by Siew Cheng Hoe

Created on: June 20, 2009   Last Updated: July 11, 2009

Practically everyone benefits from globalization in some ways. It does not matter where you stay, whether you stay in Africa, Asia, North America or Middle East, you benefit from globalization in many ways. However, globalization is a double edge sword. You get hurt from globalization in other ways too.

Before we look into how you benefits from globalization, let us look into the meaning of globalization.

Simply state, globalization brings the world together. Internet is a tool of globalization. Images load into Internet reach out to the audience from all parts of the world. From the comfort of your home, you can witness the devastating effort of earthquake in other location. You see the tears of the injured. You feel the pain that they feel. That is globalization. The Internet brings the world into your home.

Globalization takes jobs away from the people living in developed countries into developing countries. Those workers in developing countries benefit from the vacancies open to them. Those workers in developed countries lose the jobs, but benefit from the cheaper products in supermarket.

Globalization enables transfer of technology and knowledge across international border. The medical breakthrough in one country benefits the patients in another country. A medical team in one country can help the medical community in another country to improve on surgical procedure.

Globalization enables the ease of transfer of knowledge, enabling universities to reach out to more students via online learning mode. It is not necessary for students to attend lessons in physical classroom. Students living in other parts of the world can learn the same material as those in campus. Students benefit from each other.

When students from different part of the world come together, they bring with them different perspectives, different cultural backgrounds, and different application of knowledge. All the students in this virtual classroom benefit from the lively discussion and exchange of viewpoints. The universities benefit from higher enrolments, and that means more income.

The live broadcast of sport events, especially Olympics and World Cup, is another way that people benefits from globalization. Through improvements in technology, the world gathers for the opening of the Olympics. The world learns about the culture of the hosting country. The world witnesses the record breaking at various sport competitions.

A football fan watches the live broadcast in the afternoon, while another football fan watches the live broadcast in the middle of the night. Even though both live world apart, both share the joy of watching the sport from the comfort of the house. Both of them benefit from technology that makes globalization possible.

Companies benefit from globalization. They make products in one country, and can sell to the buyers throughout the world. Even when multinational companies move the manufacturing plant from home country to other country, the shareholders in the home country benefit from better bottom line, and higher dividends.

If you think that you do not benefit from globalization, do look at all the things in your house. Where do they come from? Where do the coffee beans come from? Where does your watch come from? Where does your car come from? Where does the teddy bear come from?

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