|
 The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded] : A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century :: 0374292795
Description
| Product Description |
|
| Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim, in his new book, The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The world isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much of its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that futurists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to. What Friedman means by "flat" is "connected": the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. This in itself should not be news to anyone. But the news that Friedman has to deliver is that just when we stopped paying attention to these developments--when the dot-com bust turned interest away from the business and technology pages and when 9/11 and the Iraq War turned all eyes toward the Middle East--is when they actually began to accelerate. Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven not by major corporations or giant trade organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals: desktop freelancers and innovative startups all over the world (but especially in India and China) who can compete--and win--not just for low-wage manufacturing and information labor but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well. (He doesn't forget the "mutant supply chains" like Al-Qaeda that let the small act big in more destructive ways.) Friedman tells his eye-opening story with the catchy slogans and globe-hopping anecdotes that readers of his earlier books and his New York Times columns will know well, and also with a stern sort of optimism. He wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you're going to be trampled if you don't keep up with it. His book is an excellent place to begin. --Tom Nissley Where Were You When the World Went Flat? Thomas L. Friedman's reporter's curiosity and his ability to recognize the patterns behind the most complex global developments have made him one of the most entertaining and authoritative sources for information about the wider world we live in, both as the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and as the author of landmark books like From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree. They also make him an endlessly fascinating conversation partner, and we'd happily have peppered him with questions about The World Is Flat for hours. Read our interview to learn why there's almost no one from Washington, D.C., listed in the index of a book about the global economy, and what his one-plank platform for president would be. (Hint: his bumper stickers would say, "Can You Hear Me Now?") The Essential Tom Friedman
From Beirut to Jerusalem
The Lexus and the Olive Tree
Longitudes and Attitudes More on Globalization and Development
China, Inc. by Ted Fishman
Three Billion New Capitalists by Clyde Prestowitz
The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
Reviews
Customer feedback
|
|
Voting |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author: Guest
Friedman's passion and thorough understanding of globalism drives this fantastic book. I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in getting a look at the future and our place in it.
|
Author: Guest
If you've already finished "The World is Flat" or have trouble understanding translating Friedman's observations into results personally and professionally...purchase now, "THE BLACK BOOK OF OUTSOURCING" (by Brown & Wilson/ Wiley Press).
Both books which came out about the same time last year. The World is Flat can sometimes be like reading a foreign language book as outsourcing was not taught to most of us in business today. However, it all makes sense (sometimes scary sense) with a patient translator when you get "The Black Book of Outsourcing" and reapply why Friedman saw occurring around the world.
Brown & Wilson also offer valuable and hard-to-locate resources on how to find a job in outsourcing, how to use it to get ahead in your current career, how it will help your business whether it is a start up or multi-national corporation. Small and medium sized businesses have much to gain, as do their managers and owners by this expert guide to getting into the game that Friedman describes and observes in The World is Flat.
At any rate: The World Is Flat: Friedman takes the reader through events leading up to having no more barriers of commucations, exchanging of information and the over all effects it has on our day to day lives. The author offers detail rather than 'sound bites' of information on globalization the 'good, bad and ugly' and how it affects our lives today and how it will effect our grandchildern.
This is one of the most insightful points of the book - to me... if your job is fastened to the ground, it cannot be outsourced to a remote location. This is definitely true today. However, it is important not to get trapped in a mental mode that can become outdated. With robotics advancing and lowering in implementation costs, and a global connected network, the future will definitely change that. However, the insight is still very important for today.
As an outsourcing consultant and trainer in the Information Systems/Information Technology arena, I can attest that this area has seen a lot of shifting and changing in the past few years, but the jobs that a physically attached to the earth (or buildings) have remained relatively secure in comparison. You cannot outsource - to another country - the installation of a Cisco wireless access point in a local facility. Someone has to physically be there. The same is true for nearly all infrastructure positions.
In the world of technology, for now, the following four positions are relatively secure:
-Security
-Infrastructure
-Project Management
-Management
This goes for many other industries as well affected by outsourcing. If your job is sitting at a computer and typing, and you never "have" to leave the machine, your job is a prime candidate for over-seas outsourcing. Take measures to differentiate yourself.
Friedman, Brown & Wilson will open your eyes to how to be prepared. Who can ask more from a couple books???? Two Thumbs UP!!!
|
Author: Guest
I enjoyed Friedman's work in this book. As a part of a series of English research papers, I focused on outsourcing and its related antics and the effects it has on our economy. This book was a nice connection to the world outside of American shores. It gives some of the ethnocentric/overconfident Americans a glimpse into what is happening in the modern and globalized world.
He reveals some amazing business facts that aren't really made public: For example, UPS and its computer repair depots, Boeing's Russian engineer crew and Dell's just in time computer building. I was amazed at the things that go on behind corporate doors.
For those that feel this book is dumbed-down a little too much, I would remind them that few people are looking for a preaching, technical rant on global business. I appreciated the fact that Friedman's word choices were made for "regular" people to enjoy and not require a PhD to decipher. Those looking for technical blabber can extract that from journals and reports, not a novel directed at a general popluation.
Overall, a definite wake up call to Americans and their sometimes oblivious nature to what is happening in the big world around them. It's no joke and the next 25 years look to be a time of massive change for everyone in America and around the world.
|
Author: Guest
Thomas Friedman returns to the theme from The Lexus and the Olive Tree that first made him famous: It's a global world, get used to it. While prior work focused on the impact of global capital flow (and how the global markets force countries to act), this book focuses on the people and multinationals themselves. In addition to dollars electronically circling the globe looking for the best return, companies and work are looking for the best homes too. If something can be done cheaper and better in India - so be it. This flattening isn't perfect, but it is the inevitable conclusion of several political and technological trends.
Friedman first takes us through the ten great flatteners. Then he addresses the impact on America, the developing world and multinational corporations. Lastly he closes with open ended musings on where things are going. This is not a how-to book - it's a how-I-see-it book, and that's Thomas Friedman's greatest strength. He has a unique depth and breadth of vision, and is willing to turn that into a framework for understanding. Like him or hate him (I'm in the former camp) it is hard not to learn from him.
There are a lot of complaints about Thomas Friedman, but the only one that seems valid is one he fesses up to himself: he's behind the curve on this one. While he was focused on the Middle East, many others were already looking to the Far East and Southeast Asia. (One only needs to look at the demographic makeup of a top business school to realize how flat this world has become)
|
Author: Guest
Outstanding read. This book opens your eyes to the strong emerging of the flat world, a world in which the small man can compete with the big man. You won't walk away from this book the same. If you don't want to know what's happening behind the closed doors, don't read this book.
|
Send to Friend
Send to friend
|
|
