Premium Essay

Is the World Really Flat?

In:

Submitted By janush
Words 1392
Pages 6
Is the world really flat?

In his famous book: The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman depicts how globalization has broken the restrictions of country border and is transforming the world into an interconnected, flat world. Based on his observations, Friedman groups these globalization phenomena into 10 so-called “flatteners”, such as Collapse of the Berlin Wall, outsourcing, offshoring, and informing. He is a firm advocate of free trade. He recounts several examples of Chinese and India companies that take advantage of low cost labor to integrate into the whole world trade supply chain. From his view, the world is really becoming a seamless world factory where every country works in cooperation along this supply chain. Meanwhile, globalization is bringing a set of globalized values to every corner of the world. Indeed, the world seems like a truly fair playing ground.
However, in my view, the world is just far from being flat.
The world is in a huge imbalance. Due to the comparative advantage of labor between developing countries and developed countries, the world capital is flowing from the US and European countries which have high labor cost to emerging economies like China and India where there are abundant supply of cheap and skilled labor. On one hand, China and the other emerging economies are accelerating their integration into the interdependence world factory. Gaps in living standards, wage and technology are quickly shrinking. The benefits of economic boom are spreading from those advanced economies to emerging economies. On the other hand, this economic model results in huge trade imbalance and further solidifies the dominance of the developed economies on the upper end of the value chain. To sustain the high annual growth rate, China has to rely on its export-oriented economic model, which caused huge trade surplus and over-supply of currency. Such

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Humn

...Identifying Good or Bad Statements Anit Maharjan HUMN210-H5WW Meghan Roehll Franklin University 4th April, 2013 a. Nobody in the world today is really good. Yes, I have heard of good people, but not really good people. - Good statement. b. The world is not flat. Well, if you look at a map it is: - in what point of view - bad statement. c. I will need an extended period of laborious cogitation to assimilate the missive. This doesn't make any sense - bad statement. d. The number 2 is odd. Are we talking about an even number? I believe your confusion comes from the fact that 2 is a prime number, but it is still even. It is the only even number that is prime – false statement. e. If you believe in evolution, then your ancestors were filthy apes. There are two kinds of people in the world: - one is god prayer and the next is science believer. If you support the statement from the point of scientific theory of evolution by Darwin, then yes our ancestors are filthy apes, whereas if you think form the side of god’s prayer then the statement is false – good statement. f. Some swans are black. In this statement, I am not sure that some swans are black or not, all swans could be black or white – good statement. g. If you are a human, then you are a person. If you are an individual, then you are alive. Human is a person and of course the person becomes an individual and every individual breaths...

Words: 384 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

What Makes a Good Statement (or Claim)?

...are good or bad statements. If they are bad statements, indicate why. 1. Nobody in the world today is really good. Bad statement. The statement is an opinion and lacks the evidence needed to determine whether the statement is true or false. 2. The world is not flat. Good statement. 3. I will need an extended period of laborious cogitation to assimilate the missive. Bad statement. The use of complex words hinders the clarity of the statement. 4. The number 2 is odd. Bad statement. Since the number 2 is actually an even number, this statement does not make sense. 5. If you believe in evolution, then your ancestors were filthy apes. Bad statement. The statement had the potential of being a good statement for those that believe they came from apes due to the theory of evolution. However, the use of the word “filthy” makes the statement sound bad. 6. Some swans are black. Good statement. 7. If you are a human, then you are a person. If you are an individual, then you are alive. Good statement. 8. The Surgeon General has determined that drinking is bad for pregnant women. Good statement. 9. The world is flat. And because it is flat it is not carbonated. Bad statement. The world is not flat. Therefore, to state that assumption that the world is not carbonated does not make sense at all. 10. The world is flat. Bad statement. There is scientific proof the world is not flat. Therefore, the statement does not make...

Words: 273 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The World Is Flat

...Nescio PSL200 T-TH 11:00 The international bestselling book The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty First Century by Thomas L. Friedman analyzes globalization in the early 21st century. Throughout the book Friedman helps the reader view the world on a level playing field, where the traditional issues of historical and geographical divisions are becoming irrelevant and all competitors have an equal opportunity. Friedman examines the influences shaping businesses and competition in a technology fueled global environment. Supporting his ideas with interviews, case studies and statistics Friedman sends the message to his readers that they need to be prepared because the flattening world waits for no one. The flattening of the world however is not something that happens over night. In fact this process has been happening over a number of years but has become more noticeable after the turn of the century. Throughout “The World is Flat” you will find Friedman believes are the ten major factors causing the flattening of the world, how the United States should approach the flattening world, and how Friedman comes to his conclusions. Thomas Friedman’s trip to India is where he first notices that the playing field has been leveled and that global knowledge is available to a much larger audience. Friedman argues that the world is “going from size small to size tiny” (10). The flattening of the world entails that we are now connecting all the knowledge centers on the...

Words: 2855 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

What Makes a Good Statement

...As you know, this assignment requires a careful and thorough reading and understanding of the material prior to making application. You only misidentified 2 claims as good/bad - questions #2 and 6 (-3pts ea). You misidentified the RULE on question 5, 7 & 9 (-1pt. ea). CORRECT ANSWSERS: b (2) GOOD; The world is NOT flat. e (5) BAD RULE #5 OFFER ACTUAL REASONS BUILT ON SUBSTANCE & NOT TONE. If you believe in evolution, then your ancestors were filthy apes. f (6) GOOD Some swans are black. g (7)BAD ; RULE #6 USE CONSISTENT TERMS. If you are a human, then you are a person. If you are an individual, then you are alive. i(9) BAD; APPENDIX I ; COMMON FALLACY EQUIVOCATION. The world is flat. And because it is flat it is not carbonated. DIRECTIONS: Identify which of these claims are good or bad statements. If they are bad statements, state/name the specific Rule Number or Reason info from texts to indicate why. This assignment takes a thorough and careful reading/studying of the course materials in order to make application. a (1) Nobody in the world today is really good. Bad #3 Start from reliable premises b (2) The world is NOT flat. Bad #3 c (3) I will need an extended period of laborious cogitation to assimilate the missive. Bad #4 B concrete and concise and #5 build on substance, not overtone d (4)The number 2 is odd. Bad #3 Start from reliable premise e (5) If you believe in evolution, then your ancestors were filthy apes. Bad #1 Identify...

Words: 351 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Bussiness

...Summary of The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman LENGTH: 4976 words HEADLINE: It's a Flat World, After All BYLINE: By Thomas L. Friedman. Thomas L. Friedman is the author of ''The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century,'' to be published this week by Farrar, Straus & Giroux and from which this article is adapted. His column appears on the Op-Ed page of The Times, and his television documentary ''Does Europe Hate Us?'' will be shown on the Discovery Channel on April 7 at 8 p.m. BODY: In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail for India, going west. He had the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. He never did find India, but he called the people he met ''Indians'' and came home and reported to his king and queen: ''The world is round.'' I set off for India 512 years later. I knew just which direction I was going. I went east. I had Lufthansa business class, and I came home and reported only to my wife and only in a whisper: ''The world is flat.'' And therein lies a tale of technology and geoeconomics that is fundamentally reshaping our lives -- much, much more quickly than many people realize. It all happened while we were sleeping, or rather while we were focused on 9/11, the dot-com bust and Enron -- which even prompted some to wonder whether globalization was over. Actually, just the opposite was true, which is why it's time to wake up and prepare ourselves for this flat world, because others already are, and there is no time to waste. I wish I could say I saw...

Words: 5367 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

Noses in the Philippines

...feature among Filipinos One discernible physical feature predominant among Filipinos are the most common relatively flat noses. Evolutionary, this has been due to the climate, because people living in colder regions have longer and bigger noses due to the colder air, which so has the opportunity to warm up more before going to the lungs. Because of the hot temperatures close to the equator, this was not necessary for people living in the Philippines. Still, today you find several variations of noses among Filipinos as well as in more western regions. The different kind of noses range between really flat noses, really small noses, really wide, but also not so wide noses and you can even see people with pointy noses already. Still I guess the flat noses with the rather round tips are still the most usual kind. Therefore, a lot of Filipinos still think it is a sign of low class or lower social status if you have a wide flat nose compared to a small and peaked nose. But I also think that this is an assumption which is losing its credibility. One of my German friends here in the Philippines has a white, pointy and relatively bigger nose compared to the Filipinos and a lot of Filipino people tell her, that they like her nose and think her nose is really pretty, so I guess having a pointy nose is some kind of beauty feature here as well. Especially since it is all over the world a sign of beauty among models. I actually like both kind of noses, since I think it depends on the face around...

Words: 381 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The World Is Flat Book Review

...University of the Philippines Lahug, Cebu City The World is Flat Book Review by Thomas Friedman Submitted by: Angelique Kay G. Consular Submitted to: Ms. Mae Claire Jabines Chapter Summaries Chapter One: While I Was Sleeping The first chapter begins by illustrating Friedman's disclosure that the world is flat. It sets forward on his visit to Infosys Technologies Limited in India, where he go on foot with Discovery Times. Friedman is inspired by the grounds' propelled innovation, for example the glass-and-steel edifices and huge even screen Tvs. The organization's CEO, Nandan Nilekani, tells Friedman that the global competitive field seems to be leveled and that that the world is being flattened. From this, we can see that a "flat" world is one in which the "playing field" on which companies contend is presently level. It is one in which companies from different nations can compete with each other on an equivalent basis. Friedman breaks down Globalization into three (3) eras. The first is from 1492-1800, which he calls Globalization 1.0 and it shrink the world from large to medium. Its dynamic force is countries — how much physical strength your country has and how creatively you can move it into action. The second is from 1800-2000, which he calls Globalization 2.0 and creates a small world. It is about the multinational companies. As Friedman argues, we are now in the Globalization 3.0 period where in the world shrinks from small to tiny, flattening to such a...

Words: 3616 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

Spiky vs Flat

...The World is Flatter With Some Spikes To me both authors are saying the same thing, but they are looking at it from different view points. Thomas Friedman says, “In a flat world you can innovate without having to emigrate.” While Richard Florida says, “ In terms of both sheer economic horsepower and cutting edge innovation, surprisingly few regions truly matter in today’s global economy.” I feel that both are right the world is flatter than in the past, but there are the important spikes. Friedman says the world is flat due to technology and Florida says technology has made the largest cities larger while leaving the valleys behind. I believe that technology has allowed people in the “valleys” to be more creative, find others’ information and build upon it, and test their ideas all from the comfort of their homes. They may have to move to a large city or spike to really make their idea a success, but they may have a better chance than if they just moved to a spike. I think that there will always be spikes because there must be a central place for people to meet and collaborate with one another. This is when the best ideas come together and become more powerful. There are always the people who can do this all remotely like the Apache people in the, World is Flat. For the most part I feel that Silicon Valley would not have been as powerful had everyone stayed in their original location. Plus not every city in the world can be a spike or flat, it would eliminate competition...

Words: 455 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

The Dead by James Joyce

...trust him to keep an eye on things and his thoughts are revealed to the readers.) * Kate Morkan and Julia Morkan - Gabriel's aunts, elderly sisters who throw a party every year during Christmas time. (Developed characters because they through the party so James tell the readers about how they set up the party and stuff.) * Mary Jane Morkan - Niece of Kate and Julia Morkan. (Flat character because the author doesn’t really let us that much about them.) * Lily - Maid. (Flat character because she’s just A young woman who does the housework for the Morkans but lily seems to be acting differently recently because of a problem with her lover.) * Gretta Conroy - Gabriel's wife.(developed character because in the story they talk about her tragic past about her former lover Michael Furey and this tell us a lot about Gretta.) * Molly Ivors - Colleague of Gabriel, very patriotic about Ireland. (Flat character because we mostly know about who they are, a bit of their personality and the author doesn’t talk about her that much.) * Freddy Malins - An alcoholic and friend of Gabriel.(Flat character because he...

Words: 1215 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Rick

...Friedman, he made a very strong argument (figuratively) that the world is becoming flat. After reading this essay, one really has no choice but to agree. The essay was written fairly recently due to the fact that he mentions very current technology in this essay. Mr. Friedman said “I just want to understand why Indians were taking Americans work and why they have become such an important pool for outsourcing Americans work” (626). It is obvious that he is somewhat warning the American culture, young and middle aged. The world really is flat in regards to technology, the economy, and our ever changing cultures. Thomas L. Friedman’s argument in this essay is that the world is flattening. He starts with the setting on a golf course in Bangalore, India. Bangalore is the home of the modern world’s most advanced technology. The author kept comparing his journey to Bangalore, to the journeys of Christopher Columbus. As we all know Christopher Columbus set out to find a more direct way to India and to prove that the world was round. The author of this essay uses the modern world of technology and its recent advances to prove that the world is in fact flat and that everyone needs to be ready to except significant changes to our culture and power as we know it. Through the help of interviews with the CEO of Infosys Technologies Limited, he supports the fact that the people from Indian are helping to make the world smaller through the technologies that his company has designed...

Words: 952 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Living in a Flat World

...Living in a Flat World Would you believe me if I told you the world was becoming flat? Well, it is, just not necessarily in the literal sense that you may be assuming. The recent advances in technology and communications have led to the rapid spread of globalization. This new level of connectivity is serving as the equalizer between industrial and emerging market countries. To put it bluntly, the gap between what we once thought were more highly developed nations and those less efficient, is shrinking at an incredible rate. To determine what this means and what effects it will have on managers of corporate America we must take a more in depth look. What is making the world flat? Globalization is the prime catalyst for continuing the flat world process. However, it can be narrowed down more directly to telecommunications and outsourcing. It was not until recently when countries such as India and China have risen as international economic powers. They have realized that the free market system, which uses competition to ignite growth, is paramount for reducing the poverty of a nation. Free enterprise guarantees that new ideas, technologies, and best practices will easily flow into a country. These new concepts, when put to use, inevitably lead to new jobs and products. China and India have had a noticeable drop in their poverty level in recent years, while in contrast; non globalizing Sub Saharan Africa continues to become more impoverished than ever before. It has become...

Words: 1519 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Coming Soon: a Touchscreen That 'Touches' You Back

...NEW YORK: What if the touchscreen of your smartphone or tablet could touch you back? It does happen, researchers report. In a study of people drawing their fingers over a flat surface that has two "virtual bumps", the team from Northwestern University and Carnegie Mellon University found that, under certain circumstances, the subjects feel only one bump when there really are two. Forces felt by the fingers as they travel along a flat surface can lead to the illusion that the surface actually contains bumps. This so-called "virtual bump illusion" is well known in the haptics field. Touch is so important in our real world, but it is neglected in the digital world. "We want to create something that will make touch a reality for people interacting with their screens, and this work is a step in that direction," said J Edward Colgate, an expert in touch-based (haptic) systems from Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. The team's experiment presented two "virtual bumps" to subjects participating in the study. When bump and finger spacing were identical, subjects reported feeling two bumps as one. In this case, the brain thinks it is too coincidental that there should be two bumps at the same time so it registers the bumps as one. The new model could one day lead to flat-screen displays featuring active touch-back technology such as making your touchscreen's keyboard actually feel like a keyboard. Tactile information also could benefit the...

Words: 276 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Case Study Flat

...Case study flat-panels TV`s 1)Companies in that industry, because of high levels of competition, have had to reduce their prices to remain competitive and profitable, so they are taking advantage of the economies of scale by acquiring the cheapest labor and materials from around the world. 2)Who benefits from the globalization of the flat-panel display industry?who are the losers? The clear winners from globalization are consumers and efficient manufactureres. As producction has been redistributed along cheaper countries around the world, these made posible so many profitable changes. Also as always, there are losers from others joy. The film fimrs that make cathode-ray tv are losers and also manufactureres from countries whom are not profitable to investors. 3)Then they would make the product more expensive, and thus less accessible to population. They would eventually kill the industry and probably favor substitute goods for flat televisions. In a balance, this would be really bad, both for Asian and Mexican economies as well for the consumption of them in the US. Restricting trade through barriers and useless tariffs is always a bad idea. 4) What does the example of vizio tell you about the future of production in an increasingly integrated global economy? What does it tell you about the strategies that enterprises must adopt to thrive in highly comptetitive global markets? Vizio gives the perfect about globalization, that they will never have to worry...

Words: 303 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Aldskfj

...children and her missing parents. Including with saving the children and her parents, her other mother is being a witch and playing tricks on Coraline. She just wants to be freed from the other world that the other mother has trapped her in. Coraline doesn’t want to become a soulless child with button eyes. Can Coraline save the children, find her parents, and get by her wicked other mother or will she be held captive there forever and get buttons sewed to her eyes? Support (1): ********************************************************************** Coraline: Other Mother: Character Traits: Character Traits: Curious Evil Intelligent Persuasive Appearance: Adventurous Addicted to Children Appearance: c * Classic Look Vintage Look * Dark Brown Hair Stringy Black Hair * ********************************************************************** Sunken Eyes Long Red Nails Mood/Tone: Mood: The book made me feel very sad and depressed for poor Coraline because the way the god awful other mother was treating her. Tone: Neil Gaiman’s language gave so many feelings, for example, when Coraline described the dark cellar. He really describes his work to make a clear visual picture in your mind. ********************************************************************** *********************************************************************************************...

Words: 1415 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Paper

...is different from the other zombies, and as the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human - setting off an exciting, romantic, and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world. At first glance a story like Warm Bodies seems ridiculous, a romantic comedy about zombies how is that going to work you may ask? And you wouldn’t be alone because I was asking the same thing, to call me skeptical would be an understatement. Yet somehow director Jonathan Levine who had previously done great work with 50/50 managed to really surprise me by delivering a unique, funny and strange film that really is very good. Adapted from a novel Warm Bodies never becomes a flat out comedy or a flat out horror movie instead it is a nice blend of both, with yes romance as well. It shouldn’t work, but it does. The story is simple, charming and very well done. Leads Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer aid in making this story a success their performances are very realistic even in a crazy setting like a zombie take over. Up until now 2013 hasn’t offered any new movies that are worth mentioning really, but Warm Bodies stops that streak. Warm bodies is smart, funny and sweet in many ways. I recommend Warm Bodies it’s a nice little movie that adds something different to the zombie...

Words: 300 - Pages: 2