Jobs within the Context of a Globalized Work Environment - Essay Example

analysis has become irrelevant in the current globalized business environment. The technological innovation and developments have given rise toempowered workers who think of their jobs within the context of a globalized work environment. Workers realize that they have to contribute their ideas and efforts to keep their companies viable during economic recessions. The four factors of globalization have consequently blurred the demarcation along previoulsly clearly aligned socio-economic lines. First, the emergence of new occupations has expanded the opportunities for the workers. Second, the seamlessness of transactions has enabled communications between managers and workers to be updated and smooth. Third, higher salaries among workers have led to a higher purchasing power which led to the development of consumption goods. Fourth, the constant internet connectivity has enabled workers to be updated about new equipment and production systems of other countries which can be replicated in their factory floor. Globalization has resulted in the emergence of businesses and thus, new occupations which gives stable and huge compensations to the modern day workers. The emergence of new occupations such as call center agents, business process outsource analysts, carbon audit analysts and data processing analysts has given rise to more purchasing power among the middle class and lower class. There is hardly a social tension among the workers and managers of these new types of occupations. Moreover, merit and achievement are rewarded with work bonuses and on-the-spot job promotions. A worker can double his income if he/she applies an efficient method in his/her daily work. These new systems of rewards in the workplace were not yet present during the time of Karl Marx. Second, the seamlessness of transactions of the internet and the mobile phone has enabled communications between managers and workers to be updated and smooth. Majority of today's company workstations have computers with internet connectivity. Hence, this reliable communications set-up enables workers to reach their supervisors easily and relay difficulties and problems on production issues. The workers can also reach their customers easily and update them on the status of their orders. For global companies, workers can tap on the best practices of the company which had been implemented in other company locations around the world. The rise of e-mail messages reduces the gap between managers and workers. An executive who has an e-mail address is easier to locate compared to the prior method of sending him a formal letter which his secretary can easily screen out. Third, the higher salaries given by employers to the workers have led to a higher purchasing power which led to the development of new consumption goods. The development of socially responsible company unions and the evolving nature of collective bargaining agreements have enabled workers to be more responsive to the financial status of their companies. Company stewardship efforts of the employers and workers have been consistent. For instance, during times of recessions, the company trade union is open to take a salary cut to help the company weather the economic crisis. Conversely, during times of prosperity, the company union can negotiate for higher salaries and bonuses. Hence, the previous confrontational stance and conflict-ridden postures between employers and the union is a thing of the past. Fourth, the constant internet connectivity has enabled workers to be updated about new products, new equipment and new production systems of other countries which can be replicated in their factory floor. The workers know that their company's competitive status in the industry must be safeguarded to ensure the company's survival. Hence, the workers try their best to read up on new developments of the industry and they try to come up with innovative solutions to remain competitive at all times. New products are tested. New equipments are purchased to speed up and improve the company's production cycle. Workers and managers as well as employers share their respective inputs in improving their products and services. Class analysis was prevalent in the 1800s due to the abuses committed by capitalists in the 1800s. The concept was developed by Karl Marx. Karl Marx's claim of historical materialism states that the people's economic behavior such as their mode of production in material life is the foundation of their social life. This economic foundation specifies the institutions present in society, and the respective forms of social consciousness. (Marx and Engles, 1998) A class pertains to the sum of relations in which individuals relate to one another in a given society. Thus, society consists of corresponding roles and positions which are largely differentiated by the kind and degree of control of their occupants regarding social production and the types of claims they place on social labor. (Marx and Engles, 1998) A class is defined by the ownership of property. This kind of ownership enables a landed person to exclude others from the property and to use it for personal purposes. In relation to property ownership, Marx identified three classes of society: the bourgeosie who relies on profit, landowners who depend on rent, and the proletariat who sells their labor for a specific wage rate. (Marx and Engles, 1998) Moreover, a class is determined by property. The distribution and consumption of property reflects the production and power relations of these classes. The social conditions of bourgeoisie production are dependent on property. Class pertains to a formal relationship between individuals. The force which first encourages the acquisition of class membership is the class interest. Individuals who belong to the same social class act in the same way by fostering relationships based on mutual dependence, and a shared interest which is linked by profit and wages. Classes are expanded and widened. The individuals decide to form classes such that their class interests results in a struggle with an opposite class. (Wood, 2004) The economic and social conditions of Western society (consisting primarily of France, Belgium, Russia, Germany and England) were very dismal during the years spanning 1844 and 1883. This was a period characterized by nationalism, trade unionism and a bloody social revolution. In the midst of the constant social upheaval, Marx saw the evolution of conflicts among classes. At the beginning, the antagonistic struggle between classes was first confined to the isolated factories. However, with the fast evolution of capitalism in 1844 and the following years, coupled with the stark disparity between the living conditions of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat and their respective families, the individual class struggles became more pronounced and led to the formation of worker coalitions across factories spanning the different countries. The works of Marx were read and appreciated by the industrial workers. (Karl and Engels, 1998) Conclusion The developments of the globalized business environment have resulted in the positive empowerment of the current workers. Workers have closer communications and relations with their employers. They also enjoy higher incomes, rights and benefits. The theory of class analysis is not as important as it was during the time of Marx. However, Marx's emphasis on class conflict as responsible for the dynamics of social change, his knowledge that change was a result of divergent class interests and his view of social relations as dependent on power were important legacies. Over a span of time, many of Marx' assumptions and predictions became outmoded or irrelevant. For instance, class stability is now enhanced by the development of an active middle class and an astounding degree of social mobility which can be attributed to a higher level of education and skills training. There is also an increased societal awareness for social justice. Finally, bourgeois political power has decreased substantially with the adoption and implementation of socially progressive labor laws and the dominance of labor-backed political parties. References: Marx, Karl and Engels. (1998). German Ideology. New York: Prometheus Books. Marx, Karl. (1848). Das Kapital. Wood, Allen. (2004) Karl Marx. New York: Routledge. Read More