Chapters 28, 30

 Chapter 28 talks about paradoxes that government is a part of. The first one is that people decline state power. It's unsafe when people are left alone for work. The second paradox is that the governments are established in North America and Europe. The final paradox is Asian states have achieved economic growth, industrialized, infrastructure, and living standards. Countries of Korea, Taiwan, and Japan have strong governments. Technology has made modern life go through change from economics and politics. It also changes of power in states and the market. There are three premises that the author argues. The first premise is that there is common activity with politics. The second is power can overcome the market systems. The third premise is that the authority in society can be influenced by agents  and can be acknowledge freely. 

Chapter 30 questions if the system of globalization has gone too far. The author focuses on three sources that are essential. The first one is that there should be some restrictions in terms of trade especially across international borders. Workers can be substituted for each other across borders as well. The second is that the system of globalization can cause conflicts between nations. With the growth of technology, shipments can be different in size causing possible outrage. The last source is that globalization can be difficult for governments. There needs to be effort to maintain and stabilize the social cohesion and political support. 

Article on "Can China Turn the Middle of Nowhere into the Center of World Economy?"

     Reading the article, I can see China has come a long way in that case of armory and letting people in and out. The guy they talked about Nunar which was a person who tried to escape by going through the border to Kazakhstan in 1962. Which brings us to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is a huge part of China's growing this whole operation was a huge spending from them it was $200 billion at the start but then moved to around the world which then it roses up to an estimated cost $8 trillion. But what is the BRI? Start first with the Belt side of it, it was a part of their big trading routes connecting Asia and Europe to be built largely with China's expertise. The Road part of it is a little different you might think that it trades over the road, but it was a new sea trade opportunity which connected China, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. Which shows a longer route but is a safer route in this case which avoids the Malacca Strait, incorporating fuel, ports, bridges, etc. Now it sounds like the BRI was very important to China because they didn't really release an official map of the Belt and Road routes nor any list of the projects. 

Travels of a T-Shirt Part II

     So, they start off this third part called the Trouble at the Border talking about a huge amount of imported goods into the US affects the economy negatively by leaving manufacturers out of business because of all the cheap goods produced in China. Also, how the tariffs were revised to allow influx of goods from China because local companies could not meet the demand for some goods. They talked about they allowed the flow of goods for example from like places like US to Africa. Now in the fourth and last part of the book called My T-shirt Finally Encounters a Free Market they talk about how many of their T-shirts have been donated to people in poor countries through something called NGO's and other philanthropic agencies. They argued that these T-shirts should be for free instead of paying money for it but that would affect cash flow from those countries arguing for free shirts. So, to stop these arguments the clothes were sold to small-scale traders in countries like Africa who then turn to sell to these so-called poor countries. In this book it's not a lot about her arguing more of her like telling a story about this T-shirt. There are some weaknesses in this book like she focuses more on the economics of making the T-shirts instead of it focusing on the highlighting the impacts of such a process on human subjects. 

T-Shirts Part II

 Part II talks about cotton being introduced to China. Like in a previous blog, the chapters mention the growing of factories and the harsh conditions with the workers. China also is a textile industry. It became the largest exporter in the 1990s. China is known to have cheap labor, and the U.S uses them for product production such as Nike. Sweatshops were on the rise as well, operating with the same tough conditions. The textile industry runs through families. Workers live at work and stay at dormitories that are 8 by 12 feet. There are floaters that 25 more hours than the average worker, but earn less by 40%. These workers are part of China's Bracero. They don't know what to expect when they first join the workforce and hope for the best. The Nike Corporation was part of a controversial workforce in China in the 1990s. The workers were mostly underaged and forced to work overtime. In 1999, there was an anti sweatshop movement that took place in universities. They demanded companies to be less harsh with the factory conditions. Overall, child labor is still going around in China. No matter how many movements and protests form, the country will still operate with harsh conditions. 

Travels of a T-Shirt Part 1

 

The Travels of a T-Shirt book really goes into depth on the cotton, especially this first part. It seems like American cotton had a TON of advantages, straight from the beginning. While originally the cotton species they used wasn't as advantageous, the amount they could produce was. In chapter one they bring up all the ways cotton growers are successful, while acknowledging slavery. I am not as sold on this part of the book, particularly their reasoning that, " In the United States, the farms work, the market works, the government works, the science works, and the universities work; and all of these elements work together in a type of virtuous circle that is decades away for the poorest countries in the world." I think it would perhaps be better phrased that the systems in the U.S. have been built up to support cotton as an industry since the countries conception. These systems create a cycle that allows the cotton industry to flourish. At least, that's my understanding of the text so far. Plus, it feels like the implication is that the author's excuse is these poor countries just aren't as good as the U.S. Now, I very well could be reading too much into this, and I welcome any counterpoints. But that wording rubs me the wrong way, although I can't yet articulate why. I feel like it should be phrased more like the U.S. has had every advantage, however I also don't know what other countries have or have not tried to do with their cotton industries, which makes it impossible to judge fairly. Either way, what really sparked this was when the text mentions the 2002 Farm Bill, which "Even by the normally generous standards of U.S. farm policy, the 2002 Farm Bill went over the top for cotton." I just find it ironic that only a few years before trade negotiations were suspended, here's prime reason #1 that the poorer countries were fed up with the U.S. and other hypocritical trade policies.

Travels of a T-shirt Part 1

 Part one of Travels of a T-Shirt explores the rise and history of the cotton industry. Lubbock, Texas, which is the largest cotton producer in the US, has dominated the cotton industry due to its concentration of knowledge, technology, and talent in the industry. Lubbock is often considered the Silicon Valley of agriculture due to its dominance on the world stage. It's dominance can also be seen in pop culture with the popular Cotton Bowl in Dallas being named from Lubbock's industry dominance. Part two of the book shifts from the production of cotton to the manufacturing of goods from cotton. China is very much dependent on American cotton to make manufactured goods while the same can be said for raw cotton in America in relation to China. China has become the dominant producer of textiles in the world. To support the industry chinese factories typically employ women who are married with starving children. These women are "docile" as described in the book whihc is good for productivity.

Travels of a T-Shirt P1

 In chapters 1 and 2 of "Travels of a T-Shirt," the author Pietra Rivoli explores the global journey of a simple cotton t-shirt, tracing its origins from raw material to finished product. Rivoli visits cotton fields in Lubbock, Texas and various factories in China to illustrate the complex and interconnected nature of the global economy. Lubbock, TX has been doing well due to the high concentration of resources regarding cotton agriculture and other related fields. The chapters also delve into the history of cotton production and the impact of globalization on the textile industry. It was explained how the United States, which has a thriving cotton industry, is mainly reliant on China’s textiles which has put the United States in a tricky situation regarding resourcing and manufacturing. Through the story of the t-shirt, the author provides insights into the economic, social, and environmental implications of global trade.

Travels of a T-Shirt Part 1

 Part one of the Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy explains the rise and history of cotton production. It focuses on Lubbock, Texas which today, is one of the major cotton producers in the world. The text explains that Lubbock thrives in the global economy because of a concentration of knowledge, technology, and talent focused on cotton agriculture in the area, and because of this it is known as the “Silicon Valley of agriculture.” Right next to Lubbock is Texas Tech University which is focused on agriculture and helps further develop techniques and technology for more efficiently producing cotton. Due to this orientation the cotton industry in Lubbock is very much asset-oriented. The second part of the readings talk about how China fits into the cotton industry and interacts with American produced cotton. The United States’ cotton exports rely on China’s textile production for its market. China has become dominant in the textile industry. To support this industry the book explains that married women with hungry children are targeted as workers as they are desperate for work. This is honestly an exploitation of poor people that goes unregulated. Women are also preferred for their “docility.” This phenomena is explained in Chapter 7 in which the ideal factory worker is described. When control is necessary to be productive, there is something wrong. Human rights are not being respected in this industry, and people are exploited to produce a t-shirt, as explained in these chapters.

First Half of The Travels of a T-Shirt

 Chapters 1 and 2 discusses the effects of the cotton industry and how it dominated for two hundred years. Cotton is one of the main ingredients to clothing. There was the history with slavery and the cotton farms. Cheap cotton created high demand and Great Britain wanted a part of the deal. The Industrial Revolution made production more efficient and faster with the use of technology and conveyor belts. By the time the Civil War broke out in the 1860s, cotton production reached an all time high. Competition was common with China and India. Those countries made benefits with increasing their productivity and improving the quality. The states of Oklahoma and Texas have possessions of cotton production and that hundreds of thousands of acres were owned. Plantation has changed over time with technology advancing and GM is taking part with fertilizers and pesticides. When it comes to everyday products, such as snacks, there's harmful oil from seeds that are harvested. Consumers don't pay attention to the ingredient labels and only  care about the taste. Part II of the book talks about China's labor force and the dangerous conditions. This was mentioned before in a previous blog. Cotton was introduced to China from the United States. There cotton mills that were in operation with twelve hours a day from the workers. Sweatshops are common throughout the country and they operate with the same unhealthy conditions. I recently got a hat that's intended for the American sports industry and it's made with 100% cotton and came from China so it fits right in. 

Blog 5

     In part 1 of The Travels of a T-Shirt book its mainly talks about the invention of the shirt through cotton farming. Also, it shows the history on cotton farming became so big in the world and the industries in the US on how it became so competitive in the market. She writes in the book "American cotton growers have adapter their production methods, their marketing, their technology, and their organizational form to respond to shifts in supply and demand in the global marketplace" (Rivoli 7). Then cotton was mass-produced and exported to China. Moving onto part 2 Rivoli argues that if China ended up not making those t-shirts in the US, they would have zero reliable market for cotton export. I agree with that statement because reading through the part she makes a strong argument on why we wouldn't have good exportation if those shirts weren't made. In her argument she says that conditions were completely like sweatshop which is a violation of human rights so there was a chance that these t-shirts would not be made because of the working conditions they were in. So, to help that human rights activist demanded a better workplace for the people so they could make these t-shirts. So, in her whole argument I agree with it 100% because what person wants to work in horrible condition workplace. 

Blog 4

     Asia can be considered the worlds textile backbone. This is due to labor being cheap compared to other places but it raises questions about the unethical practices in the factories. Many developing nations such as China use such practices to gain the highest amount of profict possible. Shenzhen is one notible places where young and uneducated workers migrate to get jobs. The working conditions are not ideal to say the least as the work days are 12 hours long taking up 6 to 7 days a week. On top of being overworked, safety is not a top priority in Shenzehn either. In chapter 20 of the textbook, the author points out that 32 workers were killed due to a crucible of molten steel was acidentally dumped on them. In light of the conditions in these factories places like Cambodia have set up labor regulations to protect its citizens and factory workers. Regulations in Cambodia aimed to "modernize there factories by regulating working conditions, capping a work day at 8 hours, no child labor, and maternity leave. In effect to this many companies have left Cambodia due to the rise in labor costs brought on by the regulations in place. However, areas such as South Korea, can be attractive with such regulations due to the high quality of their work. In chapter 21 the author points out that labor in South Korea costs more but the quality of the final product is much better. Nike looked at moving its production back to South Korea for this reason and due to the raw materials being readily available rather than being imported form somewhere else. 

Blog 4

     In chapter 20 of the textbook, the article by James Fallows "China Makes, the World Takes",  describes the conditions, work environment, and manufacturing culture of many factories and cities in Southern China. Fallows visited China and studied the environment of many factories in the city of Shenzhen, a manufacturing city that is rapidly growing with high rates of manufacturing factories sprouting up. Fallows finds that these companies are tough, work long hours, workers are paid very little, and most of these factories are manufacturing partners with a number of foreign countries. The article explains how the companies who partner with these large factories are very reluctant to tell competitors who their suppliers are in China that they are buying from. The article lists a number of reasons for the confidentiality of the suppliers, stating that they either take the "high-road or low-road". The high-road for these companies to keep confidentiality with their suppliers is that they are fast, efficient, and reliable, and they do not want to lose them to their competition and a low-road reason is because they do not want the public to know that they are partners with a work environment with the brutal conditions as some of the factories in China.

       These issues dealing with confidentiality between foreign countries and Chinese suppliers lead me to believe that these foreign companies know that they are exploiting people for low-wage work. I don't believe that there is a high-road for the companies to take to explain themselves, and if they can't be proud of where their product is coming from then they should reconsider their decisions of how the company is being operated. Foreign companies should reconsider partnering with Chinese suppliers that hold their workers in unsafe conditions that put their employees in danger, and pay them unfairly.

Chapers 20 & 21

 

The numbers that Fallow uses to try and bring Shenzhen into perspective are astounding, and even then, hard to imagine. 3,000 pigs a day! A cargo ship container a second, and still less than half of China's export total. This has made me realize that Americans and American companies must rely on China a lot more than I ever expected. I only had a vague idea of this, and that was mostly regarding clothes. This is because I like to thrift my clothes, and one of the controls I use to see if I actually want something or if I'm just excited to find something is whether it was made in China. If that's enough to discourage me from buying the shirt, then I didn't really want it. As the article later points out, an astonishingly large portion of our technology, or at least parts of it, also come from China. I found chapter 21 especially eye-opening, but in a way where you read it and go "yeah that makes sense". I thought it interesting that these companies also focus so heavily on avoiding the "Nike Problem", to avoid hinting at these products being made in sweatshops. I think this is another example of globalization, in a way. The western idea of a sweat shop (what standard a factory should and shouldn't have) affecting these Chinese factories. Over the summer there was a Shein controversy, where Shein invited influencers to come and look at a singular factory of theirs and post about the conditions and workers. I believe Shein may have paid for their flights and accommodations, but I'm not positive. The point is, even with this one factory tour being held up as a "hey look, we're not REALLY a sweat shop!", most people knew that it was just a front. That for the extreme volume of clothes Shein pumps out, the conditions would NOT be to western standards.  

Also, I found chapter 21 to be like a Nike specific version of the "No Logo" movie. A lot of the points were about Nike becoming a "lifestyle" brand and using celebrities like Michael Jordan to promote themselves until they establish themselves within the lifestyle niche they wanted. An example would be that certain Nike shoes are status symbols, and that continues today.

Blog 4

 The T.A.L. episode David and Goliath talked about the experience of Cambodia within the global market. Cambodia’s main export is textiles and it originally had trade deals that guaranteed manufacturing work in this industry. These trade deals allowed Cambodia to develop some of the best labor laws that regulate working conditions, such as 8 hour days, no child labor, and maternity leave. However, these trade deals have since expired and textile manufacturers in Cambodia are struggling to find orders, especially since their textiles cost more money due to their labor laws. This situation raises the question of how human rights and manufacturing efficiency can coexist. Child labor shouldn't have to be utilized in order to produce a cheaper product, yet it happens daily. However, numerous people in developing countries flock to manufacturing jobs as it can provide for whole families in these regions. This is seen in Chapter 20 of the textbook in which it states,” the enormous flow of people, mainly young and unschooled, from China’s villages to Shenzhen and similar cities.” The working conditions in Shenzhen are quite poor. The work shift is on average 12 hours, six to seven days a week, and the book references an incident when 32 people were killed when molten steel was accidently dumped on them. However, areas with better working conditions and more skilled workers can be desirable as seen in Chapter 21. This chapter talks about the three stages of the company Nike and mentions how at the end of the third stage, Nike was looking to relocate its factories back into South Korea. Although the manufacturing in South Korea was more expensive, the craftsmanship of the workers and the quality of the products produced were better than in China. Additionally, all the raw materials needed for the Nike Air were available in South Korea, rather than having to be imported. 

Chapters 20, 21

 China has had issues with labor. Factories cage in millions upon millions of men and women with harsh hours little pay. A factory in the province of Guangdong, holds in hundreds of thousands of workers that sleep in dormitories and eat company meals. For the workers to be fed, around 3,000 pigs are slaughtered during the process. The rise of the industry began in the 1980s in Shenzhen when it was called a special economic zone. Over time, Shenzhen became a booming Sun Belt city. Soon enough, young and uneducated women from villages and farms came to work in the factories. Workers had to leave their families for a long time. The monthly pay goes between $115 and $155. A Typical shift goes for 12 hours with two meal breaks. The Chinese law states that required weekly hours is 40 hours so overtime is applied. Factory work can be dangerous and that people got murdered in the process. There has been the controversy with Nike and their labor conditions. Like other factories/companies in China, the working conditions are quite harsh. Nike has grew in the sports industry of sports wear has made demand in the United States. The company went through many marketing changes throughout its history to become one of the biggest sports brands in the U.S.

Chapters: 22, 27, 33

 

Reading these three chapters makes me very curious about who came up with the tactics the IMF uses. In chapter 22, Stiglitz writes that the evidence available suggested there would be little if any positive effect on growth. Then chapter 33, Vreeland argues at first that the IMF is doing well but then introduces the many studies with conflicting results. Then he shows that all studies focusing on income inequality show that the IMF exacerbates it. I am really confused why the IMF is still sticking with these tactics at this point - it's been 20 years since one of the latest of these studies came out! I work in government, I know things are slow, but is it so exacerbated at the top of the chain too? Just like Life + Debt pointed out, the more I learn the more this seems like this was a system put in place to benefit the winners of WWII. I have a hard time believing the original users of the IMF (impoverished Europe) were subject to what developing countries are now subjected to. I think the original goal of the IMF is admirable, but things have really become twisted. The text points out that even now these top countries don’t have to follow the rules. I know the French farmer’s protesting in France are dealing with similar issues. One of the issues is that their products can’t compete with cheaper imports.

Blog 3

 9/11 was a pivotal date in the economic policies of the world led by the US. After 9/11, the US "weaponized" the US Dollar in an attempt to target and economically hurt hostile states. Since the writing of the article, countries such as Brazil, China, and India have started a movement of de-dollarization as it is the standard currency in the world. This movement has gained momentum since the US refused Russia access to $600 billion in World Bank reserves. This is not the first time that the "weaponization" of currency has been used. Besides the "weaponization" of the dollar, the IMF has tended to act as a passive weapon in of itself. Its policies tend to make poor countries worse off as these countries don’t have the infrastructure to support a free market. The book compares these policies to a rowboat trying to navigate rough waters with the wrong equipment. After World War II, the Marshall Plan aimed to fund and build a stable base economy in Europe which would open the door to free-trade policies. Since World War II, the world economic stage has changed with China surpassing the US in market exchange rates and the US becoming the leader in technology and research through companies such as Google and Facebook. The global market has faced adversity through a shrinking trade footprint after the 2008 financial crisis and in post 9/11 attacks on the US payment system. 

 

Blog 3

Chapter 22 of the textbook discusses how the United States weaponized the dollar standard after 9/11, targeting hostile states. However, since the article was written in 2015, there has been a movement called de-dollarization created by numerous countries who want to remove the dollar as the world standard. The BRICS nations, including China, India, and Brazil, are leading this movement in response to the U.S. weaponizing the dollar by refusing Russia reserves from the World Bank. On the other hand, Chapter 27 of the textbook criticizes IMF policies, comparing them to pushing a rowboat into rough seas without proper equipment. The majority of IMF policies imposed on countries in need often worsen their economies since underdeveloped countries lack the infrastructure for a free market economy. This has been seen historically with the Marshall Plan in Eastern Europe and FDR's New Deal in the U.S, which provided consistent monetary funding to build a stable base economy before implementing free market ideology. There have been significant economic changes since World War II, with China surpassing the U.S. in market exchange rates and advancements in technology and research now dominated by American companies like Google and Facebook. The global market has faced challenges such as a shrinking trade footprint after the 2008 financial crisis and attacks on the U.S. payment system after 9/11.

Chapters 22, 27, 33

There has been economic change after World War II. China has made a leap over the United States in terms of market exchange rates with China with a 5 to 6 percent increase annually. In the early 1900s, the United States had a lack of a central bank suffered a collapse. It then got revived in the 1920s with a trusted currency, until the Great Depression in 1929. There's a larger trade economy in today's economy with speed and complexity. The U.S has led in research and development in terms of spending. They have taken over other countries with technology as well. Two of biggest businesses are Google and Facebook. Investment banks have made a significant increase with the global market at 50%. The trade footprint has shrunk apparently. It was impacted the most during the 2008 financial crisis. The attacks on September 11th, 2001, made a control on payment system of the dollar. The country claimed to be running the global economy. The Seattle Protest of 1999, made destruction and problems of cultures and poverty. East Asia made the globalization possible with benefits. Market fundamentalism has been pushed by institutions and it can be bad for politics and economics. The countries of East Asia have grown and reduced the poverty levels and continuously has an active role. From the 1960s to the 80s, these countries the economy of East Asia didn't grow but remained stable. The benefits in developing countries can be to improve health of lifespans. There is global governance, where institutions will provide an ad hoc system. The IMF can lend out loans as a form of insurance. The company was founded during the Great Depression to act as a credit union. The effect of IMF programs can benefit medical treatments. 

Blog 3

 Chapter 22 of the textbook, specifically the section called Power Through Neglect, highlights how the United States weaponized the dollar standard after 9/11 and used its domination of the world’s currency to target hostile states. However, this article was written in 2015, and the world stage has changed quite drastically since then. Numerous countries have resented the weaponization of the dollar and have created a movement called de-dollarization in response. De-dollarization is a movement in which numerous countries are seeking to “dethrone” the dollar as the world standard and use an alternative method of currency. Frontrunners of this ideology are the BRICS nations, which consist of China, India, Brazil etc. This movement has gained support as the U.S. has again weaponized the dollar by refusing Russia 600 Billion in reserves from the World Bank. However, this is not the first time economics has been used in force. Chapter 27 of the textbook compares the IMF’s policies to pushing a rowboat into the roughest part of the seas, without a captain or crew or life vests. This analogy is made because a majority of IMF policies that are imposed on countries requesting relief funds often worsen the economy.  Underdeveloped countries do not have the infrastructure or economic structure in place to carry out a free market economy and often struggle when one is imposed on them. Consistent money is needed to develop a strong base economy, and this tactic was used in the past with the Marshall Plan in Eastern Europe and with FDR’s New Deal in the United States. Beginning economies need consistent monetary funding to build a stable base and once this is accomplished, then free market economy ideology can be used to boost trade networks and profit. However, the structure has to be there for this to work, and imposing this ideology on unstable economies only worsens the outcomes.

Wal-Mart

     The company that I chose to research on is Wal-Mart, an American-based company which is now found all around the globe. Wal-Mart is beyond more than a typical grocery store, as it offers more everyday items like furniture, toys, appliances, technology, and more. On Wal-Mart's website, the company attempts to reach a global market, and reach more consumers beyond the average American. On the website, the company advertises with vocabulary that reaches and entices people from around the globe. For example, in an advertisement for the clothing brand "Scoop" on Wal-Mart's website, the ad is labeled, "Born in NYC, styled everywhere". This labeling tries to reach consumers from anywhere around the globe and encourages them that this New York-styled clothing can be worn anywhere. 

    Another example of Wal-Mart displaying its neoliberal ideology on its website is in their advertising of Black owned products. While this is in celebration of the American Black History Month, that does not exclude the products of black people from all around the globe. The company is showcasing black-owned brands and is putting them on the front of their website, which shows the company's initiative to globalize their brand. This goes along with our discussion from Friday in which we discussed the neoliberal view that many countries have adopted in the 20th century which encourages the idea of a market without borders. Wal-Mart's website showcases the company's view, in line with many other company and country's views, on neoliberalism and the importance to expand the market outside of a country's borders. I believe that their website is aimed primarily toward customers, because since they are selling many products, they have a lot of ads and price listings. While these may interest shareholders to see what the company is up to, I believe the company's vision is directed mainly at the consumers.

ExxonMobil

 ExxonMobil is one of largest trade companies with being a energy provider and chemical manufacturer. The company globalizes over 60 countries. John D. Rockefeller started the company in 1870, known as Standard Oil Company in Ohio. It was then divided into 33 separate companies by the Supreme Court in 1911. The company represented mascots through the years like the Gargoyle, Pegasus, and Tiger. In the late 1950s, they offered free road maps as part of a campaign, known as the Happy Motoring Campaign. It was used for car racing in the 1910s. ExxonMobil's oil has been used since the era of flight. The Wright Brothers used Mobiloil for their very first flight. It helped Amelia Earhart make her historic flights across the Atlantic Ocean. It then served the first ever trans Atlantic flight from New York to London in 1958. In 1976, they invented the process of converting methanol to high octane gasoline. Because of this, gasoline today contains octane and gasoline grades. The company went through changes of names, starting with Standard Oil as mentioned before from 1870 to 1911. In the 1910s, the states of New York and New Jersey created their own separate oil company until the Oil Embargo of 1973. Exxon and Mobil were their own separate companies before the merger. The Oil Embargo occurred, they both made an expansion towards the Gulf of Mexico, Asia, and Africa. In 1998, Exxon and Mobil signed a merger that was worth over 73 billion dollars. 

Ford

 The company that I chose was Ford. The first thing visible on their site is an advertisement of a picture of their new car, the 2025 Ford Wanderer, in a rugged, mountainous landscape. While the landscape itself, full of lush greenery, tall standing trees, and jagged, rocky pathways isn't linked to anywhere in particular, the image is almost certainly meant to evoke a feeling of American patriotism. The car colored red, the headlights flashing white, and a deep royal blue in the Ford logo contrast the harsh landscape shown, which attempts to float the idea of a sort of uniquely American rugged individualism. The next picture shows a happy couple, each one with their own Ford or Ford-owned car. Touting an all-black Ford truck, the man is standing by his partner, who has her hand on a new, chic-looking red Mustang. The man and the woman may be from almost anywhere in the world and the landscape of the photo is just as vague; however, from the way the couple is dressed to the design of the house, this picture is meant to evoke the idea of the west coast of the United States. A new, slick penthouse nestled into a cliff with palm trees on both sides accompanies the visual of the man in his big truck and the woman in her smaller, daintier sports car. Both cars are electric, which may be Ford's way of showing a new "American Dream" consisting of a happy, smiling couple in a rich penthouse, each of them with their own new, expensive electric cars. From there, more pictures featuring people of all races driving their Fords are shown. While no specific locations nor nationalities are mentioned, all the models are wearing Westernized clothes and driving on what appears to be American highways or backstreets. This is because traditionally, the United States has been Ford's largest market, given that it is an American automaker. In the U.S., Ford has a strong presence and consistently high sales. Ford also disproportionately sells most of its products to the United States rather than anywhere else. Other than minor details like a feature to switch the site's language to Spanish, most of what can be seen on Ford's site caters towards Americans. From its minimalist, simplistic design to customer support and service only being offered to American Ford owners, it's made clear that Ford knows its demographic and doesn't try to cater to those out of its reach. 

Nike

    Nike is an American multinational corporation. Now, Nike goes for more athletic and also a little bit of look. First going onto the site, it really shows you more of an athletic side of it. Instead of it showing a big global image it shows you more of its apparel and if you scroll a little down it has four sets of pictures showing different types of races showing that Nike is worn all around the globe. Now Nike was founded by Oregon Track athlete Phil Knight and also his coach Bill Bowerman. Over the globe you can see multiple people wearing Nike clothes or shoes mainly is used on the sports side. 

    Now looking over the website I think that this presented in a very nice way showing sides for men, women and kids. Now all over the world Nike advertises on big stages like NBA, NFL, MLS, Etc. In my opinion when I think of Nike, I think of Lebron now of course there are bigger names than that who have signed a deal with Nike, but all different types of people have worn Nikes athletic shoes or apparel. Now many other brands have been a rise of Nike over since 1962. Going off brands like Jordan and Converse now Nike is really known for its big endorsement deals with people like Tiger Woods, Lebron James and Serena Williams.

    Hopefully when people look at the Nike website and purchase something they get a feeling of happiness. Now not everyone loves some people sign with other big-name brands like Adidas or Jordan. But mainly all athletes and regular citizens are directed towards Nike. But what it has come from is crazy change everything being worn all of the world overseas players wearing Nike I can keep the lists going on about how it affected the world overtime.  

    

Chanel

 

Chanel goes for a clean, timeless look. The website's aesthetic choices are usually some combination of black and white, with the only color on the website being the product trying to be sold or the models wearing it. The brand image is that of an "Avant Garde” woman. The company does not use typical imagery associated with globalization, but I do think they are heavily globalized. They do not use images that can be tied to any one country or place as an attempt to appear worldly. Primarily, they are trying to fit into the lifestyle branding of "high fashion" and as such eschew catering to any one country. The exception is France. This, however, could be due to the company's origins in France as well as France's reputation as a city of high fashion. Even then the association is more in the naming or products than any French imagery (ex: flags, colors, monuments). The only imagery it uses that could typically be associated with globalization are the models of varying ethnicity. But Chanel as a lifestyle brand has paradoxically achieved something great - becoming generic. By using a time-less style of black and white, along with their simple, noticeable font and lettering that emphasizes the product, Chanel is a brand easily pictured when mentioning high fashion. The brand itself stretches itself, and reaches into a few product categories - from perfume, "haute couture", jewelry, watches, and skin care. The company tries to sell itself as something for the rich, or at least those that are trying to use it as such a status symbol. It is marketing itself to both customers and shareholders. There is a level of exclusivity on the website that helps sell Chanel's appeal. It tries to convey that this is a brand for the women who are fashion savvy, ahead of the curve, and with pockets deep enough to show it. 

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

     Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a multinational automotive company based in München, Germany in Bavaria.  Globalization is hinted at in subtle ways on their international website. Rather than having specific global messages, they show pictures of their vehicles in different parts of the world such as Miami, the American West, Germany, and Japan. Navigating through their website there is a globe icon with the phrase "Find a dealer in your area". This hints at the company having a global presence as the icon for this menu is the globe. Moving from the main page there is a side menu with different categories such as Freude (Joy), Neue Klasse (New Class), Kreisförmige Welt (Circular World), and Geschichte (History). 

    The Freude section is a small section that explains what joy can be and how the company wishes to bring joy to the user of their vehicles. From there the Neue Klasse section is their advertisement for a new class of vehicles that will be more futuristic and eco-friendly. The Kreisförmige Welt tab has the same information as the Neue Klasse but goes into more detail on how they will accomplish their goal. Lastly is the Geshichte tab. This section has the biggest globalization presence out of all the other information on their website. Here anyone can see when the company started and how it has expanded. One thing I did notice is they exclude all history from 1932-1944. Because BMW is a German company, by German law they cannot include any History pertaining to the time of Nazi Germany/the Third Reich. 

    Overall globalization is not as prevalent on their website as they label themselves as a luxury company. Being labeled as such, BMW has an aim in my opinion to a certain market that most likely doesn't call for a large global presence as the people who can afford their vehicles will search them out rather than BMW making a large marketplace presence.

Lindt and Sprungli Website Post

 The multi-national corporation Lindt and Sprungli incorporates the message of globalization throughout its website. The first image presented on the head of the website is “We enchant the world with chocolate” which is a direct global marketing image as the globe is receiving their chocolate. Within this advertisement, there is a mention that the company grew 10.3% in all regions. This statement gives globalization credit to their company’s growth. They also have a section of the website dedicated to careers, and ask if anyone is “interested in joining their global company.” By including the word global, Lindt and Sprungli is promoting itself as a global company that can provide careers around the world. Additionally, there is another section of the website dedicated to the global locations of stores, regional offices, and subsidiaries around the world. This helps customers locate stores globally, and shareholders track location progress. There is a large portion of the website that is targeted for shareholders' interests. The website shows how they create shareholder value and have all of their reports freely available on the website's main page. The company wants shareholders to have all the necessary information and be able to monitor their growth and progress. Overall, the message of Lindt and Sprungli focuses on chocolate quality and the distribution of this well-made chocolate globally. Authenticity and transparency are also qualities that the company prioritizes, which is shown through the availability of their 2022 Financial Report and Sustainability Report and their share prices. There is also a projected awareness of creating sustainability throughout their entire value chain. They boast of creating “decent and resilient livelihoods for cocoa farmers and their families.” This company promotes sustainable and authentic values and practices throughout its global chain. Globalization is very much promoted on this website but in a more subtle, background way, with the quality of the chocolate being the main message.