MODULE 2:

COMMUNICATION
AND
GLOBALIZATION 
• Learning Outcomes:
• 1. Explain how cultural and global issues affect
communication
• 2. Appreciate the impact of communication on society
and the world 
 A. WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION?

• According to http://www.globalization101.org, globalization is a
process of interaction and integration among the people, companies,
and governments of different nations, a process driven by
international trade and investment and aided by information
technology. This process has effects on the environment, on the culture,
on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on
human physical well-being in societies around the world. 
• Heywood (2013) describes globalization as a slippery and elusive
concept. Despite intensifying interest in the phenomenon of
globalization since the 1980s, the term is still used to refer, variously, to
a process, a policy, a marketing strategy, a predicament, or even an
ideology.
• The problem with globalization is that it is not a single process but
a complex of processes, sometimes overlapping and
interlocking processes but also, at times, contradictory and
oppositional ones. It is difficult therefore to reduce globalization to
single theme.
• Perhaps the best attempt to do this
was in Kenchi Ohmae’s (1989) idea of a borderless
world. This implies that divisions between people
previously separated by time and space have become
less significant and are sometimes entirely irrelevant. 
• Globalization is not really new, though. The globe has been
globalized even before men coined the term globalization. For
example, for thousands of years, people—and, later,
corporations—have been buying form and selling to each
other in lands at great distances. Likewise, for centuries,
people and corporations have invested in enterprises in other
countries.
• Policy and technological developments of the past
few decades have spurred increases in cross-
border trade, investment, and migration so large
that many observers believe the world has entered
a qualitatively new phase in its economic
development. 
• Governments also have negotiated dramatic reductions in
barriers to commerce and have established international
agreements to promote trade in goods, services and
investments. Taking advantage of new opportunities in
foreign markets, corporations have built foreign factories
and established production and marketing arrangements
with foreign partners. 
• Technology has been the other principal driver of
globalization. Advances in information
technology, have particularly transformed
economic life. 
B. IMPACTS OF GLOBALIZATION OF
COMMUNICATION 

• 1. Virtual Interactions. Globalization has introduced

virtual communication and collaboration as a major part of
academic and workplace dynamics. We need to understand
the strengths and limitations of different communication
media, and how to use each medium to maximum effect. 
• 2. Cultural Awareness in Speech. The need for
cultural awareness is a major impact of globalization of
the required skillset of effective communicators,
resulting in the evolution of communication skills
development programs. 
• In Japanese business culture, for example, it can be
considered rude to ask personal questions in an initial
business meeting. In the U.S., on the other hand, asking
personal questions and sharing personal information can
display warmth and openness. American and Japanese
businesspeople who understand this about each other can
communicate in ways that resonate more effectively with
each other. 
• 3. Cultural Awareness in Body Language. Awareness
of cultural differences in body language can be just as
important as the nuances of speech. This is why in
schools, students are taught to understand acceptable
speaking distances, conflict styles, eye contact and
posture in different cultures, accepting that the physical
expressions of their own culture are not universally
accepted. 
• 4. Time Differences. The advent of global collaboration
introduces another new dynamic to communication
skills—the need to communicate and share information
with people across several time zones. When people
collaborate with others on the other side of the globe,
their counterparts are usually at home asleep while they
are at work.
C. IMPACTS OF GLOBALIZATION ON GLOBAL
COMMUNICATION 

• According to Danev (2017), the process of globalization has

widely increased the availability of information for people
across the world. By the use of internet and advanced mobile
services, people are able to discuss business plans and proposals
on an international level as well as exchange private data
securely.             Danev (2017) also enumerates the three major
impacts of globalization on global communication and identifies
the major problem, as follows:
• 1. Availability of Information. The availability of
information is a major effect of the process of
globalization. The World Health Organization, in its
works focused on the cultural dimensions of
globalization, has expresses the view that with the spread
of business delivering internet, satellite TV and mobile
services, the costs of such information technologies drop. 
• Business Conduct. Globalization has influenced global
communication by implementing new techniques for
business conduct among workers at international
corporations. Long-distance travels are no longer
necessary for businesspeople should they require with a
partner overseas.
• . Social Awareness. The availability of
information, which is a direct effect of the
development of global communication systems,
has led to increased social awareness of people
across the world. 
• 4. The Problem. Despite its quick spread and
continuous development, global communication
has not reached the majority of people on all
continents. The World Health Organization
indicates that at least 70 percent of all people in
Africa will never make a single phone call or use
internet.