Looking back at the first day I started this course I had no clue what being a global citizen meant. But after a few lectures, readings and discussions on seminar day I came to realise I was a global citizen all along..I just never knew it!!!!
Being a global citizen to me means, being a part of your local community, communicating with others who are either the same race as you or different. We can learn from anyone and everyone, it just takes open ears and an open mind. I think to maximise you affect as a global citizen you must act locally in order to make an affect globally.
I believe education is key. Knowledge is priceless. Learning not only about ourself, but the world we are a part of, we can then learn how our actions and our behaviours have consequences. Education can teach how we can become active global citizens in our communities, starting small like voting in your local elections, cleaning up your community, donating blood and volunteering in local charity events.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Corporate Responsibility
Having completed our last assignment on organisations and how they play a role in global citizenship, it has come to my attention that some of the corporate giants aren't fulfiling their roles as corporate global citizens by keeping the best interest of their employees in mind.
I researched Nike on what the company was doing about the maltreatment of their workers which included: unsafe working conditions, long working hours, minimum wage, child labour, punished/dismissed if taken part in a protest. What's even more alarming is that Nike claims it provides its employees with a safe working environment and a complaint process. Nike workers are not receiving either!!!!!
Who is responsible for enforcing these simple human rights? Is it the country they live in or the company they work for?
I believe organisations have a major responsibility in ensuring that they are acting in an ethical manner. Professor Mark Schwartz three domain model of corporate responsibility economic, legal and ethical, where each is as important as each other. Schwartz then goes on to mention that organisations need to show value, balance and accountability. In my opinion, for an organisation to be acting as a corporate global citizen, it needs show balance between making profits and respecting the employees and environment that are responsible for their profits.
I researched Nike on what the company was doing about the maltreatment of their workers which included: unsafe working conditions, long working hours, minimum wage, child labour, punished/dismissed if taken part in a protest. What's even more alarming is that Nike claims it provides its employees with a safe working environment and a complaint process. Nike workers are not receiving either!!!!!
Who is responsible for enforcing these simple human rights? Is it the country they live in or the company they work for?
I believe organisations have a major responsibility in ensuring that they are acting in an ethical manner. Professor Mark Schwartz three domain model of corporate responsibility economic, legal and ethical, where each is as important as each other. Schwartz then goes on to mention that organisations need to show value, balance and accountability. In my opinion, for an organisation to be acting as a corporate global citizen, it needs show balance between making profits and respecting the employees and environment that are responsible for their profits.
In recent news, SPC has asked the government for financial support as it is the Australia's last remaining fruit processing Company.
The company asked for government assistance to help improve market conditions with new technology and products as the company is facing competition from cheap imported products. Companies are left with no other choice than to open up shop in developing countries such as China and Indonesia were they can exploit cheap labour and use profits to benefit their success against competing brands.
Neknominations
The new craze hard to miss on your facebook newsfeed is the "neknominations". If you have been living around a rock for the past couple of months and have no clue as to what I'm on about let me give you a brief run down. Nek nominations is a drinking game (originating in Australia) where friends take part in and nominate each other to out-do their own drinking act. Besides the dangerous drinking that goes along with this game and the many negative media articles written about the new craze that encourges drinking in public, I have come across a something quite different...
A young South African man by the name of Brent Lindeque has added a twist to the "nek nominations" game. In the clip below, you can see Brent handing a homeless man a sandwich, bottle of coke and a chocolate bar. He than nominates his friends to do the same. Brent is acting as a global citizen. He has taken something negative and turned it into something positive that will benefit the poverty stricken community that he lives in.
Brent than goes on to say via his twitter account "Downing a can of Castle Light is easy… imagine if we all harnessed the power of social media to make a real difference in peoples lives".
I think this is a very powerful message that we are all connected in cyberspace and we can use this to our advantage in making a positive change and collectively acting as global citizens of the world.
Link to Brent's "nek nominations" below:
A young South African man by the name of Brent Lindeque has added a twist to the "nek nominations" game. In the clip below, you can see Brent handing a homeless man a sandwich, bottle of coke and a chocolate bar. He than nominates his friends to do the same. Brent is acting as a global citizen. He has taken something negative and turned it into something positive that will benefit the poverty stricken community that he lives in.
Brent than goes on to say via his twitter account "Downing a can of Castle Light is easy… imagine if we all harnessed the power of social media to make a real difference in peoples lives".
I think this is a very powerful message that we are all connected in cyberspace and we can use this to our advantage in making a positive change and collectively acting as global citizens of the world.
Link to Brent's "nek nominations" below:
Monday, 3 February 2014
HP as a global enterprise
This weeks reading on HP and their company interested me because my dad work for the company. The company has over 300,000 employees around the world. I think this shows how global HP is.
Because my father is part of the company, he can also participate as a global citizen by talking to other workers in countries such as India and America and working together towards their companies goal.
HP is an information technology corporation, so it provides its workers with great flexibility. For example, my father has participated in online courses to improve his skills in the workplace.
Monday, 27 January 2014
Australia Day
I should first start by saying Happy Australia Day and how lucky I am to be an Australian. I think we all get stuck or "labelled" into being something else other than Australian. But if you strip down all the exterior, all the materialistic things that rule our lives, then its not too hard to see that we are all the same, we are one, we are Australia! Hahaha
I was watching the news the day before Australia day, and there were racial slogans that had been graffitied in my local community. My first thought was what kind of person would do such a thing. What does Australia day truly represent? It is supposed to celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet. This is a perfect example of globalisation in its earliest form. Was it really a positive event, or does it depend on how it affected you. In the european mind, it has brought about great change that was needed for a growing Australia. However from a native perspective it has stripped Australia of its culture, land ands its people.
Link to vandalism: http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/21009367/anger-over-australia-day-vandals/
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Started from the bottom...now we're here!
Listening to Luis Valdez was extremely inspirational! It was great to hear about a story of a man who was living in poverty and made something amazing of his life. His determination and strength were two qualities that stuck out to me, especially when he was recalling the time his teacher told him that all he would ever be in life was a farm worker.
In the media we are always bombarded with the people living in developing countries and how their needs of basic human rights like food and shelter aren't meet. I think Mr Valdez gives these people a voice as he too has experienced the hardships of poverty.
Another phrase he mentioned that had an impact on me was "when there is nothing, there is something, nothing is something". First I was confused because of the play on words, but how I interpret it is that even if you have nothing to show for in life, this is a great opportunity to make something of it.
In the media we are always bombarded with the people living in developing countries and how their needs of basic human rights like food and shelter aren't meet. I think Mr Valdez gives these people a voice as he too has experienced the hardships of poverty.
Another phrase he mentioned that had an impact on me was "when there is nothing, there is something, nothing is something". First I was confused because of the play on words, but how I interpret it is that even if you have nothing to show for in life, this is a great opportunity to make something of it.
Friday, 17 January 2014
Global Media
Havent made a blog in a while cause I was unsure what to post......
Seeing as this should be my summer "holidays", I have been looking at some movies that I would like to watch. One of them was "12 years a Slave". The synopsis says it is based in 1850's, on a true story about an african american man being forced into slavery (cotton plantation). This shows a negative side of globalisation.
It's important to recognise how the definition of a "global citizen" has changed over the years and how once change was not always embraced.
Media influences our education about the world and its history. But we have to think to ourselves.......is this information biased ???? Has it been altered by the presenter to cover the truth?
Link to trailer of 12 years a Slave below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiw1cYXQw4g
Seeing as this should be my summer "holidays", I have been looking at some movies that I would like to watch. One of them was "12 years a Slave". The synopsis says it is based in 1850's, on a true story about an african american man being forced into slavery (cotton plantation). This shows a negative side of globalisation.
It's important to recognise how the definition of a "global citizen" has changed over the years and how once change was not always embraced.
Media influences our education about the world and its history. But we have to think to ourselves.......is this information biased ???? Has it been altered by the presenter to cover the truth?
Link to trailer of 12 years a Slave below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiw1cYXQw4g
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