The Leader - September/October 2008 - (Page 26) th e fu tu r e o f the W o rkp lace : W hat’ s Ne xt I s he re tions of malaria occur in fetid slums in 2013. These spread across the borders of sceNarIos: rich regions placing severe pressure on the j a zz, WIse couNsels, D a NtesQue health care systems which are not sustainable at this time of need. high economic growth National security and foreign policy become matters of urgency. The spread of transnational crime increases. Terrorists jazz use organized criminal groups to move money, men and materials around the globe. Countries and rebels continue to wise counsels sell natural resources to finance wars. Governments’ capacity to establish the collaboration competition rule of law is weakened by corruption. Following the devastation caused by dantesque terrorist attacks in 2017, which left 5,000 civilians dead, the agricultural sector and supply chain networks were left in low economic growth chaos. The terrorists not only attacked the physical infrastructure of major EU and U.S. cities but launched an attack on the food chain. Fear intensified across these regions. Governments, politicians and businesses fueled and capitalized on this fear and anxiety. disjointed from each other. Racism is on the rise and ‘each to Areas such as the insurance industry, those parts of the real their own’ is the attitude that dominates this world. estate industry that source gated communities, facilities manIt is a fragmented world in 2030. agement and the CCTV industry are the commercial enterEconomic growth remains concentrated in prosperous areas, prises that begin to make a profit on fear. while poverty and frustration leaves the majority of nations feeling isolated and ignored. The rising tide of wealth is occurFrom this fear, and the increase of ‘ghetto-ization,’ the ring in a small number of nations while the growing concenpopularity of gated communities increased. By 2020, a tration of this wealth is in relatively few hands. Consequently, socio-economic divide has appeared between those who the gap between high and low income countries has intensican and those who cannot afford to live in gated communified and continues to persist and widen. It is driven by high ties. Subsequently, these communities become known as unemployment, declining physical infrastructures and corrupt exclusionary, elitist and anti-social. Access is controlled by governance structures in developing areas. gates, entry codes, key cards and security guards, serviced with CCTV tracking. This has caused anger and resentment There is mass migration towards rich regions in an effort to in the outside world while exacerbating social exclusion. find a better life as well as an increase of illegal immigrants Cultural differences, inward-looking attitudes and antiacross borders. This system of inequitable and immoral capiimmigrant sentiment have intensified, causing racism to talism presents a tight-fisted callousness towards minority amplify. groups, while the poor and illegal immigrants become scapegoats as is evident in the growing number of sweatshops across As a result of this, environmental issues are left on the backAsia, Africa and parts of South America. burner even following the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, and the signing of the ‘Montreal Agreement’ in 2012 relating There is a rise in healthcare problems and a great concern to water conservation. These policies are ignored as natural about the potential for plagues as outbreaks of virulent mutaF IG. 1 2 0 0 8 th e le aDe r 26 septemBer / octoBer
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