Difficult Days Ahead."Five factors are changing the operating environment In computing, an operating environment is the environment in which users run programs, whether in a command line interface, such as in MS-DOS or the Unix shell, or in a graphical user interface, such as in the Macintosh operating system. for trade associations," reported London-based association consultant Mark Boleat in a speech late last year to the Annual Congress of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association in Durban, South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. . "With the possible exception of the last, each of these factors is bad news for existing trade associations." The factors: 1. More concentration within industries, due to takeovers and mergers. 2. An increasing proportion of domestic business being conducted in foreign markets and falling in the hands of foreign companies. 3. Breaking down of barriers between markets and institutions. 4. Deregulation Deregulation The reduction or elimination of government power in a particular industry, usually enacted to create more competition within the industry. Notes: Traditional areas that have been deregulated are the telephone and airline industries. and privatization privatization: see nationalization. privatization Transfer of government services or assets to the private sector. State-owned assets may be sold to private owners, or statutory restrictions on competition between privately and publicly owned , combined with a gradual shifting of policy making to the global level. 5. Information technology developments. Boleat advised trade associations to consider new organizational structures  This article has no lead section.To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, one should be written. to promote rapid decision making. He added that "the Internet must be at the center of the association's communication system." |
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