Classmate blog commentary: 'The Costs of Outsourcing'

Jessica Cosper's blog post entitled "The Costs of Outsourcing" had a good ratio of information to opinion. While Cosper's stance on the issue is established in the second paragraph, the bulk of the article presents information and reserves the persuasive part for the conclusion. After the information is introduced and taken into account, an opinion is given. As a result, much of the article read more like a news story and less like an editorial, but that is not necessarily a disadvantage. I personally like the fact that the article was not littered with appeals to the reader. Persuasive appeals can often be heavy-handed, and too much or too emotional of an appeal can sometimes be more polarizing than persuasive.

As for the actual content, I found it to be informative. The issue of confidentiality and security risks is one that does not seem to be among the conventional talking points regarding outsourcing, but one that bears importance as US companies share their customers' private information with third-party agencies in nations that may not have the same standards and regulations regarding privacy and consumer protection. The article does a good job of covering some of the different outcomes of outsourcing, and mentions China, India, and Brazil as top destinations for outsourced jobs, but a few more facts or statistics could have provided readers with better reference points regarding the argument. For instance, as I read some questions occured to me, like, "Besides IT, what are some of the jobs that are most commonly outsourced?", and "What are some of the estimated costs and jobs losses associated with outsourcing?"

Overall, the author seemed well informed on the subject. Whatever the article may have lacked in depth of information, it made up for in comprehensiveness. The opinion expressed was sound, and its tempered delivery kept the tone of the article from coming off as overly subjective.