Final answer:
The statement regarding globalization leading to reduced reliance on long international supply chains for manufacturing companies is false. Globalization has helped decrease transportation costs and encouraged the development of global commodity chains, facilitating rather than hindering international manufacturing connections.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the impact of globalization for manufacturing companies has been reduced reliance on long international supply chains because of the increasing cost to ship components and finished goods to foreign markets is false. Globalization has, in fact, been driven by factors that reduce such costs. Improvements in shipping and air cargo, along with innovations in computing and telecommunications, have led to decreased transportation costs, making it easier and cheaper to manage long-distance supply chains. Moreover, global commodity chains have developed, connecting workers and corporations internationally for manufacture and marketing. This has been further supported by international agreements and treaties encouraging greater trade. Additionally, the phenomenon of relocating factories to countries with cheaper labor and weaker regulations, known as offshoring, as well as the increasing service-oriented nature of modern economies, signal a more complex interaction of factors related to globalization and its impact on manufacturing.