Cultural imperialism

(to be adapted)
I would assume you'll all look here for help with the homework task...
A simple definition of this concept:

Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture of one society into another. It is usually the case that the former belongs to a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter belongs to a smaller, less important one. Cultural imperialism can take the form of an active, formal policy or a general attitude. A metaphor of colonialism is employed: the cultural products of the first world "invade" the third-world and "conquer" local culture.^[1] In the stronger variants of the term, world domination (in a cultural sense) is the explicit goal of the nation-states or corporations that export the culture.^[1] The term is usually used in a pejorative sense, usually in conjunction with a call to reject foreign influence. [Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_imperialism]

 You can find some much more in-depth discussions (though the wiki does have further detail too) at the following, including some writers who scorn this theory:
Some chapters from John Tomlinson's Cultural Imperialism book
Phil Taylor (writing for the British Council) rejects the theory
David Rothkopf, "In Praise of Cultural Imperialism?" Foreign Policy, Number 107, Summer 1997, pp. 38-53
Reconsidering cultural imperialism theory By Livingston A. White
Cultural Imperialism: An American Tradition by Julia Galeota
Cultural imperialism: essays on the political economy of cultural domination By Bernd Hamm, Russell Charles Smandych
A breakdown of the theory and further useful links

Should we be concerned about the ubiquity of (typically US-owned) companies such as MTV? Does it matter that the likes of Starbucks and McDonalds can be found in towns and cities all over the world? Is this evidence of a process of globalisation, homogeonisation...or, indeed, cultural imperialism?