MODULE 3 (WSU FALL 2014)

Offshoring is basically when a company moves the most important part of it's manufacturing operations overseas or to another country.    There are times when offshoring is useful for less important items that can be produced cheaper in another country, like bulk items that are needed in the manufacturing process.  Offshoring helps a company save money by being able to pay lower wages, benefits, and health care etc...Basically, the employees are cheaper, and get the same work done.  However, the drawbacks are that the quality will suffer due to the employee's not caring for the product, due to the the investment made in the employee by the company.  When something is Made in the USA, we take pride in it's quality and production.  We have a higher standard of quality control than in china.  How many times do we hear the term, "Made in China" and think of how low of quality it must be.  Offshoring is different from outsourcing because you're not really moving a whole, or part of your company overseas, you are just providing a small piece of your company's product to be worked on in a different place.

Supply chaining is a  system that was developed to move a product or service from the supplier to the end user, or customer.   Walmart is the single largest retailer in the world, and does not make one single product.  The moment you take something off the shelf, the supply chain begins.  By the time your item is put in the shopping cart at Walmart, the manufacturer of that product has been notified to make another to replace the one that you bought.  Supply chains are critical in today's world,  because companies have to take advantage of the cheapest, best producers.  According to Friedman, if a company doesn't keep up with the times,  someone else will, and the company that snoozes, loses.   A drawback to the supply chain is predicting the demand of an item.  Walmart does this very well, because they can allocate which products, at which stores, in which areas, are in demand, and always adjust accordingly.  It is a brilliant operation. 

Google is God! I would like to discontinue writing anything more about Google, but it is the most powerful source of information in the world.  It has changed the way we do business, and the way our generation is learning.  It is shaping and molding our society into a lazy way of thinking, and there is no end in sight.  Google has developed into it's own entity, and doesn't even seem like it's a business anymore.  Google seems like part of our lives, and something we really cannot live without.  It is very unsettling when I sit and ponder about how much this company, that was started in a garage has changed technology, and our lives.  Google for business is a very amazing tool.  You can utilize it for research, developement, ideas, and networking.  Everything you need to know about business is on google.  Literally anyone can start a business, just by Googling "How to start a business!" You can use Ad Words, Analytics, and many other tools that Google has for helping your business succeed.  There are so many tools now that shape the way we do business.  Once you build a website, and sign up with Google, you can track everything from Google, setup your business in Google, advertise, purchase supplies, etc...It is expensive to advertise with Google, and you pay by the click, and you pay for the keywords.   Of course Friedman's book is behind the times when it comes to Google, but his foresight about the future seems to be very relevant.   The bottom line which is ironic from me to Friedman is that God is everywhere, God sees everything, Google is God, just Google it........................