What is the problem with products being produced in foreign countries?

Question

Ok, well, the all american car, Chevy, made in korea or some place!, Black and Decker tools, Company originates in the states but manufatured abroad. Whats the honest problem with it though, when it comes to fisher price toys for kids having too much lead in them i can understand why we have to complain, but if a chinese, vietnamese , korean or whoever has the same skills or better skills to make our cars, clothes shoes, craft stuff tools etc, for cheaper, why not let them? The companies profit from it more obviously, and that effects the american economy in a positive way. And on a personal level, the products still have reasonable warranties. And it also increases relationships with the eastern world in a positive way. If anything should happen and they stop trading with the states, there are people that are skilled to build things just as well, it may cost the company a little more but it wont effect the countries wealth too dramatically, thats my opinion whats yours?

With the first answer, i have to say i used to work over in the United kingdom, and the customer service line was a premium rate line that people will natuarally not wanna wait a long time on the phone, well the company tended not to be too eager to answer" your call is important to us" message every minute, well it was only as i was leaving the company i found out for myself the call centre was in South Africa!

Answer 1

With regard to vehicle production, your question brings to mind the reason why "NON" USA Brand names are now often being fabricated here, in the USA.

The issue began, (prejudice) during WW2. I recall many shops, blatantly advertising "Made in America"; yet If not for Asian MFG's our rate of techno evolution would be a lot farther behind than it is today.

Certainly too is the matter of Greed. If I own a distributorship, and I'm a loyal, tax paying citizen, I still might outsource the making of my "Whatsits" to any number of countries that produce them at a rate, quantity and cost, that more benefits me.

Does that mean I'm putting American labor out of work? Perhaps, to a degree, but even if one assumes I'm NOT greedy, I can't get a "Whatsit" produced here for the same cost.

One of the problems I have with certain items, outsourced, is the inability to have things serviced, or often, to be returnable. Obviously that isn't strictly true of Major Brand names, but happens often.

One of our greatest sins is being a throw away society, and planned obsolesence is definitley the PLAN of this culture.

Finally: I once worked for a Defense Contractor. I was a buyer of hardware and software for a night guidance system for a specific Helicoptor. The contractor had a level they wanted to maintain of 94% viable parts. I corresponded with the company that was fabricating the electronics and soft ware, alerting them to my companies demands for the standards.

They apperently had a slightly different work ethic than the US govt.??? They weren't offended, nor did they intend offense when they responded to my letter. I'll paraphrase the context.

"Dear Customer,

While we are in receipt of your letter regarding your standards, we have a question.
We have a standard as well, and wonder what do you want us to do with the 6% failures you require?"

Steven Wolf

Answer 2

Good question. It is a problem on many fronts, we in America are (what I call) "Walmarted" in that we expect $.99 burgers and $20 VCRs, but at the same time we rail against illegal immigration and polluted toys....well the reason these things are so cheap is because they are produced by people who are willing to work much harder than we are for a lot less money.
The problem is that soon as a nation we won't be producing ANYTHING, we become totally reliant on these other nations for our "cheap fix" and we become indebted slaves, I mean, just look at oil, we can ***** & whine as much as we want, but the prices will never go back down significantly unless we purchase less of it, or boycott it. But OPEC knows we won't, because we have lost our principles, so there you go! The other problem is we are mitigating the pollution caused by making these products, as we are cleaning up our air, water and land, these copuntries are horridly polluted because the manufacturing has now moved there.

Answer 3

There are many problems. The only virtue of cheap imports is that they are cheap. Example: my wife bought a quart-size measuring cup at a Pampered Chef party. I think she paid about $15 for the thing. It looks real enough, but when you try to use it, you discover that Chinese people never a saw a measuring cup before and made this one from a photograph. Liquid pours out everywhere except the spout. I was made by just depressing the hot glass a little. They left a tall ridge around the rim. HA! I threw it away one day and told her I'd dropped it. TD

Answer 4

I drive a Korean car [ KIA ] and I'm very happy with it, but, does it benefit 'the economy' ? NO ! When your own auto industry dies = unemployment, " the companies profit from it " YES, but that's not the economy as companies have many foreign shareholders. You've got to ask why your own country can't match the Asian productivity levels ? It's not just labor costs, skilled people in Japan / Sth. Korea are now well paid. It's a lowering of skill standards, investment, work ethic, etc. and these factors are NOT good for any economy ! Look at the national debt !!

Answer 5

It's the difference between the American worker being able to have fresh meat for dinner, or being forced to subsist an canned Mackerel.

And if these companies are saving so much money outsourcing and then selling in the US, why have none of them ever cut the price of anything they sell to American buyers. If the American worker is going to offer you financial incentives and tax-breaks to out-source, that are paid with by our taxes, how about businesses cutting the prices for their goods and services?

Answer 6

i think you should read some of the pop lit on globalization, very interesting on how America affects other countries. but i agree with you. i think it's a new bandwagon patriotism kind of thing that will soon pass. as long as it is ethical, which American companies are usually 75 times more ethical than local ones, then what harm is it doing? my only complaint is outsourcing help centers.

i was once talking to "jan" about my health insurance. she asked me to verify my informations, i said "correct", she repeated the information over and over until i said "yes", now that's a problem.

Answer 7

I personally believe in world trade & companies that treat their employees right.
I don't want to see slave labor in other countries & families living in poverty because of our selfish greed & love of money & profit at someones expense.
I would feel terrible knowing I supported that.
Really the mystery of how can we buy $1 dollar items that are shipped from other countries baffles me.