I

NTRODUCTION TO
THE STUDY OF
GLOBALIZATION

Bachelor of Science
Bulacan Date Developed:
JULY 2020
in Accounting Polytechni Date Revised: Page 1 of 3
Information Systems c
College
THE
CONTEMPORARY Document Developed by:
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 Information Sheet TCW 113-1

THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Learning Objectives:
After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be able to:
1. Differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization
2. Identify the underlying philosophies of the varying definitions of
globalization
3. Agree on a working definition of globalization for the course

INTRODUCTION

Much has changed since time immemorial. Human beings have

encountered many changes over the last century especially in their
relationships and social structures. Of these changes, one can say that
globalization is a very important change, if not, the “most important” (Bauman
2013). The reality and omnipresence of globalization make us see ourselves as
part of what we refer to as the “global age” (Albrow 1996). The internet, for
example, allows a person from the Philippines to know what is happening to
the rest of the world simply by browsing Google. The mass media also allowed
for further connections of people, communities, and countries all over the
globe.

What is globalization? This question is probably an easy one to answer.

However, many scholars gave and continue to formulate definitions of it. This
resulted to different, sometimes contradicting views about the concept. It
cannot be contained within a specific time frame, all people, and all situations.
Aside from this, globalization encompasses a multitude of processes that
involve the economy, political systems, and culture. Social structures,
therefore, are directly affected by globalization.

Bachelor of Science
Bulacan Date Developed:
JULY 2020
in Accounting Polytechni Date Revised: Page 2 of 3
Information Systems c
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THE
CONTEMPORARY Document Developed by:
No. ROCELLA J. Revision # 0
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 Over the years, it has gained many connotations pertaining to progress,
development, and integration. On the one hand, it can be said that some view
globalization to be positive phenomenon. For instance, Swedish Journalist
Thomas Larsson (2001) saw globalization as “the process of world shrinkage of
distances getting shorter, things moving closer. It pertains to the increasing
ease with which somebody on one side of the world can interact, to mutual
benefit with somebody on the other side of the world.”

The Task of Defining Globalization

Why are we going to spend time studying this concept?

How can we appreciate these definitions?

How can these help us understand globalization?

Firstly, defining globalization is shaped by the perspective of the person

who defines it. The overview of definitions implied that globalization is many
things to many different people. In 1996, Arjun Appadural said, “globalization
is a ‘world of things’ that have ‘different speeds, axes, points of origin and
termination, and varied relationships to institutional structures in different
regions, nations, societies.”

Second, to paraphrase the sociologist Cesare Poppi: globalization is the

debate and the debate is globalization. One became part and parcel of the
other. As Poppi (1997) wrote: “The literature stemming from the debate on
globalization has grown in the last decade beyond any individual’s capability of
extracting a workable definition of the concept. In a sense, the meaning of the
concept is self- evident, in another, it is vague and obscure as its reaches are
wide and constantly shifting. Perhaps, more than any other concept,
globalization is the debate about it.”

Thirdly, globalization is reality. It is changing as human society develops.

It has happened before and is still happening today. We should expect it to
continue to happen in the future.

Overall, globalization is a concept that is not easy to define because in

reality, defining globalization has a shifting nature.

Bachelor of Science
Bulacan Date Developed:
JULY 2020
in Accounting Polytechni Date Revised: Page 3 of 3
Information Systems c
College
THE
CONTEMPORARY Document Developed by:
No. ROCELLA J. Revision # 0
WORLD FUENTES
c/o Admin