NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
After the break-up of Soviet Union, globalization accelerated through the world. It includes the increasing integration of countries' individual economies, the rise in the world trade and multinational companies and the effect of large sums of money moving in and out of economies. People around the globe are more connected to each other then ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent.
International communication is commonplace. This phenomenon has been titled "globalization." Not only the term of globalization has increased since last years, but also anti-globalization has appeared and is still increasing. Anti-globalization is the umbrella term for a group of different protest causes, including: environmentalism, third world debt, animal rights, child labor, anarchism, and anti-capitalism and opposition to multinationals. The most attacked institutions of anti-globalization protests have been especially World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank. As the big businesses are growing all around the world, anti-global activities and protests also increasing their level of intensity and violence.
Together with the collapse of communism raised the companies that expanded their sphere of business all over the world. Since the meetings of international monetary, trade and environmental organizations incited little or no interest in the past, at the present times; they are drawing the attention of thousands of anti-globalization activists. Large corporations with international undertakings stand accused of social injustice, unfair working conditions (including slave labor wages, living and working conditions), as well as lack of concern for environment, mismanagement of natural resources, and ecological damage. However, protest objectives extend beyond the claimed corporate impropriety. Multinational economic institutions, such as the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, are seen as establishing, monitoring, and rendering judgments on global trade practices, and are viewed as the spearheads of economic globalization. These institutions, considering being the servants of corporate interests, exercising more power than elected governments and interested only in the profit motive, have increasingly become principal demonstrating targets.
Although multinational corporations and international trade institutions are the subject of criticism, not all observers share a negative perspective. Many commentaries are published which speak in favor of beneficial and positive accomplishments, especially in relation to the international institutions. For instance, free trade positively contributes to overall development of the world. Global free trade promotes global economic growth, it creates jobs, makes companies more competitive, and lowers prices for consumers. It also provides poor countries, through infusions of foreign capital and technology, with the chance to develop economically and by spreading prosperity creates the conditions in which democracy and respect for human rights may flourish. Unfortunately, anti-globalists do not see the good sides of globalization and they argue that economic growth does not necessary make people happier, and often makes them miserable; that institutions like World Bank have made the rich richer while making the norwich poorer; that conventional idea of free trade are wonderful for managers and stockholders, but hell on workers and nature; and that a turn away the accumulation of things and toward more humane pursuits would be highly welcome (Korea, 2001).
New tactics and technologies have radically changed the face of protest activity and generated renewed life in the reality of demonstrations. Gone are old-style gatherings confined to waving placards and banners, declaiming speakers, and moderate controlled matches in specific locations. Today's demonstrations resurrecting the anarchist theme of 'direct action' employ a host of novel methodologies that have given a whole new complexion to the nature of the protests. The development of implementation of new tactics is a result of the impact of new technology and the ability of organizers to use it to their best advantage. The Internet has the greatest impact on these changes because it enables to organizers quickly and easily arrange demonstrations and protests. Individuals and groups are now able to establish dates, share experience, accept responsibilities, arrange logistics, and initiate myriad of other tasking that would have been impossible to manage readily and rapidly in the past.
International protests and demonstrations can be organized for the same date and time, so that a series of protests take place in concern. Furthermore, it is a very cheap way of communication. Opponents of globalization say it leads to exploitation of the world's poor, workers, and environment. They say it makes it easier for rich companies to act with less accountability.
They also claim that countries individual cultures are becoming overpowered by Americanization. One of the examples how to explain what anti-globalists are fighting against is WTO, the target of anti-globalization protests. According to anti-globalists there are several reasons why to oppose the World Trade Organization. This institution covers all negative features which anti-global activists groups protest. 1. The WTO only serves the interests of multinational corporation. According to anti-global activists, the WTO is not a democratic institution, because their rules are written by and for corporations with inside access to the negotiations.
The US Trade Representative relies on its 17 "Industry Sector Advisory Committees" to provide input into trade negotiations. Citizen input by consumer, environmental, human rights and labor organizations is consistently ignored. 2. The WTO tramples over labor and human rights Potential solutions to labor and human rights abuses are blocked by the WTO, which has ruled that is: 1) illegal for a government to ban a product based on the way it is produced (i. e. with child labor); and 2) governments cannot take into account the behavior of companies that do business with vicious dictatorship such as Burma. 3. The WTO is the enemy for environment The WTO calls hard-won environmental protections "barriers to trade", and uses corporations to dismantle them.
The WTO is currently negotiating an agreement that would eliminate tariffs on wood product, which would increase the demand for timber escalates deforestation. 4. The WTO is killing people The WTO's fierce defense of intellectual property rights-patents, copyrights and trademarks-comes at the expense of health and human lives. The organization's support for pharmaceutical companies against governments seeking to protect their people's health has had serious implications for places like sub-Saharan Africa, where 80 per cent of the world's new AIDS cases are found. The US government, on behalf of US drug companies, is trying to block developing countries access to less expensive, generic, life-saving drugs. For example, the South African government has been threatened with a WTO challenge over proposed national health laws that would encourage the use of generic drugs, ban the practice of manufacturers offering economic incentives to doctors who prescribe their products and institute "parallel importing, " which allows companies to import drugs from other countries where the drugs are cheaper. 5. The WTO is increasing inequality Free trade is not working for the majority of the world.
During the most recent period of rapid growth in global trade and investment, 1960 to 1998, inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. The UN Development Program reports that the richest 20 per cent of the world's population consume 86 percent of the world's resources while the poorest 80 per cent consume just 14 per cent. 6. The WTO undermines national sovereignty WTO has supranational court system with the power to economically sanction countries to comply with its rulings. For the past nine years, the European Union has banned beef raised with artificial growth hormones. The WTO recently ruled that this public health law is a barrier to trade and should be abolished. The EU has to rollback its ban or pay stiff penalties.
McDonald's is one of the most criticized companies by anti globalists who reproach corporation's low wages, advertising practices, involvement in deforestation, harvesting of animals, and promotion of junk food and an unhealthy diet. There were several trials between McDonald's and activists and it did not matter whether activist had won or not, because both cases negatively influenced the good name of the corporation. Activists claim that McDonald's is selling junk food that is overly saturated with salt, sugar, and fats, producing high cholesterol (Kellner, 2001). Moreover, this food is over priced and it destroys traditions like home cooking, individualized family restaurants, and a balanced and healthy diet.
McDonald's is multinational corporation that does not customize its products and because of its enormous growth all around the worth, McDonald's is the paradigm of mass homogeneity, sameness, and standardization which erases individuality, specificity and difference. Big protests against McDonald's caused its Happy Meals that includes small toys based on characters from Disney films. First, Disney toys from Happy Meals were used as effective advertising that is targeted at children. Activists suppose this as very unethical way of how to gain because children are easy to influence and they do not understand to ads; they just see a nice toy they want.
Because Disney toy cannot be bought separately, it has to be bought together with hamburger, French fries and cola, so a child is force to eat unhealthy food if s / he wants a toy. Second, Disney toys for McDonald's are produced in Asiatic countries with cheap labor. For example, in Vietnamese factory young women (between 17 - 20 years) are working shifts of nine to ten hours a day, seven days a week. Wage rates average between six and eight cents an hour what is less than she needs for food per one day. W...
Free research essays on topics related to: international monetary fund, junk food, economic growth, world trade organization, child labor
Research essay sample on International Monetary Fund World Trade Organization
