21 November 2005: Thomas Friedman today won the inaugural Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award for THE WORLD IS FLAT: A Brief History of the Globalized World in the 21stCentury published by Penguin/Allen Lane.
The Award was presented today by Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, and Lloyd C Blankfein, President and COO, Goldman Sachs, at a Gala Dinner at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. The keynote speaker was The Rt Hon Gordon Brown, MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Thomas Friedman saw off strong competition to pick up the £30,000 award, which was launched this year to find the book that provided ‘the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues.’ Each of the five runners-up also received a cheque for £5,000.
Lionel Barber, editor, Financial Times said: ‘We’ve had a wonderful set of entries for this prestigious prize. Thomas Friedman is a worthy winner. His book is compelling, hugely enjoyable and relevant to the most pressing issue on the minds of politicians and business people around the world.’
Lloyd C Blankfein, President and Chief Operating Officer, Goldman Sachs, said:
‘Thomas Friedman has identified the most important economic and political theme of the early 21st century and has provided us with the vocabulary for debating its merits and challenges.’
Speaking from Washington DC, Thomas Friedman commented:
‘I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to be the first recipient of the Financial Times-Goldman Sachs business book award. I’m thrilled and honoured because these are two such classy organizations, who take business and business reporting seriously. I’m thrilled and honoured because the judges who made this award are such an esteemed group. And I’m thrilled and honoured because I think this Financial Times -Goldman Sachs award for business-financial writing is going to become a much sought-after prize, as more and more writers and publishers get to know about it in coming years. I’m sorry that my crazy travel schedule - I’ve been between Beijing and Jerusalem in the past few weeks - did not allow me to be in London.’
The judging panel for the 2005 Award was:
Lloyd C Blankfein, President and COO, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc
John Gapper, Chief Business Commentator and Associate Editor, Financial Times
Jeffrey Garten, Juan Trippe Professor of International Trade, Finance and Business, Yale School of Management
Lionel Barber, Editor, Financial Times
Rachel Lomax, Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England
N R Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies
Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive, WPP
For further information about the Award, please contact:
Ben Tisdall Tel 0207 590 0803/ 07855 9426845 ben@midaspr.co.uk
Margot Weale Tel 0207 590 0804/ 07759 054 727 margot@midaspr.co.uk
Photographs of The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, the judging panel and the award ceremony are available on request.
WINNER 2005
THE WORLD IS FLAT: A Brief History of the Globalized World in the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman
Penguin/Allen Lane £20.00
Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman argues that the beginning of the 21st Century will be remembered as the dawn of a new age of globalization – a ‘flattening’ of the world. The explosion of advanced technologies now means that suddenly knowledge-pools and resources have connected all over the planet, leveling the playing field as never before, so that each of us is potentially an equal – and competitor – of the other. Friedman explains how it happened; what it will mean for countries and individuals; and how governments and societies can – and must – adapt.
SHORTLISTED
DISNEYWAR: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom by James B Stewart
Simon & Schuster £20.00
When Roy Disney, chairman of Disney animation and nephew of founder Walt Disney, abruptly resigned in November and declared war on chairman and chief executive Michael Eisner, he sent shock waves around the business world. Drawing on unprecedented access to both Eisner and Roy Disney, current and former Disney executives and board members, this is the inside story of what drove the iconic entertainment company to civil war. James B Stewart is a former editor at the Wall Street Journal, a bestselling author and regular contributor to SmartMoney and The New Yorker.
THE SEARCH: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture by John Battelle
Nicholas Brealey £16.99
The rise of Google is one of the most amazing stories of our time. Jumping into the search industry long after its competitors, Google offered a radical new approach to search, redefined the idea of viral marketing, survived the dot-com crash and pulled off the largest and most talked-about initial public offering in the history of Silicon Valley. John Battelle, co-founder of Wired and founder of The Industry Standard and TheStandard.com, describes how Google really succeeded – and the implications of a world in which every click can be preserved forever.
FREAKONOMICS: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner
Penguin/Allen Lane £20.00
Freakonomics turns conventional economics on its head, stripping away the jargon and calculations of the ‘experts’ to explore the riddles of everyday life. Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their mothers? And why do prostitutes earn more than architects? Steven D Levitt teaches economics at the University of Chicago and recently won the American Economic Association’s John Bates Clark Medal for the best American economist under forty. Stephen J Dubner writes for the New York Times and the New Yorker.
FAST SECOND: How Smart Companies Bypass Radical Innovation to Enter and Dominate New Markets by Constantinos C Markides & Paul A Geroski
Jossey Bass/Wiley £19.99
International strategy experts Markides and Geroski argue that most established companies are far better suited to scaling up newly created markets pioneered by others (in other words, being “fast seconds”) than to creating these markets from scratch. Constantinos C Markides is professor of strategic and international management at London Business School and holds the Robert P Bauman Chair of Strategic Leadership at the London Business School. Paul A Geroski was professor of economics at London Business School and Chairman of the Competition Commission in the UK.
THE TRAVELS OF A T-SHIRT IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power and Politics of World Trade by Pietra Rivoli
Wiley £19.99
Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Pietra Rivoli takes the reader on a round-the-world adventure to reveal the life story of an everyday T-shirt. Over a five-year period, Dr. Rivoli traveled from a West Texas cotton field to a garment factory in China, and from trade negotiations in Washington to a used clothing market in Africa to uncover the complex global, political and economic forces that determine who wins and who loses – and why – in the competitive global marketplace.
Notes to Editors:
The 2005 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award was open to any business book published in the English language between 31st October 2004 and 1st November 2005.
2. Andrew Hill Financial Editor of the Financial Times and administrator of the Award is available for comment.
3. The Financial Times Group , one of the world’s leading business information companies, provides a broad range of business information and services to a growing audience of internationally minded business people. It includes the Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers, FT.com and a pan-European network of national business newspapers and online services including Les Echos and FT Deutschland, FT Interactive Data, Investors Chronicle, The Banker, Money Management and Financial Adviser. It also has a number of joint ventures including FTSE International with the London Stock Exchange. For further information about the Financial Times contact: Katy Hemmings tel: +44 (0) 20 7010 2307
4. Goldman Sachs is a global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. It provides a wide range of services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, institutional investors, governments, non-profit organizations and individuals. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs has long sustained a commitment to hiring and training outstanding leaders. The business principles are rooted in integrity, a commitment to excellence, innovation and teamwork. These values enable the firm to execute successfully a business strategy that is focused on extraordinary client service and superior long-term financial performance for its shareholders. For further information about Goldman Sachs contact: Simon Eaton: tel + 44 (0)20 7774 4102 email:simon.eaton@gs.com
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