The World Is Flat, A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Friedman,

1. A Book by Thomas L. Friedman
Presented by Carrie Gaxiola

2. What is a flat world?
Global Community:
A level playing field for all countries.
• 10 flatteners
•Knowledge & Brainpower: Source of
wealth today

3. Quick History: The Three Eras of Globalization
Globalization 1.0
1492-1800
Open trade between Old World and New World
Globalization 2.0
1800-2000 Industrial Revolution, Emergence of Multinational
Companies, etc. Few Setbacks: WWI, WWII, Depression
Globalization 3.0
2000-
The Flat World Platform

4. Flattener #1
Fall of the Berlin Wall 11/9/89
* This Tipped the Balance: Toward free-market orientated
government

5. Flattener #2
New Connectivity
• Commercial
Web Browser: Ability to
browse
• Web, Telephone modem
• HTML, URL
•HTTP
Effect:
Brought the internet to the masses
-Web debut in 1991, within the next five years, users on the
internet went from 600,000 to 40 million, the number of
users doubled every 53 days
New Demands
New atmosphere with computers, software,
telecommunications

6. Flattener #3
Workflow Software
•Quiet Revolution
•Enabled business to be done quicker, better, virtually seamlessly
[design, display, management, and collaboration]
• Standards [JPEG, XML]
•Even in practice [PayPal & eBay], ecommerce, payroll

7. Flattener #4
Uploading
•Send Data
•Community Developed
•Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts
•Anyone can have dominance
•Producers and consumers
•Potential to be the most disruptive of all the
flatteners

8. Flattener #5
Outsourcing
• Started
in late 80s with Texas Instruments, General
Electric
•Fiber optics: Allowed connection between U.S. and India
•Y2K bug: Tedious work- India emerged as the solution
with the techies
Relationship between U.S. and India is a flattening
force
"Fortune favors the prepared
mind."
--Louis Pasteur

9. Flattener #6
Off-shoring
• Relocation of a company to foreign land
•Significant event: China joined the WTO
China: A good example
•Factories moved to Chinaproduced same product
•Cheaper taxes, labor, energy, and
health care costs
*Authors warns this may be a short strategy and businesses should take
caution

10. Flattener #7
Supply Chaining
•Living Organism: Like a River
•Use of technology to streamline items, sales, distribution, shipping,
etc.
Horizontal Collaboration

11. Flattener #8
In-sourcing
One company performs duties for another company.
This is a way to fill in the gaps within the horizontal global
supply chain
Example:
UPS performs repairs for Toshiba

12. Flattener #9
In-Forming
The ability to access vast amounts of
information.
The enablers:
And, OF COURSE…..
“If I can operate Google, I can find anything. Google is
like God. God is wireless, God is everywhere, and God
sees everything.
Any questions in the world, you ask Google.”
-Alan Cohen, VP Airespace

13. Flattener #10
Steroids
Computational compatibility: input/output
•File sharing, Napster, IM
•Phone calls over internet: Skype, Magicjack
•Videoconferencing
•Mobile wireless technologies
•Cell phones w/internet access

14. The Triple Convergence
Convergence I
•Combination of all flatteners creates a new platform which allows:
•Innovation, production, education, research
Convergence II
•After all flatteners adapted by business- form a more efficient base
•Shift from vertical organization to horizontal organization
Convergence III
•Demographic
Countries entering the playing field that were previously locked out
China, India, Russia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and
Central Asia
•Entering as very eager & very competitive

15. Tip of the iceberg….
In the future, we will see a
major shift in the social,
cultural, political, and
economic models and
values

16. “The Untouchables”
Synthesizers, Explainers, Leveragers, Versatilists
The Specialists
Brain surgeons
Madonna
Local Anchors
Dentists
Waitress
Plumbers
* The “people person” is in
demand
* Passion for what you do
* “The personal touch”
“Natural talent trumps geography…”
-Bill Gates
Middle Jobs
Horizontal
Collaborators:
management,
sales, marketing
*Those who feel
comfortable
working for a global
company

17. Competition… Preparation
We need to emphasize:
•Self Learning
•Right brain skills [music]
•Teach curiousity and passion- can be more important than skill
The Fear… The
Crisis…
Elements are quietly joining to create a
storm: political, demographic, and social
•Disinterest in math and science
•Lack of funding for education
•U.S. is falling behind

18. We need to change….
United States
China & India

19. Imagine…..
PEACE

20. Thoughts…….
When done right, globalization can lift large numbers of
people out of poverty.
Outsourcing done right: offer workers a good wage and
opportunity that would not otherwise be available in their
country.
The best companies will collaborate and use outsourcing
not to shrink their workforce, but for growth, and allow the
company to become more efficient and provide a better
service.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Development is a voluntary process.
Failed states are breeding grounds for opposition to
progression.

22. Works Cited
Friedman, Thomas. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century.
Picador/Varrar, 2005.
Images:
http://thoughtsonelementaryscience.blogspot.com/2008/05/world-is-flat.html
indianglory.wordpress.com [AOL office Bangalore]
thehindimusic.com [Microsoft office]
jdmc.smugmug.com [Google office]
www.biocomp.net [Lucent phone]
www.currierandives.info [Columbus landing]
upload.wikimedia.org [Granada]
gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk [Industrial revolution]
www.shropshire.gov.uk [library computer]
europa.eu [Berlin Wall]
www.freedomagenda.com [Fall of Berlin Wall]
www.opendemocracy.net [Fall Berlin Wall]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:A_company%27s_supply_chain_(en).png Supply
chaining
wsvanderlugt.wordpress.com [iceberg]
www.landryandassociates.com [project development]
mynameisyumikondo.blogspot.com [world peace]
www.getusb.info [magicjack]
googleinternetmoney.net [woman computer]
www.blogohblog.com, prestige.wordpress.com [bloggers]