Future jobs

So far from the reading of "The world is flat", my view of the working has not changed but rather it just reemphasized my current views. Currently the United States is facing a recession. Many jobs are requiring more skills than before. Not only that, but the employment rate is constanty increasing because many companies are moving some of their factories overseas for cheaper labor. As far as future seniors at Mercer and even other schools, competition for better educatoin would be higher then ever because of the higher level of competition for jobs.

I plan on going into the pharmaceutical field, either to be a pharmacist or pharmaceutical research. Many pharmacies have shortened their staffs because of the advancement of pharmacy technology. Some of the tools that took the place of many hard laborers was ScriptPro. ScriptPro is a machine which can hold up to 200 drugs, normally the top 200 drugs, and fills prescriptions and places labels on the vials.

Back home, one of our local hospitals uses Robot-Rx, which is similar to script pro but is a robot. I feel my future career would be more advanced then it has ever been. Primarily because the advance of technology, but the needs of pharmacy technicians and pharmacies may reduce. Yet today, many pharmacies are in need of pharmacist.

triple convergence

Friedman discusses how the flatteners have all had a combination to result in triple convergence, which create a more "flatter world".

The 1st convergence helps shows us how the ten flatteners came together in way in which all people could see some of the obvious changes in the millinium. For example, Friedman points out a perfect example about the changes in the operation of some of the major airlines. Today, when we go to airports, we don't have to go through all the hassle of purchasing tickets. The beginning of the millineum many people were becoming frequent users of computers. So airline companies implemented in e-tickets. Another good example is Minolta's scanning, emailing, printing, faxing and copying all from the same machine. This help proves that the ten flatterners created a new global field for collaboration.

The second convergence shows how work habits are constantly changing. During this period, different levels of business skills and different personel were formed.

In the third convergence,Friedman expresses how approximately 3 billion people entered the playing field, and were able to play with everybody else. These people was China, India, Russia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Central Asia. This led to cheaper labor and cheaper tools that would eventually flatten the world.

The triple convergence will eventually affect how individuals prepare themselves for work, how companies from various size compete and how countries reorganize their economies. It can also lead to a reshape in political issues.

As the world “flattens”, there are numerous roles in which the government can partake in. Many people agree that competition will increase. Increased competition would lead to difficulty in taxing and polices in some experts views. Yet many feel that the government should use the same techniques as bigger corporations. Some of these tehchniques include but are not limited to the following: outsourcing, supply-chain, insourcing and an open source view towards political processes.

Looking at the bigger picture, we can expect for a flattened government to bring a variety of problems. Many government would focus on “high valued work” from o ther countries. David Rimmer suggests many governments will compete on the following 3 levels: tax rates, productivity of the workforce and the easiness of doing business. He suggests also that increasing the ease would decrease regulation and may improve provided services. Increasing the productivity of the workplace would require the government to find workers outside of their countries.

Nationality would matter at the beginning of the processes. While the world continues to flatten, the importance of nationality would increase, because countries would prefer countries that are willing to accept lower wages.

One problem, I have with the governments being flattened is the possible formation of a global government. Having a global government would unite all countries, in which many would lose their own individual culture values. More information on world government can be found at this website: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/world-government/

There are many criticisms on Friedman's book "The World is Flat". Many criticisms are based on his writing style and his continuous repetitive metaphors he uses. Yet others are more on the defensive side because they disagree on the world being flat.

Ronald Aronica, one of the authors of The World is Flat? – A Critical Analysis of Thomas L. Friedman's New York Times Bestseller , insists that globalization is one of the best events since the industrial revolution. They believe that the world is not flat because of globalization.

Matt Taibbi, is one of the many critics who were focused more so ont he waste of metaphors and language of Friedman. Taibbi review was quite funny in my opinion. When you look at it, many of his opinions were truthful. I agree with Taibbi on the point that most of the book does repeat itself . Below is an excerpt from Friedman's book in which Taibbi disagress with.

As I left the Infosys campus that evening along the road back to Bangalore, I kept chewing on that phrase: "The playing field is being leveled."

What Nandan is saying, I thought, is that the playing field is being flattened... Flattened? Flattened? My God, he's telling me the world is flat

Taibbi explanation of the difference: The two concepts are completely different. Level is a qualitative idea that implies equality and competitive balance; flat is a physical, geographic concept that Friedman, remember, is openly contrastingironically, as it werewith Columbus's discovery that the world is round.

http://www.nypress.com/article-11419-flathead.html

I disagree with Friedman's thoery that five Americas would be created due to the "flattening" of the earth. I feel that if anything it would make people globally more intouch with other cultures and technology.

SHARING IS CARING

I was not sure what to write for this blog. Then it hit me to write about uploading. When Friedman wrote this book, uploading was at a minimum. Today there are plenty of online sourches which frequently use uploading. Yet uploading can range from freeware, community forums, and blogging. Many of us youth use programs such as limewire to upload music, videos etc in which we share with others.

Uploading is one of Friedman's fourth flatteners. Uploading is refered to as anything which people can put online. Below i will give brief information on examples of uploading:

Wikipedia was founded by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales. The key concept for wikipedia was to make a free encylopedia that could be constantly edited. Currently wikipedia is one of the biggest encylopedia to this date.

According to wikipedia, open source software is defined as software in which users can use or improve and redistrubute the software. One open source website is http://sourceforge.net/

Overall uploading, can be be quite beneficial to the world as a whole. Some of the best software programs we commonly use today were based from open source software. For example, MIcrosoft is one of the most popluar computer operating systems that was built off other software.

what is outsourcing

Outsourcing refers to companies that contract with third party companies. Some companies outsource to minimize the cost of running their busienss. Common reasons for outsourcing include the following: tax benefits, reduction of marketing, quality improvement and reduction of costs. Many problems with outscoring deal with language skills of employess and as well as quality risk.

There are many beneifts to outsourcing, which are to save money and to expand their business opportunities.

Personally I do see the cons and pros of outsourcing. Yet at the same time, moving jobs overseas can effect the American economy. I would be more in agreeance with outsourcing if the companies would require their employees to have better English speaking abilities.

flat as a pancake

Have you ever called a credit card company or your computer company for customer service and when someone answers its not the voice you expect to hear? I have and one of the last things i want to hear while im upset about a certain product is someone who can not comprehend what im saying.

As you look around, have you noticed that most of your belongings are no longer American made. Years ago, we lived in a co untry that thrived in making quality products and as well American products. As years have gone by, many companies have closed many of their U.S factories and moved them to countries such as India and China. Listed below are common companies that are outsourcing:

1.)

I love macy's to death but its credit card company is based in a variety of non-english speaking countries.

2.)

Another outsource company is Nike. I am an avid Nike shoe buyer but I get so upset that the $100 shoe im wearing only cost $3 to make and about $10 to ship from countries such as Malaysia and China.

3.)

Another company is Dell.

https://webdrive.service.emory.edu/users/ahutton/index.html

4.)

IBM http://www-935.ibm.com/services/uk/gts/outsourcing.html

5.)

Exxon Mobile: http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2009/gb20090828_057017.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories

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I plan on being a pharmacist and by doing some research, I learned that many pharmacies do outsource. Many of the pharmacies are outsourced for management by companies with very little background in medicine.

http://www.glgroup.com/News/The-Darkside-of-Hospital-Pharmacy-Outsourcing--22329.html

http://www.drugchannels.net/2008/04/mckesson-gets-out-of-pharmacy.html