the.world.is.flat-第9节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


traditional　ten…course　Chinese　dinner　at　a　local　hotel；　the　mayor　told　me　how　far　
Dalian　has　come　and　just　where　he　intends　to　take　it。　〃We　have　twenty…two　universities　
and　colleges　with　over　two　hundred　thousand　students　in　Dalian；〃　he　explained。　More　
than　half　those　students　graduate　with　engineering　or　science　degrees；　and　even　those　
who　don't；　those　who　study　history　or　literature；　are　still　being　directed　to　spend　
a　year　studying　Japanese　or　English；　plus　computer　science；　so　that　they　will　be　
employable。　The　mayor　estimated　that　more　than　half　the　residents　of　Dalian　had　access　
to　the　Internet　at　the　office；　home；　or　school。　
35　
〃The　Japanese　enterprises　originally　started　some　data　processing　industries　here；〃　
the　mayor　added；　〃and　with　this　as　a　base　they　have　now　moved　to　R　&　D　and　software　
development。。。　In　the　past　one　or　two　years；　the　software　companies　of　the　U。S。　are　


also　making　some　attempts　to　move　outsourcing　of　software　from　the　U。S。　to　our　city　。　。　。　
We　are　approaching　and　we　are　catching　up　with　the　Indians。　Exports　of　software　
products　＇from　Dalian＇　have　been　increasing　by　50　percent　annually。　And　China　is　now　
becoming　the　country　that　develops　the　largest　number　of　university　graduates。　Though　
in　general　our　English　is　not　as　competent　as　that　of　the　Indian　people；　we　have　a　
bigger　population；　＇so＇　we　can　pick　out　the　most　intelligent　students　who　can　speak　
the　best　English。〃　
Are　Dalian　residents　bothered　by　working　for　the　Japanese；　whose　government　has　still　
never　formally　apologized　for　what　the　wartime　Japanese　government　did　to　China？　
〃We　will　never　forget　that　a　historical　war　occurred　between　the　two　nations；〃　he　
answered；　〃but　when　it　comes　to　the　field　of　economy；　we　only　focus　on　the　economic　
problems…especially　if　we　talk　about　the　software　outsourcing　business。　If　the　U。S。　
and　Japanese　companies　make　their　products　in　our　city；　we　consider　that　to　be　a　good　
thing。　Our　youngsters　are　trying　to　learn　Japanese；　to　master　this　tool　so　they　can　
compete　with　their　Japanese　counterparts　to　successfully　land　high…salary　positions　
for　themselves　in　the　future。〃　
The　mayor　then　added　for　good　measure；　〃My　personal　feeling　is　that　Chinese　youngsters　
are　more　ambitious　than　Japanese　or　American　youngsters　in　recent　years；　but　I　don't　
think　they　are　ambitious　enough；　because　they　are　not　as　ambitious　as　my　generation。　
Because　our　generation；　before　they　got　into　university　and　colleges；　were　sent　to　
distant　rural　areas　and　factories　and　military　teams；　and　went　through　a　very　hard　
time；　so　in　terms　of　the　spirit　to　overcome　and　face　the　hardships；　＇our　generation　
had　to　have　more　ambition＇　than　youngsters　nowadays。〃　
Mayor　Xia　had　a　charmingly　direct　way　of　describing　the　world；　and　although　some　of　
what　he　had　to　say　gets　lost　in　translation；　he　gets　it…and　Americans　should　too：　
〃The　rule　of　the　market　economy；〃　this　

Communist　official　explained　to　me；　〃is　that　if　somewhere　has　the　richest　human　
resources　and　the　cheapest　labor；　of　course　the　enterprises　and　the　businesses　will　
naturally　go　there。〃　In　manufacturing；　he　pointed　out；　〃Chinese　people　first　were　
the　employees　and　working　for　the　big　foreign　manufacturers；　and　after　several　years；　
after　we　have　learned　all　the　processes　and　steps；　we　can　start　our　own　firms。　Software　
will　go　down　the　same　road　。　。　。　First　we　will　have　our　young　people　employed　by　the　
foreigners；　and　then　we　will　start　our　own　companies。　It　is　like　building　a　building。　
Today；　the　U。S。；　you　are　the　designers；　the　architects；　and　the　developing　countries　
are　the　bricklayers　for　the　buildings。　But　one　day　I　hope　we　will　be　the　architects。〃　
I　just　kept　exploring…east　and　west。　By　the　summer　of　2004；1　was　in　Colorado　on　
vacation。　I　had　heard　about　this　new　low…fare　airline　called　JetBlue；　which　was　
launched　in　1999。　I　had　no　idea　where　they　operated；　but　I　needed　to　fly　between　
Washington　and　Atlanta；　and　couldn't　quite　get　the　times　I　wanted；　so　I　decided　to　
call　JetBlue　and　see　where　exactly　they　flew。　I　confess　I　did　have　another　motive。　
I　had　heard　that　JetBlue　had　outsourced　its　entire　reservation　system　to　housewives　
in　Utah；　and　I　wanted　to　check　this　out。　So　I　dialed　JetBlue　reservations　and　had　
the　following　conversation　with　the　agent：　


〃Hello；　this　is　Dolly。　Can　I　help　you？〃　answered　a　grandmotherly　voice。　
〃Yes；　I　would　like　to　fly　from　Washington　to　Atlanta；〃　I　said。　〃Do　you　fly　that　route？〃　
〃No；　I'm　sorry　we　don't。　We　fly　from　Washington　to　Ft。　Lauderdale；〃　said　Dolly。　
〃How　about　Washington　to　New　York　City？〃　I　asked。　
〃I'm　sorry；　we　don't　fly　that　route。　We　do　fly　from　Washington　to　Oakland　and　Long　
Beach；〃　said　Dolly。　
〃Say；　can　I　ask　you　something？　Are　you　really　at　home？　I　read　that　JetBlue　agents　
just　work　at　home。〃　
〃Yes；　I　am；〃　said　Dolly　in　the　most　cheerful　voice。　（I　later　confirmed　with　JetBlue　
that　her　full　name　is　Dolly　Baker。）　〃I　am　sitting　in　my　office　
37　
upstairs　in　my　house；　looking　out　the　window　at　a　beautiful　sunny　day。　Just　five　
minutes　ago　someone　called　and　asked　me　that　same　question　and　I　told　them　and　they　
said；　'Good；　I　thought　you　were　going　to　tell　me　you　were　in　New　Delhi。'〃　
〃Where　do　you　live？〃　I　asked。　
〃Salt　Lake　City；　Utah；〃　said　Dolly。　〃We　have　a　two…story　home；　and　I　love　working　
here；　especially　in　the　winter　when　the　snow　is　swirling　and　I　am　up　here　in　the　office　
at　home。〃　
〃How　do　you　get　such　a　job？〃　I　asked。　
〃You　know；　they　don't　advertise；〃　said　Dolly　in　the　sweetest　possible　voice。　〃It's　
all　by　word　of　mouth。　I　worked　for　the　state　government　and　I　retired；　and　＇after　
a　little　while＇　I　thought　I　have　to　do　something　else　and　I　just　love　it。〃　
David　Neeleman；　the　founder　and　CEO　of　JetBlue　Airways　Corp。；　has　a　name　for　all　this。　
He　calls　it　〃homesourcing。〃　JetBlue　now　has　four　hundred　reservation　agents；　like　
Dolly；　working　at　home　in　the　Salt　Lake　City　area；　taking　reservations…in　between　
babysitting；　exercising；　writing　novels；　and　cooking　dinner。　
A　few　months　later　I　visited　Neeleman　at　JetBlue's　headquarters　in　New　York；　and　he　
explained　to　me　the　virtues　of　homesourcing；　which　he　actually　started　at　Morris　Air；　
his　first　venture　in　the　airline　business。　（It　was　bought　by　Southwest。）　〃We　had　250　
people　in　their　homes　doing　reservations　at　Morris　Air；〃　said　Neeleman。　〃They　were　
30　percent　more　productive…they　take　30　percent　more　bookings；　by　just　being　happier。　
They　were　more　loyal　and　there　was　less　attrition。　So　when　I　started　JetBlue；　I　said；　
'We　are　going　to　have　100　percent　reservation　at　home。'〃　
Neeleman　has　a　personal　reason　for　wanting　to　do　this。　He　is　a　Mormon　and　believes　
that　society　will　be　better　off　if　more　mothers　are　able　to　stay　at　home　with　their　
young　children　but　are　given　a　chance　to　be　wage　earners　at　the　same　time。　So　he　based　
his　home　reservations　system　in　Salt　Lake　City；　where　the　vast　majority　of　the　women　
are　Mormons　and　many　are　stay…at…home　mothers。　Home　reservationists　work　twenty…five　
hours　a　week　and　have　to　come　into　the　JetBlue　regional　office　in　Salt　Lake　City　for　
four　hours　a　month　to　learn　new　skills　and　be　brought　up　to　date　on　what　is　going　
on　inside　the　company。　
38　
〃We　will　never　outsource　to　India/'　said　Neeleman。　〃The　quality　we　can　get　here　is　
far　superior　。　。　。　＇Employers＇　are　more　willing　to　outsource　to　India　than　to　their　


own　homes；　and　I　can't　understand　that。　Somehow　they　think　that　people　need　to　be　
sitting　in　front　of　them　or　some　boss　they　have　designated。　The　productivity　we　get　
here　more　than　makes　up　for　the　India　＇wage＇　factor。〃　
A　Los　Angeles　Times　story　about　JetBlue　（May　9；　2004）　noted　that　〃in　1997；　11。6　million　
employees　of　U。S。　companies　worked　from　home　at　least　part　of　the　time。　Today；　that　
number　has　soared　to　23。5　million…16％　of　the　American　labor　force。　（Meanwhile；　the　
ranks　of　the　self…employed；　who　often　work　from　home；　have　swelled　during　the　same　
period…to　23。4　million　from　18　million。）　In　some　eyes；　homesourcing　and　outsourcing　
aren't　so　much　competing　strategies　as　they　are　different　manifestations　of　the　same　
thing：　a　relentless　push　by　corporate　America　to　lower　costs　and　increase　efficiency；　
wherever　that　may　lead。〃　
That　is　exactly　what　I　was　learning　on　my　own　travels：　Homesourcing　to　Salt　Lake　City　
and　outsourcing　to　Bangalore　were　just　flip　sides　of　the　same　coin…sourcing。　And　the　
new；　new　thing；　I　was　also　learning；　is　the　degree　to　which　it　is　now　possible　for　
companies　and　individuals　to　source　work　anywhere。　
I　just　kept　moving。　In　the　fall　of　2004；1　accompanied　the　chairman　of　the　Joint　Chiefs　
of　Staff；　General　Richard　Myers；　on　a　tour　of　hot　spots　in　Iraq。　We　visited　Baghdad；　
the　U。S。　military　headquarters　in　Fallujah；　and　the　24th　Marine　Expeditionary　Unit　
encampment　outside　Babil；　in　the　heart　of　Iraq's　so…called　Sunni　Triangle。　The　
makeshift　24th　MEU　base　is　a　sort　of　Fort　Apache；　in　the　middle　of　a　pretty　hostile　
Iraqi　Sunni　Muslim　population。　While　General　Myers　was　meeting　with　officers　and　
enlisted　men　there；　I　was　free　to　walk　around　the　base；　and　eventually　I　wandered　
into　the　command　center；　where