Module 7 Chapters 10-13

Well, we read chapters 10-13 in the Friedman book. And like in the rest of the chapters, Friedman is still explaining the flat world and globalization.  In chapters 10-13 he focuses on what makes some countries succeed and others fail.  He mentions self-directed consumers, and if globalization means Americanization. Let’s begin the analysis.

First question, why are some countries or regions better at doing some things than other countries or regions?  Well, that’s a good question and there really is not just one aspect that makes or breaks the economic success of countries.  Friedman explains “climate, natural resources, and geography all help to explain why some countries are able to make the leap to industrialization and others are not, the key factor is actually a country’s cultural endowments, particularly the degree to which it has internalized the values of hard work, thrift, honesty, patience, and tenacity, as well as the degree to which it is open to change, new technology, and equality for women (Friedman 421).”  It doesn’t matter if the country has a physical advantage, what matters most is the culture.  And the interesting thing is that culture is adjustable.  It can change with time.  It changes as leaders and media adjust and when child-rearing, education, and religion change to new circumstances.  So what is a “good” culture?  A kind of culture that is open-minded.  A culture that doesn’t judge based on race or gender, but that judges on talent and ability. These types of cultures seem to reap the greatest rewards argues Friedman.  Because they are open to change, they are open to new ideas, and new technologies.  They don’t limit the potential of others, and they don’t mind working with people who aren’t similar to them in terms of culture, or skin color, or sex. The results of working with others, actually pays off and countries move up the ladder. For example, countries that don’t limit women to the home have more educated people in the workforce and it doesn’t give the men the idea that they were just born to be entitled to everything.  Men don’t have the competitive edge if they already feel like they are better than every women (Friedman 423).  Friedman also writes that good governance, education, infrastructure, and the ability to glocalize affect the success of countries.  Countries should have the right laws, otherwise they won’t compete well.  They should also have a good education system which teaches students math and science—to better excel with technology discoveries. Also, countries need to have a good transportation system with roads, airports, etc.  I could write more on this, but I’ll keep it as is.

What is a self-directed consumer?  Consumers enjoy the feeling of getting what they want and how they want it. A self-directed consumer gets to “call the shots”.  They set the price and the service they’d like.  The internet makes this easy.  For example, I go online shopping for snowshoes.  I look at the store websites and they offer me check boxes of which brands I’d like to browse or what style I am looking for at what price.  There are more checkboxes for the color and size I’d like them to be.   So instead of feeling overwhelmed with all the available options, I can minimize my search and just look at the snowshoes that interest me, and the search becomes more manageable. I am a self-directed consumer, and anybody else who shops online is also.  Companies want you to tell them what you want, they encourage their buyers to be self-directed.  That’s why those checkboxes exist in the first place.  And these days, it’s easy and simple to shop more directly.  You enter in what you want, the computer process it, and gives you what you asked for.

Last question, does globalization mean Americanization?  Not necessarily.  The argument after the Berlin wall was that America was King of the globalization.  “This worry was not unreasonable, because it was primarily American-based manufacturers and service providers, American brands and American moviemakers, American singers and American entertainers, American clothing designers and American fast-food chains that were in the best position to take advantage of the falling of the walls and flattening of the world” (Friedman 477).  It’s 2015 now, and the world has changed!  It’s not all American any more.  And the internet gives freedom to express one’s culture.  Practically anyone who lives anywhere with internet can upload what they’d like: recipes, podcasts, movies, etc.  They don’t even have to speak English. I agree that culture changes, so maybe more into the future other countries will pick up some American culture, but they won’t lose their own.  What I can maybe predict is more appreciation for culture in the future.  When you see how other people live, you see the good and the bad of their culture, but you respect them more, when you understand them. 

                To conclude, the world globalization isn’t stopping, it is picking up speed.  There is no way we can stop it.  It is neither 100% good nor 100% bad.  But what we should be realizing is how it affects us and what we are going to do about that.