The Rise of Globalization

Globalization is growth to a global or worldwide scale and there are three key elements that contribute to worldwide growth. These elements are culture and economy. These are very important topics in the world and without them; the world would not be connected in any way. “The term ‘globalization’ sometimes takes on different meanings for different people and in different circumstances. For example, sometimes the term is used to refer to the increased role of large, multinational corporations in the world economy. People in developing countries outside the United States sometimes use the term to refer to the dominance and influence of the United States on the world economy” (10 Questions 5). This quote portrays that everyone has their own personal definition of what globalization is based on their experiences in the world, whether they have no job and live in a country whose economy is suffering greatly, or they make a good living for their family and the economy is steady. No matter what the situation is globalization is not all about the influence of the United States but rather every country and how they contribute to globalization. Culture is rapidly spreading around the world. A big part of culture is pop culture and although the US is a contributing factor to the expanding pop culture of the world, every country has different aspects of pop culture. Economically, trade and business are factors that are positively affecting the world. While jobs around the world are increasing, that positively affects the economy of the world. Globalization is a positive force culturally and economically in the world and although there are both pros and cons of globalization, the results are mostly positive.

Culture in the world today is rapidly growing and becoming more profound in a lot of countries. Out of the many effects of globalization on culture, the growth of pop culture is widely known because it is more publically seen in movies, music, television shows, newspapers, fashion and other consumer goods. Pop culture is seen by a lot of people as Americanization because they see that countries around the world are adapting American trends but more countries than the United States have pop culture that is popular in different countries. For example, fashion is a huge part in pop culture around the world. Clothes are produced all over the world and sold in various countries, every manufacturer benefits from other countries buying their products, which is not only economically positive, but also a specific countries culture is being spread into different countries. Food is another big aspect of pop culture. In the world today, foreign foods are sold in almost every country. For example, Chinese food is sold in almost every country and the Chinese pop culture is being vastly spread. Sushi, which is typically popular in Asian countries, is being sold in places such as France and Germany which is spreading diversity of food but also bringing France and Germany together in their purchases of the same types of food. Music is also another aspect of growing pop culture in the world. America has adapted many different types of music that originated in other countries, such as Latin American music, hip hop, reggae, and many more genres of music that were brought over to different countries than they were originated in. The other aspect of culture is associated with religion and tradition, but globalization cannot really change it fully, because people will always have their religious backgrounds, they may dress differently or more like another culture, but what people put on their body does not define the type of person that they are or their beliefs. Globalization in the world is a positive force culturally.

Economically, the world is benefitting positively from globalization. New trading policies have affected the growing economic world. “When international borders are open people are free to . . . trade with whomever they wish, to invest wherever they wish and to experience new cultures and new ideas. Opening up international trade provides consumers with a wider variety of goods and services” (10 questions 6). Globalization let companies buy raw materials and hire workers from other countries, which led to some businesses be able to lower their costs. The lower costs lead to higher quality goods which means that producer and consumer both benefit from the products. When businesses are operating internationally, both sides can also benefit from economic growth and more jobs overall. Trading internationally is a necessity because countries don’t have all the products they need to keep their economy going, so it’s essential that they trade across borders because through trading, both countries make money and get the products they need. There are three organizations that play important roles in regulate foreign trade. The International Monetary Fund helps the world’s economy by encouraging countries to adapt policies that affect exchange rates and currency values. It gives countries advice and makes loans to countries that cannot afford the currency to trade. The World Bank fights poverty by promoting economic development. Lastly, The World Trade Organization helps promote international free trade. And helps negotiate to reduce trade barriers. With the help of these three organizations and international trade, globalization is positively affecting the world’s economy.

Jobs in the world today have been increasing because of Globalization. Multinational corporations provide a lot of jobs for people in their own countries who normally wouldn’t have work because of a lack of job opportunities, which is now increasing the amount of jobs available. “Developing countries… benefit when multinational corporations provide jobs in their countries, usually paying higher wages than those prevailing for other jobs requiring similar skills” (10 Questions 6). In countries like China and India, many citizens in those countries have been poor because there has not been enough work for them in the past, but many of them travelled to the United States to look for better opportunities for working. According to Thomas Friedman, “We (US) are not producing enough engineers and scientists. We used to make up for that by importing them from India and China…Businesses are not just outsourcing to have on salary. They are doing it because they can often get better-skilled and more productive people than their American workers” (Friedman 4). The quality of workmanship in foreign countries has begun to go above and beyond American workers which gives citizens in foreign countries more opportunities because they have the skills that businesses are looking for and are willing to pay for their outstanding skills. Job outsourcing is the other contributing factor to the worlds rise in job opportunities. “US businesses benefit from job outsourcing because it has lower costs and higher profits can be earned. Consumers also benefit because lower costs may result in lower prices, which lead to the ability to demand more products; which in turn, gives foreign countries more jobs available to them” (PBS Wal-Mart Video). For example, the corporation of Wal-Mart uses outsourcing and many pros have been a result. Outsourcing caused cheap prices, which is positive for American consumers and most importantly created many jobs that had to be filled. There is a manufacturing plant for Wal-Mart and China and Chinese workers are able to get jobs in the plant and make money for their family. Many Chinese citizens have been out of work and have been desperate for jobs so they take what they can get, and Wal-Mart gave many jobs to workers there. Job opportunities around the world have increased because of globalization.

Globalization has been a positive force on the world culturally and economically. Globalization has been going on for centuries but only recently has it affected the world as a whole. “Historians and economists agree that today we are in a period of rapid globalization and that it is on the increase worldwide” (10 Questions 5). In the future the world will probably see more globalization rather than less. Countries that have, in the past, been below the United States with topics such as business and economy, in the future will be either at the same level as the US or even above their level. According to Fareed Zakaria, “The 25 countries that are most likely the world’s next great multinationals have been identified. The list includes four companies from Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan; three from India, two from China, and one each from Argentina, Chile, Malaysia and South Africa” (Zakaria 27). In this list, besides China, none of these countries have been in the top great multinationals but in the future, many more underprivileged countries will rise above the rest and flourish because of the positive effects of globalization on their countries.