Globalization

Globalization refers to the free movement of goods, capital, services, people, technology and information. It is the action or procedure of international integration of countries arising from the conversion of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture. Advances in transportation (such as the steam locomotive, steamship, jet engine, and container ships) and in telecommunications infrastructure (including the rise of the telegraph and its modern offspring, the Internet and mobile phones) have been major factors in globalization, generating further interdependence of economic and cultural activities.

Globalization can also be defined as a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.

Agents of Globalization

               

Characteristics of globalization

1. Liberalisation:

This is the freedom of the industrialist/businessman to establish industry, trade or commerce either in his country or abroad; free exchange of capital, goods, service and technologies between countries.

2. Free Trade:

Free trade between countries; absence of excessive governmental control over trade.

3. Globalization of Economic Activities:

Control of economic activities by domestic market and international market; coordination of national economy and world economy.

4. Connectivity:

Localities being connected with the world by breaking national boundaries, forging of links between one society and another, and between one country and another through international transmission of knowledge, literature, technology, culture and information.

5. Borderless Globe:

Breaking of national barriers and creation of inter- connectedness; the ideal of 'borderless globe' articulated by Kenichi Ohmae.

6. A Composite Process:

Integration of nation-states across the world by common economic, commercial, political, cultural and technological ties; creation of a new world order with no national boundaries.

7. A Multi-dimensional Process:

Economically, it means opening up of national market, free trade and commerce among nations, and integration of national economies with the world economy.

Politically, it means limited powers and functions of state, more rights and freedoms granted to the individual and empowerment of private sector;

Culturally, it means exchange of cultural values between societies and between nations; and ideologically, it means the spread of liberalism and capitalism.

8. A Top-Down process:

Globalization originates from developed countries and the MNCs (multinational corporations) based in them. Technologies, capital, products and services come from them to developing countries. It is for developing countries to accept these things, adapt themselves to them and to be influenced by them.

As a result, the values and norms of developed countries are gradually rooted in developing countries. This leads to the growth of a monoculture - the culture of the north (developed countries) being imposed on the South (developing countries). This involves the erosion and loss of the identity and the cultures of developing countries. Globalization is thus a one-way traffic: it flows from the North to the South.

9. The Existence of Science and Technology

Nowadays, we often find independent people who are smart, creative, and critical. They start to create many ideas to support all of aspects that included in daily lives.  People have started to think critically, as well as no more think about taboos. They seemed to have started to think globally and more developed.

In this changes, will also happen the changes of space and time. We can see that the changes that already happened can be in all fields like for examples are transportations and communications. The changes of information technology also can give the effects to another fields like education, economics, politics, and also cultures, so not only in transportation and communication fields. Examples: now we easily do traveling around the world because of the presence of the more sophisticated aircraft technology that can take us to everywhere just only take a short time. Consequently, we can use this opportunity to raise some advantages from another country. The most changes of technology that can be felt now are there are many global and sophisticated communication medias like hand phones, satellite televisions, and also tablets that we can hold wherever we are. Those communication media will be increasingly felt if it is added with the presence of Internet as its supporter. With the existence of the science, we can develop the technology.

10.       6. Competition and Dependency between Developed Countries and Developing Countries

The strong flow of information and technology led to the intense of competitiveness. People who do not have the advantage will be eliminated and will be the target to the actors of the changes in the global situation. It can also occur in the State where there is a gap between today's developed countries and developing countries. Developed countries dominate the information flow in the world, so it causes the dependency among developing countries themselves.