Division of labour and outsourcing: Mutually exclusive concepts?

Wilfred I. Ukpere, Mohammed S. Bayat

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Division of labour has been recognised as a source of wealth to nations, by some experts without considering its effects on labour. However, some experts are of the view that increasing division of labour contracts the range of choice of ways of making a living for the working class. Thus the outcome of division of labour is the lowering of value of individual workers. Workers' activities become increasingly narrow and monotonous, through division of labour which mars instead of developing their creativity. Outsourcing on the other hand, has been considered a requirement for corporations to earn higher profits and to respond to competition. Thus, companies that refuse to look outward for lower-cost inputs may lose their competitive advantages under a global setting. This paper contends that the logic of outsourcing cannot be mutually exclusive from the logic division of labour. Outsourcing simply implies the internationalisation of division of labour. Whereas division of labour was localised, outsourcing has been globalised to provide capital with additional leverage to exploit labour globally.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationModeling and Simulation in Engineering, Economics, and Management - International Conference, MS 2012, Proceedings
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages151-165
Number of pages15
ISBN (Print)9783642304323
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012
EventInternational Conference on Modeling and Simulation in Engineering, Economics, and Management, MS 2012 - New Rochelle, NY, United States
Duration: 30 May 20121 Jun 2012

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Business Information Processing
Volume115 LNBIP
ISSN (Print)1865-1348

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Modeling and Simulation in Engineering, Economics, and Management, MS 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityNew Rochelle, NY
Period30/05/121/06/12

Keywords

  • Division of labour
  • Globalisation
  • Machinery
  • Outsourcing
  • Technology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Management Information Systems
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Business and International Management
  • Information Systems
  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Information Systems and Management

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