Social Studies Chapter 9

Driving forces of globalisation, Technological advancements:

• Developments in transportation

• Speed - different modes of transport such as trains, ships and aircraft have improved in terms of speed. They can now travel much faster and cover longer distances

  • 1830, The Liverpool and Manchester Railway: Marked the beginning of steam-powered rail travel. The railway covered a distance of approximately 50km and its trains travelled at about 48km/h

  • Since 1964, Shinkansen bullet train in Japan: As at 2023, the rail network covers a distance of around 3,478km and its trains can travel up to 320km/h

    
    

• Capacity - Land, sea and air transportation have also improved in terms of capacity, meaning more people and goods can be carried per trip to different parts of the world.

  • 1800s, Steam-powered ships: Sailed across the Atlantic Ocean between America and Europe, and later along shipping routes to Asia. Due to space taken up by its large engine and fuel, it had limited carrying capacity.

  • Since 1956, Container ships: Depending on their size, carrying capacity ranging from 25,000 to 600,000 tonnes

• Costs - Technological advancements in transportation have sped up the movement of larger volumes of goods, services snd people per trip, resulting in lower transport costs.

  • In the 1950s, flying was a luxury and only affluent and business travellers could afford it.

  • Since the 1990s, the rise of low-cost airlines has caused costs to decrease substantially, resulting in more people being able to afford air travel.

Driving forces of globalisation, technological advancements:

• Developments in digital technology

Developments in long-distance communications:

• Smoke signals and carrier pigeons

• Postal letters:

  • was due to the rise of maritime shipping

  • were carried between continents by merchant vessels

  • letters often took months to arrive and might be lost due to disasters at sea

• Telegraphs and telephones:

  • was developed in the 1830s to transmit electrical signals over a wire installed between telegraph stations.

  • scientists later invented receivers that turned electricity to sound

  • led to the development of telephones in 1871 which allowed human voice to be transmitted over wires

• Smartphones:

  • have developed rapidly since the 2000s, enabling people to engage in a range or functions beyond making calls

  • people are now able to communicate with others across different time zones and over various distances via instant video on their smartphones,

    
    

Driving forces of globalisation, growth of MNCs

STARBUCKS: How they operate in various countries drive globalisation through their supply chains.

• Raw materials:

  • coffee beans sourced from more than 30 countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia.

  • roasting facilities in United States and India

• consumers and distribution is worldwide

  
  

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