The World is Flat
Chapter One Case, p.12 by Thomas Friedman
Presented by Sarah M. Moldehn
The World is Flat
Friedman’s Main Ideas
 Answers to Case Questions
 Current Information

The World is Flat – Main Points

Today’s economic world is the result of
three stages of globalization
◦ Globalization 1.0 starting 1492: from L to M
◦ Globalization 2.0 starting in the 1800’s:
 From M to S, multinational companies
◦ Globalization 3.0 starting 2000: from S to tiny
The World is Flat – Main Points

Globalization 3.0
◦ Sharing knowledge instantly, regardless of
time, distance, geography or language
◦ The emergence of China, India and the former
Soviet Union as global players will have great
impact on the United States
◦ Competing in this fast-paced and competitive
environment requires adapting to its speed
and maintaining one’s competitive edge
The World is Flat – Main Points

Examples of Flattening Forces, p.12
◦ Fall of the Berlin Wall 1989: democracies and
free markets
◦ Outsourcing and Offshoring: The world’s
biggest factories China and India gain
economic prominence
◦ Informing: The Internet becomes everyone’s
main information and commerce platform
The World is Flat – Case Questions

Agree/Disagree that the world is flat?
◦ Europe: culturally and politically ‘flat’ region
◦ Asia: several countries started already 10
years ago to provide wireless internet and TV
as part of their infrastructure
◦ U.S.: home to major global companies, yet
sometimes slower to embrace global
influences
The World is Flat – Case Questions

Potential impacts of a flat world to jobseeking students?
◦ Real-time job interviews across continents,
cultures and time zones
◦ Learn to position oneself in a global context,
e.g. language and networking abilities
The World is Flat – Case Questions

How to prepare oneself for competing in
a flat world?
◦ Embrace a global view of political, cultural and
personal issues
◦ Learn to master technology that connects
you with the rest of the world
◦ Be prepared to move and to be part of
globalized waves of migration
The World is Flat – Case Questions
A current flattener not on Friedman’s list?
I

◦ Succeeds Google in spreading global changes
in politics, culture, news, information, public
debates, music, movies, lectures, etc.
◦ No need for extensive searching, trendy and
current issues are already compiled and
usually more interesting than watching the
news
◦ All info can be transferred and presented to
your own personal networks, e.g. Facebook
The World is Flat – Case Questions
UC Berkeley first to post full lectures to YouTube
Videos Posted Of Tibetan Protest Drive China To Block YouTube
Public execution in North Korea 2006
Pakistan Blocks YouTube for 'Blasphemous' Content
US senator Lieberman wants to Censor Youtube
The World is Flat – Current Info

Blogging
◦ Globalization of news and critical opinions
◦ E.g. photos of the Manhattan plane crash were
on Twitter before they were on the news
(http://www.stern.de/computer-technik/internet/:Flugzeugungl%FCck-ManhattanBei-Twitter/651799.html)

Global efforts of countries and companies
to tackle environmental issues
(http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/bookshelf/hot-flat-and-crowded)
◦ Global warming
◦ Growing populations
◦ Energy conservation