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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.

Convergence 1 - (pg 204 of 3.0 edition, Friedman) "The convergence of the ten flatteners had created a whole new platform. It is a global, Web-enabled platform for multiple forms of collaboration. This platform enables individuals, groups, companies and universities anywhere in the world to collaborate - for the purposes of innovation, production, education, research, entertainment, and, alas, war-making - like no creative platform ever before" This website provides free online courses in a variety of topics. It collaborates with Universities, Libraries Museums, and Professional Associations across the world to provide these resources. It is really free learning, the only fee is if you want a Certification of Participation at the end. Otherwise it is a really great online set up for learning, that goes week by week (much like our D2L, or eConestoga) with activities, readings, articles, discussion boards, videos etc.

This is not a test! Looking ahead to 2020, the U.S. proportion of the global talent pool will shrink even further as China and India, with their enormous populations, rapidly expand their secondary and higher education systems.

In writing my paper on Shift I reflected a lot how technology globalization and fragmentation are impact the stress felt at work. This in an interesting article burnout norms of Western work culture.

This bookmark shows through a animated graphic the change in employment rate since 1980. It's interesting to see how the different countries are affected by employment trends, such as the 1980s recession, 2008 recession, stock market drops and other further world events. According to the graphic and the accompanying article, it shows that the US was hit harder than Canada during the 2008 recession but recovered sooner.

This article analyses both the positive and negative impacts of technology upon the jobs skills and indutrial working-pattern which The Shift focuses on. The digital technology has added a great deal of quality to productivity and industrial services, official work trends and has also created new jobs such as web designing, internet operator and so on. But it cannot be without negative consequences. The "new technologies have also shrunk or even eliminated other industries and the jobs associated with them 9e.g., electronic typewriter)." This is similar to what Gratton's reference to robot soemwhere in the book.

This article works as one of the best examples to understand the new trends, the global chaining which has extensively been elaborated by Friendman in his book The World is Flat. When the Starbucks face a cost problem in its operational system, the company applied certain improvement steps and made drastic changes: a plan for organization, simplifying the complex, "one world, one logistics system," and earning the company's confidence.

I found this article as a useful resource to understand the importance of "collaboration" in the new market or business trend known as the global supply chain, which Freindman braodly explains in his book The World is Flat. The industries in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector have "identified collaboration with partners as their highest strategic priority." This article outlines six actions that manufacturers and retailer partners can take to ensure a successful supply chain.

I've included this discussion paper with an international flavour that shows the impact of climate change on various sectors across the globe. As stated in unit one, climate change will affect every part of our lives and have an impact on employment in many sectors. The aim of the paper is actually to create employment standards; the most important part is the first ten pages when it describes the potential impact on work. It will help provide a better understanding of the far reaching impact of climate change in the upcoming years and how we can best adapt ourselves.

In the Shift, Gratton mentions globalization and the increased shift of jobs overseas. This link (it's actually an audio podcast) speaks to what Gratton states is the increase of jobs to Asia and India and information on this practice. It is interesting that they note that outsourcing does not have to simply be done overseas - a firm can outsource anything if it gives it to another firm - and it also speaks to how offshoring jobs isn't always the best option and can even end up costing the business more money. It also provides an outline of the benefits of sending jobs overseas, but also the benefits of keeping certain parts of the business in country and why large businesses may actually refute what Gratton is proposing .

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 relates to the TED Talks video by James Hansen that we watched this week. The article describes the way in which environmentally unfriendly jobs such as work in the Alberta Oil Sands needs to be slowed down however so many people are employed there, they are unwilling to give it up. The article also states that climate change will dramatically affect outdoor employment such as construction jobs, postal jobs and landscaping. These workers will be forced to adapt to hotter working conditions which can in turn affect one's health. It is also important to note in the article that they give alternatives to work with the changing climates. Green jobs are readily available for people who are willing to make the career change. This is an interesting article and definitely worth the read!

Joseph (Joe) C. Shenker, one of the most decorated attorneys in the US market shares some lessons from an institution that has built one of the best brands in the business on the sturdy platform of stewardship - there is a great section in this interview on Globalization, Footprint & Client Service

This is part of The Globe's Wealth Paradox series , a two-week examination into how the income divide is shaping Canada. Income levels for most Canadians haven't changed much in recent years, but for one group: The wealthy are pulling away from the pack.

This article explores the anger many Canadians felt over outsourcing. However, the author believes that Canada must learn to deal with this, as it is something that has happened before to us (with manufacturing) and is not happening to other countries as well (manufacturing is moving from China to Vietnam)

This is an extended excerpt from a book about the evolution of capitalism. I really liked how it got me thinking about the workings of capitalism and linked up with last week's readings about the future of work and the global market, and the need to look at things differently.

This article related to chapter 6 of the The Shift, where Gratton outlines how Gen Y-ers like John and Susan seek social engagement over personal financial success. It also discusses a recent rise in 'social entrepreneurship', where young graduates are creating their own social change start-ups as a way to fulfill both their need for employment and sense of social responsibility.