Globalisation (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Economics)

Revision Note

Globalisation

  • Globalisation is the economic integration of different countries through increasing freedoms in the cross-border movement of people, goods/services, technology and finance

  • This integration of global economies has impacted national cultures, spread ideas, speeded up industrialisation in developing nations and led to de-industrialisation in developed nations

  • Globalisation has been increasing for thousands of years - it is not a new phenomenon

  • Improvements in technology and the speed of global connections have exponentially increased the level of interdependence between nations in the past 50 years

  • Consumers now source products globally recognising global brands wherever they travel  

The Four Main Characteristics of Globalisation

1. Increasing foreign ownership of companies

2. Increasing movement of labour and technology across borders

3. Free trade in goods/services

4. Easy flows of capital (finance) across borders

Multi National Corporations (MNCs)

  • A multinational corporation is business that has production facilities in two or more countries e.g. Apple

  • Globalisation has made it easier for firms to do business on a global scale and the number and size of MNCs continues to increase

  • There are advantages and disadvantages linked to the economic activity of MNCs, both in their home country as well as in their host country

The Advantages and Disadvantages of MNCs

 The Advantages of MNCs

  1. Economies of scale: as they operate globally they are able to increase their output and benefit from lowered costs created by economies of scale

  2. Increased profit: much of their profit is sent back to their home country. This point is debatable as many MNCs have offshore bank accounts and do not bring the profit back home

  3. Create employment: new jobs are created in host countries each time a new facility is setup and this raises income which helps to improve the standard of living in that country

  4. New markets: MNCs can identify potential markets and begin to sell there

  5. Transportation costs: MNCs are able to setup facilities closer to their customers which reduces transportation costs

  6. Risk management: By selling in many national markets, the risk of failure is reduced e.g. if Egypt goes through a recession (with sales falling there), then this could be less impactful due to rising sales in a strong German market

  7. Tax incentives: MNCs are able to increase their profits by setting up in countries with low corporation tax - or countries that offer MNCs a tax break (no tax) for their first 5-10 years of operation

  8. Avoidance of protectionism: MNCs can establish bases in countries that are operating protectionistmeasures and by doing so, they avoid the measures e.g. a Chinese MNC may setup in the USA and produce there, thus avoiding import tariffs on  their products exported from China to the USA

 
The Disadvantages of MNCs

Worker exploitation

Resource plundering

Political power

  • Many MNCs provide poor working conditions and pay very low (sweatshop) wages

  • Many MNCs extract large quantities of host nation natural resources providing very little compensation/payment

  • Many MNCs enjoy revenue that is higher than the GDP of the host nation and this gives them immense political power which can be used to their advantage

Reduce competition

Lack of local knowledge/culture

Over reliance on MNCs for jobs

  • MNCs are so large that they can out-compete domestic firms in the host country

  • This puts many firms out of business and reduces competition in that country and may increase unemployment

  • This may result in problematic local relationships or flawed advertising campaigns or product offerings

  • Many developing nations have an over-reliance on MNCs to provide jobs for their citizens

  • If the MNC leaves it creates significant unemployment

Diseconomies of scale

 Exchange rate fluctuations

Negative Externalities

  • The challenges of operating a business over different time zones and cultures can create significant diseconomies of scale

  • Unexpected exchange rate fluctuations can have severe impacts on the costs and profits of MNCs

  • MNCs are associated with many negative externalities of production in developing countries

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