Globalization: The Case for Diversity and Inclusion in a post-industrial, neo-liberal business paradigm with focus on the caste system and its implications for the Indian labour market
[Full text]
Abigail Samyuktha Rabindran [1]
| Abstract: The post-industrial study of globalization has been studied from several perspectives and has been subject to a multi-disciplinary approach. There is, however, limited literature on the role played by globalization on diversity and inclusion. And thus, diversity and inclusion emerge as key themes this paper seeks to explore. At a time when the name ‘George Floyd’ has sparked a movement all around the globe and, farther away in India, a crime is committed against a ‘lower-caste’ Indian every 15 minutes, the actual and discursive importance of diversity and inclusion is boldly underscored. This paper begins by discussing the theoretical underpinnings of the conception of globalization and moves on to identifying the role of diversity and inclusion in theory. It then shifts its focus to the economistic perspective of globalization. The economistic perspective provides key insights on the Marxian notion of the antagonism between labour and capital by highlighting the repercussions of this ‘antagonism’ on labour market standards and inequalities. This paper indicates that these consequences do not have to make the case. It finally uses statistics from India (with particular emphasis on caste-based data) in comparison with statistics from the West to provide an analytical account of modern-day business paradigm. This is hardly a discursive analysis when one views it in light of business efforts to incorporate diversity and inclusion in governance and operations. The paper moves from a theoretical understanding of globalization to concrete conclusions that address the growing need for diversity and inclusion at all levels of corporate governance. This ensures that globalization creates a sustainable growth model for all countries. This is especially imperative at a time when nation-states have an increasingly diminishing role to play in global trade and division of labour. Keywords: Globalization; diversity; inclusion; multi-disciplinary; theory; business paradigm; India; caste; corporate governance; |
[1] Dorcas Research Centre for Education, Art and Culture in Chennai, India, abigail.samyuktha@gmail.com.