Sunday, December 6, 2009

Fall Quarter Book Report

Lindsay Leaver
India Book Review
Fall Quarter 2009
December 5, 2009

The World is Flat
By Thomas Friedman


Introduction
In “The World is Flat,” Thomas Friedman gives a moving and informative history of globalization and the new world that is has emerged. His down to earth and highly specific examples and stories, paint a picture that is thought provoking, educational, and sometimes scary.

The phrase “the world is flat” or a “flat world” refers to globalization and the leveling of the global playing field. Globalization has become a buzzword that we hear all over the media, but as is the case with many buzzwords, I was unsure of the actual meaning. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines globalization as, “the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets.” Friedman’s book discusses these three aspects in great detail, and clearly outlines the history and potential futures of globalization.

Friedman summarizes the major causes of the flat world, and how they apply to business, America, developing countries, and politics. In my analysis of Friedman’s, “The World is Flat,” I will focus on my interpretation of the two most important flatteners, and how the flattened world affects journalism, the Islamic religion, and Americans.

Two of the Ten Flatteners
In Chapter two, Friedman details the historical events that came together to flatten the world. In other words, he sites ten occurrences that lead to the latest phase of globalization. I will discuss the two flatteners that I take to be the most significant. They are the fall of the Berlin Wall and outsourcing.

The first flattener discussed in chapter two was the fall of the Berlin Wall on 11/9/89. The fall of the Berlin Wall lead to the complete collapse of the Soviet Union and the complete freedom and autonomy of the many countries it had conquered. Though there are many potential factors, Friedman attributes 11/9 to the information revolution of the 1980s. Information became easier, cheaper, and faster to spread, and the Soviet Union could not keep the information out any longer. The fall of the Soviet Union may be the most important flattener of them all, if we consider the “flattening” of the world to be the leveling of the world playing field. The citizens of the Soviet Union and all the Eastern Block countries that were being oppressed by their governments, via food rationing, a warped education system, and controlled media, suddenly were allowed to emerge. This is the event that gave life to the word global, and gave credit to the belief that we could be one world. Before 11/9, the word global had little meaning because there were two sides to the world. Globalization, as it is defined in my introduction, never could have happened.

The fifth flattener Friedman focuses on is outsourcing. Because of the Y2K scare, India and America began a mutually beneficial relationship. India had the educated engineers that America needed to fix the computers, and America had the money to employee the Indian workers. From this relationship outsourcing was born. Outsourcing can be applied to any service, call center, business support operation, or knowledge work that can be digitized. Outsourcing is instantaneous and extremely efficient. Companies receive excellent customer service for an excellent price. Outsourcing made the idea of having a global business not only acceptable, but also mainstream and commonplace.

Outsourcing jobs to India, China, or anywhere in the world is a sore spot for many Americans. But those Americans don’t realize two major factors and results of outsourcing. The first is that we no longer live in a world where America dominates, so they must get used to this idea of a global marketplace. The second is that where a door shuts, a window opens. This means that though jobs may be moving overseas, this does not necessarily mean a bad thing for Americans. It means that there will be new industries and innovations. It also means that people will be forced to work up to a job that they previously were unqualified for. If Americans step up to the plate like they have in the past, this will enable our country to expand and grow further than if we kept all jobs domestic and never outsourced.

Indian Journalism in the Flat World
Towards the end of “The World is Flat” Friedman finds a school for untouchables. A man named Abraham George started a journalism school with two goals in mind. One was to prove that if given the same resources and access to technology as upper class children, untouchables could accomplish the same things. This, to me, is an important and ethical result of the flattening world. Leveling the playing field doesn’t just apply to countries getting a chance to grow, it applies to people getting the chance to grow and better their standard of living. If given access to the proper education, there is no reason a child from the untouchable class shouldn’t excel in global business.

The second goal of George’s school was to improve Indian newspapers and journalists. After spending time in America, George realized that, “without more responsible Indian newspapers and journalists, the country could never improve its governance.”

One could assume that in this increasingly flat world, the power of the press will become less and less important. With the wide access to the Internet and all the different facets of the media, people seem to get hold of more information independent of the media. However, after learning a little bit about India’s media, maybe the power of the press is just as important as ever.

An NPR report on November 17, 2009 quoted Seema Mustafa, editor of India’s Covert Magazine, in reference to the media. “It’s hysterical. I think it’s absolutely, totally unprofessional. I think the television channels have actually forgotten they are journalists.” Though journalism may be taking different forms, it seems they may have the same influence on the flat world as they did on the round one. Perhaps a downfall of India’s currently, is their lack of journalistic excellence. With the help of people like Abraham George, that will all soon change.

Friedman didn’t focus too much on journalism in his analysis of the flat world. Perhaps he would have a bias being a journalist himself. I think it is an important discussion to have and an important aspect to keep in mind when thinking about globalization because often times it is the journalists that shape the way citizens interpret events.

Islam and the Flat World
After spending two years living in an Islamic country, my interpretation of the Islamic religion is very different than most Americans. While in Kyrgyzstan, my home from 2006-2008, I discovered that Muslims are nothing like the American media says, but rather they are peaceful and hospitable. The Islamic religion doesn’t call for suicide bombers, wars, or the end of western civilization. That is just one specific and small interpretation of the Koran. As in all religions, it is the action of a few who give a reputation to many.

Friedman discusses the issue of Islamic extremism and offers an interesting explanation of why, as keeper of the second largest Muslim population in the world, India does not have any known Muslim Terrorists. The answer he offers is context. I translate that to mean culture. India has a secular and democratic government, free-market economy, and a heavy influence of Hindu tolerance. He goes on to describe that when Islam is a part of authoritarian states, it tends to become violent and extremist. However when Islam is set in democratic society, it tends to function as any other religion and the Muslim people have potential to thrive.

True there are still religious tensions in countries like India, America, or Turkey, but there far less than countries like Iraq, Pakistan, or Afghanistan. Friedman brings Islam into the flattening discussion because all the advancement and positive aspects of globalization could be significantly slowed or halted by another terrorist attack like 9/11. Friedman claims that, “Without trust, there can be no flat world, because it is trust that allows us to take down walls, remove barriers, and eliminate friction at boarders. Trust is essential for a flat world, where you have supply chains involving then, a hundred, or a thousand people, most of whom have never met face-to-face. The more open societies are exposed to indiscriminate terrorism, the more trust is removed, and the more open societies will erect walls and dig moats instead” (Page 557-558). I believe he Friedman is correct, and I also believe that Americans can do more than they do currently to encourage and promote trust in the rest of the world.

American Arrogance in the Flat World
One would think that one of the benefits of globalization is education and understanding of those different than us. It seems the rest of the world is taking advantage of learning about America, but when will we start to learn about them? Friedman’s closing comments are an attempt to inspire Americans to wake up and start caring. On page 634 he says, “The flattening of the world… has presented us with… new dangers, particularly as Americans… It is imperative that we be the best global citizens that we can be – because in a flat world, if you don’t visit a bad neighborhood, it might visit you.” The shrinking of the world could mean disaster if Americans don’t embrace the thought that they are part of a global economy and global system.

As a current MBA student, I heard him loud and clear. There are plenty of international MBA students that are more qualified than me for the jobs that I will be applying for upon completion of my degree. According to a reuters.com article 120,000 graduates of Business School in India entered the job market in 2009. They speak more languages, have a better grasp of technology, and will probably work for less money than I expect.

Americans need to wake up and start listening and learning. The tenure of America as world superpower is over. This is not a bad thing, it is a new thing, and in order to grow with the shrinking world, Americans need to embrace globalization.

Conclusion
I saw little weakness in Friedman’s “The World is Flat.” I learned new things throughout his writing, and I thought his account of globalization was well rounded and complete. One small thing that was mildly irritating was the buzzwords that he created such as, “glocalization” or “insourcing.” It is my personal preference to avoid buzzwords and explain things in real words, however in the context of his book, I understand why he used these words.

Overall, Thomas Friedman wrote a thoughtful, analytical, and eye opening book. He gave detailed and thoughtful analysis of his research and experiences. After reading “The World is Flat,” I am now aware of the flattened world, it’s benefits, and it’s potential detriments. As an MBA student, it is crucial to have knowledge of the global marketplace and how it operates. Friedman gave a practical account of how globalization was formed and its applications from day to day.

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