The World Is Flat- the Globalization World in the Twenty First Century- Book Review

When it comes to globalization, everyone may have a different vision of it’s outcome. For Marcelo Gleiser, the author of “Globalization: Two visions of the Future of Humanity”, a completely globalized world may result in a dystopia. In contrast, Jeffrey Wasserstrom, the author of “A Mickey Mouse Approach to Globalization” and Tanveer Ali, the creator of “The Subway Falafel Sandwich and the Americanization of Ethnic Food” may think of globalization as other cultures sharing each other’s components to interact on a new level and spurring a more “open-minded” (Ali 27) individual.

Friedman explains the diplomacy of the twenty-first century in the following: "The world has become an increasingly, interwoven place, and today, whether you are a company or a country, your threats and opportunities increasingly derive from who you are connected to" (392). Ever since the invention of such advanced systems, it has indeed become easier to enforce power and priority over individuals and nations of lesser power, and it is now possible to engage in war against powerful rivals to a horrific degree. The consistent and credible threat of a nuclear warfare is not too difficult to uphold, despite the distance or the size of the nation. Friedman also mentions the rise of new superpowers such as the global market thanks to the Internet, an easy accessible network with the entire world. With the global market, any company or individual who utilizes this invention is able to easily manipulate the flow of the economy very similarly to how a nation does. Therefore, the potential of a smaller group of people or even an individual can match that of an entire nation. His closing remark introduces a fate which discourages the presence of security which the United States, a nation which gained its independence and security from other national

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”.

In this chapter, Thomas Friedman looks at how cultures and societies will have to deal with and adapt to the changes that globalization brings to the way of doing business. It affects whole companies and individuals. He gives the perception of the world is flattening by comparing the Industrial Revolution to the IT Revolution that is happening right now. The flattening process was identified by Karl Marx and Frederich Engels in the Communist Manifesto, published in 1848. Marx’s writings about capitalism state “the inexorable march of technology and capital to remove all barriers, boundaries, frictions, and restraints to global commerce (Friedman 234).”

Migration in developing countries is often seen as a way of development through the stimulation of global currency within the country. Specifically throughout the Philippines, it is more common for migrant workers to be female, resulting in the overall structure and dynamics of these families to change. In the novel, Servants of Globalization, author Rhacel Parreñas addresses how the pre-existing structure of gender expectations and unequal employment opportunities for male and females abroad influence the overall gender patterns and impacts of migration from the Philippines, ultimately affecting the dynamics of families as they become transnational and challenging the pre-existing gender ideologies within the countries.

In Thomas L. Friedman’s “Globalization: The Super-Story”, he examines the features of globalization from various aspects and how it helps people better understand 9/11 events. He claims that globalization is the new improved system formed in place of the old “cold war system”(102), and through the patterns of which, people observe today’s world in an integrated way. Simple short phrases, organized structure, colloquial language, and punctuation are techniques Friedman uses to create a reader-friendly, convincing essay. To begin with, Friedman uses simple short phrases to emphasize his points. He starts with an enthusiastic term “big believer” (102), which establishes the colloquial

During the last decade of the twentieth century, the word ‘globalization’ has become an increasingly prominent feature of political, social, and economic discussion in academic and policymaking circles, as well as in the media. The processes and outcomes of globalization drew attention and debates that had one thing in common. The research shows that nearly everyone agrees that globalization is a trend that is changing the face of the world, and as a result the world society lives in a more ‘globalized’ world. Nearly two and a half decades passed since 1990s, and studies have been conducted to examine the causes and consequences of globalization. Moreover, nearly every person experiences some type of globalization and can testify firsthand the effects it has on their life, society, and the state. The analysis of the effects that globalization dynamics have on the world society indicates that globalization has a significant positive impact via spreading opportunities and wealth across nations, stimulating innovation and productivity, enhancing the economic development of poorer countries, and helping to improve living standards.

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

The famous cheerleader for globalization and author, Thomas Friedman, in his book The World is Flat argues that globalization is proceeding briskly because of the “flattening of the world”. What he means is that with the advent of information technology and seamless communications, any country in the world that has a pool of educated workers can aspire to jump on to the globalization bandwagon and benefit from the erasing of entry barriers. The point here is that countries like India have successfully leveraged the power of IT and communications to leapfrog the intermediate stage of manufacturing power that is required for economies to become fully fledged powerhouses.

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 article, “It’s A Flat World After All,” by Thomas Friedman was quite alarming. Friedman discussed how the chance of the United States falling behind other countries in areas such as innovation and globalization has become more and more likely as technology has become more accessible to everyday citizens all around the world. There were three key messages in this article that stood out to me. The first was Friedman’s idea that the “flattening” the world due to globalization is not a new concept, but rather one that has been building for years. Friedman showed this point by breaking the timeline in to three eras. The first was Globalization 1.0 which was characterized by imperialism. The second was Globalization 2.0 which was characterized

In part two of “The world is flat” Friedman discusses free trade within the world. How goods and services are beginning to be demanded by the people. With this happening more workers are going to be needed to help with this issue. Due to increasing amounts of trade route jobs will become outsourced, digitized and automated. Friedman eventually theorizes that these untouchable jobs in this flat world will be placed into three categories. These

The Lexus and the Olive Tree, written by Thomas L. Friedman, investigates the phenomenon of globalization in our world and how it has established a new international system that has replaced the cold war. This new system of globalization connects people from all over the world from Southeast Asians fighting a recession to Thai bankers to entrepreneurs in the United States. Friedman credits that the democratization of technology, information, and finance has shrunk our world from small to tiny where people all over the world can now transfer information cheaper, deeper, and faster. The walls that once separated our world have now been torn down with the development of the Internet and the television.

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

“Globalization is today's reality. Like it or not, the move to a world economy is a fact of life. At some point in the 1990s the process achieved critical mass and people started to sit up and take notice. Many were apprehensive.