Cities, shops and products around the world are beginning to look the same. The big brand names can be found splashed on advertisements globally and are recognised instantly. Factories to produce these items are set up in Asian countries where labour is cheaper such as China, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh.
Multinational companies are useful in that they provide millions of jobs and revitalize areas thereby improving living standards of people that might not have had an opportunity to gain employment. However in their drive to make a profit, they pay workers low salaries and expect them to work long hours so that their costs are reduced. In addition, these companies use up all the natural resources of a poor country and they don’t care if they cause environmental damage that can’t be reversed. Often consumers in wealthy nations have no idea where a product originates from or that workers work without any protection or labour laws. As long as people have the latest computer, music device or the latest pair of sports shoes at a reasonable price they are satisfied.
Local customs and lifestyles are damaged when a multinational company enters a country as their aim is standardization and mass production where the whole world has the same product with the same quality. For example when fast food entered the market in China, young people who traditionally had a healthy lifestyle and ate small portions started becoming overweight.
To conclude, globalization makes countries, consumers, workers and cultures vulnerable to the actions of multinational companies. It fills the world with useless products encouraging consumerism and greed which in turn damages our quality of life.
Question taken from Cambridge Instant IELTS p.91
No comments:
Post a Comment