Globalization and Social Division - Article Example

Introduction Global business is the modern form of business in this 21st century. Global business involves the interaction of people from different cultures, societies, and diverse backgrounds. In undertaking various business activities, each party aims at achieving their goals for example earning profits from their investments. (Bilton, 2002) Due to modernization and advancement in technology, most businesses are beginning to explore international markets for better profits and opportunities. In the recent past, trading has become increasingly global in many ways because of the need to gather and increase the organization’s financial bases. Advancement in technology including communication efficiency and better international relations has contributed to the promotion of the international trade. A social division in the society basically refers to classifying people according to their education, income or wealth levels etc. In this case, each cluster of people does not mingle with the other due to its superiority or inferiority. This paper therefore at how globalization increases or decreases social division. (Bradley, 1996) Income inequalities Globalization one can say has played a very big role in increasing income inequalities in the society. Analysis within any nation shows that global traders always tend to be fewer than the rest of the people. These people who carry out global trade usually have increased income levels. Some of them could be people with individual businesses or could be in organizations owned by a number of people. Research carried out by Bilton reveals that global trade can increase someone’s income by approximately seventy to hundred percent. This usually results in these global traders feeling they are more superior to the other people. They will drive very expensive vehicles and eat in highly expensive restaurants. Many of them usually cut off any links that they had with the low or middle income people. (Bilton, 2002) Research has shown that with increase in money accrued from global trade, these people who were even helping low income earners stop because they tend to perceive them as lazy. Global traders start having friends who are in other nations and are in the same earning capacity as them. They speak a language of millions and billions of dollars that any small or middle income person would feel uncomfortable in their midst. (Bilton, 2002) It is quite apparent that global traders always want to conceal any business information that would help low and middle income earners climb the ladder. This therefore connotes that globalization has played a very big role in increasing income inequalities in the society. It has actually enhanced the classification of people of high income class in the society. It is only the wealthy people in the society that benefit from globalization in the long run. This therefore results in social income disparities. (Bilton, 2002) On the other hand, globalization has helped decrease social division. It is quite clear that many organizations that decide to carry out global trade usually start branch offices in other nations. These branches normally require employees to carry out operations. As people get employment in these global organizations, their income gradually increases. For instance, Barclays bank has branches all over the world and it has employed citizen of nations where its branches are. (Cohen and Kennedy 2000) This has contributed to increase in income levels of those people plus their families. Majority of those people would be jobless or without a regular source of income. This therefore means that the reasoning that globalization has increased social division in income levels does not hold water. Education One of the aspects of social division that globalization has caused is educational differences in the society. Through global trade business men are able to have access very good education. This is very common in third world countries. Global traders tend to travel to other developed countries where they get opportunities to study at a much cheaper cost. They are in a position to carry out their trade while at the same time having part time studies. (Cohen and Kennedy 2000) This has resulted in having global traders who have masters and PHD degrees. They also ensure that their families get the good education and after all, they have the money! It is quite amazing that their children who were not so well performing return to their home countries with degrees. It is only the people who are privileged to be educated who benefit from globalization. An uneducated person cannot know how to carry out online trade and even be able to market his or her products in another nation with different currency. Through this, one can therefore argue that globalization plays a great role in increasing social division in the society. Through globalization the gap between the learned and unlearned has greatly widened. On the other hand Bradley argues that globalization has played a very great role in reducing educational social divisions. Through globalization, nations have been able to outsource teachers and experts who have taught in schools, colleges and universities. Students are able to get skills that they would have otherwise not had. (Bradley, 1996) Many global businessmen and organizations are also known to give back to the society by supporting needy students until they finish their education. The money that is usually used to pay fees etc comes from global business. One can therefore argue that globalization has not increased social division in the society but actually played a very great role in eliminating it. (Bradley, 1996) Through globalization there have immeasurable changes contemporary educational reforms throughout the world. The changes have helped many nations change their educational policy in such a way that it abhors discrimination. This is mainly during enrolment in terms of discrimination by sex, age, race and social status etc. This has therefore made all children freely access education anywhere they are. In this case, globalization has reduced educational social division. (Bradley, 1996) Cultural divisions Analysis carried out by Cohen and Kennedy in different nations reveals that there were social cultural divisions. This is in line with a people’s way of doing things. This includes a people’s way of dressing, ceremonies, dancing, interacting and even the type of food they eat. History shows that many people look down on others because they think the other people’s culture is inferior. (Cohen and Kennedy 2000) Globalization has played a very big role in breaking these notions and allowing people to interact freely. Globalization has helped very many people to appreciate other people’s cultures. Through globalization, many people of the western culture have interacted with other cultures therefore they have learnt to appreciate them. Many of the western countries colonized African countries and this affected their cultural perceptions of each other. (Cohen and Kennedy 2000) With globalization, people from western and other countries mingle easily with other and in fact try to change to their way of doing things. For instance when people from United States visit African nations, they dress like them in their cultural outfits and also eat their traditional food etc. This also happens to Africans when they travel to United States. Globalization has therefore helped decrease social division in the society. (Bradley, 1996) Political Bilton says various nations have different political leadership styles. This includes autocratic, multi-parties, democratic and free style leadership styles. In some nations, leadership follows the family lineage such that people within a specific family are chiefs, kings or presidents for life. For instance United States is known to uphold democratic style of political leadership. (Bilton, 2002) Globalization enables different nations to interact. Top leaders in nations get to interact as they put in place international policies to enhance globalization. As they travel to other nations, they get to learn how other nations carry out their political leadership. This therefore plays a very big role in bridging the gap between autocratic and democratic political styles of leadership. (Bilton, 2002) For organizations to trade in global markets, international trade bodies put rules and regulations that their nations have to adhere to. This includes upholding or respecting human rights in its political leadership style. This has therefore made many nations to embrace a democratic leadership style. For example, through globalization, Zimbabwe has been able to appreciate a coalition government Therefore globalization has played a very big role in decreasing the gap in political leadership styles. (Bilton, 2002) Family social divisions Social divisions in the family have existed in the past. People have tended to be classified according to their marital status. They can be classified as married, single etc. Globalization has played a very big role in causing social divisions in the family set up. Research shows that it has encouraged many women and men to leave their families. Many men are known to migrate from their native land to other nations in the name of carrying out business. They tend to forget their families and some of them actually never return to their country of origin. (Bilton, 2002) This is very common for international businessmen in the third world countries. Some of them end up marrying very many wives therefore causing social divisions in the family set up. Research carried out by Giddens shows that through globalisation some women have ended up getting married to many men. Some of the big global business women actually have husbands in each of the nations that they carry out their trade. They are very comfortable about this kind of set up. (Giddens, 2001) Globalization has encouraged same sex marriages. Gay marriage is the marriage that involves two people of the same sexes either a man and a man or a woman and a woman. It can also be seen as the term that is used by the government, the social groups and the religion to have the recognition of the marriage between two people of the same sex. This aspect of gay marriage has been fanned by globalisation. (Giddens, 2001) It has resulted in some governments recognising them as forms of marriages. Divorce is known to have augmented by globalisation. People no longer view marriage as important. In fact it is currently being carried out on contract basis. Many unmarried people no longer desire to get married. (Giddens, 2001) The married are striving to file their divorce cases in courts. Gay people usually do not fit in the set up of married people. Gay people tend to have their own social gatherings where they discuss matters that relate to their type of marriage. On the other hand they never feel comfortable attending seminars and conferences for married people. Further analysis reveals that initially many people really treasured their extended family. (Giddens, 2001) They did all they could to visit and even support extended their extended family members. With globalization, the family unit has changed a great deal. It has encouraged many people to mind more about their nuclear family than extended. This is considering the fact that they feel they are sufficient and can actually make it without the help of the other family members. This therefore results in the increase of social divisions within the family set up. (Giddens, 2001) Globalization has also helped decrease social divisions in the family. This is considering the fact that many preachers have been sponsored to minister in other nations from benefits accrued from global trade. These ministers of the gospel spread the word of God encouraging people to honor marriage between a man a woman and not any other forms of marriage. (Bilton, 2002) Through these messages, people have gotten married in the church. This therefore has helped to decrease social divisions in the family set up. Some of the global business men manage to have marriage seminars and conferences which are aired internationally. Others carry out marriage conferences online. This has therefore enabled the family unit to stay stronger. Through globalization, missionaries have gone to different places all over the world and preached the gospel that encourages marriage. (Giddens, 2001) Population distribution Population within a community or society can be distributed in such a way that there are people equally distributed in urban and rural areas. Globalization has played a very big role in making people to move to urban areas. Many global Companies start up their branches in urban centers because of social amenities readily available. People therefore move to urban centers in search of white or even blue collar jobs. (Bradley, 1996) This has resulted in social division whereby there are urban areas are overpopulated with people who do not want to be associated with rural areas. Many of the people who move to urban areas never want to go back to rural areas. Some even sell their property and decide to settle in permanently in the urban areas. This has resulted in a class of urbanites who feel more superior to people in the rural areas. (Bradley, 1996) Bradley argues that globalisation has not played a role in increasing social division but has actually decreased it. This is considering the fact that many of the global businesses do not involve people moving from one place to the other. This is a technologically advanced world where people carry out business online. Purchases and even ordering is carried out online. (Bradley, 1996) With many people having personal computers and the internet at home, the business does not need one to move. This therefore means that many people have actually decentralized or gone back to the rural areas and they still trade in the international markets. Therefore it is arguable that globalization has not increased social class division but has actually helped to decrease it. (Bradley, 1996) Language and tribal clusters Language is a very imperative tool that is used for communication. As a child grows up, he or she is taught to speak a certain language. Language, on the other side of the coin, can be used to cluster people in the society. There are some people in the society who feel superior because of their language. Those who speak a different language from them as perceived to be inferior. (Giddens, 2001) This is very common in nations where there are very many tribes and languages. With globalisation, many people start speaking a common language. They teach their children to speak a common language. This therefore reduces linguistic classes or even tribal classes that are seen to be more superior to others. Therefore globalisation does not increase but decreases social division in the society. (Giddens, 2001) Conclusion Globalisation refers to a situation whereby people carry out trade beyond their country’s boundaries. In this case, they interact with people of different cultures, religion and background. Globalisation has played a role in increasing and also decreasing social division in the society. Some scholars argue that globalisation has increased educational, family and even income disparities among people. Other scholars however argue that globalisation has helped decrease the gap between learned and unlearned people. It has also helped many people to get jobs that they would otherwise not have. Whichever side on the argument one may take, it is imperative to maximise the benefits of globalisation in the society and work on decreasing its limitations as far as social division is concerned. Read More