Louis Pasteur, a renowned French scientist once said “that luck and fortunes are products of prior preparedness” (Nissley 2011, para 1). These words are synonymous with the ideas of Thomas L. Friedman, a New York Times journalist who explains that the definition of the term globalization has changed with the evolution of information technology. Friedman stipulates that the “world has become flat, with no physical, political or social barriers, which is the hallmark of the new globalization” (Friedman 2006. para 1).
This is due to the role that information technology is playing in facilitating faster communication across the globe. As such people must be prepared to see the world as flat and also be ready to unlearn old knowledge, relearning, and also have an open mind. The ability to unlearn and relearn prepares people as well as corporations to reap the benefits of information technology-based globalization. The new global order, Friedman asserts, is evident through technology as well as political occurrences. Such include the ballooning of technological innovations such as the internet, the mobile phone, cloud computing, and the fall of the Berlin wall among other major occurrences.
The significance of these occurrences is that they have eliminated both technological as well as political barriers that have in effect made it ease for information and knowledge to flow freely globally With such open space nations are rising up to the challenge and are thus making new innovations but as Jaithirth Rao, and Indian outsourcing guru says “American is always a step ahead of the rest and that it is always on the edge of the next creative wave” (Coveylink 2011. para 8).
Freidman explains that the convergence of technological innovations especially information technology tools such as the internet and the mobile phone, and political occurrences such as the fall of the Berlin wall as well as the fiber optic cables have globalized knowledge and information flow. As such this has made the world to be flat as there are no barriers, physical, technological, or political towards that hinder communication across the world. This is the hallmark of modern globalization (Manyika 2008).
To fully enjoy the benefits of globalization people, corporate bodies, as well as government, must wake up to the reality of a flattened world supported by information technological innovations. Friedman laments that America is so engrossed in other affairs such as the Middle East crisis that most politicians have not woken up to the new reality. This is occasioned by the fact that America is led by lawyers who are only interested in politics and are not aware that other countries such as India and China are on the fast track towards technological maturity and as such will, in the near future, pose a very big challenge to America.
This, however, does not mean America is lagging behind in terms of technological innovations and indeed American and American companies are always leading the rest of the world in this field. The Federal government is devoting a significant amount of money to research especially in information technology-related fields. Due to such government efforts, much of the economic growth experienced in America in the last 100 years can be attributed to innovation made by industries that are as a result of federal funding.
Information technology is the foundation for the progression of the American economy and is also enabling American firms to increase research and development initiatives and as such advance innovations in all fields. Such IT-based industries have transformed the way in which Americans live as they have enabled and improved manufacturing, service, and other industries that have to improve the economy. This comes in the wake of a downfall in IT-based innovations in other parts of the world (Harsha et al 2008; Domestic Policy Council 2006).
Federal government support to increase research and development activities has also led to the emergence of American global brands in the recent past. While the famous Ford T model is the emblem of American global brand domination, there are other American companies that have gone global on the platform of groundbreaking innovations and have continued to set the pace for innovative discoveries.
In a recent survey by Business Week, it has been discovered that American brands dominate the top spots of the 50 best global innovations. Among the world’s leading innovators include Apple, Google, Procter and Gamble, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, and many others, and have grown to global status due to their innovative products that outshine innovation from competitors from other parts of the world (BusinessWeek 2011).
One of the most visible American global brands is Google Inc, an information technology firm that has a vast interest in internet search services. From the year 2005, the company recognized the need to build its growth around innovative products and services in order to stay ahead of the competition. Therefore Google Inc started out on a campaign to launch a number of innovative products intended to make it not only a global firm but the leading innovator in the field of internet services and products (Bower 2005).
As such Google comes up with a policy that requires every employee to devote at least 20% of their time in working on their own innovative products and services for its web-based operations. Google’s activities are a reflection of the company’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, who asserts that the “internet is the place to be” (Manyika 2008, para 13). Eric further asserts that the internet has put leverage on the global playing field, something akin to Friedman’s assertions that the internet has flattened the world. Google has realized that the internet is no longer a place to search for information but also a place to get things done.
To support these additional and demanded services the company has developed a number of products that set it apart from the rest of the competition like Microsoft and Yahoo. Google Search is the biggest online search engine that not only helps users to access hundreds of billion of WebPages but does so for free. Google has come up with Gmail, the leading public email platform, where users sign up for free accounts.
Gmail is intended to allow users to send and share information privately amongst users, is easy to use, and allows users a very large capacity of up to 7000 megabytes of free storage. Google also knows that documents do exists in different formats and as such has developed Goggle Docs, an in-built Office application, that helps users to download and upload various forms of document formats such as spreadsheets, word-processed documents, excel databases, pictures, and presentations. Users can easily view or upload any document from any type of computer or smartphone in any part of the world.
Google Docs eliminates the need to have such applications as Microsoft Office in user’s computers. One of the features that support Friedman’s assertion that the internet has flattened the world is Google Translate. This feature allows users to translate online documents to many international languages for free. This means that users can share information across the globe by using this application to translate online documents into any of the major languages. Scholars, academicians, and students are also catered for.
Google launched Google Scholar and Google Books to allow users looking for scholarly content access to unlimited books, academic journals and scholarly articles. Google Images helps users to search and access thousands of images from the web, while YouTube has been incorporated as one of Google’s applications to help users to access videos for free.
Chrome, the company’s own browser is emerging as the browser of choice for my users as it not upstages rivals such as Mozilla and Microsoft Internet Explorer but also has additional features and is faster and more reliable (Google 2011). These are just a few of Google inbuilt products services and applications which have not only made it a truly global brand but also a pace setter in innovations.
Those who understand Friedman’s assertions that the world has become flat do also understanding and the role and implication that innovative information technology is playing to facilitate the globalization phenomena. These innovations have enabled a free flow of information across the globe. In effect the global economy has benefited greatly from such innovations. There are many global companies from Europe and Asia but many of the world leading brands are American.
Such brands such as Google not only set the pace in innovative applications but also dominate the internet search industry. Many of the application developed by Google have endeared to the global consumer, and as it is has become a household name. This proves that America is always ahead of its peers in innovative discoveries.
Reference List
Bower, A., 2005. Google: Catching Up to Stay Ahead. Time. Web.
Businessweek., 2011. The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies. Web.
Coveylink. 2011. Where were you when you realized the world is flat? Web.
Domestic Policy Council. 2006. American Competitiveness Initiative. Web.
Friedman, T. 2006. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century. New York: Farrar, Stratus & Giroux Google. Web.
Harsha, P. et al., 2008. Information Technology R&D and U.S. Innovation. Web.
Manyika, J., 2008. Google’s View on the Future of Business: An Interview with CEO Eric Schmidt: How the Internet Will Change The Nature Of Competition, Innovation, And Company Operations. Web.
Nissley, T., 2011. Where You Were When You Realized the World Is Flat? (Or Have You?): A Conversation with Thomas L. Friedman. Web.