Rating: 
Summary: INFORMATIVE/INTERESTING/INTENSE
Review: FRIEDMANS' BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT COMPILATION OF FACTS ND EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDES THE READER WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL SUMATION OF THE DIRECTION OF THE WORLDS ECONOMY. THIS BOOK WILL ALLOW THOSE WHO ARE NOT AWARE OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF GLOBALIZATION TO BECOME INTERESTED IN GLOBALIZTATION TO EIGTHER BECOME APPOSED TO IT OR IN ACCORDANCE WITH IT. IT ALLOWS THOSE WHO ARE WELL AWARE OF GLOBALIZATION TO GET A MUCH CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTRAVERSEY THAT IS HINDERING THE UNIFICATION OF THE WORLDS ECONOMY FROM A MORE PERSONAL AND REALISTIC ANGLE. I PERSONALLY BELIVE THAT IN ORDER TO LIVE IN A MORE WELL OFF SOCIETY THERE MUST BE SACRIFICES. TODAY SOME MAY SUFFER FOR THE SECURITY OF OUR CHILDREN.
Rating:
Summary: Keith Whyte's Review
Review: The Lexus and the Olive Tree deals with current topics of international trade and commerce. It is a well written book that discusses recent economic events in Asia and the rest of the world and goes in depth with the impacts it has had. The author, Thomas l. Friedman uses many factual events to support his arguments. He is knowledgeable of international trade and experience in foreign affairs. I was interested in what Thomas Friedman has to say about how globalization has changed the world and has brought the world closer since the cold war. When the United States and the Soviet Union were going through the cold war, the world was divided. This book goes deep into the Cold War and how it affected the planet. It also discusses globalization and how it has brought the world closer together. It also produces facts for support. The author is able to give examples of his own experiences to make his point. The stories Thomas Friedman tell are interesting and relative to what he talks about. The stories are relevant to what he is discussing at the time. The stories are easy to understand and will keep you wanting to know what the author has seen and done in other countries as well as this one. This book is well detailed and fun to read. Most economic books are not as enjoyable to read this book. Each chapter is well detailed with stories that come to life. I like how the author delivers the message. He narrates his book as if he ws an old man sitting at a camp fire telling his grandchildren stories of what he has done and the places he has gone.
Rating:
Summary: The Lexus and The Olive Tree Book Review
Review: What does a Lexus have to do with an Olive Tree? Friedman implies that the Lexus is the human drive to better oneself. Next, he implies that the Olive Tree is where we come from or our origins. Thus, through globalization, one can have their cake and...park their Lexus next to their Olive Tree. Friedman uses terms such as the aforementioned, combined with whit, to define the term globalization. For example, in Part II of the book, he uses the term DOSCapital to explain the government's various levels of control over capital. Friedman starts with DOSCapital 0.0 (communist operating system) and ends with DOSCapital 6.0 (the freest markets operating systems). Friedman's book is easy to read and understand for the average business student with an interest in globalization. Thus, I suggest that if globalization is a term that you wish to gain full knowledge of...read The Lexus and The Olive Tree.
Rating:
Summary: The Lexus and the Olive Tree
Review: The Lexus and the Olive Tree represent an age-old battle between modernization in an increasingly global market and culture in the face of change. Friedman used many stories to explain his beliefs of Globalization and I enjoyed reading how he related all the concepts in a loop (Rational Exuberance - Democratizations - Globalization). As a well-traveled journalist, Friedman presents Globalization from a foreign perspective contrasting traditional US views towards the economy. His comments about the Internet were right in line with most all projections from major statistical sources. The Democratizations of Finance, Technology, and Information are the main components of the engine in the Lexus that make the Lexus accelerate and take it to higher gears or levels of Globalization. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and I would recommend it to all undergraduate business students interested in evaluating the general direction of global markets.
Rating: 
Summary: The electronic herd may be about to stampede
Review: This a truly outstanding work. I must have listened to the tape a dozen times and now I am going to buy the book! At first listen I thought it was OK but I hated the end and wondered whether Friedman was extolling imperialism. However, after listening to it again and again I find the work very profound. Excellent use of metaphor and the circular use of recurrent themes drive a very important message about the dichotomy of today's ideologies. I think I understand globalisation better having listened to the tape. I think I understand better the forces behind global economics having listened to the tape. What starts with an anecdote about oranges and ends with a call to stewardship adds up to a major contribution to understanding the hidden forces that link local and global forces. Next time your stocks take a hit, just imagine that electronic herd grazing.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, yet utlimately incomplete analysis
Review: Having worked in the so called Supermarkets, whose global power is so vehemently extolled by Friedman, I believe his analysis of present day globalization to be accurate and sound - yes, global investment acts as an invisible hand to direct historically domestic political and social concerns; yes, to participate in this market, a country must adapt its social framework as much as its 'hardware' and 'operating system'; and yes, globalization does provide benefits on an ABSOLUTE basis to many emerging economies. While Friedman devotes a couple sparsely filled chapters to the backlash against this process, he clearly fails to highlight key issues: surely, RELATIVE poverty is a central concern to all of us in the rich world; surely, homogenization of values and culture is a great fear for everyone (yet Friedman believes social structure must be homogenized to work properly in the new market); surely, when barely 1% of our global population own a computer, people are being left behind - and yes, globalization does EFFECT everyone, but who makes the decisions - a tiny fraction of wealthy participants (you're average worker in Africa wants to eat his next meal, and is in no position to question this process - but of course, if you lay the rules down, he/she will jump as high as you say to get capital)....DEVELOPMENT of less fortunate economies is central....the market in its purest form is incapable of doing this! Ripple out effects of wealth simply do not work...wealth remains in the hands of a few super rich. I am far from a socialist, but for all of our sakes (most of all the world's desperately poor) I hope people start to see that the pure market makes the rich even richer and the poor, even if better of (slightly) on an absolute basis, are way left behind. But look at how passive Friedman is! Too much of a wimp in my book - explaining the process is important, but for goodness sake, how do we make it more equitable...one clue, the global electronic herd is not the answer. We need to shift our paradigm of thought and think proactively, not helplessly. Finding our own values (yes, there is more to life than consumption) is a step in the right direction.
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Summary: Insightful explanation of the confusing world happenings
Review: This is the one book concerning globalization that truly make sense of what is going on in the world. The evening news may report the commotion in the overseas markets, but it does not explain how and why the commotion affects us, here in the US. Thomas Friedman has made clear arguments as to why we MUST accept the coming interconnection of the world. He also makes convincing arguments for recommended changes in the way we do things, that will minimize the negative aspects on the American workforce. We can either ignore the coming globalization and be swept away by the flood, or we can implement some of Friedman's suggestions and ride the tide. If you are confused by world financial events you MUST read this book. I am giving copies of this book to friends for Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: The Lexus and the Olive Tree
Review: Wonderful book! Provided a matrix to make sense of what you see and hear everyday, but can't quite put together in an organized manner. It has allowed me to read the newspaper and listen to the news with a new perspective and interest. Incredibly informative and helpful. Makes you feel you can get a better "grip" on what's going on in the world today. I can only thank him wholeheartedly.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: I finished reading this book just a few days ago, and I must say, it was one of the most entetaining and insightful books I have ever read. Although the thoughts and ideas are nothing new to me, however the way he compiled them and used analogies to describe them is ingenious. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing more than a buncha anecdotes
Review: This book is way too verbose and doesn't provide any new insights into how the world is going to shape up in the years to come. At times he gets so carried away that it's almost laughable. "How a microphone and a speaker work is vital to understanding globalization".... well, I don't think so Mr. Friedman. I haven't understood globalization any more than I did before I read the book. His book is somewhat like this... Everybody knows that clapping your hands makes a sound. Friedman says, "Do you realize that you don't have to shout to make a sound, it's enough if you clap your hands! The other day I was in Beirut clapping my hands and I could hear it, I did in Tokyo, Jerusalem, New Delhi, Beijing and at all places I heard the same sound.. amazing isn't it?". As for the accuracy of his assertions, I don't quite concur with his view that America is just plain perfect. He says, "to become an American citizen you just have to want to be one". Oh yeah? I guess 5.75 billion people are just way too poor to buy a ticket to New York City! Mr Friedman would do himself a favor if he took the trouble to go through some of the INS laws which if I might add are pretty much the antithesis of a free market economy. Mr. Friedman says that the distinction between a company and a country is fading away with time. Does that mean I could introduce an antitrust litigation against the US at the International Court of Justice. "The International Court of Justice orders that the US be split into 50 sovereign nations".... again, I don't think so Mr. Friedman. There's such a thing called Nationalism.
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