Amazon.com
Updated Edition: Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The world isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much of its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that futurists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to.
What Friedman means by "flat" is "connected": the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution that have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. This in itself should not be news to anyone. But the news that Friedman has to deliver is that just when we stopped paying attention to these developments--when the dot-com bust turned interest away from the business and technology pages and when 9/11 and the Iraq War turned all eyes toward the Middle East--is when they actually began to accelerate. Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven not by major corporations or giant trade organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals: desktop freelancers and innovative startups all over the world (but especially in India and China) who can compete--and win--not just for low-wage manufacturing and information labor but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well. (He doesn't forget the "mutant supply chains" like Al-Qaeda that let the small act big in more destructive ways.)
Friedman has embraced this flat world in his own work, continuing to report on his story after his book's release and releasing an unprecedented hardcover update of the book a year later with 100 pages of revised and expanded material. What's changed in a year? Some of the sections that opened eyes in the first edition--on China and India, for example, and the global supply chain--are largely unaltered. Instead, Friedman has more to say about what he now calls "uploading," the direct-from-the-bottom creation of culture, knowledge, and innovation through blogging, podcasts, and open-source software. And in response to the pleas of many of his readers about how to survive the new flat world, he makes specific recommendations about the technical and creative training he thinks will be required to compete in the "New Middle" class. As before, Friedman tells his story with the catchy slogans and globe-hopping anecdotes that readers of his earlier books and his New York Times columns know well, and he holds to a stern sort of optimism. He wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you're going to be trampled if you don't keep up with it. A year later, one can sense his rising impatience that our popular culture, and our political leaders, are not helping us keep pace. --Tom Nissley
Where Were You When the World Went Flat?
Thomas L. Friedman's reporter's curiosity and his ability to recognize the patterns behind the most complex global developments have made him one of the most entertaining and authoritative sources for information about the wider world we live in, both as the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and as the author of landmark books like From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree. They also make him an endlessly fascinating conversation partner, and we've now had the chance to talk to him about The World Is Flat twice. Read our original interview with him following the publication of the first edition of The World Is Flat to learn why there's almost no one from Washington, D.C., listed in the index of a book about the global economy, and what his one-plank platform for president would be. (Hint: his bumper stickers would say, "Can You Hear Me Now?")
And now you can listen to our second interview, in which he talks about the updates he's made in "The World Is Flat 2.0," including his response to parents who said to him, "Great, Mr. Friedman, I'm glad you told us the world is flat. Now what do I tell my kids?"
The Essential Tom Friedman !-- begin3pak -->
From Beirut to Jerusalem |
The Lexus and the Olive Tree |
Longitudes and Attitudes |
!-- end6pak -->
More on Globalization and Development
China, Inc. by Ted Fishman |
Three Billion New Capitalists by Clyde Prestowitz |
The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs |
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz |
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli |
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto |
Book Description
The World Is Flat is Thomas L. Friedman’s account of the great changes taking place in our time, as lightning-swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before—creating an explosion of wealth in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run even faster just to stay in place. This updated and expanded edition features more than a hundred pages of fresh reporting and commentary, drawn from Friedman’s travels around the world and across the American heartland—from anyplace where the flattening of the world is being felt.
In The World Is Flat, Friedman at once shows “how and why globalization has now shifted into warp drive” (Robert Wright, Slate) and brilliantly demystifies the new flat world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, he explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; how governments and societies can, and must, adapt; and why terrorists want to stand in the way. More than ever, The World Is Flat is an essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.
Download Description
The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist gives a bold, timely, and surprising picture of the state of globalization in the twenty-first century
Customer Reviews:
My opinion is flat.......2007-10-03
When a book has had over a thousand reviews, what can I possibly say that hasn't already been said? So I will keep it short and not so sweet.
No one will read this book, or any of the updates, for "fun." Do you NEED to read it? Yes, it contains some important economic concepts and realities, but it's a bit overlong. I'd say it could be cut in half, so skim through some of the numerous "interviews," repetition of central points, and endless advice and encouragement. The global pie is getting bigger and better, but the competition for piecies of that pie is heating up. Smart, ambitious, creative people will thrive; slow, lazy, dull people will languish, and everything inbetween. For too long many Americans have been sitting on their laurels and the day of reckoning is near. Heed this warning: Put down your TV remotes, game controllers, and iPods, and start working like your life (or lifestyle) depended on it. Get your rear into some serious gear, and don't balk at the notion that you should be an "expert" in at least three different, unrelated fields. Does this scare or excite you?
In so many interviews with foreign entrepreneurs, we are told (or reassured) that no matter how much of the "mundane" work is performed by countries other than the U.S., America's creative and innovative spark is still unsurpassed: All the world looks to America to lead the way into the future. I'm not sure. A lot of that "mundane" work was high level and highly paid, and why should we expect that America will continue to dominate in creativity and innovation? The truth is, we're in for a flattening of living standards, and from the perspective of the relatively high American standard of living, it will seem like a drop in standards until we reach another equilibrium (who knows how long that will take?). In any case, the reassurances about the talents and abilities of Americans seem at odds with other parts of the book, such as Bill Gates feeling "terrified at the American work force of tomorrow."
If you're already working hard at becoming an expert in three fields, then you probably don't need to read this book. Indeed, you probably don't have time to read it, or to read and write Amazon reviews, for that matter.
Great book to introduce an inside to the 90's and now.......2007-10-03
This was an excellent book for someone who is ever curious about the expanding global ecomomy as a whole. As a sailor in the U.S. Navy I found the book fasinating because I not only grew up during which most of the book was talking about but I am witnessing the predictions of the book first hand. Great book all around!!
Friedman's writing and subjects are captivating.......2007-09-27
Are you still a little confused about why American corporations are outsourcing to India and manufacturing in China, or why Al Qaeda has suddenly become so powerful? If so, this is the book for you.
Friedman's made 'Globalization' simple enough for a high school student to understand. That being said, this is NOT a high school textbook. It is NOT dry. Friedman is a great journalist and an author who will hold your attention chapter after chapter.
Friedman has a knack for taking complex and often emotionally charged issues and breaking them down into easy to understand concepts. You don't have to be a graduate student to enjoy this book. It's great!
Globalization 3.0.......2007-09-24
I wish I had read this book during a Globalization class I took a year ago.
Friedman is an exceptional writer, very engaging. He really lays out the information well and then brings in together in the latter part of the book.
I thought the middle part of the book could of been edited a bit.
Overall, an excellent introduction to globalization and the affect this will have on the US and industries in general.
Great Read.......2007-09-23
I actually listened to the audio version of this book for an information technology class I teach and found his discussion of the flatteners of the world very interesting and well explained.
The writing style, although technical at times, has a narrative style to it.
One critique I have of the book is that the author may be a little over optimistic about how new technologies and global connections will benefit everyone in the world.
Certainly worth a read (or listen).
Customer Reviews:
This text is a keeper - a valuable reference.......2007-03-09
After my business communications class ends, I will keep this book as a reference - a great reference for all types of business communications: resumes, memos, emails, letters, formal reports, and presentations. Includes handy sections on confusing words, difficult punctuation, proper formatting, and more. A well written and well organized text.
Book Description
This book provides the richest selection of landmark (traditional) and contemporary (within the last three years) cases for business students, including more cases on information technology and e-commerce law than any other book.
Topics present a summarized/brief approach to cases.
This edition contains over 75 new cases that have been decided in the past three years, including ones covering IT and e-Commerce â dedicated chapters cover Intellectual Property and Internet Law, and Electronic Commerce and Information Technology Licensing. Over 45 âOnline Commerce & Internet Lawâ boxes focus on the legal issues businesses face as they either launch new Internet ventures or rise to the challenge of incorporating on-line technologies into their existing business models.
For those in Business Law professions.
Customer Reviews:
Educational Book.......2007-05-13
Needed for a course. Received in excellent condition and the price can't be beat...just take a look at the University Book Store and compare. Thanks for reselling your books. Grateful. MysticBleu
Very colorful.......2007-02-19
I was more taken with the choreography than the actual story. I have never seen Michael act when he was only a teenager so it was interesting looking at him. Wait til you get to the middle of the film when Richard Pryors character runs Dorothy away (funny). The synchronizing of all the dancers is amazing. This film got an award and was the most expensive to make during its time.
Wasn't available.......2005-09-10
The book was already sold after I bought it. Please take it off web site after it's sold. But I was reimbursed properly.
Average customer rating:
- Very enlightening
- Intriguing economic analysis of how fine art is sold
|
Talking Prices: Symbolic Meanings of Prices on the Market for Contemporary Art (Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology)
Olav Velthuis
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
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ASIN: 0691121664 |
Book Description
How do dealers price contemporary art in a world where objective criteria seem absent? Talking Prices is the first book to examine this question from a sociological perspective. On the basis of a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data, including interviews with art dealers in New York and Amsterdam, Olav Velthuis shows how contemporary art galleries juggle the contradictory logics of art and economics. In doing so, they rely on a highly ritualized business repertoire. For instance, a sharp distinction between a gallery's museumlike front space and its businesslike back space safeguards the separation of art from commerce.
Velthuis shows that prices, far from being abstract numbers, convey rich meanings to trading partners that extend well beyond the works of art. A high price may indicate not only the quality of a work but also the identity of collectors who bought it before the artist's reputation was established. Such meanings are far from unequivocal. For some, a high price may be a symbol of status; for others, it is a symbol of fraud.
Whereas sociological thought has long viewed prices as reducing qualities to quantities, this pathbreaking and engagingly written book reveals the rich world behind these numerical values. Art dealers distinguish different types of prices and attach moral significance to them. Thus the price mechanism constitutes a symbolic system akin to language.
Customer Reviews:
Very enlightening.......2007-05-07
The book isn't easy reading, but it has some very useful information for artists regarding pricing of their work.
Intriguing economic analysis of how fine art is sold.......2007-02-09
Getting a handle on the economics of the art market is much like grabbing smoke. Dealers are loath to discuss the financial side of their business and the private nature of their transactions frustrates researchers. Even the ostensibly open world of auctions is full of slippery practices. None of that deterred Olav Velthuis, whose exhaustive research into the art market yields a fascinating economic analysis. He explores the anticommercial bias of dealers and even finds some tangible factors that influence art prices. While impressive, Velthuis' work would have benefited from a more conversational, less academic tone. His fascinating price study, for instance, focuses on "coefficients" and "t-values" rather than on actual prices. Still, we recommend this study for its ambitious and intriguing attempt to shed light on a little-known corner of the economy.
Average customer rating:
- Of all things, a postmodern manifesto
- TED + BI = W
- Risk of getting a headache here
- One of my top 10 favorite business books
- Still Relevant
|
Information Anxiety 2
Richard Saul Wurman ,
David Sume , and
Loring Leifer
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Understanding USA
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ASIN: 0789724103 |
Amazon.com
Information might want to be free; but, why should we free it? We've got enough trouble keeping track of all the petabits that already run around untethered, and risk a computer counterrevolution if we let the situation get much crazier. Information architect Richard Saul Wurman swept the field clear in 1989 with his groundbreaking book that foresaw the problems of data clutter and proposed a radical new means of organizing and presenting knowledge humanistically; for the new century, he has revised it substantially as Information Anxiety 2. This book is sparklingly clear and readable--it'd better be, after all--and offers insight not only to designers, educators, and content developers, but also to anyone who needs to communicate effectively through dense clouds of facts. If Wurman occasionally indulges in New Age-y pop psychology, his analysis is never muddy, and the more hardheaded reader will forgive him soon enough. The discussion alternates between describing the deeply stressful task of absorbing poorly organized data and exploring solutions that require a bit of rethinking, but that reward such an investment with improved understanding and, maybe, a state change from information to wisdom. We could do worse--if we don't pay attention to Wurman and his colleagues, we almost certainly will. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
A follow up to the first edition, Information Anxiety 2 teaches critical lessons for functioning in today's Information Age. In this new book, Wurman examines how the Internet, desktop computing, and advances in digital technology have not simply enhanced access to information, but in fact have changed the way we live and work. In examining the sources of information anxiety, Wurman takes an in-depth look at how technological advances can hinder understanding and influence how business is conducted.
Customer Reviews:
Of all things, a postmodern manifesto.......2006-12-12
Although this book is officially about design, communication, and business information--for which it probably is only a mediocre, quasi-random collection of personal musings--I unexpectedly found this text to be a fabulous introduction to the postmodern mindset. It is a post-modern manifesto, of sorts, calling us to plunge into the new information age with courage, creativity, and hope. It is "real-world" philosophy set in a business context.
Wurman demonstrates that not only have times in fact changed, but we can change with them and even flourish. Rather than a threat to our old, familiar "modern" way of thinking, the new "Information Age" can be an exciting opportunity for creativity, relationship, and learning.
This book is an example of how we CAN get over our anxieties or doubts about postmodernism and start engaging the world and people around us in a more meaningful way.
And one more thing,... as a person working in Information Technology, I wish more people in IT would read this book. It could save us some grief in our deliverables and methodologies.
TED + BI = W .......2006-11-08
Technology, Entertainment, Design + Business Information = Wisdom
Wurman is the founder of the acclaimed TED conference, where the most brilliant minds meet once in a while to discuss creativity applied to virtually all existent fields in the world. Only for this fact he already deserves 5 stars.
For the title of this book he deserves another 5. The book is written in a very interesting way, it really reminds an information explosion. It is organized and chaotic at the same time, presenting opinions from different authors in the sidebars and reminding an interactive dialog.
The subjects discussed are diverse and rich, including corporate behavior, information (organization, communications, usage, design, and importance), creativity, technology, and many more.
It is an insightful and interesting book; I think it is underrated with 4 stars.
Risk of getting a headache here.......2006-01-10
If you want a kind of phone book full of thoughts and grousing and preaching on information and how to handle it, "Information Anxiety" is for you. But don't expect something you can actually "read like a book." A mishmash indeed, and disappointing. Wurman seems to project his own information anxiety onto the reader, assuming the reader suffers from it, when that may or may not be the case. I personally have no trouble passing up reading newspapers, magazines, websites, etc. I read what I want or need to read. If I don't read everything that I could possibly read, so what. Life goes on, and has other sources of fulfillment. In fact, maybe people like me are just not in his intended audience. I can see how his books might be valuable as a source of ideas for improving various communications. But, *very* ironically, the format he uses screws up what could have been much more useful material if it were organized better, and streamlined, and easier on the eyes. For the life of me, I don't understand why someone who wants to reduce information anxiety would put non-linear information (e.g., quotes) in the margins, so the reader doesn't know what to read first, and may easily lose his or her place. It's like he throws information at you compulsively and without restraint while telling you about the woes of being deluged with information. What's up with that?
One of my top 10 favorite business books.......2005-03-16
The father of "information architecture" beautifully displays specific strategies for fighting the war against info-glut. It's on the short list of recommended resources in my book The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Business Writing and Communication.
Still Relevant.......2005-01-08
Although written in 1990, this book is still relevant because it deals with the basic principles on how to handle the information overload. We need this now more than ever with 24/7 TV news, 24/7 internet alerts, email, text messaging TiVo, etc. etc. the basic principles are easy to apply with lots of shortcuts and it doesn't really matter the form the information bombardment takes.
Book Description
Fundamentals of Business Communication distills the basic concepts and information from Ober's Contemporary Business Communication and places greater emphasis on grammar and mechanics. This brief text combines the traditional textbook format with a workbook and allows students to immediately test, apply, and reinforce the basics of business communication.
- Each chapter opens with an interview profiling managers from multinational companies (such as 3M), small entrepreneurial companies (such as iVillage), and nonprofit organizations (such as The Wilderness Society). These discussions with industry insiders set the stage for key topics covered in the chapter.
- Language Arts topics appear in every third chapter to introduce or review basic grammar and mechanics.
- Ongoing examples provide a consistent thread of instruction, illustrate business communication in context, and reinforce the importance of audience analysis.
- After each major topic, Checkpoints allow students to immediately review and test their understanding of the material just covered. Progressively increasing in degree of difficulty, these features ask students to recall, define, apply, and then critically analyze what they have learned.
- Activities and end-of-chapter exercises that follow the 3Ps model guide students through the assessment of a problem or a typical business scenario involving effective communication, the process of determining how to respond to the situation, and the final productsuch as an email or memocreated in response.
- Seven Portfolio Projects allow students to demonstrate their communication skills to prospective employers. Students prepare: a routine informational message; claim; bad-news message; persuasive request; situational business report; videotape of an oral business presentation; and a résumé, cover letter, and videotape of a practice interview.
Book Description
Marketing: Principles and Perspectives is a cutting edge text. In the first edition, we demonstrated this leading coverage with our strong integration of Integrated Marketing Communication and Direct Marketing. In the second edition we continued our modern coverage by integrating cross-functional teams, customer loyalty, and the Internet / technology. The third edition includes an E-Commerce chapter and continues to fully integrate the Internet throughout. The authors not only talk about what marketing is, but prepare the students to be marketers by involving them in interactive exercises which strengthen decision making skills. Marketing, Third Edition offers the latest coverage, quality professor supplements, and an interactive student web tool and still it is approximately $20 less than most principles of marketing competitors.
Book Description
An up-to-date collection of new case studies spotlighting the integral role of communication in today's workplace, this volume will succeed its highly acclaimed predecessor as a valued reference and teaching text. Based on first-hand observation, in-depth interviews, and survey research, some of the studies highlight creative and positive uses of different communication practices; others demonstrate how communication can hinder organizational functioning.
Bringing complex situations to life, the book explores key questions about how and why people work as they do today in large manufacturing companies and in small businesses, in high-tech industries, government, education, and the human services. Timely topics addressed include new communication technologies; the dynamics of teamwork; cross-cultural communication; sexual harassment; stress and burnout; and more.
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- Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, Fourth Edition
- Web-Based Training: Designing e-Learning Experiences (With CD-ROM)
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