by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: April 22, 2008   Last Updated: February 10, 2011

The advantages of outsourcing are many, but they often don't outweigh the disadvantages. Outsourcing, as seen in the context of international business, is shipping your raw materials to other countries and having your garments, your shoes, your toys, whatever, made by foreign workers. This is done because it is cheaper to pay the shipping costs and to hire people who work for far less than what you would have to pay workers in your own country. In this case and for this purpose 'you and our' refers to the big conglomerates that control the manufacturing and the outsourcing. It is nothing personal, only a manner of making the subject clearer.

Most of our manufacturing, or at least too much of it is done in this way. What it does is take away the jobs from the people and put them on welfare. It is a situation that, as far as business practice is concerned has gone too far, but how can the US turn back the clock and become the productive country we once were. Speaking of the United States although probably other countries have the same problem.

If it were not for that big word 'if', this country would still be hiring its own workers and they would be working at living wages jobs and doing something beneficial each day that needed to be done. The economy would not be lopsided and octopus like in shape. In other words the business concerns would not have its arms stretched out in all directions raking in whatever everyone else produces. It might be well to ask ourselves what do we need with so much accumulations?

Then, another thought says think again. Outsourcing to other countries, seen in another light, is good. Even if the workers in evolving countries are working at lower wages, they are working and they are not necessarily complaining so should we complain? We cannot compare our overly stuffed lives to those who go hungry every day. There, mothers are satisfied if they can feed their children, they are not concerned that they cannot buy them expensive footwear, or in the summertime, any shoes at all. It is good enough that they make them for us as long as we pay them money and they can feed their children.

I say we and yet, being only another big mouthed uncouth crude American, what do I know of how the rest of the world lives. I don't, but I when I do see, I try to be fair and equitable and as fair as possibly I can. I understand that the world evolves with or without our input and the best we can do is to at least try and be helpful. With that in mind, and to get back to the thought of outsourcing, why not? It keeps us in contact with the rest of the world and that can never be a bad thing. (You and I both know that were we in charge the situation would not be in such shape. Right? Wrong. Let's face it it would probably be worse.)

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