Final answer:
The free-trade movement has lowered prices and increased quality in virtually every product category, as competition becomes global. Reductions in trade barriers and advancements in transportation and communication have facilitated international trade. Globalization has accelerated with improvements in transportation and the liberalization of economies.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of the global environment, the free-trade movement has lowered prices and increased quality across virtually every product category, as competition becomes truly global.
The last half-century has seen a reduction in government-created barriers to trade, such as tariffs and import quotas, and advancements in transportation, communication, and information management have made international trade easier.
These factors have contributed to the powerful surge of international trade.
Globalization has accelerated in recent decades due to improvements in transportation and satellite communication, which have changed the way goods and information flow across borders.
The fall of Communism and the liberalization of China's economic policies have also led to a greater emphasis on free trade and the drawbacks of planned economies.