ABSTRACT
Technical progress in the 20th century has revolutionised the transport of people, goods and information. Greater and greater speed and distances are being achieved at ever-lower cost per unit moved. Along with the transmission of energy and transportation of materials, the world’s information highways are gaining in significance.The direct beneficiaries of these forms of transport – both real and virtual – are business and industry, which organise production, trade and investment today on a global scale. An indirect result of global transport, global business and global information is that the ‘Western’ life-style is leaping borders rapidly. Many traditional cultures are either being suppressed or are disappearing altogether. Religions, art, handicrafts and languages are particularly affected, but ultimately every variety of social norm and value is influenced.
