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Where should a hi-tech company locate a new plant?

"Geography is History!"

This was a slogan by BT advertising the Internet and e-commerce.
Think about this statement in relation to where factories are located in the year 2000. 

What might it mean?

Do you think it matters where factories are located in the year 2000?

Aims of the enquiry

  1. develop an understanding of industrial location factors
  2. develop an awareness of advantages of different locations around the world
  3. develop an awareness of the use of media such as the internet to promote locations in order to stimulate regional economic development. The idea behind this task is to put students into a real life activity, thus making a contribution to work related learning, and at the same time demonstrating the use of ICT in the work place. The web sites used in the enquiry have been established to promote the advantages of different areas to entice industries to them.
  4. develop ICT presentation skills, pupils could  present their PowerPoint slides to the rest of the class.

 

Your Task: You are a director for a multi-national, high-tech, footloose industry. Your company is thinking about developing a new plant somewhere in the world. The board of directors have narrowed the choice to three locations :
  • France – Nord-Pas de Calais
  • U.S.A. – Phoenix, Arizona
  • Malaysia

You have been asked to research these locations and select the most suitable of the three, producing a PowerPoint presentation, outlining the advantages of the location of your choice, for the next board meeting.

Things to consider before conducting your research

What are the location factors you need to consider for a high – tech, footloose industry ?

Things to include in your PowerPoint presentation

1. A map to show your chosen location.

2. Slides explaining the advantages of your chosen location, include photographs, tables, charts, maps to help explain the advantages.

Conducting your research

The web sites provided below have been developed to promote the advantages of the areas to encourage companies to develop industries in their area. 

Visit each location and decide which you think is the most suitable for the footloose hi-tech industry you represent. Use the resources available on the website of your chosen location to help you to produce your PowerPoint presentation.

Nord-Pas de Calais Développement,

http://www.locatenorthfrance.com 

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) provides the first point of contact for many growing companies, along with an array of services designed to assist in evaluating, planning and implementing a corporate relocation or expansion to the Greater Phoenix area. The site demonstrates how the area attempts to attract business to move to the region. http://www.gpec.org/

Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA), is the Malaysian Government's principal agency for the promotion and co-ordination of industrial development in Malaysia.
http://www.mida.gov.my/

Further Information

Don’t forget you can also look at other websites about these places by using a searcher.
www.altavista.com

www.google.com 

www.lycos.com