1. Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, the first being Stockholm. Gothenburg is the largest of all of Sweden's non-capital cities and is home to 533,260 inhabitants, not including the surrounding metropolitan area. While Stockholm is more globally acknowledged, Gothenburg is still widely known throughout Scandinavia and Europe as being a hub for business, education, social & cultural importance, and technology. The city was rated by Forbes as the 12th most inventive city in the world in 2013. Following Stockholm and Gothenburg, the other Swedish cities are much smaller and more rural.
2. Gothenburg is smaller than Stockholm but still offers almost everything you could find in the capital city, except for specific tourist attractions. Gothenburg has nearly all of the same goods and services available as Stockholm does, but does not have the same sightseeing opportunities, museums, historic sites, etc. These types of things are only found in one location.
Since Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, it offers many items and services that would be unavailable in most of the smaller towns in the central/northern parts of the country. People living in the more rural towns do not have access to many big-name chain stores, or specialty shops. They often need to commute to one of the two big cities when making large purchases, or when they need to find a specific item that cannot be bought in a generic department store.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Current Happenings in Sweden: 20 May 2014
Throughout the past two years, a program called Blackshades has been spread throughout the cyber world, being used to search and control computers remotely. Among some 100 suspects for this malware spread, the creator and owner has been identified. The 24-year-old's identity has remained anonymous thus far, but it is known that he resides in Stockholm, Sweden. The suspect is currently under house arrest, but further action is wanted by the United States' FBI. It has been said that over 500,000 computers in 19 countries have been compromised by the Blackshades program. Sweden is the world's leading country in computer science, heading much development in technology worldwide. However, this also means that "hacker" cases such as this are bound to occur in the future.
Source: TheLocal.SE
Source: TheLocal.SE
Thursday, May 8, 2014
"The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger" Discussion
1. Identify a selection from this chapter that you found particularly interesting and explain why you selected it.
I enjoyed the section of the passage in which the author describes the process of shipping goods, both before and after the development of shipping containers. I liked this part best because I've never worked in (or seen up-close) a facility which transports goods, and I was unaware of the difficult processes involved with loading, unloading, sorting, and other tasks. This section made it easier for me to understand what exactly is necessary in shipping and global transportation; this led to a better understanding of the difference that shipping containers make.
2. How does the author see the development of the shipping container contributing to globalization?
The author describes the importance and impact of innovation, citing examples of past innovations such as railroads, steamships, and the refrigerated railcar. He then goes on to discuss how the container is similar to these innovations in that it is something we take for granted nowadays, but long ago it was a very important transition. He claims that with the container came the ability to move many objects all at once, making loading and unloading less daunting of a task. Containers also allowed a way to store goods all in one place; this helped with keeping track of many goods at one time. For example, rather than labeling each individual gear in a shipment of machinery, all of the gears could be packaged together and labeled. This would cut down on time searching for and counting up all of the gears at the unloading site. Because of these efficiencies, the author says that globalization of trading goods became overall an easier process, allowing the global market for these goods to expand.
3. Who do you see gaining and losing from this transformation of global transportation?
The companies which buy and sell transported goods would benefit from he saved time and energy which came with the development of shipping containers. However, at the same time, there would be a significant decrease in need for workers who used to carry out the tasks that are no longer needed, such as loading and unloading many items (now it is possible to load or unload one box containing all of these items) or labeling, sorting, finding, and gathering items (which are now all kept neatly together). Although global transportation's new efficiency is expanding the global market, there are many losses where these tedious tasks used to provide jobs.
I enjoyed the section of the passage in which the author describes the process of shipping goods, both before and after the development of shipping containers. I liked this part best because I've never worked in (or seen up-close) a facility which transports goods, and I was unaware of the difficult processes involved with loading, unloading, sorting, and other tasks. This section made it easier for me to understand what exactly is necessary in shipping and global transportation; this led to a better understanding of the difference that shipping containers make.
2. How does the author see the development of the shipping container contributing to globalization?
The author describes the importance and impact of innovation, citing examples of past innovations such as railroads, steamships, and the refrigerated railcar. He then goes on to discuss how the container is similar to these innovations in that it is something we take for granted nowadays, but long ago it was a very important transition. He claims that with the container came the ability to move many objects all at once, making loading and unloading less daunting of a task. Containers also allowed a way to store goods all in one place; this helped with keeping track of many goods at one time. For example, rather than labeling each individual gear in a shipment of machinery, all of the gears could be packaged together and labeled. This would cut down on time searching for and counting up all of the gears at the unloading site. Because of these efficiencies, the author says that globalization of trading goods became overall an easier process, allowing the global market for these goods to expand.
3. Who do you see gaining and losing from this transformation of global transportation?
The companies which buy and sell transported goods would benefit from he saved time and energy which came with the development of shipping containers. However, at the same time, there would be a significant decrease in need for workers who used to carry out the tasks that are no longer needed, such as loading and unloading many items (now it is possible to load or unload one box containing all of these items) or labeling, sorting, finding, and gathering items (which are now all kept neatly together). Although global transportation's new efficiency is expanding the global market, there are many losses where these tedious tasks used to provide jobs.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Current Happenings in Sweden: 6 May 2014
Over the past several weeks, Swedish officials have released statements concerning trade between the US and EU. Although trade deals with the US could be very beneficial, economically, for both parties, Sweden fears that the US's environmental standards are too low. Mikael Karlsson, spokesperson for the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, spoke recently at a seminar in Stockholm for US/EU trade talk. Karlsson expressed his concerns, and it seems that many Swedish citizens agree with him that "the proposed trade deal could have a 'devastating chill' on EU environmental ambitions." It would seem that the US is rather behind in the global movement to "go green," and this is beginning to affect our international affairs. This controversy could be the start of a change in green policies for the US.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Country Profile Part 5: Transportation
Water Transportation
Since Sweden is bordered by a large amount of water, numerous ports and harbors can be found along the coastline. These ships are mainly used for carrying shipments of goods into or out of the country, but there are a number of ferries which transport visitors around Sweden and the surrounding countries. Ferry tickets can be bought as a round-trip tour, or as a one-way ticket to get from a city to, say, a small fishing village. It is also common to use the ferries to travel to/from Norway, Finland, Denmark, and other areas.
Land Transportation
Sweden has a rather extensive and well-maintained railway system. SInce public transportation is encouraged, most cities can be reached by train. In the far north, it is sometimes necessary to take a bus or car in addition to the train because of the many small villages. In Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg, the tram (streetcar) system is very well-known and frequented by both residents and visitors. The Gothenburg tram is the most extensive tram network in Northern Europe. Stockholm, the capital city, replaced its tram system with the Metro (train/subway network) although this is just as successful. Sweden puts a large emphasis on public transportation in order to stay environmentally-friendly. When a train or tram is not an option, there are still buses, taxi-cabs, and locations where you may rent a car.
Sweden also has good roadways, with high-speed motorways (similar to out expressways) which eliminate excessive traffic congestion. It is not uncommon to own a car in Sweden, or to rent one, but with all of the available public transportation many people choose not to do so.
Air transportation
The two largest and most well-known airports in Sweden are in Stockholm and Gothenburg. When flying internationally, these are typically the airports used. The Stockholm-Arlanda airport is a "hub" for most domestic flights, and there are dozens of smaller regional airports as well. Though domestic flights are an enjoyable way to get around the country, many people find it easiest to take a train when oving from city to city.
Since Sweden is bordered by a large amount of water, numerous ports and harbors can be found along the coastline. These ships are mainly used for carrying shipments of goods into or out of the country, but there are a number of ferries which transport visitors around Sweden and the surrounding countries. Ferry tickets can be bought as a round-trip tour, or as a one-way ticket to get from a city to, say, a small fishing village. It is also common to use the ferries to travel to/from Norway, Finland, Denmark, and other areas.
Land Transportation
Sweden has a rather extensive and well-maintained railway system. SInce public transportation is encouraged, most cities can be reached by train. In the far north, it is sometimes necessary to take a bus or car in addition to the train because of the many small villages. In Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg, the tram (streetcar) system is very well-known and frequented by both residents and visitors. The Gothenburg tram is the most extensive tram network in Northern Europe. Stockholm, the capital city, replaced its tram system with the Metro (train/subway network) although this is just as successful. Sweden puts a large emphasis on public transportation in order to stay environmentally-friendly. When a train or tram is not an option, there are still buses, taxi-cabs, and locations where you may rent a car.
Sweden also has good roadways, with high-speed motorways (similar to out expressways) which eliminate excessive traffic congestion. It is not uncommon to own a car in Sweden, or to rent one, but with all of the available public transportation many people choose not to do so.
Air transportation
The two largest and most well-known airports in Sweden are in Stockholm and Gothenburg. When flying internationally, these are typically the airports used. The Stockholm-Arlanda airport is a "hub" for most domestic flights, and there are dozens of smaller regional airports as well. Though domestic flights are an enjoyable way to get around the country, many people find it easiest to take a train when oving from city to city.
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