Balram in American Buisness

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Balram’s Success in an American Business world The novel, The White Tiger is a useful tool in understanding the 21st century Flat World because Balram’s success is a result of a Flat World. Balram’s success is not because of his location, but because of Globalization 3.0. Along with the story of Balram’s success not due to his location, there are also many parallels between Balram’s ideas presented in The White Tiger and Thomas Freidman’s ideas in It’s a Flat World After All. When describing India to Mr. Premier, Balram referrers to it as a rundown country. He described his nation as a place with “…no drinking water, electricity, sewage system, public transportation, sense of hygiene, discipline, courtesy, or punctuality.” (Adiga 2) Balram further describes that his nation is run down, “Electricity poles—defunct. Water tap—broken. Children—too lean and short for their age” Balram becomes successful later in the story and owns twenty-sex Toyota Qualises. (Adiga 274) Although Balram lives in a rundown, third world country, he can still become successful because his location does not matter, as he is a part of Globalization 3.0. According to Freidman, Globalization 3.0 is individuals and small groups globalizing. Because of this, the world flattening and individuals are becoming empowered. Also, Globalization 3.0 is different from previous ones because individuals rather than countries and companies are empowered but because “Globalization 3.0 is driven by a much more diverse -- non-Western, nonwhite -- group of individuals.” (Freidman 6) Balram demonstrates his first step to empowerment in a flat world by receiving his first job. Balram received his first job from Mukesh Sir due to equality, “All out employees are top caste. It won’t hurt to have one or two bottom castes working for us.” (54-55) Friedman argues that even non- Western and nonwhite

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