ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION These are exciting and momentous times. There is a sense that our world, as we know it, is at a watershed in its evolution. The last decade has witnessed fundamental shifts in ideological and political trajectories, and new attitudes and initiatives towards social and environmental issues. The accelerating pace of technological change is encapsulating time and space, and is demanding a reappraisal of tried and tested economic systems and institutional structures. As the cross-border interchange of people, goods, assets, ideas and cultures becomes the norm, rather than the exception, so our planet is beginning to take on the characteristics of a global village.
