Manuel Chavez

The Transformation of Mexican Retailing with NAFTA

With the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, in 1994, the opening up of Mexican commercial sectors was completed. Thereafter, the growth of multinational supermarket chains accelerated and Mexican food distributors and retailers were forced into redefinition and regrouping, not only at company level but also at the regional–location level. The central and northern regions are witnessing increased efforts on the part of supermarket chains to capture local market segments, a process which imposes new demands on producers, wholesalers, and consumers. This article addresses the strategies of competition and collaboration of Mexican and US supermarket chains in the new regional context, and highlights the lack of Mexican public policy to help domestic retailers to compete effectively.

The North American border cooperation model: Local challenges for a security agenda

Abstract The economic integration of North America has deepened with the creation of NAFTA. Border interdependence has created mechanisms that are cementing the mutual interaction that border cities have with each other. Yet, the emerging new policies of U.S. homeland security will require important adjustments in border areas and in the interaction with Mexico and Canada. This essay examines the challenges of border towns in coping with demands related to security and how these issues are presented by their news media. Security policies represent a paradigm shift of border interaction that illustrates that the relationship between the U.S. with Mexico and Canada is entering a new stage of complex interdependence. To ensure proper implementation, Mexico will need to make significant structural adjustments and lessons from the Canada‐U.S. relation that may serve as templates are explored.

Reconstructing Public Diplomacy in the Context of Policy, Communication, and Technology: An Examination of U.S. - Mexico Border Relations

Abstract As the United States implements more stringent measures to secure its border with Mexico, the perception of the United States in Mexico has turned negative. Despite Mexicos strategic importance, public diplomacy has not been well utilized in the United States, specifically as it pertains to the U.S.‐Mexico border. Moreover, policy efforts have not effectively addressed this issue. The United States ought utilize technological resources to encourage communication facilitating public diplomacy with Mexico. In this way, the United States could lessen the negative public opinion of it throughout Mexico.

Challenges in the Reporting of Environmental Issues in Latin America and the Caribbean

The introductory chapter of this volume situates the role of news media in Latin America within the context of the environmental, economic, and sociopolitical challenges that countries in the region face. The authors review the current practical challenges faced by the media and journalists in the reporting of environmental problems, such as the complex relation between media, governments, and elites; violence against journalists; and the dominance of hegemonic discourses, among others. The authors also review the limitations of current scholarship in this area, arguing for more research that examines the factors that affect media coverage of environmental affairs in Latin American countries. The chapter concludes by summarizing the chapters that comprise the edited volume.

The Future of Environmental Communication and Journalism in Latin America and the Caribbean

The concluding chapter of this volume summarizes the common themes in the reporting of environmental affairs across the seven case studies presented. These themes include rationales for shifts in attention to environmental issues, and interfaces of media, public, and official agendas, including ontological perspectives on just what environmental journalism is. In many cases, the reporting only surfaces when an environmental issue has become a real crisis. Another trend was the importance of individual impetus in becoming a newsroom entrepreneur who can push environmental issues past gatekeepers. By highlighting the shortcomings and successes of media in Latin America, the authors conclude by making a call to practitioners and scholars to address the identified limitations and advance environmental journalism in the region.

The News Media and Environmental Challenges in Mexico: The Structural Deficits in the Coverage and Reporting by the Press

The authors of this chapter focus on the role of the Mexican news media in reporting environmental issues, with special attention to the watchdog function of the press. The media are expected to keep a close eye on threats and risks and sound the alarm before these develop into crises; yet, that has not been the case in Mexico. This watchdog function requires sufficient journalism and science training to deal with the large inventory of environmental issues requiring attention, which includes issues affecting land, fresh and salt water, waste, species protection and air pollution. The chapter first shows how the media are organized and how they report in Mexico, followed by a description of the government agencies responsible for environmental affairs; then it describes the most pressing environmental issues across the country. To demonstrate that the Mexican press cover the environment only in times of crisis, the authors conducted a content analysis of the 2016 air pollution crisis that was experienced in Mexico City. The authors conclude that unless an environmental issue reaches catastrophic levels, the watchdog function of the news media is virtually dormant.