Globalizzazione in inglese

Globalisation

We can find the same products and services in many countries all over the world.
Globalisation is the process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected as a result of a huge growth in trade and cultural exchange.
Travel and communication links: consumers can more easily compare the prices and quality of goods and services sold in many countries.
Protectionism for home-produced goods and services has been reduced.
China and South east Asia now have very strong manufacturing industries and can now export goods and services in large quantities.
The mass production of goods has led to economies of scale.
This means that the cost per item can be reduced when operations in a larger scale in order to generate bigger profits.
Organisation like the World Trade Organisation promote free trade between countries, which helps to remove barriers between them.
Countries like India, China and Brazil have much lower labour, costs and high skill levels.
Labour intensive industries such as clothing manufacturing can take advantage of cheaper labour costs and reduced legal restrictions in developing countries.
Multinational corporations have expanded into new markets and places for production in order to remain profitable. Companies such as McDonald’s and Starbucks are recognised all over the world, including in developing countries.
Businesses have been forced to become more efficient in order to cope with increased competition.
Companies which wanted to operate successfully in foreign markets have merged with foreign businesses.
This is one of the reasons for the growth of transactional corporations.
(Nike, Coca Cola, Honda, bmw)

Reasons against Globalisation

Anti-globalisation including:
- environmentalism;
- Third world debts;
- Animals rights;
- Child labour;
- Anarchism;
- Anti-capitalism;
- Opposition to transnational corporations.
Opponents of globalisation say it leads to exploitation of the world’s poor.
Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa: these emerging markets are anticipated to be the place for continued economic growth.
They spread widely around the world but they share a number of similarities including young population, relatively refined financial systems and they are not reliant on any one sector of industry.

The KOF Index Of Globalisation

The KOF Index of globalisation measures the three main dimensions of globalisation:
The economic dimension, investment and income flows in relation to GDP
the social dimension includes personal contacts, for instance telephone calls,, letters, tourism, the size of population, access to internet, tv and press products and cultural proximity
The political dimension

The role of technology in Globalisation

Globalisation increased since the mind 1980 thanks to advances in technology. The ability to communicate and process information in digital form is reshaping the economics and societies of many countries around the world.
It drives the innovative use of resources to promote new products and ideas across nations and cultures, regardless of geographic location.
The transition from manual to electronic delivery of services both in public and private sectors has led to the advancement of the business community throughout the world.
Marshall McLuhan coined the term “the global village” in the 1960 to express his belief that electronic communication would unite the world.
Businesses improve their global competitiveness and productivity with more efficient electronic transaction processing and instant access to information.
This has a direct impact on the way the products and services are bought, sold and delivered, changing the relationships among clients, companies and employees.

Glocalisation

Glocalisation is the combination of the words “globalisation” and “localisation”.
Google is an example of a company that practices that practices globalisation. It markets a portal which is viewed worldwide and offers different versions of its website and its services for different users.
The international fast food chain McDonald’s is another example which illustrates the concept of globalisation: they change their means to appeal to local palates and customs.
For example, in India, a country in which the cow is sacred, the menu features McVeggies instead of hamburgers.

Outsourcing and offshoring

Outsourcing and offshoring are two related terms which are often used when talking about economic globalisation.
Outsourcing is a practice where a certain company “hires” another company in the same country to do a part of its work.
Offshoring is the name for a practice where a certain company moves the production or a particular business function to another country.
Some of the advantages of offshoring are: lower labour and equipment costs and the use of less office space as well as the concentration of production in the most efficient location.
The advantages and cost benefits that offshoring offers, it involves risks which need to be considered.
There are also problematic and controversial issues related to offshoring: standards may be different and there may be exploitation of the local environment and of the workers.