Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Other Side of Outsourcing

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

i really thought that this special was an eye-opener. All the media really tells the American people is how bad outsourcing is, which it obviously has its negitive effects, but there are some benefits. i mean yes i am against outsourcinb but i cant really complain because the clothes i wear, the pencils i use, the pillow is sleep on, is all a product of outsourcing.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion this is going to a huge factor in the lives of everyone very soon. Those kids in other countries are able to do things on the computer in the equivallent of elementery school that most adults can't do. We watch an author that uses his computer a lot, get out typed by a kid. Those kids are going to be in the work force very soon, and they will be competing directly with the United States on all levels. This should be something men and woman running for president should also be focussing on. Not just bring jobs back, but also getting people ready to compete for jobs.

phonebook said...

To my astonishment I enjoyed what Thomas Friedman had to say. It's ignorant to think out sourcing is a bad thing; in fact I think it's marvelous. Yes, it means America will have to step up to the plate, but just look at the difference it has made in India.

The film was moving, especially seeing all the dynamics of the nation. How in one area it could be completely globalized and industrialized, yet in another it's reduced to dirt floor poverty. In a way seeing the grossly undeveloped areas was a much needed, and hearty, kick to my perspective and realized just how lucky we are. Despite the drawbacks, I cannot see anything wrong with extending that same opportunity to others.

Anonymous said...

Friedman's documentary served as a real eye opener to me. All you see in American media is coverage of the negative sides of outsourcing. But now I know what both sides of the story and i realize that it is really doing a lot of good. America isn't always going to lead the world in everything. Times are changing. Some of this change will be very difficult to adapt to and many Americans will attempt to stop it, just as the Indians who are concerned about the effects of change on village life are also trying to stop it. But when it comes down to it, we can't stop change. Americans must really step up their game in all of this information and technology business if one, they wish to keep their jobs, and two, if they wish to be the best in the world at it.

metal head said...

As good as outsourcing is for India i think it is doing a harm to many of the people there who are not a part of the change thats happening. If they want to become more like the US they must find a way to incorporate the lower class into the changes that are happening, and the longer they wait to do this the larger the gap in the way of life between the upper and lower class will become.

MATAN said...

The effect of globalization on our country is terrible. The way in which our government handles globalization is appalling; our American government is letting multy national cooperation leave millions of middle class American workers with no job and with no other means of income, we are letting them invest billions of dollars in other country’s such as china, and India instead of having this money being invested in our country and in our people. This has a devastating effect on our economy.
By flooding such country with such large investments we are fuelling our competition; we are letting them go ahead as we just stand back and watch them do it. We must stress our officials to prevent this from happening!
Although Globalization is not headed in the right direction right now, it has a potential of solving many global complications that we are facing today such as war, poverty, and even terrorism. Because creating ties and economical alliances with other nations brings the world together, making nations dependent on each other; therefore it is much more problematical to engage in war. I also believe that globalization is the most realistic solution for terrorism. By creating economic ties with problem nations such as Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan etc… Those governments will obtain some money allowing them to provide for their people thus gaining more power and authority from the people, rather than the peoples support going to terror groups who are able to provide jobs. Because the number one reason for suicide bombers going to kill themselves isn’t for their god or for the seven virgins whiting in heaven it is because the terrorist group promises their family money. Therefore by providing them jobs and solving poverty in such nations we are the need of money ,we are reducing the need for them to conform with terror groups for money and we are gaining support for the U.S.A and that’s what it is all about.
This is starting to take way to long and I have to get back to studying. But globalization has a bad effect on the environment. And also since globalization is global we must create some kind of “global pact” to regulate it

Beef Sandwich said...

Isaac, this is The United States Of America. There is no way I will ever stand to see another country lead us at something like technological advancement, or anything I really care about.

I think outsourcing is good, and bad. Bad because it allows for jobs to suddenly disappear, but good cuz it keeps my shirts cheap. I noticed my phone was made in Korea. This shows me just how dependent our country is on other countries. If Korea were to just quit. There would go all the samsung phone users. If any place related to Wal Mart just quit, there would go that piece of the pie. Does anyone else feel like it may be a bad idea that we are all setting ourselves up to be screwed over? I mean, we're just allowing ourselves to become dependent. Almost like a microwave, we're good as long as our energy supply keeps going, but what happens when someone pulls the plug, and all our shirts/volts disappear? Personally, I'm moving to the Jungle where I will be dependent on my hunting, my structure, my skills, in order to survive.

Anonymous said...

Before this video i never thought about outsourcing and how it is affecting the world. Most of all, I never realized how much it is affecting me and my generation. This video really made me think of how much harder we need to work in order to keep up with the rest of the world.

Anonymous said...

After watching this I have become more than slightly concerned. India is becoming a power in this "flattend" world, and we need to be concerned about how long we can remaine on top of things such as innovation. We may become second best to another country in everything we have led the world in for the last decade,this means less jobs in a marketplace that is becoming highly interconnected. In many cases we are no longer the best and our jobs are going over seas, where does this end?? How soon before outsourcing starts to cause major problems in unemployment, and should that happen, should the government step in and do something? This is heading down a road that i dont want to but am forced to think about. We must consider the longterm consequences in continuing to increase outsourcing.

Anonymous said...

I would like to see a documentary made about the other-other side of outsourcing. Besides the lost jobs in America, and the change in the economy and culture over in India, there are huge slums created in other countries in Asia. These people don't try to get into college or become lawyers when they get older, they are 9 year olds who work for $3 a day to survive. Mr. Keller mentioned a "race to the bottom" on environmental issues so companies can produce freely. This is also true for human rights in countries that large corporations like nike operate. I'll bought nike shoes before, but it has made me think twice when choosing a brand. Personally, I now try and choose companies that hold themselves accountable for how they produce their goods. More expensive yes, but I think Americans can spare some of their gifted wealth at the expense of a child laborer.

Anonymous said...

i personally thought that this documentary was amazing. It showed us the other side of outsourcing, compared to the side that we see....which would be from our point of view and how bad it is for us. When i watch the news and they mention outsourcing all they say is how bad it is for America and how it is destroying many middle class jobs.
This documentary showed us that although it may not be the best for us it is helping another country flourish.