Aspects of Globalization

In today’s world of fierce corporate rivalry, companies all over the world understand and recognize the enormous reach and possibilities that globalization will have for their operations. In reality, regardless of the type of the business or the scale of the company, globalization is regarded as a core determinant of business growth by companies all over the world today. The idea of globalization has proven to be a blessing for many firms, helping them to capitalize on the best economic advantages and consumer benefits when competing in both local and global environments. Globalization can generate varying implications on people, culture, and societies globally and this aspect of globalization has significantly enhanced people’s life styles, socio-economic statuses, and general wellbeing. Business organizations operating in local environments have no other alternative to find new consumers for their business in order to expand and grow; globalization therefore becomes indispensable and imperative for their success. In the process of business expansion across cultures, and countries globalization has generated a profound impact on people and societies. This paper will examine the positive and negative aspects of globalization considering its impacts on people, culture, and nations.

Globalization Defined

Globalization can be defined as a systematic process of integrating products and services across regions, cultures, and countries enabling business organizations to expand, grow, and reach the farthest corners of the world. The process of globalization mainly considers the economic aspects of the phenomenon since various businesses and industries are attached to the process for harnessing business benefits. This implies that globalization aims to integrate economies and societies of the world to derive maximum business advantage (Prilleltensky 612-629).

Impacts of Globalization on Cultures

Globalization generates signification and lasting impact on people and cultures across the world. Goods and services that reach various cultures and nations have the power to transform lives of people, alter their psychologies, and create a more conducive and sophisticated environment. Globalization has brought immense and rapid improvements particularly in the developing world as people now realize the tremendous positive implications of globalization on their life styles. Advancements in important sectors such as health care, medicine, and technology would never have been possible without the active intervention of globalization.

People and their life styles are greatly influenced by their native culture and customs that shape their perspectives towards life, religion, and beliefs. It can be seen that introduction of globalization has lasting impact on people’s psychological setup eventually altering the way they live and perceive life and things. Globalization has significantly changed people’s way of thinking, clothing, eating, living, and overall perspectives towards life. For example, the Chinese were never familiar with McDonalds, KFC, or Dominos until these were introduced into the culture through globalization making these brands one of the most preferred fast food in a country driven by centuries of customs, tradition, and cultural limitations. Thus, it can be seen that globalization has a certain long term impact on people and cultures that not only transforms their lives for better but also creates a shift from traditional outlook to a modern outlook (ZHOU and ZHANG 8-9).

The cultural effects of globalization are found to be more significant and lasting than its other aspects. This is perhaps culture plays a dominant role in our societies and since majority of the population of a region follows their respective value systems, ethics, and culture it is therefore important to analyze whether globalization has generated a positive impact on a particular society or a negative effect. For example, globalization of businesses has introduced innovative products, technologies, fashion, and even a new perspective towards life. Youngsters of a region are attracted towards technologies, fashion, and new way of life and tend to give up their traditional ways over time. This effect generates both positive as well as negative implications due to the fact that one the positive side it allows people to transform their lives for a better living while on the negative side it profoundly compels them to sacrifice their tradition, customs, culture, and value system. Therefore, it can be understood that globalization has certainly improved people’s life styles and socio-economic status; however, at the cost of tradition and culture. This is evident from numerous studies that prove youngsters unwilling to continue with their traditional outlook for the want of new life (Hamdi 142-143).

The concept of globalization has created cross-cultural environment in different parts of the world today. This is apparent from the education sector that attracts, diversifies, and integrates pupil from all over the world thus creating a strong inter-cultural environment in the region. For example, countries like Australia, Singapore, UK, and the USA are a hub of educational institutions and are renowned for their high standards of education attracting students from all over the world. These places attract millions of students every year and build a culture that is completely different from the country’s native culture. An assortment of cultures and people generated in the region completely alters the very roots of the country’s native culture and value system over time thus generating a prolonged and significant impact on the host nation. It can be seen that globalization in this way has brought significant changes in societies and cultures thereby transforming people’s lives for better (Razzak 64).

Impacts of Globalization in Health Care

Globalization has proved a boon for the health care industry due to the fact that consistent developments and innovation in health care is benefitting people living in the farthest corners of the world. Globalization facilitates in quick transfer of technologies, knowledge, skills, and processes from one corner of the world to another. Using advanced communication tools and devices it is easier for medical practitioners to perform complex surgical procedures despite of being thousands of miles away from the patient. There have been numerous cases where critical medical operations were executed merely using advanced communication tools and devices by expert surgeons remotely. This demonstrates the effectiveness, indispensability, and inevitability of globalization today in every aspect of human lives. Globalization has facilitated expansion of advanced technologies, medical care, and health care facilities across the world today saving lives of millions of people of the developing world. Without active involvement of globalization such a global revolution and transformation of people’s lives would never have been possible (LEE and VIVARELLI 167-184).

Technological Aspects of Globalization

Globalization has facilitated distribution and expansion of technology across the world thereby significantly elevating the communication standards of people and businesses. Innovative technologies and devices such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and computers have revolutionized the ways people communicate, businesses coordinate, and processes operate. Innovations in business intelligence technologies such as Big Data are playing a key role in ensuring organizations perform optimally in different parts of the world. For example, giant e-commerce enterprises such as Amazon, Ebay, and Google have managed to reach the farthest corners of the world to explore business opportunities, grow their business activities, and ensure an effective business presence. Such a giant leap would never have been possible without the active involvement of globalization, effective utilization of technological tools, and advanced strategies. Internet and globalization of technological tools have proved a boon for the e-commerce industry as these giant enterprises are capable of supplying any product to any part of the world without any geographic, political, or environmental barrier. Consumers on the other hand can derive tremendous benefits of globalization as they can conveniently and cost effectively avail any product or services from businesses located anywhere in the world. Internet being an indispensable and highly effective tool provides immense technological advantages to people of all age groups, genders, and regions allowing them to access any information, services, or produces using technology. Therefore, it can be seen that globalization of products, services, processes; knowledge, and technologies are driving the world forward thereby rapidly transforming the world today.

Impacts of Globalization on Business World

Business organizations that mainly operate in local environments need to explore new opportunities as population and competition grows. Organizations across the world had to develop and implement innovative ideas and strategies to ensure they are not stuck being in a local business environment that has limited growth opportunities and scope. This led to the concept of globalization and as technologies improved, e-commerce enterprises emerged as one of the most innovative ways of conducting business. E-commerce has gained tremendous importance today because of its unique ability to serve its consumers remotely. E-commerce giants such as Amazon and eBay are the leading players in the e-commerce industry reaching with millions of consumers and products across the world. Globalization has facilitated in distribution of products and services from one region to another so that people that were previously deprived of innovative, competitive, and cost effective products and services can now benefit from them without having to face geographic or economic barriers. This unique aspect of globalization holds the key to business success today allowing millions of small, mid-sized, and large business organizations to efficiently operate on the global platform and explore new business opportunities. The positive effects of globalization are not just limited to a selected few aspects of globalization rather the phenomenon far exceeds the conventional realms of knowledge and understanding and generates a far more effective, prolonged, and important influence on the culture, societies, and people.

Globalization has not just expanded and integrated organizations, technologies, cultures, and perspectives but also has created tremendous scope and opportunities for people with skills and knowledge. The process of globalization is complex and therefore involves diverse technologies, people, and places. Globalization provides tremendous job opportunities both at local level as well as international level thus generating new employment for the skilled and knowledgeable people. This implies that the process of globalization not only benefits a business and its consumers rather it involves the whole community, region, and people at local as well as international levels. Organizations that intend to expand and grow on the international platform can efficiently do so without the conventional barriers whether political, geographic, or legislative. Thus, free trade through globalization is promoted by all international governments across the world to boost their economy and generate optimal employment opportunities.

Drawbacks of Globalization

The process of globalization is contagious due to the fact that countries of the developing and developed world cannot resist deriving lucrative advantages globalization has to offer. As competition increases and population within a region grows, there is need of expansion for every business organization since it no longer finds growth opportunities in the local market. However, in the search for new market and consumers, organizations not only sell their products and services rather they exert a profound and significant impact on the target country and its people. For example, want of fashion accessories and apparels by youngsters of countries with strong traditional outlook may gradually deteriorate the local culture and over time completely wipe out the tradition, customs, and culture. These effects can completely change the regional culture, value system and its people’s lifestyles ultimately integrating the west with the east. Despite the fact that globalization is indispensable and inevitable for economic progress and organizational growth the negative effects of the concept cannot be overlooked.

There has been significant increase in anti-social activities across the world such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, racial attacks, discrimination, civil injustice, and many other crimes that have resulted due to globalization. Since technology cannot discriminate between the good and bad, it eventually depends on the subject’s intentions whether to utilize technological tools for the benefit of human race or otherwise. It can be understood that variety of such heinous crimes are beyond the reach of standard law system and there is an immediate need to contain such anti-social activities before such a globalization deters civilized societies of the world.

Conclusion

The discussion and analysis presented in this essay demonstrates the impacts of globalization on today’s societies. Based on the information and facts discussed herein it can be understood that the positive effects of globalization seem to outweigh its negative effects due to the fact that businesses, societies, and governments are compelled to adopt globalization as a way of life rather than just a concept to follow. This is perhaps the process of globalization has no alternative being an inevitable phenomenon that compels the world to integrate, share, and exchange resources for common advantage and business benefit. However, the negative side of globalization can never be overlooked since it has the potential to reverse the world order through various atrocities.

Works Cited

Hamdi, Fairooz. The Impact of Globalization in the Developing Countries. 3.11 (2013): 142-143. Web. 7 April 2017. Accessed from file:///C:/Users/admin/Downloads/8180-10271-1-PB.pdf

Huynen, Maud MTE, Pim Martens, and Henk BM Hilderink. “The Health Impacts Of Globalisation: A Conceptual Framework”. Globalization and Health 1.1 (2005): 14. Web. 7 Apr. 2017. Accessed from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1208931/

LEE, Eddy, and Marco VIVARELLI. “The Social Impact Of Globalization In The Developing Countries”. International Labour Review 145.3 (2006): 167-184. Web. 7 April 2017.

Prilleltensky, Isaac. “The What, Why, Who, And How Of Globalization: What Is Psychology To Do?”. Journal of Social Issues 68.3 (2012): 612-629. Web. 7 April 2017 doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.2012.01766.x.

Razzak, Mohd. Globalization and its Impact on Education and Culture. World Journal of Islamic History and Civilization 1.(1) (2011): 59-69. Web. 7 April 2017 Accessed from https://idosi.org/wjihc/wjihc1(1)11/6.pdf

ZHOU, Longyu, and Qinjie ZHANG. Cultural Adaptation Pattern Analysis Of Mcdonald’S And KFC In The Chinese Market. 1st ed. Uppsala University, 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2017. Accessed from http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:534795/fulltext01.pdf