Global Marketplace
GLOBAL MARKETPLACE
According to Giddens, Globalization is an economic phenomenon which refers to the fact that “we all increasingly live in one world, so that individuals, groups, and nations become more interdependent” (Giddens, 457). Among the many economic factors driving globalization, the role of transnational corporations is particularly important. Giddens defines transnational corporations as “companies that produce goods or market services in more than one country” (Giddens, 461). These companies may be relatively small firms with one or two factories outside the country in which they are based or gigantic international ventures whose operations crisscross the globe. The operations of these corporations stretch across national borders, influencing global production processes and the international distribution of labor (Giddens, 461). Evidently, almost all of the leading successful companies in the world rely on cheap product manufacturing in developing countries. I started reading labels or tags on different shoe brands to find whether they had been manufactured in the United States. Surprisingly, almost all of the designed sneakers in my closet were manufactured in some other country but, the United States. Two of my Nike pairs had “Made in Indonesia" written on their tags, my Puma pair was "Made in China", my Reebok pair was "Made in Korea", and my Adidas pair had been "Made in Thailand". This aroused curiosity in me as most of these famous shoe brands have their headquarters situated in the United States but, are still made outside the country. Researching further, shockingly behind these amazing shoe companies (Nike, Puma, Reebok, Adidas) there is a horrible history and truth attached to their success. The harsh truth about our daily wear is that they are manufactured in sweatshops in developing countries like Indonesia, Korea, and China. In early 1990’s most of these companies had been accused of being the driving force
According to Giddens, Globalization is an economic phenomenon which refers to the fact that “we all increasingly live in one world, so that individuals, groups, and nations become more interdependent” (Giddens, 457). Among the many economic factors driving globalization, the role of transnational corporations is particularly important. Giddens defines transnational corporations as “companies that produce goods or market services in more than one country” (Giddens, 461). These companies may be relatively small firms with one or two factories outside the country in which they are based or gigantic international ventures whose operations crisscross the globe. The operations of these corporations stretch across national borders, influencing global production processes and the international distribution of labor (Giddens, 461). Evidently, almost all of the leading successful companies in the world rely on cheap product manufacturing in developing countries. I started reading labels or tags on different shoe brands to find whether they had been manufactured in the United States. Surprisingly, almost all of the designed sneakers in my closet were manufactured in some other country but, the United States. Two of my Nike pairs had “Made in Indonesia" written on their tags, my Puma pair was "Made in China", my Reebok pair was "Made in Korea", and my Adidas pair had been "Made in Thailand". This aroused curiosity in me as most of these famous shoe brands have their headquarters situated in the United States but, are still made outside the country. Researching further, shockingly behind these amazing shoe companies (Nike, Puma, Reebok, Adidas) there is a horrible history and truth attached to their success. The harsh truth about our daily wear is that they are manufactured in sweatshops in developing countries like Indonesia, Korea, and China. In early 1990’s most of these companies had been accused of being the driving force
Cited: Giddens, Anthony. Essentials of Sociology. First. N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. "Choked by Air Nikes." Sweatshops in Vietnam May 25 1997 10 Dec 2008 . "Sportwear Workers Rights." Is your sports gear made in sweatshops? 10 Dec 2008 .