The Word will be Flattened | The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for...

Studded with Statistics | The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us | Robyn Meredith

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	• The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us Robyn Meredith W.W. Norton & Co., 2008 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 47 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Global Growth Challenges with the Rise of India and China

Great read to understand the "tectonic" shifts going on in the global economy (term used in the introduction of the book). Ms. Meredith does a great job of doing a side by side comparison of the worlds two largest growth engines - India and China, and uses the animal metaphors to describe the two different paths being taken. The book focuses on the economic development and financial consequences, but also touches on some of the political and environmental dependencies of such.

The growth of China into the worlds manufacturing center is fully developed, and provides a stark reminder of the wage differential between China and the West (dollars per day versus per hour). Continually the reader is reminded that China remains a communist country, and that central planning rules the day. Near the end of the text, Meredith touches on the subject of the yuan-dollar exchange rate issue, and describes the dynamics impacting both sides. It would have been good to hear more on this subject as I don't fully understand both sides of the argument, and like many things find it poorly covered in the MSM.

India's rise as the worlds back-office is well detailed, as well as how it is progressing in reforming it's economy under the structure of a democracy. It isn't a rosy story as the topics of poverty and illiteracy are covered, although Mr. Meredith reminds the reader that hundreds of millions have been lifted up as part of the economic gains.

There's also great perspective inserted throughout the book that while the rise of India and China has been sudden, it is entirely consistent with global economic history as these two countries were global superpowers in prior centuries. It was a throwback to school lessons I had years ago to hear references to the spice routes, and other exotic imports from the 16th century.

I appreciated the closing chapter (A Catalyst for Competitiveness) that recommended where the country should focus its efforts on - innovation, education, reduced consumption. While this recommendation isn't novel, it provided good closure to the story that was a difficult message to consume as a parent and an American worker. Clearly our country has it's work cut out for it.

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The Word will be Flattened

In its book, "The World is Flat" Thom Friedman makes a comment he told his daughters: "Do your homework, or else there are hungry workers in China and India who will take your future job from you." The Elephant and the Dragon goes into great detail about how that actually came about. It is a great analysis of the role that India and China have played for the last 10 centuries and what this next century will most likely bring. Despite both countries being called "emerging markets," they are as different as ... well, the Elephant and the Dragon. India is trully an Elephant, slow and rambling, with a very long memory and idiosincratic trunk (its IT and service sector) that is still in great contrast to the rest of the country that still lacks have electricity and running water for 40% of its billion people. China, on the other hand is a phoenix rizen from the ashes of the Cultural Revolution with little memory or history, fueled by the firery breath (and breadth) of manufacturing by the ambitious central planning. Robyn's in-depth analysis outlines not just the opportunities but the obstacles that each of the countries will face in the next century. I highly recommend it.

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Studded with Statistics

The innumerable statistics in this book shows the author's deep involvement in the economic development of India and China. It is a must read for all those who have a stake in the global economic activity. Very interesting to read. When reading some chapters one might loose track of what the subject matter of a chapter is.

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If Your Interested in Modern China, This Is The Book

Having spent most of July traversing several cities of China, I had the good fortune of reading Robyn Meredith's book - The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us. Seeing is believing and not being able to stop reading this book added an exclamation mark to my seeing the new highways, skyscrappers, apartment buildings, and metro stations existing or under construction. China is booming with a nearly 8% GDP for the first half of 2009. This book helps the reader understand the implications of growth within China and India in the 21st Century.

If you plan travel to China this book is a MUST read. If you are a global-thinker and appreciate the international strategic implications of a booming China and India to the US economy this book is a MUST read. If you simply want to be informed of the coming market superpowers of the 21st Century this book is a MUST read.

The book was worth every single penny. There is a lot of take-away from this work.

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Leaves, Trees & A Forest

Globalization as a phenomenon, really fascinates me. I have even written a book (not yet published) of short stories, which emanate from it. Reading articles in 'The Economist', 'Fortune' and 'The New York Times', gave me glimpses into how this phenomenon is making changes in different countries and affecting many lives. Most of these articles are about people and nations. Almost like leaves and trees. But what I was yearning for was to read a book which would explain this phenomenon at a global level. In the metaphorical jargon, I was looking for the forest. With these yearnings in mind, this book drew me like moth to fire.
Being of Indian origin, the elephant seemed attractive. Also after watching the Olympics in Beijng, with its grand stadiums and unforgettable fireworks, curiosity about this nation filled my mind. In the pastiche of all these thoughts, I read this awesome book. I enjoyed reading it so much, that I have decided to share it with you.
The gist of this book in one sentence is that it explores the evolution of Communist Capitalism in China (from 1978) and Democratic Capitalism in India (from 1991). When you read a book which talks about governments, economic policies, industries, companies etc. it is sure to be a sleeping pill. But the beauty of this book is that it talks about all these and still makes it seem like a 'speed-read thriller'! In short, it is really gripping. To begin with, it is full of OMG ( Oh! my God ) moments. Here are a few of them, e.g. did you know...
- The lone state of Andhra Pradesh in India produces more engineers that the whole of U.S.A.?
- That Walmart imports more goods from China than the whole of Cananda?
- That the number of skyscrapers in Shanghai is more than the sum of all the skyscrapers in L.A. and Chicago?
This book dissects the phenomenon of globalization through the fastest growing economies of China (the Dragon) and India (the elephant). By presenting real life case-studies of people, companies and industries, it explains how growth happens and progress is made. The Dutch have a penchant of creating maximum harvest with minimum land. Robyn Meredith tells us about how a single man created more than maximum with less than minimum resources, purely on the basis of his potential and drive. Its the story of Narayan Murthy, the Bill Gates of India. Inspite of winning a coveted spot at I.I.T., he could not study there. All because his father could not afford the tuition fees of $20 on a salary of $66, as a government employee with eight children to feed. After that you read about his meteoric rise of how he went on to start and head the company called Infosys Technologies. Now it has a revenue of $2 billion and has 80,000 employees. It was very touchy to read that the smart student whose family could not afford $20/month is now worth $1.7 billion dollars. Deepak Chopra says that success is not a destination but a journey. What a journey, OMG!
This is just one of the typical case-studies, which makes this book so full of progress and positive energy. The flow of narration is interesting too, as it alternates between India and China. This way the reader gets to compare the two economies, in his mind and judge for himself the pros and cons of each. In case of China, the author clearly explains the new age concepts of 'disassembly line' and 'supply chain' and their ramifications on the production line. One gets to understand how these two reduce the production cost and increase efficiency. An example of how a typical sweater of Eileen Fisher company is crafted using these two concepts creates an OMG moment. It convinces the reader that by the time you buy and wear it, the sweater would have travelled to more places than the user will ever go to! In doing so, she explains how it has emancipated the lives of many people in China. Now I understand why a nation where the past two generations grew up eating mostly noodles, has suddenly become the consumer of world's 1/3rd pork ( as per 'The Economist').
As for India, the author explains the concepts of out-sourcing and off-shoring and how these have made India into the back office of the West. Also in doing so, how it has brought prosperity in the middle class. Real life case-studies clarify it even more. There is an interesting story of a police officer's son who graduates after 1991, the year when economic reforms started in India. Instead of following in his father's foots steps, he took up a job at Infosys. As he rose within the company he lands up earning in four years, what his father earned in a lifetime!
This book tells you that now you can grow well even in your home country. There are ample opportunities to grow professionally in India and China. As for Americans feeling insecure about loosing jobs to India and China, here is a piece of advice by Nandan Nilekani, CEO of Infosys, " People should look at careers which cannot be delivered over a wire. If someone is a cardiac surgeon, they are not going to be displaced. But if they are a radiologist, somebody from Bangalore is liable to check X-rays over a wire." The moral being that jobs which will always stay in America are the one's which are land and people bound. Therefore Americans have to reinvent themselves to be a part of the churning global economy.
In my search for the forest, I understood the leaves and the trees better, after reading this book. For instance now I understand why the Chinese government has hired McKinsey & Company, to create 100 institutions, just like I.I.T. ( as per the book ' The IITians' by Sandipan Deb). There is a lot more to this book than what I have told you. But you have to read it to find it. In conclusion, I would recommend this book to every adult in today's world. It will help you understand how you fit in the global economy, how your role will change and what you have to do to reinvent yourself, for a better fit in the global economy. As I wrap up this review, two lines come to my mind, from a Sanskrit shloka (verse of wisdom), which describe globalization very aptly:
Bahujan hitaai (for the benefit of most people)
Bahujan sukhaai (for the happiness of most people)
For a more detailed analysis of this book by me, please see the 'reading' category in my blog: [...]

Ratna

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"A comprehensive primer on the development of these Asian tigers."?Noam Lupu, San Francisco Chronicle The Elephant and the Dragon is the essential guide to understanding how India and China are reshaping our world. With labor now unbound from geographic borders, we're seeing startling shifts in how?and where?nearly everything we buy is made. In a compelling mix of history and on-the-ground reporting, veteran journalist Robyn Meredith untangles the complex web of business and politics, as well as environmental and cultural issues that entwine India, China, and the West. She also outlines how Americans?business leaders, workers, politicians, even parents?can understand the vast changes coming and thrive in this new age. .

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