Chapters+Summaries

Chapter Summaries

CHAPTER ONE In this chapter, Friedman ......

Chapter Summaries The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman

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In the opening chapter we get to discover why Friedman believes the world is flat and how we came up with the title. He also explains to us a trip he took to India. He shares with us the "new" India and tells us about what outsourcing is and how its going to effect Americans. He explains that outsourcing has made India a new component in the world's economy. =====

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The Triple Convergence is the way that the ten flatteners came together to flatten the world. The first convergence talks about how the ten flatteners came together in a way that could let people see how things were different after the year 2000. The coming together of the flatteners created a global, Web-enabled platform that allows for multiple forms of collaboration. The second is the appearance a set of business skills and practices that enhance the flatteners to flatten the world even more. The third conbergence is having people join in the free market game. =====

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  **Ch. 4- The Great Sorting Out-** Zach Tabler ===== In this Chapter, Friedman says that the free trade policy must have both domestic and foreign stratigies. He says by doing this, it will help Americans adjust to the flattening world. He also says that America needs to open up resricted markets to the world and that by doing so will decrease job migration and unemployment because there will be more demands for goods and services.

In this chapter he sets out to explore this dilemma, Friedman considers the banning of outsourcing to protect our country’s workers and the effect such an action would have on globalization. He concludes that erecting borders and walls would be detrimental to our goals and that Americans must instead be prepared to compete on a global playing field. Friedman also encourages better education and training because we are competing globaly. 

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**Ch. 6: The Untouchables-** -Friedman explains which types of jobs would be the safest for people to occupy in the new middle class that is to come with the continued flattening of the world. (Tyler Simpson) =====

In this chapter, Friedman says that only companies who are open to change and use the flattening world to their advantage can succeed. He gives lists rules for companies to live by in a flat world. He points out the importance of pursuing your own ideas, treating customers well regardless of company size, collaborating with other companies, developing niches, outsourcing for the right reasons, and never building walls by adapting to change.


Friedman discusses how the flattening of the world via technology has its downfalls. For one, technology can be distracting (iPods, cell phones while driving, etc.). There is less and less real communication between individuals as we all become more and more dependent on our electronic devices. And, he talks about the future fear that the internet will be so flat and have so much technology, that people will know what others are saying about them. **Ch. 15: The Unflat World**

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In this chapter he begins to examine two significant dates in world flattening: 11/9 as an example of creative imagination and 9/11 as destructive imagination. 11/9. 11/9 ws the destruction of the Berlin Wall, was the door opening to a freer, flatter, and more democratic world, where 9/11 saw our world try to snap shut against outside threat. He also see the innovation and creativity that Bin Laden put into his 9/11 plan, as horrible as it was. Friedman concludes that the forces that flatten the world can be used to bring everyone up to the same level, or to bring them all down to the same level. Technology cannot protect us; we must harness that technology and decide how it will be used. ===== Change 0 of 0 [|<< First] [|< Previous] [|Next >] [|Last >>]