In this section of my reading I learned more about the difference between outsourcing and offshoring.  I learned what a supply chain is, and how it is important in today’s business.  Lastly, I learned more in depth of the importance of google, and how it is shaping todays businesses.

       Outsourcing is a different than offshoring. Outsourcing is when a company chooses specific tasks of their organization to export to different countries where those tasks can be performed, and then returned back to the company completed and ready to go.  Offshoring is where a company not only takes some of their tasks to different countries, but is when they move an entire factory or entity of their business to a different country and there they continue their business in a more productive way.  This then becomes part of their global supply chain.  I feel that outsourcing would be a better choice for smaller businesses.  This way they can test out what it is like to work with and communicate with different countries.  Kind of like testing the water depth before you go cliff-jumping.  Offshoring would be a better idea for bigger businesses that could not only benefit from the smaller tasks of their business being completed off shore but moving an entire part of their business to a different country allowing them to become a more globalized, well known, and efficient company.  If you have the resources to expand to the extent that offshoring demands, than it can be a very valuable decision.

       I love how much Friedman goes in depth about Walmart's supply chain.  It really puts it in perspective.  It is incredible how organized they have made their process.  Friedman found out that once a customer checks out a product then immediately their system updates the manufacturer and notifies them to make another one of those products and to ship it to the Walmart store where it is needed.  I feel like without this technology that Walmart is using then it would be nearly impossible to keep up with the demand that Walmart shoppers require.  Walmart has used this network of supply chain to create a connected empire.  Walmart has made growth in the various companies that they retail for.  When customers have demanded more products from the easily accessed Walmart shelves then that creates more demand for the manufacturers to send Walmart more of their products.  I would assume this would also create some sort of leverage for Walmart that they could use against their manufacturers to become more aligned with Walmart’s needs and wants, etc.

       Google has become almost second nature to locating information for me.  If I have a question about what a certain word mean, what an activity is, where something is located, all I have to do is get on google and type in what I want to learn about and in just a few seconds more than enough pages come up and I am able to learn.  The only boundary is my willingness to discipline myself and continue learning.  What an incredible tool!  We literally have the world at our fingertips.  Anyone can become an expert at just about any topic through the medium of Google.  Google has helped businesses become more well-known as well as made it very easy for anyone to research a business from anywhere.

Friedman's The World is Flat, essay 2

                Friedman is discussing a few of the major software breakthrough's that have helped the world and businesses become more connected.  In this essay I will discuss two types of software that he brings up: Workflow software and open source software.  I will also review and add a couple thoughts on another point Friedman brings up - outsourcing. 

                 Workflow software allows businesses to communicate on the same platform within various parts of their company.  In the past, companies had several different kinds of software within their company and when they needed something sent from one department to another they could not just send it, they had to print it off, walk it over, and share it.  I am sure they hoped it was done well the first time so they did not have to repeat the process several times.  Workflow software got rid of this inconvenience.  I work at FedEx Express.  There we have a great example of workflow software.  This software allows the individual shipping the package to get on the internet and print off what is called an Astra Label.  This label makes it easier to know where the package is going, and speeds up the time it takes to get them on the plane and shipped out.  The Astra label prints off a barcode with the airport, as well as the station code that it needs in order to get to its destination overnight.  FedEx Express ships millions of packages to thousands of various places throughout the world on a daily basis.  If we did not have that software which automatically figures out which airport it is supposed to fly into and then which station to go to, it would be nearly impossible and very overwhelming to look at each package individually, and figure out which airport and station it would go to.  This software allows the individual to simply put in their address and the computer does the rest of the work making it easy for every station and airport to become on the same page.

            Open source software or sometimes referred to as community developed software is, just as the name implies, software that is developed by a community or group of individuals.  This software can then be added upon by other tech savvy individuals.  Most communities that initially develop the software have simple copyrights that ask for the credit if you build on their base software.  An open source software example could be Wikipedia.  The definitions on Wikipedia can be updated by anyone who knows the definition more completely.  I feel that the main reason open source software is important is because it allows a more broad network of individuals who can contribute to the initial idea.  Whether you have a brilliant individual who wants to test their skills, or you have someone that simply wants you to know that they are a better coder than some of the major tech companies; both can contribute to the furtherance of technology in different, but important ways.

            Friedman discusses outsourcing as another flattening event.  He mentions Y2K as a major event that required outsourcing to India.  Outsourcing is an important part of business.  As a business owner you know that you cannot do everything by yourself, you just can’t.  Whether you outsource for specific products, or you outsource for help with the more mundane time consuming tasks, it is an important tool to know about.  When you first begin your adventure as a business owner there is a lot on your plate, to say the least.  You have various aspects of the business to focus on including, inventory, advertising, payroll, shipping, ordering, and many others.  In most cases business owners use outsourcing to India, China, or other International countries.  Why?  The labor is cheaper there.  They can work on your smaller tasks while you focus on the more important parts of your business.  Reasons that outsourcing is used is because the products that you are looking for are either only found in another country or the products or goods that you need are cheaper in India than in the United States. 

Friedman's the World is flat

     In His book “The World is flat” Friedman discusses three major phases that have essentially transformed the world from a sphere to a flattened, tiny, Earth.  These include globalization 1.0 from 1492 to the year 1800 which shrunk the world from large to medium. Globalization 2.0 which changed the size from medium to small in the years 1800 to 2000. The last phase being globalization 3.0 which began in the year 2000 and is currently happening. this phase is shrinking the world from small to not only tiny, but flat.  Let’s venture through each phase a little more deeply 
     In globalization 1.0 the world was essentially just becoming discovered.  He relates Columbus’ journey to the new world.  In this phase the world was not mapped, and there were still debates on the Earth being physically flat.
     In globalization 2.0 the birth of global economy emerged.  The driving force was new hardware.  By now the world was mapped and known as a sphere, the next new frontier was global economy.
     By globalization 3.0 global economies were taking off.  However, in this new phase it not only gave big companies the opportunity to engage internationally but now it gave individuals that same opportunity.  He refers to this phase as the world becoming tiny and flat as to say that now the entire world is becoming an even playing field.  Anyone can communicate, associate, and make an impact around the world.  
Friedman notes that one of the major events that caused the world to become a more even playing field was the fall of the Berlin Wall. 
     I agree with Friedman's points, and I admire his abstract way of looking at the world.  Of course, we are well aware that the world is not physically flat, however, one just needs to simply pick up their phone to realize what a connected world we really live in.  It is easy to see that anyone can play an important part in today's societies, no matter where they live.
     The fall of the Berlin wall happened on November 11, 1989.  This event is important to Friedman because he believes that the fall and even the wall itself mean so much more than just physical.  The Berlin wall represented a physical barricade as well as a barricade for an individual’s vision.  The wall kept the world from being seen as a global market.  During the war there was a plane of capitalism, and a plane of communism.  Once the wall fell there became one plane.  This plane allowed economies to be built from the ground up by the interests of people, rather than from the top by a select group.  Before, there were policies for the eastern side and the western side of the world.  After the fall it ushered in an opportunity for global policies.  I agree that there are global communities, global ecosystems, and global policies which allow a more interconnected web of individuals.
     Netscape was another entity that flattened the world.  Netscape gave birth to the browser. It allowed millions of people to share videos, photos, communicate and share their information.  Once Netscape began every single person was able to access the internet, not just geeks, or highly intelligent individuals.  The story of Netscape is important because it helps the reader see how it allowed everyone to access the internet.  
It seems that all of the events that have been mentioned as flattening the world have been events that have targeted not only certain groups or types of people.  But these events have been geared towards the entire globe of people, at all ages.  Now, the world has been swept over with a great wave that has allowed just about everyone, everywhere to become what they want.  Indeed the world is becoming smaller and flattened out.