Difference between revisions of "Talk:Lecture 9"
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Looking back at the second part of lecture on outsourcing, there is a series of graphs showing how rates of employment in the IT industry have gone up and down over the past few years. In the most recent years, there has been a lot of jobs lost in the IT industry folloing a period in the late 90's and early 2000's where there was a really high degree of growth in the industry. Looking at the breakdown of how specific job functions changed over time, it appears as if outsourcing could have had a strong impact because those fuunctions are easily outsourced. So it seems like all those programers could have lost their jobs to outsourcing, but i wonder how big of an impact the high degree of enthusiasm and fast growth in tech industry had on that. Does anyone have any idea? | Looking back at the second part of lecture on outsourcing, there is a series of graphs showing how rates of employment in the IT industry have gone up and down over the past few years. In the most recent years, there has been a lot of jobs lost in the IT industry folloing a period in the late 90's and early 2000's where there was a really high degree of growth in the industry. Looking at the breakdown of how specific job functions changed over time, it appears as if outsourcing could have had a strong impact because those fuunctions are easily outsourced. So it seems like all those programers could have lost their jobs to outsourcing, but i wonder how big of an impact the high degree of enthusiasm and fast growth in tech industry had on that. Does anyone have any idea? | ||
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| + | == Is Outsourcing the Fleecing of America? == | ||
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| + | (User: John) As a Boeing engineer, I have had many opportunities to observe the econimcs of outsourcing, first hand. In the vast majority of cases, outsourcing occurs for reasons unrelated to reduced labor costs, which of course, is the most frequently touted rationale for outsourcing. The argument that American business cannot compete in the international arena because of high labor costs has always been ludicrous. No, there is something else in the outsourcing equation that compels big business to outsource - especially offshore outsourcing. We live in a time when the robber barron is again king. We have gone through this cycle, most recently during the 1890-1930 time frame. The cavalier attitude of big business towards American workers caused the rise of the AFL and the CIO. It caused the Depression and the intervention of the federal government into the business arena. Today, business has forgotten that it is well-paid American workers who buy those goods they make. It appears to me that we are in the midst of converting from a national economy to an international economy. Such a change is good for non-Americans and some companies that cannot compete without extremely cheap labor. It is not good for Americans generally, however. The U.S. economic boom started during WWII continued through to the 1980's as a national economy. Our real wages and spending ability was unparalled. Worker's political power was at its zenith. America had highly trained workers, economic stability, safe working environments, and what appeared to be a bright future. Enter the over inflationary policies of the Federal Reserve Banks in the late 1970's and the advent of Reaganomics, and we have seen a continuous decline in the national economy ever since. Deregulation has not helped the aircraft industry, nor the airline industry. Systematic destruction of labor unions has not helped the workforce of America. I wonder what will happen to America if we have to produce our own goods during wartime? Hmmmm. | ||
Revision as of 02:32, 6 December 2004
Looking back at the second part of lecture on outsourcing, there is a series of graphs showing how rates of employment in the IT industry have gone up and down over the past few years. In the most recent years, there has been a lot of jobs lost in the IT industry folloing a period in the late 90's and early 2000's where there was a really high degree of growth in the industry. Looking at the breakdown of how specific job functions changed over time, it appears as if outsourcing could have had a strong impact because those fuunctions are easily outsourced. So it seems like all those programers could have lost their jobs to outsourcing, but i wonder how big of an impact the high degree of enthusiasm and fast growth in tech industry had on that. Does anyone have any idea?
Is Outsourcing the Fleecing of America?
(User: John) As a Boeing engineer, I have had many opportunities to observe the econimcs of outsourcing, first hand. In the vast majority of cases, outsourcing occurs for reasons unrelated to reduced labor costs, which of course, is the most frequently touted rationale for outsourcing. The argument that American business cannot compete in the international arena because of high labor costs has always been ludicrous. No, there is something else in the outsourcing equation that compels big business to outsource - especially offshore outsourcing. We live in a time when the robber barron is again king. We have gone through this cycle, most recently during the 1890-1930 time frame. The cavalier attitude of big business towards American workers caused the rise of the AFL and the CIO. It caused the Depression and the intervention of the federal government into the business arena. Today, business has forgotten that it is well-paid American workers who buy those goods they make. It appears to me that we are in the midst of converting from a national economy to an international economy. Such a change is good for non-Americans and some companies that cannot compete without extremely cheap labor. It is not good for Americans generally, however. The U.S. economic boom started during WWII continued through to the 1980's as a national economy. Our real wages and spending ability was unparalled. Worker's political power was at its zenith. America had highly trained workers, economic stability, safe working environments, and what appeared to be a bright future. Enter the over inflationary policies of the Federal Reserve Banks in the late 1970's and the advent of Reaganomics, and we have seen a continuous decline in the national economy ever since. Deregulation has not helped the aircraft industry, nor the airline industry. Systematic destruction of labor unions has not helped the workforce of America. I wonder what will happen to America if we have to produce our own goods during wartime? Hmmmm.
