Globalisation

Friday, 14 February 2014

    Hey everyone!! It has been a while since last post, but I´m back to talk to you about something that is debated all over the world - globalisation.

    The term globalisation refers to the integration and the interaction between companies, people and countries, combining economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces. This means that people, goods, ideas, money, services and technology are moving between countries, influencing the way people think and act.

       This phenomenon has speeded up in the last few decades thanks to advances in transportation and telecommunications.

        But, as anything else, globalisation has its pros and cons.

      On the one hand, it leads the world into positive changes, such as: acess to a wide range of products worldwide; production of greater technology; job creation and increased competition in the markets, which leads to cheaper products and with better quality for consumers. It also allows us to become aware of different cultures, promoting tolerance and diversity.

    On the other hand, globalisation can increase the inequalities, widening the gap between rich and poor. First there is the difficult competition between local markets and multinational corporations. This competition is affecting local markets dramatically, making them suffer huge losses, as they lack the potencial to advertise or export their products on a large scale. Then, there is the search for cheaper labour. Companies from developed countries are moving their factories to third world/developing countries looking for a higher profit. So, they exploit the need of jobs paying very little wages to workers, who have no labour rights, working in horrible conditions. The worker as nothing to say on this subject, as he needs the job to earn money. Globalisation also affects culture. Some people in Asia are adopting western culture, losing their own cultural identity and individuality.

        Concluding, with globalisation people all around the world are becoming more and more connected. It´s easier to communicate, to travel and to have access to new products and cultures, which we didn't have access to in the past. However, globalisation also affects our lives in bad ways, and the best way to cope with this effects is trying to find a balance.

Happy Valentine's Day

Andreia Codeço