Globalisation – a Moral Outcry?
Globalisation – A Moral Outcry?
Chris Smith
There have been many definitions and classifications of the term ‘Globalisation’ conceived and hypothesised, over the last half a decade in particular. Some of these classifications can be viewed as to being biased in favour of globalisation and vice versa. But one that can act as a concise, yet unbiased characterisation was conceived by Dibb et al. in 2006 which states that Globalisation is “The development of marketing strategies that treat the entire world, or its major regions, as a single entity.” (Dibb et al. 2006, p. 147) Globalisation revolves around creating marketing strategies while viewing the world’s consumers and business as one market that share needs, wants and buying behaviour.
There are many reason for the emergence of globalisation, but some of the main and most prominent drivers are:
• Advances in Technology
• Removal of Political Barriers
• Removal of Economic Barriers
• Free Movement of Capital
As stated before, different authors have taken different stances on Globalisation and there are definitely conflicting theories and conclusions on whether it is something that is going to benefit not just the world, but its individual regions equally or not. One man who sees globalisation, and also the man who actually coined the term ‘Globalisation’ is Theodore Levitt who described it as being when “Corporations geared to this new reality benefit from enormous economies of scale in production, distribution, marketing and management. By translating these benefits into reduced world prices, they can decimate competitors that still live in the disabling grip of old assumptions about how the world works.” (Levitt, 1983) This is clearly focusing on the positives and benefits of globalisation, but there are many others with opposing views. One who does have an opposing view is Zygmunt Bauman. In his 2001 article, ‘AntiGlobos - The Ethical Challenge of Globalization’ he argues that Globalisation is
Chris Smith
There have been many definitions and classifications of the term ‘Globalisation’ conceived and hypothesised, over the last half a decade in particular. Some of these classifications can be viewed as to being biased in favour of globalisation and vice versa. But one that can act as a concise, yet unbiased characterisation was conceived by Dibb et al. in 2006 which states that Globalisation is “The development of marketing strategies that treat the entire world, or its major regions, as a single entity.” (Dibb et al. 2006, p. 147) Globalisation revolves around creating marketing strategies while viewing the world’s consumers and business as one market that share needs, wants and buying behaviour.
There are many reason for the emergence of globalisation, but some of the main and most prominent drivers are:
• Advances in Technology
• Removal of Political Barriers
• Removal of Economic Barriers
• Free Movement of Capital
As stated before, different authors have taken different stances on Globalisation and there are definitely conflicting theories and conclusions on whether it is something that is going to benefit not just the world, but its individual regions equally or not. One man who sees globalisation, and also the man who actually coined the term ‘Globalisation’ is Theodore Levitt who described it as being when “Corporations geared to this new reality benefit from enormous economies of scale in production, distribution, marketing and management. By translating these benefits into reduced world prices, they can decimate competitors that still live in the disabling grip of old assumptions about how the world works.” (Levitt, 1983) This is clearly focusing on the positives and benefits of globalisation, but there are many others with opposing views. One who does have an opposing view is Zygmunt Bauman. In his 2001 article, ‘AntiGlobos - The Ethical Challenge of Globalization’ he argues that Globalisation is
References: Dibb et al., 2006. Marketing Concepts and Strategies. 5th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Lloyd, J Parsons, E. and Maclaran, P. 2009. Contemporary Issues in Marketing and Consumer Behaviour. 1st Edition. Oxford: Elsevier Asgary, N Baumann, Z. et al., 2008. AntiGlobos. New Perpective Quarterly, Vol. 18 (4), pp. 4-9 Ukpere, W UNRISD (2000), Visible Hands: Taking Responsibility for Social Development, UNRISD, Geneva.