...ABOUT THE AUTHOR Thomas Loren Friedman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 20, 1953, and grew up in the middle-class Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. He is the son of Harold and Margaret Friedman. From an early age, Friedman, whose father often brought him to the golf course for a round after work, wanted to be a professional golfer. He was captain of the St. Louis Park High golf team; at the 1970 U.S. Open at Hazeltine National Golf Club, he caddied for Chi Chi Rodriquez, who came in 27th. That, alas, was as close as Friedman would get to professional golf. In high school, however, he developed two other passions that would define his life from then on: the Middle East and journalism. It was a visit to Israel with his parents during Christmas vacation in 1968–69 that stirred his interest in the Middle East, and it was his high school journalism teacher, Hattie Steinberg, who inspired in him a love of reporting and newspapers. After graduating from high school in 1971, Friedman attended the University of Minnesota and Brandeis University, and graduated summa cum laude in 1975 with a degree in Mediterranean studies. During his undergraduate years, he spent semesters abroad at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the American University in Cairo. Following his graduation from Brandeis, Friedman attended St. Antony's College, Oxford University, on a Marshall Scholarship. In 1978, he received an M.Phil. degree in modern Middle East studies from Oxford. That summer...
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...Journal of Economic Literature Vol. XLV (March 2007), pp. 83–126 A Flat World, a Level Playing Field, a Small World After All, or None of the Above? A Review of Thomas L. Friedman’s The World is Flat EDWARD E. LEAMER∗ Geography, flat or not, creates special relationships between buyers and sellers who reside in the same neighborhoods, but Friedman turns this metaphor inside-out by using The World is Flat to warn us of the perils of a relationship-free world in which every economic transaction is contested globally. In his “flat” world, your wages are set in Shanghai. In fact, most of the footloose relationship-free jobs in apparel and footwear and consumer electronics departed the United States several decades ago, and few U.S. workers today feel the force of Chinese and Indian competition, notwithstanding the alarming anecdotes about the outsourcing of intellectual services. Of course, standardization, mechanization, and computerization all work to increase the number of footloose tasks, but innovation and education work in the opposite direction, creating relationship-based activities—like the writing of this review. It may only be personal conceit, but I imagine there is a reason why the Journal of Economic Literature asked me to do this review. 1. Prologue hen the Journal of Economic Literature asked me to write a review of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 2005) by Thomas Friedman, I responded with enthusiasm,...
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...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...
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...Catharine Asaro, etc. kind of epic. I find it interesting that I can create my own world, and my own characters. A world that I, and others, can get lost in. There is nothing more satisfying to me. Developing these things take time and patience. If you are like me, the world you create often ends up with a personality of its own and will try to take over your writing, insisting you are doing something contrary to the rules you have not even completed yet. I know I am not alone in this, which makes me feel a hell of a lot better about, since it reaffirms I have my sanity still firmly in my grasp (or at least as sane as fantasy/sci-fi writer can be). I have been writing ever since I read my first Wheel of Time book (a series by Robert Jordan). However, there is one thing I always struggle with, and that is character development. My characters can sometimes be a little flat. I mean flat like flat soda. When you drink it, you know it is not supposed to be flat, you know it is supposed to be fizzy, and dynamic! So my question is this: How do you develop a character? The how of this question originates from reviewers of my longer stories? My short stories have not had this problem because characters do not need major development. Now, I am sure some answers (because there are multiple ways to go about this, however all are similar to an extant) can be scientifically testable using surveys and numbers of books sold based on the method an author used, but beyond that is where science would...
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...------------------------------------------------- Teaching Assistant: TBA Required Text: Oded Shenkar and Yadong Luo, International Business—2nd edition (Sage). ISBN: 1412949068. Course Packet (must be purchased online through the Carmen course site) Course Website: http://carmen.osu.edu Suggested Reading: The Economist (https://www.economistsubscriptions.com/searchstudent/us/) Course Overview and Objectives The world is changing in fundamental ways. First, the development of a truly global market in products, services, capital and even certain types of labor is changing the basic terms of competition for an array of different firms and industries. In Thomas Freidman’s words, “The world is flat.” Second, although firms have operated around the globe for many years, they are becoming increasingly integrated yet differentiated, with tightly coupled but different activities in various locations rather than replicating themselves from place to place. Understanding the interaction between culture, knowledge, and the way businesses coordinate around the world is critical to understanding both the possibilities for and constraints on managing a business in today’s fast-changing economy. In this class we will talk about why trade exists between nations, and why businesses decide to leave their familiar domestic surroundings to build subsidiaries overseas. We will examine actions and strategies of the “multinational enterprise” (global companies like GE, Toyota, and BP) that...
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...2 ICTs AND GLOBAL WORKING IN A NON-FLAT WORLD Geoff Walsham Judge Business School University of Cambridge Cambridge, U.K. Abstract This paper rejects the hypothesis of Thomas Friedman that ICT-enabled globalization is driving us toward a flat world. Instead, it is argued that the world remains uneven, full of seams, culturally heterogeneous, locally specific, inequitable, not well-integrated and constantly changing. This argument is supported by an analysis of three areas of ICT-enabled global working, namely global software outsourcing, global IS roll-out, and global virtual teams. The paper then builds on these analyses to put forward an agenda for future IS research on ICTs and global working based on three research themes: identity and cross-cultural working; globalization, localization and standardization; and power, knowledge, and control. The paper concludes that the area of ICTs and global working offers the IS field a major research opportunity to make a significant contribution to our understanding of a set of crucial issues in our more globalized world. Flat world, globalization, global software outsourcing, global IS roll-out, global virtual teams, IS research agenda, identity, cross-cultural working, standardization, power, knowledge, control Keywords 1 INTRODUCTION The changes taking place in the global economy, including those in the burgeoning services component, are the subject of much debate by a wide range of commentators including journalists, practitioners...
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...Wednesday 10:30-11:30 pm, and by appointment Email: ?????@fisher.osu.edu Required Text: Oded Shenkar and Yadong Luo, International Business—2nd edition (Sage). ISBN: 1412949068. Course Packet (must be purchased online through the Carmen course site) http://carmen.osu.edu Course Website: Suggested Reading: The Economist (https://www.economistsubscriptions.com/searchstudent/us/) Course Overview and Objectives The world is changing in fundamental ways. First, the development of a truly global market in products, services, capital and even certain types of labor is changing the basic terms of competition for an array of different firms and industries. In Thomas Freidman's words, "The world is flat." Second, although firms have operated around the globe for many years, they are becoming increasingly integrated yet differentiated, with tightly coupled but different activities in various locations rather than replicating themselves from place to place. Understanding the interaction between culture, knowledge, and the way businesses coordinate around the world is critical to understanding both the possibilities for and constraints on managing a business in today's fast-changing economy. In this class we will talk about why trade exists between nations, and why businesses decide to leave their familiar domestic surroundings to build subsidiaries overseas. We will examine actions and strategies of the “multinational enterprise” (global companies like GE, Toyota, and BP) that...
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...Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger Reading guide About the Book Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers – normal, at least, for identical ‘mirror’ twins who have no interest in college or jobs or possibly anything outside their cosy suburban home. But everything changes when they receive notice that an aunt whom they didn’t know existed has died and left them her flat in an apartment block overlooking Highgate Cemetery in London. They feel that at last their own lives can begin ... but have no idea that they’ve been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt’s mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them, and even to their aunt herself, who never got over her estrangement from the twins’ mother – and who can’t seem to quite leave her flat.... With Highgate Cemetery itself a character and echoes of Henry James and Charles Dickens, Her Fearful Symmetry is a delicious and deadly twenty-first-century ghost story about Niffenegger’s familiar themes of love, loss and identity. Reviews for The Time Traveler’s Wife ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife is one of those books where you read the first paragraph and you’re hooked – unmissable’ Irish Independent ‘Henry’s journeys back and forth are by turns slapstick noir and unbearably poignant, and Clare’s child and teen narrations disturbingly pitch-perfect. Philosophical speculation occurs in the most unlikely devices and...
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...Practical Book Review One: Petersen by Tom Radcliff Introduction to Pastoral Counseling March 19, 2012 Liberty University Baptist Seminary Lynchburg, VA PRACTICAL BOOK REVIEW ONE: PETERSEN I. Summation. In our personal and professional relationships, everyone is affected by the way we communicate. And in our fast-paced world we live in it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to send and receive clear and meaningful messages. Effective communication is vital to healthy relationships such that the absence of it can bring any relationship to a “grinding halt” (Petersen 2007, 4). Why Don’t We Listen Better? is a tool box full of practical advice designed to help relationships flourish through enhanced communication techniques. Dissecting the intricate parts of communication, Petersen focuses on the elusive art of effective listening. Through detailed examples and realistic scenarios, Petersen demonstrates in vivid detail the profound role “real listening” plays in our lives. In the process, he candidly exposes his own shortcomings, which gives the reader comfort in knowing that even experts in the field can face challenges. This user-friendly guide is for readers who want to create thriving relationships through effective and productive conversation. Although I found Petersen’s work to be an invaluable resource, I did not agree with everything the author suggested. For example, I was not convinced with the notion of using his Talker-Listener Card (TLC) as...
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...Book Review: Why Don’t We Listen Better? Jeremy Miller Liberty University Book Review: Why Don’t We Listen Better? Communication is becoming harder now because of the many technology devices available. Many people do not know how to communicate anymore. Actual face-to-face communication has been replaced with short text and social media postings. Good communication is important in any type of relationship. Often time’s people listen to respond rather than listen to understand what is being said. When people actually listen to understand others it not only benefits the person speaking but it also benefits the listener (Peterson, 2007, pg. 6). In order to have good conversation that is beneficial to both parties, both parties have to first become better listeners. Summary Good communication skills are important for every aspect of life. Communication improvement skills can improve relationships, professional development, spiritual growth, and friendships. However, a person cannot improve his/her communication skills if he/she does not improve his/her listening skills. Many people have bad communication because they fail to listen to the other person. In conversation people are more concerned with telling their story than listening to others story (Peterson, 2007, pg. 5). Unnecessary confusion is caused by people thinking they are listening but they do not really hear each other (Peterson, 2007, pg. 7). Peterson (2007) provides helpful communication strategies to improve...
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...common and accepted Aristotelian view of the world around him. This view was customary and honored by the Roman Catholic Church and most of the people who studied. Like every other intelligent person...
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...growth took the round characters through a journey of pain, filled with regret to a road of redemption that lead to forgiveness and moving forward into a future together not as enemies or acquaintances, but as friends who end up viewing one another as family. Three of the characters that made a drastic change and found a hard time arriving to their individual development from their childhood were, Alex Pappas, Raymond Monroe, and James Monroe. The flat character of the Turnaround who made no strides or efforts into bettering himself and thought the world was owed to him was Charles Baker. As all of these main characters shared the same horrible day, their walk through life has varied differently as to where they have arrived in present day. The reviews prior to reading the book, give an insight to about what the book is about without giving to much away but left the reader eager to read more. However, a personal review differs person by person, as they may not see the book in the same light as those who have given a professional review. Alex Pappas is a round character described as a teen who did what teens did growing up, basic rebellion with simple things like drinking beer and getting high. He would drive around town with his friends, just enjoying life. Alex Pappas worked in his dad’s diner, as a child and when he became an adult, he took over his father’s business, and had plans to leave it to his son’s as well. Alex one day went joy riding with his friends, which would turn...
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...Foreign Affairs, Review Essay May/June 2015 Issue https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/review-essay/2015-04-20/what-causedcapitalism What Caused Capitalism? Assessing the Roles of the West and the Rest By Jeremy Adelman The Cambridge History of Capitalism, 2 vols. EDITED BY LARRY NEAL AND JEFFREY G. WILLIAMSON. Cambridge University Press, 2014, 1,205 pp. $260.00. The Enlightened Economy: An Economic History of Britain, 1700–1850 BY JOEL MOKYR. Yale University Press, 2012, 550 pp. $35.00. Empire of Cotton: A Global History BY SVEN BECKERT. Knopf, 2014, 615 pp. $35.00. Once upon a time, smart people thought the world was flat. As globalization took off, economists pointed to spreading market forces that allowed consumers to buy similar things for the same prices around the world. Others invoked the expansion of liberalism and democracy after the Cold War. For a while, it seemed as if the West’s political and economic ways really had won out. But the euphoric days of flat talk now seem like a bygone era, replaced by gloom and anxiety. The economic shock of 2008, the United States’ political paralysis, Europe’s financial quagmires, the dashed dreams of the Arab Spring, and the specter of competition from illiberal capitalist countries such as China have doused enthusiasm about the West’s destiny. Once seen as a model for “the rest,” the West is now in question. Even the erstwhile booster Francis Fukuyama has seen the dark, warning in his recent twovolume history...
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...International Business What is globalization? G lobalization is a process providing connections between countries, in terms of imports, exports, machinery, education, trade, labor and so on. The main aspect of globalization is financial relations between countries. When considering globalization in economic terms, opening up the boarders of a country in order to free trade, as well as capital flow and labor is crucial. Thomas L. Friedman in his book named “The World Is Flat” defined globalization as a flat world. He says that in this world, people should run faster to stay in place and not fall behind. He states that governments, companies and people have no choice but to adapt to this situation (Friedman). Globalization has had many benefits for countries. It has produced millions of jobs in poor countries, transferred capital from rich to poor countries, and provided opportunities for governments to learn from others how to start the development path for their country. For instance, let’s assume that we have a city and a village separated by a river. By connecting the two through a bridge, all different kinds of trade can take place. The villagers might have a comparative advantage in producing their factor endowment that can be milk, and the city has an advantage in producing tractors. By trading, both parties will be better off. Proponents of globalization believe that this is a positive -sum game. Both enjoy the benefits, and as the whole share grows, the share of each...
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...“various critics have pointed out that “A Moveable Feast” contains serious factual errors." Though, the most of the factual errors are about the workplaces of the characters, for instance the one of Walsh, and do not significantly influence the understanding of life flows of the memoir’s main characters. Hemingway along with other expatriates viewed Paris as a place where he could find a market for his literary works. “Many Americans who settled in Paris [believed] their native land was a cultural sink.” Those who caught the drama of the World War I and the time of the after-war letdown are referred to as “lost generation.” This generation characterized by lost hopes, lost values and a general mood of futility and despair. Young people of the after-wartime could have spent their entire days drinking in cafes or bars around Paris and, thus, for many of the American expatriates Paris was indeed a moveable feast. Besides that they traveled around the world...
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