The Blog in Action

First thoughts about the FSEM100J… the blog is an example of globalization in action. The world can easily come together through the internet and the blog specfically. Sharing ideas and information plays a massive role in our everyday lives. Information and goods that used to take months to travel the globe have given way to an age where things that are not instanteneous are overnight. The more we dechiper about foregin cultures the more we can embraces or shun other lifestyles. As civilization (primarily Europe) left the middle ages and began to move towards enlightenment globalization was already underway; the spice trade being jsut one example. Simply put with the ability to sample the tastes of another culture Europe wanted it. Today even in societies striken by poverty, Americn symbols such as Coca-cola are dominate fixtures. While wealthier countries and people get the best of other cultures without some of the sacrifices someone else may face; globalization in fact helps many who would otherwise be destitute. In Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat” he gives a detailed account about the oppurtunities and benifits afforded to the people in countries like India. While the educated masses of India are earning better pay and benifits than there parents straight out of school they are also lowering the opperating costs of American and European corporations freeing up capitol for inovation and better benifits for their own people. This practice has been named “outsorcing” or at least thats how I interupt the process. While many consider it the evil that faces the American nation, I sincerly believe its good economics and a result of an American workforce that refuses to make itself marketible. While there are many other factors such as coruption on the part of business (ENRON ANYONE???) that can ruin outsorcing and globalization in some instances, overall it is an important and the vast majority benifits in the global scheme. Long term the affects of globalization and a deminishing manufactoring sector could put America at risk (i.e. the inability to manufacture military equipment at the rate possible in WWII) but the current innovation level of American technologies are actually putting us in a better position (Do more with less therefore the ability to mass produce deminishes.) Back to the blog side of things though. The information availible to the masses not only brings us together but can improve our lives. What if someone reading this a blog for FSEM100J decided they could tap a vast African workforce and was able triple the income per capita of a village, city, or even nation, all the while cutting the cost of a good or service in New York or London by 50%. Not only would that good be avalible for less other companies would be forced to compete or be inovative and either way the consumer prospers. While the jury is still out on the depth and understanding of globalization from the surface globalization seems to be extremly benifical.