MORAL CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION

LESSON 1: Globalization and its Ethical Challenges

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. explain comprehensively what globalization is all about;
2. identify important moral challenges brought about by globalization; and
3. recognize how globalization affected your lives during this Covid-19
pandemic.

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

We are all aware that the world seems to be connected with various means such
as technology and transportation. Ideologies of places from all around the world can
be known by a very tiny village and also communication from people all over the world
became real time. These are some results of globalization.
According to Coronacion and Calilung (2018), “the world has shrunk” which
describes our contemporary world. The shrinking of the world has taken place because
of the combination of human feats including modern transportation, information and
communication technology, medical advancement and technological innovations.
Another accepted definition is from Giddens (1990) as cited by Coronacion, et.al.
(2018) who defines it as “the intensification of worldwide social relations which link
distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring
many miles away and vice versa.”
Globalization represents the process by which the geographical distance
becomes a less important factor in the establishment and the development of
transborder relations of economic, political and cultural origin. However, there are
issues and problems brought by globalization and its threating humanity.

According to Ehrenfeld (2012), the following are the ethical dilemmas of

globalization:
Anti-globalist movement has grown.
The opposite pole of anti-globalists is much more radical in their thinking. They
oppose the World Trade Organization claim that it is undemocratic, and ignores
environmental problems and labor conditions such as child labor and workplace
safety. Finally, they claim that globalization increases inequality and further
impoverishes the poor.
The anti-globalist movement has grown in passion and strength. They have
staged numerous protests. The one in Seattle involved some violence, but mostly they
are peaceful. The one recently in Hong Kong however was not peaceful. The pro-
globalists claim that free trade creates wealth, and this increase trickles down and
improves the condition of the poor (Ehrenfeld, 2012).
It is indeed true that due to having smaller world, activists may increase since
they have more means of spreading their ideologies. Let us now discuss how
globalization results to inequality among countries.
 There is unequal bargaining power among countries.
A charge against the WTO is that their decisions are usually made by
consensus. Rule by consensus can also be called rule by veto. It takes the opposition
of only a single member to stop an overwhelming majority from making changes.
Developing countries make up the majority of members of WTO. But not every country
has the same bargaining power. In practice the agenda is set in informal meeting of
the major trading powers: the US, the European Union, Japan, and Canada. Once
these powers have reached agreement these are presented at a formal meeting usually
as a fair accompli. Not in the least democratic. Finally, dispute panels are not selected
democratically. Even if WTO decisions were taken by the majority of states that are
members it would not be really democratic since for example India, representing a
billion people would have the same number of votes-one- as Iceland which has
275,000 (Ehrenfeld, 2012).
This ethical dilemma prevails mostly during conferences among countries in
international organizations.
Lastly, let us tackle how globalization widens the gap among the rich and the
poor.

Gap between the rich and the poor is becoming wider.

The UN reports that gaps in income between the poorest and richest countries
have continued to widen. In 1960 the 20% of the world’s people in the richest
countries had 30 times the income of the poorest 20%. In 1997, the gap has more
than doubled–it is now 74%. This widening of the gap is happening at a faster pace.
The gap in income within countries has also widened. In the US, according to the US
Census Bureau, the top and bottom tiers are growing and the middle shrinking. The
top 20 percent held 85 percent of the country’s wealth. A recent UN study also shows
that global trade increases wealth but the trade benefits are uneven (Ehrenfeld, 2012).
It can be concluded that despite the benefits we get from globalization, we still
face various challenges affecting moral, environmental and social aspects. Through
this globalization, huge gap between the rich and the poor is established; the
environment is being compromised due to the many advancement of technology,
improving the standard of living of the people. And people tend not to socialize
because of gadgets.

LESSON 2: Millennials and Filennials: Ethical Challenges and Responses

Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. define who is a Millennial and who is a Filennial; and
2. explain or discuss the qualities of Millennials and Filennials.

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

Who exactly are Millennials?

According to Ariola (2018), Millennials are those persons born between the
years 1980 and 2000. They are also referred to as Generation Y following Generation
X. You may wonder why some people who are born before the year 2000, for example
1998, do not consider themselves as Millennials but rather call themselves as part of
Generation Z. The reason behind is: there are no precise dates for when the
Millennials’ generation starts or ends but demographers and researchers typically use
the early 1980’s as the starting birth years and the mid 1990’s to early 2000’s as
ending birth years. Sometimes, Millennials are also called “echo boomers” because of
two reasons: (1) there was a major surge in birth rates in the 1980s and 1990s, and
(2) Millennials are often the children of the baby boomers. However, the trend toward
smaller families in developed countries in the 20 th century continued so the impact of
the “baby boom echo” was less pronounced than the post-World War II baby boom.
Locally, here in our own country (Philippines), one third of the total population
is composed of Millennials. These are usually “youth” marketers, business leaders,
employers, and some politicians who try to provide for their business endeavors. When
Millennials enter their prime years, they do not just define their community and
workplace. Their nature shows that they are starting to take care of a new generation
as the “hope of the fatherland”.
Millennial characteristics do vary by regions, depending on social and economic
conditions, but it is commonly known that the Generation Y population is marked by
an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital
technologies. Around the world, most Millennials’ upbringing is marked by an increase
in a liberal approach to politics and economics.
Economically, the Great Recession had a major impact on this generation
because it has caused historically high levels of unemployment among young people
and has led to speculation about possible long-term economic and social damage to
this generation.

Traits/Qualities of Millennials

In South Africa, the youths there are called

Millennials. So even if you are born after 2000, when
you go there, they will label you as Millennial.

Regardless of where you came from, whether you are an American,

Asian, European, etc., you share a set of traits with other Millennials.
Whether you are a balanced Generation X or an open-minded Generation
Y/Millennial, the fact remains that this generation is a force to be reckoned with.
Meaning, this generation “youth” holds more power than ever before yet are so
different to any other generations.
Sadly, many marketers underestimate or avoid this group or generation
because they believe that Millennials lack understanding of other aspects of life.
Currently, about 85% of the workforce are made up of Millennials. This
percentage implies that these individuals or Millennials make and influence the
buying decisions even in industry. They are generally considered good marketers of
business and industrial products.

In general, the following are the traits/qualities that this generation possess
(Ariola, 2018):

1. CONFIDENTLY INDEPENDENT
Undoubtedly, a high level of expectation is expected from Millennials by the
older generations. This is because Millennials are a generation of highly educated
individuals who grew up with internet. The internet allowed this generation to have
the latest information whenever they want. With easy access to information,
Millennials make informed decisions on their own. Marketers are also able to use
content marketing to easily influence this generation through the correct digital
mediums. Right now, a lot of marketing schemes are employed to catch our attention
towards a particular product online.
This group needs feedback and recognition from their employer as they thrive
with leaders, not bosses. And so, they need to be cared for, recognized, and
empowered. Most Millennials quit their job when they do not sense recognition,
fulfillment, and care from their company or employer. Most individuals in this
generation does not have to consult others on what job should they take or if they
should quit their job, they can easily move in and out of a job on their own decisions.
Reflect on yourself – do you have these characteristics?

2. COMFORT IN THE FLOCK

Millennials believe in strength in numbers. They look for a collective voice and
acceptance. Millennials socialize in groups online or offline. The boom of social media
and the frequent social gatherings whether in concerts or simple social gatherings are
just a few examples. The voice of the group determines how they will accept or deal
with their environment. Millennials believe that their groups are able to override
political change. They are unafraid to call out or criticize the faults or problems that
they see in the system.
Marketers, who set trends can, find success in their business through this
group because they have Millennial groups which they can influence. Employers can
also benefit from making use of teams with similar personal traits to work on specific
tasks for marketing their business. This is because these groups with similar personal
traits will probably agree to one decision saving them less time from picking out one of
many choices and arguing because of their differences. Do you possess these
characteristics too?

3. SIMPLICITY
Millennials do not tolerate things that do not work and they inform others
about it too. Hence, this generation will easily source an alternative if the product does
not suit their needs, perfectly. For example, a friend of yours ordered a wireless mouse
from Lazada and it does not suit him or her because she wants a mouse that does not
make a sound when she or he clicks on it. She tells you not to buy it because it is too
noisy, and she will probably buy alternative product from other stores that sell the
perfect mouse for her in Lazada.
Millennials go over lots of information daily to find what suits them best. Hence,
if you are a business leader who cannot communicate to this generation in a simple
but catchy manner, they will probably skip your product or service and you will lose
them to other competitors. Marketers, who identify information gaps and push content
on to this group, find success in these strategies. It is actually very obvious that a
company or a business has Millennial marketers because the advertisements or posts
they make on social media appeal to the slang, jokes, or wordings of the Millennials.
Sometimes, the marketers or producers of these products and services are not
Millennials, but they will surely consult or seek the popular opinion from Millennials
because they are the ones who usually can make things trending.
Employers who also can give tasks and monitor tasks simplistically will gather
great results from their Millennial staff. It is not that they cannot handle complicated
tasks but the simpler the instructions given to them, the faster they get the job done
and the expectation will easily be met because if it is not simple, then there could be
many ways of getting the job done and it could not be to the expectation of the
employer. I am sure, you, too, do not like complicated instruction. You would rather
follow one simple and definite instruction than five or more.
 4. WANT TO EXPERIENCE ENGAGEMENT IN BUSINESS
Any product or service can be engaging to this generation. Especially when
such product or service provides an experience. Millennials can be easily engaged.
This is why this generation is also sometimes called “Generation Me”. Millennials are
constantly looking for something new, exotic, and adventurous. Valuing Millennials’
experience, marketers and employees create the impression that they are special and
leave them a memorable experience. With this generation, it is important to tap into
their EQ (Emotional Quotient). Do you have a high EQ by the way? Because if your EQ
is low, you are lost in your generation.

5. CREATIVE ACHIEVERS
Millennials have hundreds of thousands of creative influences at their disposal
through the internet. With this huge influence, a new era of creativity is born.
Combining their attention seeking traits and their need to achieve, they can produce
outstanding creativity. Employers who nurture and support their creativity, will gain
from their innovative ideas which allow them to be set apart. Marketers who involve
the creativity of Millennials will stay on top of creative trends and will easily be
accepted by the public.
Look at the social media handlers of businesses today. Most of them are
Millennials who can easily relate and know what other Millennials and the general
public want to see and enjoy. That’s why your parents are lost!

6. UNIQUE
If you are not speaking the same language Millennials are speaking this year,
you may consider yourself not accepted by their crowd. Some of the unique words and
abbreviation they use over the time on a daily basis are lol, Ikr, Btw, Otw, Atm.
Millennials are very creative at taking a common thing or event and make it their own.
For example, the ice bucket challenge that became trending globally which then
disappeared and was replaced to a no make-up selfie, to various challenges online
make this generation unique. With this trait of constantly making things trending by
Millennials but then not any longer the next months or year, marketers and employers
need to catch on these trends to make their brands relevant and acceptable to the
public. Otherwise, this generation and the public will treat them as “laos” or no longer
trending and popular. The ‘jejemon’ language was bashed by parents and teachers just
because they cannot relate. Their generation prefers “speaking in complete sentence.”

7. NO BRAND BOUNDARIES
If there is something this generation wants, it is to be heard and to influence.
Just look at the number of friends and followers you have on Facebook, twitter,
Instagram, etc. You have thousands of friends, whom you have not even met or knew
in real life. But you like receiving likes, hearts, etc. and comments from them so you
try as much to post and update your social media accounts.
Millennials do not really care about brands as long as such brands understand
their common beliefs and it is beneficial for them. If a brand does not give importance
to their belief or say, then such brand will not appeal to this generation. Lately,
Millennials have been campaigning for supporting local and eco-friendly products,
thus, bamboo and metal spoons, forks, chopsticks, bottles, straws, etc. have been
made and sold by various brands. Would you believe that because of the campaign to
save sea turtles from getting injured or killed by straws, one by one, companies as big
as Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC, etc. began to withdraw straws from their stores.
People, especially the Millennials, started to applaud and give credits to these stores
and companies who gave a “no straw policy” on their social media accounts which
resulted to more people preferring these brands over others. That’s how influential we
Millennials are in the business world!

8. MULTITASKERS
A comment you will often hear from parents and the older generations is that
Millennials are great at multitasking. They can do many responsibilities at once. Right
now, you can watch the TV or a movie in your phone while working on your modules.
You may even eat while watching or studying. But the downside is, Millennials also get
easily distracted and find social media and texting irresistible. Thus, sometimes, you
are labeled as SPED, or children with specials needs.

Note: The ones mentioned above are just some of the qualities Millennials have.

Seven Qualities of Millennials That Make Them Excellent Employees

Deloitte Consultancy (2015), through its Chairman and CEO Jim Moffatt, stated
that it is not true that Millennials are demanding, difficult to manage, and are less
qualified. Hence, the said Consultancy enumerated the traits that Millennials have
which make them excellent in improving a business. These are the following:

1. They think of innovation as a science.

In a 2014 survey by Deloitte, the results showed that 80% of Millennials claim
that innovation can be learned and repeated, rather than being spontaneous and
random. This only shows that Millennials like to innovate, and they see their
innovative works and ideas as a part of science.

2. They believe in the profit motive.

Millennials see businesses to make profit from innovations that benefit society
acceptable, most especially when it is done ethically and has a positive impact on the
community and society. A good example on this is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg did not start Facebook to build a company. He was just some Millennial
dude trying to help connect people at colleges and a few schools which he thought was
a basic need at the time. He said in an article by Clifford (2018), “I looked around at
the internet and there were services for a lot of things that you wanted. You could find
music; you could find news; you could find information, but you couldn’t find and
connect with the people that you cared about, which as people is actually the most
important thing. So that seemed like a pretty big hole that needed to get filled.” So you
see, it is not just about improving life or making more profit. It is also about looking at
how people may be benefitted by making a business.

3. They could build a business.

In a Reason magazine survey (Ekins, 2014), 55% of Millennials stated that they
would like to have their own business one day and 61%
believe that hard work is the key to a successful
business. Another survey showed that about 70% of
Millennials see themselves working independently at
some point, rather than the usual employment in a
traditional organizational structure. In this time of
pandemic, we can see a lot of Millennials growing and
promoting their own businesses such as baking,
cooking, selling clothes and items online, etc. You
probably have seen comments or received one yourself
of the phrase “pm sent!”.
 4. They are motivated to accomplish something.
This generation receive a lot of education opportunities unlike other generations
and sometimes, a lot of debt also. The Pew Research Center (2014) claims that
Millennials have higher levels of student loan debt, poverty, and unemployment, and
lower levels of wealth and personal income than the generation Xers and baby
boomers at this stage in their lifespans. But as a new group, they are generally
motivated as a generation team that will work very hard. Take for example Millennial
vloggers and youtubers who work hard on putting out content and entertainment out
there, they are receiving compensation after some time that they earn a lot of followers
and views. At first, no one will notice their videos, or it is hard for them to continue on
shooting when no one is watching but later on after some years and after gaining
connections, their motivation and hard work will pay off.

5. They hate bureaucracy more than you do.

CEOs usually want to build a culture of innovation and risk-taking to get rid of
bureaucracy within the company. Millennials also hate bureaucracy more than the
employers and business leaders do. From a survey, it shows that the biggest barriers
to innovation are management attitude and operational structures and procedures.

6. They will put some muscle into your corporate culture building.
Every company owner/employer wants a more authentic and stronger
marketing sales. To achieve that, they will hire more Millennials. One of the top
motivations for Millennials to stay with their current job or position is their belief in
the company’s philosophy, vision, mission, and objectives – a belief that rests on
outcomes achieved, not just on promises made. Thus, when a Millennial agrees to his
or her workplace’s philosophy, vision, mission, and objectives, he or she will help the
company achieve it as long as the company also achieves it and does not just make
promises.

7. They want to lead, and we all need more leaders.

One in four Millennials want to have a chance to show their leadership skills.
Also, 50% believe that organizations could do more to develop future leaders. There is
no organization anywhere that would not want to build a stronger line of leaders,
ready to take on new challenges in this contemporary world.

Filipino Millennials are called Filennials. In an online survey conducted by

Rappler in 2016 among Filipinos aged 18-35, Filennials are seen to be confident and
driven (Garcia, 2016). The survey also showed Filennials’ outlook on their goals,
career, financing, and advocacies.
“Confident”, “driven”, “self-centered”, “ambitious”, and “passionate” are the five
top words being used to describe Filipino Millennials in terms of attitude. Other
answers, such as “optimistic”, “independent,” “idealistic” or “positive,” appeared in a
lesser frequency but had similar meanings to the top responses mentioned earlier.
This survey conducted in our locality (Philippines) agreed with the results of a larger
global survey conducted by World Economic Forum (WEF) (2016). In the survey by
WEF, 70% of respondents said they see the world as full of opportunities, and 50%
said they can actively contribute to decision-making in their countries.
In the local survey, Filennials link their personal dreams with their careers.
When asked to describe their goals, most respondents used the words “ambitious,”
followed by “success,” “high,” “financial stability/money,” and “career.”
When asked to describe their priorities in one word, the top response was
“career” followed by “self,” “family,” and “studies.” Surprisingly, “confused” was the
fifth most-used word to describe priorities. How about you? Do you know your
priorities in life or are you just going with the flow and have the “come what
may” attitude?
When asked to choose a word that best defines “success” for them, most of the
respondents chose “following passion” over “financial independence”. However, those
who were in their late 30s, most of them chose financial independence as indicator of
success following passion.
How about you? Would you rather follow your passion than be
financially stable? A lot of people today truly have the wealth and financial stability,
but it was not easy. Some of them had to give up their passions and dreams to go after
careers that would feed their mouths and later on find that they are unhappy because
they still look back and feel regrets in not pursuing their passion.
It is interesting also to note that those who typed out their responses define
success and fulfillment as a combination of 2 or all of the choices. Others chose to
define success as “contentment, living in the moment,” or “achieving personal goals.”
When asked if they would work abroad if given the chance, majority of them
answered yes. Ask yourself, “Can I leave home to seek greener pastures?”
A recent, worldwide survey by Deloitte (2020), focused on Millennials’ outlook
on career and ambition, yielded a similar result that Millennials prioritized fulfillment
in the workforce. In the survey, most Millennials are willing to leave their current jobs
within the next two years if they feel that the company’s goals are not aligned with
their own. They are also more protective of their personal ambitions in their career.
Having career and finances as top goal and priority do not dissuade Filennials
from marrying or having children. In the survey, Millennials prefer to be married
(62.4%) more than to be single (37.4%) in the future. Above 80% of respondents still
also prefer to have kids in the future.
When asked what they are saving their money for, travel is their top priority,
which is followed by business. The two least priorities are luxury goods and gadgets.
Do you agree? Do you also like to travel more than to have the latest gadgets
and luxuries?

That is the end of Lesson 2. Was it interesting to know about Millennials

and Filennials? I hope you enjoyed reading.

POST ASSESSMENT

TRUE or FALSE. Read the following and identify whether the statement is True
or False. If the statement is true, write TRUE on the blank space provided before the
number and write FALSE if the statement is false.

_________________ 1. To describe Filennials, in terms of attitude, there are words being

used such as driven, empowered and passionate.
_________________ 2. One in 100 millennials asks for a chance to showcase their
leadership skills.
_________________ 3. Millennials prefer financial stability over fulfillment or following
their passion.
_________________ 4. Filennials are dissuaded to get married and have kids because
their career and financial stability are their priority.
_________________ 5. Millennials are willing to leave their job or position when the
company’s goals are not in line with his or her personal goals.
_________________ 6. One of the ethical dilemmas brought by globalization is having a
wider gap among the rich and poor.
_________________ 7. There is equal bargaining power among countries that are
members of the World Trade Organization.
_________________ 8. There have been many changes brought by globalization and
these were all beneficial to the people.
_________________ 9. Globalization has kept the people from around the world to be
apart.
_________________ 10. Anti-globalists claim that World Trade Organization is
undemocratic, and ignores environmental problems.

REFERENCES

Ariola, M. (2018). Ethics. Unlimited Books Library Services and Publishing INC
Clifford, C. (2018). How Mark Zuckerberg came up with the idea for Facebook.
Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/17/why-mark
-zuckerberg-started-facebook.html

Deloitte. (2020). The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2020: Millennials and
Gen Zs hold the key to creating a “better normal”. Retrieved from
https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-
deloitte/articles/millennialsurvey.html

Deloitte (2014). Big demands and high expectations: The Deloitte Millennial
Survey. Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/
dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-dttl-2014-
millennial-survey-report.pdf

Ehrenfeld, S. (2012). Ethical dilemmas of globalization. Retrieved from

https://ethicalfocus.org/ethical-dilemmas-of-globalization/

Ekins, E. (2014). 10 Fun facts about the Millennial generation. Retrieved from
https://reason.com/2014/07/10/10-fun-facts-about-the-millennial-
genera/

Garcia, K. (2016). Filipino Millennials are ‘confident, driven’ – survey. Retrieved

from https://amp.rappler.com/move-ph/awards/980-2016/149854
-filipino-millennials-survey-attitude-priorities

Moffatt, J. (2015). The 7 positive qualities of Millennials that can

help you improve your business. Retrieved from
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242155

Pew Research Center. (2014). Millennials in adulthood: detached from

institutions, networked with friends. Retrieved from
https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/03/07/millennials-in-
adulthood/

PPT Online (n.d.). Youth problems and worries. Retrieved from https://en.ppt-
online.org/276955

World Economic Forum. (2016). Global shapers community annual report

2016-2017. Retrieved from
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GSC_Annual_Report_2017.pdf