In The News

BMW, Mercedes, Porsche Upstage Motown Makes

Heidi Sylvester January 10, 2003
Globalization has resulted in the creation of multinational corporations whose activities span the globe. Now, even as Germany experiences an economic downturn, with the demand for new automobiles declining, German automakers have been able to enjoy profits thanks to the increasing demand for their products in the United States. The companies predict continued growth in the demand for German...

Strict International Patent Laws Hurt Developing Countries

Amy Kapczynski December 16, 2002
In 1998, 39 pharmaceutical companies filed a lawsuit against South Africa. They hoped to stop the government from producing the generic drugs that would have made treatment affordable for the country's AIDS victims. A public outcry ensued, and critics accused pharmaceutical companies of valuing profit over human life. Although these same companies were eventually pressured into dropping...

A Troubled Project Holds Warnings for Kazakhstan's Oil Sector

Mark Berniker November 19, 2002
Investments by multinational corporations can help bring skills, capital, and income to developing countries. But creating a mutually beneficial relationship isn't necessarily a smooth process, as this report from Central Asia explains: "ChevronTexaco has been Kazakhstan's primary oil and gas investor since 1993. Now, with disagreements halting a joint venture between the company...

McDonald’s to Close Restaurants Amid Restructuring

Associated Press November 8, 2002
Faced with falling profits, the US-based McDonald’s Corp. has found it necessary to restructure the corporation by slowing down expansion and overhauling U.S. restaurants. McDonald’s also plans to pull out of or restructure in at least seven nations, all located in the Middle East and Latin America. In addition, the corporation will cut individual struggling franchises in at least ten other...

China Raises Estimates of HIV-AIDS Cases to 1 Million

Elisabeth Rosenthal September 6, 2002
China's "closed attitude" toward its growing AIDS epidemic opened slightly today when officials acknowledged that at least a million Chinese were infected with the disease and appealed for international assistance. Officials also admitted that the Chinese government had been aware of the growing AIDS problem as early as 1995. This confession was issued in compliance with the...

Mining Company to Offer H.I.V. Drugs to Employees

Henri E. Cauvin August 7, 2002
AIDS has had a devastating impact on the mining industry in southern Africa. Anglo American P.L.C. estimates that 28 percent of its workers are afflicted, and after months of indecision, the company has finally decided to provide them with antiretroviral drugs. This is a significant step in the fight against AIDS; the influence of a major company may provoke governments in Botswana and South...

In Europe, Going Global Means, Alas, English

John Tagliabue May 19, 2002
En inglés, auf Englisch, en anglaise, en inglese, in English, please. The number of schools and academies that teach English has increased dramatically in Europe. Indeed, as companies increasingly seek transnational markets and employees, English has become the 'lingua franca' of board meetings and cross-border communications. Company workers, especially high-ranking ones, are polishing...