Graphics Design Outsourcing - Ethical or Unethical?

[colorexpertsbd]

I am not sure if this is the right place for this post. But, there are markets for freelancers as many graphic designers search for them to cut costs. In such case the graphic designers quite often (not most of the time) compromise on the quality of the job.

One alternative to cut cost is to outsource the graphics design jobs to countries with graphics design professional willing to work at low price. Quite often you can get the same service at low cost without compromising on quality.

But outsourcing is actually importing services. No country would agree to import if they have the resources at home. Outsourcing also means snatching your country's market share and increasing the market share of other countries.

On the contrast, if you tend to maximize profit by cutting down cost for your graphics design, outsourcing can be a good solution.

Do you think that, it would be ethical or unethical to outsource your graphics design jobs to other countries?

[pmkprog]

I don't think it's a matter of ethics unless there's some question about whether or not you're screwing someone or doing something illegal.

If you can offer a customer a better or equally as good a product and save them money that's a good thing. That's what people want.

With that being said, it's probably more of a social dilema. If I can't get the people here to do a decent job because I need a job at a lower price, the question is, can I find someone locally who'll can do it for less. If I don't find people here and send the work elsewhere, who will be here later to buy the product that the design job is for?

I fight with this every day. This is where we as consumers and as a country need to decide whether catering to every one else's needs (other countries) is more important than helping ourselves stay employed.

[oxburger]

Eventually, everyones going to have to get used to the idea of a "global marketplace." I think it's inevitable. Will it hurt American jobs, to be sure, but it's coming and I don't think it's can be avoided. There is always someone who can do your job for less money than you. Will it be as good? Maybe, mabye not. One thing is for sure, it's going to be an interesting world to work and live in. Hopefully, none of this happens until I retire (25 years to go), but we'll see.

[jimking]

If it's digital it can and will be farmed out. I should have become a plumber. :lol:

[pmkprog]

Jobs that can't be outsourced:

Garbage Man

Any commercial or residential trade that involves water or electricity

Medical Professionals

Funeral Director

[schroedil]

Interesting topic.

I have worked for 2 large companies that outsourced work. The last company was a large publishing house in Chicago with headquarters in NY. I coordinated all layout of textbooks with a source in India which had an office in FL that handled all US requests. I have to say that I get enraged at outsourcing as these are jobs that belong in the US. And from my own experience, the work we got back had to be fixed all of the time. So, is a company really saving money when rework is always being done?

I don't think the words ethical or unethical are quite right for this topic. I believe that outsourcing is another way that the US is destroying its own economics by giving up jobs for US citizens to others outside of the US.

schroedil