Globalization and Interdependence We are living in an era that is new to the human experience. At an accelerating rate, the world is becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Shrinking space, shortened times, and increasingly porous national borders are linking people's lives more deeply, more intensely, and more immediately than ever before. Information is increasingly globalized. It is no longer very feasible for anyone to try to control the flow and availability of information and ideas.
Information technology is ubiquitous.
When there are difficulties anywhere in the world, we learn of them on the internet and see them on our living room television screens. We know and easily communicate with friends and associates around the world. We readily access large amounts of undigested information and data about nearly any subject. And with this flow of information and ideas, technology is increasingly globalized. There is more and more concern about intellectual property rights and maintaining confidentiality of proprietary information.