ing the trees also tends to be extremely time-consuming, primarily because mahogany trees typically are exceptionally large (Nebbe & Hunger, 1999, p. 26-1). The size of a tree determines how long it will take to process, and in some cases processing can take weeks to complete. After disassembling the tree, the workers must transport the logs to the distributor, which means moving it out of the forest and to a distribution point. This is accomplished either by carrying the wood out of the forest by the combined efforts of mules and workers or by floating the logs down a stream or river, an option that is only feasible during the wet season (Nebbe & Hunger, 1999, p. 26-1). Once the wood reaches the distributor, it is loaded onto trucks and transported to cities, where it is sold to furniture-makers for a profit. Due to the difficulty of accomplishing all of the steps in harvesting the wood, the cooperative cannot be considered a way of making ôeasy money.ö Nevertheless, it does offer a means of exploiting natural resources to provide jobs without damaging the environment, and although the steps to harvest the wood are arduous, they are uncomplicated for minimally skilled labor to handle. As such, the Guajilote Cooperativo Forestal is an admirable business venture concept.
Going beyond the initial concept of the cooperative, a SWOT analysis can provide a framework for examining its overall position and identifying key issues. The cooperativeÆs strengths, for example, include free trees, relativ
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