6.3.4

The Effects of Globalisation

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The Effects of Globalisation on Work

A globalised economy, including competition for worker and customers, has had a major impact on the way people work and the opportunities available to them.

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The globalised economy

  • Globalisation refers to the interconnected nature of the modern world.
  • Globalisation reflects the uncertainties of the postmodern world some sociologists say we inhabit.
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Apple

  • For example, Apple products are for sale in the vast majority of countries across the globe, these are global products.
  • Apple is also a Transnational Company as it has head offices across the globe, employing people across a variety of countries.
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Non-standard jobs

  • Beck (2000) argues the above has serious implications because globalisation creates considerably more non-standard jobs.
  • Non-standard jobs are those which are poorly paid, zero hours contracts, short-term contracts, poorly paid and insecure.
  • This is due to global competition and a global marketplace requiring manufacturers to be more responsive to the needs of consumers (flexible specialisation).
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'Wage penalty’

  • Edgell (2011) argues this causes a ‘wage penalty’ for the worker.
  • Wage penalty refers to non-standard workers not being entitled to sick or holiday pay, being susceptible to inflexible work patterns, night and weekend shifts.

The Effects of Globalisation on Work 2

Sociologists, including Castells and Beck, suggest that globalisation has affected work in the following ways.

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Increase in non-standard jobs

  • There are fewer standard jobs and more non-standard jobs because global competition means companies require a more flexible approach to employment, resulting in fewer well paid, permanent jobs and more low paid, temporary jobs.
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Outsourcing

  • Globalisation has led to an increase in outsourcing, where jobs that were once based in the UK have now moved to countries with lower labour costs.
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Reduced workers rights

  • Because multinational corporations are organised and located across many countries and the workforce is organised locally, there has been a strengthening of the power in favour of owners and weakening power of workers, making it more difficult for workers to protect their rights and jobs.
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Devaluation

  • Globalisation leads to more migrant workers to and from the UK, potentially devaluing low paid jobs and making these positions hard to fill.

Jump to other topics

1Theory & Methods

2Education with Methods in Context

3Option 1: Culture & Identity

4Option 1: Families & Households

5Option 1: Health

6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare

7Option 2: Beliefs in Society

8Option 2: Global Development

9Option 2: The Media

10Crime & Deviance

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