CBSE Class 10 · Globalisation and the Indian Economy

Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology Class 10

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Rapid improvement in technology has been a major factor stimulating globalisation. Better transport, including containers and cheaper air transport, made long-distance delivery faster and cheaper. Information and communication technology, through telecommunications, computers, satellites and the internet, lets people share information instantly and spreads the production of services across countries, as in NCERT's London-Delhi magazine example.

Notice that two kinds of technology, faster cheaper transport and instant communication, both feed into globalisation.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology

Two enabling factors. NCERT names two main factors that enabled globalisation: technology and liberalisation of foreign trade and foreign investment policy. This page covers technology; both are in the 2026-27 board syllabus.

1. Transportation technology.

Rapid improvement in technology has been one major factor that has stimulated globalisation.
Over the past fifty years, transport technology has improved greatly, making much faster delivery of goods across long distances possible at lower costs.
Containers: goods are placed in containers that can be loaded intact onto ships, railways, planes and trucks. Containers have led to a huge reduction in port handling costs and increased the speed with which exports reach markets.
Air transport: its cost has fallen, so much greater volumes of goods are carried by airlines.

2. Information and communication technology (IT). Even more remarkable have been developments in telecommunications, computers and the internet.

Telecommunication facilities (telegraph, telephone including mobile phones, fax) let people contact one another around the world, access information instantly and communicate from remote areas, helped by satellite communication devices.
Computers have entered almost every field of activity.
The internet lets us obtain and share information on almost anything, and send instant e-mail and talk (voice-mail) across the world at negligible cost.

Using IT in globalisation: the magazine example (NCERT). A news magazine for London readers is designed and printed in Delhi:
1. the text is sent from London to the Delhi office through the internet;
2. Delhi designers get instructions from London using telecommunication facilities;
3. the designing is done on a computer;
4. after printing, magazines are sent to London by air;
5. payment from a London bank to a Delhi bank is made instantly through the internet (e-banking).
This shows how IT has played a major role in spreading the production of services across countries: a service for London is produced in Delhi, combining internet, telecom, computers, air transport and e-banking.

Why technology matters for globalisation. Integration of production and markets needs goods to move cheaply and quickly, and information and money to move instantly. Transport technology handles goods; IT handles information, coordination and payments. Without such technology, MNCs could not manage production spread over many countries. (NCERT's cartoon asks 'but where is the electricity?', a reminder that not everyone has access to these technologies.)

Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology: key facts

Technology as a factor: Rapid improvement in technology stimulated globalisation; One of two factors (with liberalisation).
Transport technology: Long distances faster delivery at lower cost
Containers cut port handling costs, speed exports
Air transport cheaper, carries more goods; Past fifty years.
Containers: Goods packed in containers loaded intact onto ships, railways, planes and trucks
ICT: Telecom (telegraph, telephone, mobile, fax) + satellites + computers + internet (e-mail, voice-mail at negligible cost); Instant information and communication.
Magazine example: London text via internet -> Delhi design on computer with telecom instructions -> air freight -> e-banking payment; IT spreads production of services across countries.

Long distances	faster delivery at lower cost
Containers	cut port handling costs, speed exports
Air transport	cheaper, carries more goods

How to answer Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology questions

Questions ask how technology stimulated globalisation, the role of containers or IT, and for analysis of NCERT's magazine example. Economics has 1-, 3- and 5-mark questions.

1Split technology into transport and information and communication technology.
2For transport, mention faster, cheaper long-distance delivery, containers and cheaper air transport.
3For ICT, mention telecom, satellites, computers and the internet, with what each allows.
4Use the London-Delhi magazine example, naming each technology used at each step.
5Link back to globalisation: integration of production and markets across countries.

Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

IT spreads production of services across countries

Suppose an imaginary company in Canada needs a set of illustrations for a children's book. It e-mails the story to artists in Pune, discusses changes by video call, receives the finished files over the internet, and pays the artists through online banking the same day.

Identify the technologies used and explain how they enable globalisation.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Internet: sending the story and receiving files.
Telecommunication: video calls for instructions.
Computers: creating the illustrations.
E-banking: instant payment across countries.
Result: a service for Canada is produced in India.

Answer: The internet carries the story and the finished files, telecommunication allows instructions by video call, computers are used to make the illustrations, and online banking transfers payment instantly. Like NCERT's London-Delhi magazine example, these technologies let a service for one country be produced in another, spreading production of services across countries and integrating them.

Memory hook: Send, design, deliver, pay: all across borders.

Tricks to remember Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Two T's of technology
Transport (containers, air) and Telecom/IT (phones, computers, internet).
Use it when: Structuring answers.
Container = cut and quick
Containers Cut port costs and make exports Quick.
Use it when: Container questions.
Magazine chain I-T-C-A-E
Internet, Telecom, Computer, Air, E-banking.
Use it when: Magazine example.

Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Containers · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Containers have helped globalisation mainly by:
(a) increasing port handling costs
(b) reducing port handling costs and increasing the speed with which exports reach markets
(c) stopping air transport
(d) restricting foreign investment

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT: containers led to a huge reduction in port handling costs and faster exports (1 mark).

Answer: (b) reducing port handling costs and increasing the speed with which exports reach markets

Example 2: Transport technology (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

How have improvements in transportation technology stimulated globalisation? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Over the past fifty years, transport improvements made faster delivery of goods over long distances possible at lower costs (1 mark).
Containers loaded intact onto ships, railways, planes and trucks cut port handling costs and sped up exports (1 mark).
Falling air transport costs let airlines carry much greater volumes of goods (1 mark).

Answer: Improvements over the past fifty years made it possible to deliver goods faster across long distances at lower cost. Containers, loaded intact onto ships, trains, planes and trucks, hugely reduced port handling costs and sped up exports. The cost of air transport also fell, so airlines now carry much larger volumes of goods.

Example 3: Assertion-reason: IT and services · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): Information and communication technology has played a major role in spreading the production of services across countries.
Reason (R): The internet, telecommunication and e-banking allow work, instructions and payments to move instantly between countries.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The magazine example shows exactly this; R explains A (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

Example 4: Passage: the London-Delhi magazine (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Read and answer. A news magazine for London readers is designed and printed in Delhi. The text is sent through the internet to the Delhi office. Designers get orders on how to design it from London using telecommunication facilities. Designing is done on a computer. After printing, the magazines are sent by air to London. Payment from a London bank to a Delhi bank is made instantly through the internet. (a) Name three technologies used. (b) Which step uses transport technology? (c) What does the example show about globalisation? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) Any three: internet, telecommunication, computers, air transport, e-banking (1 mark).
(b) Sending printed magazines to London by air (1 mark).
(c) IT spreads the production of services across countries, integrating production between London and Delhi (1 mark).

Answer: (a) The internet, telecommunication facilities and computers (also air transport and e-banking). (b) Sending the printed magazines to London by air. (c) Information and communication technology lets a service for London readers be produced in Delhi, spreading production of services across countries and integrating them, which is the essence of globalisation.

Example 5: Technology and globalisation (5 marks) · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

'Rapid improvement in technology has been one major factor that has stimulated the globalisation process.' Justify the statement. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Transport improvements over fifty years: faster, cheaper long-distance delivery (1 mark).
Containers cut port handling costs and sped up exports; air transport became cheaper, carrying more goods (1 mark).
Telecommunication (telephone, mobile, fax) and satellites allow instant contact and information access even from remote areas (1 mark).
Computers in every field and the internet allow sharing information, e-mail and voice-mail at negligible cost (1 mark).
IT spreads production of services across countries, as in the London-Delhi magazine example (1 mark).

Answer: Over the past fifty years transport technology has improved so much that goods can be delivered faster over long distances at lower cost. Containers, loaded intact onto ships, trains, planes and trucks, hugely reduced port handling costs and sped up exports, and cheaper air transport lets airlines carry far more goods. Information and communication technology has been even more remarkable: telephones, mobiles, fax and satellite links let people contact each other and access information instantly, even from remote areas. Computers are used in almost every field, and the internet allows e-mail and voice-mail across the world at negligible cost. Together they spread production across countries, as a London magazine designed and printed in Delhi shows.

Example 6: Could globalisation happen without IT? (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Would globalisation have been possible without the expansion of information technology? Give reasons. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Integration of production needs constant, instant coordination between units in different countries, which IT provides (1 mark).
Services like design can be produced abroad only if text, instructions, files and payments move instantly (internet, telecom, e-banking) (1 mark).
So globalisation in its present scale and speed would not have been possible; some trade in goods could still happen with transport alone (1 mark).

Answer: Not at its present scale. Spreading production across countries needs instant coordination, which telecom and the internet provide. Producing services abroad, like the London magazine designed in Delhi, depends on sending text, instructions, files and payments instantly. Some trade in goods could happen with transport alone, but today's rapid integration depends on IT.

Where students lose marks in Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Mentioning only computers
IT seen narrowly.
Wrong working
Technology means computers.
Right working
Transport (containers, air) and ICT (telecom, satellites, computers, internet).
Do this: Two categories.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: No effect stated
Listing technologies only.
Wrong working
Containers and internet were invented.
Right working
Containers cut port costs; internet allows instant, cheap communication.
Do this: Technology + effect.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Misusing the magazine example
Steps forgotten.
Wrong working
The magazine was printed in London and sent to Delhi.
Right working
Designed and printed in Delhi for London readers; sent by air to London.
Do this: Learn the direction.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Confusing technology with liberalisation
Both are factors.
Wrong working
Removing trade barriers is a technological factor.
Right working
That is liberalisation; technology covers transport and ICT.
Do this: Keep the two factors separate.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Write technology answers in two parts: transport, then ICT.
Use the London-Delhi magazine example; name the technology at each step.
Remember containers' two benefits: lower port costs and faster exports.
Economics in 2026-27 has 1-, 3- and 5-mark questions.

Practice questions on Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Which of the following is an example of information and communication technology named by NCERT?
(a) Containers
(b) Satellite communication devices
(c) Trade barriers
(d) Quotas
Hint
Telecommunication facilities.
Answer
(b) Satellite communication devices
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
How has the internet changed communication across the world? (3 marks)
Hint
Information, e-mail, voice-mail, cost.
Answer
The internet lets people obtain and share information on almost anything. It allows instant electronic mail (e-mail) and talk (voice-mail) across the world at negligible cost. It also enables instant payments through e-banking, so services can be ordered, produced and paid for across countries.
Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHOTS / competency
Assertion (A): The cost of air transport has fallen.
Reason (R): Much greater volumes of goods are now being transported by airlines.
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.
Hint
Which is cause and which is effect?
Answer
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A. In NCERT, falling costs enabled greater volumes, not the other way round.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a fruit exporter in Maharashtra can now sell fresh mangoes in Europe within days. Which technological changes from NCERT make this possible? (3 marks)
Hint
Containers, air transport, communication.
Answer
Improved transport technology allows faster delivery over long distances at lower cost. Containers can be loaded intact onto trucks, ships and planes, reducing handling costs and speeding exports, and cheaper air transport lets airlines carry larger volumes. Telecommunication and the internet let the exporter contact buyers, take orders and receive payments instantly.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain how telecommunication facilities help globalisation. (3 marks)
Hint
Contact, information, remote areas, satellites.
Answer
Telecommunication facilities such as the telegraph, telephone including mobile phones, and fax let people contact one another around the world, access information instantly and communicate even from remote areas, helped by satellite devices. Businesses can coordinate production and trade across countries, as London instructions reach Delhi designers instantly.
Q6 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Compare the roles of transport technology and information technology in globalisation, with an example of each. (5 marks)
Hint
Goods vs information and services.
Answer
Transport technology moves goods. Over the past fifty years it has made long-distance delivery faster and cheaper; containers, loaded intact onto ships, trains, planes and trucks, cut port handling costs and sped up exports, and cheaper air transport lets airlines carry much larger volumes. Information and communication technology moves information, instructions and money. Telecom, satellites, computers and the internet allow instant contact, sharing of information, e-mail, voice-mail and e-banking at negligible cost. Example of transport: exported goods reach markets faster in containers. Example of IT: a London magazine is designed in Delhi using internet, telecom and computers, and paid for by e-banking. Together they integrate production and markets.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Over what period has transport technology improved, per NCERT?Show answer
The past fifty years.
2.What are containers?Show answer
Units in which goods are placed and loaded intact onto ships, railways, planes and trucks.
3.Name three telecommunication facilities.Show answer
Telegraph, telephone (including mobile phones), fax.
4.How was payment made in the magazine example?Show answer
Instantly through the internet (e-banking).
5.What are the two factors that enabled globalisation?Show answer
Technology and liberalisation of foreign trade and investment policy.

Factors that Enabled Globalisation: Technology: frequently asked questions

How has technology helped globalisation?

Better transport made long-distance delivery faster and cheaper, and ICT allowed instant communication, information sharing and payments across countries.

What is the role of containers in globalisation?

Containers loaded intact onto different modes of transport reduced port handling costs and sped up exports.

What is the London-Delhi magazine example?

A magazine for London readers designed and printed in Delhi using internet, telecom and computers, flown to London and paid for by e-banking.

Is technology the only factor behind globalisation?

No. Liberalisation of foreign trade and foreign investment policy is the other main factor.