Essay - International Competitiveness, Politics and Policy Global Marketing Strategies Globalization 1....

International Competitiveness, politics and policy

Global Marketing Strategies

Globalization

*****. As Thomas Friedman clearly states in The Lexus ***** the Olive Tree, globalization is not just a trend. Globalization is not ***** a ***** that countries or companies may choose to follow or not to follow. Globalization is the system that replaces the former ***** that was ended by the Cold War.

Countries and companies have no choice but to go with ***** flow, to st***** ***** line, otherwise chaos would probably emerge. Globalization changes the relationships and interdependencies across the world, whether one takes into consideration economics, politics, or culture.

***** effects of this process, called globalization, are various, they can be direct ***** indirect, they can be positive or negative, ***** they can produce effects on general ********** or ***** particular aspects of businesses.

Certain experts in the field consider globalization as "***** process of incre*****ing social and cultural interconnectedness, political interdependence, and economic, financial and market integration" (Thoumrungroje, 2007). These are the main effects of globalization at the macro level.

But in the case ***** companies ***** firms things ***** clearer. Overall, globalization is thought to improve *****' performance. One of ***** mo***** prominent effects of globalization is represented by outsourcing. More and *****re companies apply ***** strategies to their business. This has further positive ***** for all the parties involved. The company that uses outsourcing is able to reduce its costs. The customers fur*****r benefit from reduced prices due to reduced production costs. Also, outsourcing regions like China, India, or certain countries in Africa are helped ***** develop themselves through the investments made by outsourcing *****.

***** is also responsible ***** the global ***** of markets. Some experts see th***** as global trade liberalization. This fur*****er leads to ***** integration pressures ***** local responsiveness pressures. This way, the ***** of ***** expands, develops, and intensifies ***** effects continuously.

2. ***** Friedman's affirmation regarding ***** increasing influence ***** Saudi Arabia is perfectly justified. Over the past decades, Saudi Arabia ***** done *****hing else but to increase its power and influence. It started ***** increasing its influence in ***** vicinity, in the region where the country belongs. Saudi *****'s influence further increased throughout the entire w*****ld.

***** Arabia's power obviously derives ***** ***** natural resources it possesses, especially oil. In fact, the country's influence began to grow more and more after ***** war in 1973. Th***** is the period when oil ***** ***** tremendously. This situation brought substantial profits to Saudi Arabia that was able to significantly ***** its f*****ancial situation. As a consequence, the country's political ***** was also improved.

***** country's economic situation started to significantly improve. Saudi ***** leaders gained ***** and more power due to illicit international politics games. However, not everyone agrees with Friedman's statement. There are people that believe ***** *****'s influence on oil prices and therefore on international *****s and ***** is lowly decreasing. The reason behind this situation consists in the fact that the country's oil reserves did not *****crease