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Innovation Versus Blamestorming

Innovation to keep jobs home scores significantly over blamestorming. The drivers for higher cost of goods of services in America are addressed at tangent even if work-arounds are not explored. There is abundant room for innovation in that area.

Salary compartors provide the basic numbers that get crunched in outsourcing contracts. What it costs to hire ten resources with a certain skill-set home versus offshore drives many decisions. What remains unexplored is - Why is there such a significant difference and what individuals and corporations (that would be a stretch) can one do to close the gap.

A few random ideas come to mind based on real-life experiences of having survived in cities in India and the US on various income levels over the last ten years.

In America, the big hits to the paycheck in come from a few sources. Rent/mortgage, daycare (if applicable), car-loan/insurance (add gas, toll and parking charges if that is significant), medical insurance, utilities in slightly differing orders.

Renewable energy sources to power homes and offices seems the logical move to shave the energy/utility bill. Instead of using electricity to bring light in dark living spaces, using natural daylight bulbs seems a good alternative.

Exurban and suburban sprawl makes the daily commute the struggle that it is. Telecommuting turning more mainstream is likely help. If offshore teams can work remotely and be successful, the same logic could extend to onshore teams. That the translation is fraught with so much anxiety is remarkable. A defined deliverable and a firm time-line to meet it seem a fair and universal measure of worker productivity.

The rising costs of medical insurance can be argued to death in futility. As with everything else the key may be to seek creative alternative. The field seems wide open for remote diagnostics and consultation.

A doctor in Ukraine with appropriate accreditation could diagnose a patient in Alabama and prescribe medication. It should be a choice available to individuals who are willing to take their chances outside of an office visit. Making it legal to bid on the price of a prescribed drugs could drive down costs significantly.

Analyzing the root cause of the phenomenon rather than agonizing over the after effect may be what it takes to find a sustainable solution.

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