A number of trends and developments have paved the way for globalization, the homogenization of the worldÆs cultures into a global marketplace of trade. As Legrain (2003) maintains, ôThe beauty of globalization is that it can free people from the tyranny of geographyö (B7). Leading the way in the move toward globalization are those structures known as multinational enterprises (MNEs). The increasing spread of democratic governments, liberalization of trade, liberal neo-economic reforms, the rise of technology, and the emergence of a truly global market for goods and services produced by modern industry have resulted in a decline in the significance of national and other barriers to globalization. Along with globalization has come a growing interdependence among nations.
Global brands from Coca-Cola and Starbucks to McDonaldÆs and an increasing number of services are uniting nations in a global marketplace that makes each more interdependent upon the others. While many point to the positive effects that stem from globalization, others continue to debate the merits of what is a process as well as an ideology. For it is the Western world that primarily leads globalization, making many argue that the phenomenon is merely an effort by the West to impose its ideology and lifestyle worldwide along with its products and services. As Sowinski (2003) explains, ôWhile debates over globalization generally assume that cross-border trade in products is at the core of the issue, the often overlooked and perhaps most important component of the controversy really centers on the influence and imposition of ideologyö (62).
Globalization has seen the rise of powerful trading blocs like North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European Unions (EU), the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) and others. International agencies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organization (WTO) have also played a larg...