Globalization Is Not A New Phenomenon

The world we live in today is going through enormous changes in economics, technology, culture, politics, etc. The effects of the changes are not so clear, since it is hard to predict how each sector would affect the other and how society will be affected. However, analyzing past and present occurrences provides some information for experts to interpret society’s reaction in the future to different transformations. Globalization can be seen as a process in which societies around the world come together and expand through the combination of different forces. This paper will explore the effects of globalization on US companies, US society and economy, and the implications for other countries in the post-industrial world.

The term globalization can be defined as a process by which societies, regional economies and cultures have been integrated via a global network of transportation, communication and trade. It has both positive and negative impacts in all the areas that it touches on be it economical, social, technology, cultural, political, environment, health or any other. Globalization started to have an impact on businesses world wide in the eighteenth century since that time marks the merging of modernity and globalization. However, in the modern sence, globalization kicked off after the end of Second World War since its during that time that leaders felt the urge to break down the borders

Theodore Levitt is often considered to be the first to recognize the trend towards globalization and states that: “companies must learn to operate as if the world were one large market – ignoring superficial regional and national differences…” In addition, he argues that the companies that do not adapt to the new global realities will become the victims of those that do.

Globalization is difficult to simply define due to the variety of changing definitions that have been established over previous decades. Hamilton and Webster (2012) suggest that globalization is the connection between nations, defining globalization as a process in which barriers are reduced in order to encourage exchanges between countries. This view proposes that globalization refers very much so to the trade barriers and the improved communications between countries in order to ensure the world is unified. Globalization increases economic activity across the world and opens up markets for foreign investment.

During the last decade of the twentieth century, the word ‘globalization’ has become an increasingly prominent feature of political, social, and economic discussion in academic and policymaking circles, as well as in the media. The processes and outcomes of globalization drew attention and debates that had one thing in common. The research shows that nearly everyone agrees that globalization is a trend that is changing the face of the world, and as a result the world society lives in a more ‘globalized’ world. Nearly two and a half decades passed since 1990s, and studies have been conducted to examine the causes and consequences of globalization. Moreover, nearly every person experiences some type of globalization and can testify firsthand the effects it has on their life, society, and the state. The analysis of the effects that globalization dynamics have on the world society indicates that globalization has a significant positive impact via spreading opportunities and wealth across nations, stimulating innovation and productivity, enhancing the economic development of poorer countries, and helping to improve living standards.

If we want to fully understand the importance of globalization and its effects on the world’s economy and society now and its potential for the future, it is vital that we study its past and how it has originated. The history of Globalization is broad and diverse therefore it is only possible to outline some of the main areas. Globalization isn’t just a modern day phenomenon. Trading activities date from the very earliest of civilizations, but it was the Middle Ages in Europe that initiated systematic cross-border trading operations carried out by institutions of a private corporate nature. By the end of the 14th century it is estimated that there were as many as 150 Italian banking companies already operating multinationally. (Dunning, 1993) This is not exactly globalization, it is however international trade. International trade is one of the main concepts behind globalization.

The next challenge the global leaders will be facing in managing the company is to create

Globalization is the increasing interdependence and connectedness of the world, its businesses and it markets, as well as flow of goods, ideas, technology, people etc. This phenomenon has increased vastly over the years due to technological advances, telecommunications and internet. As the world becomes a global economy, countries have the opportunity to advance more but with the catch that there is also increased competition. Thus as it becomes more common and powerful a feature, it also has some resistance as well. (InvestorWords, n.d.)

The requirement to circumscribe our topic to a manageable extent is resulted by this restraint, which does not imply the trans-border flow of ideas is insignificant. The literature time and again presents us with other, more general definitions of economic globalization. First of all, globalization is often seemed as a process of marketization, or the notion of such.

“Globalization is today's reality. Like it or not, the move to a world economy is a fact of life. At some point in the 1990s the process achieved critical mass and people started to sit up and take notice. Many were apprehensive.

Globalization: Globalization is the tendency of investment funds and businesses to move beyond domestic and national markets to other markets around the globe, thereby increasing the interconnection of the world. Globalization has had the effect of markedly increasing international trade and cultural exchange. Such as Starbucks, globalization became the topic of discussion, because they had to adjust to the different coffee taste that originated in different countries to maintain their customer

Economic globalization has become the most important feature and a general trend of present world economic development. Globalization is a phenomenon and also a process of development of mankind and human society (Hamilton, 2008). It is the essential feature of the modern age. Globalization is the cross-border flows of capital and goods, including capital, labour, technology and natural resources (Bożyk, Misala & Puławski, 2002). Economic globalization is a historical process, and the germination of it could date back to the 16th century. After the industrial revolution, capitalist commodity economy, modern industry and transportation have been developing rapidly. The world market was fast expanded and the foreign trade was

Up to now the literature review has given an insight into the concept of globalization, and the understanding of several academics in the light of how this phenomenon developed over the years. It is then essential to cover what the economic benefits of globalization are, and how these may impact a sector or company. Most of the literature study’s that have been written on the economic benefits of globalization have been after 2006. The reason is because the studies used the globalization index which was created by Dreher (2006) then further developed by Dreher (2008) again. Many of the empirical studies used this index as indicator as a base to form their findings.

The concept of globalization has become a prevalent phenomenon in the past two decades because of the changes it has brought and the adoption of its strategies by multinational corporations or companies. The economic changes of globalization include the strengthening of economic inter-dependence, internationalization of production, and enhanced mobility of transnational corporations. On the other hand, trade liberalization, privatization, and deregulation are the ideological changes emanating from this concept.

Globalization has seen an increase in popularity, during the years 2003 through 2007 the business world went through the “Age of Cross Border and Horizontal Megamergers.”