Globalization Essays Examples

Nowadays, globalization has become a new tendency established by multinational companies all over the world. People can choose different products and services throughout the world market. Although multinational corporations may have some sweatshop factories with poor working conditions to exploit people, I still insist that globalization is more advantageous to the modern world community. It provides free access to products and services across the nations as well as makes people more broadminded toward different cultures and traditions.
Firstly, one should not blame globalization for its bad sides, such as exploitation, for it is an unavoidable tendency of a new system replacing the “cold war” system. For instance, Tomas Friedman (2002) claims that globalization is a comprehensive framework that consists of intransigent synthesis of market where people can get products and services of better quality for a lower price. Globalization enables people to get hold of the advanced transportation and communication systems that facilitate travelling and a cross-cultural dialogue. It makes people have more connections than they used to have. According to Friedman, the incremental international corporations will meet the most of countries’ common interests because people can get different products with lower price and better services due to foreign companies’ fair competition. Nobody can escape from globalization regardless of whether it has bad effects or good sides, for globalization is inevitable. It will not be useful to blame globalization for all problems, but we can try our best to use its good sides for the peoples’ sake.
Secondly, the most severe forms of exploitation took place at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution; however laborers’ conditions were improving step by step until nowadays. For example, Ann Manheimer (2006) illustrates that at the beginning of industrialism the company factories poor working conditions for workers regardless of whether they were from the developing or developed countries. After the end of industrialization exploitation of workers became illegal and the capitalists had to spend part of their income on the laborers’ welfare. The logic of the working conditions improvement is quite simple. During the early period of industrialism, countries did not have adequate resources and abilities to protect workers from exploitation. Human labor had a low productivity; through it was cheap enough for the capitalists to increase their fortunes. With the growth of economy and increase of productivity due to the new technologies, the human exploitation became not only illegal, but also immoral. Furthermore, according to journalist Johan Godberg, the economic growth results in the elimination of the poverty and backwardness. A good example of such rapid growth is Asia. Having the exploitative economies, the Asian countries made a great leap toward efficient and productive economies with better working conditions (Manheimer, 2006). This example shows a positive trend that growing economies will provide workers with better conditions and finally eliminate exploitation, although industrialization requires some exploitation on its initial stage.
Additionally, some native entrepreneurs like Mr. Kiet in Vietnam learned from Nike Company experience that supplying workers with good conditions can be a key point to establishing good relations with these workers (Norberg, 2003). The worker’s satisfaction is crucial to have them staying in the company for a long time. I have also observed that multinational corporations raise concerns about exploitation of the workers and provide them with health care insurances, higher wages, and higher education. All these facts show that globalization can contribute to workers’ well-being in the poor countries and change the exploitative nature of capitalism to more human-oriented approach.
Thirdly, anti-globalization may lead to serious consequences. Some analysts mention the case of Bangladesh garment industry in 1994. Thousands of child laborers had to take more dangerous and lower paid jobs to survive after they were fired from Bangladesh factories (Manheimer, 2006). This example clearly shows that multinational corporations that employ laborers from the developing countries have a positive impact on the communities’ dynamics. Termination of cooperation between corporations and a local population may cause many troubles to the community, like lower education, the lack of basic things for life, and searching for more dangerous jobs. In addition, Johan Norberg (2003) after interviewing a Vietnamese Tsi-chi found out that millions of Vietnamese people would have been jobless and had their children quit education if there were no multinational corporations that supplied their workers with stable wages. It is obvious that anti-globalization does not make the workers feel better, but adds more difficulties to their hard life, which is unacceptable from the point of universal human rights and freedoms.
Finally, globalization benefits people by promoting cultural exchange between the countries. According to Philippe Legrain, globalization provides people with more chances to feel and touch other cultures or products from all over the world. A person in the globalized world is never limited by his native country’s heritage (2006). This means that people can expand their worldview, contact other cultures directly or indirectly, and get acquainted with new people and lifestyles.
My life is a clear evidence of how globalization impacts my daily activities. I can enjoy the Korean ramen in San Francisco whereas my Japanese friend is just crazy about Chinese food and China Town. In other words, people can stay in different places but enjoy the culture and food they like. Moreover, I saw a movie named Rise of the Sea Dragon with many Chinese stars showed in the movie. Next week, I would like to see an interesting Chinese traditional crosstalk comedian in San Jose. I believe many people have similar experiences of cultural exchange as they enter a new and strange country. This feeling may help them to get acquainted with other cultures and understand other people’s lifestyles due to globalization.
Generally speaking, globalization has more benefits for our society than drawbacks. It is unfair and not useful to blame globalization for issues like workers’ exploitation. Globalization is an inevitable tendency all over the world that provides workers with higher wages and better conditions in comparison to local companies in poor countries. Furthermore, globalization promotes exchange and cooperation between people in the process of human development.