Tom Friedman, the Pulitzer prize winning, NY Times writer has put out another fabulous read. "The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Globalized World in the 21st Century" presents 10 key "flatteners" in the past decade. From Netscape listing to open-sourcing, supply chaining and in-forming. It makes a great case for offshoring which was refreshing to read. We do have manufacturing in China and I always feel a weird vibe when I tell people this - particularly those from the green community. I think we did it the right way by meeting with the NGO, China Labor Watch who helped us in terms of a criteria in selecting a mill. Given that every thread of clothing I have bought in the US is made in China, it appears we are not the first company to do it. And thanks to Nike, I think we are all far more aware of the issues.
Back to the book - a great stat: From 1995 to 2005, 15 million Chinese manufacturing jobs were lost due to the absorption of both new technologies and modern business practices. Admittedly they were starting from a very low base. In the same period, the US lost 2 million manufacturing jobs. China is gaining jobs in the service sector, joining the trend that the developed world has experienced for many, many years.
The book also delves into India...did you know there are 250,000 accountants in India currently doing US taxpayers returns..and you'd never know it. Basic analysis of listed US companies for investment houses such as Morgan & Stanley are also being performed in India. Amazing!
Back to diapers...
4 days of no email or phone can do your head in. So I wrapped it around Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "Flow". (Prizes for anyone who can pronounce the author's name). Michael Crooke, the CEO /President of Patagonia got me into it. He is taking a one year sabbatical to finish up his PhD on the subject. The book asserts that being in flow is somewhat like sports people in the "zone" - a place where they are at peak performance, so much so that they lose track of time. These are optimal experiences. The book digs into how to get in that state in every day life and at work. Fascinating!
