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This article describes ways in which small independent artisans can fight back against the competition of large megacompanies. Although in Chapter 9 Stanford mentions that independent businesses are negligible in the large scheme of things, I think it is interesting to look at competition from this point of view. Also, upon reading this article, I think that these kinds of more personal purchasing interactions may become more popular in the coming world as Etsy is another online marketplace, similar to ones mentioned by Gratton in The Shift.

This article is very helpful in guiding businesses/industries on how to remain competitive, and the importance of doing so. It offers many links and tools for assessing one's company in relation to its competition, and offers explanations on how to accurately follow and implement their guidelines. This article is a simplified tool for expanding a business and improving its competitiveness, or ensuring that they remain the leading competitor in their industry.

Knowing who your competitors are, and what they are offering, can help you to make your products, services and marketing stand out. It will enable you to set your prices competitively and help you to respond to rival marketing campaigns with your own initiatives.

I think this link relates to this weeks talk about competitiveness in the economy. It looks understanding who a companies competitors are as well as actions that can be taken to improve your own competitiveness.

In 2008 the Municipal Finance Officers' Association published a 27 page document that I find quite fascinating. It addresses the challenge that municipalities have in finding a balance between embracing local strengths, working within the framework of government and competing on a global scale. It breaks Ontario into different regions, talks about each regions' strengths, identifies stakeholders and suggests ways that all parties can work together to strengthen Ontario's competitiveness on a number of scales.

As the globalization trend continues to impact our workforce, there have been many studies and explorations into the preventative strategies for employees to utilize as they continue along their career path. Due to the mass shift towards integration, many individuals have become unemployed because they lack more than one set of skills and knowledge, and do not have a repository of relevant information to rely on. This article provides a few preventative measures for those within the IT industry, but these practices can also be applied to related fields and professions, as it advocates the idea that employees must become competitive and obtain more than 1 specific talent in order to remain ahead of the crowd and stay employed.

This article takes a very positive stance on Canada's current offshoring climate. Currently 50% of Canadian companies surveyed are outsourcing at least 10% of their work, creating an industry worth between $2.5 and $3 billion in Canada. But, according to the article, Canadian companies are offshoring not only because of cost efficiency and good productivity, but out of necessity. Apparently there are just not enough Canadians willing or able to fill all of the jobs that IT companies are offering. I have a hard time believing what this article says is true, since it is coming from the vice President of i-Gate Canada himself (one of the most successful outsourcing companies in Canada). I would like to see more research to support his words.

This article discusses the challenges and impacts to the labour and career markets, and provides some techniques and strategies for Human Resource departments within organizations to use to combat and diffuse the impact of global competition. These techniques are crafted for each actor involved within the global issue, and provides advice for the HR departments, as well as managers and individual employees to attempt in order to diminish the outcomes. The article not only emphasizes the importance of managing the organizational structures and its employees, but also highlights the significance of career development to the future of work. The idea that HR departments not only need to manage their current employees, but also must take developmental steps towards implementing a recruiting system that seeks the most talented workers from a global labour pool. The future of work relies on the combined efforts of individuals seeking to become self-aware and pursue their aspirations, with the supportive and developmental efforts of the HR department, to ensure that the future of the workforce is positive and continues to innovate and create new opportunities for employment and employee satisfaction/fulfillment.

An article reviewing the economic effects of outsourcing, measuring both goods and services, since 1963. It also discusses the impact on wages and the employment rate. I chose this article for this week based on the list of "Flatteners" Freidman described, both because they were included in his list and because it seems to me to be an important feature of globalization--that in the ruthless competition of capitalism, there will always be a value in inequality to create the cheapest sources of labour. This is something mentioned very early in the chapter (as related to the moderate poverty of the Soviet system) but I believe it's also important to think about when picturing a world that is increasingly connected and a playing field that seems equally leveled.

As we talk about mastery and transitional learning in order to make one competitive, I present an article on how long one should stay in their jobs and the risks one takes of staying too long. It makes the definition between job hoppers, steady employment and those who cling to their jobs. An interesting read

This is a short article from the Globe and Mail addressing the concerns of "Cloud Computing" in the business world, which is relevant as one of Friedman's flatteners. It also links to chapter three through the second topic in terms of horizontal business where you are able to do more yourself, the same principle is true with cloud computing - more can be done in-house with its use limiting the need for other tech/people.

"For career skills, the focus is on performing well enough to produce a result that's meaningful to you. For personal skills and hobbies, the focus is on enjoying the process and having fun. In these instances, the "10,000 hour rule" and the idea of "mastery" can actually serve as barriers to sitting down to practice - if you believe it takes that long to see results, you're less likely to start in the first place. The real priority is to practice enough to get the results you're looking for, not to attain a certain level of status or competitive performance."