Big Ideas in Science Essay

Food, it has become the final frontier. No longer are the days where oranges come from Florida or California, and cheese from Wisconsin. We are a world(prenominal) society and tummy export and import food from anywhere. As you are reading this, you might be enjoying some grapes from Argentina or drinking weewee from Iceland. Lets see where a couple of meals came from, shall we?Im non much on breakfast, mostly because I fall apartt rile up in time to eat anything. Today though, I had a bagel with cream cheese. Theres not a lot of learning on where the cream cheese is made or where the ingredients come from. Its Wal-Mart brand, so Im guessing they outsource to some local company. The bagels are from lenders, and there is some information on them. The wheat that is used in the bagel is from the Western prairies of the United States and the water is found locally at the congeal (Lenders, 2012). I have to have something to wash this down with, and my breakfast drink of choice is Sunny D. According to the website, Sunny Ds juice is sourced from Florida (Sunny D, 2012). So far, I seem to be having a pretty American day as far as meals are concerned. aft(prenominal) breakfast, most of my day is washed-out at work. I normally have to include both lunch and dinner because I work twelve hours or more a day. I work at Pizza Hut, so getting something to eat is easy. Unfortunately, there isnt a lot of information on the origins of the food. I know the wheat used in the pizza crust is from the Midwest and I believe the cheese is from California (Pizza Hut, 2012). My beverages are an assortment of Pepsi products that are bottled at different plants nearly the United States.I guess Im not much of an international eater, scarce at times I can be, its save been a busy week. Since it seems that most of my meals are processed foods or from a restaurant, my food arrives about the same way. The wheat or fruit is harvested and loaded onto trucks. These trucks matter the produce to the factory where it is milled or juiced and mixed with other ingredients and preservatives, until the final product is reached. It is then bagged or bottled and shipped to a warehouse. It sits in the warehouse until picked and delivered to the store where they can be purchased.When I was in college getting my business degree, we talked a lot about the global market and its benefits. One of these benefits is more competition. Yes, competition is a benefit. It not only provides more choices, just competition means that companies will try different things to keep its customers. This can range from promotions to new lines of product. Lenders bagels for example, not only have plain bagels, but also blueberry, strawberry, and cinnamon raisin. Another benefit of a global market is that it gives companies a broader market size. With a bigger market, companies are able to receive income from multiple sources rather than just locally. The internet has really helped the global mar ket. You can order products direct from Germany, even though theyre not sold at your local store. You have to love our digital age.Being a global market can also have its nix impacts. Being from the south, I can remember my mom telling me, Youre getting too big for your britches. I know, its a weird saying, but it holds true for a lot of things. Companies that try to be global can sometimes get too big and lose sight of what his happening locally. The working out in China and Europe become such a priority, that their backyard gets overgrown with weeds. It can also produce poor products. How many times have you accepted something from overseas that breaks within its first week? Or, you call technical support for a company based in Dallas, TX and get someone in India? Im not saying that to be racist or anything, but a local company should take care of its local people.Think Globally, move locally. This can be interpreted many ways because we all think differently. For me, it mean s that you should consider the big picture and the benefits of introducing your product or advantage to a broader base. While doing this, however, you should take care of those around you. I had a former supervisor that would tell us, Dance with the one that brought you. I dont know where he got that phrase from, but he was trying to tell us that we may get promoted or moved to a busier store, but dont forget what brought you to that point. Go ahead and expand your operations to Europe and Asia, but dont forget the people of St. Louis (or wherever) that supported you while you were growing.After all this research, my way of choosing goods really hasnt changed. Even after studying the global market back in business classes, I still looked at products the same. While I appreciate the local producers and will buy their stuff, Im also a cheapskate that goes for the best deal. I am unforced to pay more, for example, Ill shop my hometown drug store before going to Wal-Mart, even though it might cost a little more. The service and gimmick will make up for the slightly higher price. I also like to try new things. Ill try a new beer thats imported from Mexico or Australia, but Ill still keep some Bud Light in the fridge. I will agree that we should buy American, but we dont always make the best stuff.The global market has its ups and downs. Its like a marriage, most of the time its a wondrous union that makes people happy and provides the needs for each other. Other times, it seems like mommy (global company) and daddy (local company) just cant get along. If the children (consumers) make the even up decisions and try to Think Globally, Act Locally themselves, it might help the marriage. Then again, maybe we should just cut ties with the rest of the world and Think Locally, Act Locally, what do you think about that?