While there does appear to be economic benefits that transnational companies can reap by setting up and maintaining a Maquiladora program in Mexico, not all agree that the Maquiladoras are totally beneficial. The following links are critical of the Maquiladora business operations. 1 Visit and surf through the "Maquiladora Health & Safety Support Network." They describe themselves as "a volunteer network of over 400 occupational health and safety professionals who have placed their names on a resource list to provide information, technical assistance and on-site instruction regarding workplace hazards in the 3,000 "maquiladora" (foreign-owned assembly) plants along the U.S.-Mexico border.". 2 At "Corporate Watch" read "La Linea: Gender, Labor and Environmental Justice on the US-Mexico Border." 3 Go to "Women on the Border"Women on the Border"" and read about some of the experiences that some have had working in the Macquiladoras. 4 For readers of Spanish, go to an examination of the problems of population and growth along the US-Mexican border where the vast majority of Maquiladoras are found. Read "Industrializacion, Urbanizacion y Crecimiento Demografico en la Frontera" por el Dr. Alejandro Canales. An English version is also available. Exercise After you visit the sites listed above, weigh the issue of benefit/harm with respect to the Maquiladoras. Q: Do the Maquiladoras entail more benefit of more harm? How so? Required Assignment Given the above Guided Inquiry survey of the Maquiladora program, reflect upon the ethics of this business practice in an essay that you will post to your section's Discussion Board. In your essay include answers to the following questions and make reference to the VCR approach. Q: What is the Maquiladora program? Q: What benefits and harms might a business professional attribute to the Maquiladora program? Q: What is your own ethical position on the Maquiladoras? How would a VCR analysis support this position?