Globalization of trade and business - Essay Example

It was in many ways easier to change the focus, and praise the British for leading the world in abolishing the Transatlantic Slave Trade and slavery. There had been an unprecedented campaign by the middle class across the country, which could be turned to national advantage. The Royal Navy was attributed with a new moral mission. We could now paint a picture of slavery as an historic phenomenon, and to contrast it with a modern enlightened citizenship. That would be comfortable and convenient, but false.

The tensions between property rights and human rights, which have been discussed since the Ancient Greeks, continue today. Globalisation means that international law now has to rise to meet the challenge of reconciling different traditions. It is not clear that the transition has been fully completed in the UK, as in other countries. Whenever governments emphasise their support for business as a priority, this may be interpreted as possibly implying further adverse consequences for other human beings.

There are still silences to be broken. This declared recognition of human rights, as a consequence of abolition and emancipation, was at the expense of property rights and economic freedom for employers. Capitalists could emphasise profit over human rights, and demanded a laissez faire approach to regulation and legislation. Can one human being own another, or must they find ways of working together as fellow citizens Working together requires some kind of mutual recognition as fellow human beings and citizens, on the basis of acceptance of parity of esteem.

In turn this assumes some degree of acquaintance and familiarity, meaning that people need experience of more than their own immediate social group. Rigid systems of social class represent obstacles. There is such a thing as society. It is not just a matter of individuals and their families. We need to deal with a wider range of relationships. In addition, we need to recognise the diversity of relationships that can be considered under the same headings.At work, where there are employers and employees, it is hard to envisage a model of citizenship based on full equality.

Clearly the power is not equally distributed. In a capitalist society, property rights of the owners have implications for the workers. Adam Smith pointed out the distinction between owners and managers, and complained that the latter group, who are simply one category of employees, can tend to act as if they were the owners. He lamented the consequences of joint stock companies, and the ease with which managers could act against the interests of the workers and of the public.Under indusrialisation, the owners regarded other human beings as their property.

The prime task of the owners was to ensure the financial success of their businesses. This was easier if the costs of labour could be minimised. They felt able to disregard matters that did not appear in their accounts. These attitudes could also be applied to the conditions of workers, working in factories and living in industrial towns. Typically such workers did not have the right to vote. Through limited access to education, it was difficult