Globalization and its consequences: Malaysian managerial perspectives and implications

Abstract

With the aid of a multi-disciplinary literature review and a sample of 165 managers and professionals, this study investigated the perception of the impact of globalization in Malaysia. The study revealed that a significant percentage of the respondents subscribe to the hegemonic view of globalization as a system that is closed to other political, economic and value systems. However, they also see the benefits of globalization in terms of the transfer of good business practices as well as the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI). The views of respondents vary between ethnic groups, with the Chinese tending to be more enthusiastic about the positive impact of globalization while the Malays tend to be more concerned about its negative impact. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Keywords:

• globalization
• Malaysian managers and professionals
• managerial attitudes
• managerial decision-making

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank four anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Also we thank Tony Murfin for his helpful comments and editorial assistance.