Module 13

When I first started reading the book “The world is flat” by Thomas L. Friedman I was thoroughly confused. Why would someone write a book about the world being flat when it is so obviously round? What does Friedman mean by flat? But as soon as I had read the pages for the first assignment I began to understand what Friedman was writing about. He began with globalization 1.0, globalization 2.0 and globalization 3.0 which explained what he meant by a flat world.

I really enjoyed the discussion on free trade and the “new middler”. I think that free trade is one of the largest flatteners that Friedman discusses. The ability to trade without tariffs or taxes between countries has created opportunities for so many people throughout the world. Free trade gives those born into impoverished countries the chance to rise to any level by working hard. The “new middler” was interesting because all my life I have been told by my elders that they had it so much harder back in the day than I have it now. Friedman disagrees with this by saying that the effort it used to take to get to the top now only takes you to the middle. This doesn’t always refer to physical effort but instead to new skills such as adaptability and the ability to collaborate.

Another subject I thought was interesting was the discussion about Walmart and their supply chains. The supply chain provides Walmart with the ability to keep prices low and produce many products. Walmart also uses their customers to their advantage by giving them the option of shopping online therefore cutting out the store workers entirely. This saves Walmart money while at the same time giving customers the feeling of control.

Overall I really enjoyed this class. Not only were there no tests or quizzes but the subject matter was very interesting. The book chosen for the class was perfect. I learned so much and had a fun time thinking about ideas that had never occurred to me before. I wouldn’t change anything about this class.