Outsourcing in Japan

Outsourcing is the process by which you send business overseas. In many major economic countries today outsourcing is a major way to increase revenue. In Japan outsourcing is a major part of the economy. 

Outsourcing is providing jobs for many Japanese people, but is it really helping the country as a whole?

Just like the U.S., Japan is taking any possible route to get its way out of the current economic recession that began in 2008. In order to improve the market and improve unemployment in Japan, many Japanese companies throughout China and Southeast Asia are hiring Japanese employees instead of foreigners. To some this may seem unfair to deny others the right to work based on race, however they are doing so to improve the nations economy so it is their decision. If American companies around the world did the same thing, would we have others have the authority to question us?

There are many Japanese workers going to foreign countries to work in Japanese companies. Businesses such as Transcosmos and Masterpiece are two major outsourcing Japanese companies. In 2008 alone "There was a netflow of 100,00 Japanese" to foreign countries to work in Japanese companies (New York Times). That is a significant number of people who gained jobs just because of the new opportunities provided by outsourcing from Japan. However there is much inequality as a result of outsourcing because Japanese workers who are working at these companies in other countries are being paid significantly lower, than if they worked in Japan. It seems really unfair that they can pay workers less just because of the location of where they work. I guess its better to have a job and get paid, rather than make nothing at all. 

The Japanese are using outsourcing to benefit the economy as a whole in order to bring in more money. It has many positives though and is being used as "an effective way to enhance efficiency"(NLI Research Institute). Japanese companies believe that by bringing in Japanese workers, that they can not only increase the efficiency of the work done by companies, but also to fit the needs of the customers. The offshoring of many Japanese companies made it so there is a lack in cultural sensitivity towards Japanese customers from foreign workers. By using Japanese workers, these companies get rid of the cultural boundaries and make it easier for business between companies, more specifically those in Japan. Japanese workers are seen as more desirable because they understand Japanese customs and manners better than foreigners, so they know how to speak better to Japanese customers and improve the overall quality of business in each company.

Offshoring does create a cultural barrier between Japanese customs and those of foreign countries, however the Japanese are using outsourcing to their advantage. By using Japanese workers Japanese companies are increasing efficiency and relationships with customers. The only downside is the smaller wages of Japanese workers who are being outsourced, but in today's recession, maybe it is a lifesaver to those who really need a job?

Sources: 

•  Tanikawa, Miki. "Many in Japan Are Outsourcing Themselves." New York Times. N.p., 21 July 2010. Web.
• "The Prospects for Strategic Outsourcing in Japan." The Prospects for Strategic Outsourcing in Japan. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Textese: LOLanguage

What is language? Is language the thing that creates communication? But maybe it actually just helps to get across information?is a tongue the  paintbrush to r words or are words the paintbrush that shape r tongue? R words a mosaic of our identity or r physical selves? What language is can commonly be confused. We have such an array of languages throughout this earth that seem entirely different but why? We r all human and we r all speakers of a language yet we all have similar emotions. From the duldrums of sadness to the peaks of enjoyment, such an array of feeling that people of different tomnhues hold deer too. Could body language be the mother of vocal expression or is it the other way around? What scour caveman, did they have a way of communication? Did they only use body language? Maybe that gives us the identy of humans? Is taht why we feel emotions the things in r body that.seemm like explosions? The mouth a warehouse ofn identity isnthe base for r soul. Language the basidi of who we r as aa person. What a silly idea. Language the controller of r mind. Expression so kind. No matter what u find, there are always words to explain the lot. Could language be truly a creep? Someone living in ur head in the deep? The brainwashed of our thoughts? What truly can we label as individual if language is so generic. The piece of a larger machine.The part of a larger body. The individual of a larger group. The country of a larger continent. The continent of a larger world. Teh world of a larger Universe. No matter what way u look at it we are and will always be just a piece of something else. 

In my poem above I think that I was successful in my ability to communicate meaningfully in Textese. I think that I was still able to explain how language is strongly connected to identity and how it is odd that we have so many different languages (tongues) yet we all have similar emotions. If a language truly creates our identity than what shapes our identity as humans. Could it be body language that does so? The only problem that kept appearing throughout my poem was the auto-corrections and mistypes when I was texting on my phone. That constantly happens to me when I text because I have a touch keyboard on my phone and I usually hit other letters when typing. It is pretty easy though to figure out what I am saying when I have mistypes if you translate the auto-corrections to Standard English. Maybe this does however show that our thinking centers around our mother tongue, which for me is standard English, not Textese. The fact that we read around auto-correct shows that we ignore it and in a way illegitamize it. I don't think our language will borrow auto-corrections because we already tend to ignore auto-correct when we text others and sometimes you can still get a point across. I think that it is possible to live without standard English because if we get more used to living with Textese than you also get more comfortable reading and using it. It is just like standard English in the sense that the more you use it the more comfortable you get with using it and you get more comfortable in your ability to comprehend it as well. Language is the device by which we communicate our ideas and it is a reflection of your identity as an individual. 

Crisis in the Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe that borders Poland, Russia, Belarus and Romania. Ukraine used to be apart of the Soviet Union, so it has very strong ties to Russia. The eastern and western sections of Ukraine have people with very different points of view, with those in the west wanting to join the European Union while most people in the East do not. The former president of Ukraine promised to sign the country onto the European Union in November when suddenly he refused to sign making many Ukrainians outraged. The conflict has just recently gotten coverage because of the violence going on presently in Ukraine. People in the East of Ukraine called the Russian army to come and protect them from the radicals in the west who have beaten and killed many people who want closer ties to Russia and vice versa. American News channels portray the current Russian armies presence in the Ukranian province of Crimea as breaking international law on Russias behalf. The U.S. is siding with the radicals in Ukraine who want to join the European Union while Russia is on the opposing side. Is the U.S. news truly showing all sides of the current conflict though?

The Japan Times is similar to U.S. news because it depicts the Russians as bad and that the Ukranians need the support of Japan in their conflict with Russia. It was different from American news because Japan cannot militarily aide the Ukranians against Russia because they are not allowed to have a standing army since World War 2. The Japan Times covers more of the economic downsides to the conflict and how Japan should economically support the Ukranians and place a sanction on Russia.

In the Moscow Times a whole different picture of the conflict was portrayed because it is a Russian newspaper. The Moscow Times was similar to our news coverage of the conflict because it depicted the situation as being very serious and how the eastern part of Ukraine wants to be protected by Russia. This newspaper was different from American coverage on Ukraine because it covered more of Eastern Ukraine and views the western part of Ukraine for being radical and at fault for the current situation. The Russian army is being viewed as the true police force in Ukraine that is trying to keep the peace.

The Kyiv Post, which is a Ukranian newspaper from Western Ukraine depicts the Ukranian people as fighting a revolution for their rights. It describes how the Ukranian people are facing oppression and it is similar to American news because it puts the blame on Russia. The newspaper calls out Russia and says that they are trying to intimidate the people of Ukraine by using military presence. In American news we are not calling the current crisis as being a revolution, but rather a national wave of protests. This newspaper makes the crisis seem to be more of a national war and a strong divide between east and west Ukraine. It also said that the revolution started in November which is a lot different from U.S. news because we just started coverage of the crisis in late February

In conclusion the crisis in Ukraine is not only a national crisis for the people of Ukraine but a global crisis that can have far reaching affects on other countries. Not only is the safety of the world at risk but also the world economy. There is a big difference when you look at the news in America and the news in Russia. Which story is truly right if each side is calling the other side at fault? Is Russia really planning on using force in Ukraine like many western papers think or is Russia just trying to protect Russian citizens that live in Ukraine?