Homogenization of Landscapes                                

Explain the evolution of uniform urban landscapes; the effects of common commercial activity, structures, styles of construction, and infrastructure. 

Homogenization is the process of people, products and places becoming the same.
A major example of the homogenization of landscapes are "clone towns". Clone towns is a term that mostly describes the state of British town. it is a term that shows how the centres of main towns have become dominated by the same chain stores, making them all very similar. There are some negative factors that arrive from this way of homogenization of landscapes. 
The 4 Negative factors:

1. Small family / independently owned businesses will loose consumers because they would move to larger trans national companies that can provide either batter or more normal goods. Deeming the locally owned business' goods as inferior compared to the TNC's goods or services, 
2. The choice of goods would, depending on the income of the area's population, lessen. This is because the international companies that have stores in the clone towns limits the amount of supply due to the fact that a business can only stock a limited amount of profitable goods.
3. The local suppliers would be treated unfairly because of the monopolistic powers of these businesses. The suppliers would and can criticize this unfairness; however, they would be risking the loss of business.
4. There is a possibility of a loss in cultural identity in food. There are many different areas and regions that are close to one another but have a contrasting food or dress style. Due to the similar, if not the same, business in multiple towns, there will be a loss in identity because of the same (or similar) food styles, life styles, and clothe styles provided by the businesses.

There are other such Homogenizations of Landscapes such as Westernization or Americanization.
Both Westernization and Americanization used to be spread through the concept of colonizing other nations. Now it is done by the political and economic pressure set upon those nations who are not up in the economic or political standard as the Northern America or western europe. Because every nation prefers economic and political dominance, it is commonsense to adopt the ways of those who are already in the highest ranks in the two sectors (political and economic sectors). Therefore the ideas such as infrastructure, politics, law, and language is spread to many different nations. As a result there is a homogenization of 
common commercial activity, structures, styles of construction, and infrastructure

optional ACTIVITY:

what do you think are some positive factors of the homogenization of landscapes such as the example of clone town in britain?

Philippines. Call agencies and outsourcing to gain economic advantage

The article talks about the Philippines' rise in market contestable nature. Having one of the largest populations in the world, the Philippines is able to utilize the high labour force and relatively cheap labour. India is one of those countries that are being threatened by the Philippines' rise in market power. India is a country that also has a large amount of labour force and relatively cheap labour. However, the Philippines has larger and cheaper labour force.
Although the Philippines is proving to become a competitive country, in regards to call center businesses, India still has the comparative advantage because of its wider range of technological advancement in communications, transportation and other such equipment. Therefore the only solution that the Philippines call centers can find is to attain these technologically advanced machines missing in the Philippines but available in other more economically developed countries. Also, to find a way where wages are kept low but, at the same time, maximize efficiency and profit.
The interesting thing about this article is that these local companies have to employ international help such as Avaya, which specialize in providing communication solutions. (outsourcing)
I find this particular article about outsourcing to be interesting because, I would never had imagined that the Philippines, a 3rd world country and an impoverished country, would be able to challenge India, a developing country but also a more economically developed country compared to the Philippines, over the market power on communications and call centers. The article enlightened me and made me see how the dense population, that is sometimes seen as a negative factor, can be used in a manner that can benefit the Philippines' economy.

What to do you think? Will the Philippines find a way that will allow it's power in the communications market to increase? What methods/strategies do you think the Philippines will be able to improve their power?

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Link to NAFTA article

Important points:

1. There are very high costs on the environment that have been caused by the free trade among NAFTA counties.
2. A report shows that the high jump in pollution in the world is mostly caused by NAFTA
3. Instead of making these deals that uses dirty fossil fuels, NAFTA could've used their time to invest on clean fuel instead.

I am not so surprised about NAFTA's involvement in the high rise in pollution. This is because among the countries is America. It is probably one of the most pollution-causing countries along with China. I also agree with the last quote by Alejandro Villamar. : “If only NAFTA countries could learn from the fiasco, but they are busy signing more NAFTA-like deals around the world, further taking away our ability to protect the environment and merely crossing their fingers that our ecosystems can sustain all this new growth,".

I cannot blame anyone for wanting power and money, however, in this year alone there have been many anomalistic weather patters such as the super typhoon Yolanda. Breaking even the highest range of winds, it is most likely caused by the rise in temperature and rise in pollution. It is sad that what could have been is one of the most wanted dreams. That "could have happened dream" is the dream of having sustainable fuel which allows the air to be cleaner and the temperatures to be normalized, resulting in regular and relatively controllable weather.

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 voluntary change in aspects of a certain culture.

As globalisation has increased TNCs have attempted to sell their products to an ever growing global market. This means that many countries have global brands beening sold in their shops and global franchises.

Volkswagen is a trans national company (TNC) that originates in germany; however, the aspect of globalization has resulted in a rise in Volkswagen's market. Spreading to many different countries such as Chine, America, Japan, Philippines, etc, Volkswagen is open to different consumers across the world.

In what ways has Volkswagen spread consumerism through cultural diffusion?

Volkswagen, as stated before, has placed itself in many different countries although it has originated in Germany.

Some methods Volkswagen has culturally diffused in through the adaption of consumer preference in the country. An example of this is the different cars Volkswagen has produced that is aimed to please the local inhabitants. In Japan and China, for example, Volkswagen mass produces vans, family cars, and fashionable cars. This is because there are 3 main aspects that Japan and China have, and one that China has that is different with japan. The first two is that both countries are either developed or developing therefore there are men and women who are in the higher class and have expensive taste in cars. The other is that vans are mass-produced to transport goods and people from place to place. The third one is that both countries have aims to become more eco-friendly and therefore a need to produce environmentally friendly cars. The only difference that China has that Japan doesn't have as much people in a household. Therefore, Volkswagen must be able to adapt and produce family friendly and family oriented cars.

If you go to google images and search "Volkswagen in China" or "Volkswagen in Japan" you will see the different, but almost similar car designs. However, never the same.

There are many different methods Volkswagen has culturally diffused into many different countries with different consumer preference. (adopting their cultural preference)

The same can be said with many other TNC's such as Kit Kat, Starbucks, and McDonalds.

The Pros and Cons of Globalization


The Pros of Globalization

1.     
Consumers are able to buy a wider range of goods. This is because of a worldwide market for the companies and for the costumers. Resulting in availability of buying goods from different countries, goods that cannot be bought domestically.

2.     
There is a steady flow of cash into developing countries. This causes a decrease the difference in the value of the many currencies. 

3.     
Companies and consumers are able to invest in a wider range of companies. Allowing a growth in production of any country.

4.     
There is a creation of world power instead of compartmentalization power. 

a.     World power in globalization is the creation of an influence that has a large significance in international affairs. 

b.     Compartmentalization power in regards to globalization is basically the variation of choices that are separated by each person's or society's cultural difference.

5.     LEDC's are able to quickly develop or reach the developing stage because of the information that can be shared between countries.

6.     Societies become more accepting of others cultures. Through globalization there will be, or can be, cultural intermingling. As social creatures, we become introduced to new concepts and may lead to either adding to the concepts or adopting.

7.     Globalization increases the production of goods because of an increased demand of products. This results in profit for both consumers and producers. It is profitable for consumers because the increase in competition results in an increase of efficiency. Each and every company fights against every other company to attain the most customers. It is profitable for the producers because there is an increase in the amount of consumers as well as a wider range of consumer preferences.

The Cons of Globalization 

1.     Many people from developed nations are losing jobs and that is posing a problem for them since the companies are outsourcing work to developing countries since the cost of labor is low and profits the company considerably.

2.     
There is immense pressure on the employed people of developed countries who are always under the threat of their jobs being outsourced. This is because countries who are either developing or underdeveloped have masses of unemployed workers who are cheaper to hire and might be able to work at the same efficiency.

3.     
Although globalization can lead to many positive factors; those positive factors can lead to communicable diseases and social degeneration. For example, people who do not have at least a high school education can become lost in technology. Loosing their ability to be diverse and ability to become multi lingual. This is because of English being a major language in the Internet. Because the Internet is a place where there people can remain anonymous, some may feel the urge to express themselves through the Internet and not socially.

4.     
There is also a threat of corporates ruling the world because there is a lot of power and money invested by them due to globalization.

5.     
Nations of greater influence are able to impose their cultural and social thoughts onto less influential nations. This can result in a form of colonization.

6.     
Globalization may lead to loss of cultural identity.

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

(typhoons/hurricanes & earthquakes)These two different hazards have different levels of spatial extent, predictability, frequency, magnitude, duration, speed of onset and effects.
Two types of hazards are typhoons and earthquakes and both of these are different in terms of their spatial extent, predictability, frequency, magnitude, duration, speed of onset and effects. Typhoons and hurricanes  are hazards that are much more predictable as they can be monitored from its formation from a low pressure area until it forms into a typhoon. They form in areas of warm water and therefore they would occur much more often during times of the year where the water in the ocean is warmer. They have different magnitudes and bring different wind speeds and rainfall depending on how long it formed. The effects of typhoons and hurricanes will depend on its magnitude and how long it stays in an area. Since typhoons and earthquakes can be detected early, it is much easier to prepare for the hazard in order to minimize the effects that they may cause however they can still be destructive as they can last for many days and cause things such as flooding. Earthquakes on the other hand, compared to typhoons and earthquakes are much more unpredictable as they occur almost instantly than being formed over time. They are formed by movements between tectonic plates in the earth's crust. Earthquakes occur frequently with different magnitudes from very faint movements that may not be felt to very large destructive tremors that cause destruction in its area of effect. Since earthquakes are unpredictable, it is very hard to prepare for the hazard. While earthquakes occur for very short times usually for seconds up to a few minutes, they cause much greater destruction.
Typhoons/Hurricanes are predictable through the use of satellite imaging and the study of weather patterns. The level of magnitude always depend on the temperature difference of sea water and air temperature.These storms or "cyclones" often form 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. Compared to hurricanes, typhoons occur much more often in a year at an average of 25 to 30 per year compared to 10 to 15 for hurricanes. These hazards are caused by the exchanges from the cool temperature of the air with the warm temperature of the water. If there is a larger difference between the two temperatures, the larger the hazard will become. These can be measured into five different levels of intensity. The different levels depend of the different speeds of the hurricane or typhoon. Category one moves at an average of 33 to 42 meters per second, category two moves at 43 to 49 meters per second, category 3 moves at 50 to 59 meters per second, category 4 moves from 58 to 70 meters per second, and category 5 has winds greater than 79 meters per second. Some characteristics that these hazards have include heavy winds, rain, and floods. Some of these typhoons/hurricanes differ from each occurrence to another. This is because the magnitude of the hurricane effects the duration. The greater the magnitude, the longer the   hazard will last. Also with the speed of onset and spatial extent, the strength of the typhoon/hurricane will effect the other factors of the hazard. The frequency of these hazard occurs 6.8 times annually with the highest amount of typhoon/ hurricanes in one month is during the month of January at an average of 5.6 typhoons from 1959 to 2011.
What is earthquake? Earthquake is described as the vibration of land caused by sudden break of bedrocks or crusts below the land due to the certain(gravitational/pressure) force. Scientists mostly describe the plate tectonic as the cause of the Earthquakes and in fact, earthquakes tend to happen along the fault lines between tectonic plates. Moreover, when there is the sudden break of bedrock or crusts, energy wave is released from by the reaction of the split of rocks which causes the vibration of the land. In specific term, epicenter which is the center of the earthquake is where the energy waves are released from. Strength of the waves decreases as distance from the epicenter increases. Therefore, the spatial extent can range anywhere from a small area to over the size of a city but the seismic intensity, specific term for earthquakes’ magnitude depends on the area to areas. Which means, the spatial extent of the hazard depends largely on the magnitude of the quake, measured on the richter scale(as the number of scale increase, the magnitude increases. Measured by the calculation of energy. Ex: richter scale of 6 is has 32 times stronger energy release than scale of 5). Major scale is 10, which can destroy an entire city, and minor scale is 1 where a sensitive human can barely feel the vibration. In fact many people confuse about the scale and magnitude of the earthquake. Scale is amount of the area affected by the earthquake, and the magnitude which is seismic intensity is the strength of the earthquake. The predictability of the earthquakes is still an issue to the seismologists. There are many signs predicted before earthquakes, but none of these are scientifically prove. For instance, one of the sign is the appearance of deep sea creatures. In fact, current science technology cannot predict the earthquake. In 2012, there was approximately 140 earthquakes, however in 2006, there were 180 earthquakes. Therefore, frequency(year) of the earthquakes fluctuates also. 

Explain the characteristics and spatial distribution of Hurricane/Typhoons at least two specific examples. [10 marks]

Hurricanes and typhoons are both of the same type of hazard. In terms of their characteristics they differ  in spatial distribution in the world. Typhoon is the name used for tropical storms that occur in the western pacific ocean. Whereas a Hurricane occurs in the North Atlantic and eastern Pacific. Both of these storms or "cyclones" often form 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. Compares to hurricanes, typhoons occur much more often in a year at an average of 25 to 30 per year compared to 10 to 15 for hurricanes. These hazards are caused by the exchanges in temperature of the cool temperature of the air and the warm temperature of the water. The larger the difference between the two temperatures, the larger the hazard will become. These can be measured into five different levels of intensity. The different levels depend of the different speeds of the hurricane or typhoon. Category one moves at an average of 33 to 42 meters per second, category two moves at 43 to 49 meters per second, category 3 moves at 50 to 59 meters per second, category 4 moves from 58 to 70 meters per second, and category 5 has winds greater than 79 meters per second. Some characteristics that these hazards have include heavy winds, rain, and floods.
Hurricane Katrina is an example of a hurricane that occurred in the east coast of the US. It was one of the most destructive tropical storms to occur in the country. It is called a hurricane because it formed north atlantic ocean. It was formed and strengthened due to the warm water from the Gulf of Mexico and reached up to a category 5. The strongest for hurricanes. It caused severe damage to property and killed many people due to the flooding from intense rainfall that was brought inland by the hurricane. One famous typhoon which had great affect on the country is typhoon Haiyan. Typhoon Haiyan is 30^th typhoon formed in North-West Pacific Ocean which arrived to the central part of the Philippine. Visayas. This typhoon was categorized in category 5 which is called the Saffir-Sampson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS). The maximum wind speed of this typhoon was 314km/hr, and killed about ten thousand people and thirty thousand people became homeless. 
Both are essentially the same hazard. They have different levels of intensity, and mainly differ only in the special distribution.