Well we all know “Outsourcing” has made it big when it has it’s own show on NBC. The first episode starts out with a guy coming back from vacation to find that every cubicle in his office is empty. His manager is sitting at the front of the room eating some sort of bbq substance. He quickly learns that the whole company is being outsourced to India and he must pack up and move right away.
The characters in the show are actually pretty funny. There is one episode where the “bullies” (this is a group who does a higher grade of outsourcing) show up and cause a scene in the cafeteria. The part that is so funny is the fact that each of them can speak in different accents from around America. It was really interesting to think about though. Next time I call to place an order, I could be talking to someone in India who sounds like they live down the street.
Looking at the Cisco case from class, we see that outsourcing has really changed the landscape of some companies. While Cisco used outsourcing to encourage innovation, we learned that it didn’t work so easily and that it actually provided several disconnects in the company. I guess the question is when do you outsource and if you do, why? And lastly, does is always work?
I saw the trailer for this show and it did look funny, but I didn't get to see the first episode. Like you said, the funny part was how the different employees could speak with different accents.
ReplyDeleteI think that this show is a sign of what we are talking about in class about how outsourcing is used by many companies these days and it really can change the landscape of companies, as seen in the Cisco and and Cathay Pacific cases this past week.
I have not seen or heard of this show, but may need to check it out. It is funny to see how companies have gone through so much trouble to have people outside the country sound like people inside the country. I find it interesting how quickly companies addressed the public's frustration when calling customer service and having someone with a foreign accent answer. While I understand the importance of outsourcing to improve business processes, I question the need for offshoring services to foreign countries.
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