Cultural integration

Cultural integration - when people from a culture adapt the essence of another culture while at the same time maintaining their own culture

Diffusion, adoption and adaptation of mass consumer culture

Global village - The World feels like it is getting smaller due to technology

Culture can be defined as a ‘way of life’ including traditions, customs, languages, belief systems, art, architecture, music and food

• No culture is static, ideas change and people move a lot
• Technology changes all culture
• There is a fear that cultural diversity is under threat, being swamped by Western influences

Mass consumer culture - a lifestyle focused on buying of goods and spending of money

Factors affecting cultural integration

Transnational corporations (TNCs):

• TNC - Businesses that operate internationally and tend to use developing countries to make and distribute the products
• Include Apple, Microsoft, Amazon & Tesla
• The profit from selling the world’s 10 largest companies would exceed the GNP of the worl’d 100 smallest countries

Growth of TNCs:

• Most TNCs start small before taking over other businesses and expanding overseas
• TNCs have developed systems of corporate control and now operate through a combination of ventures, licensing and franchise agreements and subcontracting

Method of operation:

• The main goal is to generate a profit
• They are often able to minimise the amount of tax paid
• Decisions made by a TNC are for the good of the business and may not always be in the best interest of the country that they are based in
• Individual governments may not be able to see these decisions until after they’ve been made

Offshoring :

• The process of moving a part of a company’s production process to another country
• Especially in developing countries
• Reduces the cost of wages and transport costs
• There is less environmental regulation in a developing country

Outsourcing:

• When a firm contracts with another company to obtain goods or services from it
• However, there is less control over the production process

Glocalisation:

• Some TNCs sell identical ‘authentic’ products in all countries
• Glocalisation is adapting the product to suit the local market

Drawbacks of TNCs:

• We rely more on international products which can affect access to products
• The exploitation of workers (low wages, poor conditions)
• Outsourcing jobs can lead to job losses in the home country
• Local cultures and traditions can be eroded by TNCs and Western ideas

Positive effects of TNCs:

• TNC is able to benefit from cheap labour
• Product cost is kept to a minimum
• Creation of stable jobs
• TNCs may invest in infrastructure in the country they’ve set up in

Actions of governments:

• Governments can promote cultural integration
• This can be done by:
  • deregulating economies
  • supporting immigration
  • promoting multiculturalism
• Benefits include:
  • diversity
  • economy (more people = more money)
  • more growth
• Negatives include
  • monoculture/westernisation

Preservation of culture:

• Some countries keep other cultures out
• they want to stop the influence of American values and attitudes
• They do this in France by imposing quotas and encouraging local content
• Vietnam blocks unwholesome content
• North Korea uses authoritarian measures to isolate their people from outside cultural influences

Promoting cultural integration:

• Includes many things like encouraging migration and playing content from other countries

Cultural imperialism

• Cultural imperialism - the dominance of one culture over all others
• Can be seen as the ‘Americanisation’ of everything

The effects of cultural integration

Homogenised urban landscapes

• Landscapes and streetscapes are starting to look the same
• Signs for stores etc. are being seen worldwide and this makes cities look similar
• This is a sign of wealth and development
• Is also a sign of monoculture

Architecture:

• Manhattanisation - new buildings around the world look like those from New York
• Architects work globally meaning that the same style of building is seen worldwide
• Australia’s suburban architecture also illustrates the impact of cultural integration as each group of immigrants brings their own architectural style and cultural heritage

Economic dominance and dependence:

• TNCs have economic dominance and have created global inequities
• TNCs are supported by producer services (lawyers, accountants, it support, insurance etc.)
• TNCs producer services have become global to support them
• The dominant one is the TNCs and the producer services are dependent

Financial institutions:

• Globalisation is clearly seen in financial markets
• Most important financial centres - London, Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong

The global city:

• Global city - A city that holds many TNCs
• Decisions made in these cities affect the livelihood and well-being of people around the world
• Nodes - the core of a business (a global city is a node)

Formal and informal economies:

• Informal economy - Labour intensive, no tax paid, includes food vendors, shoe shiners etc.
• Informal economies are very common in developing countries
• Formal economy - Goods produced for export markets

Threats to cultural diversity:

• Cultural diversity makes each country different
• Corporations spend big on trying to standardise consumer markets
• Some countries are fine with this, others fight it

Loss of language:

• Indigenous cultures not being able to hand down languages is a way most languages die
• Gradual language death - speakers of one language come into contact with a higher language

Shrinking time and space:

• World feels smaller because travel is more accessible
• Average cost of domestic travel has dropped 50% in the last 30 years
• Travel is both faster and cheaper

Technology:

• Internet has accelerated the rate of shrinking time and space
• People can access global markets from anywhere and communicate in real time
• Increases the level of inequality all over the world
• Global cities have more strength
• Developed countries will continue to exert a disproportionate influence on internet-based economic innovators