Comments on: Looking for a Job in the Global Economy? http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/ The MBA Graduate Program at Cal Poly Fri, 18 May 2012 16:45:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Chris Phippen http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17996 Chris Phippen Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:24:13 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17996 Nicholas brought up an interesting point with this article about India outsourcing to the United States; it being ironic that we are trying to move our call centers overseas while they are just sending them right back. I agree with Leslie in the respect that call centers are indeed something that need to exist, no matter where they are. It really is a great idea because it does create many jobs in an economy that has been hurting recently for work. They may seem like low-priority jobs, but someone has got to do them. And the fact that India wants to use the US instead of China or another top country is great because it shows they think highly of the way we work and how we do business. It shows that they can trust us with their services. Nicholas brought up an interesting point with this article about India outsourcing to the United States; it being ironic that we are trying to move our call centers overseas while they are just sending them right back. I agree with Leslie in the respect that call centers are indeed something that need to exist, no matter where they are. It really is a great idea because it does create many jobs in an economy that has been hurting recently for work. They may seem like low-priority jobs, but someone has got to do them. And the fact that India wants to use the US instead of China or another top country is great because it shows they think highly of the way we work and how we do business. It shows that they can trust us with their services.

]]> By: Chase Janvrin http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17969 Chase Janvrin Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:00:20 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17969 I think we've been taking the readings a little too seriously. While reading the Post American World, and The Elephant and The Dragon, it's easy to be a little fearful of the state of the States. But while this blog addresses a unique, and I think humorous, fact that call centers are coming back to the States, all of a sudden we're finding a way to be upset that jobs are returning home. Isn't that what we want? Who cares if they're entry level jobs, people need them. Perhaps I am naive, but I actually do think everything will work out well. I have faith in America and Americans, and while there is no arguing that India and China are both taking bigger pieces of the pie, I think there's enough pie to go around. And even if someday the pie pan is licked clean, leave it to America to cook up another one. I think we’ve been taking the readings a little too seriously. While reading the Post American World, and The Elephant and The Dragon, it’s easy to be a little fearful of the state of the States. But while this blog addresses a unique, and I think humorous, fact that call centers are coming back to the States, all of a sudden we’re finding a way to be upset that jobs are returning home. Isn’t that what we want? Who cares if they’re entry level jobs, people need them. Perhaps I am naive, but I actually do think everything will work out well. I have faith in America and Americans, and while there is no arguing that India and China are both taking bigger pieces of the pie, I think there’s enough pie to go around. And even if someday the pie pan is licked clean, leave it to America to cook up another one.

]]> By: Leslie Mann http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17942 Leslie Mann Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:08:18 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17942 No whining, I promise, but I must play the role of devil’s advocate regarding call centers and the almost tangible hatred of them. Having worked in a call center for a number of years (not Dell or AT&T, thank you…) I can safely say they are not necessarily the evil we all portray them to be. Call centers are supposed to be a service, not a frustration and while I do agree that high quality products and services should be expected, providing a customer support center or phone number to call is still the right move for most companies. It is the way the call centers are set-up, the way the callers are trained and the infused evil stereotype of call centers themselves that are the problem. If a customer has a question, it may not be to the fault of the product and that customer has a right to get their questions answered. Whether it is answered by an American or Indian, that all depends on the company and the amount of complaints it gets I guess. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I needed to report fraudulent activity on a recent credit card of mine, I really didn’t care who was on the other end of the phone call or where they were in the world, so long as they provided the service I needed. No whining, I promise, but I must play the role of devil’s advocate regarding call centers and the almost tangible hatred of them. Having worked in a call center for a number of years (not Dell or AT&T, thank you…) I can safely say they are not necessarily the evil we all portray them to be. Call centers are supposed to be a service, not a frustration and while I do agree that high quality products and services should be expected, providing a customer support center or phone number to call is still the right move for most companies. It is the way the call centers are set-up, the way the callers are trained and the infused evil stereotype of call centers themselves that are the problem. If a customer has a question, it may not be to the fault of the product and that customer has a right to get their questions answered. Whether it is answered by an American or Indian, that all depends on the company and the amount of complaints it gets I guess. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I needed to report fraudulent activity on a recent credit card of mine, I really didn’t care who was on the other end of the phone call or where they were in the world, so long as they provided the service I needed.

]]> By: Matthew Perez http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17937 Matthew Perez Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:13:12 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17937 If I learned anything from economics, it is that companies are profit-maximizing entities. They will do whatever makes the most sense in terms of meeting their bottom lines. As such, as long as there is a sufficient demand for call centers in the United States, they will exist. However, if a consumer continues to buy a product from a company despite the fact their call center is in another country, than there was not enough demand for a local call center. The point I am trying to make is that if a person is concerned about having a job in this global economy, pick one that there is a market for. If you want to work in a stable job in a particular area, find one that fits the area. Operating a Bugatti dealership in San Luis Obispo would probably not be one of them. In all, you must weigh the opportunity costs of your decision. If I learned anything from economics, it is that companies are profit-maximizing entities. They will do whatever makes the most sense in terms of meeting their bottom lines. As such, as long as there is a sufficient demand for call centers in the United States, they will exist. However, if a consumer continues to buy a product from a company despite the fact their call center is in another country, than there was not enough demand for a local call center. The point I am trying to make is that if a person is concerned about having a job in this global economy, pick one that there is a market for. If you want to work in a stable job in a particular area, find one that fits the area. Operating a Bugatti dealership in San Luis Obispo would probably not be one of them. In all, you must weigh the opportunity costs of your decision.

]]> By: Vitus Holzner http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17925 Vitus Holzner Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:45:31 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17925 I am 100% with Alex and Will on that one. I think America won’t be able to compete against emerging countries like china and India on the lower end of the wage scale. In my home country Germany we face very similar challenges. We are a nation of very high social standards, making labour an extremely expensive production factor. No German company can compete on the low cost segment of the market. They need to differentiate themselves by delivering high quality products and engineering excellence. Germany registers more patents per capita than any other nation in the world. Well and I believe that’s where the money is. We should stop whining about call center jobs that are shipped to Bangalore and focus on how we can grow and retain a highly educated, resourceful workforce that invents complex, high-value goods. Resources: http://www.whu.edu/cms/fileadmin/redaktion/LS-UnEx/Knowledge_Wharton.pdf I am 100% with Alex and Will on that one. I think America won’t be able to compete against emerging countries like china and India on the lower end of the wage scale.
In my home country Germany we face very similar challenges. We are a nation of very high social standards, making labour an extremely expensive production factor.
No German company can compete on the low cost segment of the market. They need to differentiate themselves by delivering high quality products and engineering excellence. Germany registers more patents per capita than any other nation in the world.
Well and I believe that’s where the money is. We should stop whining about call center jobs that are shipped to Bangalore and focus on how we can grow and retain a highly educated, resourceful workforce that invents complex, high-value goods.

Resources:
http://www.whu.edu/cms/fileadmin/redaktion/LS-UnEx/Knowledge_Wharton.pdf

]]> By: Jeff http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17903 Jeff Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:26:42 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17903 I wrote earlier in a blog I submitted on "Who's Outsourcing to Who" where I detail several examples where India companies were outsourcing to the U.S. In one case, the programming of GUI's and the more technically difficult modules of the software were coming to the U.S. because the Indian programmers "were better at rote programming" and if more creativity was needed, it could be done faster and more efficiently by the U.S. programmers. There's no doubt that the U.S. needs to have a better way of getting innovation out of the classrooms and into products. We don't currently have a good system to do this. I am given hope that we will improve in this aspect because this quarter I've been taking Dr. York's Entrepreneurship course, and he's been discussing how to translate ideas into reality. I've also been to several well attended seminars that address the issue. With this kind of attention, I think we as a nation are starting to get the idea. I wrote earlier in a blog I submitted on “Who’s Outsourcing to Who” where I detail several examples where India companies were outsourcing to the U.S. In one case, the programming of GUI’s and the more technically difficult modules of the software were coming to the U.S. because the Indian programmers “were better at rote programming” and if more creativity was needed, it could be done faster and more efficiently by the U.S. programmers.

There’s no doubt that the U.S. needs to have a better way of getting innovation out of the classrooms and into products. We don’t currently have a good system to do this. I am given hope that we will improve in this aspect because this quarter I’ve been taking Dr. York’s Entrepreneurship course, and he’s been discussing how to translate ideas into reality. I’ve also been to several well attended seminars that address the issue. With this kind of attention, I think we as a nation are starting to get the idea.

]]> By: Jordan Wente http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17818 Jordan Wente Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:08:45 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17818 Its crazy to think about the affect globalization will have future of our country. What really does make Americans different from foreigners? I agree with Erica the one thing we do have going for us is our history of entrepreneurship and taking nothing and turning it into something great. I think culture plays a big role in entrepreneurship. Indian’s may be learning these traits but will it really be useful outside of India? One of the reasons entrepreneurs are successful is because they recognize an opportunity based on a problem or need that hasn’t been met. But is there a cultural factor in all of this? I think so. In order to recognize the need you have to understand the problem and the culture. Indian’s will surely excel at entrepreneurial ventures within India because of their ability to understand the culture and recognize an opportunity. I just have to question how successful they will be at recognizing an opportunity in a different culture. The ability for Americans to continue to recognize opportunities in their own culture is why I think that American entrepreneurial spirit will sustain itself in the future. However, it will be interesting to see what the future of other American jobs will be. On a different note, I think the line on what jobs can and cannot be outsourced has already been drawn. The line depends on whether or not it will be profitable for the company to outsource. This includes customer service arguments. If customer service complaints affect profitability then the decision to outsource is clearly not the right one. Its crazy to think about the affect globalization will have future of our country. What really does make Americans different from foreigners? I agree with Erica the one thing we do have going for us is our history of entrepreneurship and taking nothing and turning it into something great. I think culture plays a big role in entrepreneurship. Indian’s may be learning these traits but will it really be useful outside of India? One of the reasons entrepreneurs are successful is because they recognize an opportunity based on a problem or need that hasn’t been met. But is there a cultural factor in all of this? I think so. In order to recognize the need you have to understand the problem and the culture. Indian’s will surely excel at entrepreneurial ventures within India because of their ability to understand the culture and recognize an opportunity. I just have to question how successful they will be at recognizing an opportunity in a different culture. The ability for Americans to continue to recognize opportunities in their own culture is why I think that American entrepreneurial spirit will sustain itself in the future. However, it will be interesting to see what the future of other American jobs will be.

On a different note, I think the line on what jobs can and cannot be outsourced has already been drawn. The line depends on whether or not it will be profitable for the company to outsource. This includes customer service arguments. If customer service complaints affect profitability then the decision to outsource is clearly not the right one.

]]> By: Frederick Peemoeller http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17816 Frederick Peemoeller Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:58:30 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17816 I agree with Alex on this. Mustering up the nerve and calming myself down to actually call someone is something I have a hard time doing. When I hear of people that use a product in which they had to call a center to figure out what is going on, I quickly make a mental note and make sure I never purchase it. The fact that call centers are being improved doesn't make me think to buy a product that is notorious for issues that a customer cannot solve by him or herself. Its about quality! I agree with Alex on this. Mustering up the nerve and calming myself down to actually call someone is something I have a hard time doing. When I hear of people that use a product in which they had to call a center to figure out what is going on, I quickly make a mental note and make sure I never purchase it. The fact that call centers are being improved doesn’t make me think to buy a product that is notorious for issues that a customer cannot solve by him or herself. Its about quality!

]]> By: John Barry http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17606 John Barry Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:20:00 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17606 Outsourcing to the United States should not strike fear in anyone's heart as it does not mean that the U.S. is losing some "war for dominance" with other parts of the world. With the American dollar cheaper than it has been in quite sometime, and our workforce desperate for work, it is only prudent to seek help from American workers. We are no longer finding our economy strong enough to support even the most highly educated of us, so the days when the average American psyche considered jobs in call centers "beneath" us may in fact be coming to an end. Specially now that the world has in fact flattened with the introduction of the internet, our all encompassing educations may in fact hurt the average American. The narrow and focused technical educations received abroad seem in my opinion to be more highly sought after than ever in this new online world we live in. Furthermore, when one takes a look at the average developers creating software, and earning large paychecks for their work, it is typically people whose first language is not english. Outsourcing to the United States should not strike fear in anyone’s heart as it does not mean that the U.S. is losing some “war for dominance” with other parts of the world. With the American dollar cheaper than it has been in quite sometime, and our workforce desperate for work, it is only prudent to seek help from American workers. We are no longer finding our economy strong enough to support even the most highly educated of us, so the days when the average American psyche considered jobs in call centers “beneath” us may in fact be coming to an end.

Specially now that the world has in fact flattened with the introduction of the internet, our all encompassing educations may in fact hurt the average American. The narrow and focused technical educations received abroad seem in my opinion to be more highly sought after than ever in this new online world we live in. Furthermore, when one takes a look at the average developers creating software, and earning large paychecks for their work, it is typically people whose first language is not english.

]]> By: William Ary http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17596 William Ary Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:20:45 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2007/china/looking-for-a-job-in-the-global-economy/#comment-17596 It is clear to me that there is no one place that does anything better than another. I agree with Thomas Friedman's thesis that in the future economy, people will be selected for jobs because they are the best fit out of anyone in the world. Since employers can find good people anywhere, only the very best or those with very specific skill sets that are in demand will be hired. If those skills are available from workers in the USA, China or India, work will simply go to the worker willing to work for the least compensation. It is a testament to the power of the current recession that the place people will work for the least is the USA. I guess it was about time. It is clear to me that there is no one place that does anything better than another. I agree with Thomas Friedman’s thesis that in the future economy, people will be selected for jobs because they are the best fit out of anyone in the world. Since employers can find good people anywhere, only the very best or those with very specific skill sets that are in demand will be hired. If those skills are available from workers in the USA, China or India, work will simply go to the worker willing to work for the least compensation. It is a testament to the power of the current recession that the place people will work for the least is the USA. I guess it was about time.

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