The Philippines

A large proportion of the United Kingdom’s health sector employees were born and often trained in the Philippines. As most of them are women, it is common for men to remain in the Philippines with the children and for the women to work to send money home from the UK. Many of these migrant workers live in cramped accommodation, working very hard, and sending home as much of their wage as possible. The UK thus gains some motivated, skilled workers, but the Philippines lose out.

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Case study: Microsoft

Microsoft is a computer manufacturing company that was started by Bill Gates in the 1970s. Just twenty years later it had become one of the largest companies in the world and Bill Gates became the richest person on earth.

Microsoft has been criticised for monopolising the computing industry, for instance by insisting it installed its own operating systems (such as Windows Vista) within the computers it makes. It has also been criticised for designing programs that have many security problems.

However in recent years other companies like Apple have also expanded and Bill Gates has gone some way to improving Microsoft’s image by donating billions of dollars on humanitarian aid in the developing world.