GlobalisationBrE

According to Wikipedia:

"Globalization" (or globalisation) is the process by which the people of the world are unified
into a single society and function together. "Globalization" is often used to refer to
economic globalization: the integration of national economies into the international
economy through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and the spread
of technology. This process is usually recognized as being driven by a combination of
economic, technological, sociocultural, political and biological factors.
The term can also refer to the transnational dissemination of ideas, languages, or popular
culture.[1]

What do you think of this definition of "globalisation"?

What are the pros and cons of globalisation?

Why do you think so many people oppose it?

Do you think if would be a good idea if all barriers to trade were removed from the world and

people could freely export and import without customs duties or any other problems? What impact
would such a change have?

Do you think it would be a good idea if people could live and work in any country they liked without
restriction? What impact would such a change have?

How would you react if a multinational employing several hundred people in your area announced
they were moving to another country where production costs were lower?

Would your reaction be any different if that private company had previously received large amounts
of public money to set up their plant in your area? Why/why not?

How would you react if a multinational employing several hundred people announced they were
moving to your country because production costs were lower?

How much cheaper do you think goods are to produce in a developing country than in a developed
country? Why do you think this is?

How should developed countries respond to the challenges presented by developing countries
which have lower wage costs?

"Protectionism" refers to the practice of putting up trade barriers such as import duties so as to
reduce or prevent the importation of goods from poorer countries and protect higher cost industries in
more developed nations. What do you think of the morality of excluding goods from poor or developing
countries?

Do you think goods that you normally buy are cheaper/more expensive if produced where you live
rather than imported?

Do you think imported goods are better quality than locally-produced ones? Why/why not?

If your region/country were an apple-growing region, for instance, would you be willing to pay more
for locally-grown apples than for imported ones?

One frequently-quoted example of globalisation is McDonalds. Some people say that McDonalds
restaurants are a bad thing because they mean that everybody will eat the the same food; others say
that they are a good thing because you are always able to eat something you recognise know and like.
What is your opinion?

Consider, cities around the world are becoming increasingly more homogenous (think McDonalds,
KFC, Coke, sushi, pizza, kebab, Tesco, Hollywood films, CNN, MTV, E!TV, ESPN vodka, clubs,
shopping malls, etc.) while simultaneously offering inhabitants greater choice and opportunities than
they had before globalization. What opportunities have appeared in your region due to globalization?

Emo, ergo sum! (I shop, therefore I am!) A phenomenon that comes with Americanization is the
construction and valorization of identity as a consumer. An important dimension of Americanization is
the consumer culture that originated in the United States and has been exported around the world
through the process of globalization. A major function of consumerism is to produce consumers to
recast individuals as consumers, to reforge them into consumers. The key here is not that there are
similarities in the particular products consumed, but rather, the function of consumption, its role, in
different cultures. Under a consumer culture, consumption becomes the main form of self-expression
and the chief source of identity. Consider, consumer culture erodes a fixed sense of identity (or, it
dominates, supplants, marginalizes other identities). This can be both liberating and debilitating. What
aspects of such a culture are liberating for you? Which are debilitating, or negative? (Sources: Nijman,
Jan, Cultural Globalization and the Identity of Place: The Reconstruction of Amsterdam. Ecumene.
Apr 99. Vol. 6, Issue 2. Buaman, Zygmunt. Book Review. Consumerism As a Way of Life, Social
Forces. Sept. 99,Vol.78 Issue 1. Waters, M. 1995. Globalization. London: Routledge. P.124.)