Unit 6 - Global Risks and Resilience Flashcards
What is hacking?
- the gaining of unauthorised access to data in a system or computer
- an attempt to exploit a computer system or a private network inside a computer
What is identity-theft?
- the fraudulent practice of using another person’s name and personal information in order to obtain credit, loans, etc.
- use of an individual’s personally identifying information by someone else without that individual’s permission or knowledge
What are the environmental factors affecting supply-chain risks?
- natural disasters
- extreme weather events
- epidemics
What are the political factors affecting supply-chain risks?
- protectionism
- trade restrictions
- conflict
What are the economic factors affecting supply-chain risks?
- currency fluctuations
- trade restrictions imposed by governments
What are the technological factors affecting supply-chain risks?
- disruption to transport networks and ICT networks
What is the repatriation of profits?
- the movement of profits made in a business or investment in a foreign country back to the country of origin
Why are profits normally repatriated?
- to protect against expropriation or to take advantage of currency fluctuation
When is profit repatriation an important factor?
- when determining whether foreign direct investment (FDI) in another country is actually profitable for the parent firm
What is tax avoidance?
- the arrangement of one’s financial affairs to minimise tax liability within the law
- he legal usage of the tax regime in a single territory to one’s own advantage to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law
How do wealthy people avoid taxes?
- live in countries with lower rates of tax
What are drones?
- unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operated by remote control, either by an operator or by an on-board computer
What are the advantages of drones?
- can be used for surveillance in natural and man-made disasters to survey damage, locate victims, help the police search for lost children and monitor large crowds
How much is the drone industry expected to generate between 2015 and 2018?
- over $13 billion
How much is the drone industry expected to generate by 2025?
- $80 billion
How many jobs is the drone industry expected to generate?
- 30,000 manufacturing jobs
- 70,000 technical jobs
What are the disadvantages of drones?
- caused many civilian fatalities
- been linked with invasion of personal privacy
- drones used in war are operated far from the conflict zone and may thus desensitise military personnel to war and killing
- cost
- breakdown or malfunction of computer software
- human error in operation
How many respondent in a US survey indicated that the supported the use of droned and UAVs in war?
- 56%
How many people were killed by drones between 2006 and 2009?
- 746 people killed in attacks using drones
- 147 of the victims were civilians
94 were children
How many civilians did Pakistan claim had been killed in Pakistan in US strikes since 2006?
- 400 civilians
What is 3D printing technology (or “additive manufacturing”)?
- (allows for the) creation of physical objects from a digital model, by building them up in a sequence of layers
- allows manufacturers to create complex 3D objects in a short time
What are the favours of 3D printing?
- could counter globalisation, as many users will do much of their own manufacturing rather than outsource or engage in trade
- could lead to the development of localised, customised production that responds to demand
- little was involved
- e.g. has been used to create human body parts, organs and tissues
What are the risks of 3D printing?
- lack of legislation and regulations concerning the technology means that it can be used to create weapons and counterfeit goods
- will replace labour
- can enable gangs to steal money from ATM machines
What is polarisation?
- rising geopolitical tensions and economic rivalries divide the global economy into competing blocs of countries
What is islandisation?
- nationalism gains ground in key economies around the world, leading to protectionist measures and reduced global economic flows
What is commonisation?
- the rise of a new global commons through manufacturing and the sharing economy and a fall of the consumer capitalism
What was clear by 2014-2015?
- that the increase in globalisation had been matched by an increase in nationalism
What was the increase in nationalism in part due?
- poor economic growth following the financial crisis of 2008, rising inequality, and, in Europe, rising immigration
What did the changes e.g. rising immigration lead many people to look for?
- stability in national or local features, such as a shared culture, history or language
What does this new nationalism take form of?
- protectionist policies e.g. trade barriers
- policies favouring domestic workers
- anti-immigration measures and resource nationalism
What are examples of renewed nationalism?
- election of President Trump
- UK’s vote for Brexit
- growth of right-wing political parties in the EU
What does the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) in Singapore state?
- in 2017 its strategy for the future, stated that Singapore must “remain plugged into global trade” and “must resist the threat of rising protectionism amid anti-globalisation sentiment”
- does not share growth in nationalism
What is transboundary pollution?
- pollution affecting a large area or more than one country
Where does dry deposition of pollutants usually occur?
- typically close to the source of pollutants
When and where does wet deposition of pollutants usually occur?
- when the pollutants are dissolved in precipitation
- may fall at great distances from the sources
- crosses international boundaries with disregard (and so it is a form of transboundary pollution)
What is acid rain?
- rainfall that is more acidic than normal due to human activity
- pH of less than 5.5
What are the major causes of acid rain?
- the sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas
- when sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere, they can be absorbed by the moisture
What are the major producers of sulphur dioxide?
- coal-fired power stations
What are the major producers of nitrogen oxides?
- vehicles, especially cars
Do nitrogen oxides or sulphur oxides have a greater effect?
- sulphur oxides
- account for two-thirds of the problem
How are worldwide emission changing?
- sulphur oxides declining
- nitrogen oxides increasing (partly due to increased car ownership)
What are the effects of acidification?
- weathering of buildings
- mobilisation of metals, especially iron and aluminium, by acidic water which is carried into rivers and lakes
- aluminium damages fish gills
- tree growth is severely reduced
- soil acidity increases
- lakes become acidified and aquatic life suffers
- there are possible links (as yet unproven) to the increase in cases of senile dementia
Where are the effects of acid deposition greatest?
- areas with high level of precipitation
- areas with acidic rocks that cannot neutralise the deposited acidity
What are the various methods being used to reduce the impacts of acid deposition?
- adding powdered limestone to lakes to increase their pH
- curb the emissions of the pollutants:
- reducing the amount of fossil fuels used
- using less sulphur-rich fossil fuel
- using alternative energy sources that do not produce nitrate or sulphate gases
- removing the pollutants before they reach the atmosphere
What is one of the most important factors in the growth of globalisation?
- shipping
Where are there high rates of pollution?
- along certain shipping routes
- NO2 track in the Indian Ocean between Singapore and Sri Lanka
- others in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Mediterranean Sea and along the route from Singapore to China
How does shipping cause a great deal of pollution and environmental damage?
- oil and chemicals released in deliberate discharges and accidental spills
- waste dumping, including sewage and garbage
- air pollution through the release of greenhouse gases
- physical damage through the use of anchors
- noise pollution, which disturbs large mammals such as whales
How many merchant ships sail along the world’s main shipping routes (where pollution is highly concentrated)?
- approximately 50,000 merchant ships
- carry about 90% of the world’s trade between countries
On what factors does the carbon footprint associated with food production depend on?
- volume of produce
- means of transport
- refrigeration
- packaging
- storage
- distribution
- sales
What is the carbon footprint associated with food production?
- the greenhouse gas emissions produced by growing, rearing, farming, processing, transporting, storing, cooking and disposing of the food you eat
What kind of flow is at an all-time high?
- human migration
What is agro-industrialisation?
- the large-scale, intensive, high-input, high-output, commercial nature of much modern farming
What has agro-industrialisation done?
- increased food production
What is the issue with agro-industrialisation?
- major consumer of energy - a a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water pollution, land erosion and loss of biodiversity
What does intensive farming require?
- heavy use of chemicals
- methods that lead to land degradation and animal welfare problems
What do land grabs result in?
- less land available for indigenous/national populations and give access to a foreign country/multinational
What are food miles?
- how far food has travelled before it appears on a plate
What is the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)?
- an international environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) or civil society
When was WWF founded and what was the initial aim?
- 1961
- aim of preserving wilderness areas and the species that inhabited them, and reducing the human impact on the environment
What is the world’s largest civil society?
- WWF
- working in over 1,300 projects in over 100 countries and with over 5 million supporters worldwide
What is WWF’s mission statement?
- “to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature”
What did WWF’s first manifesto state that it needed?
- “money, to carry out missions and to meet conservation emergencies by buying land where wildlife treasures are threatened, money… to pay guardians of wildlife refuges… and for education”
What did the WWF change its statement to in the 1990s?
- “stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature” by: conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption
What is WWF’s current strategy?
- restore populations of keystone species, species that are important for their ecosystem or people, including elephants and whales
- reduce ecological footprints
What are the criticisms of WWF?
- too close to some large companies such as Coca-Cola and Ikea
- involvement with TNCs responsible for destruction of the natural environment
- was using eco-guards who had abused the rights of indigenous people in the Cameroon rainforest (WWF denied this statement)
What is Oxfam?
- an international charity focused on the alleviation of global poverty
When was Oxfam created and why was it originally created?
- was initially called Oxford Committee for Famine Relief
- 1942
- original aim of getting food to people in Greece during the Second World War
What have Oxfam’s aims changed to?
- aim to address the causes of poverty and injustice, having the human rights to the fore of its mission
What does the Oxfam International strategic plan state that everyone has the right to?
- a sustainable livelihood
- basic social services
- life and security
- be heard
- an identity
What does Oxfam believe can be eliminated?
- believes that poverty and powerlessness can be eliminated if there is political will and human action
In which three main areas does Oxfam continue to work in?
- development support (which aims to lift people out of poverty with sustainable projects)
- humanitarian work following natural disasters and conflict
- lobbying and campaigning
What did Oxfam claim in its 2015-2016 annual report?
- the combined wealth of the world’s richest 1% would overtake that of everyone else by 2016, given the trend of rising inequality
What does Oxfam focus on in its activities?
- economic justice
- essential services
- rights in crisis
- gender justice
What does economic justice focus on (Oxfam activity)?
- improving farming for famers and labourers, fairer trade, and reducing shocks from energy changes and climate change
What does essential services focus on (Oxfam activity)?
- the provision of health education, water and sanitation
What does rights in crisis focus on (Oxfam activity)?
- assistance given during conflicts and after disasters
What does gender justice focus on (Oxfam activity)?
- support women’s leadership and increase the number of women receiving an education
When did Oxfam’s first shop open?
- 1948
How many shops does Oxfam have worldwide?
- about 1,200 shops worldwide, selling books, CDs, crafts, clothing and ethnic products
What did Oxfam establish in 2013?
- “Behind the brands” product, in which they provided information on the policies of the biggest food brands against the following criteria:
- transparency at corporate level
- farm worker, including women, and small-scale producers in the supply chain
- small-scale farmers growing the commodities
- land rights and sustainable use of land
- water rights and the sustainable use of water
- methods of reducing climate change and adapting to climate change
What does Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair aim to do?
- to eliminate a number of practices, including the dumping in LICs of highly subsidised foods produced in HICs; high import tariffs; unequal labour laws, in which women earn less than their male counterparts; and patent issues of seeds, medicines and software
What are the criticisms of Oxfam?
- allegations that Oxfam is politically motivated; that some of its trustees were tax avoiders, and that its stores have forced the closure of small specialist stores and other charity shops
What happened during the 1970s and 1980s in terms of employment?
- major decline in manufacturing employment in HICs as a result of offshoring to LICs, which offered low-cost labour
Why is brining manufacturing back to the US complex?
- considerations include wages, energy costs and trade agreements
What happened between 2013 an 2014 in terms of jobs in the US?
- the US moved from losing about 140,000 manufacturing jobs per year to gaining 10,000 or more annually
What are the push factors from overseas (reshoring)?
- rising global oil prices and increasing transport costs
- a relative lack of skilled labour in LICs compared with HICs
- rising labour costs in LICs and NICs
- greater risks in the supply chain
What are the pull factors to return home (reshoring)?
- increased demand for customisation of products and smaller runs
- a tradition of manufacturing, and public demand to maintain employment in HICs
- consumers increasingly demanding quick delivery times
- higher levels of R&D
What is an example of reshoring?
- www.bathrooms.com
- investing $2.5 million in the Midlands, UK, where it will manufacture 25% of its products - this will cut delivery time for customers
Which kind of companies are most likely to reshore?
- capital-intensive sectors with complex supply chains and rapidly changing markets
(- include petroleum, chemicals and aerospace; pharmaceuticals and chemicals (R&D); textiles and leather goods)
What are the impacts of reshoring?
- direct impacts on output, GDP and employment
- indirect impacts in the supply chain
- multiplier effects, when the employees of the reshored industries spend their earnings in the economy and increase demand for services
What is crowdsourcing?
- the process of sourcing ideas, services, finances and information from the public via the internet due to the benefit from the collective abilities of a large group of people
- getting a crowd of people to help you with a task that’s typically performed by a single individual or group
What are the 4 groups crowdsourcing can be divided into?
- microtasks (breaking a large project into tiny, definable tasks for a crowd of workers to complete)
- macrotasks (presenting a project to the crowd and asking them to get involved with the portions they’re knowledgeable in, participants are empowered to determine the best course of action)
- crowdfunding (asking a crowd to donate a defined amount of money for a specified cause, project, or other use within a predetermined timeframe - if your goal isn’t met, all donations are refunded)
- contests (asking a crowd for work and only providing compensation to the chosen entries)
When has crowdsourcing been used?
- in times of natural disasters
How much did crowdfunding raise following the earthquake in Nepal?
- $20 million in 60 days
- also provided images of buildings, schools and hospitals daily, to help search, rescue and relief workers
What does crowdsourcing allow organisations to do?
- to tap into the creativity of large numbers of people
What is resilience?
- the ability of individuals, communities or environments to respond to shocks and changes while continuing to operate under new circumstances
What is Wikipedia an example of?
- a crowd-sourced effort that enables people in most places to obtain information on most subjects very quickly, and at very limited extra cost
What is cybersecurity (/computer security?
- the protection of information systems, hardware and software from theft or damage, as well as the protection of information on computers and related technology
Why is the need for cybersecurity increasing?
- more people and organisations rely on computers and the internet
What is phishing?
- the attempt to obtain personal or sensitive information such as user names, passwords, bank account details and credit card details
What are common targets of threats to computer systems?
- large organisations
- government departments
- military computer systems
- airline carriers
What is the most common prevention systems to threats to computer systems?
- firewalls
What are firewalls?
- stop access to internal network systems and filter out different kinds of attack
What is one of the main issues regarding cybersecurity?
- there are no international regulations or common rules to abide by
What are e-passports and what are their advantages?
- has a computer chip in it which contains data about the owner
- allow faster checking in at airports and border clearance, and the may also help in crime detection, as some contain biometrics such as fingerprints
- difficult to reproduce or forge, so security is improved
- also make it more difficult for one person to have several passports
What are the disadvantages of e-passports?
- if stolen, the data could be used illegally
- would be possible for someone to hack into the system and change the data
- the person who owns the passport does not have access to the data
