International audienceThe objective of this paper is to provide the classical vocabulary on the topic, a short analysis of the state of the art of global outsourcing in the late 2000s (e.g. China that is a good example of an emerging country in the early 1970) and a review of the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing over the medium and long term. We do not seek to define how to outsource, but to show the possible consequences of such a decision. This paper was written at a time when many questions arise on the subject