Professor: Mark Shirk
Student; Carlos Moya
The discussion of the week was
about the impact of globalization. I agree and disagree with the effects of
globalization around the world but I mostly agree with the concept and practice
of globalization. According to the Friedman reading, "The World is
Flat" - the main argument was about how American and European
multi-national corporations are outsourcing large amount of grunt and repetitive
work to small companies located in India, China, Japan and other states. The
reason for sending the non-analytical work abroad is because that way big
multi-national corporations would then have time to focus quality time to high
analytical jobs. High analytical jobs required advanced training and very
advanced educational degrees and experience. Such analytical jobs would demand
to identify and create sales strategies, think and reform organizational
structures within an organizations and companies to enhance productivity and reaching
desired objectives. Furthermore, high analytical jobs would also allow bank
employees for example to address clients' issues and problems that need
immediate solutions.
Employees from multi-national
corporations and companies do not have the time to focus on the grunt and
cyclical work and at the same time perform above average and exceed goal and
quotas. I agree with this analysis, globalization is providing and opening the
opportunity to foreign countries to perform important and vital work and is allowing
a unique opportunity to share concentrated wealth. I cannot imagine or picture
a world where there are approximately 200 countries with limited amount of
uneven resources and with an increasing population growth that would not want
to have easier ways and tools to communicate and trade products and services.
Having a theoretical flat world because of new and advancing communication and
trading technologies are the most mesmerizing technological discoveries of yet to
be realized by mankind. I disagree with counter arguments depicting only the
negative side of globalization in the world.
Globalization does have negative
effects and consequences in different countries, in different ethnic groups and
in different business categories. In reality, any new ideas and practices have
negative aspects. Individuals will always try to take advantage of a system and
the loopholes of an idea such as globalization. For instance, globalization can
rewardingly benefit big American and European multi-national corporations
because these corporation have the necessary resources, connections and money
to invest and move around the world when needed. On the other hand, single and
group of individuals as well as small business companies do not have the
capacity to invest large amounts of money to a particular idea or move
personnel or property to another country or city with effortlessly.
Monetary resources and
connections are two frustrating characteristics that emerge from globalization.
However, resources and connections are not limited solely to multi-national
corporations but also to individuals and small business owners. The beauty
about the system of capitalism is that there is always an opportunity and a
chance to reach one's goals within a competitive system. I do not believe
globalization is negative because globalization does offer valuable
opportunities to both learn and succeed. In the article -The World is Flat -
many examples are given to illustrate to the reader how globalization makes
life easier and convenient. For instance, an example that I will not never
forget is about a corporate executive now has the feasibility to hire a
personal assistant who lives in India and still delegate official clerical
tasks as if the personal assistant was physically present in the office.
A million negative consequences
can be thought of if we start brainstorming ideas about why this innovative way
to perform work can fail. For instance, the Internet infrastructure in India is
not as efficient and fast as the Internet infrastructure in the United States.
Second, the personal assistant can easily miss an urgent task if the Internet
communications network fails in anyway. Third, the personal assistant would not
have the same oversight from the boss or manager as if having a personal
assistant working physically in the office. The fact of the matter is that
globalization is a risk and for innovative ideas, processes, procedures and
rules to emerge and thrive, risk must be accepted and implemented. There is a reason why there are
stages when creating a new technology, and developing ideas and implementing a
project. Contingency and mitigating plans or stages are imperative to minimize
and avoid the negative aspects of globalizations. For instance, multi-national
corporations possess large teams in charge of devising and designing
contingency and mitigating plans given the chance of an adverse and unexpected
situation. Examples can be drawn from litigations, the sudden death of an
employee/s, the lack of safety regulations in factories, money laundry
practices, affiliations with drug cartels, illicit behavior from executive
managers; the list can go on and on. Globalization can exacerbate any or the
before mentioned negative characteristics within a corporation and company, but
negative effects can be controlled for and monitored.
The field of
information-technology has grown tremendously during the last 10 years that all
the information is monitored and tracked. Issue and problem reduction in
multi-national corporations and small companies is the single most critical
source to avoid and close loopholes created by the interconnectivity and
ubiquity of globalization. Countries, distinctive groups of people and
resources are not meant to be separated but meant to work together in unison
and with a common purpose, and this is why I have the conviction globalization
is both and a crucial theoretical concept
and a growing and escalating reality.
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