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Thomas Friedman

The World is Flat

With the adoption of new technology by countries such as China and India, the competitors for your job won't just be down the road - they may well live half way round the world. In The World is Flat: The Globalized World in the Twenty-first Century Thomas Friedman looks at how this change has taken place, and what you should do about it.

Friedman has visited a large number of businesses, in many parts of the world, and he tells of how partnerships are forming between companies in the West and new businesses in emerging economies. He also analysis the factors which are converging to bring about a new way of doing business around the world.

One thing I noticed when I started the book was that Friedman really seems to believe that Columbus discovered that the earth was round - it seems he has never heard of Eratosthenes. As the book went on I felt that there was more of the same pattern - he is trying to take the readers out of their comfort zone, just not too far. So there's a nod towards environmentalism, but not much thought about the large scale changes that global warming might bring. And his message seems to be that we in the West must all work harder, while I think that more and more people will reject the materialistic lifestyle which requires this. So, yes, you should read this book if you want to know about the present state of the world, but I don't think that it gives too much of an idea of it's possible future. .

Amazon.com info

Paperback 660 pages
ISBN: 0312425074
Salesrank: 347
Weight:1.15 lbs

Published: 2007 Picador

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Amazon.co.uk info

Paperback 672 pages
ISBN: 0141034890
Salesrank: 4718
Weight:0.97 lbs

Published: 2007 Penguin

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Amazon.ca info

Paperback
ISBN: 1553651758
Salesrank: 20423
Weight:1.15 lbs

Published: 2007 D&m Adult

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Product Description
A New Edition of the Phenomenal #1 Bestseller "One mark of a great book is that it makes you see things in a new way, and Mr. Friedman certainly succeeds in that goal," the Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz wrote in The New York Times reviewing The World Is Flat in 2005. In this new edition, Thomas L. Friedman includes fresh stories and insights to help us understand the flattening of the world. Weaving new information into his overall thesis, and answering the questions he has been most frequently asked by parents across the country, this third edition also includes two new chapters--on how to be a political activist and social entrepreneur in a flat world; and on the more troubling question of how to manage our reputations and privacy in a world where we are all becoming publishers and public figures. The World Is Flat 3.0 is an essential update on globalization, its opportunities for individual empowerment, its achievements at lifting millions out of poverty, and its drawbacks--environmental, social, and political, powerfully illuminated by the Pulitzer Prize--winning author of The Lexus and the Olive Tree. Thomas L. Friedman has won the Pulitzer Prize three times for his work at The New York Times. He is the author of three best-selling books: From Beirut to Jerusalem, winner of the National Book Award for nonfiction and still considered to be the definitive work on the Middle East, The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, and Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his family. Winner of the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Book Award *A New York Times* Notable Book A Christian Science Monitor Best Book of the Year** A Washington Post Best Book of the Year An Economist Best Book of the Year When scholars write the history of the world twenty years from now, and they come to the chapter "Y2K to March 2004," what will they say was the most crucial development? The attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the Iraq war? Or the convergence of technology and events that allowed India, China, and so many other countries to become part of the global supply chain for services and manufacturing, creating an explosion of wealth in the middle classes of the world's two biggest nations, giving them a huge new stake in the success of globalization? And with this "flattening" of the globe, which requires us to run faster in order to stay in place, has the world gotten too small and too fast for human beings and their political systems to adjust in a stable manner? In this brilliant new book, the award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman demystifies the brave new world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt. The World Is Flat is the timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists. This updated and expanded edition of Friedman's 2005 bestseller features a hundred new pages of fresh reporting, insights, and commentary, drawn both from his 2005 travels (to India, to China, to the Middle East) and from his encounters with readers around the country, who have shared their accounts of the flattening of the world as it is being felt in the American heartland. Among the topics covered are: • An explanation of Friedman's conviction that the flattening of the world "will be seen in time as one of those fundamental shifts or inflection points, like Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, the rise of the nation-state, or the Industrial Revolution." (Chapter 1) • A preview of the emerging "Business Web," in which companies "rent" software at websites like Salesforce.com and have it customized to their needs instead of developing proprietary software and employing a tech department to install it—a huge savings in cost and effort. (Chapter 2) • An explanation of "uploading" as one of the ten forces that are flattening the world. Uploading—blogging, open-source software, pooled knowledge projects like Wikipedia, and now podcasting—enables individuals to bring their experiences and opinions to the whole world more quickly, cheaply, and easily than ever before. (Chapter 2) • A definitive explanation of the "triple convergence," in which the flattening of the world has knocked out first the walls, then the ceilings, and now the floors that defined the world as it was before the Wall came down and the flattening began (Chapter 3); and a deeper, sharper explanation of how the move from a vertically organized world to a horizontally organized one will force a "great sorting out" of our values and priorities. (Chapter 4) • A mapping of what Friedman calls the "New Middle"—the places and spaces in the flat world where middle-class jobs will be found—and an account of the character types who will thrive as "New Middler": collaboration and orchestrators; synthesizers, who blend knowledge across disciplines; explainers, who interpret the tide of new knowledge; leveragers, who can create value from it; adapters, who can move from one New Middle job to the next in the flat world. (Chapter 6) • A chapter-long account of "The Right Stuff"—the qualities American parents and teachers need to cultivate in American young people so that they will be able to thrive in the flat world: the right education, passion and curiosity (CQ, or curiosity quotient, will be more important than IQ); and the ability to "play well with others." (Chapter 7) • The amazing story of how President Bush shunned a meeting of leading "technologists" in the very office building where he was holding a meeting on privatization of Social Security—a story that exemplifies all the misplaced priorities and bungled opportunities of this Administration. (Chapter 8) • The story of Ireland's swift rise from poverty to prosperity as it made the right moves to adapt to the flattening of the world. (Chapter 9) • A call for a government-led "geo-green" strategy to preserve the earth's environment and natural resources as the entry of billions of people into the middle class in China and India creates huge increases in demand for cars, fuel, water, and the like. • A chapter-length explanation of “The Globalization of the Local”: of the ways the flattening of the world, and globalization generally, have affected local and regional culture—actually strengthening local and regional identity rather than homogenizing the world American style. (Chapter 13) And additional topics such as Indians tutoring American students online, of trade pacts being concluded through videoconferencing on flat-screen TVS, and of Google "search engine optimizers" a

Product Description

A New Edition of the Phenomenal #1 Bestseller

"One mark of a great book is that it makes you see things in a new way, and Mr. Friedman certainly succeeds in that goal," the Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz wrote in The New York Times reviewing The World Is Flat in 2005. In this new edition, Thomas L. Friedman includes fresh stories and insights to help us understand the flattening of the world. Weaving new information into his overall thesis, and answering the questions he has been most frequently asked by parents across the country, this third edition also includes two new chapters--on how to be a political activist and social entrepreneur in a flat world; and on the more troubling question of how to manage our reputations and privacy in a world where we are all becoming publishers and public figures.

The World Is Flat 3.0 is an essential update on globalization, its opportunities for individual empowerment, its achievements at lifting millions out of poverty, and its drawbacks--environmental, social, and political, powerfully illuminated by the Pulitzer Prize--winning author of The Lexus and the Olive Tree.

Thomas L. Friedman has won the Pulitzer Prize three times for his work at The New York Times. He is the author of three best-selling books: From Beirut to Jerusalem, winner of the National Book Award for nonfiction and still considered to be the definitive work on the Middle East, The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, and Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his family.

Winner of the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Book Award
A New York Times Notable Book
A Christian Science Monitor Best Book of the Year
A Washington Post Best Book of the Year
An Economist Best Book of the Year

When scholars write the history of the world twenty years from now, and they come to the chapter "Y2K to March 2004," what will they say was the most crucial development? The attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the Iraq war? Or the convergence of technology and events that allowed India, China, and so many other countries to become part of the global supply chain for services and manufacturing, creating an explosion of wealth in the middle classes of the world's two biggest nations, giving them a huge new stake in the success of globalization? And with this "flattening" of the globe, which requires us to run faster in order to stay in place, has the world gotten too small and too fast for human beings and their political systems to adjust in a stable manner?

In this brilliant new book, the award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman demystifies the brave new world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt. The World Is Flat is the timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.

This updated and expanded edition of Friedman's 2005 bestseller features a hundred new pages of fresh reporting, insights, and commentary, drawn both from his 2005 travels (to India, to China, to the Middle East) and from his encounters with readers around the country, who have shared their accounts of the flattening of the world as it is being felt in the American heartland. Among the topics covered are:

• An explanation of Friedman's conviction that the flattening of the world "will be seen in time as one of those fundamental shifts or inflection points, like Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, the rise of the nation-state, or the Industrial Revolution." (Chapter 1)

• A preview of the emerging "Business Web," in which companies "rent" software at websites like Salesforce.com and have it customized to their needs instead of developing proprietary software and employing a tech department to install it—a huge savings in cost and effort. (Chapter 2)

• An explanation of "uploading" as one of the ten forces that are flattening the world. Uploading—blogging, open-source software, pooled knowledge projects like Wikipedia, and now podcasting—enables individuals to bring their experiences and opinions to the whole world more quickly, cheaply, and easily than ever before. (Chapter 2)

• A definitive explanation of the "triple convergence," in which the flattening of the world has knocked out first the walls, then the ceilings, and now the floors that defined the world as it was before the Wall came down and the flattening began (Chapter 3); and a deeper, sharper explanation of how the move from a vertically organized world to a horizontally organized one will force a "great sorting out" of our values and priorities. (Chapter 4)

• A mapping of what Friedman calls the "New Middle"—the places and spaces in the flat world where middle-class jobs will be found—and an account of the character types who will thrive as "New Middler": collaboration and orchestrators; synthesizers, who blend knowledge across disciplines; explainers, who interpret the tide of new knowledge; leveragers, who can create value from it; adapters, who can move from one New Middle job to the next in the flat world. (Chapter 6)

• A chapter-long account of "The Right Stuff"—the qualities American parents and teachers need to cultivate in American young people so that they will be able to thrive in the flat world: the right education, passion and curiosity (CQ, or curiosity quotient, will be more important than IQ); and the ability to "play well with others." (Chapter 7)

• The amazing story of how President Bush shunned a meeting of leading "technologists" in the very office building where he was holding a meeting on privatization of Social Security—a story that exemplifies all the misplaced priorities and bungled opportunities of this Administration. (Chapter 8)

• The story of Ireland's swift rise from poverty to prosperity as it made the right moves to adapt to the flattening of the world. (Chapter 9)

• A call for a government-led "geo-green" strategy to preserve the earth's environment and natural resources as the entry of billions of people into the middle class in China and India creates huge increases in demand for cars, fuel, water, and the like.

• A chapter-length explanation of “The Globalization of the Local”: of the ways the flattening of the world, and globalization generally, have affected local and regional culture—actually strengthening local and regional identity rather than homogenizing the world American style. (Chapter 13)

And additional topics such as Indians tutoring American students online, of trade pacts being concluded through videoconferencing on flat-screen TVS, and of Google "search engine optimizers" a

Eye-Opening and Informative *****
No one can deny the rapid changes that are occuring in our flat world. In the blink of an eye (which is what a mere decade feels like in comparison to all of the progress made within the last few centuries), the world has become more interconnected than ever. We are closer than ever to giving everyone the resources needed to succeed in our global society. Why? Friedman opens his book with 10 forces that flattened the world, describing how each has affected the developed world along with the developing world. Organized and informative, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand how the forces of the last decade shaped the way businesses and countries operate today. What is particuarly insightful is how Friedman always manages to link the developed world and the developing world, explaining how both can benefit and how both need to change in order to succeed. Tonetta Chester, Author of Surviving the Darkest Days

Eye-Opening and Informative *****

No one can deny the rapid changes that are occuring in our flat world. In the blink of an eye (which is what a mere decade feels like in comparison to all of the progress made within the last few centuries), the world has become more interconnected than ever. We are closer than ever to giving everyone the resources needed to succeed in our global society.

Why? Friedman opens his book with 10 forces that flattened the world, describing how each has affected the developed world along with the developing world. Organized and informative, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand how the forces of the last decade shaped the way businesses and countries operate today. What is particuarly insightful is how Friedman always manages to link the developed world and the developing world, explaining how both can benefit and how both need to change in order to succeed.

Tonetta Chester,
Author of Surviving the Darkest Days

The World is Flat: a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century *****
The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century This is a very interesting read! Also a good one i might add! This book was used for a College Class, and although it was required reading, I was very much impressed with how Mr Friedman wrote this book! It is not boring at all, and for me it was very hard to put down. He intertwines all of his fact searching and interlaces it with what his "voice" is in writing and came up with a VERY good book. So if you want to enjoy what you are reading and at the same time be educated with what is going on in our world today, then this is a MUST! ~:D

The World is Flat: a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century *****

The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

This is a very interesting read! Also a good one i might add! This book was used for a College Class, and although it was required reading, I was very much impressed with how Mr Friedman wrote this book! It is not boring at all, and for me it was very hard to put down. He intertwines all of his fact searching and interlaces it with what his "voice" is in writing and came up with a VERY good book. So if you want to enjoy what you are reading and at the same time be educated with what is going on in our world today, then this is a MUST! ~:D

Introduction to Globalization ****
The World Is Flat bills itself in it subtitle as "a brief history of the twenty-first century." That history is dominated by the combined forces of globalization and technology. PCs, high-speed Internet access, and collaboration software converge to create the flat world platform that allows anyone, anywhere to innovate. Globalization is a massive force that has widespread implications - socially, politically, economically, and environmentally. Further complicating the issue is that those implications can be drastically different depending on whether a country is developed or developing. Yet, somehow, Friedman tackles these issues in a balanced and detailed narrative that is engaging to read. The topic is also very much of the present, in that our understanding of globalization and its effects is changing daily. Friedman has done a commendable job of keeping the book (now in release 3.0 as of my reading) updated and relevant. Present day readers will appreciate this effort, while perhaps wishing for an additional update with commentary on the economic downturn encountered during the past two years. If I have one complaint about this book, it is that it tends to use simple metaphors and anecdotes for what are very complex systems. This technique is used effectively by Friedman to illustrate his points to the reader. However, I also think it leaves a lot of deeper issues either unexplored or underexplored beneath the surface. These deeper issues include the negative effects that globalization has in social, economic, and environmental realms. While Friedman does acknowledge and address these issues, the analysis of them seems relatively minor compared to the (also acknowledged) pro-globalization stance taken throughout the book as a whole. Overall, The World Is Flat presents a compelling, if introductory, assessment of globalization that I recommend reading. For readers who find the subject matter interesting, I would encourage independent study of the topics on which the book glances over.

Introduction to Globalization ****

The World Is Flat bills itself in it subtitle as "a brief history of the twenty-first century." That history is dominated by the combined forces of globalization and technology. PCs, high-speed Internet access, and collaboration software converge to create the flat world platform that allows anyone, anywhere to innovate.

Globalization is a massive force that has widespread implications - socially, politically, economically, and environmentally. Further complicating the issue is that those implications can be drastically different depending on whether a country is developed or developing. Yet, somehow, Friedman tackles these issues in a balanced and detailed narrative that is engaging to read.

The topic is also very much of the present, in that our understanding of globalization and its effects is changing daily. Friedman has done a commendable job of keeping the book (now in release 3.0 as of my reading) updated and relevant. Present day readers will appreciate this effort, while perhaps wishing for an additional update with commentary on the economic downturn encountered during the past two years.

If I have one complaint about this book, it is that it tends to use simple metaphors and anecdotes for what are very complex systems. This technique is used effectively by Friedman to illustrate his points to the reader. However, I also think it leaves a lot of deeper issues either unexplored or underexplored beneath the surface.

These deeper issues include the negative effects that globalization has in social, economic, and environmental realms. While Friedman does acknowledge and address these issues, the analysis of them seems relatively minor compared to the (also acknowledged) pro-globalization stance taken throughout the book as a whole.

Overall, The World Is Flat presents a compelling, if introductory, assessment of globalization that I recommend reading. For readers who find the subject matter interesting, I would encourage independent study of the topics on which the book glances over.

Disappointing **
Several years ago after hearing praise heaped upon Mr. Friedman's work The World is Flat I purchased it and waded through the first hundred pages or so with increasing impatience as I awaited all the earth shattering insights that were said to await me. Well after reading the book I felt more along the lines of having purchased something from someone who demonstrated their firm grasp on the obvious. There are no earth shattering insights here. For anyone living, working or traveling in today's online, e-commerce, outsourced, off-shored world over the last 10-15 years you already know everything that Mr. Friedman seems to be so taken with. I kept asking myself why this all seemed to surprising to Mr. Friedman? Apparently Mr. Friedman's book is marketed to those who do not get out much. I notice a lot of reviews suggest that the book is "well written". I have no objection to the writing but it did not strike me as being anything more then average. If a sense of "gee isn't all this stuff neat" equates to being well written then Mr. Friedman can consider mission accomplished.

Disappointing **

Several years ago after hearing praise heaped upon Mr. Friedman's work The World is Flat I purchased it and waded through the first hundred pages or so with increasing impatience as I awaited all the earth shattering insights that were said to await me. Well after reading the book I felt more along the lines of having purchased something from someone who demonstrated their firm grasp on the obvious. There are no earth shattering insights here. For anyone living, working or traveling in today's online, e-commerce, outsourced, off-shored world over the last 10-15 years you already know everything that Mr. Friedman seems to be so taken with. I kept asking myself why this all seemed to surprising to Mr. Friedman?

Apparently Mr. Friedman's book is marketed to those who do not get out much. I notice a lot of reviews suggest that the book is "well written". I have no objection to the writing but it did not strike me as being anything more then average. If a sense of "gee isn't all this stuff neat" equates to being well written then Mr. Friedman can consider mission accomplished.

The World is Flat ****
What an fantastic book! Granted, it was outdated when talking about Google...but I was fascinated to learn how dynamic UPS is. It did get a little long in the tooth in parts, but I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in where our world is headed.

The World is Flat ****

What an fantastic book! Granted, it was outdated when talking about Google...but I was fascinated to learn how dynamic UPS is. It did get a little long in the tooth in parts, but I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in where our world is headed.

I now love outsourcing *****
I bought this book about couple of years ago through Amazon recommendation but I did not start to read it until June 2010 when a friend told me how interesting the book is. I picked up the book to read myself and I wish I had read it earlier it was recommended. What I found most interesting and knowledgeable was the aspect of individual competition and how I need to continuously and strategically position myself for opportunities and challenges as the world no longer sleeps and everyone is wide awake to tap into scarce global resources. I am reading the book (now on page 341) as I realised I do not need to complain about lost job due to outsourcing but be creative and ensure I personally stay competitive to compete successfully in this flat world. It also shows that to the art of staying competitive involves what is written in Holy Bible Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10a Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might). Thank you Thomas.

I now love outsourcing *****

I bought this book about couple of years ago through Amazon recommendation but I did not start to read it until June 2010 when a friend told me how interesting the book is. I picked up the book to read myself and I wish I had read it earlier it was recommended. What I found most interesting and knowledgeable was the aspect of individual competition and how I need to continuously and strategically position myself for opportunities and challenges as the world no longer sleeps and everyone is wide awake to tap into scarce global resources.

I am reading the book (now on page 341) as I realised I do not need to complain about lost job due to outsourcing but be creative and ensure I personally stay competitive to compete successfully in this flat world. It also shows that to the art of staying competitive involves what is written in Holy Bible
Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10a Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might).

Thank you Thomas.

Well written, mostly ignorant... **
Here is a journalist who has been to a few places in his time and subsequently has formed an opinion of the world as being 'flat', that is, a more equal and less divided world (mostly from a window of an expensive airline). Unfortunately, the world is not like this. Although some have become liberated by these developments, others have become constrained and rejected. Mostly just goes to show that you shouldn't form an opinion from your own experience. Go ahead and read, but just PLEASE don't take everything literally. ...and the world is definately NOT flat. Read some literature by Doreen Massey or Vandana Shiva to get a fuller world view. Don't be an armchair geographer!

Well written, mostly ignorant... **

Here is a journalist who has been to a few places in his time and subsequently has formed an opinion of the world as being 'flat', that is, a more equal and less divided world (mostly from a window of an expensive airline).
Unfortunately, the world is not like this. Although some have become liberated by these developments, others have become constrained and rejected. Mostly just goes to show that you shouldn't form an opinion from your own experience.
Go ahead and read, but just PLEASE don't take everything literally.

...and the world is definately NOT flat. Read some literature by Doreen Massey or Vandana Shiva to get a fuller world view.
Don't be an armchair geographer!

The World is flat *****
The book is very interesting.Is not just economic book,sometime is even funny:) Nice and easy book for everybody.

The World is flat *****

The book is very interesting.Is not just economic book,sometime is even funny:)
Nice and easy book for everybody.

AWESOME READ! *****
New Age reading. People really are naive when it comes to stuff like this. There will always be an army of people somewhere on this planet willing to do your job cheaper, faster and better than you. Always.

AWESOME READ! *****

New Age reading. People really are naive when it comes to stuff like this. There will always be an army of people somewhere on this planet willing to do your job cheaper, faster and better than you. Always.

You Must Read This Book! *****
Thomas Friedman opens our eyes to the world that is changing under our nose in the speed of light! If you want to catch up with the world... Read this book! An "Eye Opener"...

You Must Read This Book! *****

Thomas Friedman opens our eyes to the world that is changing under our nose in the speed of light! If you want to catch up with the world... Read this book! An "Eye Opener"...

Globalization simplified ****
"The world is flat" is a book about globalization. It describes the various processes of the latest wave of globalization, and the revolutionary impact it has on leveling the playing field for social, political and especially economic interactions among people worldwide. The title of the book is a metaphor for globalization that the author derived after he was told by an Indian businessman that "the playing field of the global economy is being leveled". This notion "awakened" Mr. Friedman, who had been busy covering the Middle East after 9/11 for the New York Times, and inspired him to write this book in order to investigate the origins and implications of such a "flat world": What does it mean to individuals, communities, businesses and nations around the world? How is it changing the way we interact and do business? And what are the benefits and challenges for emerging, developing and developed countries and especially for America? The book begins with a series of stories, interviews and statistics that demonstrate the changing nature of doing business and collaborating around the world: the Indian accounting firm which prepares tax returns for Americans (India processed 400,000 US tax return in 2005!); digitized CT scans are analyzed in India overnight and sent back to hospitals in the US; news reports, investment research, call centers, even part of the haircut service (the reservation) is now done in India; Japanese-speaking service providers and home designers in China; and retired seniors working from their homes in the US as airline reservation agents. The author marvels at how cutting-edge real-time multimedia technologies are shrinking and flattening the world by empowering individuals and groups and allowing them to bypass borders and hierarchies. Friedman argues that this "flat world" is the product of simultaneous advances in key information and communication technologies. He dedicates a significant part of the book describing the ten major factors that converged to flatten the world, what he calls the ten "flatteners". These are the fall of the Berlin Wall, the emergence of the Internet and Web technologies, the workflow software, uploading, outsourcing, offshoring, supply-chaining, insourcing, search engines and smart phones. Friedman then argues that, around the year 2000, a triple convergence occurred. First, all ten flatteners started to converge and work together in ways that created a new flatter global playing field. Then both businesses and individuals began to adopt new habits, skills and processes to get the best out of it. At the same time, a whole new group of people from China, India, and the former Soviet Empire walked out onto the playing field. Globalization for Friedman is an external phenomenon - it was not planned, it is happening to us - and there is no way stopping it. Those who resist its forces will lose and those who adapt to them will be the winners. Such is Friedman's advice to many of his fellow Americans who became to view this flattening world as a threat to their jobs and security. Friedman suggests that people in the developed world must be open for change, update their skills and find ways to move up the value chain to provide complex and superior products and solutions. He gives many examples of such successful business transitions from America and beyond. The book presents a powerful idea about how globalization is changing the way people interact and do business, and provides numerous examples and stories to illustrate and support these ideas. But the book also has many weaknesses. Friedman's definition of the eras of globalization is imprecise. Friedman also assumes that globalization is a natural phenomenon determined by technological forces, totally ignoring the idea that it is as much a political project. The author spends very little time talking about the tensions between market interests and social and cultural values that are becoming more visible as a result of this flattening world. Also, the author dedicated only a small chapter identifying developing countries that are left behind, mainly in Africa and the Middle East. He advises those countries to focus on building their infrastructure, educate their people and fix their governance in order to better fit into the global economy. Such unworthy advice is totally oblivious to the tremendous constraints facing these countries and the competitive pressures that globalization imposes on them. Mr. Friedman talked about universal connectivity to the Internet as "as the ultimate equalizer", but he failed to take into account that such connectivity, though proliferating in the emerging economies, remains a distant reality for billions of people across the planet. And although many skilled and educated people reached prosperity in China and India, worldwide inequality has been on the rise for the past twenty years. In order to provide evidence for his flat-world thesis, the author recounts hundreds of stories, anecdotes and interviews that he gathered from his travels especially to India, China and Japan, and from his interactions with his family, friends and acquaintances in high positions in business, government and academia around the world. At some point, the reader gets the feeling that many stories are redundant and the book becomes repetitive, and excessive name-dropping becomes overwhelming. Some might find his style nonacademic, padded or imprecise, and I agree. But it is Mr. Friedman's knack for interviewing and storytelling, a talent perfected through his long experience as a top journalist, what makes this book accessible and fun to read. "The world is flat" is an enlightening and amusing book about globalization, which can be even more gratifying if the reader skips every other page.

Globalization simplified ****

"The world is flat" is a book about globalization. It describes the various processes of the latest wave of globalization, and the revolutionary impact it has on leveling the playing field for social, political and especially economic interactions among people worldwide.

The title of the book is a metaphor for globalization that the author derived after he was told by an Indian businessman that "the playing field of the global economy is being leveled". This notion "awakened" Mr. Friedman, who had been busy covering the Middle East after 9/11 for the New York Times, and inspired him to write this book in order to investigate the origins and implications of such a "flat world": What does it mean to individuals, communities, businesses and nations around the world? How is it changing the way we interact and do business? And what are the benefits and challenges for emerging, developing and developed countries and especially for America?

The book begins with a series of stories, interviews and statistics that demonstrate the changing nature of doing business and collaborating around the world: the Indian accounting firm which prepares tax returns for Americans (India processed 400,000 US tax return in 2005!); digitized CT scans are analyzed in India overnight and sent back to hospitals in the US; news reports, investment research, call centers, even part of the haircut service (the reservation) is now done in India; Japanese-speaking service providers and home designers in China; and retired seniors working from their homes in the US as airline reservation agents. The author marvels at how cutting-edge real-time multimedia technologies are shrinking and flattening the world by empowering individuals and groups and allowing them to bypass borders and hierarchies.

Friedman argues that this "flat world" is the product of simultaneous advances in key information and communication technologies. He dedicates a significant part of the book describing the ten major factors that converged to flatten the world, what he calls the ten "flatteners". These are the fall of the Berlin Wall, the emergence of the Internet and Web technologies, the workflow software, uploading, outsourcing, offshoring, supply-chaining, insourcing, search engines and smart phones.

Friedman then argues that, around the year 2000, a triple convergence occurred. First, all ten flatteners started to converge and work together in ways that created a new flatter global playing field. Then both businesses and individuals began to adopt new habits, skills and processes to get the best out of it. At the same time, a whole new group of people from China, India, and the former Soviet Empire walked out onto the playing field.

Globalization for Friedman is an external phenomenon - it was not planned, it is happening to us - and there is no way stopping it. Those who resist its forces will lose and those who adapt to them will be the winners. Such is Friedman's advice to many of his fellow Americans who became to view this flattening world as a threat to their jobs and security. Friedman suggests that people in the developed world must be open for change, update their skills and find ways to move up the value chain to provide complex and superior products and solutions. He gives many examples of such successful business transitions from America and beyond.

The book presents a powerful idea about how globalization is changing the way people interact and do business, and provides numerous examples and stories to illustrate and support these ideas. But the book also has many weaknesses. Friedman's definition of the eras of globalization is imprecise. Friedman also assumes that globalization is a natural phenomenon determined by technological forces, totally ignoring the idea that it is as much a political project. The author spends very little time talking about the tensions between market interests and social and cultural values that are becoming more visible as a result of this flattening world.

Also, the author dedicated only a small chapter identifying developing countries that are left behind, mainly in Africa and the Middle East. He advises those countries to focus on building their infrastructure, educate their people and fix their governance in order to better fit into the global economy. Such unworthy advice is totally oblivious to the tremendous constraints facing these countries and the competitive pressures that globalization imposes on them. Mr. Friedman talked about universal connectivity to the Internet as "as the ultimate equalizer", but he failed to take into account that such connectivity, though proliferating in the emerging economies, remains a distant reality for billions of people across the planet. And although many skilled and educated people reached prosperity in China and India, worldwide inequality has been on the rise for the past twenty years.

In order to provide evidence for his flat-world thesis, the author recounts hundreds of stories, anecdotes and interviews that he gathered from his travels especially to India, China and Japan, and from his interactions with his family, friends and acquaintances in high positions in business, government and academia around the world. At some point, the reader gets the feeling that many stories are redundant and the book becomes repetitive, and excessive name-dropping becomes overwhelming. Some might find his style nonacademic, padded or imprecise, and I agree. But it is Mr. Friedman's knack for interviewing and storytelling, a talent perfected through his long experience as a top journalist, what makes this book accessible and fun to read. "The world is flat" is an enlightening and amusing book about globalization, which can be even more gratifying if the reader skips every other page.

Get Informed *****
I read this book on my daily commute to work and I have to say I felt much smarter after I finished the book. Thomas Friedman is a very credible journalist. One thing I like about him is the fact that a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum seems to have some type of disagreement with him. When this happens you must be doing something right. On another note the book is damn good. It really opens your eyes to whats going on in the world around us. I look forward to his next book.

Get Informed *****

I read this book on my daily commute to work and I have to say I felt much smarter after I finished the book. Thomas Friedman is a very credible journalist. One thing I like about him is the fact that a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum seems to have some type of disagreement with him. When this happens you must be doing something right. On another note the book is damn good. It really opens your eyes to whats going on in the world around us. I look forward to his next book.

The World Was Flat *****
Thomas Friedman, he who observes, analyses and writes extremely well, came up with a tremoundously interesting and important book. Pulitzer winner author talks about globalization in this book and explores the forces that are shaping the world around us from China to U.S. His vivid descriptions and stories along the way keeps the reader with him all the time thus although 600 pages approximately, the book goes down the chimney like a breeze. He says that this is an history book for future and one can only concur. Foolowing Drucker's model he identifies the future that has already happened very well. I highly recommend this book for everybody especially the managers and leaders. Without this book you will risk missing the big picture around you.

The World Was Flat *****

Thomas Friedman, he who observes, analyses and writes extremely well, came up with a tremoundously interesting and important book. Pulitzer winner author talks about globalization in this book and explores the forces that are shaping the world around us from China to U.S. His vivid descriptions and stories along the way keeps the reader with him all the time thus although 600 pages approximately, the book goes down the chimney like a breeze. He says that this is an history book for future and one can only concur. Foolowing Drucker's model he identifies the future that has already happened very well. I highly recommend this book for everybody especially the managers and leaders. Without this book you will risk missing the big picture around you.

This book will help your future, don't get bogged by 1st 100 pages ****
This book will most definatly help our future. It assesses how the world is flat and what kind of collaboration will be needed for the middle class to re-align itself properly via solid education. Most interesting quote and explanation is Passion + Creativity > IQ in this day and age. Do not get bogged down by 1st 100 pages and what led us to today and the flattening of the world. Some of it is obvious and you may have heard. However the book is primarily about the future of our society and how you (being anyone) can be successful in it.

This book will help your future, don't get bogged by 1st 100 pages ****

This book will most definatly help our future.
It assesses how the world is flat and what kind of collaboration will be needed for the middle class to re-align itself properly via solid education.
Most interesting quote and explanation is Passion + Creativity > IQ in this day and age.
Do not get bogged down by 1st 100 pages and what led us to today and the flattening of the world. Some of it is obvious and you may have heard. However the book is primarily about the future of our society and how you (being anyone) can be successful in it.

something to think about *****
This is a powerful book if somewhat flawed. It is always a treat to read well written prose and the topics he raises are important. For that reason I give this book five stars. Although the writing is first rate I was left with the feeling of that the perspective it offers is somewhat imbalanced. It certainly is a call to arms but perhaps Friedman over reaches in this manifesto and makes conclusions that do not always follow. In my opinion the "flatness" we now perceive, a seeming equality of individuals through the Internet is an illusions. The institutions which act like filters are still present and act as filters even now on the Internet. Through its evolution the Internet will more and more fall in line. Globalization is a genie that the US in my opinion let out of the bottle. I do not see that it was an inevitability. Further Friedman neglects to emphasize the sheer power the United States still wields in the world. Are Y2K, the rise of China and the World Trade Center attack are all some of the most important events of this emerging century were these changes inevitable or where they the result of poor judgment of US foreign policy over the past 15 years? From my perspective many of these mistakes were made by our politician most especially in the Clinton years (despite good intentions) but there has also been a cancer that has been eating away at our society for a long while most notably in education and in our intelligence community. We have overestimated our power while trying to express a largess in a world that seems to only boil over more with anti-Americanism. We have served up hope to the third world without coming through which can only make the populations of the third world more anti-American. Certainly this is not only the fault of America as despots of the third world have made corruption into an artform and are the main impediment to alleviating world hunger. America's fault is in it's naivety. I choose to believe we have made the mess we are in now and we can change American policies if our leaders are quick and savvy enough. Are the aforementioned events (Y2K, 9-11, the rise of China and the Internet) even connected - in my mind not necessarily. Only time can tell us. Certainly a dangerous convergence of events has occurred recently and we must adapt. The attack on 9-11 was a warning that is certain. Another point I will take with issue with Friedman on is his pointing to the bursting of the dot.com bubble while saying that the Internet is making for a level playing field. There seems to me to be a contradiction somewhere in that - more than that the author will allow himself to admit.. We also have no way of know if indeed the Internet will level the playing field as it is something which is too new to make any conclusions about. That the Internet levels the playing field is a cliche. There are certain contradictions to American culture in its embracing of freedom and materialism. We have seen before the triumph of Democracy over Totalitarianism during W.W.II but is it always the case? On one hand a Democracy makes easier the free exchange of ideas but on the other a Totalitarian regime like China can make great changes in a hurry as it functions with one mind. Will China receive through the Internet Democracy or will the economic power recently given to the totlitarian regime make that change impossible. That is one of the great questions for the future. One more point I would like to make and it is this: if history has shown us anything, the world never was nor ever will be, "flat". In that way the author neglects some of the great lessons of history. Still a very stimulating and thought provoking read. I also recommend The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Gladwell

something to think about *****

This is a powerful book if somewhat flawed. It is always a treat to read well written prose and the topics he raises are important. For that reason I give this book five stars. Although the writing is first rate I was left with the feeling of that the perspective it offers is somewhat imbalanced. It certainly is a call to arms but perhaps Friedman over reaches in this manifesto and makes conclusions that do not always follow. In my opinion the "flatness" we now perceive, a seeming equality of individuals through the Internet is an illusions. The institutions which act like filters are still present and act as filters even now on the Internet. Through its evolution the Internet will more and more fall in line.
Globalization is a genie that the US in my opinion let out of the bottle. I do not see that it was an inevitability.
Further Friedman neglects to emphasize the sheer power the United States still wields in the world.

Are Y2K, the rise of China and the World Trade Center attack are all some of the most important events of this emerging century were these changes inevitable or where they the result of poor judgment of US foreign policy over the past 15 years? From my perspective many of these mistakes were made by our politician most especially in the Clinton years (despite good intentions) but there has also been a cancer that has been eating away at our society for a long while most notably in education and in our intelligence community. We have overestimated our power while trying to express a largess in a world that seems to only boil over more with anti-Americanism. We have served up hope to the third world without coming through which can only make the populations of the third world more anti-American. Certainly this is not only the fault of America as despots of the third world have made corruption into an artform and are the main impediment to alleviating world hunger. America's fault is in it's naivety. I choose to believe we have made the mess we are in now and we can change American policies if our leaders are quick and savvy enough.
Are the aforementioned events (Y2K, 9-11, the rise of China and the Internet) even connected - in my mind not necessarily. Only time can tell us. Certainly a dangerous convergence of events has occurred recently and we must adapt. The attack on 9-11 was a warning that is certain.

Another point I will take with issue with Friedman on is his pointing to the bursting of the dot.com bubble while saying that the Internet is making for a level playing field. There seems to me to be a contradiction somewhere in that - more than that the author will allow himself to admit.. We also have no way of know if indeed the Internet will level the playing field as it is something which is too new to make any conclusions about. That the Internet levels the playing field is a cliche.
There are certain contradictions to American culture in its embracing of freedom and materialism. We have seen before the triumph of Democracy over Totalitarianism during W.W.II but is it always the case? On one hand a Democracy makes easier the free exchange of ideas but on the other a Totalitarian regime like China can make great changes in a hurry as it functions with one mind. Will China receive through the Internet Democracy or will the economic power recently given to the totlitarian regime make that change impossible. That is one of the great questions for the future.

One more point I would like to make and it is this: if history has shown us anything, the world never was nor ever will be, "flat". In that way the author neglects some of the great lessons of history.
Still a very stimulating and thought provoking read.

I also recommend The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Gladwell