Globalization and Cross-Cultural Management: A Manager's Viewpoint

This essay examines the impact of globalization on cross-cultural management, drawing from Norberg's perspective. It explores how globalization, through free trade, technology, and the integration of economies, has fostered economic growth and development, contrasting the progress of nations embracing globalization with those that have not. The essay highlights the role of multinational corporations and the challenges faced by cross-cultural managers, such as communication barriers and technological disparities. It also addresses arguments from anti-globalization movements and emphasizes the importance of embracing globalization to improve living standards and reduce poverty. The conclusion reinforces the benefits of globalization for economic growth and advocates for its adoption by developing nations.

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From the perspective of a cross-cultural manager, how far do you agree with Norberg’s
(2003) assertion that globalization is good?
Introduction
Due to increased invention and usage of advanced technology, globalization has increased
tremendously in the recent years. Globalization is whereby global economy is opened
encouraging exchange of goods, services, knowledge, technology, capital, and free trade between
different nations (Ardalan, 2017, p. 209). To promote efficient globalization, countries encourage
liberalization of their import protocols, procedures, and rules so that foreign investments can be
easy. Free flow of investors and people within countries enhance integration and
interconnectedness of their economy thereby encouraging productivity. Norberg explains in the
documentary the significance of globalization and how it has transformed countries that
embraced it. On the other hand, nations that shut their borders to globalization like Kenya still
remain undeveloped and poor compared to Taiwan. He explains that for the poor countries to
grow, they have to embrace globalization. And the anti-globalization movements are out to keep
these nations poor. Therefore, from a cross-cultural manager perspective, I echo Norberg words

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that globalization is good as it leads to growth and development of a nation through interaction
with the developed countries.
Norberg concept on globalization
Johan Norberg a Swedish historian and political writer in his documentary, he explains why
nations should embrace globalization. By visiting Kenya, Brussels, Vietnam, and Taiwan, he
shows differences between the nations that accepted globalization and those that shut their
borders to investors. Kenya and Taiwan, for instance, were at the same level 50 years ago, but
Vietnam now is developed while Kenya is not. The only reason being that Taiwan accepted
globalization while Kenya did not. Since Kenya still has no proper regulations and property
rights, the nation will keep on being poor. He believes that free markets and free trade does not
only improve the living standards of people and overall economic success, but also other areas
such as cultural enrichment (Mueller, 2017, p. 171). Due to unequal distribution of capitalism in
the world, some nations will grow richer while others will grow poorer. Multinational
corporations such as Nike plays a crucial role in the growth of a nation by offering jobs to the
unemployed. In Vietnam, for example, Nike offers conducive working conditions for its
employees and better wages. In so doing, they lead to rapid growth of the Vietnam economy, less
child labor, and poverty reduction. For the poor nations to develop, they have to embrace
globalization (Mueller, 2017, p. 171).
Analyzation of Norberg assertion that globalization is good
Several arguments have been developed regarding the issue of globalization. Some critics state
that globalization leads to accumulation of more wealth by the already developed countries at the
expense of the poor nations (Eriksen, 2018, p. 26). However, I agree with Norberg statement that

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globalization leads to equal distribution of resources hence fair and equal developments. The
anti-globalization movement claiming globalization creates poverty, are wrong. In fact, foreign
investments and multinational corporations offers employment hence improving the standards of
living. Therefore, a cross-cultural manager should educate such people the importance of
globalization. This is well demonstrated by Noberg in the video where he shows development
that Taiwan achieved after embracing global capitalism. Although Klein argues that
globalization and multinational companies have no beneficial impacts, her statements are not
correct. This is because some companies like Nike has revolutionized several nations by creating
jobs and opening markets for external exports. Therefore, globalization does not promote wealth
inequality rather it encourages equality. By use of the Gini coefficient, we are able to understand
that wealth inequality usually decreases globally as globalization advances (Jacobs and Van
Rossem, 2016, p. 383).
The anti-globalization crowd argues that globalization weakens democracy by disrupting the
laws and regulations of the nation. However, globalization in fact strengthens democracy since it
gives the nations choice to decide whether to engage in the free trade or not (Padhi, 2018, p.
135). The anti-free trade people, states that the giant multinationals controls the economy and
globalization is Americanization. However, according to Nobergy globalized countries like
America have the most stable democracy. If African nations can embrace globalization by giving
people property rights and opening their borders for trade, then their living standards can be
improved.
Norberg states that employees from developing countries are not mistreated by the Western
corporations. Many companies have improved the working conditions and workers receive a
better wage package. However, I tend to disagree since many African manual personnel working

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in multinational companies face discrimination daily. Also, the wages for various multinational
companies especially the garment and footwear industries, is below the recommended level by
the International Labor Organization Palazzo, 2015, p. 429).
The main challenge that a cross-cultural manager is likely to face is communication barrier and
advancement in technology. With increased usage of technology, the poor countries are unable to
compete with the developed countries. Their companies need better machinery, buildings, and
infrastructure (Sommier, 2016, p. 121). Also, another challenge faced by a cross-culture manager
is ensuring that employees work in a conducive environment, receive a better pay, and there is no
ethnic discrimination (Martell, 2016, p. 4). The solution for the poor countries like Kenya is for
the government to embrace globalization by subsidizing tax on the second-hand clothes and
tariffs on flower export and other businesses. Through this the life of farmers in Kenya and other
undeveloped countries can be transformed. Despite the fact that transformationalists,
internationalists, and negative globalists think that globalization has no positive impacts on a
nation (Mueller and Sullivan, 2015, p. 245), the benefits outweighs the disadvantages. I echo
Noberg that nations and organizations that have embraced globalization have tremendously
developed economically compared to others.
Conclusion
The world is a place made up of people of different cultures, some poor others wealthy. Due to
unequal and unjust distribution of resources, there is a need to balance and this is possible
through globalization. It’s clear that globalization enhances equality and bridges the gap between
the poor and the rich. Countries that embrace free trade and globalization usually achieve
economic growth and development faster. This is evident in South Korea and Taiwan nations as
compared to Kenya. A cross-cultural manager, therefore, should lobby for the government of the

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undeveloped countries like Africa to embrace globalization and shun the ant-globalization
movements.
References
Ardalan, K., 2017. Globalization and Development: Four Perspectives. In Understanding
Globalization, pp. 205-238. Routledge.
Eriksen, T.H., 2018. Globalization. In Handbook of Political Anthropology, pp.1-235. Edward
Elgar Publishing.
Jacobs, L. and Van Rossem, R., 2016. The rising powers and globalization: structural change to
the global system between 1965 and 2005. Journal of World-Systems Research, 22(2), pp.373-
403.
Martell, L., 2016. Anti-globalization, global protest and anti-capitalism. Polity Books website,
pp. 1-9.
Mueller, R.A., 2017. Norberg, Johan (2016). Progress. Ten reasons to look forward to the future.
International Journal on Food System Dynamics, 8(2), pp.170-172.
Mueller, T. and Sullivan, S., 2015. Making other worlds possible? Riots, movement and counter-
globalization. In Crowd Actions in Britain and France from the Middle Ages to the Modern
World (pp. 239-255). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

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Padhi, S.K., 2018. Globalization and good governance in a democratic setup: From a cross-
cultural perspective. Globalization, 3(1), pp. 125-167.
Palazzo, G., 2015. Globalization and the rise of the multinational corporation. In The Routledge
Companion to Philosophy in Organization Studies (pp. 427-434). Routledge.
Sommier, I., 2016. From anti-globalization to global justice movement. O. Fillieule & G.
Accornero Social movement studies in Europe: The state of the art, pp.118-132.