MetaFilter: I'll take six million jobs and a slice of pepperoni, please. ⇒
23 February 2006, early evening
MetaFilter discusses outsourcing.
This is a post from my link log: If you click the title of this post you will be taken the web page I am discussing.
Here’s a quality post, got me laughing a little.
—Some people in the IT industry have said that only one in 10 graduates is worth taking on. “Just look at their English,” fumed a frustrated Mumbai-based call center manager as he waved around letters written by employees. One read: “As I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week’s leave.” Another said: “I am in well here and hope you are also in the same well.”—
by Vic on February 23 2006, 7:13 pm #
it’s funny how most people out here were pro-outsourcing until someone realized that indians can code too.
by rooney on February 23 2006, 7:48 pm #
If outsourcing is just an innovative way of doing international trade, and it (outsourcing) can actually brings far more benefits than costs, both in short-term and long-term, why do we need to worry so much about the sovereignty of a nation?
by Bharathi on February 23 2006, 11:17 pm #
I don’t have a personal stake in outsourcing at the moment, as my job and my families jobs do not feel at risk from outsourcing (at the moment anyway.)
Outsourcing is “good” in the sense that it facilitates classic invisible hand economics and should lead to an overall improvement in global economic conditions.
However, you must remember that the invisible hand has had many critics since its inception, and many with well thought-out and globally recognized theories on the invisible hand’s faults.
A couple of things to remember is that there is little modern historical precedence for the ability of the market to “grow”.
The main factors are political stability, leadership, laws and ethics. These other factors have been lacking in the past and have stifled all the countries that would now be called 3rd or 2nd world. And going forward, if one or more of these factors are missing, the invisible hand will act more like a correct funnel to a select few and will not lead to the overall improvement of the global economy. Just think that even in the west, the hand is corrupt enough, how bad will it be in China and India.
So the point being that I’m not sure that it’s so “obviously” good from a global point.
by Vic on February 24 2006, 1:25 pm #
Changes in the business environment have put considerable pressure on organizations to find ways to compete effectively within the ever increasing competitive market. As a result, an increasing number of organizations are jumping on the bandwagon and making the decision to outsource. Mergers and acquisitions have increased the challenges of human resources activities and revolution in information technology, especially the internet and new software, has also increased the need to keep up with new changes.
There are many advantages and disadvantages that accompany outsourcing. Outsourcing is a means of saving both time and money and a way of managing diversity as well as providing a competitive advantage, but along with those benefits results in a loss of control. Both large and small, and international and domestic organizations are outsourcing either their entire HR and IT departments or selected functions of these departments. If upper management of a company thinks outsourcing will provide a competitive advantage to the organization and the organizational culture and structure also allow the outsourcing process, and then go for it.
The invisible hand has its own strengths and weaknesses; however, compare to other economic systems, Adam Smith’s idea of capitalism is superior. Once (in the 7th and 8th centuries) China had an economical supremacy, but then the West started to dominate the world. No one would refuse to accept the fact that industrial revolution based on capitalism was the main reason for the western domination. Today China is becoming a threat to many western countries, especially to the United States of America. Why? Because China is moving towards Capitalism, away from Communism…
by Bharathi on February 24 2006, 6:27 pm #