Global Domain In Regards To Employment example essay topic

The term globalization is a particularly elastic concept. Not only does it embrace a wide range of 'things', it also straddles the realms of 'fact' and 'value' of 'idea' and 'reality', thus to define the word globalization requires an amalgamation of both moral and material values which may include and encompass events as dynamic as economic, political and social. At its simplest globalization has tended to denote the idea that societies are becoming increasingly affected by events of other societies, thus the idea of an interconnected world is a central theme for many scholars who have remarked upon the focus of globalization. It should be noted however that there has been and continues to be schism surrounding what some commentators constitute as being a limitless phenomena as others stand in direct contradiction and consider the globalization thesis as merely a 'buzz-word to denote the latest phase of capitalism. ' The word globalization is often assumed to be a relatively recent emergence in world history, however although the ancestry and precise timescale of the use of the term is nebulous for ease of analysis many scholars suggest the 1980's to be the era in which the seeds of globalization were set and subsequently initiated historians and fellow scholars alike to begin to question the existence and effects of globalization. It is visible that the globalization thesis is not clear cut therefore in this essay I will not be looking at it in isolation but will also attempt to highlight the issues surrounding globalization, whilst attempting to find a correlation between the neo-liberal stance of globalization and how they regard this to be affecting the global domain in regards to employment, before concluding as to if we can conclusively say that globalization is affecting the world of work in society today.

Endeavouring to find a specific definition of globalization can be onerous as there are a multiplicity of both positive and negative ideas and beliefs of what the term actually implies, however Rosa beth Moss Kanter in 'Thriving Locally in the Global Ecomony' (1995) has provided an original explanation of the term,' the world is becoming a global shopping mall in which ideas and products are available everywhere at the same time. ' M. Waters has also commented on this issue, but perhaps adopting a less positive stance, 'a social process in which the constrains of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede and in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding. ' Kanter and Waters are but a few of many academics who have contributed to the globalization thesis, and although it is evident their explanations are somewhat diverse their underlying assumptions are similar as they both consider globalization and the 'shrinking' of the global domain to be ever present and thus cannot be diluted as being a mythical assumption. When adopting the stance that globalization is occurring it is critical that we begin by observing its effects, especially in regards to 'the global market' and how it can have a domino effect which will ultimately have an impact on individual societies and individuals within them primarily in the employment sector. For some, globalization is certainly a positive force especially in western industrialized societies where globalization is said to have its origins, yet this compelling phenomena can certainly be recognised as being highly uneven in its effects. One of the most graphic examples of this can be identified by the net revolution, a phenomenal means of communication which has ultimately been a key player in the spread of globalization, however in reality many of the worlds civilisations particularly those of the third world have been and remain unaffected, thus from a technological viewpoint globalization can be said to only apply to the developed countries of the world. This vast inequality has inevitably had an impact on who is being employed across the globe and skills that are required in order for it to be advantageous for the individual.

One of the primary grounds of inequality in the employment sector in an increasingly globalized world can be reduced to the issue of gender. It is well documented that the effects of globalization has led to a growth of exploitation process zones whereby women are being used for cheap labour especially in developing countries, this is primarily due to the fact that the lack of education, training and skills has unsurprisingly led to the ever present reality of the exploitation of women, whereby poor working conditions, long hours and mundane work is routine, yet their labour and exploitation has enabled great economic success for national economies in the western world. Aside from gender issues, the idea of living in a 'border less world' and the increasing awareness of proximity due to technological advancements has raised concerns for national security, as within the discipline of International Relations states are ultimately sovereign and 'state sovereignty is premised on territorial geography, therefore for states to exercise exclusive authority over a specified territorial domain, events must occur on territorial locations. ' However states today are unable to control the phenomena of globalization, for example 'global companies and global stock and bond trading' therefore interconnectedness conceptually equates to the idea of loss of power for national governments and the theoretical erosion of sovereignty. Hirst and Thompson (1996) contributed to this theme as in their now seminal thesis argued, 'one effect of globalization makes it appear as if national governments are powerless in the face of global trends, thus paralyzing governmental attempts to subject global economic forces to control and regulation. ' Not only does the issue of security arise from this but also employment factors, as a shift from what were once governmental responsibilities are playing a less influential role as NGOs and MNCs are becoming increasingly dominant, neo-liberalist thought has particularly highlighted this issue.

As cited previously technological revolution has had a vast impact on the world of work, yet an additional observation is that it has also 'facilitated the growth of transactional networks among NGOs and social movements,' such as a growth in women's groups in the political sphere which has ultimately illustrated that globalization in the west has somewhat liberated women and opened up employment opportunities in international politics. Therefore, it could be argued that globalization 'can be taken as evidence of an emerging global feminist solidarity and community which transcends state boundaries,' Anthony Giddens has defined globalization as a 'decoupling of space and time emphasis ing that with instantaneous communications, knowledge and culture can be shared around the world simultaneously,' his definition of the term draws attention to how globalization goes beyond cultural and social interactions but also has huge economic implications. The growth of trade has created a vast amount of employment as organisations such as The World Trade Organisation which was established in 1995 has a phenomenal amount of responsibilities with administering rules of international trade of its 123 member countries, which has inevitably created employment globally. However although the WTO would seems to funnel out inequalities some commentators have criticised the organisation and argued that, 'its rules favour companies from wealthy countries, therefore making it difficult for countries to protect their own industries and discriminatory tariffs, thus making it difficult for poor countries to build domestic industries. ' We can conclusively say that globalization has effected almost every corner of the globe in regards to employment and will continue to do so, however although its effects have been advantageous primarily in the western world it could be argued that it has been detrimental for third world countries, an example of this is highlighted in countries in which farming is one of the main areas of employment such as China, Kashmir and Peru, as the effects of globalization calls for higher demands on products, machinery has in most cases replaced work which was once the job of its inhabitants therefore unemployment has impacted which has led to social evils which neo-liberalist's do not attempt to hide such as economic inequality and famine thus, neo-liberalist's do not attempt to over-romanticism the state of world order since the emergence of globalization.

The globalization thesis is profoundly complex, with a multitude of surrounding theories which has inevitably initiated great debate in regards to globalization being a myth, reality, advantageous or not, however we can conclude that their has certainly been a shift in the global employment sector which has shown an increase in the need for skilled workers and less manual workers due to the effects of industrialisation. As generations evolve and progress so will employment trends, whether this is the result of globalization seems evident however their will continue to be speculation that it is simply due to the inevitability of human interaction evolving..