Impact of Globalization on Workers, Cultures, and Environment - Essay Example

Norren Herzfel and George Ritzer outline the impact of globalization on workers, cultures, and the environment around the world. Discuss the impact of technological development and globalization and our responsibilities to respond. Name: Institution Affiliation: Introduction Technology makes it much easier for humans to function within their various settings whether at home, at the office or at social, political, and business settings. However, while the technology humans use in their daily activities may seem like the solution to resource management solutions, it is rather the opposite in that human activities relying on technology have contributed to adverse impacts on both business and social areas. Technology is also paving way for various cultures and business opportunities to be traded in foreign settings. Thus, technology influences globalization. Globalization is the connectivity of different aspects touching on social, political, business, and cultural diversity. The result of globalization is the development of global citizens, a technologically-sensitive generation keeping up with global trends and taking them as part of their identity. Following the interaction of technology, globalization, and the human entity; this essay seeks to show the factors involved in the interaction and what role the human entity has in regulating and controlling the impact of technological development and globalization. Body Technology The best definition of technology as per the scope of this essay is the development and sustaining innovative inventions. Technology allows humans to work and perform tasks that would otherwise be impossible to achieve without it. Inventions such as communication systems, information systems, heavy duty machinery, medical equipment, and resource management systems perform a principle task of making human activities easier and faster to execute. With a better time management approach, humans can promote their economies to resemble developed nations. In addition, current technology is used to research and develop the future technology. Hence, technological development is a process in which current or slow systems or approaches to doing business are made faster and much efficient to tackle increasing demand and responsibilities (Rocci, 2012). Globalization Globalization is the process and state of connectedness in terms of communication, business interaction, culture diversity, and emulation of international trends – social and economic etc. Globalization is also the outcome of having a connected world in terms of communication channels such different social classes interact over long distances and business sell to global customers. Impact of Technology Development The technological development effects can be felt individually by different sets of individuals. Within the domestic and commercial settings, various groups of people fill up positions that require the use of technology. By default, society members are tasked with responsibilities that they must accomplish in the most efficient and affordable way possible. Following technological development, technical innovations such as fast computers, information systems, and the internet have changed the manner in which people do business. For instance, all the business activities that required business people to travel distances in order to secure supplies have been replaced with faster and cost effective solutions. Technological developments that have been used as solutions to many human tasks and challenges include the internet and the computer. There are various other areas to explore regarding technological development, but the internet and the computer are the two major technological advances that the human entity cannot accomplish as much as he has accomplished globally. Computers develop in generations with each generation showcasing upgrades to the previous versions. For both domestic and commercial use, computers are used to fasten the processes of solving logical problems using special software. Through computing, companies around the world can develop information systems that can collect, store, refer, analyze, and present reports regarding various or all industries performances. This capability is also extended to domestic office use for the composition of word-processed documents for entertainment purposes, and for freelance online jobs. In one hand, technological development in the computing industry affects the industries in that through research and development, testing, modelling, and simulation of logical algorithms new inventions are developed to serve specific purposes such as earth moving equipment in the mining industry. On the other hand, technological development in computing has enabled individuals to work remotely given they have their computing devices. While a smartphone is not a computer, it is programmed to emulate most of the core and complex functions or a computer. Thus, through computing platforms such as smartphones, individuals can work at home and making time management more precise. With a variety of jobs that require the use of computing platforms, individuals can work smarter and be more productive. In addition, technological developments within the computing industry have allowed people to be more efficient than they were a century ago. More industries have sprung up following the invention and development of computing systems as primary inputs in industrial work. Owning or adapting computing technology can only accomplish as much as the primary functions of that particular computing platform. In order for computing systems to establish connections and be ready for commercial or practical application, they require peripherals such as service routers, network accessibility add-ons, and signal strengths to support efficient and reliable communication (Rocci, 2012). For the industrialists to make use of computing platforms, they require information on their respective industries and the standard code of conduct, measure, audit, and regulation. Merging computing platforms with internet connections enables the computing platform to connect the web from which different types of communication formats can be initiated. The impact of the technological developments, computing systems and the internet; include the shortening of processing periods that other traditional means of communication are unable to manage. Considering commercial and domestic use of technological developments, it is seen that industrial and office work at home relies on efficiency, time management, and simulation of mega data. These functions require strategic management of technological input as human entities are unable to accomplish the same tasks with as much precision as computerized systems can. In this case, technological developments impact the world in three significant ways considering specific innovation such as computers and the internet. Firstly, the ability to work remotely enables individuals to be more efficient and around the clock. This ability affects different persons and industries differently. Based on different time-zones and the availability of communication channels, it is noted that one impact of technological development is the development of 24-hour economies. While these economies may not rely on physical or local labor, hiring international labor aligns different business, social, and economic settings with current global trends (Rocci, 2012). Secondly, the ability to use computer systems within industries has developed various innovations that rely on computer simulations. The development of heavy duty industries, as well as the current state of real estate development all, depend on computer systems for simulation of designs, structural foundation analysis, strategic decision-making, and facilitation of targeted communication. The computer systems on the other hand, are connected to the internet to enable users such as industries and businesses develop meaningful innovations relating to customer demand, industry trend, economic status, and political influence on investment. These useful benefits of technological development within industries using computing systems impact the economic positions of stakeholders. More people are able to work in more efficient industries. Additionally, industries are able to hire the right labor to meet the identified industry and customer demands hence the use of computing systems and the internet for data mining (Rocci, 2012). Lastly, technological development has had a different impact in some areas of social and economic settings. As a positive approach, use of computing systems and other information technology systems facilitate reliable and timely communication between individuals across different channels and locations. Businesses are able to interact with the market and acquire reliable data on trends, customer demands, and the capabilities of their competitors. Focusing on competitors, it is believed that one impact of technological development is that it provides equal access to current technical use. As industries and businesses conduct research to develop and sustain respective missions, criminals such as hackers take advantage of the communication systems of the individual technological developments to mine data to sell to rivals. Under social considerations, the availability of technological advances enabling hackers to access information without consent and for unauthorized use continues to threaten the confidence people have in programs such as health insurance which require personal details. As both a positive and negative impact of technological developments; innovative, fast, reliable, efficient, and sustainable inventions have placed power on individuals to use, misuse, and abuse these inventions (Rocci, 2012). Impact of Globalization The effects of globalization are limited to the type of activities and norms shared across an international scope. Since with the application of technological developments, various communication channels are used to trade cultural, social, political, and economic activities and norms. The communication channels connecting different people enable them to share business strategies such as international investments; cultural aspects such as eating and dressing, and economic inputs such as economic indicators of particular nations (Moorhead, & Griffin, 2013). Considering specific impacts of globalization based on their magnitude to the economy, social structure, and political scene identify both positive and negative effects. Firstly, globalization limits the time it takes people to interact on platforms such as social media and, therefore, enables them to share and embrace different clothing, eating, shopping and learning approaches. Secondly, globalization invites foreign investment which trades both business best practices but also trades entrepreneurial culture. The approach of conducting business in the U.S. is not the same as how it is conducted in East Asia. Thus, starting with costing methods, the two regions, through international investments, can adapt or share business accounting methods. Thirdly, as commercial and social trends development and circulate through the internet, various individuals are able to change and mimic the activities conducted in other regions. Under business considerations, globalization invites unethical business practices among the infringement of copyrights, corporate espionage, and virtual-resource vandalism (for example remotely wiping organizational data). In addition, due to the fast movement of information within the virtual platforms, multi-national companies research, plan, and establish manufacturing plants in foreign soil. This movement of firms from regions with expensive labor to cheaper labor is largely impacting the environment negatively. Due to industries shifting from Western nations to South East Asia, China and India are among the highest combined air polluting nations around the region and China leads individuals globally. It is, therefore, evident that technological developments not only influence economic efficiency and cultural diversity but also negatively impact the environment through increasing CO2 within the atmosphere escalating the situation even further (Moorhead, & Griffin, 2013). Human Responsibility For every problem, a plan to mitigate the associated outcomes has to be hatched. To increase industrial efficiency and social diversity, technological developments such as social media platform are used by both businesses and customers to provide and acquire information about social trends, new products, and emerging opportunities. However, it is the responsibility of society members to embrace technology in an ethical manner that does not abuse the privilege affecting other social, economic, or possibly political systems. To business owners, it is their responsibility to embrace the consequences of technological development and also to invest in protective tools against cyber-attacks targeting vital information. For individuals using technological developments such as spyware, very little can be done to prevent them from attempting to acquire information illegally. It is, therefore, the duty of businesses, customers, and users of online services to manage their personal data such that the same technology is not used against them (Moorhead, & Griffin, 2013). To industrialists, globalization opens business opportunities invites different investors, social groups, and political movements to be part of the global movement towards unification of these factors. Under socioeconomic factors, humans have a responsibility for managing how they treat the technology which allows them to extract, process different materials, and dispose of waste products. With reference to the negative impact of industrialization, humans have the responsibility of using technology to research and invest in sustainable means of tapping renewable energy (Moorhead, & Griffin, 2013). Additionally, as agencies such as the Geneva Convention launch to protect the environment, it is the responsibility of leaders and environmental activists to deploy available resources and pressure the concerned parties to implement stricter anti-pollution policies. Conclusion Benefits of making use of technological development such as computing platforms and the internet include the opportunity to research, plan, develop, and deploy strategies that meet or address a particular social or market gap within social and industrial settings. Individually, domestic workers as well as commercial workers benefit from technological developments in simplifying the effort needed as well as the time spend. In theory and practice, technological developments are useful and aim at optimizing business and individual output. Additionally, technology is seen to impact itself in that current innovations are deployed to strategize and stimulate computer generated plans useful in the development of more efficient systems for handing complicated tasks. On the down side, technological developments have contributed to globalization, hence encouraging anonymity in social interaction, attempts by hackers to acquire information without clearing, and influencing destructive industrialization. To mitigate these issues, individuals and businesses making use of technology should manage their personal information more carefully. Investors and business modeling should consider the socioeconomic impact of the company on the community. Pollution through industrialization is currently a global problem leading to numerous environmental hazards. Humans have the responsibility to attract attention from authorities with the capability of influencing more responsible use of technology to limit environmental onslaught through toxic industrial waste. References Moorhead, G., & Griffin, R. (2013). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. Cengage Learning. Radovic-Markovic, M. (2012). Impact of Globalization on Organizational Culture, Behavior and Gender Roles. IAP. Rocci, L. (2012). Ethical Impact of Technological Advancements and Applications in Society. IGI Global. Read More