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IBM Tries To Patent Offshoring

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the riaa-business-method dept.

Ian Lamont writes "IBM has filed a patent application that covers offshoring employees. Application 20090083107, dated March 26, 2009, is a 'method and system for strategic global resource sourcing.' Figure 2 gives a pretty good idea of what's involved — it shows boxes labelled 'Engineer,' 'HR,' and 'Programmer' with crossing arrows pointing to cylinders labelled 'India,' 'China,' and 'Hungary.' The article speculates that IBM may apply the methodology to its own staff — it reportedly plans to lay off thousands of employees and has even started a program to have IBM workers transfer to other countries at local wages."

6 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. Title way too sweeping by againjj · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually, it is just yet another a method of choosing the most efficient way to outsource. They have a model of the cost/benefit for various outsource options, a computer program to evaluate it, and a computer system on which it runs. Nothing as sweeping as "IBM Tries To Patent Offshoring".

  2. What wasn't in the summary by lastchance_000 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Project Match, an IBM offshoring initiative the Standard reported on last month, offers U.S. employees the chance to stay with IBM by relocating to another country, to work in an IBM regional division at local wage rates. IBM has roughly 400,000 employees in 170 countries. As of early February, fewer than ten employees had shown interest in the program.

  3. Re:Relax by againjj · · Score: 3, Informative

    Looked at the trade deficit lately?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USTrade1991-2005.png

  4. Re:The thing about IBM by phantomfive · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since other people seemed interested, I figured I might as well look it up, and here is what I have:

    Company : H1B/Total Employees : Percentage

    Microsoft: 4437/57,588 : 7%
    IBM: 1413/130,000 : 1%
    Hewlett-Packard: 520/65,000 : <1%
    Apple Computer: 291/20,000 : <1%

    I also found an interesting article talking about how many jobs the ipod creates. The result is 13,920 in the US, and 27,250 outside the US. This breaks down to $753 million in the US and $318 million outside the US. Something to think about.

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    Qxe4
  5. Re:Won't get that far by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Informative

    I got three better words: In re Bilski.

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  6. Re:Relax by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Informative

    this ridiculously high standard of living that makes companies outsource

    Oh? And what are you willing to do without? Because let me tell you something: to be on par with the standards of living in India and China, you can say 'bye-bye' to having your own place to live. Instead, you and three generations of your clan will be living in a studio apartment. You won't be able to afford a car, you won't be able to afford decent clothes, and you won't be able to afford to eat anything not obtained from a frickin' soup kitchen.

    If that's how you want to live, fine. But don't impose your ideals on the rest of us, thanks.

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