Quiz #1

Quiz#1

Modeste Obiona Ekonda

[Name of the Institution]

Quiz#1

In the book, ‘The World is Flat’ Thomas Friedman examined the influences that shape the competition and businesses in the modern-day world which is powered by technology. The article serves as an alert for the government as well as the businesses as they strive to stay ahead in the cut-throat competition. The book created a significant impact in the West as it provided a comprehensible analysis of the recent trends of globalization, its social and economic outcomes, and an influential cultural image of globalization. A significant idea is discussed in the books, which he called as ‘Ambition Gap’. The author is of the view that, the Americans are not ambitious enough when compared to other developed countries of the world. It is crucial to understand the notion raised by Friedman because ambition guarantees the successful future of any nation. Without realizing the importance of ambition, it is not possible for America to continue being the top leading country of the world. I agree with the author as in today's world the Americans have become lethargic and unambitious. In my view, the actual reason that the diminish of ambition is the perception of people belonging to different financial categories. Not only are the poor giving up on dreams, but the rich community has also quit dreaming. Both economic classes are not ambitious now, but they have different psychological reasons for it. The underprivileged believe that despite the extreme effort and hard work, they will not be able to escape poverty and become financially stable. On the other hand, those who have inherited their family fortune are indulged in their rich comfortable lives and assume that they will never be deprived of the privileges. They are unable to realize that the fortune they own has been hard-earned by their ancestors. America is recognized as the best among the developed and leading countries. It is famous for its top-notch educational institutions, technological innovations, and high standard pharmaceuticals. But when America is compared to its progress in the past, it seems that the Americans have lost the will to succeed.

In the book, Friedman wrote that a secret, only shared by the CEOs in whispers, is that the less-paying and less-reputable jobs are when outsourced to other countries, they are quickly accepted. Those who accept those jobs consider them as high-paying and respectable jobs instead. These jobs are actually cheaper according to the American currency rate. The employers get benefitted from the situation as they have to save up to 75% in the salaries of the employees but obtain 100% more output ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"eUyzSuwo","properties":{"formattedCitation":"\\super 1\\nosupersub{}","plainCitation":"1","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":888,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/YgsdZK9k/items/FAKRVYMQ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/YgsdZK9k/items/FAKRVYMQ"],"itemData":{"id":888,"type":"book","abstract":"When scholars write the history of the world twenty years from now, and they come to the chapter \"Y2K to March 2004,\" what will they say was the most crucial development? The attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the Iraq war? Or the convergence of technology and events that allowed India, China, and so many other countries to become part of the global supply chain for services and manufacturing, creating an explosion of wealth in the middle classes of the world's two biggest nations, giving them a huge new stake in the success of globalization? And with this \"flattening\" of the globe, which requires us to run faster in order to stay in place, has the world gotten too small and too fast for human beings and their political systems to adjust in a stable manner?In this brilliant new book, the award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman demystifies the brave new world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, Friedman 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; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt. The World Is Flat is the timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.","ISBN":"978-0-374-29288-1","language":"en","note":"Google-Books-ID: g3PbAgAAQBAJ","number-of-pages":"605","publisher":"Farrar, Straus and Giroux","source":"Google Books","title":"The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century","title-short":"The World Is Flat","author":[{"family":"Friedman","given":"Thomas L."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2005",4,5]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} 1. This symbolizes that the Americans have left the ways of hard work whereas the people in other countries acknowledge the importance of hard work and continue to be ambitious. Even in countries, that are developing and struggling, people tend to be industrious.

I was born and raised in Africa, and to pursue higher education, I came to America in November 2008. According to my experience, there is a huge difference in lifestyle, attitude, and ambitions when both countries are compared. The economic difference between both countries significantly influences the attitude and spirits of both nations. People in Africa live a life full of struggles, but they continue to work hard. They face more hardships but their dreams of improving their life, do not diminish. According to the facts, the immigrants from Kenya are the third most diligent foreigners. A report from 2008, showed that the score of Ghana, Bulgaria, and Kenya was 75.2%,74.2%,73.4% respectively, which handed these immigrants first, second and third positions on the list of most hardworking and skilled foreigner group in America. The other countries of Africa like Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria and Liberia are ranked fourth, fifth and eighth on this list. This is enough evidence to realize that the Africans have contributed to the economy of the US the most.

During my college years in America, I have realized that American students tend to believe that those who have a rich background will continue to succeed without making effort whereas the poor believe that no matter how much they try, they will not be able to change their financial conditions. Even though they work part-time jobs to pay their loans, but they do not dream of better living conditions. This perspective kills their spirits to be ambitious and achieve more. On the other hand, Africans tend to avail every opportunity to learn and grow. They are not afraid to invest their time and energy into work. They keep their spirits high and do not feel shame in working hard. Despite the fact that resources and facilities for native Africans and immigrant Africans are lesser, yet they stay ambitious to achieve success.

To change the scenario, both the poor and the rich must understand that the wealth has to be earned through hard work and the financial conditions can change either way. The rich should continue to contribute towards the progress of the country and the poor must adopt ways to improve their living conditions. In order for America to continue to be the most prominent power in the world, it is important the Americans adopt the habit of dreaming. Without dreaming and believing in dreams, they will not able to move forward. The competition in the coming years will increase even more. Securing a job will become more difficult. In such a crucial time, the most important thing to succeed will be ambitious spirits.

Reference List

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Friedman TL. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 2005.