisation to their advantage by expanding their companies locally or internationally, such as SM and Henry Sy in the Philippines, they are gaining more money. However, it can be argued that the poor do get slightly richer because they are usually working in these companies such as SM. “All of Sy’s businesses employ and exploit contractuals who are made to work hard yet receive meager wages and minimal benefits and have no job security nor union rights to speak of. Contractual salesladies, bank tellers and construction workers – these are the people who contributed immensely to the rise in Sy’s profit” (Olea)
Due to globalisation, transportation is more accessible and interacting with others is easier, therefore shrinking the world. Globalisation allows us to interact with others from different areas of the world, and travel to other countries in a few hours.	Globalisation has created attempting crimes easier through technology. One general example is using social networking websites to obtain information about certain people. Because many are oblivious to the ability many may have from obtaining information on the internet, they will carelessly post their personal information. Therefore others can take their information and use it for crimes, etc.
Poverty reduction: “China: Reform led to the largest poverty reduction in history. Between 1990 and 2005, poverty rates in the country fell from 60% to 16%, leaving 475 million fewer people in poverty.”	As much as globalisation may be an advantage to countries, it can be a disadvantage to other countries as some countries cannot be part of globalisation. “Many countries in Africa have failed to share in the gains of globalisation. Their exports have remained confined to a narrow range of primary commodities.”

Websites Used:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/20/burhanwazir.theobserver

http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/09/01/bill-to-protect-workers-against-contractual-employment-filed/

http://www.manufacturing.net/articles/2010/06/the-pros-and-cons-of-globalization

Hazards: Difference Between Volcanoes and Hurricanes/Typhoons - John, Na Li and Bettina

Distinguish between two chosen hazards in terms of their spatial extent, predictability, frequency, magnitude, duration, speed of onset and effects. (10 marks)

	Volcanoes	Hurricanes/Typhoons
Spatial Extent	Volcanoes can be located in specific areas: Around the edge of the Pacific Ocean Down the centre of the Atlantic Ocean In Southern Europe Down the East Coast of Africa Volcanoes are located on or near tectonic plate boundaries, specifically destructive and constructive boundaries. Their spatial concentration is limited, and their areal extent is also normally limited to the areas immediately around the volcanoes.	Typhoons' are what tropical storms are called that occur in the western pacific ocean. 'Hurricanes' are storms that occur in the North Atlantic and Eastern Pacific.Hurricanes/Typhoons or "cyclones" are often formed in areas of warm water in both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. They rotate counter clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
Predictability	The predictability of Volcanoes can be very difficult, but it is said that the beginning of a volcanic eruption is easier to predict rather than the end of the eruption. Volcanologists can try and predict the eruptions of volcanoes by looking for certain characteristics: Changes in the shape of a volcano Changes in the amount of gas being released Changes in the temperature Tectonic Activity (earthquakes)  Animal Behaviour Changes in Local Hydrology Mass Movements	These hazards are caused by the exchanges in temperature of the cool temperature of the air and the warm temperature of the water. Therefore, it can be predicted when a cold front and a warm front are near each other, or when a cold front overtakes a warm front. The larger the difference between the two temperatures, the larger the hazard will become.
Frequency	Non-explosive to gentle explosions occur frequently, or daily. However, very large volcanic eruptions with a plume height of >25km happens about once every 10,000 years.	Typhoons occur much more often in a year at an average of 25 to 30 typhoons per year, compared to about 10 to 15 hurricanes in one year.
Magnitude	The magnitude of volcanoes can be measured through the Volcanic Explosivity Index, or the VEI. the VEI specifically is characterised or distributes the magnitude through the plume height and the volume of the volcano.	The magnitudes of typhoons can be measured into five different levels of intensity. The different levels depend on the different speeds of the hurricane or typhoon. Category one moves at an average of 33-42 meters per second, category two with 43 to 49 meters per second, category 3 at 50 to 59 meters per second, category 4 with 58 to 70 meters per second, and category 5 with winds greater than 79 meters per second.
Duration	Volcanoes can last from about a day to a thousand years.	Hurricanes/Typhoons can last up to less than a day (the amount of time it hits land) up to more than a day.
Effects	Volcanoes cause both economic and physical damage.	Typhoons both cause immense amount of damage, both physically and economically.

This table was created by using the blog post we created, and using Kevin Y.'s blog and Michael I.'s blog

With this, it can be identified, that volcanoes are located in specific areas in the world as shown in the table above, while  hurricanes/typhoons occur almost every where, or in areas with both a cold front and a warm front. Volcanoes are very hard to predict and can be predicted through physical characteristics such as the movement of plates and the temperature, etc. However, hurricanes and typhoons can be predicted electronically, or with technology, as it is required to know where the cold front and the warm fronts are to predict the hazard. Volcanoes occur more frequently as they can potentially happen daily at a small scale, however, hurricanes and typhoons can happen at an average of 10 to 15 or 25 to 30 typhoons a year, depending on the area. The magnitude of volcanoes and typhoons/hurricanes can be measured differently as volcanoes are measured through their plume height, which is hot magma rising, and the volume of the volcano. Typhoons and Hurricanes on the other hand, can be measured with the speed of their wind, and the intensity. The duration of the two hazards are very different, as they can both last for a minimum of less than a day, however, volcanoes can potentially last to thousands of years while hurricanes and typhoons can last up to a few days. The effects of both the hazards are both economic and physical damage to the area it has hit. 

Characteristics and Spatial Distribution of Volcanes of Group D - John, Na Li and Bettina

Volcanoes are mountains or hills, that have a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapour, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust.

The Characteristics of a Volcano:
Duration: The duration of a volcanic eruption can last from less than a day to thousands of years. Shown in the table below, the biggest percentage of volcanic eruption duration is one to six months, with about 28% of the earth's eruptions, and 99% of the eruptions are within 20 years.

Length of Eruption	% of Eruptions	Cumulative Total %
< 1 day	10	10
1 day to 1 week	14	24
1 week to 1 month	20	44
1 to 6 months	28	72
6 months to 1 year	12	84
1 to 2 years	7	91
2 to 5 years	5	96
5 to 10 years	2	98
10 to 20 years	1	99
> 20 years	1	100

http://www.volcanolive.com/predictions.html

Magnitude: It is said that there is no single feature in measuring how big a volcano is, however, there is a scale that determines the magnitude of the eruption. The scale to measure the magnitude of the eruption is called the Volcanic Explosivity Index, or the VEI. 

VEI	Description	Plume Height	Volume	Classification	How often	Example
0	non-explosive	< 100 m	1000s m3	Hawaiian	daily	Kilauea
1	gentle	100-1000 m	10,000s m3	Haw/Strombolian	daily	Stromboli
2	explosive	1-5 km	1,000,000s m3	Strom/Vulcanian	weekly	Galeras, 1992
3	severe	3-15 km	10,000,000s m3	Vulcanian	yearly	Ruiz, 1985
4	cataclysmic	10-25 km	100,000,000s m3	Vulc/Plinian	10's of years	Galunggung, 1982
5	paroxysmal	>25 km	1 km3	Plinian	100's of years	St. Helens, 1980
6	colossal	>25 km	10s km3	Plin/Ultra-Plinian	100's of years	Krakatau, 1883
7	super-colossal	>25 km	100s km3	Ultra-Plinian	1000's of years	Tambora, 1815
8	mega-colossal	>25 km	1,000s km3	Ultra-Plinian	10,000's of years	Yellowstone, 2 Ma

http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/education/eruption_scale.html

Predictability: Volcanic eruptions are very difficult to predict, however, it is said that the beginning of a volcanic eruption is easier to predict than to predict the end of a volcanic eruption.
Volcanologists can try and predict the eruptions of volcanoes by looking for certain characteristics:

• Changes in the shape of a volcano 
• Changes in the amount of gas being released
• Changes in the temperature
• Tectonic Activity (earthquakes)
• Animal behaviour
• Changes in local hydrology
• Mass movements

Regularity and Frequency: Shown in the Volcanic Explosivity Index table, non-explosive to gentle explosions occur frequently, and daily, compared to very big volcanic eruptions with a plume height of >25 km, which happen about once every 10,000 years. 

Volcanic Features: There are many different features or types of volcanoes:
Volcanic Fissure Vents: which is a linear crack where lava emerges
Shield Volcanoes: have a broad, shield-like profile, and are formed by the eruption of low-viscosity lava. Shield Volcanoes are usually found in the oceanic setting rather than the continental setting
Lava Domes: are built through slow eruptions with highly viscous lava. Lava domes can potentially produce violent, and explosive eruptions, however, the lava generally does not flow far from the vent
Cryptodomes: these are formed when viscous lava forces its way up and produces a bulge such as the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens
Volcanic Cones: these are results of eruptions of small pieces of scoria and pyroclastics that build around the vents
Stratovolcanoes: are composite volcanoes that are composed of lava flows
Supervolcanoes: a large volcano that can potentially produce devastation on an enormous scale
Submarine volcanoes: these are volcanoes that can be found in the ocean, and are sometimes active in shallow water
Subglacial volcanoes: these are volcanoes that are developed under icecaps
Mud volcanoes: these are formed through geo-excreted liquids and gases

Spatial Distribution of a Volcano:
Volcanoes can be found in continental settings or oceanic settings. This means that volcanoes can be found in either land or underwater.  
Volcanoes can be located in specific areas:

• Around the edge of the Pacific Ocean
• Down the centre of the Atlantic Ocean
• In Southern Europe
• Down the East Coast of Africa

Volcanoes are located on or near tectonic plate boundaries, specifically destructive and constructive boundaries. Their spatial concentration is limited, and their areal extent is also normally limited to the areas immediately around the volcanoes.

Examples
Mt. Pinatubo:

• Second largest eruption in the 20th century
• Located in the Philippines
• Ashes were about 5cm thick covering 4,000 square kilometers
• Affected weather around the globe - aerosol droplets reflecting sunlight causing cooling of the Earth (1.5 celsius) and reducing density of the ozone layer
• Has caused a total of 722 deaths and 200,000 individuals homeless

Mountain St. Helens:

• A volcano located in Washington in the United States
• Created a major eruption in the United States and is considered to be the most destructive in U.S. history
• Its type of volcano is a cryptodome, as the lava forced its way up
• On May 18, ash erupted from the volcano for about nine hours
• About fifty-seven people were known to be dead
• Two-hundred homes were destroyed
• 185 miles of road and 15 miles of railways were destroyed

Villarica Volcano in Chile:

• One of Chile's most active volcanoes
• Lava of basaltic-andesitic composition --> of only five volcanoes worldwide known to have an active lava lake within its crater
• Generates strombolian eruptions with ejection of incandescent pyroclasts and lava flows
• The upper part of the volcano is permanently covered by snow and has some 40km^2 of glaciers
• It is a stratovolcano
• Last eruption was in 2013
• Villaricca emerged as a volcano during the Middle Pleistocone and grew forming a large stratocone of similar dimensions to the current edifice. 100,000 years ago during the Valdivia Interglacial the ancestral Villarrica collapsed following an eruption and formed a large elliptical calder of 6.5 and 4.2 km in diameter
• Currently the volcano covers up an area of 400km squared and has volcume of 250km (cubed) according to estimates
• Spatial Distribution:
• Located in Chile
• Symmetrical edifice stands in the Chilean Central Valley as the westernmost of an alignment of three large stratovolcanoes
• Alignment is attributed to the existence of an old fracture in the crust, the North-West-West trending sinistral Gastre Fault Zone, the other volcanoes in the chain Quetrupillan and Lanin are far less active. This alignment is unusual as it crosses the N-S running Liquine-Ofqui Fault, around which most currently active volcanoes are aligned.