The Student Room Group

Why do people believe globalisation is a good thing?

Why exactly is it a good thing to go to a shop (inside an Australian shopping mall chain) in the uk and buy an italian fashion brand tshirt made in China from Indian cotton? If it is cheaper shouldn't we ask ourselves why and what the hell is wrong with the world?

There is increasing unemployment across Europe as less and less real jobs are created, instead being replaced by worthless spreadsheet data input assistants and other pretentious bull**** work.

Why not reverse the impact of globalisation which has effectively done more damage than good and create local societies where everyone can contribute? Have everything made locally? and utilise the skills of everyone?

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Reply 1
This idealistically could be nice but I don't think it's going to happen any time soon.

To be honest, economically speaking, I'm pretty sure it's beneficial (potentially more so for some countries than others.) I do sometimes think it's a shame that a lot of unique cultures are being diluted by other cultures though.

Also, I heard North Korea are trying this out. Seems to work pretty well.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 2
yeah I know. **** the world. buy British!
*gets ready to give 30 hour international economics lecture*
Reply 4
Globalisation allows the specialisation of each country in different industries (e.g. UK in finance, China in manufacturing), and due to economies of scale, this helps to maximise the utilisation of the scarce resources of the world which is ultimately the goal of Economics?
Reply 5
Something about relative benefits or something...both countries benefit by exchanging what they can make cheaper rather than making everything in their own country at a larger expense. Took economics a while ago :redface:
Reply 6
Globalisation is a scam cooked up by the elites who want to ship their industries over to slave labour economies so they don't have to deal with trade unions.
Reply 7
This is exactly why there have been more and more people saying that we should buy local products and ever more frequent protest against the globalisation going on. From a capitalist perspective I do ythink you need to accept Globalisation as a necessity, we're never going to have an equal world... On the otherhand, morally it is clearly seriously flawed... I don't know the answer... care to enlighten me anyone?
Reply 8
Data entry isn't a good example of an outsource proof job... But yeah, We're going to end up with minimum wage cleaner and service sector jobs on the one hand and a few elite jobs paying over 60k on the other with nothing in the middle if we don't watch it.
Basically it's a racket thought up by the one percent to get the rest of us competing with the third world to sell our labour cheaply.
Reply 9
Original post by Joinedup
Data entry isn't a good example of an outsource proof job... But yeah, We're going to end up with minimum wage cleaner and service sector jobs on the one hand and a few elite jobs paying over 60k on the other with nothing in the middle if we don't watch it.
Basically it's a racket thought up by the one percent to get the rest of us competing with the third world to sell our labour cheaply.


The best part of this racket is, they convince everyone they will be in the ever-diminishing and ever-more-prosperous category of 'haves' rather than 'have-nots'. After all, we can all go to University and after University everyone is prosperous... Or rather, after University nobody wants to work at McDonalds or in a cleaning job, which means we need more and more Eastern Europeans here to enthusiastically pick up the slack and keep inflation down, which makes the rich even richer. And the cycle goes on and on... No future generation will ever believe ANYONE from among them will ever be a have-not.
Reply 10
[QUOTE="Toppy;37105919"]This idealistically could be nice but I don't think it's going to happen any time soon.

To be honest, economically speaking, I'm pretty sure it's beneficial (potentially more so for some countries than others.) I do sometimes think it's a shame that a lot of unique cultures are being diluted by other cultures though.

Also, I heard North Korea are trying this out. Seems to work pretty well.[/QUOTE]

Yes and look at how the West is bullying them and forcing them into compiance with western values and standards (which are shockingly low).

Original post by Bill_Gates
*gets ready to give 30 hour international economics lecture*


I'm sure it could be summarised easily enough.

Original post by Solid425
Globalisation allows the specialisation of each country in different industries (e.g. UK in finance, China in manufacturing), and due to economies of scale, this helps to maximise the utilisation of the scarce resources of the world which is ultimately the goal of Economics?


If the UK 'specialises' in finance then judging by the near recent collapse and complete failure of the current system we aren't very competent are we? I would hardly say we specialise in this, it's more a case that we have placed money and selfish gain above everything else (the common good, the environment, other people etc.

Besides, China does not specialise in manufacturing. Being exploited does not equal specialisation. It's been people like yourself who are dragging this country and world down.
I'm sure it could be summarised easily enough.



30 Hours is summarised.
Original post by ugk4life
yeah I know. **** the world. buy British!



Original post by natchina
Globalisation is a scam cooked up by the elites who want to ship their industries over to slave labour economies so they don't have to deal with trade unions.


No, just no. Neither of you obviously understand that lower living costs in the far east enable them to keep wages down, thus making it cheaper to have your product made there and shipped back. If we go for mass manufacturing goods in the UK, the price of the end product will be greatly increased, which considering that most of us are alreadly feeling squeezed at the best of times, means that people are even less likely to buy them, preventing profits and forcing up prices again just so companies can break even.
Reply 13
As a previous poster said, the benefits are all due to specialisation. If we simplify it right down and imagine three people stranded on an island we can see the benefits. Imagine they need to find food, collect water and build shelters. If each person tries to all three, they won't get good at any of them and it'll be harder work than if one person finds the food, one person collects the water and the other builds the shelters.

This is all globalisation is - just on a massive scale. As the costs of globalisation have decreased (eg transport costs) the benefits become more worthwile, and we see more specialisation and trade than we did 100 years ago.
Reply 14
Original post by CRHarrison
No, just no. Neither of you obviously understand that lower living costs in the far east enable them to keep wages down, thus making it cheaper to have your product made there and shipped back. If we go for mass manufacturing goods in the UK, the price of the end product will be greatly increased, which considering that most of us are alreadly feeling squeezed at the best of times, means that people are even less likely to buy them, preventing profits and forcing up prices again just so companies can break even.



so how did britain manage when it manufactured its own goods? are you saying no one brought them?


if britain still had its industries, then people would be in work, and the country would be a lot wealthier, thus people would be able to afford slightly more expensive goods.

you have a very naive view of why big companies really send their jobs oversees. it happened because of greed and short term profits for their shareholders and the easiest way to do this was by shipping industry abroad to slave labour economies.

long term, britain has been impoverished by globalisation. our economy now depends on personal debt and the buying of these cheap foreign goods with that debt.




its been a disaster.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 15
OTOH one of the benefits is that countries that trade heavily tend not to fight actual shooting wars against eachother... one of the reasons the EU was set up.

suppose we benefit from having less wars at the cost of the populations being forced to undercut each other on wages.
Reply 16
Original post by MTR_10
Why exactly is it a good thing to go to a shop (inside an Australian shopping mall chain) in the uk and buy an italian fashion brand tshirt made in China from Indian cotton? If it is cheaper shouldn't we ask ourselves why and what the hell is wrong with the world?


That action isn't good nor bad; what's good about globalisation is that it gives us choice in who we trade with, hence allowing us to make better trades.

There is increasing unemployment across Europe as less and less real jobs are created, instead being replaced by worthless spreadsheet data input assistants and other pretentious bull**** work.

Why not reverse the impact of globalisation which has effectively done more damage than good and create local societies where everyone can contribute? Have everything made locally? and utilise the skills of everyone?


Globalisation hasn't done more damage than good; it has benefitted billions of people. Why should everything be made locally? How exactly are people contributing if they are doing a redundant job? If free trade is prevented then we will definitely have less freedom and less wealth.
Reply 17
Original post by Solid425
Globalisation allows the specialisation of each country in different industries (e.g. UK in finance, China in manufacturing), and due to economies of scale, this helps to maximise the utilisation of the scarce resources of the world which is ultimately the goal of Economics?


For how long?
Reply 18
Original post by natchina
so how did britain manage when it manufactured its own goods? are you saying no one brought them?


The cost of living at those times several times higher than it is now. We did not have mass consumption on the scale we do now. In 1912 Britain may have been the richest country that had ever existed, but compared to Britain today it would be considered poverty stricken.

if britain still had its industries, then people would be in work, and the country would be a lot wealthier, thus people would be able to afford slightly more expensive goods.


Britain does still have its industries; they have been badly affected by the recession but they will recover. If you actually look ata graph of the UK manufacturing index it reached its highest point in history just before the recession. The decrease in manufacturing employment is due to mechanisation - not outsourcing.

you have a very naive view of why big companies really send their jobs overseas. it happened because of greed and short term profits for their shareholders and the easiest way to do this was by shipping industry abroad to slave labour economies.


Actually its for long term profits; building a factory is not a short term investment. And without those companies investing in India and China billions of people would be much poorer than they are now.

long term, britain has been impoverished by globalisation. our economy now depends on personal debt and the buying of these cheap foreign goods with that debt.


No it hasn't; it has been "impoverished" (if that can be applied to a nation as wealthy as ours) by the gigantic government which consumes half of the nation's production and interferes with all business here.
Reply 19
Original post by Nick100
That action isn't good nor bad; what's good about globalisation is that it gives us choice in who we trade with, hence allowing us to make better trades.

Globalisation hasn't done more damage than good; it has benefitted billions of people. Why should everything be made locally? How exactly are people contributing if they are doing a redundant job? If free trade is prevented then we will definitely have less freedom and less wealth.


Better trades for whom exactly? Is that what we should be prioritising as a culture? Good trade and profit over human well being and sustainability?

Redundant jobs only come about when the sole focus is profit. We need to transfer the attitude and philosophy towards society and business in the west. Perhaps we should value duty, integrity and responsibility over short term profit?

It's not about prevention as much as it is about self discipline and education in the value of society and culture (something the UK is lacking).

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