The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
Book Review: Rockefeller asset assures us that globalization is GROOVY-Baby!
Summary: 3 Stars
Council on Foreign Relations propaganda minister Thomas Friedman writes a decent book trying to convince us that globalization is a great thing. Depends who you are, I suppose. CFR members will do great as part of the world oligarchy. Regular shmoes will enjoy the thrills of competing with factory workers from third world countries who work for 10 dollars a week. Hahaha. Can't blame him though, Friedman's smart enough to play for the winning team. The way to get ahead in the world is figure out who's in charge, then work to advance their agenda.Book Review: The Idea of a Flat World
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first started reading this book I did not know what to expect. "The World is Flat"? Once I got into it I realized what Friedman was saying. I really enjoyed reading this book. I really liked how Friedman referred to the globalization as "leveling the playing field". I had never really thought of it that way up until now. He really opened my eyes to a lot of new things. Friedman brings you a real life encounter on how technology has affected our culture. I never realized how "flat" the world was actually becoming, until I read this book. I never realized just how many services could be outsourced and how many jobs go overseas. Friedman points out some very interesting services that are outsourced. One example was that when you get an x-ray it could be sent overseas and reviewed by another doctor! There were many services that I had no idea that they could be outsourced.
Friedman really puts it into perspective when he lists the different things that are causing the world to become a flat one. He lists several different occurrences that are leading us to a flatter world. This book also opens your eyes to where you stand in this flattening world. Friedman speaks about making yourself more valuable, because there is a lot more competition now. It is not just sufficient to be expertly skilled in one area, but we need to broaden our skills so that we are more valuable.
This book points out many factors that are leading us to a flatter world. Most of them have to do with technology and communication. If these were the only factors to be concerned with then the world would be a flat one, but there are many more. Friedman points out the factors that will keep the world from being flat. He points out that there are still many countries that do not have this concept of technology. Technology is not what they are concerned with each day. Instead they are concerned with surviving and providing for their families. Our world will never truly be flat until we ALL have the opportunity to take advantage of technology and communication.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The above were just some of the things that I took from my reading. I think that this was a surprising concept. I would have never realized this concept of a flat world if I had not read this book. I think that it is a very good idea on how the world is changing tremendously due to technology. Of course there are a few points that I don't agree with. In one part of the book he compares O.J. Simpson trial and the attacks of 9/11, which I thought was a poor choice. However, as a whole, I think that this book is definitely worth reading. You would be surprised just how much you did not know about globalization. This book was used in our technology and culture class, and I think that this was a great example of how they affect each other.
Book Review: globalization
Summary: 3 Stars
I think that this book is very interesting its help readersget knowledge about the world and globalization.In this book the othor talked about how technology will be overcoming old jobs and spawning new, more complex ones, much faster than during the transition from the agricultural economy to the industrial one. Every time you as a consumer make a decision, you are supporting a whole set of values.Friedman thinks that people voting about the barriers and friction you want to preserve or eliminate when it comes to politics.For instance the author Friedman talked about how Globalization went from globalization industries to globalization individuals. I think he meant say that long before Companies was trying to take their businesses to the other part of the world . Another part of this book that I really liked was what he said about outsourcing . He said that Outsourcing is comon to every company. Companies are looking for cheap labor and those who are willing to work hard for a little salary are India and China waiting to get job.
Another part of this chapter that cought my attention was when the made comparison of his parents used to tell him when he was a kid and what he tells now his own kids. He said that used to tell him"Tom finish your dinner people in China and India are starving. But now he tells his kids to finish their homework because People in India anb China are starving to get their Jobs.I think that Friedman want to make it clear to his readers that outsourcing is problem that will face genereation to come.
Anyone who want to know much more about how the world are so connected should read this book
Book Review: Very Eye Opening!
Summary: 5 Stars
My manager purchased this book a couple years ago and recommended it but at the time I had no interest. I just completed a 'Technology & Culture' online course which featured this book as our text. At first, I was a bit skeptical but after the first couple chapters, I knew exactly why our professor chose this book. It is very appropriate for the course topic (Technology & Culture) in addition to being very relevant for college students, professionals and parents, both young and old.
The author does a great job of making the content interesting through real world examples with bits of humor thrown in. The humor is a great addition as some chapters paint a very gloomy picture. This book explains globalization from the international as well as the American perspective. It appeals to your compassion for others, your patriotism and your own fears and desires for yourself and your children.
The most important feature of this book is that it enables you to prepare yourself and/or your children for a flatter world. How you approach education, training and planning for the future should take into account how the world is flattening. Closing your eyes and hoping it will go away isn't an option. Technology and the flattening it makes possible have happened, are happening and will continue well into the future. In order to prepare for these changes, you should educate yourself. This book is a great tool to jump start that process. While it doesn't answer every question and actually raises many more than it answers...it opens your eyes to pros and cons of globalization. Prior to reading this book, I was pro protectionism. Now, I think that would be a very costly mistake.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to better understand how technology is affecting our culture, our economy and our world. It is a good and valuable read.
Book Review: Far from complete.
Summary: 3 Stars
I think this book is OK but far from complete, Let see here..
Pros -
- Comparatively detailed analysis on offshoring, near-shore centers.
- Explains well about the corporate needs - References to Dell, Wal-Mart and explain why they need it (including supply chain). Both are good examples today's corporate operating modalities.
- Gives a new perspective of offshoring, if you look at carefully. With the economic dynamics of developing nations, the offshoring model will continue to exist, BUT it may not be just one country/continent - It will go where most cost effective.
Cons -
- I'm not sure why so much references to Al-Qaida, baffles why economic book need so much reference about this org - not much helping to point. It's just verbose
- Too much optimism added on the offshoring/India, but there are places where it burned the US corporations. This shows shallow view on the Authors understanding in Indian model.
- Too much reference quite a few companies
- Nothing specific about where the offshore will move to next generation of it, just explains current and past - More like a history text rather than future vision incubator.
- Suria