Module 8

When is the last time any of us were asked to write a report by hand and turn it in? When is the last time we researched such report without the aid of a search engine? When is the last time we registered for our semester classes in person? These are just a few examples I could think of on how computers are used in my education today. 

I use computers in every single aspect of my education. I started the semester by registering for my classes online in my pajamas at midnight of the day my registration opened just so that I could get the best and most relevant classes this semester. Because I work full-time I also looked into as many online classes I could including this one. 3 out of my 4 classes this semester are all online. The only class I have a face-to-face lecture in is still a hybrid class meaning we submit all of our assignments and quizzes using the online portal. 

I have a unique perspective on the education I’m receiving these days. I started my collegiate academic career back in 2003 before I served a 2 year mission for my church and started a family. When I first started, online classes were just becoming a reality. However, we still used computers to write research papers and to complete assignments you didn’t see laptops as prevalently as you do these days in classes to take notes on. Most people that had computers back then were all using desktops or computer labs to complete their assignments. 

Fast forward to today were almost everyone has access to a laptop and if you don’t you can rent one from the computer lab for a day to take to class and take notes on, or to complete assignments from the convenience of wherever you want to. It’s completely up to the student on how they utilize computers these days in their educational experience. As I’m writing this assignment I’m sitting in the living room of my in-laws’ house at a family gathering for this Halloween holiday. I’m enjoying the nice ambiance of family, friends, music, and a roaring fire in the fireplace. I never would have thought when I started my college experience back in 2003 that this is what college learning would evolve into. For some of my online classes we still have lectures, but it’s all by video or live streaming feed. Because of my laptop I can take notes and learn from these lectures wherever I happen to be at that time. This allows a lot of flexibility with my job. 

I think it is leaps and bounds easier these days to work full-time and have a full-time college schedule because of the way computers help us in our education. Most research papers I have to wright these days I can do so from my computer and not have to go to the library or leave the house. It’s not always the case, but I’d say about 90 percent of the time it is. If you know a little about computers it can also cut down drastically on the time it takes to do such research papers or regular assignments. I utilize the “cntrl +f” function a lot when looking up specific things on web pages or online textbooks to be able to find the answers I need without having to read through a lot of irrelevant material to what I’m looking for. There are also some search engines that are more adept to finding academic studies and papers more than others which I trust more when needing to write college level papers. 

In summary, these days I don’t think you can have a rewarding college experience without computers being involved to enhance our learning. We use them for registering for classes, hearing lectures, and submitting our assignments.

Module 7

“I've always enjoyed traveling and having experience with different cultures and different people. But it's also a wonderful thing to be able to benefit and enable research, not only in our country but around the world.” - Laurel Clark

I love to find quotes that have a relation to the way people are affected by the flattening of the world. I think one thing that gives a country comparative advantage over another is it’s proximity to their countries. For example, Canada still remains the number one exporter to the United States due to it’s low shipping costs. Because if it’s proximity it’s able to use trains and semi-trucks to keep it’s costs extremely compared to China that remains number 2 because it has to rely on the ships and plains to export goods. Another advantage a country can have is the right laws and policies that allows companies and small businesses to thrive. Due to China changing it’s laws and policies it was able to enter itself into the world market and produce high-quality low cost manufacturing better than any other country.

“Consumers were getting a taste of power, and once they tasted it, things went from companies being in control of consumer’s behavior to consumers being in control of companies’ behavior. The rules of engagement changed, and if you did not respond and offer customers what they wanted, someone else would, and you would be dead.” (Friedman 456) This quote perfectly illustrates the effect self-directed consumers have on businesses these days. It used to be that companies had all the control and marketed what they wanted consumers to buy and tell them what they needed. These days it’s flip flopped and the consumer has all the control. I know of only one company that is an exception to this and that is Apple. They still market and produce what they want their consumers to buy. The only reason I can see for this is that they’ve always had a large fan-base now matter what they produce. However, if you at their number one competitor, Samsung, they follow consumer direction. They listen to what their customers want and then produce it. 

Now, am I, myself, a self-directed consumer? After a little introspection, I’d probably have to go with no. I look around at things that I own and when it comes to electronics, most are apple devices. Now I’m not saying I just swallowed everything that apple advertised and got it, but when it comes to wanting computers and phones that will last longer than 3 years I had to go where the history led me. Yes, my family has owned apple products ever since the very first “personal” mac computer. So, in part, it is because of the way I was raised, but also because I wanted quality products. I guess I’m a little self-directed in the fact that I did my research on what electronic devices last the longest and was pointed in the direction of Apple. However, Apple IS a company that does like to direct their consumers and tell them what they need before they know they even want it. I’m a little conflicted on this point.

Friedman brings up a valid worry across the globe as the world gets more and more flat.  Does globalization mean Americanization? He points out that America was prominently the nation exposing their brands, movies, songs, and even fast-food chains out across the world. Because of this the world seemed to think that if they accepted these things flooding their markets then they’d have to accept the inevitability of losing their own cultures. I don’t think that’s the case at all. America was just the first country to really take advantage of globalization. Doesn’t mean the we were trying to Americanize the world. If you look at what’s flooding the market these days, I’d say that it’s trending more towards China’s exports than America’s. Which is fine. It means more and more countries are realizing their potential with globalization.

Source:

Friedman, Thomas L. The World is Flat, Further Updated and Expanded, Release 3.0 New York: Picador, 2007

Module 3

MODULE 3:

Offshoring, Supply-chaining, and Google

“Our nation was built by pioneers - pioneers who accepted untold risks in pursuit of freedom, not by pioneers seeking offshore profits at the expense of American workers here at home.” -Ted Strickland

Offshoring is when a company takes one of it’s factories and moves the entire operation over seas to a country that can do the same amount of work, but for a lot cheaper. This is usually due to the company having lax tax laws and extremely low wages. Also some companies look for countries that have a governmental or “universal” healthcare that way they don’t have to take care of that cost either. As we see from most of the stuff we own, one of the best countries for this is China.

Outsourcing in contrast is when a company moves a specific function of their operation to another country usually due to lower wages. When a company is offshoring they are moving an entire production factory or headquarters overseas, however, outsourcing they’ll only move their accounting, customer service, or marketing because of the lower wages of those professionals in other countries. Due to technological advancements this is happing more and more frequently.

“So no sooner does your arm lift a product off the local Wal-Mart’s shelf and onto the checkout counter than another mechanical arm starts making another one somewhere in the world. Call it “the Wal-Mart Symphony” in multiple movements - with no finale. It just plays over and over 24/7/365: delivery, sorting, packing, distribution, buying, manufacturing, reordering, delivery, sorting, packing…” (Friedman 152) I don’t think I could’ve painted a better picture of one of the aspects of supply-chain than when Friedman said this while visiting the mail Wal-Mart warehouse in Bentonville, Arkansas. The main reason for a major company to build a supply-chain? To save money. It seems to be the driving force of every company. How can they maximize profits. This is also true in the healthcare industry as well. The company I work for has a local supply chain building in Utah so that they can buy in bulk the supplies and equipment used in their local hospitals. The second a box of certain medicine runs out at one of our hospitals it alerts the supply-chain warehouse we have to ship another box of that medicine to the particular hospital. When the crate of boxes of medicine starts to get low at the warehouse then it orders a new crate from the manufacturer itself therefore saving moving instead of buying one box of medicine at a time.

Another asset businesses can take advantage of are search engines such as google. With a little ingenuity and know how you can make your business well known just from making it a top result under searches. As long as your business does well at serving it’s customers it can also take advantage of Google Reviews so people who are searching for their product can see who they should trust more. Its really given the advantage to the consumer, but also keeps businesses honest and those that work for the customers will be rewarded as they should be. Another tool Google gives businesses is allowing them to advertise on related websites.

Businesses can also use Google tools to what people are searching for the most in their area. They can turn around this information and use it for their marketing targeting a specific area.

All in all offshoring, supply-chaining, and Google has made a significant impact for the business world and how they can increase profits.

Source:

Friedman, Thomas L. The World is Flat, Further Updated and Expanded, Release 3.0 New York: Picador, 2007