Globalization refers to the increased cross-border trade, investment, and cultural exchange that has occurred due to dramatic improvements in technology, communications, transportation, and computation. This has led to economic effects like more international trade and investment as well as multinational companies, and political effects such as increasingly global conflicts, the rise of international organizations, and globally shared environmental concerns. Implications of globalization include debates around fair versus free trade, whether a single global culture is emerging, and how globalization will shape future careers.