CAPE

Caribbean Studies Internal

Assessment
(2015-2016)
Title: An investigation into the impact of globalization on Jamaicas economy.

Name: Chelsea Hyde

Date: November 29, 2015

Territory: Jamaica

Table Of Contents
SECTION

PAGE

Introduction and Purpose of

Research
.. 3
Literature
Review..
4
Data Collection
Sources.6
Presentation Andand Analysis Ofof
Data.
Discussion Of
findings.
Conclusion
..

Bibliography
..
Appendices

Introduction and Purpose of Research

Relevance of topic
This study is an investigation into the impact of globalization on Jamaicas
economy. It will attempt to answer the following questions:
What are the main factors influencing globalization?
What are the impacts of globalization on Jamaicas economy
What can be done to limit the negative effects of globalization on the
economy and the society as a whole?

Globalization can be defined as the process by which regional economies, societies

and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication
transportation Ellis A. The Jamaican economy is a mixed developing economy,
located in the Caribbean it has been globalized had have benefitted much from this
however there is a negative side to this globalization that has affected young
Jamaicans. Cultural diffusion is of influence on our culture today. Therefore young
Jamaicans have been exposed to the other cultures from other countries and this
has caused them to forget their former beliefs and culture, and adopt to the culture
overseas.

This study is geared towards finding out how Jamaicans are impacted by
Globalization. The researcher chose to investigate this topic as it is believed that
Globalization is mainly positive and dependent on Jamaicas economicaleconomic
growth. However the dependence on Globalization is obscured researcher
and this has many negative effects in our society. This investigation will
highlight those negative effects in contrast to the belief of some Jamaicans.
The results of this study will heighten the awareness of negative effects on
globalization. The governmental agencies could use the strategies listed in this
research to help limit the negative effects of globalization. If left unattended
Jamaican culture will eventually vanish and leave future generationsgenerations
oblivion to Jamaican history.

Problem Statement
The title of this study is An investigation into the impact of globalization on
Jamaicas economy. Jamaica, home of over 2.4million people, is located in the
Caribbean after residing here for over 17 years the researcher have observed many
changes in its economy. Therefore the researcher has decided to conduct a small
survey to investigate the impact that globalization has been having on the countrys
economy. By doing this the researcher hopes to answer the following questions:

What are the main factors influencing globalization?

How does Globalization further adds detriment to the poor society?
What are the impacts of globalization on Jamaicas economy
What can be done to limit the negative effects of globalization on the
economy and the society as a whole?

Definition of terms
Globalization- the process by which businesses or other organizations
develop international influence or start operating on an international scale

Economic- the branch of knowledge concerned with the production,

consumption, and transfer of wealth.

 Economy- the state of a country or region in terms of the production and

consumption of goods and services and the supply of money.

Cultural Diffusion- is the spread of cultural beliefs and social activities

from onefrom one group to another. The mixing of world cultures through
different ethnicities, religions and nationalities has increased with advanced
communication, transportation and technology.

Culture- the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular

people or society.

Literature Review
Every country has its own unique resources and products that other counties may
not have and hence, whatever resources were lacking in country could be found in
another. This led to the up rise of the idea of globalization. At the early beginnings
of globalization, people from different countries started to exchange resources with
each other for various crops as well as other goods. The Dutch East Indian was the
first global cooperation to be established in the 17th century. Globalization
increased up to 19th century but then collapsed in World War I however restarted in
World War II. Shallon Hylton (2012)
Jamaica is a mixed economy with public sectors as well as private sector
businesses. Major sectors of the Jamaican economy include agriculture, mining,
manufacturing, tourism and financial and insurance services. Tourism and mining
are the leading foreign exchange earners Mr. Brad Little (2009)
Some argue that globalization is a positive development as it will give rise to new
industries and more jobs in developing countries. Others say globalization is
negative in that it will force poorer countries of the world to do whatever the big
developed countries tell them to do. The researcher will discuss the views of some
critics and if they agree that it is positive or not. Later in this research the research
will identify some of these critics and clarify statements that others made

Globalization is a popular word that is often heard in news, television and on the
radio. It has become the key to economic growth in Jamaica. This is so as
Resources of different countries are used for producing goods and services and
they are able to do most efficiently. Also consumers are able to get much wider
variety of products to choose from. In addition businesses and investors get much
wider opportunities for investment. In contrast however, due to globalization many
local brands and businesses in poorer developing countries such as Jamaica may go
bankrupt and can't survive the economic might of these rich countries.
Furthermore, People no longer wear national costumes because they all want to
look like Americans or other nationality. This causes cultural diffusion that may
spread over the island and Jamaicans are most likely to idolize Americans.
There is an ongoing debate on the impact and implications of globalization. One
school of thought argues that globalization on the whole has been beneficial to
mankind and is irreversible Dr. Richard Bernal (2011). Some of the better known
books in this category are Martin Wolf, Why globalization Works (2007) and
Jagdish Bhagwati, In Defense of Globalization (2004).
Initially, technology has greatly influenced Caribbean people from its existence.
Caribbean Islands have greatly gained knowledge and easier access to technology
for greater efficiency in the workplace and the environment. It must be mentioned
that the improvements in technology including telecommunications technology and
more recently the internet. With the massive increase in the number of persons who
are exposed to cable network and the internet, large volumes of information spread
quickly. This telecommunications network, where it is available, underpins all
other sectors of the economy and society, including banking, mining,
entertainment, manufacturing, agriculture, government administration, and even
small business. (Dunn, 2005) The technologies of Information and
Telecommunications today represent the largest industry and the most extensive
global system in human history. However, the researcher adds that the impact of
globalization on Jamaica has put tremendous pressure on the society to meet
changing local customer expectations and tastes.
Theodore levitt (1983) argues that differences in national or regional preferences in
business transactions and consumptions patterns would disappear, thus, leading to
the homogenization of products, manufacturing and the vital institutions of trade,
including marketing. Douglas and Wind (1987) in contrast states that globalization
is merely a myth due to the over simplistic nature of levitts thesis of globalization.
Thry wrote:

The adoption of a strategy of universal standardization appears nave and over simplistic
such an approach as a universal strategy in relation to all markets may not be desirable, and
may lead to major strategic blunders. The design of an effective global marketing strategy
does not necessarily entail the marketing of standardized products and global brand
worldwide. (p.24)

The main point of the anti-globalization perspective is pegged on the presence of

local variations in taste both in individual and shared scales this will effectively
influence decision making processes (2004)
Furthermore the novel, The Dark Side of Globalization, professors Jorge Hiene and
Ramesh Thakur in their book stated that globalization unleashes negative forces
which create what they define as "uncivil society". The term encompasses "a wide
range of disruptive and threatening elements" which have become
"transnationalised" and are beyond the effective control of the nation state. For the
Caribbean the key challenge is how do small states mediate the encounter with
these disruptive forces.
Among the overarching issues is the exploration by William Coleman of
globalization, imperialism and violence starting from the acute observation that the
intensification of globalization in the last two decades of the 20th century has been
accompanied by appalling violence of the intra-state kind rather than between
states.
Globalization theories emphasize cultural and economic factors as the main
determinants which affect the social and political conditions of nations, which is
similar to the "comprehensive social school" of Max Webers theories. From this
perspective, the systems of values, beliefs, and the pattern of identity of dominant
and the subordinate groups within a society are important elements to explain
national characteristics in economic and social terms. For the globalization
position, this statement from the Weberian theory from the 1920s must apply to
current world conditions especially in terms of the diffusion and transference of
cultural values through communication systems that are increasingly affecting
many social groups in all nations.

A balanced approach to globalization recognizes that it provides opportunities and

entails risks. The capacity to deal with both aspects differs widely and hence
globalization produces both winners and losers. The discussion of the

consequences of globalization is made complex by its all-encompassing and multidimensional nature and hence assessments have to assay a wide range of topics.
The impact of Globalization has been acknowledged by the Jamaican Government
however the researcher is left to contemplate on whether or not they seethey see
how the negative impact drastically overwhelms the positive. If so, what are they
doing to lessen the negative impact of globalization?

Data Collection Sources

To gather information of what Jamaicans think when asked the topic on
Globalization and to further add informative facts on the accuracy and
reliability of this research. The researcher made use of primary and secondary
sources of data collection.
Data was primarily collected through the use of phone calls and text messages.
Using the phone book, the researcher, using simply random sampling will dial and
or message 1 person from every 20,000 seen from different parishes of Jamaica. In
total the researcher only wants forty (40) respondents to take part in the research.
These 40 are of course, volunteers who without a doubt accepts to share their view
on globalization with the researcher. Twenty of those respondents were called and
the other 20 was visited at their home and given a Questionnaire. The questions in
total asked to each householder was a total of fourteen questions. These 14
(fourteen) questions includes both open and close ended questions, 3 open
questions and 11 close ended ones.
Secondary source of data was collected by the researcher through observation. This
observation technique allowed the researcher to acquire truthful answers to specific
question without having to rely on individuals in the study area.
The study of Jamaican Globalization by Alex Eliss (2012) provided the
information for my questionnaire items. This source helped me to clearly have

more knowledge of this issue and pointed to my main method of investigating

Globalization.

Presentation Of Data

Factors
Influencing Globalisation
15
%%
40
%

Economy

Resources and markets

Political

Technology

Figure 1.
The above pie chart illustrates the four of the major factors influencing
Globalization in Jamaica as seen by 40 respondents

Impact of globalization on Jamaicas economy

Culture Uniqueness
Global Commerce
International Trade
Competition
Technology Renewal
International Production for Small
Business
Figure2.

30%
17.5%
10%
5%
17.5%
20%

The table as shown clarifies the respondents view on Globalization and its impact
on Jamaicas economy. *it shows positive and negatives)

Negative Effects Of Globalization

40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%

Figure 3

The above table highlight the views of the researchers respondents on the negative
effects of globalization.

Age Of Respondents

28%

20%

15-20
21-26
30-35
41-50

23%
30%

Figure 4.

The purpose of the above pie chartage is to see illustrate how the different age
groups reacts to globalizationandglobalization and how does it affect them in their
school/community

Picture 1
Showing a few of the many changes caused by globalization, therefore this pictures
shows some Jamaicans reliance of bleaching their skin to feel more American. In
contrasts, in the 1900s Jamaicans embraced their pigment. Dr Martin Luther King
stated Somebody told a lie one day. They couched it in language. They made
everything Black ugly and evil. Look in your dictionaries and see the synonyms of
the word Black. Its always something degrading and low and sinister. Look at the
word White, its always something pure, high and clean. Well I want to get the
language right tonight.
I want to get the language so right that everyone here will cry out: Yes, Im Black,
Im proud of it. Im Black and Im beautiful!

Economy since Globalization

160%
140%
120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
1900's

2013
Jamaicans

Chinese

America

Montserrat

Figure 6: Shows the fluctuation of Jamaica and another

Caribbean island (Montserrat) and its change in
economy compared the other leading countries in the
world.

According to statics found on the internet it can be said that. Due to globalization,
many local brands and businesses in poorer developing countries go bankrupt and
can't survive the economic might of these rich countries.

Discussion Ofof Findings

Cultural diversity refers to the interaction of people among the various cultural
background, race, belief systems, ethnicity and religion from all around the world.
This occurs through the freedom of movement among people from across national
borders. For example, Jamaica on a whole has many attractions and so tourists
from different parts of the world travels each year to explore the many sceneries:
some even migrate to Jamaica and so there is a mixture of lifestyle and groups. In
the same way do Jamaicans travel abroad to seek employment, and migrate to
foreign countries. Either way it reflects Globalization.
Picture 1.0 illustrates the secondary way the researchers Data was collected, by
observance. The researcher notices the difference in some Jamaicans wanting to
bleach their. Studies shows that bleaching your skin emphasizes how u no longer
wish to be apart of your natural society. Furthermore these people feel a need to
fit into the American society. The picture seen demonstrates modern day dressing
and how they werent ashamed of what they wore. However through Globalization
some Jamaicans has come to hate everything of their own culture and love the
Americas culture. This is what causes cultural diversity as they adapt to another
culture which is not of their originally. If this consists, it will lead to skin cancer
and in effect death of these Jamaicans.

Figure 4.0 Is a table showing the age of the respondents participated. This is to
enable the researcher to see what each person of different birth periods would share
the same view as of those in their same birth period. The primary birth period in
the respondents are from age 30% of respondents agreed to all the researchers
disagreeable points. These persons did not see anything wrong with bleaching of
skin, technology usage too frequently along with them were the teenagers who
really didnt see anything wrong with bleaching The 20% of teenagers additionally
found technology received from Globalization is really relevant. The researcher
furthermore in her personally data collection, observed that technology is very
much appealing to youngster because of its games, and of course internet
connection as most teenagers loves to talk and or video chat with someone they
dont even know. Twenty-two percent (22%) were from ages 21- 26, they more

appealed to question number 9 where most of them answered economy. The

researcher thinks most of them chose economy as nowadays Jamaicans are finding
it harder to get a job after spending 8 years in school.

On our Global Exchange study tour in March, designed and led by Hanna Appel,
we interviewed farmers, businesspeople, police, human rights advocates,
community development leaders, and ordinary Jamaicans to take the pulse of a
country in trouble. We visited potato farmer Jerry Harrison who spoke of the
difficulty of getting a farm load even at 22% interest for Springspring planting.
Jamaica was self sufficientself-sufficient in potatoes in 1982, but has since been
undercut by foreign imports.

Bibliography
Dunn, H. (2005). Globalisation from below: Caribbean cultures,
global technologies and the WTO. In G. T. Christine, & K. Nurse
(Eds.), Globalization, Dispora and Caribbean Popular
Culture (pp. 126-134). Kingston: Ian Randle.

Adulraheem, Yusuf. (2015). Impact of globalization on

culturewww.academia.edu/6573965/IMPACT_OF_GLOBALIZA
TION_ON_CULTURE.

Patrick, Kendall. (2008). Globalisation and the

Caribbeanwww.caribank.org/uploads/publications-reports/staffpapers/GCIA.pdf

Limitations
The researcher during this research encountered problems in the completion of this
research. These problems included not enough time to complete it, computer
shuting down and getting the questionnaires to reach across Jamaica with only at
most 3 days to return. Other problems was the penmanship of some respondents
which made it difficult for the researcher to analyze it.

Questionnaire
Have you ever heard the term Globalization before?
Yes

No

Globalization- It describes the way countries and people of the world

interact and integrate. Globalization has many sides and can be economic,
political and/or cultural.
Gender
Female

Maybe

Age
15-20

21-26

30-35

51-50

Are your views Globalization mainly

Positive

Negative

What are your feelings about Jamaicas Economy

Getting Better
Getting Worse
Staying about the same

Dont Know

Globalization comes in many forms, which form is more prominent to you?

Radio
Television
Social Networks
Websites

Can the government help lessen these negative effects of Globalization?

I disagree

Of Course

Maybe

Only the people can do that

What do you think about social networks?

Waste of time

They arent really social

Destroys our social life

What are the main factors influencing Globalization ?

Economy

Technologies

Resources and Markets

Political

How would you define the impact of globalization on Jamaica

Culture Uniqueness
Global Commerce
International Trade
Technology Renewal

Competition

International Production for Small Business

What do u think the Government can do to stabilize the negative effects of
Globalization?

__________________________________________________________________