Glocal Competence in Context

Abstract

Advances in communication and information technologies, the signatures of new trade agreements (e.g., Association of Southeast Asian Nations, European Union, North American Free Trade Agreement, and the Andean Pact), and the emergence of multinational corporations have not only reduced or eliminated certain barriers among countries, but also made the world significantly more interdependent. Ferraro (2006) reported that lots of US corporations make more than 50% of their total sales in foreign markets, citing the example of Coca-Cola, which sells more of its products in Japan than in the United States (p. 2). Work places in the global market are located almost everywhere, putting workers in situations to interact in settings that involve culturally diverse workforce or in foreign countries with different cultural beliefs systems, interpersonal relations, and ways of life. This resulted in the development of new paradigms regarding the preparation of global competent workers for a global market. The Commission on International Education (as cited in Hunter et al., 2006) emphasized that:

America’s future depends upon our ability to develop a citizen base that is globally competent … The United States needs more people who understand how other people think, how other cultures work, and how other societies are likely to respond to American action. (p. 272)