Business Ethics and Corporate Governance, Second Edition

CURRENT ISSUES—MULTINATIONAL CORpORATIONS

Multinational corporations face many of the same issues as domestic companies⁷ such as maximizing profits, meeting customer demands and adapting to technological change. In addition, MNCs must be up-to-date with trends and events in the various countries where they operate. Political reforms in South Africa, economic liberalization in India and social trends in Europe are examples of matters that are important to corporations operating in these countries.

Accountability is another issue that MNCs face. Because they are so large, MNCs can, and sometimes have, exerted questionable political and economic power in some countries. As a result, critics view MNCs suspiciously and sometimes seek to have host ...