Globalisation and Transhipment

What is globalisation? When asked to define globalisation, it is a growth to a global or worldwide scale; "the globalisation of the communication industry". Globalisation  refers to the increasing global relationships of culture, people, and economic activity. It is generally used to refer to economic globalisation: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import quotas and the reduction of restrictions on the movement of capital and on investment. Globalization may contribute to economic growth in developed and developing countries through increased specialization and the principle of comparative advantage. The term can also refer to the transnational circulation of ideas, languages, and popular culture.

So at the mention of globalisation, it is also part of the topic we are learning now, transport and communication.

"The technological revolution and social dimensions of modernity have made this increased interconnectedness possible. Advancements in technology have made quick and radical improvements in communication and transportation capabilities. The social dimension of modernity contributes the assertion that because all men and women are equally valuable, they should be free from unfulfilling constraints imposed by other persons or the state. These technological capacities and the freedom to develop and use them promise to enhance the potential for integral human development by promoting authentic development in at least the areas of economics, politics, and culture. In economics, globalization broadens the free market to include many nations to which it had not previously reached. Improvement in the political arena is recognized in a newfound permeability of borders that allows for an exchange of information that can undermine the power of abusive regimes. The effects of globalization on culture—society’s shared idea of human good and morality—can also be positive in that never in history have these societal ideas and cultural characteristics been so easy to share."

This is a quote from an article about the phenomenon about globalisation. It explains how globalisation has become part of our daily lives through many things like economics, politics and social areas.
To read on and to understand more about the phenomenon of globalisation, you can go to the link below! :D
http://www.acton.org/pub/religion-liberty/volume-12-number-5/phenomenon-globalization

The next thing I would like to blog about would be a term called "transhipment". When defined on the internet, it is known as a is the shipment of goods or container to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination. Ms J left us some self work when she was unable to come for the lesson on Wednesday and Joanne and I explored a number of questions based on transhipment. Singapore's airport is busy with flights taking off everyday. Moreover, many foreigners catch a plane to Singapore just to go to other places like Japan or London. Why do they do that when they can catch a direct flight to their destination?

In her notes, Ms J says that one main reason would be that Singapore's airport offers a choice of airlines, and if the foreigners wait at their own airport, there may be only one flight to the desinated place. It happens just the same for the loading and unloading of goods. Why do ships choose to stop by at Singapore instead of going directly to the desinated place? Reason being, the number of journeys to go to places is greatly reduced and hence speeds up the transactions. Without transhipment, if each vessel connects to every port, the whole transportation system will be in a mess and will be complicated.

Thus, transhipment is much faster than direct shipping.

Chrystal