Chapter 6: Work

Tom Burtless                                                                                        Class time:11 – 11:50

KEEP THIS TO 1-3 – PAGES LONG (excluding reference page)

Author: Sara Baase

Date of Publication: 2008

Book: A Gift of Fire

Sections read: 6.1 – 6.3

1. (Knowledge)Tell three interesting elements of this chapter:

a.  Computers were thought to eliminate a lot of jobs, however due to technology, employment increased 6% overall between 2003 and 2006.

b. The unemployment rate was 4% in 2000, which is lower than throughout most of the century.

c.  Roughly 55% of woman-owned business are home-based businesses.

2. (Comprehension) Summarize what is being discussed within this chapter?

In this chapter, Baase talks about how computers, the internet, and technology in general have changed the employment frontier.  Baase first discusses the fears had by many that computers and other sorts of technology would eliminate a lot of jobs.  And while they did eliminate some, they created a variety of others.  From there, Baase touches on off-shoring and outsourcing jobs.  Baase talks about how white collar jobs like engineering and IT positions have been off-shored, and the ethical ramifications behind this practice.  Baase closes out 6.2 talking about how a variety of online resources have now been made available for people to not only obtain new jobs but find out more about the company they work for. However, having a large range of social networking leaves you vulnerable for companies to see what you can be like outside of work.   In 6.3 Baase talks about how telecommuting has changed the work environment, and the benefits/problems that have come along with it. 

3. (Application)Name a specific example or NEW solution for this type of problem/similar situation in society or that you have experienced – be specific and EXPLAIN?

In 6.3, Baase discusses the benefits and problems of telecommuting and the allowance of technology to create jobs at home.  This part of the chapter reminded me growing up and my best friend Ben’s parents whom both worked at home with separate businesses.  His mom owned an interior design company and his dad owned a radio show.  Now both of their companies relied heavy on computers(his dad recorded his radio show on a Mac, and his mom had a client base on her Mac as well).  When I would go over there we would run through his house as kids do, and make a mess of things.  However, we could never go into the rooms that housed their computers for fear of damaging them.  Baase discusses a benefit of telecommuting or working at home as being able to be around your children more (p. 328  Baase, 2008).  However, what if a child (like me or my friend) breaks a laptop that has a client list or a new radio show?  I never thought about it too much back then, but reading through this section all I could think about was the potential damage my friend and I could’ve caused his entire family by the click of a button. 

4. (Analysis)Address ANY that apply. How can you compare one of the situations in this chapter to something that does not relate to computers, technology, or the Internet? Be sure to reference the chapter and your solution. What ideas NEW can you add to the issue that is being presented within the reading? Try to connect what you have by reading this article and how it applies to the stages in Bloom's taxonomy.

The idea of off-shoring and hiring engineers and IT personal in other countries is a similar situation to what outsourcing did to factory and manufacturing jobs (p.319 Baase, 2008).  With both situations of outsourcing manufacturing jobs and off-shoring knowledge work jobs, the solution lays within the company’s hands.  They decide the importance of supporting our own local economy or obtaining a (potentially) larger profit.  This is an ethical question raised by Baase with many variables(p.322 – 333 Baase, 2008).  A new idea that can be added to this section of this chapter would be to consider entire industries being outsourced.  Consider an app development company.  App development companies don’t require physical files, it just requires software and coding files. What if an industry like app development completely moves out of our country and to another country because companies want to save money and they can just obtain all the files and resources over the Internet?  What if instead of just job positions entire IT and knowledge work industries move overseas? 

5. (Synthesis) Address all that apply. Do you agree with what is being said within the article (Why/Why not? Back up with FACTS)? What new conclusions can you draw about this (or other topics) after reading this material?

I agree with the position Baase takes on job creation through computers.  Instead of employment declining, it rose from 2003 to 2006 by 6% (p.311 Baase, 2008).  Over ten million people worked in information technology jobs in the U.S. in 2004 (p.311 Baase, 2008).  Clearly this shows that computers are not causing a massive raise in unemployment as feared by many (p.308 Baase, 2008).  After reading this chapter, I’ve drawn conclusions that computers can not only enhance company production and proficiency but have caused increases in employment and employment opportunities. 

6. (Evaluation) Address all that apply. Judge whether or not this topic is relevant in today’s society? Evaluate why you are viewing the topic in this manner based on your experiences. What ethical evaluations (see Chap1-1.4 for exp of Ethics) or decisions were made/can be assumed from this chapter? What new ideas will you make after reading this chapter?

Half the things discussed in this chapter are only relevant in today’s society.  Discussions of telecommuting and how social networking has changed the frontier of job hunting/job positing only apply to recent years.  All the other items discussed are relevant to today’s society as well.  I view this topic as relevant to today’s society because computers are so integrated into everything we do.  Cash registers at retail stores are no longer simple adding machines, they are fully fledged computers.  Most if not all office jobs now require computer skills (Allabaugh).    One of the ethical evaluations made in this chapter was questioning if U.S. companies should hire offshore employees?  After reading this chapter, I’ve gained a greater understanding of off-shoring and the threat it has to local employment that I considered to be protected against outsourcing.  

References

Allabaugh, Denise. "Computer Skills Become Essential Tool for Job Seekers." The Times - Tribune. 1 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/business/computer-skills-become-essential-tool-for-job-seekers-1.1293372>.