The presentation ‘The World is Flat 3.0’recounts the journey of Thomas Friedman

The presentation ’The World is Flat 3.0’ describes Thomas Friedman’s travels to India and Bangalore, during which he discovers how much globalization has affected our key economic notions. The phrase “the world is flat” has been used to describe the leveling of the playing field between emerging economies and established industrial countries. He underlines the fact that, as a result of the globe flattening, major and small businesses, as well as individual entrepreneurs, have become part of a broader and more complex universal supply chain that spans oceans and competes across continents (Friedman, 2012). He recounts using real life examples of companies which are based in China and India and able to provide labor which ranges includes typists, accountants, call center operators and computer programmers. The labor provided has become an important part of the global supply chains for companies such as Microsoft, Dell, and AOL. The flatteners as described by Friedman are some of the influences which are shaping and leveling the playing field for businesses despite their competitive nature in a global environment which is technologically fueled. Therefore, it is important for individuals and governments to be ahead regarding the trends in order to remain relevant and competitive. Some of the flatteners are Supply-chaining, Informing, outsourcing, and uploading (YaleUniversity, 2009).

Foundation for the Flatteners

It important to note that out of the ten flatteners, there are three which provided the foundation for the highlighted flatteners to proceed. These are the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Netscape and workflow software. On uploading, Friedman points out the fact that communications technology has created a new world where the playing field has been flattened. Almost any individual using a computer and with an internet connection can come up with content which will be accessed by millions of individuals across the globe (Friedman, 2012). This has created a global store of knowledge where businesses and students can access information related to a particular project or topic respectively no matter the place and time. However, there could be dangers regarding reliability and accuracy of information and knowledge since quality control cannot be assured.

Outsourcing and Informing

On the other hand, outsourcing is described as having one specific but limited function or task performed by one company handed over to another corporation that specializes in the area. It has impacted global trade based on the fact that time and geographic constraints no longer limit business activities (Books, 2017). Work can be done 24 hours a day as companies can now outsource work to teams around the globe despite the geographic barriers and time differences. The internet boom has provided a fast and efficient way to connect and share information. In education, there is E-learning hereby students no longer have to be physically present in class. Most can be able to take overseas courses. With regards to informing, search engines such as Google and Wikipedia have provided an opportunity for people to find information about anything they desire.

Role of Governments and Solutions

This ability makes individuals and businesses into their own supply chains. Access to information is no longer limited as it was in the past where libraries were only for professors and students (Books, 2012). Because governments play a major role in shaping the environment with policies and regulations, staying ahead means having in place various leaders who have varied visions and missions and thus being able to stir activities to new dynamic heights. The value of such a change is that these are the people who make key decisions regarding social, economic and political well-being. Having people who can further move ahead through policies and regulations to create a fast moving technological and economic platforms is necessary. At the same time, it is important to come up with solutions and preventable measures to the problems which is beneficial to the industries, schools, and cultures around the world.

References

Books, W. (2017). Summary and Analysis of The World Is Flat 3.0: Based on the Book by Thomas L. Friedman. Newburyport: Worth Books.

Friedman, T. L. (2012). The world is flat: The globalized world in the twenty-first century; englische Lektüre für das 5. Lernjahr mit Vokabelbeilage. Stuttgart: Klett.

YaleUniversity (Director). (2009). The world is flat [Motion Picture].