Have you heard for ‘glocalization’ before? What do you know?
What do you think this word means? What could it mean to you and your life?
We have heard a lot about globalization. As the world gets smaller and as companies expand into new countries we are more and more interdependent with other countries to do business. And more and more we are expected to learn international ways of doing business and others values.
However, now some companies are trying to go one step further to become truly multinational firms through “glocalization.” The term is a combination of the words “globalization” and “localization” used to describe a strategy to sell products and services globally but manage each operation based on the local market’s practices and culture.
Glocalization sounds easy but it is difficult to implement it as global standards often clash with local culture and practices. Against this backdrop, companies are seeking ways to get on side with individuals in differenIFt locations. Some companies have been successful in being both global and local players such as Yahoo and Coca Cola and now some Korean companies are taking their cues from these examples. That is, they try to follow global standards when doing business outside their home country, but in local operations they follow local culture and practices.
Guessing meaning from context
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
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To keep going more than normal |
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To begin, to make ideas happen practically |
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Those who are part of the situation |
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Who we take our orders from, or what motivates us to do something |
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Two things need each other |
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To agree, work together as a team |
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Conflict, opposition, flight |
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Context, the information that is important to help us understand something |
A=5, B=1, C=2, D=8, E=7, F=6, G=3, H=4
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
1. Samsung and Apple are interdependent because Samsung makes the chips and other parts for Apple iPhones and iPads.
2. English has always been an important language, but now many students are also going one step further and learning Chinese.
3. The new CEO has implemented many changes.
4. The backdrop to Korea’s success has been the fact that Koreans value hard work and education.
5. It is hard to move to a new country because at first there may be many cultural clashes between how you think and do things and the new country, but if you want to get on side with people then you need to learn some of the ways of the new country.
6. There were many players in the financial crisis of 2008, but the most important were the bankers.
7. The value of the dollar takes its cues from how confident people feel about the U.S. economy.
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
1. How is the company you work for (or place you study etc) interdependent on others?
2. From the reading, how are companies trying to go one step further?
3. How do you think these companies are trying to implement changes to get on side with local cultures?
4. If an international supermarket were expanding into Korea, then what backdrop would they need to think about? (you could think about types of food, how food is packaged etc).
5. How do you feel a company could do better to avoid clashing with local cultures in a new country?
6. If you wanted to expand your product or company into a new country, which players would you need to consider?
7. Who do you take your cues from in your business (or other) life?
ECK Education
