Offshore outsourcing anger will ebb in 2004: Gartner

Gartner is full of bullshit, and has the audacity to predict that the economy will rebound in 2004. Lots of us in the trenches are tired of those childish forecasts.

Lynn July 24th, 2003

Have Gartner ever got anything right?
I normally listen to what they say then assume the opposite will happen. As such they have been invaluable.

They should either get someone who has some foresight or stop trying to predict the unpredictable.

Not only WILL there be a backlash, there already IS a back lash against exporting jobs. Unions are ALREADY putting pressure on governments to legislate against outsourcing.

I don’t really think it is an issue though – any company I know of that has implemented outsourcing has lived to regret it and have returned to developing in house.

Anonymous July 24th, 2003

USA economists and marketers have pushed the world into globalization. Ostensibly, it provides the West with a higher standard of living through the acquision of cheap goods made in low-cost overseas centres. However, arguably, there is no improvement in the standard of living because the increased cost of housing during this period has erased any gains. Regardless of this, the price the West pays for globalization is the destruction of the local manufacturing industry, followed by the destruction of the local IT industry, followed by the destruction of all business processing. Anything requiring high labour content is at risk. Call centres, software development, service industries, back-end processing become relocated to wherever they are cheapest. Whats left behind are those at the top, and the industry of 'hot air' - local sales, retail, tourism, etc. Young people are consigned to part time/ temporary jobs as servers of McDonalds and caffe latte's. What is not fully appreciated is that for every job relocated overseas thats potentially one more person being on (local) social security instead of a paid job. It is naive to suggest that all these displaced people can be re-assigned to new industries. Each country needs to generate its own wealth, rather than being simply re-invented into a nation of consumers. You cant locally consume if you dont earn. You cant locally consume if your job is being done by someone in an overseas sweat shop at one tenth the price. Those who are pushing these agenda's will learn all too late that for every one lost local job thats one less consumer, and without consumer's THEIR jobs are ultimately at risk. There is a strong argument globalization brings nothing but pain - albeit it benefits China and some underdeveloped countries. But is this the price we are prepared to pay just so we can buy a few extra trinkets at half the price. The standard of living in the 1950's was supposedly lower than today - but are we better off ? Absolutely not! I would argue we need a lower average standard of living - and if we did, we would be a much happier, egalitarian, and compassionate country with greater employment for all - not just for those at the top. As for Gartner - and their ilk they are leading us into the unknown. They should be treated with the greatest suspicion.

Pete Granger July 24th, 2003

Outsourcing to India is NOT free trade. It may be free, but it is NOT trade. The first world is buying services from India, what is India buying from the first world? Little or nothing. When the UK car industry was outsourced to the Far East, nearly a century of intellectual capital was given away. Then UK now buys Toyota and Nissan cars etc.

Those who choose to ignore the lessons of history are destined to repeat them.

Gartner analysts suggest offshore outsourcing is now a "mega-trend". As with all “mega-trends” they tend to look very foolish with the benefit of hindsight. Gartner, wake-up!!

Me July 25th, 2003

Whilst I do not disagree with the concept of a business trying to operate in the most profitable manner, I do have concerns as to the level of quality and security we are going to have over applications developed offshore like this.

Traditionally it has been shown that when countries as a whole can offer products and/or services substantially cheaper than others, it is usally at the expense of quality.

Additionally, given the current social climate in the world, I'd wonder how much consideration is being given to ensuring that we are not going to end up with a series of application and such that may have purposely designed flaws and such that make those products a risk in certain times and situations.

Finally, I can't help but seeing the risk of modern technologically based sweatshops raising their heads if proliferation of this train of thought continues without adequate policing.

My two-bits worth only and not representative of my employer.

Robert Krautner July 25th, 2003

Booo Hoo are we supposed to feel sorry for them.
No way.
Companies who employ the foreign help(less) centres loose my support; when you have a problem and require help you dont need to struggle with the language problems as well as attempting to resolve the issues.

First they offer cut priced services, then to live up to promises the companies have to pressure the people who obviously cant take it.

Secondly and more importantly, they take jobs out of Australia.
Who in Oz is going to be able to work to pay taxes to fund the dole payments for the genuinely out of work IT personnel.?
Maybe the Indian Govt will send a few million $US our way as compensation.
More globalisation crap.

Thirdly they contribute little if anything to our country in the way of purchasing our exports.

As the song says "Dont cry for me ...."

You cant just have the easy bit guys you want to steal something you have to take lumps as well.

To quote from the original article "assuming false identities, copying foreign accents ..." is this not thieft and / or deception.
Ahh big business ethics, sorry there are none.

terry fake August 11th, 2003

My programming jobs are not coming back in two years' time, so I doubt that I shall be resigned to the situation by then. What is needed is what happened in America at the start of the Depression: a m****ive march on Washington, D.C.

Ian Elliott March 15th, 2005