Wednesday, June 4, 2014
TWIF Chapter 1 Reflection
After you have read and taken notes on Chapter 1, "While I Was Sleeping," use one of the current events sources linked at http://svhs-hwc-fall2014.blogspot.com/2014/06/approved-sources-for-twif-current.htmll to find a recent news article that relates to, supports, or refutes Friedman's assertions. Your comment should include the title of the news article, a link to the article, and a summary of the article including an explanation of how the article relates to an issue addressed in chapter 1 of TWIF. Don't forget to check your rubric for evaluation criteria!
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ReplyDeletehttp://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/what-i-learned-the-hard-way-about-outsourcing/?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A15%22%7D
ReplyDeleteWhat I Learned (the Hard Way) About Outsourcing
By Rebekah Campbell
This article is about the author’s personal experience with outsourcing and the results she had attempting to outsource her business idea. Rebekah Campbell is the founder of a tech company and she wanted to develop an app, but she lacked the money for developers in the US so she outsourced to India. The local engineers cost $100,000 and year, but for $180,000 she got six engineers including a manager in India. Unfortunately on her first attempt, the team in India had other projects they were working on and they did not get her idea fully due to their lack of communication so the app was never finished. Then, after she took her losses she hired her own team of two engineers in the US who then found a team in India willing to devote their time to the product. These senior engineers lead the operation to make sure progress as being made overseas while dealing with large parts of development. Again, the project was a failure. This time, she fired the whole team and hired an in-house team. Now, she owns a successful company which now uses call centers which are outsourced to foreign countries and they are doing a great job. She even has her own team of 15 in Manila of the Philippines. She recommends for others that want to go down the same track to meet the team, treat the team like you would treat a local team, research the country you wish to outsource to, and possibly visit the team in person. This article directly relates to Chapter 1 of The World is Flat because Thomas L. Friedman spends the whole first chapter about his findings when he traveled the world and how companies are beginning to outsource to other countries such as India which was used in the article above. Although, throughout the first chapter Friedman is talking about outsourcing in a positive away and avoids the down sides to hiring a team for a cheaper pay. Of course this is only one person’s experience and in the end it worked out great anyway. This article is just warning companies to be aware of who they are outsourcing to.
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ReplyDeleteHow Cyberwarfare and Drones Have Revolutionized Warfare
ReplyDeletehttp://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/how-cyberwarfare-and-drones-have-revolutionized-warfare/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A15%22%7D&_r=0
Tim Hsia and Jared Sperli, the authors of this article, believe that in the future, even as close as the next few decades, will be dominated solely by cyberwarfare and drones. Now, the drone operators can make important decisions based on what they seem fit. These drone operators don’t have to be generals or admirals in order to make important decisions that could greatly impact the war. This reminded me of a part in chapter 1 of The World Is Flat when Friedmen travels to Iraq and learns that wars have been flattened through computer technology. Also, he learns that low-level officers and enlisted men can make important decisions using this new technology.
"Here's how an American furniture maker battled globalization, for his employees"
ReplyDeleteby, Jeb Sharp
http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-07-15/heres-how-american-furniture-maker-battled-globalization-his-employees
In the first chapter of The world is Flat, the author discusses the idea of globalization, but he focuses a lot more on how it positively affects the world. This article, on the other hand, focuses on how globalization can have a negative impact in certain ways. It outlines how cheap labor in China can take jobs from American workers. Specifically, it looks at the furniture business. A man named John Bassett owns a furniture company, but is determined to allow the majority of his American workers to keep their jobs. It is tough to compete with companies that use cheap labor from foreign companies like China. However, he realized that China's way of making products violates rules that were put in place when they joined the World Trade Organization. He filed a case against China and won it, which certainly helped his company. This article goes along with Friedman's idea of globalization, but shows in a greater way how it can have a negative impact.
Source Information:
ReplyDelete“Accent Neutralization and a Crisis of Identity in India’s Call Centers” by Shehzad Nadeem
From “The Guardian” online newspaper
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/09/india-call-centres-accent-neutralisation
The article “Accent Neutralization and a Crisis of Identity in India’s Call Centers” gives information about the Americanization of young Indians who work in call centers. The author, Shehzad Nadeem, describes name changes, accent neutralization through phonetics classes, and the difficulties of the job such as staying polite with difficult customers, permanently working the night shift, and using correct grammar. This account parallels Friedman’s observations in Chapter 1 when he visited the 24/7 Customer Call Center in Bangalore (pages 21-29). Friedman discusses almost all the same concepts including unfailing politeness (22), accent neutralization (26-28), and name changes (23). Friedman concludes that Americanization is not a bad thing because it allows Indians to remain in their homeland while still making “a decent salary” (28) and having opportunities to go to school during the day (25-26). The newspaper article, on the other hand, shows the Americanization as very negative for the Indians; Nadeem even describes it as “cultural self-alienation.” In conclusion, the article describes many similar aspects of outsourced call centers as Friedman does, but Nadeem feels negatively towards the cultural nullification while Friedman feels that is a small price to pay for a good opportunity. This article helped me learn the different perspectives on cultural neutralization at call centers, and led me to conclude that I agree with Friedman’s argument and not Nadeem’s because Friedman supports his ideas with logic, several interviews, and salary data, while Nadeem mostly argues with his personal feelings and fewer supporting facts.
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ReplyDeleteCall centers: Returning to Mexico but sounding 'American'
ReplyDeletehttp://america.aljazeera.com/features/2014/3/mexico-s-call-centers.html
In The World is Flat, Friedman discusses globalization in the first chapter. He explains how many companies are outsourcing jobs to India to receive their customers’ phone calls. To train for this job, Friedman says that the employees must learn to speak English in an accent that is familiar to the caller. This news article describes the story of Angel Perez and how he got a job in Mexico for TeleTech, a large outsourcing firm. The article relates to Friedman’s statement about outsourcing because Perez easily earned his job at TeleTech because, although he lived in Mexico, he was raised in Texas and was taught English in school. Because Perez could already speak English, TeleTech did not have to teach him, making Perez the perfect employee for the job.
"Online sites shake up hidebound retailing in India" by: Associated Press
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/online-sites-shake-up-hidebound-retailing-in-india/2014/08/14/2a290a6a-2384-11e4-8b10-7db129976abb_story.html
In chapter 1 of The World is Flat, Friedman tell us of all the American companies that have started doing business in India, and of all the success they are having. Today, investors see India as the world’s next big e-commerce opportunity. Online sales in India are nothing compared to that of the U.S.'s, but their numbers are without a doubt rising. The Associated Press reported "Flipkart, a Bangalore-based company founded in 2007 by two former Amazon employees, last month announced it had raised $1 billion in mostly foreign capital after building its registered users to 22 million."
U.S. Finds ‘Backoff’ Hacker Tool Is Widespread
ReplyDeleteBy Nicole Perlroth
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/secret-service-warns-1000-businesses-on-hack-that-affected-target/?ref=international
In the first chapter of TWIF, Friedman talks about the technology that helps people find work, stay in their home country, brings opposing countries together in work, and even helps out the military. However he also states that this technology can be used by anyone, including terrorists and hackers. This news story backs up his ideas by informing people of a hacker that hit Target cash registers a few months ago and now has spread to other businesses in the United States. This matter is so serious that Homeland Security, along with the Secret Service, the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center and their partners in the security industry, have all been working on it. This news article proves that people can abuse the power of technology.
"Outsourcing 2.0: India May Now Become a Hub for Creative Work"
ReplyDeleteBy: Manya Gupta
http://www.pri.org/stories/2012-04-20/outsourcing-20-india-may-now-become-hub-creative-work
In chapter one of TWIF Friedman talks about how many IT firms are outsourcing to India. Now, apparently, India has developed a service to let the arts be outsourced, giving India even more global credibility. The article talks about Drew Smith, an independent, Canadian musician was looking for a new angle to present to his audience for his new single "Smoke and Mirrors". Drew managed to find an Indian dance studio that gave him a quality product, for a fraction of the cost. Drew has manage to acquire over two hundred thousand views on YouTube using the video created in India. This story shows that India is determined to put themselves equal to, or higher than the western business powers of old in a fair, level playing field.
ReplyDelete“Big Retailers Face Resistance in India” By: Christopher Werth
http://www.pri.org/stories/2012-09-19/big-retailers-face-resistance-india
In Chapter 1 of The World is Flat, Friedman discusses how India is converting to an American business supporter. Many companies in India are outsourcing American work. Friedman also describes the American businesses and how there are now signs of those companies on golf courses. Now, many stores in India are closing to protest the opening of large, Western retailers such as Wal-Mart. The Indian government tried doing this in 2011, but the plan backfired in opposition.
"Deported Mexicans Find New Life At Call Centers" by Associated Press
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/deported-mexicans-find-new-life-at-call-centers/2014/08/22/87cc207a-29b1-11e4-8b10-7db129976abb_story.html
This article describes how Mexicans who have been caught and are being deported from the United States are then going to Tijuana, Mexico where they will work in a call center. Here these deportees will be paid much less money and will spend eight hours a day making calls to the United States about overdue bill, warranties and taking complaints from callers. Although this life is very different from what they were used to, living in America, some would say their deportation is necessary. Friedman goes on to say in "While I Was Sleeping" that outsourcing to India was a smart decision for these centers. Both call centers were outsourced from the United States in order for them to cost less for the company while running at the same if not higher efficiency.