TRENDS to WATCH



Activity 2

TRENDS EXPLORATION Appendix 2.4

This is an opportunity for you to practice your leadership and group building skills. Given the case studies below, describe the trend and its influence on our way of living, the types of occupations that exist today and the way work is done. All groups will present their information to the class, You will be given class time to work on the assignment and will need to answer the questions on chart paper. This will include the case scenario and answers to the following questions:

1. Define the trend. Is the trend economic or social? How?

2. What effect does this trend have on everyday life?

3. What effect does this trend have on occupations (where we work, when we work)?

4. What effect does this trend have on our leisure activities?

|Case 1 |In auto manufacturing plants, robots now replace workers on the assembly line. Other companies have reduced |

| |their number of employees (downsized by requiring management to use computers rather than receptionists and |

| |secretaries). |

|Case 2 |Satellite dishes carry Western programming and advertising into homes in China, India, and Iran, jarring |

| |ancient customs and creating a thirst for modern gadgets and luxuries. |

|Case 3 |The shopping channel allows people to purchase goods without leaving their home. |

|Case 4 |Canadian manufacturing companies are now having their items produced in Mexico because wages are lower. |

|Case 5 |More than 50% of consumers in Toronto are from a non- English or French background. At the last census, Halton |

| |residents reported over 54 languages spoken. |

|Case 6 |Women influence between 80 and 85% of new car purchases. Women are now designing the interior of cars. Women |

| |are now featured in TV shows-in non-traditional roles (CSI, Trading Spaces, Law and Order, ER). |

|Case 7 |As a large portion of the population reaches the retirement age, golf courses are becoming busier. We also see|

| |increased us of health care facilities and an increasing demand for senior citizen residences. |

|Case 8 |Due to sophisticated electronic equipment, knowledge can be shared instantly – Fax machine, teleconferencing, |

| |Internet, satellites. Companies now employ security guards to prevent secrets from going to the computer. |

Activity 3 Appendix 2.5

TECHNOLOGY

The advances in technology with the increasing sophistication in equipment have radically changed the way we live and work.

Example:

Automotive plants pay top dollar for scientists in the quest for alternative energy resources. For example: battery operated cars

GLOBALIZATION

As a result of increasing technology, the world has become borderless. Businesses operate across geographic borders, with offices and employees in many different countries. There is an economic trend towards international trade and development.

Example:

Clothing companies are setting up factories in underdeveloped countries where land and construction is cheaper, the wage expectations are lower, as are the regulations governing working conditions. This results in a loss of jobs in Canada. In order for existing factories to remain competitive, all expenses, including wages, must be low.

INFORMATION AGE

Due to sophisticated equipment, information has become the focus of economic activity. We’ve become a “knowledge based” economy.

Example:

A company can easily track it’s competitors pricing through their websites.

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WORKFORCE and CONSUMER DIVERSITY

In Canada, both workforce and consumer-base are becoming increasingly more diverse including both men and women from a variety of ethnic origins and religious backgrounds. Canada is a multicultural country. Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada with over 70 different languages and ethnic groups from countries around the world.

Example:

The Armed forces is making changes to accommodate the high number of women wanting to join the ranks to fight overseas.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Statistical data on human populations. Demographic trends can help us predict how our society will evolve and how this will ultimately impact on us. eg. At one point, an area may be filled with young families, but as they grow older, the area will then be filled with “empty-nesters”. Statistical data may include: ethnicity, income levels, education levels, density (population size) and territorial distribution.

Example:

With the aging baby boomer population in Oakville, more and more retirement homes, seniors’ recreation centers and medical clinics are popping up in subdivisions

ACTIVITY 3 Appendix 2.6

Using the attached worksheets please answer the following questions for each of the five areas identified above.

1. How does each impact on the world of work?

2. What might the impacts be on life and leisure?

3. What other examples of this trend can you think of?

| |Globalization |Consumer & Workforce Diversity |

|Definition | | |

|Impact on type of Work | | |

|Impact on Life and | | |

|Leisure | | |

|Examples | | |

|Impact what I need to | | |

|learn | | |

| |Demographics |Information Age |

|Definition | | |

|Impact on type of Work | | |

|Impact on Life and | | |

|Leisure | | |

|Examples | | |

|Impact what I need to | | |

|learn | | |

| |Technology |

|Definition | |

|Impact on type of Work | |

|Impact on Life and | |

|Leisure | |

|Examples | |

|Impact what I need to | |

|learn | |

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