2Globalization and a Corporate Crisis
“Life is divided into three terms—that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future.”
—William Wordsworth
“The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.”
—Walt Disney
One hundred years ago, the idea of a corporate executive from the United States meeting face‐to‐face with the woman weaving baskets for the company in her home in the Philippines would have been straight out of science fiction. But the rise of globalization has made the world interconnected in ways no one living at the turn of the 20th century could have imagined. Designers have access to new materials and techniques; if they can think it, chances are someone, somewhere can produce it. Consumers expect their cherished goods to be in ready supply at whatever brick‐and‐mortar or online store they shop at and on their doorstep days, if not hours, later. When that is not possible, there's a problem (save for disruptions such as global pandemics). Thanks to increased competition, production companies feel more pressure to create products in record time, in higher quality, with faster delivery, and with more innovation than ever before. As a result, people like our basket weaver Laurie are able to benefit from newfound economic opportunity, a chance to remain in their community and be productive to support their family. When the system works, ...