He attributes the flattening of the world to ten major factors, "The world has been flattened by the convergence of ten major political events, innovations, and companies. None of us has rested since, or maybe ever will again.” (pg. 51) These ten factors are the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of Netscape, work flow software, uploading, outsourcing, offshoring, supply-chaining, insourcing, informing, and finally, "the steroids" (wifi, mobile phones, etc.). Because of these factors, the world is becoming more and more transparent and level.
Friedman discusses complicated concepts in a novelistic manner that makes his theory easy to understand and entertaining to read. There are quite a few critical of his work, but "The World is Flat" is approachable enough for one to read through it with little prior understanding of the concepts and develop their own opinion. Friedman makes a strong case for his "flat world" theory by providing plenty of examples and tracing it from the sparks that started it up to the globalization of the workforce present now.
"The World is Flat" was published seven years ago, but has not lost its relevance. New "steroids" are released constantly, but they only further help to flatten the world. I can pull up a live feed of Paris on my iPad instantly, or apply for a job in China. As a college student, it is easy to see Friedman's case for Americans competing on a global job market. Americans can no longer count on being the only person in the area with their expertise.
By Thomas Friedman. Thomas L. Friedman. The World is Flat. Flattener #3: Work Flow Software. Google Docs. Flattener #2: 8/9/95. AOL.com - Netscape. Flattener #1: 11/9/89. THE BERLIN WALL. 11/9. 9/11. Flattener #4: Uploading. Blogs. Open Source Software. Wikis. Flattener #5: Outsourcing. Globalization has been brutal to midwestern manufacturers like the Paper Converting Machine Co.
For decades, PCMC's Green Bay (Wis.) factory, its oiled wooden factory floors worn smooth by work boots, thrived by making ever-more-complex equipment to weave, fold, and print packaging for everything from potato chips to baby wipes. But PCMC has fallen on hard times. First came the 2001 recession. Then, two years ago, one of the company's biggest customers told it to slash its machinery prices by 40% and urged it to move production to China. Slide Show >> But now, Compton says, he is "probably the most optimistic I've been in five years.
" Come again? Workers' fears have some grounding in fact. The changes can be harsh and deep. Thus entrepreneurs such as Chapman see a chance to turn around dying businesses, speed up their pace of innovation, or fund development projects that otherwise would have been unaffordable. Have a cool new telecom or medical device but lack market researchers?
Exporting America - CNN. Flattener #6: Offshoring. Offshoring ... benefits the consumer' 'Offshoring ... benefits the consumer' Many CEOs believe philosophically in offshoring — the practice of outsourcing jobs to foreign countries where labor costs are cheaper — but few have been brave enough to publicly say it. Being in favor of exporting jobs is radioactive. Enter Uwe Doerken, 45, who stepped down last year as DHL's executive chairman after leading its globalization efforts for 13 years. DHL is a package delivery company known for its yellow planes, trucks and envelopes. Doerken agreed to answer the offshoring questions of USA TODAY corporate management reporter Del Jones after about a dozen CEOs of large corporations turned down the offer. Q: Offshoring is a polarizing issue. A: Offshoring first of all benefits the consumer. Q: To many, it doesn't seem to be working.
A: Skilled and unskilled are not absolute. Q: It seems that any job that can be done on a computer or over a phone is at risk. A: Education does make us safe, but education is continuous. A: Yes. Flattener #7: Supply-Chaining. 45 Years of Wal-Mart History: A Technology Time Line CIO. CIO — Sam Walton's self-described distrust of computers didn't keep him from building his company into a global leader of information technology innovation. First Wal-Mart opens in Rogers, Ark. With more than 125 stores and $340.3 million in sales, Wal-Mart leases an IBM 370/135 computer system to maintain inventory control for all merchandise in the warehouse and distribution centers and to prepare income statements for each store. Electronic cash registers in more than 100 Wal-Mart stores record point-of-sale (POS) data to maintain inventory. Wal-Mart builds a companywide computer network and deploys a system for ordering merchandise from suppliers.
Wal-Mart sales top $1.2 billion, making it the first company to reach more than $1 billion in sales in a mere 17 years. The company begins to use bar codes for scanning POS data. Store associates start using Texlon handheld terminals when reordering merchandise. Bob Martin is named CIO. Wal-Mart has 882 stores and sales of $8.4 billion. Flattener #8: Insourcing.
Toshiba Will Have UPS Fix Its Laptops - Forbes.com. Flattener #9: In-forming. ChaCha. Bing. Flattener #10: The Steroids. Mobile Phones. Wi-Fi. Instant Messaging. iPad.