Free Essay

Outsourcing Jobs

In: Business and Management

Submitted By 1491
Words 810
Pages 4
ABSTRACT A review of the Fair Labor Standard Act should be accomplished periodically to ensure employers are not taking advantage of workers. The Fair Labor Standard Act provides various guidelines, however, this paper addresses minimum wage, annual adjustments to minimum wage, hours worked, overtime pay, and groups covered. Based on research and analytical analysis, the Fair Labor Standard Act needs to be updated in the area of minimum wage, annual adjustments to minimum wage, and teenage groups which includes workers under twenty and employed for first ninety days. However, based on research, the Fair Labor Standard Act’s guidelines for hours worked and overtime pay appears to be satisfactory to protect workers from being overworked and compensated properly.

According to Chase, Aquilano, and Jacob (2001) (Chase, Aquilano, & Jacobs, 2001), outsourcing is an intentional act of transferring some or all of a company's activities to an outside provider. Outsourcing may result in loss of control of responsibility for decision making . There are numerous reasons for a company to outsource activities that they currently manage. A few of the reasons for outsourcing are to enhance effectiveness by focusing on what you do best, increase product and service value, obtain expertise, skills, and technologies that are not otherwise available, gain market access, and reduce labor cost for the company (Milkovich, Newman, & Gerhart, 2013). However, along with advantages to outsourcing, there are disadvantages when a company decides to outsource its activities. Often layoffs occur, employees may be rehired, but at a lower wage, psychological impact to laid off or rehired workers, and change to economy in short and long term (French, 2006).
This review of outsourcing jobs and its effects will focus on job outsourcing and will consider the affects of a company deciding to outsource jobs, and the workers and economies of both countries involved in an outsourcing decision to include monetary and psychological impacts.
Reasons and Effects - Company's Perspective
As per Milkovich, et al. (2013), a company must account for several types of expenses to provide a product or service to consumers. He indicates that a company's labor expense is the largest of all expenses and can range between 60-75 percent of overall cost to deliver a product or service to consumers. According to Scott, Morajda, McMullen, and Sperling (2006) (Scott, Morjada, McMullen, & Sperling, 2006), total compensation paid to an employee is more than base pay. Total compensation also consist of short and long-term incentives and benefits such as medical, life insurance, and possibly education reimbursement (Milkovich, et al., 2013). A company should evaluate the labor market on a regular basis to ensure it is not over or under paying and seek opportunities to analyze alternative staffing options to reduce labor cost when aligned to strategic strategy of the company (Trevor & Graham, 2000).
As per Dessler (2013), (Dessler, 2013), sending jobs out to external vendors for producing products or providing services is an extreme example of alternative staffing. However, there are some that have a different view of outsourcing as an extreme alternative staffing option. According to Miller (2009) (Miller, 2009), it is extremely viable and appropriate to outsource activities that are consider transactional or jobs that are not unique to the business itself. Examples of transactional activities would be accounting or service desk activities for a furniture company. Each company needs to evaluate its current activities and perform a labor market analysis to determine if outsourcing is appropriate to achieve their strategic goals (Milkovich, et al., 2013). (Milkovich, Newman, & Gerhart, 2013)
One example of a company that outsourced jobs to reduce labor cost is WatchMark, which is based out of Seattle, Washington (Haugen, Musser, & Lovelace, 2009). WatchMark is in the business of developing advanced software for cell phone companies that helped companies determine if cell phone towers were working properly and provided tracking for the number of calls dropped over a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. WatchMark's labor force consisted of 18 software engineers responsible for developing, programming, and debugging software to meet consumer's specifications (Haugen, et al., 2009) (Haugen, Musser, & Lovelace, 2009).
WatchMark's average labor cost for each engineer, total of 18, prior to outsourcing was $80,000 annually (Haugen, et al., 2009), and the total annual labor cost for software engineers equaled $640,000. WatchMark outsourced software engineering activities with a company located in India for 20 software engineers with average annual labor cost of $5,000 (Haugen, et al., 2009) and total annual labor cost for software engineers was reduced to $100,000. This outsourcing action, by WatchMark, resulted in an annual decrease of labor cost of $540,000.
Based on WatchMark's decision to outsource jobs, it is apparent WatchMark could not overlook the annual labor cost savings they would experience. WatchMark is only one example of the labor cost savings that can be achieved through outsourcing. Acccording to , is one example of labor cost a

References

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Outsourcing Jobs

...Outsourcing Jobs I think it is interesting to know the positive and negative arguments about outsourcing. On one hand, there is the current uproar about illegal immigrants swarming in to the U.S. to do the jobs that Americans don’t want to do. And on the other hand, there is the continuing outcry about jobs going overseas. This would be the outsourcing of jobs that Americans would be willing to accept if the corporations were not so adamant about improving their bottom line for their stockholders. So, what is outsourcing and offshore outsourcing? By definition, “outsourcing (or contracting out) is often defined as the delegation of non-core operations or jobs from internal production within a business to an external entity (such as a subcontractor) that specialized in that operation. Outsourcing is a business decision that is often made to lower costs or focus on competencies” (Miller, 2010). A good example of outsourcing is janitorial services. Instead of a company training several people for the position, they can outsource these tasks to another organization that specializes in recruitment services. This way they can save the time from hiring and training, and the work output should be of the highest quality. Offshore outsourcing is referred to as, “work done for a company by people in another country that is typically done at a much cheaper cost” (Miller, 2010). These services are outsourced elsewhere to countries other than where the goods and services are actually...

Words: 2350 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Outsourcing Jobs

...In response to the article on “Outsourcing Jobs: The Myths and Realities” by Martin N. Baily and Dian Farrell, it surprised me to learn there could be positive effects to the American economy as a direct result of outsourcing jobs overseas. Typically, I have read mostly about the unsatisfactory results that are given attention in the daily headlines. Jobs sent overseas means less jobs here at home; where does this leave the common American worker in the wake of this economic shift? After reading this article, I’m having a difficult time accepting there can be a positive effect to this transition. Since the emergence of outsourcing or offshoring, in the 1990’s, corporations have been implementing the allocation of resources in increasing numbers. In the beginning of this article, it details how much U.S. companies are saving by shipping white-collar jobs overseas. “For every dollar of corporate spending that moves offshore, American businesses save 58 cents. Companies can reinvest the savings in new business opportunities, pay additional dividends to shareholders, or both. Moreover, because wages are lower in the relevant foreign labor markets, companies can hire more (as well as better-qualified) workers to do the same job, and spend more on supervision and training (Baily and Farell, 2010).” This, in theory, sounds like a win-win situation, for both the U.S. and foreign economy where the jobs are being created in. U.S. Companies cut costs, and countries, like...

Words: 866 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Outsourcing Jobs to Foreign Countries

...Outsourcing jobs to Foreign Countries Cedric Jones Axia College IT 105 Skills for Learning in an Information Age Rebecca Baiges February 18, 2007 2 Outsourcing American Jobs to Foreign Countries hurts the American Workplace due to the shortage of jobs. Have you every felt like in today’s job market having just a high school diploma wasn’t sufficient enough when it came to competing in today’s job market? Now, high school graduates have to really think hard and way every option before making that life changing and final decision before graduating. Do I pursue a college degree or do I take a chance and enter the work force. That kid that really had it rough in high school and all he or she was trying to do is graduate and receive their diploma and take a break from school, now is faced with another challenge. Do they have enough skills to compete in today’s job market. It’s really sad to say, that in today’s job market you see more people with college degrees applying for jobs at Target, Sears, Wal-Mart, Kmart, and even J.C. Penny. It’s really sad to say that you see more people with college degrees flipping burgers and dipping fries at McDonald and Burger King. You would think with all that money that was spent to acquire a degree, you could have it your own way. You would think with a college degree you could set your own course, but those days have come and gone. 3 Have you ever picked up the newspaper and evaluated...

Words: 1618 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Outsourcing Jobs to Low Wage Countries

...Outsourcing Jobs to Low Wage Countries Research and Key Issues Business outsourcing, a practice that was previously shrouded in controversy has become commonplace, not only among technology firms but also the IT departments of established companies in various industries. The bulk of overseas outsourcing, a practice that involves companies in economically developed nations shipping jobs to businesses in developing countries, has expanded after the practice became fashionable during the period of economic boom in the mid 1990’s. During this time, the outlook of the practice remained relatively unchanged, though this seems to be changing. For instance, firms that deal with outsourcing are starting to consolidate, resulting in larger providers who offer a wider range of services. Niche providers are also coming forth. Additionally, developing nations such as China and India are in direct competition with one another (Sornarajah 277). India has been the traditional outsourcing –services leader. Initially, outsourcing was the preserve of the larger companies, but now even the smaller and mid-size businesses are beginning to outsource jobs. Additionally, the previous practice was to outsource large projects, for instance call-center operations and basic application development. Today, as outsourcing is becoming more commonplace, companies are beginning to outsource smaller projects such as research and development (R&D) and scientific projects to external providers. Many developments...

Words: 2993 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Outsourcing Jobs May Lead to a Weakened Economy

...Outsourcing jobs may lead to a weakened economy Anne Onyambu ENG 1000 Ms. Lorrinda Khan November 11, 2011 A popular theory states that something is not worth doing if it earns you less than your hourly wage, imputed or otherwise. For example, if you make $120 an hour and you can hire someone experienced to mow your lawn for $20 an hour then, you should go ahead and pay for the service instead of doing it yourself. This will leave you free to use your time where you can earn $100 an hour hence create more value for yourself and many others. Of course, you can mow your own lawn, but you will be losing a value of $100, if there is an opportunity to earn $120 an hour and can get someone experienced, who earns $20 an hour to do your lawn. This is the essence of outsourcing, to save costs and hence create increasing value for stakeholders in organizations. The prevailing trend of outsourcing to foreign countries has become an issue of major concern of all representations of the common people all over the world. Specifically, in America, outsourcing of American jobs has become a big topic. Many jobs are being outsourced to other countries, like China, India, resulting in job scarcity and leaving the American population unemployed. Outsourcing refers to the practice of contracting with third companies or vendors outside the organizations, usually in another country, to deliver products and services to local customers at a cheaper price. The practice of outsourcing is a...

Words: 1051 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Offshore Outsourcing Jobs in the United States

...Offshoring, also known as offshore outsourcing, is the term that is used to describe the practice among companies located in the United States on contracting businesses beyond U.S borders to perform services that would otherwise have been provided by in-house employees in white-collar occupations. The term can be applied to U.S. firms that are offshoring the jobs of blue-collar workers on textile and auto assembly lines, for example, which has been taking place for decades. The extension of offshoring from U.S. manufacturers to facilitate providers has heightened public policy concerns about the extent of job loss and foregone employment opportunities among American workers. This concern was especially relevant to policymakers because of the national unemployment rate persistently exceeding 9% despite the end of the Great Recession in June 2009 . The outsourcing of service sector jobs from the United States was a response to the early 1980s recessions when employers narrowed their focus to the company’s core mission and contracted peripheral activities (e.g., janitorial duties) to other U.S. businesses. The 2001 recession caused employers to seek further efficiencies by tapping into the global supply of labor. U.S. businesses were able to outsource overseas the jobs of white-collar workers in some service providing industries as a result of widely disseminated technological advances that permit low cost, good quality, and high speed transmission of voice and data communications...

Words: 2569 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Outsourcing American Jobs

...Outsourcing: America’s Job Killer Javier A. Arocho Axia College of University of Phoenix COM 120 Effective Persuasive Writing Carl L’Esperance August 6, 2006 Abstract In my paper “Outsourcing: America’s Job Killer” I will be covering the effect that outsourcing has on the American people. Job losses, higher unemployment rate, and lower economy are the results caused by outsourcing jobs to foreign countries Try to imagine American’s going to work early in the morning, same routine for over 10 years at the same job. They arrive at their desk to find a memo from their CEO announcing an important meeting taking place that day for all employees. During the meeting their CEO announces that in two weeks their company of five hundred or more employees will be closing for good because they are relocating the business to a foreign country. Now in two weeks they will be unemployed from the job that they gave 10 years of excellent service, and they have to start all over again. This is what happens to hard working American’s when companies decide to offshore their business to foreign countries. Outsourcing jobs to foreign countries create job losses in the United States. American jobs are becoming scarce every year. More companies are deciding to outsource, because it saves them more money. There are people in other countries that are more than willing to work longer...

Words: 1657 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

The Negative Impact Of Outsourcing Jobs

...1.) OUTSOURCING JOBS AND ITS IMPACTS Outsourcing jobs from developed countries to undeveloped or developing countries is on the rise. Outsourcing is a very controversial topic and its impacts are large, varying from business to business. Logistics management, software development to design everything these days is being outsourced to countries like India, China mainly due to cheap labor and cost cutting being the prime reasons behind it. Outsourcing however as it may seem as a loss of opportunities in the countries outsourcing the jobs, it is incredibly beneficial to the countries the jobs are outsourced to. The positive impact of outsourcing outweighs the negative impacts of it. How is it positive and why is it necessary? In...

Words: 1027 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Outscoursing

...Effects of Outsourcing Name Institution Effects of Outsourcing Abstract Outsourcing is the practice of assigning a firm's business progressions to an outside agency for the purpose of improving service quality, driving innovation, or developing benefits of lower labour costs (Burkholder. 2006). Intercontinental outsourcing occasionally known as offshoring is a significant facet of economic globalization. Since outsourcing hints to more specialization, it is anticipated to reduce production expenses and to raise productivity. This study uses micro data on American firms to investigate the effects of international and domestic outsourcing on the economy at large, jobs, the production quality and the its ethnic view in the United States. It is based on a unique survey on outsourcing covering the period 2001 to 2013 over a decade of study. The survey allows one to distinguish between domestic and international outsourcing and between outsourcing of core and support activities. This article will highlight the changes that have been observed since the initiation of the outsourcing practise to its impact on the areas of study in sub-topics. Introduction The conflict has been going on from at least the 1880s, when the first New England textile mills initiated moving its manufacturing process to the Carolinas. Whatever name it goes by be it runaway plants, outsourcing, global sourcing, offshoring workers and the public tends to have mixed fillings towards it, executives view it as...

Words: 2874 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Outsourcing

...Outsourcing is an important part of Globalization. The choice to outsource U.S. jobs should be taken into great consideration as there are many segments into which it effects greatly. Also, outsourcing is a great option for a company who needs a certain project completed who do not have the man power or the money to hire a new employee, companies can outsource based on projects in the U.S.A. or abroad. Often outsourcing is a way to save money, but there can be unexpected costs as well. While it can be both a benefit to a customer it can also be a reason to avoid doing business with a company due to it. The decision to outsource is certainly not one that any organization should enter into lightly. There are many reasons to consider outsourcing to foreign countries. A few of the most significant advantages of outsourcing include the most well-known reason to consider outsourcing is to access cheaper labor. Workers in developing countries are paid far less than workers in developed countries due to the lower cost of living. Often these workers are not unionized as well, which further helps with cost cutting. At the same time outsourcing U.S. jobs to a foreign country can create a detrimental blow to the reputation of a company. In 2002 when T-Mobile was established the television spokesperson was Catherine Zeta Jones, a very classy and beautiful actress. Customer service call centers were based in the United States and there was never an issue that could not be...

Words: 1277 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Ethics Outsourcing

...report is written in efforts to evaluate ethics of outsourcing and the dilemmas involved. | Ethics of Outsourcing Outsourcing has been the target of many positive as well as negative topics amongst many Americans. The United States economy has taken many hits and efforts to reduce costs have resulted in increased outsourcing in labor as well as service industries. The ongoing debate of whether outsourcing is unethical does not fall only in the act of outsourcing itself but also in the terms to which outsourced employees are treated. The question of whether mass layoffs are justifiable or ethical toward employees who are dedicated to corporations for so many years and whether resorting to illegal labor is ethical are also derivatives of outsourcing. We continue to ask ourselves if this form of cost reduction and its effects on the U.S. employees morally ethical? In these challenging economic times, there has been a large array of speculations towards the subject of outsourcing jobs to other offshore destinations. Outsourcing has been going on around the world for a large amount of time before now. Though it seems to be more of a negative topic of discussion during the fall of the American economy, it is important to realize the positive global impacts it has created. It is still considered a morally challenging topic, but there are both advantages and benefits that are being reaped around the world from outsourcing. Outsourcing has been a leading marketing tool for allowing...

Words: 3472 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Global Outsourcing

...Thesis: American labor markets are in decline because of global outsourcing which has created jobs overseas, with fewer regulations for the environment and lower costs of operation.   Introduction: Outsourcing can happen to almost anyone. It happened to me. I woke up like any other morning. Went to McDonalds for a cup of coffee and then headed to work. Unlike every other morning though I came to work with my department shut down with no warning and an emergency meeting to tell us that we have been outsourced and are not longer needed. Many American jobs everyday are being outsourced to other countries thus hurting the economy of America and the countries that are getting the jobs. Outsourcing is the practice by which a company hires another company to do some aspect of its work. In this presentation I am going to talk to you about three main points: What are the benefits to companies pursuing an outsourcing agenda, the drawbacks to companies pursuing an outsourcing agenda and the drawbacks to the U.S. economy of the pattern of outsourcing. I. What are the benefits to companies of pursuing an outsourcing agenda? a. According to Farrell (2002) At the top of the list, is the financial impetus. To date “cost savings are still a key outsourcing benefit,” with the reduced cost of transferring labor to external settings or even overseas, coming from the access to new markets. (Farrell, 1) b. In the IT world especially, this benefit is paired with...

Words: 1294 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Ethical Dilemmas of Outsourcing

...University Abstract Outsourcing is the catchphrase shaking up the worldwide financial environment. Offshoring or outsourcing has changed the way many businesses and individual coexist today. Each person today, respects many aspects of offshoring/outsourcing and we have learned that more organizations are using different assets from offshoring to pick up a business advantage. With the changing worldwide economy, and the inordinate expenses connected with keeping an employees at a staffed capacity, a large number of today's organizations and partnerships are outsourcing the generation of merchandise and administrations to outside firms with an end goal to cut expenses. While numerous experts contend that this can decimate nearby economies by cutting employments at home. There are numerous disservices to offshoring which affects our American workers and families and the practice of offshoring has taken a turn in the direction of an unethical practice. For laborers in the US, various occupations are lost permently, numerous workers need to increase new abilities, due to dimished wages because of the intensity of abroad laborers. Fundamentally, American laborers are presently compelled to contend on a worldwide level, as are organizations in this global commerce. Offshoring: The Future of American Workers Offshoring and outsourcing are words that many use interchangeably. Nevertheless, there are keen variations between the two. Outsourcing and offshoring are a result...

Words: 1380 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Telecommunications

...This paper describes the situation at the United States (US) based company, Global Communications (GC) in the telecommunication industry. Different challenges and opportunities at GC are discussed. The paper continues by discussing the different stakeholders' perspective/ethical dilemmas and continues by framing a problem statement for the Global Communications situation. An expected end state situation is then described for GC scenario. The paper continues by analyzing different alternative solutions to the Global Communications situation , the risk for each solution is described and an optimal solution from a numbers of alternative solutions is selected. An implementation plan for the selection solution for the Global Communications situation is described and a metrics to monitor the plan is presented. This paper concludes by reviewing the selected solution to the situation and discussing the expected result. Issue and Opportunity Identification As a result of competition from cable companies, the United States based company, Global Communication (GC) is losing market share and profitability in the telecommunications market. The traded stock value has dropped from $28 to $11 in a two year period and stockholders are receiving diminishing returns (University of Phoenix, 2006). The stockholders have lost confidence in the management. Management is under pressure to renew stockholders confidence by increasing returns on the stock and the traded stock value. Senior management...

Words: 2824 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Facts About Outsourcing

...Running head: FACTS ABOUT OUTSOURCING 1 The Facts about Outsourcing Lawrence Smith Professor Barron Columbia College FACTS ABOUT OUTSOURCING 2 Abstract Globally, businesses have undergone unprecedented changes because of technology, the internet, and improved educational systems around the world. There are so many moving parts to having a successful business; nowadays, many organizations are outsourcing their non-core activities to external agents. Outsourcing is becoming an increasingly accepted practice for both small and large businesses of today. Outsourcing has quietly grown into a standard operating procedure for many organizations. This rising use of outsourcing represents a paradigm shift in the way companies conduct business. In today’s business environment, every company is looking for ways to reduce costs. Many are now turning to outsourcing as a weapon in their cost-cutting arsenal. But outsourcing is about more than shrinking budgets and reducing headcount. This paper will explain the term outsourcing and address why organizations prefer to outsource some of its functions in today’s business environment. Also, discussed in this paper will be the advantages and disadvantages of the outsourcing process and its rewards and risks towards the organization. FACTS ABOUT OUTSOURCING 3 The Facts about Outsourcing The word outsourcing could be described as the contractual relationship with a specialized outside service provider...

Words: 3013 - Pages: 13