One of the main characteristics of modern large corporation is the method it functions, one of which being out sourcing. Outsourcing is defined as the management and/or day-to-day execution of an entire business function by a third party service provider. Outsourcing and out-tasking involve transferring a significant amount of management control to the supplier. The world is being shrinked down because of effective communication and infrastructure porvided by nations. This makes all the work much more effection.

In many modern establishments, this method has been very popular as it not only strengthen ties between nations, it also prove to be a cheaper alternative of labour. Unlike in previous post which I have mentioned shortage of labour hinder economic growth, this method can be seen as lack direct solution to lack of labour within the nation and employing foreign help. However the only difference is that the foreign help does not have to live in the nation itself. This is a win-win situation. Company in country A pays small administration fee to company under same/different branch in country B and have all their work done. Furthermore country B can benefit from the branch company from taxation and all because workers in the company is of that nationality. Workers thrive, company profit, country prosper, world economy is boosted. One such case could be the U.S. taxation company Deloitte. Many of the administrative work under Deloitte are outsourced to its India branch to help save cost and provide a living for the people in India as well.

Although this may seem like big corporation are trying to take advantage of low cost abroad, you may have to reconsider, if foreign money is not pumped into countries, is it still possible for a nation to grow? This can all be seen as another form of trade I would say, except in this case, it is country-corporate relationship but no country-country relationship. Nonetheless, this helps to promote ties between nations as well as often big corporations represent countries as well as they are sometimes seen as symbols of different nations.

R.B.Wong

Another phenomena that we are about to dig deeper into is the occurrence and concept of free trade. Free trade can be defined as follows, International trade of goods without tariffs (taxes on imports) or other trade barriers (e.g., quotas on imports) or the free movement of capital between countries. These trades transcend the sphere of control that a nation would usually have. Although this may seem to be handicapping the developing nations, it is actually not.

Due to the resources that these developing nations have, the cost of production would be low. Standard of living in these nations would initially be low; therefore cost of living will not be high. These leads to lower wage cost too. In this sense, cost production can be reduced. For instance China and Thailand are nations known for the low labour costs. International Corporations like Nike and Addidas are constantly pumping money into the countries market in a bid to bolster their economy. This also allows a nation to specialize in one aspect of good. “Analysis shows that free trade increases the global level of output because free trade permits specialization among countries. Specialization allows nations to devote their scarce resources to the production of the particular goods and services for which that nation has a comparative advantage. The benefits of specialization, coupled with economies of scale, increase the global production possibility frontier.” Adding to this, in order to attract more customers, goods produced are of highest quality and this would result in edge in competitiveness, which actually does well as a whole to nations.

Singapore also signed free trade agreement with China, India and more significantly the United States of America. It can be said as a win-win situation for parties involved, 1. infrastructure profits go to bolstering economy of nation, 2. nations can work hand in hand, ie. using resources from another nation for its own benefit. International trade is inevitable for economical growth in modern times and free trade is arguably the most effective way in helping a nation to flourish. More significantly because of the ties that these nations would have, it would lead to a more harmonious world as nations become more interdependent. War would in this case be disastrous.

R.B.Wong

If you simply check out the definition of globalization in economic terms it would be this, “the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services, free international capital flows”. Alright before we go in depth into the impact that globalization has on different nations and the world itself I would first like to state the intention of this post. This initial post is to discuss the effect that foreign labour has on nations as a result of globalization, with specific reference to Singapore.

Over the years there has been an increase in the influx foreign talents or foreign workers, whatever people would like to address them as. This external labour came in search of better jobs and better future for their children. In Singapore these external comes from mainly, Southeast Asia and other parts of Asia like China and India. Due to the low birth rate in the nation, thus leading to a lack of labour, importing them was the most ideal solution.

In order for a nation to be able to compete with other nations and attract foreign investors, infrastructure the determining factor, as compared to other factors like climate and temperature in this age of technological advances. One of the main components of the infrastructure is labour. In terms of providing monetary help, government aid and ports, Singapore can definitely meet the demand and up the standard. However one point is that though Singaporeans are skilled technically, there is a shortage of these labours. As mentioned, in order to stay competitive Singapore has to import these labours and true enough the results came. Foreign workers contributed over a third of the total growth in Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) over the last decade. Higher skilled foreign workers are estimated to have contributed 2.87 percentage points or 36.9 percent to the city state's total growth rate of 7.79 percent.

Globalisation aims to break down the barriers between nation and turn the world into a ‘global village’ as many have described. In this instance we can clearly see how this is gradually being achieved. The cycle of importing foreign labour would never stop, one because of the increasing world population and two the need to have vast resources ie. labour in order to stay competitive. The economical result achieved as can be seen in Singapore’s case is beneficial. Nonetheless there would be social problems that the government might need to solve as time progesses.

R.B.Wong

Before we can begin on discussing what effects of globalization are there, we must first understand what globalization is. IMF has defined globalization as "the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services, free international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology". However, globalization has not only allowed people to focus on the economy, but on many other aspects too. In my opinion, globalization would be the interdependence of countries worldwide, affecting the political, social, economical and cultural aspects of each country.

What country, people may ask, is affected by globalization? Of course, it would primarily involve the developed and more developed countries, because the greatest source of connection between countries would be the Internet and mass media, and only countries that can afford for almost 100% accessibilty to them would be more affected.

Having said, I will now focus on the implications on the cultural aspects in a country. It is not denied that globalization mainly boosts the economy of a country, however we do see that with all these changes in the economy, there would definitely bring about changes in the other aspects too. As a country develops, it would mean that they would have enough capital to build a better infrastructure, therefore being more involved in the interdependence between countries. Then, countries would feed on one another's economic development, to see the development of their own. It would, theoretically, be a cycle that benefits everyone involved. Unfortunately, this is not so.

The Internet, being one of the greatest causes of globalization, is a place where there is almost no control over what people gain access to. Just as they are the world's military superpower, the United States of America has not failed to dominate the Internet. While countries like Japan may be working on their technology and information systems, they have had no impact on America's steady "fortress". As for Europe, not only have they failed to build up their military, they also are not anywhere near Japan, in terms of achieving more in the information arena. Hence, it leaves America at the highest advantage for, probably, a long time. With its power, America takes advantage of the situation to practice cultural imperialism, which can also be seen as one way to preserve their economic status.

Being the superpower they are, America has gotten the upper hand when it comes to manipulating information put up on the Internet. Also, they have dominated the media through the release of Hollywood films. These are very effective methods of spreading their own culture and thus having veto power over the world’s culture. We can see from the world today, where people dress in t-shirt and jeans like how people in the States do; where people understand certain Spanish terms such as “adios” and “amigo”, even though they do not know the language. We see the assimilation of the American culture into the world; or rather it would possibly become “Americanization”, as what some people may call it.

Eventually, globalization would only serve as America’s stage to further substantiate their stand as the most powerful nation .

Globalization has affected many aspects of society, including cultural, economic and political. The major issue here is that the American society is being greatly affected by the Latin American one. Spanish being the second language taught most in schools is due to the fact that Spanish-speaking immigrants have the largest proportion in America. As the second cartoon comically implies, they have taken many jobs and are allowed many benefits native-born Americans are not. This will take its toll in the economy, as more funds have to be set aside for the welfare of the immigrants if the number that come, whether legally or illegally, increase drastically. To put it bluntly, the American society is afraid and worried that the immigrants that come will take all the opportunities (like jobs) away from them. Even though many immigrants are working in sectors undesirable to the local population, the fact remains that many Americans remain jobless due to the fact that foreign talent are willing to work for less. All this in turn has caused the government to focus their attention on the matter at hand and try to enact some policies regarding immigration.

Protecting the nation's self-interest and welfare is one of the government's obligations. If the American people are threatened, or are disadvantaged, by one party, it is a must for the government to try and reduce that threat. They are leaders of that nation, thus they are bound to prioritize their people's interest over any other's. Clearly, illegal immigration must be stopped, and building the fence and sending troops are some ways to do it. If America continues to turn a blind eye towards this issue, it will inevitably bite them back in the future. They will suddenly realize all the problems that arise due to the overwhelming number of immgrants that have no jobs, housing, education, or cause overcrowding in cities. I am not saying that immigrants are the main cause of problems in cities, I am stating that illegal immigration catalyzes the emergence of problems because they have not been properly documented, thus they do not get the same rights or assistance as everybody else. If anywhere along the road they need that help, they cannot get it from the government.

It is true that illegal immigrants have played a role in the economic sector; they have contributed greatly by working in businesses. However, entering another country illegally in the first place is already violating that country's sovereignty, as they do not respect the laws and regulations being upheld. Being caught can mean going either way: being jailed and/or deportation, or "amnesty". The chances are fifty-fifty, but in order to mantain a country that abides by the law, illegal immigrants have to be sent back.

As for the plan proposed by Bush to offer legal citizenship to those illegal immigrants already in the US, it has to ensure that they strictly meet the requirements. For example, the immigrants must already have jobs and the potential to sustain their lives in the US. Joblessness will only lead to social problems like stealing to make ends meet.

All in all, the interests of the people, in any country, are the utmost priority. It is true that the world is globalizing, but for now, the world has not become one global state.

Dimira (political expert)

It is also noteworthy to see that by doing business with Libya will impact the United State's economy. It is truly lucky that Libya, a major exporter of oil, is once again the US's ally in a period when oil prices are on the rise. The White House has denied claims that that was the real reason behind the reconciliation, but it makes one ponder if the promising drop on oil prices had anything to do with it. It would certainly be profitable to their economy, and now the US has another associate in its "fight against terrorism."

In conclusion, globalization is inevitable. However, what we see today is not called the spread of ideals or businesses from local markets to international ones, oh no, the globalization we see today is not even called Westernization. The globalization we see today is the called Americanization.

Dimira (political expert)

Terrorists are people who utilize the systematic use of violence and intimidation to achieve political objectives, while disguised as a civilian non-combatant. In the recent years, there has been an increase in the number of terrorist’s attack around the world. Words like “suicide bombings” and “al-qaeda” have become familiar phrase to you and me.

Now, with technology, terrorists are able to carry out their attacks much easier than before. Things like bombs and explosives can be detonated with the help of just one click on the phone. An example will be the bombing of the Australia embassy whereby the bomb was suspected to be detonated by a mobile phone.
Furthermore, discussion of plans can be discussed secretly without anyone finding out [it is impossible for the police and governments to track down or check on all conversations on the internet] By communicating through the internet, terrorists can no longer have to meet up secretly, risking bring followed or caught by the authorities. Therefore, technology has not only made carrying out of attacks easier, it has made it harder for the authorities to pin down the terrorists.

However, with technology, a new form of terrorists has arise --- techno-terrorist. As today’s technology-oriented countries rely on vulnerable computers and telecommunications systems to support their commercial and government operations, the threat of techno-terrorist has became a concern to businesses and government agencies throughout the world. This is so as the terrorists have the advantage of attacking these with little expense by a few people and yet cause a great deal of damage to the economy of a country. They can conduct such activities with little risk to themselves, because these systems can be attacked and destroyed from a base in a country that is friendly to them. In addition, they can do so with no loss of life; thus not causing the extreme backlash against them as would occur had they destroyed buildings, causing much loss of life.

These are some actual and potential techno-terrorist actions: [what I got from the internet]
• Terrorists, using a computer, penetrate a control tower computer system and send false signals to aircraft, causing them to crash in mid-air or fall to the ground.
• Terrorists use fraudulent credit cards to finance their operations.
• Terrorists penetrate a financial computer system and divert millions of dollars to finance their activities.
• Terrorists bleach $1 bills and, by using a color copier, reproduce them as $100 bills and flood the market with them to destabilize the dollar.
• Terrorists use cloned cellular phones and computers over the Internet to communicate, using encryption to protect their transmissions.
• Terrorists use virus and worm programs to shut down vital government computer systems.
• Terrorists change hospital records, causing patients to die because of an overdose of medicine or the wrong medicine. They may also change computerized tests and alter the results.
• Terrorists penetrate a government computer and causes it to issue checks to all its citizens.
• Terrorists destroy critical government computer systems processing tax returns.
• Terrorists penetrate computerized train routing systems, causing passenger trains to collide.
• Terrorists take over telecommunications links or shut them down.
• Terrorists take over satellite links to broadcast their messages over televisions and radios.

Therefore, from this, we can all see how technology has greatly benefited the terrorist and made it harder for us to pin down the terrorists. Not only has technology changed the way of the attacks carried out by terrorists, it has changed the type of attacks that the terrorists are able to carry out.

Jia He

As you can see in the two pictures above, it is the latest model of the “tablet pc” whereby the screen is able to turn and “transform” the pc into something like a writing pad. Not only does it facilitate the process of learning, it aids the student in various aspects like completing assignments, learning and etc. In TJC, wireless internet is provided. As the name implies, students are able to access the internet without any wire! Some benefits of using the tablet pc in schools includes: students are able to source for more information with the help of the internet, download the files [e.g. Assignments, project criteria, notes] from a specific website which saves both the teachers and students a great deal of time. Furthermore, students are able to take notes in class with the help of this tablet pc. The traditional way like taking out the pen and paper is no longer seen with the help of technology. Moreover, all TA students in TJC are required to have one tablet pc and this goes to show how technological globalisation are found even in schools. Lastly, TJC is not the only school which uses the tablet pc. Many other schools like Catholic High, are also using and benefiting from the tablet pcs!

As for students who do not have a computer, the school have computer labs like the one above catered for the better good of the students. Students will be able to surf the internet for more information so that they will be able to complete assignments.

JiA hE