blogsbyvishal

[blogsbyvishal]

Personal Takeaways from Globalization 1A03

As this semester is soon coming towards an end, I will be focusing this blog post towards the course Globalization 1A03 and not only what I was able to learn, but how some of my views and opinions shifted from diving into a much broader scope of globalization that I never thought twice about prior to this course.

At the beginning of this course, I already had an understanding of globalization and its importance, but in the past I had only learned about the positive aspects and was under the impression that globalization only benefited our community and world. During the first discussion post of this term, my mindset quickly changed as I had now learned about the anti-globalization arguments and the negative impacts globalization brings towards local economies. I very much agree with the key claim of anti-globalization being that the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer. This has clearly been shown throughout the covid-19 pandemic with big corporations such as Amazon seeing it’s highest profitable year in history, while small local businesses are struggling to survive. I think it was very beneficial to have taken this course during a pandemic because it became increasingly clear to see the effects of globalization in my everyday life.

Another big takeaway I gained from this course, is learning the importance of being a global citizen. With the rise of globalization and technology, it is now easier than ever before to be a global citizen and have awareness of what is going on around the world. Being in quarantine for a majority of the past 8 months and still being able to stay in constant communication with people around the world proves that as a global society we are moving closer and closer into a borderless world, a world where distance becomes less of a restriction to connect with each other and create global movements to fight for justice in terms of global issues such as racial equality, world peace and climate change.

One last thing that stood out to me was how my opinion recently changed during tutorial, discussing volunteer tourism. I would never have thought there would be any criticism against volunteer tourism but now I can clearly see why it may be problematic as it truly does benefit western cultures more than host countries. I can now see that it is often done for the wrong reasons and by individuals who volunteer for their own benefits such as resume experience. Volunteerism also spreads westernization while diminishing the host countries culture, only for volunteers to then leave once their trip is “over” without thinking about how the community members will eventually become helpless again. In my opinion this system needs a drastic change and as discussed in class, volunteers should be working out of the goodness of their hearts and striving to make change in host countries and empower leaders to continue the change, volunteer programs should also keep track of progress to ensure goals are being met.

In conclusion, I am very grateful I took this course as it truly opened my eyes and expanded my mindset to think about globalization as a whole in a much broader scope to learn both the benefits but also the downside. In the future I will continue to grow my character as a global citizen and also promote the importance of global citizenship to others.

[blogsbyvishal]

Closures of Small Businesses

Throughout the course of this pandemic, we have seen a consistent loss of one important sector within our economy and that is small businesses. When the pandemic first began, we saw some of our favourite local shops and restaurants temporarily close, but now nine months into the pandemic we have seen those small businesses permanently close and with the second wave among us, the closures will continue to be drastic to our economy and local communities. With Toronto restaurants already suffering to survive with the restrictions they’ve faced such as indoor dining closures, they are now moving into a red zone followed by Peel, Hamilton, York and Halton. It’s anticipated that there will be another heavy wave of small businesses that are forced to shut down for good.

It’s crucial to realize how important this sector is and why it can affect millions of people in just Ontario alone. Small and medium size businesses make up 98% of Ontario’s 382000 businesses and together, these small businesses employ over 2.9 million Ontrarians, which is around half of all employment in Ontario. During the course of this pandemic, while independent businesses owners have been struggling to stay afloat, corporations such as Costco, Walmart and Amazon have found great success and will continue to benefit while millions of local people suffer. 

The suffering of small businesses during this pandemic proves the key claim for antiglobalization as discussed in this course, being that the rich continue to get richer, while the poor get poorer. This also goes against the key claim for the pro globalization side as they argue that globalization benefits everyone, but as we can clearly see, it's the independently owned domestic businesses that are suffering as they can no longer afford to keep their operations running, resulting in lower and middle class Canadians losing jobs while noncanadian companies are striving in Canada due to the power of globalization.

In conclusion, as globalization increases, more businesses enter local markets which creates a competition for business that small businesses often lose due to lack of financial resources. This pandemic was just the final boiling point for small businesses as they’ve already been suffering for years. So although there are many positive things globalization brings towards our global economy, it's important that we also realize and account for the negative effects globalization has on local small businesses which are often the heart of communities around Ontario. With high rent prices, and a further drop in business, it will be a very long and tough road for small businesses, especially in the Toronto area, to make it out of the challenges they’re facing and as a result our economy will severely suffer.

By: Vishal Joshi

                                                 Work Cited

Slaughter, Graham. “New Closures Will Be 'Fatal' for Thousands of Small Businesses, Advocate Warns,” November 12, 2020. https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/new-closures-will-be-fatal-for-thousands-of-small-businesses-advocate-warns-1.5184987.

“Small Business Sector: Meeting Report.�� ontario.ca. Accessed November 17, 2020. https://www.ontario.ca/page/small-business-sector-meeting-report.

[blogsbyvishal]

2020 Presidential Election

For most countries, national elections don’t come across as global events, but America is an exception of that as this year's national election will not only impact America, but the after effects of the election will be seen within communities around the world. The 2020 United States presidential election is scheduled for November 3rd with the two major party candidates being Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.

With the rise of globalization, America as a nation has become a global leader, with the world's strongest economy as the USD is involved within nine out of 10 currency transactions around the globe. The days where the national election would only affect its own country are long gone, as discussed in class, we are moving towards a “borderless world”- a world with less restrictions due to borders, a world which allows for a heavy increase in opportunities for business, politics, travel and leisure. Regardless of the outcome on Tuesday's election, we will see an uproar from around the world as the news sets in on whether or not Donald Trump will be in office for the next four years. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already publicly stated “I think we’re certainly all hoping for a smooth transition or a clear result from the election, like many people are around the world. If it is less clear, there may be some disruptions and we need to be ready for any outcomes, and I think that’s what Canadians would expect of their government, and we’re certainly reflecting on that.” The ideology of Global Imaginary that we learned in this course  also comes into play with this election. This mindset is within people all around the world, hence why this election is being broadcasted around the world, because with the rise of Global Citizens, more and more people are starting to learn about and care for what's happening within other states in the world. Global Imaginary has allowed us to build a community with people we don’t even know, this is because globalization has allowed us to create shared values regarding international politics, news, and values.  

Now more than ever, we as individuals are able to naturally start thinking globally, which in this case means thinking about a situation which will affect the entire globe. Regardless of one's political views, this powerful election will shape the future of not only America, but our global environment and community, such as how nations interact with one another when dealing with business or even social issues such as racism and climate change. Although this is the United States presidential election, it isn’t just the Americans that care... the whole world is watching.

Thanks for reading!

- Vishal Joshi

                                                    Work Cited

Election Watch 2020: The global impact of the US election. (n.d.). Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealth-management/chief-investment-office/market-insights/regional-outlook/us-elections/2020/the-global-impact-of-the-us-election.html

Estrada, M. (2020, October 30). COMMENTARY: Whoever wins, the U.S. election will significantly impact Canada. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://globalnews.ca/news/7427699/us-election-impact-on-canada/

Verrender, I. (2020, November 01). No matter who wins the US election, it will have a major long-term impact on us and the rest of the world. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-02/how-the-us-election-will-affect-australia-world-economy/12837264

World watches the U.S. vote: Why the election matters everywhere. (n.d.). Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/world-watches-us-vote-trump-biden-election/

[blogsbyvishal]

How Globalization Has Impacted Nike

Hello Everybody, and welcome to my first blog post for Globalzn 1A03! I think these blogs will really help us all connect, and solidify our knowledge of globalization by learning new perspectives and applying it outside of the classroom.

When I first began this assignment, I couldn’t think of anything that was specific to me and enticed me enough to actually blog about. This was until yesterday while I was walking to campus to get some work done. As I was walking, I was still thinking of different ideas to potentially blog about, then I noticed that I was wearing Nike products head to toe. At this moment I knew that this coincidence was going to be the topic of my first blog post. 

While I’m sure many of you are familiar with Nike, even I was amazed by how global Nike’s operations actually are. Firstly, to break down my outfit I was wearing three Nike products which happened to all be made in three separate countries. I was wearing a hoodie made in Honduras, pants made in Sri Lanka, and then finally shoes made in China. Globalization has allowed me to find all of these items at my local Nike store in Vaughan, Ontario.

Nike currently has offices in 46 countries around the globe and operates contracted factories that employ over 1.03 million employees with the bulk of these factories located around Asia. With the high level of success Nike has seen over the years, it’s fair to say that their global supply chain has been one of their strongest competitive advantages. Nike’s global impact around the world doesn’t just involve their manufacturing operations and ability to outsource but their social and community impact too. Because Nike is such a globalized company, their products can be recognized nearly anywhere in the world, Nike also makes it a priority to involve themselves and create social programs around their brand within local communities around the world, these programs involve charities, education, sustainability and promoting active lifestyles.

In conclusion, just like individuals around the world rely on Nike products, Nike relies on globalization in order for their business to strive. One last thing that I would like to touch on is the global culture that has been a heavy influence on Nike’s brand. One of Nike’s strongest forms of advertisement are their global ambassadors, these are influential people around the world such as athletes who are sponsored by Nike to continue promoting the brand within different cultures around the world. With such a big market demand, it’s crucial for Nike to be globalized and be able to not only sell products around the world but be accessible and influential around the world.

                                            Work Cited

Khoo, I. (n.d.). Globalization vs. Isolationism: Finding Nike's New Competitive Advantage? Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://digital.hbs.edu/platform-rctom/submission/globalization-vs-isolationism-finding-nikes-new-competitive-advantage/

Nike Purpose. (2020, February 10). Inspiring Communities. Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://purpose.nike.com/inspiring-communities

Nike Supply Chain Sets the Pace for the Activewear Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/nike-supply-chain/