Globalization Outsourcing Perspective PART 3 by Cristian Cortez There’s basically two factors we need to keep an eye on, the obtention of the materials comes first. In example, Intel is creating a responsible supply chain to ensure minerals that finance violence don’t end up in the devices we use every day2. I learn from one of my favorites programs 3 that tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold are referred to as conflict minerals. They are integral to the technology and other things we rely on every day: from laptops, phones, and tablets to cars, airplanes, lighting, and jewelry. Militias and rebel groups in eastern Congo, funded by the sale of these minerals, have killed over 5 million people since 1998. The second factor is sustainable design and manufacturing to cite we can take as example the production of Arduino. Every time you buy from them you get a notice in their policy 4, that i took the time to read carefully, and says that they make every attempt to have the hardware manufactured under reasonably fair labor conditions (down to the board level). In other words, ask your vendors about their labor practices. We can't change the world, but we can try, one company at a time. So there are ways to certify that the products were developed in a sustainable way (like Arduino) and new programs to guarantee the materials used provide from a sustainable chain of providers (like Intel). So as customers we need to start putting an eye on them. References [ 1 ] Beam Smart Presence https://suitabletech.com/products/beam and Beam Store https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VQ_VI21l4g [ 2 ] Intel: Conflic Fee Materials https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/corporate-responsibility/conflict-free-minerals.html [ 3 ] Unboxing Therapy: Mystery Unboxing From Intel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHFPSuXEbAI [ 4 ] Arduino Policy https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Policy

Globalization Outsourcing Perspective PART 1 by Cristian Cortez While working as a software architect and consultant I frequently encounter co-workers and clients asking if it is a good idea or we should outsource part of the work to India, Argentina or another country. This feels so natural, because nowadays we all work as part of a big network, many of us are freelancers or independent. So sometimes the decision making depends on aspects like the service timezone, the time we have to deliver, the quality we are searching for or the budget we are handling. So what is outsourcing? To me is taking an activity that is being (or can be) resolved inside the organization and trust it to another third party. These kind of scenarios generates jobs opportunities for people like me in the IT industry. Would affirm that this kind of opportunities were not so common when I was younger: only big corporations had the luxury to do outsourcing mainly because international payments, legal regulations barriers, expensive communications costs. So it was not so common as we can imagine the IT outsourcing market wasn’t so flexible. Now clients can ask me for advice via video conference before taking the decision and in this way accomplish business objectives like lower costs, support 24/7, earlier deliveries or achieving better quality standards, etc. If we extrapolate this scenario, we can recognize that first world countries are the ones that still have the decision power and the last word on which jobs to keep and to outsource. It feels natural for me that some works that can be done remotely, are easier to delegate and outsource. Specially when talking about technology, where you need very specific skills. In example, some person from support can connect and repair your computer remotely or a designer can deliver informational goods via email. But is every kind of job ready to be outsourced? What happen with those that doesn’t require deep technical expertise or are tied geographically? See PART 2