the.world.is.flat-第94章
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more thinkers and outsourced more technology pieces。〃
In the old days； said Greer； many companies 〃hid behind technology。 You could be very
good； but you didn't have to be the world's best； because you never thought you were
competing with the world。 There was a horizon out there and no one could see beyond
that horizon。 But just in the space of a few years we went from competing with firms
down the street to competing with firms across the globe。 Three years ago it was
inconceivable that Greer & Associates would lose a contract to a company in England；
and now we have。 Everyone can see what everyone else is doing now； and everyone has
the same tools； so you have to be the very best； the most creative thinker。〃
Vanilla just won't put food on the table anymore。 〃You have to offer something totally
unique；〃 said Greer。 'You need be able to make
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough； or Cherry （Jerry） Garcia； or Chunky Monkey〃…three of
the more exotic brands of Ben & Jerry's ice cream that are very nonvanilla。 〃It used
to be about what you were able to do；〃 said Greer。 〃Clients would say； 'Can you do
this？ Can you do that？' Now it's much more about the creative flair and personality
you can bring to ＇the assignment＇ 。 。 。 It's all about imagination。〃
Rule #2： And the small shall act big。 。 。 One way small companies flourish in the
flat world is by learning to act really big。 And the key to being small and acting
big is being quick to take advantage of all the new tools for collaboration to reach
farther； faster； wider； and deeper。
I can think of no better way to illustrate this rule than to tell the story of another
friend； Fadi Ghandour； the cofounder and CEO of Aramex； the first home…grown package
delivery service in the Arab world and the first and only Arab company to be listed
on the Nasdaq。 Originally from Lebanon； Ghandour's family moved to Jordan in the 1960s；
where his father； AH； founded Royal Jordanian Airlines。 So Ghandour always had the
airline business in his genes。 Shortly after graduating from George Washington
University in Washington； D。C。； Ghandour returned home and saw a niche business he
thought he could develop： He and a friend raised some money and in 1982 started a
mini…Federal Express for the Middle East to do parcel delivery。 At the time； there
was only one global parcel delivery service operating in the Arab world： DHL； today
owned by the German postal service。 Ghandour's idea was to approach American companies；
like Federal Express and Airborne Express； that did not have a Middle East presence
and offer to become their local delivery service； playing on the fact that an Arab
company would know the region and how to get around unpleasantries like the Israeli
invasion of Lebanon； the Iran…Iraq war； and the American invasion of Iraq。
〃We said to them； 'Look； we don't compete with you locally in your home market； but
we understand the Middle East market； so why not give your packages to us to deliver
out here？〃 said Ghandour。 〃We will be your Middle East delivery arm。 Why give them
to your global competitor； like DHL？〃 Airborne responded positively； and Ghandour
used
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that to build his own business and then buy up or partner with small delivery firms
from Egypt to Turkey to Saudi Arabia and later all the way over to India； Pakistan；
and Iran…creating his own regional network。 Airborne did not have the money that
Federal Express was investing in setting up its own operations in every region of
the globe； so it created an alliance； bringing together some forty regional delivery
companies； like Aramex； into a virtual global network。 What Airborne's partners got
was something none of them could individually afford to build at the time… a global
geographic presence and a computerized package tracking and tracing system to compete
with that of a FedEx or DHL。
Airborne 〃made their online computerized tracking and tracing system available to
all its partners； so there was a unified language and set of quality standards for
how everyone in the Airborne alliance would deliver and track and trace packages；〃
explained Ghandour。 With his company headquartered in Amman； Jordan； Ghandour tapped
into the Airborne system by leasing a data line that was connected from Amman all
the way to Airborne's big mainframe computer in its headquarters in Seattle。 Through
dumb terminals back in the Middle East； Aramex tracked and traced its packages using
Airborne's back room。 Aramex； in fact； was the earliest adopter of the Airborne system。
Once Ghandour's Jordanian employees got up to speed on it； Airborne hired them to
go around the world to install systems and train the other alliance partners。 So these
Jordanians； all of whom spoke English； went off to places like Sweden and the Far
East and taught the Airborne methods of tracking and tracing。 Eventually； Airborne
bought 9 percent of Aramex to cement the relationship。
The arrangement worked well for everyone； and Aramex came to dominate the parcel
delivery market in the Arab world； so well that in 1997； Ghandour decided to take
the company public on Broadway； also known as the Nasdaq。 Aramex continued to grow
into a nearly 200…million…a…year company； with thirty…two hundred employees…and
without any big government contracts。 Its business was built for and with the private
sector； highly unusual in the Arab world。 Because of the dotcom boom； which deflected
interest from brick…and…mortar companies like Aramex； and then the dot…com bust；
which knocked out the Nasdaq；
Aramex's stock price never really took off。 Thinking that the market simply did not
appreciate its value； Ghandour； along with a private equity firm from Dubai； bought
the company back from its shareholders in early 2002。
Unbeknownst to Ghandour； this move coincided with the flattening of the world。 He
suddenly discovered that he not only could do new things； but he had to do new things
he had never imagined doing before。 He first felt the world going flat in 2003； when
Airborne got bought out by DHL。 Airborne announced that as of January 1； 2004； its
tracking and tracing system would no longer be available to its former alliance
partners。 See you later。 Good luck on your own。
While the flattening of the world enabled Airborne； the big guy； to get flatter； it
allowed Ghandour； the little guy； to step up and replace it。 〃The minute Airborne
announced that it was being bought and dissolving the alliance；〃 said Ghandour； 〃I
called a meeting in London of all the major partners in the group； and the first thing
we did was found a new alliance。〃 But Ghandour also came with a proposal： 〃I told
them that Aramex was developing the software in Jordan to replace the Airborne
tracking and tracing system； and I promised everyone there that our system would be
up and running before Airborne switched theirs off。〃
Ghandour in effect told them that the mouse would replace the elephant。 Not only would
his relatively small company provide the same backroom support out of Amman that
Airborne had provided out of Seattle with its big mainframe； but he would also find
more globalpartners tofill in the holes in the alliance left by Airborne's departure。
To do this； he told the prospective partners that he would hire Jordanian
professionals to manage all the alliance's back…office needs at a fraction of the
cost they were paying to have it all done from Europe or America。 〃I am not the largest
company in the group；〃 said Ghandour； who is now in his mid…forties and still full
of energy； 〃but I took leadership。 My German partners were a 1。2 billion company；
but they could not react as fast。〃
How could he move so quickly？ The triple convergence。
First of all； a young generation of Jordanian software and industrial engineers had
just come of age and walked out onto the level playing field。 They found that all
the collaborative tools they needed to act big
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were as available to them as to Airbome's employees in Seattle。 It was just a question
of having the energy and imagination to adopt these tools and put them to good use。
〃The
