Module 9

Module 9

            Reading the final chapters of The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman explores the different uses of the flattening powers throughout the world with contrasting examples of global supply chains at Dell and Al-Qaeda, and the effects of the Oil industry and how it retards the advancement of oil-rich countries.

A great example of a global supply chain aided by computer technology is the order process that Dell uses at their company.  Your order is entered into Dell’s order management system along with your personal information, shipping address, billing address, and credit card information.   From there, your order gets released to Dell’s production system in one of its six factories around the world.  An email is then sent to the factory your computer will be built at and the parts for your computer are immediately ordered from the supplier logistics center or SLC.  The SLC acts as a huge storage area that Dell keeps full of specific parts so they can be delivered to the Dell factories for fast manufacturing.  A truck will deliver your parts from the SLC to the factory where it is then offloaded and scanned by bar code.  This allows Dell to know where every part in the Dell system is at all times.  In an average day, Dell sells nearly 150,000 computers so it’s important that they keep their supply chain operating smoothly.  This is a process that is aided greatly through the use of computer technology in Dell’s supply chain.

            Although information technology has greatly benefited companies such as Dell throughout the world, this technology is also being put to use by terrorist organizations.  Al-Qaeda has learned to take advantage of this technology to improve their global collaboration in planning their next terrorist attack.  Al-Qaeda uses a global supply chain to raise money, recruit followers, generate ideas, outsource to train recruits, and to distribute the tools to conduct operations. The flat world has made it much easier for terrorists to communicate and transmit their terror.  Technology such as the internet and satellite television has enabled Muslims in one country to sympathize and relate to their brethren in another country.  This also helps Al-Qaeda with recruitment as their voice is more easily heard.  Another aspect that has aided terrorist organizations is the ability to conduct extensive research on a target through the Web.  The application of this practice is seen in Al-Qeada’s training manual that states “using public sources openly and without resorting to illegal means, it is possible to gather at least 80 percent of all information required about the enemy.”  This is proof that the flattening of the world can help any group, no matter their cause, collaborate globally and expand.

            The benefits of the flattening of the world due to technological advancements in computers has been shared many countries throughout the world; however, there are a few countries who do not exploit the advantages of this technology.  Countries that are rich in oil, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, are stuck in an economic stand-still that Friedman refers to as The Curse of Oil.  Because a large percentage of these countries revenue is generated by exporting oil drilled from their own backyards, they will never have to focus on advancing their people to be more marketable to the world.  The rulers of these countries will use oil money to monopolize all aspects of power and never have to introduce power sharing.  Friedman talked earlier about the importance of education that sparks innovation and how critical that would be in moving forward in the flat world.  The Curse of Oil in these countries puts a halt to this innovative education of its people.  As long as there is oil, these countries will never see the need to advance their economy in any other aspect.

            From reading these final chapters, we can see the effects of the flattening of the world on a global scale and some of the different implications this flattening has provided.  There is no doubt that information technology as built the global economy like never before, but it also has its negative aspects such as helping terrorist organizations expand and collaborate.  The era of globalization that we are in now provides unlimited opportunity for not only businesses, but any group of individuals around the world to expand no matter their cause.

How Computers Affected my Education

Module 8

            Advancements in the personal computer have had a strong influence on the education of today’s students.  Virtually every assignment will require a student to use a computer in some form.  Whether it’s research through the internet, typing up a paper, or using software to develop graphs or graphics, computers play a huge role in education. 

            I can remember the first time I was introduced to computers in school.  I was only ten years old and in the 4^th grade.  Our school had a fairly new computer lab, and my class was brought in to be taught how to use a new operating system on the computers.  It was Windows 95.  The fact that our school thought it was important to teach ten year olds how to use this new software speaks on how the computer would soon affect education in virtually every way.  I can remember being shown how to use a typewriter by my father at a very young age.  Never once did I have to use that machine to type a paper because it became obsolete shortly after, due to the easy access of personal computers.

            As early as elementary school, I was given typing lessons on the personal computer.  Not only did we learn how to type, but we were also given lessons on particular subjects through interactive software such as floppy disks or CD.  The computer lab was every student’s favorite class.  The computer introduced lessons in a manner that was interactive, fun, and enjoyable.  I can also remember using software my parents had bought me on our own home computer to help me with math and reading.  This was just the beginning of the role the computer would play in my education.

            As I entered middle school, the popularity of the World Wide Web had just begun to take off.  To be honest, I don’t think I even knew what the internet was when I was in elementary.  Students began to realize the worth of the World Wide Web in regards to its endless pool of information for research.  The internet proved to be the end of my family’s home encyclopedia collection.  Those books only collected dust ever since we discovered Yahoo search.  Today, virtually all of my research done for an assignment comes from the Web.  Google is always the first step when I need to find information on anything.  “Google” is now a verb recognized in the dictionary.   This sums up the role that internet search engines play in our everyday lives. 

            Next, I can say that software such as Microsoft Power Point and Word are used on a regular basis by many students.  Every assignment I do, I type up using Microsoft Word.  It’s a whole lot quicker and more convenient than writing assignments by hand, which I can actually remember doing.  I’ve used Microsoft Power Point to create visual presentations for numerous assignments throughout my school years.  Most speeches or presentations I do now require a visual presentation which I almost always use Power Point for. 

            Finally, the World Wide Web has enabled the ability for students to do remote learning.  A student could possibly earn an entire college degree from the comfort of his or her own home.  Personally, I have taken online courses while being deployed half a world away in Iraq during my time in the Air Force.  Imagine working towards your degree while being deployed in an isolated combat zone.  This is a benefit made possible for me due to the technology of the computer and internet.

            Computers have played a huge role in my education.  I saw the early stages of how computers affected my education in my elementary years.  Since then, it has only continued to grow larger.  Today, I would only have to use pen and paper if I choose to.  Laptops and tablets are only getting more portable which makes it more convenient to write and take notes on. 

Module 6, The World is Flat

Module 6

            Continuing reading into The World is Flat, Friedman explains free trade and its importance to the flat world, the term new middlers and where they fit in, and the concept of CQ+PQ>IQ and how this concept plays an important role in future generations who will compete for jobs on a global scale.

            Free trade is a policy in which government does not discriminate against imports or interfere with exports.  It is the ability for countries to import and export products with each other without restriction and paying additional costs such as tarrifs.  I think free trade is very important.  It helps to create a global market.  Consumers benefit from the competition and variety of products brought to the market due to trading with different countries.  Also, jobs in exporting and importing increase.  Consumers from different countries have income to spend on U.S. goods that will help the economy of our country.  Finally, I think free trade helps to minimize war due to the mutual respect that countries develop for each other by working together professionally.

            As the world continues to get more flat, Americans in the future will have to compete for more jobs on a global scale.  Whatever jobs that can be outsourced, digitized, or automated will do so.  Friedman suggests that there are a lot of middle-class jobs today that are safe from the globalization of the world.  He refers to the people at these jobs as the New Middlers.  These are the jobs in the middle that take advantage of the flat world.  Jobs that involved direct collaboration between companies, especially ones that employ a diverse work force from around the world.  A manager who can orchestrate 24/7/7 global supply chains for a global company is a good example of a new middler.  Because many new products will be made in global supply chains, many new middle jobs will involve making supply chains more efficient.  New middlers will need be versatile, be able to operate in, mobilize, inspire, and manage a multidimensional and multicultural workforce. Being able to know how to speak to people to explain and inspire will be a huge asset to set yourself apart and become competitive in the flat world’s job market. 

            A new concept that Friedman explains is important to those that will compete in the new  flat world is CQ+PQ>IQ.  What this means is that CQ, or curiosity quotient, and PQ, passion quotient is more important than having IQ, intelligence quotient.  Curious, passionate kids are self-educators and self-motivators.  In the flat world, the ability to educate yourself is available throughout the web.  It’s up to your curiosity to expand your knowledge through such means.  The concept of CQ+PQ>IQ is important because it inspires creativity and innovation, which are essential tools to reach success in the flat world.  Friedman states that the inspiration for technological breakthroughs is not always rooted in technological knowledge alone. Math and science classes are important and necessary, but inspiration comes from art, music, theater, and literature classes.  Having an equal level of education in all fields will help young people develop the skills that are necessary to compete in the flat world.  The abilities that led to success in the business world are shifting.  Today it is more about creativity and passion, rather than one’s intelligence.

            I think that as technology advances and the world becomes flatter, we will need to rethink our education and reevaluate which skill sets will be an asset to this new world.  We need to focus on developing our people skills and forging relationships, a skill that will prove to be vital and irreplaceable as more and more jobs begin to become automated, digitized, and outsourced.