The Internationalisation of PTT Telecom: A Cultural Perspective - Free

35different forms of globalisation are interconnected but the debates on the formsare discussed more or less separately (Ruigrok and van Tulder 1995: 140).In the first discussion on the globalisation on finances, Lash and Urry (1994)show that the capital market has changed into a non-organised hybrid networkof financial organisations because there is no hegemony. Dezalay (1990) showsthat the traditional form of professionals dealing with financial matters is nolonger bound to traditional aristocratic characteristics and the nation state. In thefinancial capitals of the world such as London, Tokyo and New York, enormousflows of money are being transferred around the world. Not the banks but thefinancial centres of these cities have become important. Not the money itself butits representation on the electronic networks and computer screens has becomeimportant. In the debate on the globalisation of finances the economic growth isno longer based on local financial conditions but on world wide financial flows.The second discussion on globalisation concerns the globalisation ofcompetition and of companies. Some important stages can be recognised in therecent history of the change in competition. In the 1960s the labour-intensivetextile and shoe industries were transferred to developing countries. In the1970s the capital-intensive shipbuilding and automobile industries followed thesame path. In the 1980s telecom equipment, computers and consumerelectronics were relocated to cheap labour countries. Finally in the 1990sfinancial, software and administration services are now located to low costcountries such India and Ireland by means of data networking (Esch 1994).Companies use strategies of relocation of production to geographical regionswith cheap labour or to countries with good distribution possibilities to gaincompetitive advantages (Porter 1990, Dunning 1993).The third discussion on the globalisation deals with the globalisation oftechnology. In the study presented in this thesis the globalisation of technology,in particular telecom, occupies a major place. The globalisation of technologycontributes for instance to the use of the Internet. A larger part of the writers onthe globalisation thesis point out technology as an important force in theglobalisation process. The access and control over technology has become animportant factor for companies in international competition. Technology hasbroken the connection of time and place and created numerous possibilities forinformation flows. 5The fourth discussion on globalisation discusses the political unification ofthe world. There is much discussion on the possible political unification of thenation-states (e.g. Featherstone 1990). On the one hand, the role of the nationstateis said to become more vague because of transnational problems of naturalenvironment, financial crisis and war. The nation-states are very effective5 An extreme example of the globalisation of technology and the disconnection of time and place isthe use of satellite telephony. When New Zealand’s experienced mountain climber Rob Hall led hisexpedition in May 1996 to the summit of the Mt. Everest he took along an Imarsat satellitetelephone. He already climbed the 8848 meter high mountain five times before but this time hisexpedition was caught in a heavy snowstorm unusual for that time of the year. At 8400 meter thestorm forced him to stay overnight without extra oxygen, tent, sleeping bag, food or drinks.Seriously frozen and facing another fatal night outside he phoned his pregnant wife in NewZealand. Satellite technology helped him to discuss the name of the unborn child with his wife inhis last contact with her before he died because there was no way to rescue him.