Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 12

Sociology - Essay Example This globalization process has been strongly debated in the media, political and social circles for the past several years. If one includes colonialism as an ancestor of the process, one could say the debate has raged for generations. The International Monetary Fund defines globalization as â€Å"a historical process† involving â€Å"the increasing integration of economies around the world, particularly through trade and financial flows† (International Monetary Staff 2002). Globalization is typically considered a necessary and unavoidable process leading to future world economic development. However, many have criticized the process because it tends to exacerbate present inequalities that exist within and between nations, threatens the employment and living standards of individuals in all countries and prevents the natural social progress with which each of these countries have been engaged. It seems clear that even though the process is unlikely to change or to reverse , very few people are likely to benefit from the process called globalization. The ways in which many organizations conduct business have changed dramatically under the concept of globalization. It is the survival strategy of the marketplace to continuously strive to increase efficiency within the workplace by producing the greatest quantity of products with the least expenditure of resources. As globalization continues, this is also changing the way in which companies conduct business, such as through the concept of the value-added chain. â€Å"In its most basic form, a value-added chain is ‘the process by which technology is combined with material and labor inputs, and the processed inputs are assembled, marketed, and distributed† (Gereffi, Humphrey & Sturgeon, 2005). By outsourcing many activities and production processes to less developed countries and marketing to more developed countries, many corporations have also