The World is Flat

1. The World is Flat Author: Thomas Friedman Presented by: Kim Alwood, Cathy Freeman, Bobbie Russel

2. How the World Became Flat

3. The Ten Forces That Flattened the World • Collapse of Berlin Wall--11/89: The event not only symbolized the end of the Cold war, it allowed people from other side of the wall to join the economic mainstream. (11/09/1989) • Netscape: Netscape and the Web broadened the audience for the Internet from its roots as a communications medium used primarily by 'early adopters and geeks' to something that made the Internet accessible to everyone from five-year-olds to eighty-five-year olds. (8/9/1995) • Work Flow Software: The ability of machines to talk to other machines with no humans involved. Friedman believes these first three forces have become a “crude foundation of a whole new global platform for collaboration.” • Uploading: Communities uploading and collaborating on online projects. Examples include open source software, blogs, and Wikipedia. Friedman considers the phenomenon "the most disruptive force of all." • Outsourcing: Friedman argues that outsourcing has allowed companies to split service and manufacturing activities into components, with each component performed in most efficient, cost-effective way.

4. Forces Continued • Offshoring: Manufacturing's version of outsourcing. • Supply-Chaining: Friedman compares the modern retail supply chain to a river, and points to Wal-Mart as the best example of a company using technology to streamline item sales, distribution, and shipping. • Insourcing: Friedman uses UPS as a prime example for insourcing, in which the company's employees perform services--beyond shipping--for another company. For example, UPS itself repairs Toshiba computers on behalf of Toshiba. The work is done at the UPS hub, by UPS employees. • In-forming: Google and other search engines are the prime example. "Never before in the history of the planet have so many people-on their own-had the ability to find so much information about so many things and about so many other people", writes Friedman. • "The Steroids": Personal digital devices like mobile phones, iPods, personal digital assistants, instant messaging, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

5. The Triple Convergence • The Perfect Storm • Complementary software, internet, political factors are the triple convergence • As China, Russia, India, and Latin America opening their borders this lead to the rapid-fire pace of globalization. • For the first time in history talent is more important than geography in determining a person’s opportunity in life.

6. The Great Sorting Out • Compares the Industrial Revolution to the current IT Revolution. • The traditional roles of consumer, employee, citizen, taxpayer, and shareholder have become blurred and intertwined. • India-Indiana story from 2003. • Indian company outsourced to update Indiana’s unemployment computer system.

7. America and Free Trade • Encouraging better education and training, as Americans now compete not only with other Americans, but with the most brilliant minds around the globe for positions. • Fear stimulates change (that is a good thing)

8. The Untouchables • Friedman suggest we must make ourselves “untouchable” • The flatter that the world gets the more digitized, automated, or outsourced things become. • Three broad categories of workers. • Synthesizers=Putting together disparate things that you would not think of as going together. • Explainers= Explain the complexity of bringing disparate things together but explain with simplicity. • Leveragers= Technology to compete with cheaper foreign labor.

9. The Right Stuff • Friedman stresses the importance of the Right Stuff: • Liberal Arts • Right Brain • Passion and Curiosity • For Job, success, hobby are so much more important than ever before • Navigation • Navigate the virtual world • Learning How to Learn. • New ways to do old things • New ways to do new things.

10. The Quiet Crisis • Lack of highly skilled scientists and engineers, disinterest in math and science by younger population, lack of ambition as television and video games take over. • Outdated educational system, lack of funding for research, lack of infrastructure while we focus on war and others focus on developing sustainable and innovative business. • Slow process but it is happening as we idolize Pop Stars and other countries idolize Bill Gates

11. This is Not a Test • Can’t do the same old way. • What leadership will shove political barriers aside and lead us to the forefront of this new globalization. • Training and upgrading to employees, increasing their own productivity and bottom line.

12. The Virgin of Guadalupe • Chinese manufacture of statues of “The Virgin of Guadalupe” • China replaced Mexico as the U.S’s number 2 importer in 2003 • Point : Countries must put policies in place to create the right environment for their companies and entrepreneurs to succeed in a flat world

13. How Companies Cope • Fadi Ghandor, cofounder and CEO of Aramex, a home-grown package delivery service • Web-based global network cut costs and allowed him to compete with the biggest in the business and come out ahead • Starbucks – Learning from their costumers to use soy milk in the their coffees

14. How Companies Grow • Companies willing to collaborate and focus on niche markets – staying in front of customers and outsourcing the rest • Point : Best companies use outsourcing as a method of growth, not to shrink their workforce.

15. The Unflat World • The world is not yet flat – some factors are preventing globalization from occurring in some people/some places • Disempowered people who live in areas touched by the flattening of the world but lack the means, knowledge, and infrastructure to benefit from it – India.

16. The Unflat World • Warns of a potential threat lurking in the not too distant future : a depletion of our natural resources as people compete to have more and better • Point : The unflat world means different societies and cultures are coming into contact with each other frequently and more quickly than ever before

17. The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention • Two countries invested in a business together are less likely to go to war • Asia, as opposed to much of the Middle East has become more stable because they are part of many supply chains • Darker side – Al Qaeda form mutant supply chains for the purpose of destruction

18. The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention • Point : We must examine our abilities to derail terrorism by using our capabilities to disrupt the terrorist supply chain

19. 11/9 Verses 9/11 • 11/9 – Destruction of the Berlin Wall – Door Opening • 9/11 – Destruction – Snap shut against outside threat • Point : Technology cannot protect us; we must harness that technology and decide how it will be used.

20. Globalization of the Local • New forms of communication and innovation create a global platform for the sharing of work, entertainment, and opinion • Enrich and preserve culture? • Destroy it? • Point : As humanitarians and business connect online to share ideas, so will terrorist and predators

21. Closure • We are called to remember who we are to avoid losing our identity in a flat world. • Question : How do you think “The World is Flat” relates to public education? • Activity : Number Heads Together