Research Methods Essay

This paper uses research by studying and extensively reviewing the literature on telecommunications and Belize. To conduct the search, the scope of the study was studied and the sources of information identified. Telecommunications is considered to include communication services like radio, telephone, etc and technologies which can provide such services. Studies about the impact of telecommunications on Belize were researched. Extensive research was also conducted on the role of telecommunications in various sectors like education, health, agriculture, transportation, and other activities. The primary focus was to use the experience of Belize by studying the applications and findings which are relevant to the country. Recent reports and studies on Belize, its economy, and its telecommunication sector were used as research material for this paper. Publications are also considered as they present theory or analysis of critical issues and applications. Numerous sources of information were used to prepare the literature review. Several categories of research information are used to compile the results and content of the paper. References on telecommunications in general were used to provide an introduction and scope of study. Studies comparing Belize and its neighbors were also used to determine the success of globalization and telecommunications sector in the political, economic, social, and cultural context of the country. The role of telecommunication in rural development, agriculture, education, health, agriculture, disaster management, business, and trade were also extensively studied using various databases, publications, and studies. Selected studies and documents were used because the type of studies available would lead to an extremely lengthy paper. Scope of study The research methodology is the set of processes used to collect and analyze data. Research methodology is defined as a structured set of guidelines or activities to assist in generating valid and reliable research results. This part describes the research methods and procedures used to obtain and analyze data in this study. Research design reflects the structure of the research project and provides the means of collecting suitable data to answer the research questions. This paper seeks to identify the social, political, economic and cultural issues and outcomes which have emerged from globalization in Belize. It reviews the telecommunication sector of the country by looking at the reports of BTL. It studies the performance of the BTL. It highlights the achievements and failures of the company. It researches and examines the company’s services in the light of the government’s telecommunication industry. A detailed analysis is conducted about the success and failure of globalization in Belize by using studies which provide analysis on the economic performance of the country. Finally the study uses research material to examine the globalization success or failure in Belize as compared with its neighbors. The impact of telecommunications industry in the light of globalization is studied and researched extensively in the paper. Research Questions The following research questions are asked in this paper: 1. How has globalization affected the economic development of Belize? 2. How has globalization affected the welfare of its people? 3. How has globalization affected the success of the dominant telecommunications company BTL? Content and Analysis. This chapter looks at the results of the research conducted. It is divided into three parts which answer the three research questions. Globalization and economic development of Belize Success of globalization Globalization has assisted Belize in opening up its financial markets because of the levels of social spending. The economy has become more open because of increased public expenditures. It also has launched a positive effect on the interaction of democracy and globalization on the size of total revenue. Globalization does not depress social expenditures. Belize has diversity in terms of the level of development and social protection. It has had dramatic impact on the economies and social policy of Belize as compared with industrial countries. Creating an export oriented model led to a significant lowering of tariffs from an average of forty nine percent in the mid 1980s to eleven percent by the late 1990s (Jeffrey 69, 2006). Controls on capital markets have also been reduced which is still lower as compared with advanced industrial countries. The index of liberalization has increased in the country from sixty eight to seventy seven in the 1990s. The country however remains dependant on external capital flows because of the low savings rates. It also suffers from a high foreign debt which exposes the economy to market fluctuations. Pressure exerted by IMF and World Bank have called for pursuing neo liberal directions for the economy. Social expenditures dropped in the 1980s while they recovered in the 1990s. Social policy reforms have taken place that has reduced the general social insurance schemes. The private sector has played a prominent part in the provision of pensions and health care.