CONTEMPORARY WORLD
Objectives: at the end of this video lecture you will be able to:
1. Understand the meaning of Globalization
2. Identify the different qualities and characteristic of Globalization
3. Interpret his/her own meaning of Globalization.
Chapter I.
INTRODUCTION AND THE CONCEPT OF GLOBALIZATION
What is CONTEMPORARY WORLD?
Refers to circumstances and ideas of the present age, where it deals with problems and issues
related to environment, population, wealth, power, tensions and conflicts.
Why study CONTEMPORARY WORLD?
a. To be aware about Contemporary World problems and issues that all societies must be
concerned.
b. To developed competencies and construct knowledge about problems and issues and
become aware of our roles and our responsibilities as citizen.
DEFINITION OF GLOBALIZATION
Globalization (Borderless) as defined by the World Health Organization
It is the increased interconnectedness and interdependence of people and countries,
through opening of international borders to increasingly fast flows of goods, services, finance,
people and ideas and the changes in institutions and policies of national and international levels
that facilitates or promote such flows.
With the birth of Information Technology and the widespread of these makes the world
interconnected to each other. Because of these that anything and everything becomes global.
Networking plays a pivotal role in establishing relationship between nations in the world resulting
to the introduction of new normal Globalization.
Differences: Globalization, Internationalization and Westernization
To understand better, we should distinguish Globalization from the term Westernization to
Internationalization?
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Globalization the speed up of movements and exchanges of human resources, goods and
services capital, technologies and cultural practices between countries in the world or
expansion and intensification of economic, political and social relations and
consciousness across the world.
Internationalization describes designing a product in a way that it may readily consumed
across multiple countries.
Westernization is a process whereby societies come under or adopt western culture in
areas such as industry, technology, politics, economics, lifestyle, law, norms, mores,
customs and traditions.
Examples of Globalization (Concept Map)
Because of trade developments and financial exchanges, we often think of globalization as an
economic and financial phenomenon. Nonetheless, it includes a much wider field than just
flowing of goods, services or capital. Often referred to as the globalization concept map some
examples of globalization are the following:
Economic globalization: is the development of trade systems within transnational actors such as
multinational corporations or NGOs;
Financial globalization: can be linked with the rise of a global financial system with international
financial exchanges and monetary exchanges. Stock markets, for instance, are a great example
of the financially connected global world since when one stock market has a decline, it affects
other markets negatively as well as the economy as a whole.
Cultural globalization: refers to the interpenetration of cultures which, as a consequence, the
nations adopt principles, beliefs, and costumes of other nations, losing their unique culture.
Political globalization: the development and growing influence of international organizations
such as the UN or WHO means governmental action takes place at an international level.
Sociological globalization: the integration of different cultures of different societies become
possible.
Technological globalization: the phenomenon by which millions of people are interconnected
because of the power of the digital world via platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Skype or
Youtube.
Geographic globalization: is the new organization and hierarchy of different regions of the world
that is constantly changing. Moreover, with transportation, flying made so easy and affordable,
apart from a few countries with demanding visas, it is possible to travel the world without barely
any restrictions or less restrictions.
Ecological globalization: accounts for the idea of considering planet Earth as a single global entity
– All societies should protect since the weather affects everyone and we are all protected by the
same atmosphere. To this regard, it is often said that the poorest countries that have been
polluting the least will suffer the most from climate change.
THE BENEFITS OF GLOBALIZATION
Globalization has benefits that cover many different areas. It reciprocally developed economies
all over the world and increased cultural exchanges. It also allowed financial exchanges between
companies. Many people are nowadays citizens of the world. The origin of goods became
secondary and geographic distance is no longer a barrier for many services to happen.
Forces and Drivers of Globalization
Politics
Economics
Technology
Globalization
Individuals
and
Institutions
Culture
Environment
Characteristics of Globalization
According to Held and McGrew (2002) a Globalization has several distinguishing characteristics.
1. Creation and Multiplication of connections:
development and increasing social network and cultural activities that led to the
breaking of traditional norms and practices in the political, economic and cultural
realisms of most communities.
2. Expansion and Stretching of connections:
social operations and corrections on how the financial markets and trading
operate around the globe like the operations of Economic Organizations like of
WTO ASEAN Economic Community, World Economic Forum and European Union
that brought expansions throughout the world.
3. Intensification and Acceleration of connections:
human activities where it describes how the process of world and individual
connection works. The fourth Industrial Revolution is a concrete example where
Digital machines widely used in reaching every global events.
4. Consciousness and awareness of connections:
the people as the primary actors of globalization is very important on how they
impact the growing outcomes and markers in globalization specially the
implications of their actions to the norms and practices of borderless world.