Multinational Companies: A Strange Thing In Today’s World

It does not appear to have much import to the decision-makers in these firms that their practices are so far reaching. Their earnings, divided between numerous currencies, are viewed as if they were all made in the same money. With the same simplicity that a conference call within one nation would take place, so does an international conference call for this kind of company. It is standard for part of the company’s operation to be located almost totally in one country, and some other part in another country, as if these things were being managed by people in various regions of the same sovereign state. Marketing merchandise primarily in specific countries is no different for them than concentrating on segments of just one country’s public. These corporations treat the world as one gigantic nation and all of humanity as citizens of it.

A lot of people are quick to support the tactics of these companies. With such an arrangement, a company can maximize its revenue and meet the end goal of business. The point can be made that with merchandise offered to different peoples, their lifestyles will become similar and they will be able to more easily relate to each other in the long run. Having large companies’ products available in many areas may, according to proponents, also help keep smaller regional businesses perpetually competitive, helping the consumer.

Others might say that more impoverished countries are taken advantage of by these companies. The more inexpensive labor often available in third-world nations is taken advantage of, and the products end up being sold mainly to people in other countries that are much wealthier. People in the third-world nations are left with amounts adequate to get by and little financial flexibility, and there are now a great deal fewer employment opportunities for developed countries’ laborers. The huge amount of capital they have to use can also result in their influencing of policy in their favor and buying out local competition.

It is ordinary in our world for a large corporation to have clients and the ability to produce services or goods in any nation on earth. Managers on their conference calls may be of the mind that they are helping to make the world a better place, and a number of consumers might take the opposing view. Defenders will tout the possibility of rallying numerous peoples around the same life improvements and the potential for keeping local businesses alert that big businesses provide. Exploitation of regions and those businesses using their money to silence competition are problems, say critics. No matter what, however, we are cognizant of the fact that these companies are firmly rooted and will be around for quite some time.