Technological innovation - Essay Example

Technology and innovation has helped the globalization movement in a lot of ways. One of the aspects in which globalization has benefited a lot from technology is in terms of communication. The telephone allowed people to communicate from long distances. During the last decade there has been a proliferation worldwide of cellular phones as prices has come down significantly. As of March 2011 there were 5.3 billion cellular subscriptions worldwide, 4.2 billion of which corresponded to individual users (Plunkett Research, 2011).

Over 20% of cellular subscriptions belong to businesses which show how important this communication device has become in the industry. Smartphones such as the Iphone 4 have the capability to communicate to the internet allowing its users to transmit data instantly across devices. The internet is another major technological breakthrough that has increase globalization worldwide. People are able to use the internet to learn about the cultures of over 200 countries across the world. The internet has further increased the reach of television as traditional television programming can be access free of charge through websites such as Hulu.com. A second important factor that has affected the globalization movement is research collaboration worldwide.

Many top universities are performing joint projects and alliances with other universities and private organizations that are located in different countries. The spread of peer reviewed professional databases whose articles are written by the global academic community has increased the global knowledge in hundreds of disciplines such as engineering, accounting, healthcare, and agriculture. Lower prices in technological devices such as laptop computers, tablets, and mini-computers have given millions of students the opportunity to take advantage of technology to improve their efficiency as students.

More research is being perform by students, faculty members, and researchers than ever partly because these individuals can purchase electronic gadgets at low prices. World wide development has improved due to globalization. There is greater cooperation among nations to help poor countries through technology transfers to improve their efficiency at critical industries such as agriculture. Advances in genetic engineering have helped farmers produce crops that generate higher yield in the same amount of space.

Social development has improved due to globalization. The global community is more aware of the needs of other nations. There are a lot of volunteering efforts from organizations across the world to help improve the standard of living of nations suffering in extreme poverty such as the Sub-Saharan African region. Technology has greatly impacted the production capacity of many countries. As more goods are being produced due to superior technology some countries have being able to gain competitive advantages in certain industries such as the Japanese in the auto and electronics industry.

Mass production techniques that optimize the use of labor have helped China become the largest exporter in the world. Advances in renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and electric power have reduced the global dependency of society in petroleum and its derivative products. The quality of health worldwide has increased due to technological advances that have improved the capacity of doctors to diagnose and treat diseases. References Plunkett Research (2011). Wireless, WiFi, RFID, & Cellular Industry Overview.

Retrieved August 18, 2011 from Plunkett Research database.