Multinational corporation

A multinational corporation (MNC) or multinational enterprise (MNE) or transnational corporation (TNC) is one that spans multiple nations; these corporations are often very large. Such companies have offices, factories or branch plants in different countries. They usually have a centralised head office where they coordinate global management.

Very large multinationals have budgets that exceed those of many countries. They can be seen as a power in global politics.

Multinationals often make use of subcontractors to produce certain goods for them.

The first multinational, appearing in 1602, was the Dutch East India Company.

Examples

• AOL
• AT&T
• Bombardier
• BP
• Coca-Cola
• Disney
• Enron
• Exxon
• Fiat
• Fonterra
• Google
• General Motors
• Halliburton
• Honda
• HSBC
• Hutchison Whampoa Limited
• IBM
• Jardine Matheson
• Kyocera
• McDonald's
• Microsoft
• Nestlé
• Nike, Inc.
• Nintendo
• Nissan
• Nortel Networks
• Monsanto
• Parmalat
• Shell
• Schlumberger
• Swire Group
• Toyota
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
• Yahoo!

See also

• Forbes 500
• Globalization