Maquiladora Industry in United States

In this paper I will discuss the history and practices of the Maquiladora industry. I will discuss its background, its problems, the benefits it offers to United States companies, and the impact the NAFTA has and will have on the industry. In addition, I will make a suggestion on a possible strategy the Maquiladoras can adopt in order to address the challenges brought on by the NAFTA, to ensure it remains a strong force in the future. Mexican agricultural workers had been granted temporary work visas allowing them to work in the United States† agricultural industries through a program called the Bracero Program until 1965 when this program was terminated. As a result of this termination, the unemployment rate had exceeded 70% in certain border cities. In May of 1965 the Border Industrialization Program was established as a replacement for the Bracero program. It was later renamed the Maquiladora Program. The program was established by the Mexican government to provide employment for Mexico†s rapidly growing population along its border with the United States. This program was utilized to keep Mexicans from entering the United States. The idea was that Mexican workers would be kept on the Mexican side of the border if they were given factory jobs on the Mexican side. The Maquiladora program also wanted to attract foreign manufacturing facilities, technology, and know-how by giving a permanent tax holiday to manufacturing companies that would set up â€Å"twin plants† on the Mexican side of the border. In the beginning of the program, all foreign-owned operations had to be located within a 20-kilometer strip along the US-Mexican border. Since 1972 they can be located anywhere in Mexico. In 1996 there were around 2,500 Maquiladoras – 35% of them were located in the interior states of Mexico. Last year there were over 3,000 and more and more of these operations are being located outside of the border regions. Each of Mexico†s 31 states has at least one Maquiladora. Maquiladoras, also referred to as â€Å"in bond† or â€Å"twin† plants, are allowed to temporarily import into Mexico (free of tax) machinery, equipment, replacement parts, raw materials, and just about anything that was used in the assembly or manufacture of semi-finished or finished products. Once assembled or manufactured, the Maquila products must be exported unless special permission is obtained to sell a limited amount of output in the Mexican market. When these products are imported back to the United States, import duties are levied on the foreign value-added only. If Maquila products stay in Mexico, the are subject to applicable Mexican duties. The largest issue surrounding the Maquiladora industry is the exploitation of cheap labor. The working conditions are often unsafe, workers are not compensated adequately for their labor, attempts to unionize are discouraged; and sexual discrimination and harassment are too common. The conditions in and outside the Maquiladoras are terrible. Workers perform tasks such as welding without protective masks, leather gloves, or goggles (in many instances) and industrial accidents and toxic exposures are common. This, along with malnutrition caused by low salaries, produce skin illnesses, cancer, irregularities in menstruation, abortions, tumors, intoxication and birth of undernourished or disabled babies. Of the employees, many are young girls and women ranging from the ages of 14 to 20. They work 6 days a week in 10-hour shifts. The average weekly salary for a Maquiladora worker is US$35 – $45 even though the average monthly rent for a house with public services such as running water and electricity is around $200 a month. For the most part, Maquiladoras are unorganized. In those that are organized, state-controlled unions represent the workers. Although some companies are unionized on paper, the unions, for the most part, function to reinforce management policies rather than for the benefit of workers. Then there are what are called â€Å"phantom† unions. These unions do not fight for the worker†s rights. The workers do not even know them and have never seen their union leaders. When a conflict arises in a factory, management informs the worker that their unions have accept these or those conditions. Not only are they not protected by existing unions, those that attempt to unionize and are often threatened or bribed by plant managers and the government. In many companies, discrimination against and harassment of the female employees is very common. Female job applicants are required to produce urine samples to be used for pregnancy test, while some have company doctors and nurses examine the applicants or ask confidential information concerning their contraceptive practices. This is done because pregnant women are refused employment. Sexual harassment is often the rule rather than the exception. Rapes occur frequently and few are reported because women fear being fired or blacklisted. Shame and humiliation also keep them quiet. In Mexico, men and women are equal before the law, but the law does not recognize discrimination as a problem to be solved. The Pollution Brought on by the Maquiladoras The increased pollution, accompanied by the dumping of tons of hazardous wastes, poses a serious health threat to the residents of Mexico as well as the resident of the bordering US states. There are several canals that are â€Å"black† with chemical wastes that have been measured at levels that greatly exceed permissible standards. One factory was caught dumping drums of paint, solvents, and shellac into a drain. In other areas there are abandoned lead smelters and air full of soot and dust from brick-making ovens and smoldering tire dumps. Main Advantages for the United States† Companies For the United States companies this was a great advantage since Maquiladoras operates at very low costs in places where the currency is weaker than the dollar–such as Mexico. The less a currency is worth, the more relative value the dollar has. Since Mexico†s peso is relatively week, companies can trade their dollars for pesos with which they pay workers and expenses. The products they manufacture, however, are sold for dollars, increasing their profits by huge margins whenever the local currency falls. They could enhance competitiveness, reduce their costs, and maintain quality by placing their labor-intensive operations in the less developed Mexico, benefiting from the lower wage rates there. For many US companies, manufacturing in Mexico has become necessary to battle overseas competition. Since many manufacturers are moving to â€Å"just-in-time† inventory systems, the quick delivery possible from Mexico†s border towns offers a substantial advantage over Asian alternatives. The NAFTA†s Impact on the Maquiladora Industry Traditionally, Maquiladoras offered foreign businesses several advantages over other forms of direct foreign investment. Since the signing of NAFTA, however, many of these advantages are either being phased-out or granted to all Mexican companies. The most significant advantages of operating as a Maquiladoras include: 100% foreign investment, operation without ownership of assets, tax sheltering of cost centers, and 100% duty-drawback or waivers for temporary imports. Furthermore, the NAFTA attempted to address the labor exploitation and environmental problems associated with the Maquiladora industry. One of the benefits of the Maquiladora program is 100% foreign investment of Mexican operations, which formerly was not allowed. However, Mexico†s Foreign Investment Law has changed through the years (most significantly in 1989 and 1994)-full investment is now allowed in most business ventures. Operation Without Ownership of Assets Another advantage that Maquiladoras have is that they can receive production materials and capital goods as loans from their parent and client companies. As a result, most Maquiladoras have little of no inventory of fixed assets, eliminating the need to pay the Mexican asset tax of 2% of all assets. In January 1995, the Mexican IRS reported that Maquiladoras would now have to factor the depreciation of â€Å"loaned† assets in price-transfer calculations, which is the first step toward phasing-out this advantage by 2001. When Maquiladoras are structured as cost center (providing manufacturing services for a foreign parent) the foreign corporation has traditionally paid the Mexican company for operating costs plus negligible profit. By doing this they avoid Mexico†s 34% corporate income tax, 10% mandatory profit sharing, and asset taxes. Now the Mexican IRS is changing the way Maquiladoras must declare assets. Over the next few years, Maquiladoras will be forced to raise their declared profit percentage to a rate that is comparable to that of two unrelated companies performing the same transaction at â€Å"arm†s length†. This is the type of transfer pricing procedure that is implemented by most trading blocks, like the EC. It will soon be effect throughout North America. 100% Duty-Drawback or Waivers for Temporary Imports Maquiladoras have always allowed Mexican companies 100% duty drawback or waivers in imported components that are exported as final goods. Since 1994, this has provided many Maquiladora programs a way to use non-NAFTA materials within products without the need to pay the corresponding duties over those materials when importing or exporting goods to other NAFTA nations. On January 1, 2001, Maquiladoras that manufacture goods for export to NAFTA partner countries will no longer be allowed to take the waiver. The waiver will still be available for goods that are going to non-NAFTA countries. In 1995 the NAFTA†s of Labor created the National Administrative Office (NAO) as well as the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). Both were intended to stop labor abuses. The NOA was established to monitor labor complaints that NAFTA critic†s voice regarding unfair labor practices. The NAO can recommend â€Å"ministerial consultations† as well as imposed heavy sanctions against Mexico. Unfortunately, the side agreements proved useless. The NOA cannot force Maquiladoras to allow unions-the most they can do is recommend â€Å"ministerial consultations.† Sexual harassment and discrimination continues as well. The NAFTA has also created side agreements covering the environment. One of them is the North American Development Bank (NAD Bank). Its purpose was to finance wastewater treatment projects along the border in the poorer communities. However, the most important criteria that needed to be met in order to receive funds were meeting certain market considerations. With this program NAFTA â€Å"encouraged† growth without regard for the environment through its practice of placing market consideration above environmental protection. Another is the Commission for Economic Cooperation (CEC). The CEC was established to investigate governmental non-enforcement of environmental laws. Unfortunately it has no power to enforce ,they can only investigate-and they can†t even do that until Mexico collects the data on the pollution for them. Possible Strategy for the Maquiladora Industry As long as the Mexican currency is weaker than the US dollar I don†t think that the changes are going to dramatically effect the flow of US companies to the south. However, the Maquiladora industry cannot count on this for continued growth. By the year 2001 the Maquiladora industry as we know it now will have significantly changed when the phasing out is complete. Maquiladoras will no longer be â€Å"tax break† establishments; they will be just like other foreign investments. In order for them to fully compete in the near future they must become more efficient and leaner. The impact of globalization is forcing manufacturers to produce more rapidly and cheaply than ever before and to continuously improve. Because there will be no differentiation between the non-Maquiladora and Maquiladora industries I feel the inefficient producers will be wiped out. Therefor, Maquiladora employees will need better training, education, incentives as well improved working conditions and higher wages. Operations will also have to be streamlined in order to reap the benefits of economies of scale and scope. In addition, Mexicans as well as US citizens will start to demand more accountability from the Mexican government and the Maquiladora industry. They need to be more responsible for their actions. What will the U.S. corporations do when human rights activists and environmentalists start lobbying and protesting on their US sites? Do they want to risk losing their shareholders to this type of negative attention?

Fashion life

What you wear defines who you are. Fashion is an enormous icon in our society. It is practically the thing we can never go without. We make our very first impression by what we wear not by our personalities. They say you are what you eat but truly you are what you wear and fashion has provided us with a little something to define everyone. There are so many styles of fashion: Goth, Chic, Prep, Hippies etc. Every style has its own description so why would we not be classified into that style and its description that fits us perfectly.What we wear can also make it easy for us to identify people and whether they are ho we want to socialism with, I. E. An individual wearing all Goth (black colored clothing) would not befriend someone who wears preppy clothing (beige colored clothing). Fashion plays an even bigger role when it comes to uniforms; do you that think without uniforms we would be able to identify the authority on our streets? Do you think that we would have the same respect fo r a doctor in a Shares and t-shirt?A number of religions prescribed a specific clothing style aside for us. Our designers are creative geniuses in all aspects. There is no obvious reason as to why we buy the yep of wardrobes we do. It could be to make a statement to get noticed, I. E. Prostitutes are easy to spot with their provocative style of fashion. Others might Just be copying the current trend – this makes it hard for to prove the theory of â€Å"what you wear defines you† – but then we could Judge these individuals as those who have not found a style that defines them.We wear clothes to beautify ourselves to attract the attention we seek. We dress a certain way that mirrors the mood we are in, happy = bright colored clothing & sad = grey and baggy clothing, there are many seasons as to why we take hours Just deciding what to wear because it is essential in our lives to create the correct mood, persona, background, etc. Why wouldn't one agree with this sta tement?We choose the clothes we wear by the way we want to be perceived by others, fact. Several options about how could one not define ones self with it. They say don't Judge a book by its cover but in the end we still go ahead and judge this is the same for fashion which is why we make sure we always look good. We do not need loincloths anymore to Just cover up it is the 21st century! There is a whole new meaning to clothing ourselves.

An Athlete Dying Young Essay -- Death, Life, Diet, Afterlife

Surprisingly, the first message from â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young† is how important pride is to an athlete. Winning is the name of the game in any sport which requires a certain level of competiveness that in turn creates lots of pride. Being the winner of any competition gives a person something to brag about and show of to others which is what most people would call pride. Well, what would an athlete do if his pride faded away but he was still doing well? This is the question that Housman answers in his poem. He uses exactly one stanza to say these lines, â€Å"Now you will not swell the rout/ Of lads that wore their honors out/ Runners whom renown outran/ And the name died before the man.† (A.E Housman pg. 1092 lines. 17-20) First off he says that an athlete who dies young will not have to be with the men who wore their honors our, and neither will he have to worry about his pride dying before he does. It’s exactly like that high school quarter back who sti ll talks about that one throw that won the state championship game. This is harsh to say, but h... ... middle of paper ... ...at moment the record was broke and die a life focused on regret. So, basically an unbroken record means an unbroken heart and that equals a happy death. In conclusion, Housman related these three messages of dying a very happy person, your people will take you to your home, and pride is an important thing to an athlete by connecting them all to the fact of life which is death. He said that as long as an athlete can die before their record is broken then they will be able to die a happy person remembering the cheers of their fans. Even if they didn’t set records they could die with pride by dying before their reputation or honor stopped running. Lastly, Housman was able to say that no matter how or when you die, your people will take you to your grave shoulder high so if that is the case then an athlete should wish to die young so they may be happy when death comes.

Organizational Ecosystem Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Ecosystem Case Study - Essay Example Although an ecosystem could be a source of many benefits, for organizations to thrive in their respective ecosystems, they must understand their individual ecosystems as well as how they function (Townsend, 2014). This is mostly important in avoiding ecosystem blindness. Business ecosystem has many benefits both for small and large businesses. The main aim of these ecosystems is to ensure that all companies stay in business by depending on each other. For a small business, functioning in an ecosystem provides a proprietary advantage that such a business needs so as to compete with larger organizations. Additionally, it provides the mechanism required to lever ideas of excellence in technology, research, marketing, and business in various industry sectors into a global competitive force. This is one of the goals that most businesses strive to achieve and that can be made possible through participation within an ecosystem. Ecosystems are also responsible for providing resistance to inv asions in business. Additionally, ecosystems also provide resilience that many businesses need against external changes especially in dynamic and unstable business environments. Furthermore, the type of adaptation that is necessary in surviving change is usually established and contributed towards by the rapid innovation, which is achievable under ecosystems. Wal-Mart is one of the largest retail companies in the world that have embraced ecosystem due to the benefits that it can gain and those it can pass to other businesses in the same ecosystem. By understanding the functioning of its ecosystem, Wal-Mart has managed to dominate its market. This is mostly because of the approach strategies that the company used in participating within its ecosystem. Ecosystem plays a critical role in Wal-Mart’s innovation efforts in two main ways. While taking the structure of its ecosystem in consideration, Wal-Mart managed to

Current Applications And Development Of Catalyst For The Synthesis Of Essay

Current Applications And Development Of Catalyst For The Synthesis Of Highly Functional Organic Carbonates - Essay Example An exhaustive review on the catalytic production of organic carbonates is lacking. The conventional procedure for synthesis of organic carbonates earlier involved toxic halogen compounds or phosgene, and later on moved to non toxic compounds such as carbon dioxide, alcohols, and epoxides. Recent catalysts include palladium, salen ligands, DBU, transition metal halides such as NiCl2, Lewis bases like Re(CO)5Br, NHC-CO2 adducts, tin, and Cu-exchanged zeolite Y catalyst. Introduction Organic carbonates are organic compounds obtained by carbonic acid and hydroxyl compound diesterification (1). The carbonates are produced in the form of diaryl, dialkyl or substituted dialkyl dialyl products depending on the type of hydroxyl compound used in the diesterification reaction. Organic carbonates have a wide variety of industrial, medical and biological applications (2). More specifically, they are used as intermediates, solvents and protective groups during the synthesis of lubricants, pharmace uticals, herbicides, pesticides, plastics, etc. (3). Of the different kinds of organic carbonates, dimethyl carbonate is the simplest one, produced industrially from methanol through catalytic oxycarbonylation (1). A review of the literature on the catalytic production of organic carbonates reveals that comprehensive reports on the development of catalysts in the synthesis of organic carbonates is lacking. While earlier, organic carbonate synthesis with the help of catalysts required halogen compounds or phosgene, research on the synthesis of organic compounds later on was more inclined towards substituting halogens with other non toxic compounds. In recent years, research has focused on synthesizing organic carbonates from carbon dioxide, alcohols, and epoxides. Organic carbonate synthesis has thus seen a new dawn, wherein more emphasis was on green chemistry and use of reagents that are least toxic to the environment and to living organisms. The present paper aims at understanding how the use of catalysts in synthesizing organic carbonates progressed over the years. For this purpose, research reports on organic carbonate synthesis will be analyzed and discussed. The types of catalysts employed in organic carbonate synthesis will also be reviewed. The aim is to study the development of catalysts for organic carbonate synthesis, especially in the recent years. Theoretical Background Organic carbonates are formed by the diesterification of hydroxyl compounds with carbonic acid. Carbonic acid does not exist in free state. Its monoester is called hemicarbonic acid and it is formed by the reaction of carbon dioxide with alcohol. It can only be isolated in the form of salts and simple/mixed anhydrides with carboxylic acids because of its unstability. Through the esterification of hemicarbonic acid with hydroxy compounds, organic carbonates can be synthesized. These are classified into two main groups, saturated and unsaturated organic carbonates. Unsaturated carbon ates include symmetrical (e.g. diallyl carbonate) and unsymmetrical (e.g. allyl methyl carbonate) organic carbonates. Saturated organic carbonates are further divided into several other categories that include aliphatic, aliphatic aromatic and aromatic. Further classification of organic carbonates is given in figure 1. Dimethyl carbonate is the simplest organic carbonate. Figure 1: Classification of Carbonates (1) Shaikh and Sivaram provided a comprehensive review of the various processes of organic carbonate synthesis. Since then, many more developments have taken place in the field. Before discussing the latest developments in organic carbon

Segment 4,5,and 6 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Segment 4,5,and 6 - Term Paper Example lberger recounts that the migrant passengers were â€Å"packed densely, like herrings† into the ships awaited them in harbors of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Each person received no more than 2-ft. wide bedstead, as a typical ship carried over 400 to 600 passengers. The miseries of the passengers usually began in the Dutch waters already, as the ships were compelled to pass through 8-14-day long customs examination at British ports, as they arrived there. However, the real hardship was to begin during the voyage across the Atlantic, as the vessels carrying migrants took 8 to 12 weeks until they reached Philadelphia. During such trips, gales and epidemics often struck the passengers, leading to rather high mortality levels and general discontent. In particular, infants and 1 to 7 year-old children were rarely to survive such trip. The most degrading part of the voyage, nevertheless, was to begin in the harbor of Philadelphia, as the destitute passengers were effectively sold to those who could pay for their new servants’ passage money. Usually adult persons were to serve for 3 to 6 years for the benefit of their purchasers, while the adolescents could be purchased to serve until they would be 21 year old. During such sale procedures, whole families were frequently torn apart. Segment 5. William Pitt’s Speech on the Stamp Act, 14 January 1766. This speech by William Pitt, Sr., who was at that time a leader of the Opposition, was to play one of the decisive roles in the repeal of the Stamp Act and the temporary softening of the British position with respect to the Colonies. Pitt pointed out that even â€Å"under former arbitrary reigns† it had been assumed that taxation entails the right of representation in the Parliament, and vice versa. He cited the example of Wales to show that the Colonists were right to demand the same attitude towards themselves. Pitt warned that the attempts of â€Å"the late administration† to â€Å"rob† the Colonies would be a dangerous

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 60

Case study - Essay Example The deal was going on well with the company making small losses and gains to balance the losses, an indication that all systems were right. However, in mid April 1994, Artzt, the chairman of P & G, made a shocking revelation that the company had made a whopping $157 million loss after liquidating two interest rate swap contracts (Smith, 68). This was in addition to a $102 million after tax charge against the company’s third quarter profits to cover the losses incurred in the transaction (Malkin, 1994). The scenario was that P $ G had a signed a contract that considerably magnified the interest rates swings in a 3 years swap in which the company paid a floating rate on Libor (Smith, 69). The intention of the company was to make an interest in the event that interest rates fell or remained constant, which could have led the prices of the relevant bonds increasing or remaining constant. As a result, the company could have paid the expected Libor rate while still benefiting from t he income from Bankers Trust for the options. However, the short interest rates rose significantly leading to a decline in the prices of the long term bonds, forcing P & G to buy the derivatives at rates way above the selling value. In other words, P &G found itself paying rates above the selling value due to the sensitivity of the long term bonds to the slightest movement in interest rates. Consequently, P & G had to pay much higher to purchase back the derivatives from Bankers Trust than what the bank had paid for them due to the increase in the value of the options held by the bank as a result of a rise in interest rates (Heffernan, 641). P & G incurred the above losses due to interest rates volatility in the market, which made the company buy its swiped instruments at much higher costs than the bank had paid. The outcome of the transaction was that two P & G employees considered to bear the

The types of board diversity and its impact on board performance Essay

The types of board diversity and its impact on board performance - Essay Example This research will begin with the definition of diversity as the difference between things or people, the variety of assortment that makes us unique. Every person has unique skills, characteristics, and challenges that contribute much in the board performance. Despite that, the body structure is the same; physical characteristics differ making people have a greater deal of diversity. Diversity has the composition of age, gender, race, and ethnicity, education, physical appearance, political persuasion among others. It is the examination of these differences in a safe, affirmative, and fostering environment. Age diversity- workforce increasingly varied in age demographics, creating proficient environment loaded with experience and maturity as well as youthful enthusiasm. Companies that employ more workers in wide ranges of age have an advantage of creating a dynamic workforce with a diverse range of skills beneficial to the company. Gender diversity- it is an Umbrella term used by Aus tralians to swap transgender in a more comprehensive fashion. It is the skill of sex or gender identity beyond the biological and dual philosophy of male and female. It celebrates the diversity in gender identities rather than some categories of people. Gender composition in a workplace has its own advantages and disadvantages in the workforce. Most of the top boards in Australian do not have women. The following graph shows the percentage of women in 48 boards, in ASX 200 files. Available from: http://www.companydirectors.com.au/Director-Resource-Centre/Governance-and-Director-Issues/Board-Diversity/~/media/Resources/Director%20Resource%20Centre/Governance%20and%20director%20issues/Board%20diversity/Board%20Diversity%20images/Graph%20images/Percentageofwomen_19April.ashx?w=360&h=275&as=1 [accessed on May 03 2013] Race diversity- a race is a population distinguished from other populations within a species by hereditarily transmitted physical characteristics. It has a unique and distinct ensemble of genes and remains identified by this genetic ensemble. Members of the same race share distinguished genetic characteristics because they share the same ancestry. This also depends on language distribution. The following graph show race or ethnic diversity from a county make up. Available from: Http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl [accessed on May 06 2013] Culture diversity- this is about the ethnic groups, nationalities, lifestyles, and the educational level. Two people may appear similar on the outside but have different cultures, values, view points, and work styles. It is equally valuable for a business to acknowledge multiple cultures that exist within the work place. Mangers work in hand with the employees to ensure that their cultures remain respected. The following graph shows women cultural diversity on trusteeship in 1931. Available from: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl [accessed on May 06 2013] Religion diversity- people continue to express a high level of religion involvement that is highly significant and productive in both the work force and our daily lives. In the recent, religious discrimination, remain practiced highly in the workforce. This diversity contributes much in the performance of a company. Catholics and Christians have the highest percentage in Australia while others like Anglican, uniting church, Presbyterian and reformed among others follow. The following gr

The Rule of Proximity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Rule of Proximity - Essay Example Some of these features or news values (Kim, 2001) may be intrinsic to the event or they may be extrinsic. Intrinsic values may be prominence or importance, degree of human interest evoked, degree of conflict or controversy involved and degree of the unusual implicated (Kim, 2001). Extrinsic values may be timeliness and proximity of the event to the location at which the media will be operational (Kim, 2001). It is notable, though, that the intrinsic values can also be correlated to the media location since it is observable that values like prominence or importance, capability to evoke human interest, degree of conflict or controversy and degree of the unusual all depend to some extent upon how the population at the media location usually relate to the population at the event location. This is so because researchers have also observed that events at a particular location, when it is judged for newsworthiness at a location in another country, are usually influenced much by the social, political, economic and geographic perspectives the media country holds of the event country (Kim, 2001). Thus, the newsworthiness of an event in any country, when judged in relation to media in the United States, will depend much upon the political relevance the U.S.A. places upon the event country (Kim, 2001). It will also depend much upon the degree of threat or benefit that event has for the U.S.A. and the World at large (Kim, 2001). These latter observations have great relevance to this paper since it is already manifested from these that the rule of proximity as well as other news values has much in common with values that influence diplomatic relationships between and among countries. Globalisation: There is one factor in the present world scene that does to a great extent override relationships among geographically and culturally proximal nations. While the paper finds that geographical and cultural proximity has been considered as an indicator of levels of diplomatic activities it also realises that it must also consider aspects of globalisation, the modern worldwide phenomenon that is expected to provide collective effort towards globally invasive problems like disarmament, arms regulations, combating international terrorism, cross-border crime and the drug trade and usage, protection of human rights, prevention of climate change and desertification, promotion of sustainable development, conflict prevention and development assistance and cooperation, peacemaking and keeping and foreign trade (Sucharipa, Undated). In this context it is very likely that national proximity is not the only overriding factor for strengthening diplomatic ties among nations. Nor is it likely that co nflict among nations in geographic proximity will remain contained within that region without effort from the global community towards it speedy amelioration. Thus, in this sense, it is observed that geographic and cultural proximity is not considered as important an indicator of political will as it was a few years earlier. Instead, it is again observed that national foreign policy is not contained to outside the country by the gatekeeper functional and kept apart from its domestic one. This is because other departments of the nation, such as the environmental one, may need direct contact with international agencies without having to seek permission of the foreign policy makers (Sucharipa, Undat

The temperature of the acid Essay Example for Free

The temperature of the acid Essay My conclusion fully supports my previous hypothesis and predictions that as the temperature increases, the calculated rate of reaction increases. This is shown in my final table of results and graph. However, it does not support my predicted results exactly, as the pattern of the graph is not as I had expected. This can be explained if necessary by inaccuracy of equipment, error in timing or simply human reaction times and judgement and therefore is less important than the accuracy of the predicted fact that the temperature and the rate of reaction are proportional. From my earlier notes I can see that this is because as the temperature increases there is more heat energy. This can be converted into kinetic energy, which makes the particles move around faster, and therefore have more chance of colliding with each other. Also, larger volumes of heat and energy means more effective collisions are created. I therefore conclude that the relationship between temperature and rate of reaction is indirectly proportional, in that as the temperature increases, the rate of the reactions taking place increases also. Evaluation I feel that both my method and equipment were fairly reliable, as my results fit fairly closely with how I imagined they would. I have taken enough results and repeats, and these are close enough to my prediction to create and support a firm conclusion. However, a few of my results were slightly anomalous, and the graph did not end up in the exact shape I had predicted, and therefore there must be ways to make my experiment more accurate. There are several things I have noticed which could have adversely affected any results I got, and I have tried to think of ways in which I could alter them if I was to re-do the experiments now. It is important to remember that the line of best fit on my graph is a straight line, showing only a basic upward trend, not a graph which accelerates as I predicted. When, towards the end of the given time for practicals, I was looking to re-do any points, I only looked at my first graph of time taken against temperature (see page 10), not at the graph of rate against temperature. Therefore, instead of trying to repeat points which fall a little away from my best-fit line, such as that at 24i C or that at 50i C, I added another point at an important stage in my original graph, at 18i C. This seemed a valuable point, but looking at my rate graph it lies exactly on my best-fit line. So while it does serve to highlight the accuracy of my results and best-fit line, it would probably have been more valuable to repeat the points at 24 and 50i C. Because of reasons stated (on page 8), the point at 50i C didnt have a repeat to begin with, and therefore ought to be looked at as less valid than the other points anyway. Most of the potential inaccuracies in my experiment were caused by my equipment, rather than the method, as I felt that my method was reliable. I especially liked my system for heating, as it almost invariably kept the acid and tablets at a constant temperature and it produced accurate results. There are a few reasons that I can identify why the rate may have been above my best-fit line (such as at 24i C). If this is the case, it means that the product of 50cmi carbon dioxide was produced within a shorter time than expected. This could be due to the temperature being higher than I had believed (for example if it rose during the reaction), or the gas syringe not being back to exactly zero before starting the experiment (sometimes I found it got knocked so it was already at approximately one or two cmi ). Therefore, in theory, checking and making sure of both these things before the start of each experiment could have improved my method, and if I was to repeat the experiment I would ensure I was doing these things. There are also reasons why the rate may have been below my best-fit line (such as at 50iC). This means that the product (50cmi of carbon dioxide) took a longer time to be produced than expected, or that it took a longer time than average to show in the gas syringe. This could be due to the temperature being lower than I thought (for example having dropped during the reaction). In future, this should be checked before the experiment is started. It could also be due to faulty equipment, like the gas syringe getting stuck or the rubber joining the tube not being on properly, or being on different amounts so that the gas took longer to travel up the tube. If the experiment was repeated, the gas syringe should be chosen carefully as one which is not either too loose or too stiff, and the joining tube should be put on properly, so that no gas is allowed to escape when the pressure builds up inside the conical flask. Also, a certain degree of error must be allowed for in that a second person is necessary when starting an experiment. This is because you need one hand to add the tablets, one hand to put the bung in and a third hand to start the stopclock. This increases the chances of the experiment being inaccurate, as two different people are very unlikely to be completely synchronised. Therefore the gas has time to escape unnoticed at the start of each reaction before the bung is put in. I can see little which could be done about this in future experiments. In both cases (above or below the best-fit line) the experiment would have benefited from a greater number of results being taken at smaller intervals. This would probably have further supported my conclusion and may also have more accurately displayed a less obvious trend such as the one I originally predicted. Taking results in a wider range, (for example from 5i C to 70iC) with repeats to verify accuracy, would have strengthened my evidence. It would only have done this if, as I imagine, a continuing trend showed in the extra results. In all of the experiments, a degree of error in continuity must be taken into account. It is extremely unlikely that the tablets all had the same mass, or that there was the same volume of hydrochloric acid down to the last drop. I tried to make this as accurate as possible, using a burette instead of a measuring cylinder, and only getting the tablets out at the last minute so that they were as whole and un-tampered-with as they could be. If the experiment was to be repeated on a larger timescale, I could measure the mass of the tablets to increase accuracy. It is also impossible to swirl the beaker at exactly the same vigorousness every time, although I tried to keep it as constant as I could. If I was looking to test these results on a much wider scale, I could use other common antacid tablets with similar active ingredients, keeping the type and volume of acid constant. This would prove that the tablets that I used were regular, and didnt just coincidentally produce typical results.

The Development Of Sport Tourism Industry Tourism Essay

The Development Of Sport Tourism Industry Tourism Essay 1.0 Introduction Tourism and sports are the emerging trend in todays culture. These trends had been influenced by human social attitudes, technological advancement, economic and political circumstances. Both sport and tourism activities are organized all over the world regardless of national borders. 1.1 Definition of Sport tourism Sport tourism is a prevalent and growing phenomenon. According to Gibson (2006), sport tourism is defined as leisure-based travel that takes individuals temporarily outside of their home communities to participate in physical activities [Active Sport Tourism], to watch physical activities [Event Sport Tourism], or to venerate attractions associated with physical activities [Nostalgia Sport Tourism]. 1.2 Development of sport tourism industry During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (1880-1910), development of sport took place. Sports were transformed through such developments as the codification of rules, bureaucratization (the development and regulation of competitions), specialization of player roles, quantification (measurement of performance) and the maintenance of records of achievement (Guttmann, 1974, in Higham, 2005). Competitive sports were contested in local, regional or national leagues. In 1970s and 1980s, second period of dynamic change in the development of sport took place. (Halberstam, 1999, in Higham, 2005) examines the emergence of cable television and the broadcast of live sport initiated by ESPN in 1978. The development of commercial and medial interests in sport together with the emergence of new forms of sport celebrity brought about a dominant feature in sport tourism. This had resulted in a growing market for holidays filled with sports content. Sport, sport teams, sport events and sport facilities had been transformed into tourism industry. Sport is an important expression of culture at a tourism destination. The prominence of sports and sports people in the national and international media is such that sport has become a powerful tool in destination marketing (British Tourist Authority, 2000, in Higham, 2005) 1.3 Overview of the sport tourism industry According to Standeven De Knop (1999), sport tourist are categorize as active or passive. Active sport tourists engage in sport activity holidays. Sport is the main purpose of the trip. Passive sport tourist can be grouped according to how important sport is the purpose of the trip. They are those who have extensive passive involvement and are discriminating in the sports activity they watch as spectators or facilitators. Today, many people participate in or watch sports across the world. Due to an increase in media attention, people are becoming more aware of the health and recreational benefits that sport tourism provide. There had been a growing number of travel companies that print brochures to advertise on sports and adventure holidays, for example, scuba diving in Kenya, mountain climbing in Sabah. 2.0 Market Analysis Over the years, we can see an increase in tourist arrivals all around the world. It is seen to be an important phenomenon that will engage and excite people at the same time. Throughout this report, the focus will be on sport tourism in Australia. Sport tourism contributes significantly to Australian economy. Australia is recognised internationally as a nation that is very involved with sports. According to Australian Government (2008), itemised consumption for recreation, cultural and sports services was $2 953 million. In 2008-2009, Australian government had invested $3.8 billion into arts and recreation service. This shows that they are continuously improving the recreation services to meet the demand of sports tourist and players. The hosting of the Sydney 2000 Olympics had provided Australia with a unique opportunity. It allows Australia to showcase the world as a tourism destination and as a country with the ability to stage such major events. According to The Independent (2010), it states that during the Sydney Olympics held in 2000, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said 4.94 million people made short-term visits to Australia. This is an increase of 11% or 480 000 people from the previous record in 1999. The increase was due mostly to a dramatic surge in tourist arrivals in the month of December, a rise of 23% on the same month in 1999. Sports had become part of Australian lifestyle. It plays a vital role in Australian culture. This experience is a motivating factor that attracts international visitors to Australia. According to a survey conducted by ABS (2005-2006), 66% of the population aged 15years and above (10.5million people) participated as a player at least once during the 12 months prior to interview in one or more sports or physical recreation activities. Participation rate was highest for the 25 to 34 year age group (75%) then declined with age to 49% for people aged 65 years and above. In order for marketers to reach out to the target segment successfully, here are some of the marketing strategies adopted by Australia to promote sports tourism. It is important that sports marketers consider how each of the marketing mix elements is integrated and related to each of the other elements. For example, if sport products are not priced correctly, it will result in a major impact on how consumers view the organisations. 2.1 Product In sports tourism, the product will be the game itself. For example, during Sydney Olympic Games 2000, the product will be the games played. Products can be differentiated into tangible and intangible product. The tangible elements of a sports product are the participants who play the sports, the type of competition or game played, merchandising (T-shirts, equipment, souvenirs etc), and venue facilities. The intangible elements are the impressions, expressions, emotions that people have about the sports whether they are participants or spectators. (Summers et al, 2005a) Sports products are similar to the characteristics of services. They are perishable, inseparable, heterogeneous and intangible. Perishable once event of the game had ended, there will not be any live competition anymore Inseparable sports products are produced and consumed simultaneously when participants, officials and fans create the event Heterogeneous each sporting event and experience is different for everyone Intangible many of the elements for sports product are intangible 2.2 Price In the context of sports tourism, price refers to the purchase of tickets to watch the sporting event. Differential pricing strategy is common for many sports products. It meant that different price are allocated for different seats, or different privileges included in the ticket. According to Morgan Summers (2005), for most professional stadium-based sports, the revenue from the ticket price is less than the revenue expected from media rights and corporate hospitality sales. For example, the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006, the price range are categorized into A, B, C, D and Family. Price category A ticket price $590 Price category B ticket price $420 Prize category C ticket price $250 Prize category D ticket price $100 Family category ticket price range from $300 to $525 The organizing committee had price the ticket into different category so that it can reach out to different market segment. Spectators who purchased category A tickets would have a better and closer view of the competition. Family category tickets target at parents who wanted to bring their children to watch the competition together. It is priced slightly cheaper so as to encourage family bonding and to motivate these children to watch the competition. From the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it reveals that there was a 15% increase in the number of international arrivals to Australia in September 2000, the month of the Games, compared to the previous year. 2.3 Place Place refer to the distribution channel where spectators can buy the tickets to watch the competition and the location where the competition takes place. Now, with the current advancement of technology, we are able to purchase the tickets to watch any competitions held in any part of the world. We can log in to the official website and purchase the tickets online conveniently. Australia had developed the country to host many major sporting events such as Sydney Olympics Games 2000, IRB Rugby World Cup 2003, Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006, etc. According to Higham (2005a), the stadium Australia Trust, together with the Olympic Co-ordinating Authority and the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, identified Homebush Bay as the location for the majority of the sporting venures for the Olympic Games. This included the 110 000 capacity Stadium Australia (at a cost of $A 480 million, and now the Telstra Stadium, host to the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final), the State Hockey Centre, and Novotel and Ibis Hotels. 2.4 Promotion Promotion is an effective tool to communicate with the selected target tourists. It can build and creates identity for the country. Australia Sports Commission had work on promotion strategy to market itself to sports tourist. The vision is to continue to be recognised as the world leader in developing high performance and community sport. This will create a positive image for sports tourist and contribute to the uniqueness of destination. According to Australia Sports Commission (2006a), one of the strategies adopted is to actively contribute to international community sport development programs, increase understanding of international trends in sports. They provide funding, innovative support services, in partnership with national sporting organisations. This way, it allows them to enhance high performance programs and to ensure sustained international high performance success. They had promoted more effective pathways into high performance development for talented individuals who aspire to compete at higher level. SWOT analysis is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It provides an effective framework for analysing internal resources and external trends. 2.5 Strengths Australia has a proud tradition and culture in sports tourism. The national sports system, its delivery mechanisms and its program are widely regarded as world leaders. This will boost the reputation in the sports tourist industry. According to Australia Sports Commission (2006b), Australian Government together with Australian Sports Commission provides unprecedented levels of support for Australian sport. Strong leadership and momentum through a comprehensive range of programs and initiatives shows the governmental support for sport tourism industry. With the strong support, it will lead to an increase in tourist arrivals for any sports event held in Australia. According to a report on Sydney 2000 Olympics, there were more than ten thousand athletes travelled to Australia from 199 countries to compete in twenty-eight sports. There was a total of 6.7 million Olympic tickets sold, more than four and a half million fans passed through the gates at Sydney Olympic Park to witness the games. From this figure, we are able to identify the success of Sydney Olympic Games. 2.6 Weaknesses After looking at the strength, we will explore on the weaknesses of sports tourism. It is not easy for a country to host mega event such as Olympic. Government and organising committee had to work closely together to ensure that the event goes smoothly and successfully. During the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, there was concern that many tourist will not want to choose Australia as a holiday destination. They want to avoid the crowd going for the Games, the uncertainties such as traffic congestion, crowding, security issues and etc. Thus, Australia government will have to look into this particular sector of tourism so that they are not being neglected. If this area is managed well, Australia will be an idea destination for all types of tourist even during the period where the Game is going on. 2.7 Opportunities The hosting of Sydney Olympics had created a lot of opportunities for Australia sport tourism industry. Sydney 2000 Olympics had left a legacy of expertise in a range of sports- tourism related fields. Now, Australia has more opportunities to hold sports events at the international, national and regional levels. This will results in an increase in gross domestic product and employment rates for Australia. Sports manager have to continuously develop new sport product to enhance the status of the sport as a tourist attraction. This will help to generate new tourism market or expand on existing tourism markets. The development or upgrading of sport facilities is an effective strategy to reach out to the new market segment for sports tourism. Sport marketers can develop creative marketing techniques to embrace international tourists visiting the destination as a causal consumer of sports (Hingh Higham, 2004) 2.8 Threats Sport tourism is a threat to the natural environment. In order to cater to the large demand of spectators and participants, sport venue and infrastructure have to be improvised. During the process of upgrading these facilities, ecosystem is being damaged. Ecosystem consists of different type of species, flora and fauna. This will become a threat to biodiversity and greenhouse effect. In the long run, it will become a permanent and irreversible environmental damage. According to Higham (2005b), long term impacts include degradation of natural landscapes. Due to extremes of altitude and climate, tourism in alphine ecologies require extended recovery and regeneration timeframes, long term monitoring and appropriate management interventions. 3.0 Factors That Motivate Tourists Sport tourism entails a set of motivations. The classic theories of motivation commonly applied to understand leisure, sport and tourism behaviour are Murrays (1938) Needs Theory of Personality and Maslows (1943) Hierarchical Theory of Needs. 3.1 Murrays Needs Theory of Personality Murray (1938) developed a theory of personality that was organized in terms of motives, presses and needs. It is explained that A need is a stimulus a force pushing an individual in a certain direction or to behave in a certain way. He identified 12 physiological needs and 28 psychological needs. Physiological needs, viewed as primary needs, include air, water, food and security. Psychological needs, viewed as secondary needs, are related to mental or emotional satisfaction including achievement, autonomy and satisfied. 3.2 Maslows Hierarchical Theory of Needs Maslows (1943) Hierarchical Theory of Needs suggests that people are motivated to fulfil basic needs before they move on to other needs. Maslows theory and Murrays theory are similar, in the sense that both propose that peoples behaviour is driven by both physiological and social-psychological needs. However, Maslow developed a more structured hierarchical order to the activation and satisfaction of needs. He suggested that an individual has to satisfy the lower order of needs before working on the higher order of needs. The top of the hierarchy is the need for self-actualization, which is an opportunity for individuals to become everything that one is capable of becoming. The needs become more psychological and social as one progress up the pyramid. Maslow found that vacation satisfaction was associated with the degree to which the needs for self-actualisation, belongingness and physiology were met by the experience. In sport tourism, the relationship between needs and activity choice is complex. Hence, it is not sufficient to pair a set of needs with an activity. The same activity may be motivated by different needs at different times for one individual. In another case, one activity may represent different meanings to another individual at the same time (Crandall, 1980). Despite the complexity of the relationship, motivation theory still provides insights into why people choose to take part in certain activities. In the context of sport tourism, push factor is the need to need to match an individuals motivations and pull factor is the expectation regarding a vacation with the attributes of a particular destination. 3.3 Push factor Push factor are unique to each tourist. They are determined by the personality and attitude of individual. To a certain extend, sport tourist may be motivated by push factor. They want to escape from daily routine, explore other form of sports, interact and build friendship with people. This group of tourist want to gain new exposure and achieve something from the trip. 3.4 Pull factor Pull factor is an extrinsic factor. They include price, destination image, marketing and promotion of the host country. According to Higham (2005) destination image is an important attribute that formulate the expectation of the country. Physical attributes include attractions, activities, sporting facilities and physical landscapes. Abstract attributes are atmosphere, crowding, safety and ambience. These attributes are essential to foster a distinct destination brand and advantageous destination imagery. If the country is perceive as a cohesive nation, that is safe and secure for any form of sports to take place, tourist will travel to that country to enjoy the competition. In this way, tourist arrival and expenditure will increase. 4.0 Future Challenges Sport and tourism phenomena are dynamic and fragile. Sport tourism industry will face some future challenges. If these challenges are managed well, sport tourism industry will attract more sports tourist visiting the country. 4.1 Technology advancement With technological advancement, people are able to watch the Games played through the use of sports reporting media such as interactive television and Internet. Now, the question to us: will sports tourists want to travel out of their comfort zone to experience a totally different happening where sounds, sights and ambience can be virtually created? Is there any desire for them to travel to another country if they can watch the Games in the comforts of their home? According to a report on Sydney 2000 Olympics, it show that Sydney 2000 was broadcast in 220 countries and generated more than 36.1 billion television viewing hours. Nine out of ten individuals in the world with access to television watched some part of the Olympics ranging from an average four hours per viewer to more than 37 hours per viewer in Japan. From this statistics, we are able to know that there are many people who do not need to travel to Australia but they are still able to enjoy the Games played. 4.2 Trends in Winter Sport Tourism Winter tourism is an important source of income for many alpine areas. Hence, they are highly dependent on satisfactory snow conditions. Skiing, snowboarding are some of the sports activities that are highly depend on snow. Recently, due to an impact of climate change and weather conditions, the lack of snow during winter season poses a challenge for various countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Austria and etc. Winter tourism depends on good snow conditions. Hence, sport tourism developer and event organizers should focus on ways to improve the situation of this area so as not to lose the ski market tourism. 4.3 Growth of sports tourist seeking alternative sports It is seen as a common trend for sport participants to seek alternative sports and new ways to do sports. They have taken a great interest to play other sports that will bring them more excitement. According to Higham (2005c), unique sport subcultures have emerged in association with alternative sports. The growth of alternative sports will pose as a challenge for any country. A country that wants to develop these alternative sports must invest a substantial sum of money. New, advance infrastructure and facilities has to be built to cater to this group of sport tourists seeking alternative sports. It will be very difficult for a country that does not have the necessary sports resources and expertise to develop alternative sports. 5.0 Conclusion and Recommendation Sport is ubiquitous as a form of popular culture. There are some ways that sport tourism developer can adopt to minimize the future challenges of sports tourism. Once these challenges are manage well, there will be a steady increase in sport tourist arrivals to the country. 5.1 Invest in snow-making Due to climate change and global warming, sport tourism developer has taken a future step to look at the invention of snow making. According to Higham (2005d), snow making is a technological development that lengthened the ski season in the snow-belt states. It also made sport possible in areas where natural snowfall was less than abundant. Although snow making is an expansive investment, it is seen as an essential way to ensure sport tourism activities take place. Many countries are willing to spend millions of dollar to make artificial snow so that they will capture tourists who want to enjoy the ski facilities and resort. 5.2 Sustainable sport tourism According to (Butler 1993, in Hinch and Higham, 2004), sustainable tourism is tourism in a form which can maintain its viability in an area for indefinite period. The achievement of sustainable sport tourism requires a balance between social goals, economic goals and environmental goals. Sustainable tourism is one of the goals for many sport tourism countries. In order to reach this goal, sport tourism should enhance the social/cultural dimension of the community. Mega-events such as Olympics can include cultural factors of the country. Sport tourist can watch the Games and learn about the culture of the nation at the same time. 5.3 Market diversification Market diversification is a tool that marketers of sport tourism organisation can adopt. It is an effective way to segment the market and reach out to them. The targeted segment will be people who are not tied down to traditional vacation structures. They are more likely to travel during shoulder and off-season period. This group of people are conference delegates, incentive travellers and special interest group. Marketers can consider cross-leverage sport and tourism across the entire marketing mix to attract them. They have the power to spend on any sport activities as they have the luxury of time. According to Higham (2005e), Canmore in Canada is counting on the ageing baby boomers to help eliminate the shoulder season. There are plans drawn up for a health and wellness resort offering a myriad of traditional and non-traditional health services. All in a nutshell, the field of sport and tourism are dynamic industries. Sport tourism organizers and destination managers have to understand and respond to these growing trends in an effective manner. This is so as to achieve a competitive advantage in the sport tourism field. In mega event or small-scale event, organizing committee has to plan and manage all type of activities in sport event in an orderly manner. The success of the event will results in a positive image of tourism destination. It will gain the fame and attract more tourists to the destination to participate or enjoy the sports activities.