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The World Is Flat
by Thomas Friedman
It all started from a beautiful mistake...
During Q3 2005, the 9th World Trade Organization (WTO) forum was held in Hong Kong and Anti WTO protestors were creating noises around Causeway Bay & Wanchai where GBSW used to hang out & work respectively.
During that week, global news all set their cameras focused in Hong Kong and the 100% WTO ignorant GB & SW started to smell fishes of WTO...we saw Koreans protestors, with sophisticated strategies of using the media, building up the rapport for the biggest show off to the globe how powerful they could be, and this kind of events being one of the biggest, ever in HK!
I came across a column in the front page of Metropost with some local guy recommending the book 'The World is Flat' to enhance one with a better understanding of what's WTO ...he also mentioned that the book is one of the MBA must read and so, I was drawn into the urge to find out the TRUTH...
Well, I have finally finished the 400+ pages text and my very first impression was:
First, the book is fantastic and no wonder Bill Gates recommended it to public 37 times in various press releases.
On the other, I had great suspicion about whether the columnist in Metorpost who suggested the book for more understanding about WTO had in fact, read the book...I recalled his quotes were merely words on leaflet of the left inner cover...
The book is not about WTO...specifically under Page 183, mentioned that
" We tend to think of global trade and economics as something driven by the IMF, the G8, the World Bank, the WTO, and the trade treaties forged by trade ministers. I don't want to suggest that these governmenttal agencies are irrelevant. They are not. But they are going to become less important. In the future globalization is going to be increasingly driven by the individuals who understand the flat world, adapt themselves quickly to its processes and technologies and start to march forward without any treaties or advice from IMF. They will be every color of the rainbow and from every corner of the world."
That's what the book is about.
Impressed of how well its written, concur?
What did I get from the book?
Let's skip the flattening factors and Content index which most reviewers introduced the book in such dry & conventional taste...Friedman is a fun & interesting Jew, that's how he appears while I's reading!
For the last few years focusing on attaining my AICPA , I was truly behind and off-track from recent developements of the global world, especially on business & technology...yes, I know about heavy reliance on computerization, the abusive use of internet in the office, the rising importance of website, listings and merger and acquisition of conglomerates, thinnest ever ipod Nano, blogs, but why? and how? The book spills all. Finally I catchup with what I missed for the past years!
I am aware of opensourcing, outsourcing, but the book informed me that not only products could be outsourced, services can also be outsourced...that's how 24-7-365 comes into place! That's amazing!
Most important of all, my past impression of the whole globalization (Globalization by Country evolves to by Company & further evolves to by individual!) and all these strategies were stupifying new dangers, extreme competition, another depression yet to come, 'thanks' to every pessimistic views I collected in my experience and discussions, but Friedman gave a more positive thinking in terms of the whole evolution.
Brave New World
Friedman offered me a new & optimistic view towards this inevitable evolution as quoted from the nicely closed ending of the book (Page 469):
"The world is being flattened, I didn't start it and you can't stop it, except at a great cost in human development & your own future. But we can manage it, for better or for worse. If it is to be for better, not for worse, then you and your generation must not live in fear of either the terrorists or of tomorrow, of either Al-Qaeda or of Infosys. . . the generation of strategic optimists, the generation with more dreams than memories, the generation that wakes up each morning and not only imagines that things can be better but also acts on that imagination every day."
Survival
Competition is growing exponentially and the essence for survival lies on being untouchable. The 4 broad categories are as follows and in order,
1) Special,
2) Specialized,
3) Anchored,
4) Adaptable
if one cannot be 1 you have to demote to 2 and so on and so forth.
Of course, the next step to think in deep being how to be and remain in being Untouchable?
That's the challenge and truly something's bothering SW all these days! Be Positive, Creatvie & imaginative! The World is not ENOUGH!
Something sentimental
I love Mr. Friedman's sentimental quote from the dialogue between Willy & Biff in classic literature 'Death of a Salesman' to illustrate how competitive & how difficult the new world would be under Globalization...yeah! Its "a dozen a dime" out there of us! That's true.
Rising force: China, India, Brazil
All the amazing enclosures reveal the real development of these developing countries and I was so amazed with India...to me India has always been a historical perception of remote sand dunes with rats bigger than cats and somehow Bollywood exploded into existence. Now, the majority of population are intellectuals & professionals. They grabbed a bite of the Amercian pie at a fraction of the initial cost in U.S. Efficiency!!!!
Although I had been visiting Mainland China for many audit & management review engagements and observed rapid developments, excuse me for being not aware of Dailin and its association with Japanese & the computer industry!
Strongly Recommended to all of you!
I am truly thankful to Mr. Friedman's sharing his macro exposures & insights towards Globalziation. No wonder he's a 3X winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and The World is flat was best seller in 05 and I'm sure it will remain in the best seller shelf for 06 as well! He deserves them!
I concur with Gates' recommendation, for you to expense your patience and finish the book. It gives you great understanding of the evoluation of Globalization, what happened and how'd happened, how it affects or will impact you & your bequests and be prepared for the changes to come.
Chinese Vs. English Version
Frankly speaking, the English version has been well written in very simple English and Friedman is a wonderful writer who upholds the literature in both concise & comprehensive manner.
On the contrary, while I was shopping between the two versions in the book store, in various circumstances the Chinese version is inconsistent with initial context... besides, when talking about the big names like Microsoft, HP, Walmart, and the respective big guys and the jargons and Amercian slangs, what's fun to have all that translated? Nah...
Its an extensive but fun reading that takes 469 pages to finish, not in a speed reading pace as all are details & great details you cannot afford to miss ... I guess on my side, the reason for such a slow progress in accomplishing the 469 pages being travelling, housework, too much social functions, the lack of understanding on some IT concepts, and that's it! However, I finished at last! Haha!
So have fun and
welcome to the flattened world!
The famous Chinese saying 做到老,學到老 has been revealed.
Furthermore, I am Pro-open sourcing as I always enjoy free knowledge sharing amongst bloggers for the greater good !
Last but not the least, after reading the book, I am no longer interested to know about WTO, and all the political crab! So I guess still thanks to that dumb guy who's unlikely to have read but recommended "The World is Flat" !
Solitary Wood
by Thomas Friedman
It all started from a beautiful mistake...
During Q3 2005, the 9th World Trade Organization (WTO) forum was held in Hong Kong and Anti WTO protestors were creating noises around Causeway Bay & Wanchai where GBSW used to hang out & work respectively.
During that week, global news all set their cameras focused in Hong Kong and the 100% WTO ignorant GB & SW started to smell fishes of WTO...we saw Koreans protestors, with sophisticated strategies of using the media, building up the rapport for the biggest show off to the globe how powerful they could be, and this kind of events being one of the biggest, ever in HK!
I came across a column in the front page of Metropost with some local guy recommending the book 'The World is Flat' to enhance one with a better understanding of what's WTO ...he also mentioned that the book is one of the MBA must read and so, I was drawn into the urge to find out the TRUTH...
Well, I have finally finished the 400+ pages text and my very first impression was:
First, the book is fantastic and no wonder Bill Gates recommended it to public 37 times in various press releases.
On the other, I had great suspicion about whether the columnist in Metorpost who suggested the book for more understanding about WTO had in fact, read the book...I recalled his quotes were merely words on leaflet of the left inner cover...
The book is not about WTO...specifically under Page 183, mentioned that
" We tend to think of global trade and economics as something driven by the IMF, the G8, the World Bank, the WTO, and the trade treaties forged by trade ministers. I don't want to suggest that these governmenttal agencies are irrelevant. They are not. But they are going to become less important. In the future globalization is going to be increasingly driven by the individuals who understand the flat world, adapt themselves quickly to its processes and technologies and start to march forward without any treaties or advice from IMF. They will be every color of the rainbow and from every corner of the world."
That's what the book is about.
Impressed of how well its written, concur?
What did I get from the book?
Let's skip the flattening factors and Content index which most reviewers introduced the book in such dry & conventional taste...Friedman is a fun & interesting Jew, that's how he appears while I's reading!
For the last few years focusing on attaining my AICPA , I was truly behind and off-track from recent developements of the global world, especially on business & technology...yes, I know about heavy reliance on computerization, the abusive use of internet in the office, the rising importance of website, listings and merger and acquisition of conglomerates, thinnest ever ipod Nano, blogs, but why? and how? The book spills all. Finally I catchup with what I missed for the past years!
I am aware of opensourcing, outsourcing, but the book informed me that not only products could be outsourced, services can also be outsourced...that's how 24-7-365 comes into place! That's amazing!
Most important of all, my past impression of the whole globalization (Globalization by Country evolves to by Company & further evolves to by individual!) and all these strategies were stupifying new dangers, extreme competition, another depression yet to come, 'thanks' to every pessimistic views I collected in my experience and discussions, but Friedman gave a more positive thinking in terms of the whole evolution.
Brave New WorldFriedman offered me a new & optimistic view towards this inevitable evolution as quoted from the nicely closed ending of the book (Page 469):
"The world is being flattened, I didn't start it and you can't stop it, except at a great cost in human development & your own future. But we can manage it, for better or for worse. If it is to be for better, not for worse, then you and your generation must not live in fear of either the terrorists or of tomorrow, of either Al-Qaeda or of Infosys. . . the generation of strategic optimists, the generation with more dreams than memories, the generation that wakes up each morning and not only imagines that things can be better but also acts on that imagination every day."
SurvivalCompetition is growing exponentially and the essence for survival lies on being untouchable. The 4 broad categories are as follows and in order,
1) Special,
2) Specialized,
3) Anchored,
4) Adaptable
if one cannot be 1 you have to demote to 2 and so on and so forth.
Of course, the next step to think in deep being how to be and remain in being Untouchable?
That's the challenge and truly something's bothering SW all these days! Be Positive, Creatvie & imaginative! The World is not ENOUGH!
Something sentimental
I love Mr. Friedman's sentimental quote from the dialogue between Willy & Biff in classic literature 'Death of a Salesman' to illustrate how competitive & how difficult the new world would be under Globalization...yeah! Its "a dozen a dime" out there of us! That's true.
Rising force: China, India, Brazil
All the amazing enclosures reveal the real development of these developing countries and I was so amazed with India...to me India has always been a historical perception of remote sand dunes with rats bigger than cats and somehow Bollywood exploded into existence. Now, the majority of population are intellectuals & professionals. They grabbed a bite of the Amercian pie at a fraction of the initial cost in U.S. Efficiency!!!!
Although I had been visiting Mainland China for many audit & management review engagements and observed rapid developments, excuse me for being not aware of Dailin and its association with Japanese & the computer industry!
Strongly Recommended to all of you!
I am truly thankful to Mr. Friedman's sharing his macro exposures & insights towards Globalziation. No wonder he's a 3X winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and The World is flat was best seller in 05 and I'm sure it will remain in the best seller shelf for 06 as well! He deserves them!
I concur with Gates' recommendation, for you to expense your patience and finish the book. It gives you great understanding of the evoluation of Globalization, what happened and how'd happened, how it affects or will impact you & your bequests and be prepared for the changes to come.
Chinese Vs. English Version
Frankly speaking, the English version has been well written in very simple English and Friedman is a wonderful writer who upholds the literature in both concise & comprehensive manner.
On the contrary, while I was shopping between the two versions in the book store, in various circumstances the Chinese version is inconsistent with initial context... besides, when talking about the big names like Microsoft, HP, Walmart, and the respective big guys and the jargons and Amercian slangs, what's fun to have all that translated? Nah...
Its an extensive but fun reading that takes 469 pages to finish, not in a speed reading pace as all are details & great details you cannot afford to miss ... I guess on my side, the reason for such a slow progress in accomplishing the 469 pages being travelling, housework, too much social functions, the lack of understanding on some IT concepts, and that's it! However, I finished at last! Haha!
So have fun and
welcome to the flattened world!
The famous Chinese saying 做到老,學到老 has been revealed.
Furthermore, I am Pro-open sourcing as I always enjoy free knowledge sharing amongst bloggers for the greater good !
Last but not the least, after reading the book, I am no longer interested to know about WTO, and all the political crab! So I guess still thanks to that dumb guy who's unlikely to have read but recommended "The World is Flat" !
Solitary Wood
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