Transnational Corporations Discussion

Transnational corporations are for-profit entities that conduct business in more than one country (sales, distribution, extraction, manufacturing, research, development) and make business decisions based on transnational alternatives. The objective of this week’s assignment is to understand transnational corporations as carriers of globalization.

(1) Select a large transnational corporation (choose any one you’d like, look at the Fortune 500 if you need ideas). Identify its main business, and identify three countries where it does major production and three countries where it has major consumers.

(2) Research the history of the corporation you’ve selected. When and why did it first begin to locate production in more than one country, and when and why did it first began to seek consumers in more than one country?

(3-option 1) Search the New York Times Article Archive for the earliest mention of your transnational corporation. When did it begin to make news, and what was the news it made?

(3-option 2) Consider the impact of COVID-19 on your transnational corporation. Will it reduce or extend its transnational reach? (If you need food for thought, Google what is the impact of COVID-19 on my transnational corporation?)