Defning globalization - Essay Example

Globalization: Two sides of the same coin Since man could travel over sea or land, elements of globalization have existed. Not until the end of the 1980s did globalization take on a whole different meaning. With this increased level of global commerce can benefit as well provide issues to governments and corporations alike. Globalization can be beneficial but in recent years it has become a detriment to many in the United States and other industrial countries. Rather a negative or positive influence in the world, once globalization was let out of the proverbial bag, there is no way to decrease its effect.

The definition of globalization is highly contentious among professionals in the field of economics and business. Globalization is a term for the process of international integration brought upon by interconnectivity of cultural aspects.(Steger, 1) Cultural aspects can be further defined as technology, religion, infrastructure, and manufacturing processes. There are many types of globalization; increased internet activity, international cell phones, and aviation. There are many good aspects of globalization that increases the health and education of many third world countries.

However, there are aspects of globalization that have both positive and negative aspects. The globalization that most people think of the most is the usage of other countries to assist in the production or manufacturing of products for consumption or use. This is known by many currently as outsourcing. While outsourcing is not the only form of globalization, this is the one element that has become a hot topic politically due to the extent and negative elements. Outsourcing is a negative form of globalization to portions of the United States, while for others it is one of the best things that has occurred.

When the United States federal government began to give tax benefits to companies who moved their major production elements outside of the United States, many companies began to move.(Anderson, 213) Not only are manufacturing jobs being sourced in other countries, but now countries are moving things such as call centers and technology service centers.(Dessler & Phillips, 61) Moving jobs overseas has a drastic and detrimental effect on the job market in the United States. Individuals in certain regions of the country are without job because of the relocation of most of the car making processes.

No longer are there hundreds of companies making car parts, most if not all of those jobs are now in countries such as Mexico and China. This outsourcing has come to a front when in recent month’s animals and people have become sick and some have died from Chinese made products.Globalization is not necessarily a bad thing, but when corporations put profits in front of customer satisfaction it becomes a negative aspect of life. While not impossible to completely remove one’s self from globalization, for some things it may be safer to know where the items you are buying are from.

In all globalization can assist third world countries a great deal. For those countries with a strong economy and industrial capacities, globalization can wreck the job market. Works Cited: Anderson, Dr. David M., Build to Order & Mass Customization. Cambria, CA: CIM Press, 2004Dessler, Gary and Jean Phillips. Managing Now. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008Steger, Manfred B., ed. Rethinking Globalism. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers inc., 2004