 Getting Your Share of the Pie The Global Effects of Outsourcing
Instructions: Match the vocabulary word on the left with the correct definition on the right. You will need to unscramble the vocabulary words first! If you need some assistance, all of the words can be found in the reading exercise. Good luck!
___________________________________________________________________________ Instructions: Read the text and complete the comprehension and writing questions that follow. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturers have spanned the globe in search of the cheapest labor they could find. The borders and distinctions between countries are continuing to erode thanks to the intricate web of multi-national economic agreements and the proliferation of Internet technology. What was once embraced as a marvel of this new globalized society is now viewed with suspicion and scorn. In the 1990s, China witnessed an economic rebirth as countless overseas companies decided to set up shop in China and take advantage of the country’s vast pool of cheap manufacturing labor. This process became known as ‘outsourcing’, and it is quickly shifting the balance of global markets. What were once viewed as ‘developing’ countries, are now rivaling global powerhouses such as The United States and Great Britain for a piece of the economic pie. “Forrester, an American research firm, has estimated that by 2015, America is expected to have lost 74,642 legal jobs to poorer countries, and Europe will have 118,712 fewer computer professionals.” (The Economist, Nov. 13, 2004) In North America, we are bombard daily with media reports about the devastating consequences of ‘outsourcing’ and the staggering job losses. In order to mitigate some of these fears, it might be beneficial to briefly examine how we arrived at this business model. 1 Since Henry Ford’s mass production of the Model T in 1913, companies have continually reorganized the way they do business. There was a time when everything was produced in one factory; now, numerous subcontractors and outside agents are involved in the production process. Ultimately, contracts are awarded to whichever subcontractor can provide the cheapest price. Thanks to the proliferation of the Internet and improved telecommunications, businesses are now able to ‘outsource’ much of their white- collar work to ‘specialists’ in developing countries such as India and Mexico. 2 For instance, whenever you call the customer service line regarding your Dell Computer, recently purchased at a downtown Toronto store, chances are you will be speaking to a customer service agent in India. Indians have become “expert” call center representatives and consequently, have been awarded numerous outsourcing contracts from such companies as: Amazon.com, Wal-Mart and IBM. Furthermore, as global transportation costs continue to fall, more and more Canadian and American manufacturing jobs will be ‘outsourced’ to cheaper overseas competitors. 3 So, is it all “doom and gloom” for Canadian and American workers? Can we expect to see a drastic increase in unemployment in the near future?4 Economists are apt to disagree with this prognosis because any technology or change in manufacturing which leads to lower production costs tends to stimulate economic growth. In other words, ‘outsourcing’ brings more profits, which in turn leads to lower prices. When the consumer has lower prices, (s)he has more capital to spend which results in the creation of more jobs as companies compete to create new products and services to satisfy product-hungry consumers. 1. The word “intricate” (in the 1st paragraph) is: (a) a noun (b) a verb (c) an adjective (d) an adverb 2. Find a synonym in the second paragraph for the word “attacked”. ___________________ 3. What does the author mean when he says “So, is it all doom and gloom for Canadian and American workers?” (in the last paragraph)? Restate in your own words. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT: (a) Outsourcing may prove to be economically beneficial to the Canadian consumer. (b) IBM and Wal-Mart have taken advantage of outsourcing. (c) Forrester is an American outsourcing firm. (d) India has taken advantage of the global trend toward outsourcing. 5. The author has removed the following sentence from the article: In recent years, Russia, Brazil, the Czech Republic and China have emerged as vital manufacturing hubs for automobiles and countless electronic items. Indicate where this sentence logically belongs by circling the square # to add the sentence to the paragraph. 6. Why does the author say: “In order to mitigate some of these fears, it might be beneficial to briefly examine how we arrived at this business model.” (in the 2nd paragraph) ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ? Extension Questions for Writing top Answer the following questions using sentence format. Share your opinions with your classmates. 7. In your opinion, what do you think Canadians can do to reverse this trend towards outsourcing? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 8. What is one important skill that we should possess in order to be successful in this highly-competitive globalized economy? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Style Issues The following is a list of strategies to improve the effectiveness of your writing: 1. Using Active & Passive Voice: (a) The passive voice is preferred when the actor is unknown or unimportant. [example] The car was assembled in Oakville. (b) The passive voice is often used when discussing history. [example] The war was fought over oil. (c) Use active voice whenever the actor is more important than the action. [example] The children ate pizza for lunch. (d) Avoid mixing active and passive in the same sentence. [example] He cut the grass and watered the flowers. 2. Substandard Forms: (a) “Ain’t” is not used as a negative form of “to be”. (b) “Alright” is an incorrect form of “all right”. [example] You look pale; do you feel all right? (c) “Kind of a” and “sort of a” are incorrect. Do not use an article with these expressions. (d) The preposition “of” is not required when using “off”. [example] The glass fell off (e) In a comparison, the correct form is “different from”, not “different than”. [example] Today is no different from yesterday. (f) “The reason is because” is incorrect and should be written as: “the reason is that”. [example] The reason I can’t make the meeting is that I will be out of town all next week. 3. Incorrect Usage: (a) Remember that “between” is used when discussing two persons/things; whereas, “among” is used when discussing three or more persons/things. (b) “Amount” is used with uncountable nouns; whereas, “number” is used with countable nouns. (c) “In” is used with non-motion verbs; whereas, “into” is used with motion verbs. (d) When you “borrow” something, you “receive”, but when you “lend” something you “give”. Instructions: Correct the style problems in the following questions: 1. Kathryn distributed the candy among the children, Ali and Sonia. 2. Laborers built the new addition to the hospital at a cost of 17 million dollars. 3. When you’re finished reading that novel, can you borrow it to me? 4. As we approached the harbor, a rainbow could be seen by us. 5. I was in such a hurry that I only had time to dash in the store and pick up some milk and bread. 6. The light was turned off by me as I exited the room. 7. Noah bought a kind of an mp3 player that can hold almost 1,000 songs. 8. His tuxedo was put on by Taylor before he went to the reception. 9. Alison plays the piano and the violin is played by her also. 10. The reason I was late was because I was held up in traffic. 11. What kind of a person do you take me for? 12. The Clintons ain’t coming to the festivities next week. 13. It looked like a terrible collision; fortunately, I think everyone is alright. 14. Soldiers fought the Civil War in the mid nineteenth century. 15. The pencil rolled off of the table. 16. The new edition is not much different than the old edition. 17. I was surprised at the number of news coverage about the municipal scandal. 18. Jean-Paul teaches English during the day and marathons are run by him on the weekends. 19. The baklava was eaten by David last night. 20. If you practiced more, your hand-eye coordination could be improved. J Can you spot the errors in these sentences? HINT: They all involve commonly-confused words. 21. My doctor adviced me to take it easy and get lots of sleep. 22. Alison excepted the offer to chair the finance committee. 23. By the time I arrived, everyone had all ready eaten. 24. Don’t worry, it’s only a little further. 25. Beside Gabriella, no one else knows how to do it. 26. That meal was delicious and I don’t think I have any room for desert. 27. Did you know that its raining? 28. These pants are too lose; I think I need a smaller size. 29. The party was quiet noisy, so I had them turn down the music. 30. I recently immigrated from Mexico. |
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