
The Global Economy
Season 1 Episode 120 | 28m 27sVideo has Closed Captions
Follow the flow of imports and exports that make up the interconnected world economy.
Around the world with the Biz Kids! Join us and you’ll follow the flow of imports and exports that make up the interconnected world economy. You will discover who makes the many things we use every day that come from all over the world. You’ll also see how several entrepreneurs have made a success of their businesses, despite the pressures of the world economy.
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Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Biz Kid$ is presented by your local public television station.
Distributed nationally by American Public Television

The Global Economy
Season 1 Episode 120 | 28m 27sVideo has Closed Captions
Around the world with the Biz Kids! Join us and you’ll follow the flow of imports and exports that make up the interconnected world economy. You will discover who makes the many things we use every day that come from all over the world. You’ll also see how several entrepreneurs have made a success of their businesses, despite the pressures of the world economy.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>> Production funding and educational outreach for Biz Kids is provided by a coalition of America's credit unions, where people are worth more than money.
A complete list of individual credit union funders is available at wxxi.org.
>> Every day, America's credit unions help members with their financial needs and with programs like Invest in America.
It's only fitting that credit unions support Biz Kids because financial education is what we do.
Learn more at lovemycreditunion.org.
>> Wow.
Look at all this stuff.
>> There's stuff here from everywhere.
Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe... >> Rugs, furniture.
Just imagine how all these products were made by craftsmen in factories in villages and cities all around the world.
Then they traveled along the global trade route until they all ended up right here at our fingertips.
>> It all makes me feel so hungry.
>> Hungry?
>> Yeah, let's go for a hot dog.
>> You're surrounded by the bounty of the world and all you can think about is hot dogs?
>> Hey, I like hot dogs.
And I know for a fact that you do too.
>> We're not having hot dogs.
>> Well, how about we call them bratwurst?
>> Sprechen sie Duetsch?
>> With the Dijon mustard?
>> Merci Beaucoup.
>> Deal.
>> Nosotros hablamos como los Biz Kids.
>> Como esta?
>> ♪ When making money is the aim ♪ These kids they bring their game ♪ They're the Biz Kids Can you dig it?
♪ They know what's up and let you know ♪ Just how to make that dough ♪ They're the Biz Kids Right on ♪ So learn a little more about bringing money through the door ♪ They're the Biz Kids Right on.
♪ >> Brought to you by: >> Chances are like most kids you have stuff from all over the world.
>> I know our car was made in Germany.
>> Yeah, but not just at home.
You've got the world on you right now.
>> That shirt he's wearing, it came all the way from China.
>> The phone in his hand is from Finland.
>> His bottled water came all the way around the world from France.
>> And that video game is from... >> Japan.
>> Exactly.
And kids in other countries are listening to our music, watching our movies, and flying in planes made right here in the US.
Goods and services move around the country and the world every moment of every day.
>> It's called the global economy.
We sell things to other countries and buy things from them.
It's a system of trade that grows larger all the time.
So today, when you think about the movement of goods and services... >> Think globally, but act like a Biz Kid.
>> Imports and exports.
The ebb and flow of goods and services around the world that creates the global economy.
Its tentacles work their way into every nook and cranny of the earth.
Let's watch.
>> Troy here with your flying financial global economy traffic report.
Now, all over the world we've got goods, services, and finances running smoothly.
The electronic freeways in Europe and Eastern Asia are open... >> I think that fair trade is... >> Fair trade is... >> ...when people who actually make the goods are compensated fairly.
>> I'm not quite sure exactly what that is yet.
>> All countries are able to... >> Because we haven't gone over that definition.
It's in chapter five.
>> Traded between each other.
>> At a fair rate.
>> I think that's what fair trade is.
>> Peru.
>> Hello.
My name is Hanna Jones and I volunteer here at Ten Thousand Villages.
Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade store.
And that means that all of the items you can see here are bought from artisans around the world, and they receive a fair wage for the work that they put into the products that they make.
Fair trade is a very person-to-person relationship, because the money goes back to the individual, and it helps a mother in China feed her children or a father in Guatemala send his children to school.
Ten Thousand Villages the store helps artisans to have access to the global market in a fair way.
Let me show you some of my favorite stuff.
Indonesia.
Cameroon.
Vietnam.
Uganda.
Nepal.
India and Egypt.
How's this for a global market?
Sri Lanka.
This is one of my favorite artisans.
His name is John Ogow Obuya, and he's from Kenya.
And he makes these stone sculptures.
And this is absolutely gorgeous.
The way Ten Thousand Villages discovers people like John is they went to his village, actually, and they found out that children there weren't going to school.
And the reason was they had to help support their families.
And so Ten Thousand Villages started working with people like John and selling their crafts.
Because the adults in this village like John now have access to the global market the children in the area can have the opportunity to just be normal children and live normal lives.
This is a huge hammock I have here.
This probably takes about a month to make, and it's extremely labor intensive.
And we're only selling this in the United States here for $120, which is barely anything for people in the United States, but it's doing a huge amount of good for the woman who made this and her family.
And so that's how global market is impacting the lives of people all around the world.
The global economy is everywhere.
>> Are you ready?
>> G-L-O-B-A-L space E-C-O-N-O- M-Y.
>> That was really tough.
>> Global... >> So when it comes to the global economy... >> But as a matter of fact, it can be one of the most magnificent discoveries of all time.
>> Out there in the wilderness, in the shadows all over the world, a creature was lurking.
But it was never plugged into the global economy until suddenly, without warning, he became, the Global Gorilla.
>> ♪ He's the Global Global Gorilla!
♪ >> You know, when I think of a hamburger, I think of McDonald's Big Mac, one of the most globalized products in history.
Its worldwide reach is so huge that Economist magazine has published the Big Mac Index for over 20 years to track inflation and purchasing power around the world.
In America, it's three bucks.
South Africa 14 rand.
In Paris, France you'll shell out two and a half euros.
And down Mexico Way, it's 29 pesos.
In India, 130 rupees.
And they even call it the Maharaja burger there.
But everywhere else, it's just the good old Big Mac.
From Poland to Fiji, New Zealand to Japan, a Big Mac is always on hand.
Now that's globalization.
>> ♪ He's Global Global Gorilla.
♪ >> When talking about the global economy, you might ask, why do we have to import?
We're a big country.
Can't we make everything we need?
>> Like, oh, my god, like, can't we?
>> Quick answer, no.
Virtually no country can produce everything it needs all by itself.
>> I like bananas.
Aren't they produced here?
>> Not everything we can produce here.
There are basically no banana trees, cocoa beans, or rubber trees in America.
A few coconuts maybe, but we still need to import more.
>> Well, if we import all those things, do we produce anything for the rest of the world?
>> We provide products and materials that other countries want.
>> These products and materials allow people in those countries to make things and have a better quality of life.
>> Import, export, import, export, import, export, import, export, import, export.
>> Importing and exporting, in constant motion across the world.
Next time you have some free time, walk around your house, check out your stuff, and see where it came from.
>> ♪ He's Global Global Gorilla ♪ Global Gorilla whoo whoo whoo ♪ Made in China Ch ch ch China ♪ Import from Chile Ch ch ch Chile ♪ Made in Italy Italia ♪ Export from Kansas Kansas ♪ He's Global Gorilla Global Gorilla ♪ He's the Global Gorilla that's right.
♪ >> As American as apple pie.
Made in China.
>> User submitted video.
Hong Kong.
>> Money.
When you're on vacation, you need a lot of it.
You'll get about seven Hong Kong dollars for every American dollar.
There are three banks in Hong Kong that make all the money-- the HSBC bank, the Bank of China, and the Standard Charter Bank.
In America, the government prints our money.
But here each bank prints their own money.
The money comes in ten, 20, 50 100, and 500 dollar bills, plus a lot of change.
Anytime you're in a different country with different money, you're always having to figure out what stuff costs.
It's a lot of math.
Let me explain.
I was very excited when my dad gave me a hundred dollars.
>> Here you go.
>> Imagine my surprise when I figured out that this crisp, wonderful 100 dollar bill was only worth 13 dollars in America.
What a cheapskate!
>> My money isn't just global baby.
My money moves around the entire universe.
>> Ooh!
>> Transaction Jackson.
>> En los calles... >> I dem morke gatene av Detroit ar livet haardt och klimatet aven haardere.
>> Transaction Jackson.
>> Es en todas partes del mundo, le gusta... >> Transaction Jackson.
>> Nyhetene i host ar Biz Kids tvsendinger... >> My name's Uriah Brown and I own Baltic Board Company.
Baltic Board Company.
That's a skateboarding company that I started about two years ago.
And I make long boards.
I make and I sell skateboards online to people all over the world.
Really the difference between a long board and, like, a normal skateboard is there's... the normal skateboards are kind of shorter, they're more a trick board.
But long boards are more meant just for bombing down hills where you just go way too fast down hills that are way too steep.
Well, my business really depends on the global economy.
For example, here a couple months back, there was a shortage of Baltic Birch, and that's the main wood that I use for every one of my boards.
Baltic Boards.
And so everywhere... everywhere was out.
There was no wood.
You know, the supplies all got eaten up, and they there was no more wood to replace, you know, what was already on the market.
>> Hey, Tyson!
Hey, Tyson!
Oh hey, Tyson.
Hey man, I'm looking for some zebra wood veneer.
You got any?
>> Okay, yeah, no problem.
It's right over here.
Let me go get it.
>> Nice.
Oh, man, this stuff is beautiful.
But hey, can you tell me anything about it?
>> Yeah.
So we brought this stuff in from Europe.
It was actually brought from West Africa.
So we brought it from there, they sliced it in Europe, we imported it and we got it here about a year ago.
>> Hey, I'm also needing some Baltic Birch.
You have any?
>> Yeah, I got it down for you right over here.
>> How much is this now?
>> Now it's about $26 a sheet.
>> Dang.
I knew I was getting...
I had to pay a lot for it whenever you guys had that shortage.
>> Yeah, the shortage really affected everything.
It affected our supply, it affected our customers, and also the pricing.
We had... we didn't have any for about six months.
It was really hard on all of our customers.
>> Well, I'm glad to see you guys got some.
And so I'll go ahead and take some.
And let's get this written up and get this delivered.
>> Sounds good.
>> All right.
Now I have my online store.
Here's pretty much my main outlet for really getting out to my market.
It's the World Wide Web, and I have access to, you know, anybody.
A kid in Japan could go to my Web site, or Germany or France.
I mean, it's... and they can order a board, and it will be there in three weeks.
It does.
It takes the whole world to make these things.
This board is a great example of the global economy.
It starts with... the birch is from northern Russia, and then the veneer is from western Africa.
It comes to me in Washington, and then I ship it off to... back to Europe.
This truck here, this was probably milled in Germany, and then the wheels, they were probably made in Asia, but the rubber probably came from India.
We bring it all together here in Washington.
And you know what?
Once some kid gets all these products together, they got a killer skateboard, and they're ready to rip.
>> Hey Biz Kids, go global like Baltic Board Company.
>> This is Troy, and we are back with your global economy traffic report.
Now ( static ) return routes for assembled clothing is running smoothly as well.
>> Class, today we're talking about the global economy.
>> Hey, Austin.
>> What?
>> I was noticing how a lot of the things that we use today come from other countries.
Like, my phone's from India.
>> Well, my mp3 player's from South Korea.
So?
>> So why do we have all these things from other places?
>> That's a good question, Miriam.
>> Who said that?
>> I did.
I'm here to tell you about the importance of imports.
A commodity is any item that can be bought or sold.
Imports are any commodity purchased from another country.
Because some countries had resources that other countries needed, trade was established.
>> Okay, I can understand that, but what about electronic parts or automobiles, things that many countries can produce?
>> I think what the disembodied voice is trying to say is that today with the globalized economy, and all of these different countries trying to manufacture things, it really comes down to the manufacturing costs.
>> Precisely.
>> So, like, for example, with this phone, with all the different economies, in some countries it might be cheaper to produce this than in others.
Like if the labor or the parts are cheaper there than in other places.
>> So in some countries that phone costs less to make than in others.
>> Exactly.
Well, thanks for listening, you two.
Glad I could help out.
Uh, buh-bye.
>> Man, this Italian marble is heavy.
I wonder where it comes from.
>> ( laughing ) Hey Leonard, you hear what Joe just said?
"Where's Italian marble come from?"
>> Things.
Things come to us from everywhere.
Things, things, we export things, we import things, things.
Things.
Things are moving along the world.
Things are moving.
Some things go here, some things go there.
Things.
>> Wow, this guy really ( bleep ) >> He's huge in Europe.
>> Oh the mail's here!
I wonder if my membership card came.
Woo!
I'm a member of the global economy!
Ooh!
>> And now the Biz Kids take it to the streets to ask, are you part of the global economy?
>> Definitely.
I'm part of the global economy.
>> I'm part of the global economy.
>> My hat.
>> I purchased these headphones in Japan.
>> It's made in Latvia.
>> They were made in China.
>> Everything I'm wearing is made all over the world.
>> I participate in the global economy by shopping at the supermarket.
>> I'm part of the global economy because... >> Some ginger from China.
>> I buy stuff.
>> The global economy... >> Mexico.
>> From what I understand of the global economy, that's, like the central basis of which our money is set up.
>> Goods, products, and services.
>> Fast food.
>> Clothes, shoes.
>> I buy a lot of gas.
>> Natural resources beyond anything else.
>> Cherries from Chile.
>> Made in China.
China.
>> His shirt is made in China.
>> I have some Chapstick.
North Carolina.
>> In China?
Are they made in China?
>> So this actually was made in the USA.
>> I'm part of the global economy.
>> Global economy.
>> Global economy!
>> Global economy!
>> Hello, Margot.
Yeah I just got back.
I think we've got a hot thing going here.
Yeah, I locked up Singapore, Thailand, yeah.
Oh, Botswana too.
Yeah, we're going global, I tell you.
Everyone wants these little ink jars.
>> From the beginning, the US has had trade agreements with other countries.
The main reason for this is that even with our huge productive economy, there's no way that we can efficiently produce everything that everybody in this country needs.
>> As a result, things that you and I use every day come from all over the place.
>> Stuff we buy from companies and organizations in other countries and we bring here to use are called imports.
>> We import hundreds of billions of dollars of stuff every year.
>> Not only do we import things that you and I might buy at the store, but we also import things for industry-- things like machines or equipment or materials, you know, like metal and oil that we can use to make things.
It's like our country's shopping on a market that's global.
It's... oh, what's it called?
The... no, no, no, don't tell me.
It's... it'll come.
>> Import, export, import export, import, export, import, ess... >> ♪ Oh, do you know the muffin man the muffin man the muffin man ♪ Oh, do you know the muffin man that lives in Drury lane?
♪ >> I don't know that muffin man.
I get my muffins imported from the Ivory Coast.
>> Hey, Financial Genius here.
>> Hey, hurry up!
>> Oh, okay.
I import and export all the time.
And sometimes I have services from other countries to help me.
Yeah.
That's called outsourcing.
They made a film about outsourcing.
Oy!
They could have had it out... >> We need you in India.
>> No way.
No.
I'm not going to India to train my own replacement.
>> All you need to do is visit the call center, and make sure the new guy is up to speed.
>> Bro, what is that?
>> Oh that, that's just a cow.
Must have wandered in.
>> All right, ready, action!
>> And action.
>> Take two.
>> Roll please, and... >> Take three.
>> Camera on, here we go.
And action!
>> Hi I'm John.
>> And I'm George.
>> And we are exploring the global economy through our film Outsourced.
>> And that's a cut.
>> George and I had wanted to make a film in Seattle for a long time.
And we've been pitching a lot of different ideas.
And I thought, well, you know, what if we take this American and actually send him to India, into this foreign country and force him to train his replacement there?
It creates all kinds of potential for interesting cultural comedy.
And that's essentially how the seed of the story began.
>> My name is Todd.
Everyone says, "Toad."
>> Are you Mr. Toad?
>> Mr. Toad.
>> Mr. Toad!
How sweet.
>> A Biz Kid needs to understand what outsourcing is because of globalization.
The fact that this world is getting smaller and smaller.
>> Hold your nose, flatten the vowel, like Chigaaaago.
>> Chicaaago.
>> Buddy, I assure you, I'm in Chicaaago.
>> Yeah, right.
>> Cut!
>> Most other foreign film companies that go to India, bring you know 50 people.
We brought what, eight?
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> We went over knowing that if we shot a movie in India it was going to cost us a lot less than if we shot the same movie in the US.
Now a lot of foreign companies will load up and bring all their cameras, their crew, and everybody out there, put them in hotels, and make the movie that way.
And we didn't want to do that.
We wanted to use as much of the local crew as possible, and then hired all of our gear, all of our crew local.
They were all Indian.
And we saved a lot of money by doing that.
And they proved to be amazingly hardworking and fantastic.
And again... so I guess you could see that as a American company outsourcing potential American work and hiring, you know, local Indian filmmakers.
We made the film.
Now we have to distribute it.
And the traditional style of film distribution is really going out the window now.
As digital downloads are becoming more popular, Netflix is taking off, there's so many alternatives to a theatrical release.
You can promote your film on Facebook, on MySpace.
Create your own online community, like we did with the outsourced.com Web site.
>> I think it's important for people to realize that we financed this in Seattle, we edited it in this room, we are both from Seattle-- you know, we didn't do this in Hollywood.
And if we can do this in Seattle, you can do it in Akron, Ohio, or wherever you happen to live.
As a Biz Kid, you have in today a global marketplace waiting for your films at your disposal with things like YouTube.
All you need to do is put your ideas to video, upload them, and all of a sudden you've got a global marketplace waiting to view your content.
It's an opportunity that has not existed for so many filmmakers over the past years, and it's a unique opportunity for any Biz Kid out there to really promote and distribute their film on a global scale.
>> Right now our movie Outsourced is being shown in Israel, Australia, India, and this country.
Probably some scientist in Antarctica will have it on DVD next year.
So truly the marketplace is global now, and your work can be seen all over the planet.
Maybe other planets.
Who knows?
>> Biz Kids.
>> Kaelon, Kaelon, Kaelon!
Get with the global economy, dude!
>> Oh, the financial markets are crashing!
We're going down!
>> See, now, what we're going to do here see, is we're going to put these motherboards together, see, and then we're going to export them, see?
>> Yeah, yeah, I get it.
We export the parts, they're made into computers in Asia, and we import the computers.
I get it.
>> Imports, exports.
You have to understand the concept of a global economy.
We sell stuff to other countries, and they sell stuff to us.
It's that simple.
What's not to understand?
Take it from Peg.
>> The United States is one of the largest exporters of goods and materials in the world.
>> Companies and organizations in the US sell or trade more than a trillion dollars worth of stuff every year to virtually every country in the world.
>> Our main exports are things called durable goods.
Things like... >> Airplanes.
>> Heavy machinery.
>> Telecommunication systems.
>> And computers.
>> We also export industrial supplies, chemicals and raw materials, consumer goods, which is stuff you and I might buy, and agricultural products, which is the food we grow.
>> Sometimes stuff we export is made into things that we import again.
>> For example, we make a lot of the microchips and other electronic parts that go into the electronic things that we get from other countries.
>> Another country might use the cotton or other fibers we produce to make the clothes we buy.
>> So do you think there's anything that we could export?
>> Oh yeah, this show.
Did you know we're on in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago?
>> This has been a Biz Kids special presentation from Trinidad TV.
>> So what is coffee?
A quick buzz to get you going in the morning?
A warm treat on a cold afternoon?
A nice finish to a leisurely dinner?
There are many answers.
Coffee is a drink enjoyed around the world.
And in each cup, most of the world is present.
How?
Let me have a sip before we find out.
Okay, now follow this-- the coffee beans are picked in Costa Rica, put on a Japanese ship that's made from Korean steel, and powered by oil from Arabia, then loaded onto American trucks that were assembled in Mexico, with parts fabricated in Canada.
But that's just how the beans get here.
Then the beans are roasted on a machine invented in Germany, but manufactured in America, then delivered to the coffee shop where it's steamed by a machine invented in Italy.
What would you like with your coffee?
Sugar?
Brazil or Haiti.
Cinnamon?
Vietnam or Indonesia.
Cocoa?
Venezuela or Mexico.
Vanilla?
Tahiti or Madagascar.
Cream?
That's probably local, but keep in mind dairy cows did come from Switzerland.
When sipping coffee, you've got the world in your hands.
>> Uh, Major Tom?
Major Tom, this is Houston, over.
>> Major Tom here.
Yes, we can really see the global economy from up here.
We see a lot of importing and exporting, see some outsourcing.
>> Major Tom, we've got a problem.
You should take a look at this.
>> Hey, that's my Thunderbird!
What the... >> And now it's time for today's Biz Kid biz quiz!
If you answered A, you got it.
You're thinking like a Biz Kid.
>> As we speak, millions of products are being shipped around the world by sea, air, land, even the Internet.
>> An apple that's picked halfway around the world might be in your lunchbox next week.
>> And it might even be carried here on an airplane my mom helped build.
>> The global economy connects all of us all the way around the world.
We buy products from other countries and benefit from the business it creates.
>> And where there's business, you'll find Biz Kids.
>> So until next time, au revoir.
>> Shalom!
>> And sayonara from Biz kids here and around the world.
>> ♪ He's the Global Global Gorilla!
♪ >> I just ripped off my tag and found out it was... my sweatshirt was made in El Salvador.
>> Yeah, it says made in India.
>> My shoes were also made in China.
So maybe my shoes and my jacket were made by the same person.
I don't know.
>> It is from Mexico.
Mexico seems like a very nice place.
>> Okay, we got it, it's okay.
Whoo!
>> What you got there?
>> A banana.
>> Where's it from?
>> Ecuador.
>> Let's get global.
Want to party?
>> Hey, do you know a successful business?
>> Maybe you're a Biz Kid.
If so, we want to hear about it.
Got some video?
We want to see it.
>> So check out bizkids.com to find out all the details, and maybe we'll see you on the show.
>> Yeah, like us.
>> What's so special about us?
>> We're on TV.
>> Does make us pretty special.
>> Yeah.
>> Just check out the Web site, because if you're a Biz Kid, we want to hear from you.
>> Production funding and educational outreach for Biz Kids is provided by a coalition of America's credit unions, where people are worth more than money.
A complete list of individual credit union funders is available at wxxi.org.
>> Every day, America's credit unions help members with their financial needs and with programs like Invest in America.
It's only fitting that credit unions support Biz Kids because financial education is what we do.
Learn more at lovemycreditunion.org.
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org


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