Following the Path of Globalization

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Why should I care what happens across the globe? I have a mortgage to pay, a family to feed, and a job I hate. Who cares about globalization? We should all be concerned about globalization. It impacts us…and we do not even recognize it.
Global disruptions plague most financial institutions. For example, Europe offered a bailout package of up to (euro) 100 billion ($125 billion U.S.) to help secure the country’s banks.
Spain became the fourth and largest European country to request financial help. Seventeen countries from the eurozone sent a statement explaining that this funding would go directly to a Spanish fund set up to recapitalize its banks.
Nevertheless, the economic crisis in Europe worries financial experts in America because trading and commerce interlock countries together. Therefore, America will not be able to escape any global financial crisis.
As I teach international business, I often hear students state that they do not have any international experience. Yet, they do not understand that social media platforms like Facebook and Youtube make them global.
In fact, Facebook continues to dominate the virtual landscape with 500-million-users. It is transforming how the world communicates. If Facebook was a country, it would be the world’s third largest country. Therefore, Facebook represents a serious way individual citizens can be a part of this global community.
More importantly, individuals need to understand that globalization is reshaping society and how we live as people. Charles Hill, author of International Business, suggests that most people cannot avoid the impacts of globalization: “As the world shifts toward a truly integrated global economy, more firms, large and small, are becoming international businesses.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvCyRoY6azk]

Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, further outlined the interconnectivity of economies with his concept of flattening. Friedman states that Globalization 1.0 and 2.0 were driven primarily by European and American influences. However, Globalization 3.0 was being driven by more inclusive and diverse forces.
Friedman explains, “…the dynamic force in Globalization 3.0 – the force that gives it its unique character – is the newfound power for individuals to collaborate and compete globally.”
Therefore, individuals do not need to wait on their countries or businesses to ‘go global.’ Individuals can build their own personal brands globally with social media platforms like Facebook.
How can academic institutions in America best serve students in understanding the ramifications of globalization? Feel free to use your personal experiences as examples.
© 2012 by Daryl D. Green

EU globalization

Comments

20 responses to “Following the Path of Globalization”

August 23, 2012

brandy phillips

The globalization of the economy and its concomitant demands on the workforce requires a different education that enhances the ability of learners to access, assess, adopt, and apply knowledge, to think independently to exercise appropriate judgment and to collaborate with others to make sense of new situations(Singh N) If you bring home how this globalization affects the students with thier everyday life and bring in the impact of knowing what is going on in the world around them it will help students understand the ramifications of globalization
Singh N, a. P. (n.d.). Connexions Consortium. Retrieved August 20, 2012, from The Impacts of Globalization in higher education.

Reply
1. August 23, 2012
  
  nuleadership
  
  Brandy,
  Good thoughts indeeds!
  How do university’s use your theory in crafting student activities they can implement?
  Professor Green
  
  Reply
  1. September 12, 2012
    
    brandy phillips
    
    They have the Career fairs and business meetings. They have alumni meetings. Pellissippi did more than that of Lincoln Memorial University since they have festivals where the students got together to have fun and chat with each other from all grade levels. They also had the hot air balloon festival where alumni and local business people get together and mingle. I think our school does more for the main campus than what they do for the extended sites. I do think they need to do more on the extended sites. I did enjoy my times talking with the alumni that are from Pellissippi.
    reference:
    Pelleissippi State Community College webite cover page
    
    Reply
August 23, 2012

Chris Bryson

Chris Bryson
Universities should prepare students early for the possibility that their careers may take them to other parts of the world as business, society, and culture become not so distant from one another. On the flip side, the work force in America is going to become diverse as members from other countries come to America for work. Students looking to enter the work force must be willing to be flexible and adapt to career changes in order to be successful in todays job market. Universities should prepare students for the possibility that their careers could take them anywhere. All universities should add international business courses and courses that regularly discuss global economics to their curriculums. Universities such as Ferris State University are adapting their classes to that of a global economy. Ferris State University (2012) “encourages the design of courses and programs to address issues and needs of a globalized economy”. Professors should encourage students to take on internships that take them to companies that have corporate offices abroad, or maybe students should take at least one session to study abroad. The more universities discuss and integrate the topic of globalization into the classrooms the better prepared the students will be. Ferris State University (2012) states that they “create avenues for faculty, staff, and students to discuss and learn about globalization”. Universities could service students with career centers that help them locate work in the most popular job positions and could also give them advice/warning about how globalization can make the environment in which you work, job placement, and wages change dramatically. Professors and universities should encourage students to stay up to date with the current job markets and the needs of communities around the world so they can focus in specializing their degrees for those job markets. The better prepared students are about what they face in a global economy the more successful they can become.
Citations
Ferris State University. 2012.

Reply
1. August 23, 2012
  
  nuleadership
  
  Chris,
  Excellent points! Ferris State University has developed a special focus on the global economy.
  YET!!!!
  All: How do cash strapped universities offer a global experience such as study abroad programs to today’s college students?
  Professor Green
  
  Reply
  1. August 25, 2012
    
    Chris Bryson
    
    There are really only two options that I can see. One is the universities have to push the costs of the program onto the students, but in doing this the university is probably going to discourage students from taking part in the program. Option two is for the university to bring the global experience to the classroom or somewhere within the boundaries of the country. Universities can do this by locating employers with strong international ties, but have offices based within your country. If students can find internships with these companies it may give them the opportunity to see what it is all about to work with individuals on a global level. The University of Tennessee has devoted its time using career services to help find students internships locally and internationally. The University of Tennessee (2012) states “UT Career Services is proud to offer you this international career resource as part of our Ready for the World initiative. We encourage you to utilize the tools and resources available to you on this website to develop your global career skills”. A university may not be able to pay for the students to study abroad, but universities can take Tennessee’s approach and offer an abundant amount of resources to help students find great learning opportunities.
    Reference
    The University of Tennessee. 2012.
    
    Reply
2. August 25, 2012
  
  Kathy Gilbert
  
  Chris-
  I agree with the points that you listed. I also agree with what you said about the cost factor. Bisoux (2007) admitted that cost factors are a major consideration when setting up globally minded programs. I do feel that some of the financial burden could be lifted from college students if our society prepares them better for a global business place at a young age. Such as making foreign languages a requirement of schools to have this in place for kids at younger ages. That way they already have that piece of the puzzle done so that they will be competitive in the workforce.
  Reference: Bisoux, T. (2007, July/August). Global Immersion. Retrieved August 24, 2012, from http://www.butler.edu/modern-languages/websnap/documents/globalimmersion.pdf
  
  Reply
3. October 6, 2012
  
  Jodi Self
  
  I agree with your points about the change in the workforce in America. American students are ill prepared to compete with members from other countries.
  A survey conducted by National Geographic–Roper Public Affairs (2006) found that:
  • 3% of young American students could not locate Iraq on a map of the Middle East, “despite near-constant news coverage since the U.S. invasion of March 2003” (6).
  • 75% could not find Indonesia, Iran, or Israel on a map.
  • 18% correctly identified Mandarin Chinese as the world’s most commonly spoken native language, while 74% believed it to be English.
  • 29% correctly identified the United States as the world’s largest exporter of goods and services, while half thought it was China.
  In Sweden, surveys have indicated that 89% of young adults speak at least two languages, and 92% have ventured outside of their home country within the previous three years. In stark contrast, at the time of the survey, only 36% of young Americans spoke more than one language and a mere 22% had left U.S. soil in the preceding three years. In fact, only about 25% of all U.S. citizens have passports.
  The survey results speak volumes about the work we have to do in academia to have a better understanding of globalization and to become more competitive in a global workplace.
  National Geographic–Roper Public Affairs. (2006). Geographic Literacy Study: Final Report. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Retrieved from http://www.nationalgeographic.com
  
  Reply
August 24, 2012

Tammy Wallace

Students should learn about globalization well before college begins. As the world continues to change, so should the education system. Students need to be prepared for the real world and how globalization will affect them as working adults. They need to start learning other languages as early as elementary school and be proficient in them by middle school because communication is an important factor. With the growth of technology…smart phones, internet, facebook, ipads, etc., communication is becoming more impersonal. Face to face communication is a rarity among the youth of today. Some colleges even offer an online Speech class. While this cuts out the embarrassment of standing in front of the whole class; there’s no human connection. Friedman (2005) stated “The very technologies that are uniting us are also clearly dividing us. The same technologies that allow us to connect with each other as never before also allow us to interrupt each other as never before.” Technology is very convenient and completely necessary to operate in a global environment, but there comes a time when real face to face communication is vital and today’s youth should be taught the importance of both.
Citation: Friedman, T.L. (2005). The World Is Flat. New York, NY: Picador

Reply
1. August 24, 2012
  
  nuleadership
  
  Tammy,
  Excellent! Do you think it would be appropriate then for schools to start teaching a foreign language in K-2?
  If so, do you think taxpayers would want to pay for it since most Americans still don’t trust globalization?
  Professor Green
  
  Reply
  1. August 25, 2012
    
    Tammy Wallace
    
    Yes, I do believe it’s a good idea to teach foreign language in younger children, even before K-2 if possible,because younger children have a better ability to learn and retain the knowledge of what they’ve learned. “The researchers say that although language is thought to be mediated by functional changes in the brain, they show that being bilingual structurally changes the brain. Their study shows the effect was strongest in people who had learned a second language before age 5. Those who had learned at a young age had greater proficiency in reading, writing, talking, and understanding English speech.” (Mechelli, A. Nature, October 2004). Getting taxpayers to agree to this is another matter. While there is resistance in the present time, I do believe that given enough time people will be more open to the changes that are needed to survive in a global environment.
    
    Reply
2. August 27, 2012
  
  Chris Bryson
  
  I agree Tammy! I feel that the up and coming generation is completely dependent upon technology to communicate. Individuals are beginning to rely more and more on cell phones, ipads, and other forms of technology to communicate. It’s completely changed our culture. What is going to happen when these kids have job interviews? Are they going to know how to have a proper face-to-face communication or will they just fold under the pressure because they have never really had too? A few articles I have read have shown that principles at high schools are allowing students to use cell phones more at school. However administrators are seeing a type of addiction and even when they are talking to the students face -to-face the students are on their phones or ipads. Lisa Dorsey a counselor at Capital High School states “they don’t see it as disrespectful, but it is. That has kind of changed our culture as far as what is appropriate in a face-to-face conversation. To have someone interrupt it, because it is by phone, it’s acceptable.” Therefore in some cases is technology helping or hurting our culture?
  Reference
  Gregory, K. (2012). Social Media’s Impact of a Student’s School Life. Education News. Retrieved from http://www.educationnews.org/technology/social-medias-impact-on-a-student’s-school-life/
  
  Reply
August 24, 2012

Cindy King

The internet does allow everyone to be somewhat effected by globalization. It is not only Facebook and other social media sights, but also online market places. This can be a benefit for consumers, because it allows comparing prices much easier. It can also be beneficial for businesses, because it allows them to not only have a larger customer base, but at times sell their product to people all over the world. One more aspect of e-commerce is online auctions. As Pinker says, “Anyone with an Internet connection can become a merchant, and self-regulating trust mechanisms like buyer and seller rating systems allow transactions between geographically separated strangers” (2003). This means that two people on two different continents who have never met can do business, which is a great benefit of globalization. However, in an auction setting, globalization can be a disadvantage. If a person is trying to buy something on an online auction that is open to people all over the world, that may drive the price of the good up. So, the point is globalization can be beneficial and be a disadvantage to people involved.
Pinkler, E., Seidmann, A., Vakrat, Y. (2003). Managing Online Auctions: Current
Business and Research Issues. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lmunet.edu/stable/4133995

Reply
1. August 24, 2012
  
  nuleadership
  
  Cindy,
  Outstanding!
  So…do you feel it is also an advantage on an auction site because you got more choices now due to globalization?
  Professor Green
  
  Reply
August 24, 2012

Kathy Gilbert

New communication technology, such as Skype, and the Internet are available and the world is becoming a globally cohesive community. The historical us versus them concept is gone. To prepare our students to be forward thinkers we must embrace the concept of globalization ourselves and communicate this through our teaching processes. (Bisoux, 2007) expressed ways to accomplish this through universities developing international partnerships, form study groups that travel abroad as their classroom, strengthening faculty development with professors who bring real-life global business experience to the classroom, and develop an addition to the program that students must learn some kind of other language to become multilingual. However, the best laid plans always have obstacles. (Bisoux, 2007) points out the difficulty with staff development and studying abroad are financial considerations accompanying these ideas. In this chaotic economy is it a realistic thought that students will have the finances to be involved with these beneficial programs if they were put into place. This is a question that needs to be considered as universities strive to compete themselves in a global economic setting.
Reference: Bisoux, T. (2007, July/August). GlobalImmersion. Retrieved August 24, 2012, from http://www.butler.edu/modern-languages/websnap/documents/globalimmersion.pdf

Reply
1. August 25, 2012
  
  nuleadership
  
  Kathy,
  Great thoughts!
  Academia must embrace globalization first. Set the example!
  Professor Green
  
  Reply
August 25, 2012

Joshua Frye

Universities in the United States are playing key roles in developing the business leaders of the future. With globalization in full swing it is crucial for schools of higher education to develop curricula that are valid in the new world economy. However, as academic leaders make these decisions it is important that they maintain the teaching of the core competencies that allow graduating students to succeed in the basic business world. Topa (2010) states that “the realities of globalization have resulted in a common perception that “knowledge societies,” those that constantly develop new ideas, technologies, methods, products and services are crucial for future prosperity (p.216).” To this end, the basic business competencies that every business graduate needs for success remain the same regardless of where they will be practicing business. So the real change needs to come in our understanding of other cultures. This must start at the elementary level and some educators are realizing this. Almost every show my child watches has some form of reference to another country or culture. “Go, Diego, Go!” and “Toot and Puddle” are prime examples. These shows are starting our children on the correct path and our education system needs to follow suit.
Ţopa, R. (2010). INFLUENCES OF GLOBALIZATION UPON THE EVOLUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION. Managerial Challenges Of The Contemporary Society, (1), 215-218.

Reply
1. August 27, 2012
  
  nuleadership
  
  Joshua,
  Interesting outlook!
  Professor Green
  
  Reply
August 30, 2012

Maisrah

I agree with others that the students should learn about globalization well before college begins. And preparation and planning is a key part of the outcome measurement process. The better the planning, the more impact the outcome measurement will have on your organization and your organization’s bottom line. By the conclusion of this lesson you will be able to, understand how to identify measurable outcomes and outcome chains, Develop a logic model, Identify performance indicators and performance targets to support the outcome measurement process. As the world continues to change, so should the education system. Students need to be prepared for the real world and how globalization will affect them as working adults

Reply
October 6, 2012

Jodi Self

I believe academic institutions in American can best serve students in understanding the ramification of globalization if globalization is taught throughout a student’s academic career.
According to Zhao (2007):
American schools are not adequately preparing students to develop global knowledge and skills. According to the Committee for Economic Development (2006, 14), “Many American students lack sufficient knowledge about other world regions, languages and cultures, and as a result are likely to be unprepared to compete and lead in a global work environment” (p. 11).
Academic institutions in America should start with appropriate global concepts in kindergarten, and continue discussing age appropriate global concepts. I remember taking geography in high school. I thought it was dull and boring. I’m still geographically challenged today. Academia has to find a way to make it applicable, not rote memorization of what resources each state, region, and country produces. We have to move beyond test scores to real life application.
Zhao, Y. (2007). Education in the flat world: Implications of globalization on education. Edge, 2(4), (1-20). Retrieved from http://ott.educ.msu.edu

Reply