he World Is Flat is Friedman’s explanation of the brave new world facing us. A world that is growing at a rapid pace never seen before in history. Friedman believes that flattening of the world has happened as a result of occurrence of a series of events which he outlines as ten flattening factors. The low-cost computers, dot com bubble, standardized file format, excess laying of optic fibres, outsourcing and offshoring are some of them. This phenomena has the potential to change all of our theories of economies, politics and jobs. It will increase competition and require not only an emphasis on new skills sets, but a much more self-reliant, creative and innovative mind-set. The book encapsulates the thought that the world and its people are converging towards a single platform; having its own positives and negatives. But, it is also reasonable to understand that all the claims made by Friedman are not based on any documented data points, but on narrations and stories from friends and elite CEOs he visits. The fact that the book has been a best seller of all times, and is recommended by various institution is very misleading. Overall, the book is very myopic in its view and exaggerates the way things are changing. Are we truly globalised! Pankaj Ghemawant- A notable author of the book “World 3.0”, has done a significant research to understand how globalised we are. According to his research- “If you look at international phone calls, voice-calling minutes is 2%. If you look
Globalisation has become a fashionable term used for numerous years amongst humanities and social sciences. Usage of this term has been driven by an academic fascination with the world as an increasingly interconnected place, in which localized forms of culture have become increasingly subject to homogenizing global influences (Maguire, J)
Due to globalisation, the world nowadays is significantly interconnected economically, technologically and culturally. Even though globalisation is not a new phenomenon, and can be argued to have started already in the 1500s when the transatlantic exploration and consolidation of European hegemony began, the pace and the scope of it is greater than ever² (Ruth Wodak, 2011). Consequently, we
In Friedman’s “It’s a Flat World, After All”, Friedman in a trip Bangalore, India accidentally “encountered the flattening of the world”. The following paper will analyze “It’s a Flat World, After All” and the flattening of the world. To conclude the paper I will summarize my thoughts on the flattening of the world.
These forces are the direct result of advanced technology. Moreover, the forces were made possible thanks to the World Wide Web (which is another force Friedman mentions). Technology and Internet are the real reasons our world became flat, and the reason the above flattener forces evolved. Companies, groups, and individuals – all connected together to form one global village. US companies started to outsource the back rooms of accounting firms and forwarding Dell customers to the 24/7 call center located in India. US companies were able to reduce cost, while making India a “customer service nation” and China a “low labor cost nation”.
Pankaj Ghemawat believes we do not live in a globally flat world. In his work Why the World isn’t Flat he speaks of how this greatly wide spread globalization is more of an idea than the truth. Ghemawat claims that while globalization is a hot topic, it is talked about in more ways than it is actually used. According to the US library of Congress’s catalog, the rate of increase in the writings of globalization have been doubling about every 18 months since the 1990’s. While many more people are expressing their ideas of globalization we are not partaking in the actual actions of globalization nearly as much as these writings make it seem. Of course most of the ways we interact, as the writings suggest, are being done “we only interact in a way that is a fraction of what we could do”. A whooping 90 percent of all phone calls, web traffic, and investments are still only local interactions and plenty of the over seas transactions are still done with domestic companies that simply have operations in foreign nations. Since they are domestic all benefits from that operation will eventually, if not instantly, return home. It is said that “investment knows no boundaries” but if these investments are done with locally based companies located in an international location the geographical ground will not reek the benefits. While technological advances have made global interaction come with ease, it is a huge step to believe increased communication will take away the effects that
What is an American? Thomas Friedman, Steven Critchley, and other say that America is falling, we are all violent animals. Yes. As Americans, we fight, we bully, we have nasty arguments, because we hold a different opinion or said something slightly offensive. We find it easier to raise our fist than to raise our dignity and peacefully talk or walk away. There are cases of violent acts all over the news, movies, music, TV, and social media. Violence is a problem within our commutes, however violence is not what makes an American or what defines America. It is our ability to come together in the face of adversity, in our darkest hour, that moment when everyone expects us to be out of the count, we pick each other up and fight back. For that we as Americans are big brothers we fight or bully each other but when someone else threatens or harms our fellow Americans we stand up and do everything in our power to make amends.No matter if it’s a person, another country, or mother nature.
The world is not a large and strange place anymore. The world is a place that is interconnected and intertwined. The world has become from a place that each country and their peoples are separate and isolated to a place that each country and their peoples are part of a global network. Thanks to globalization this is occurring. Globalization is the ‘international integration” or ‘de-bordering’ – “a number of highly disparate observations whose regular common denominator is the determination of a profound transformation of the traditional nation-state” (Von Bogdandy 2). Globalization is connecting different people from different cultures and backgrounds together. More and more corporations are entering new foreign markets to sell their
As an up and coming international management consultant, the idea of the world being flat is an interesting topic. Thomas Friedman, who is one of the leading faces of the “world being flat perspective”, is an extremely well acclaimed author on many topics. Especially on globalization and economic areas. His way of thinking and presentation of the facts are clearly defined and well laid out. This idea of the world being flat explains that the global economic playing field has now been leveled out, and that no one person or group has a distinct advantage over others.
Technological advancements are held accountable for contributing to the flattening of the world. Thomas L. Friedman, a journalist and the author of The World Is Flat, used the word “flat” to convey the leveling of the economic and social playing fields. Friedman declared that the initial factor that flattened the world was “when the walls came down, and the windows went up.” The wall that Friedman was referencing in his statement was the Berlin Wall. Once the Berlin Wall came down, government control over the economy became very limited. The windows that Friedman was referring to were Microsoft Windows. Months after the fall of the Berlin wall, Microsoft presented Windows to the world. Although Windows was a huge
In Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat he presents his idea of the globalization of the world in all areas; from economic to communication with other countries. Friedman is a journalist from the New York Times and most of his work focuses on economic and technological innovations and advancements, and furthermore how they are associated to history. The ideas he presents in this book are both plausible and convincing. The main focus is whether the world is “flat“. The answer to this question depends on the readers’ political, economical, and technological opinions. Friedman does however present evidence in many situations where the globalization of the world is clearly evident. This essay will explore these different
Distances and obstacles which once prevented the “third world” from developing have been squelched. Not entirely, but with the advent of technology and the pace in which the world is growing, one can see a redefining of the global landscape. Power has shifted hands and this shift in power as well as information is imperative in the shaping of global affairs. Friedman’s “It’s a Flat World, After All” accurately depicts this technological revolution and is in my opinion the most relevant to the current and the future of global affairs.
By saying that the world is “flat” Friedman is saying that more countries were now competing on an level playing field for global knowledge. There are multiple events that he describes that led to the “flattening” of the world.
Thomas Friedman mentions that world is growing flatter. When he says that world is flat, he means that world is becoming more economically fair and levelling opportunities and wealth among all the nations. With easy access to information and availability of opportunities irrespective of one’s locations is providing for people from many different countries with an equal chance to succeed economically.
The phrase: "the world is flat" can be interpreted in many ways. Basically what Friedman means by "flat" is "linked." The falling of trade and political barriers and technical advances have made it possible to do business, instantaneously with billions of other people around the world. It has allowed for parts of the world, which had previously been cut off, like China and India, to successfully compete in the world market. Thus, the playing field is being leveled, and no one nation has an advantage. Friedman could also refer to a "flat world" in a metaphorical sense. In a spherical earth you cannot see around the world and cannot recognize the opportunities far from where you live. If the world were flat you could see it all. There
Besides the ten flatteners that Friedman discusses in the book, he also talks about the convergences that create a flatter world. The first convergence deals with engaging people from around the globe and being able to communicate. More likely than not, my computer parts and chips would be manufactured in China, were I can collaborate with engineers designing custom parts. When a design change is needed I could send email and use video chat to have meetings to discuss what changes my company would need. Being able to email and chat in real time would increase efficiency in my product design. Without this ability to outsource and possibly hire a Chinese engineer to help translate material, my design team may not be as robust. I could have a sales center based in India that I could direct all my sales information and technical support where more engineers and services sector people could perform the tasks needed therein reducing the cost of have a call center and sales locally.