Globalisation and Technology (Dong Ying)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Technology and globalization go hand-in-hand. Globalization unleashes technology, which in turn drives firms to plan production and sales on a global basis. Technology changes the work we do and in nearly all cases, the jobs created by it demand more education and training. It also changes the way business operates by transforming relationships between suppliers, producers, retailers and customers. (Ross, 1993, p. xii)
As we usher in the new age, the information age, inevitably new innovations and changes in technology must be made to adapt. This includes using technology to enable us to get connect to information, in addition, other factors include efficiency and effectiveness, so this new piece of technology must still be frequently upgraded to keep up, otherwise it would certainly be outdated. Some examples include the communication sector, cell phones have been vastly improved the most basic ability to make a call, to making a conference call, video call, surfing the internet and such, as this allow more people to get connected to information both faster and better.
As all of this technology is not easily developed, companies that develop all this technology require a huge amount of manpower, and this brings about increased staff employment in the research and development companies. This in result, aids other forms of globalisation, by speeding up industrialisation, as the global culture and economy changes revolve about technology. Common examples of how technology revolutionises the global culture would be the usage of cell phones, in the past, we could only communicate to people whom we meet, face-to-face, which brings about a huge amount of inconvenience, but now with a cell phone, we can connect to them virtually anywhere and at anytime (if they don't mind), and even 'face-to-face' in a sense for video calling. Another obvious example would be the computer (internet), the internet connects people, however it also more importantly connects people to information, which may be required for working, researching, doing away the hassle with bulky books that can only be found at the library, and from this, the internet (technology) revolutionised the sharing of information.
Thus, as the world progresses, globalises , the already high demand for better technology increases, and when better technology arises, the world globalises (economically ect) more efficiently with the usage of this better (more efficient and effective) technology. This self-perpetuated cycle results in a global society that keeps advancing technology progressively.