商务英语综合教程上册课件刘玉玲主编 ISBN9787810789844Unit 4 Multinational Corporations.ppt

Unit Four Introduction With the development of international trade, multinational corporations have become the main form of companies in different countries. They have played more and more important role in our business lives. Text 1 International business, in the sense of trade across frontiers, has existed for thousands of years. But in the decades since World War II, there has been a burgeoning of international business activity on an unprecedented scale, and this has represented a significant change, not merely in terms of scale, but of the nature of the activity. 10 Like most business organizations, MNEs are formed for profit. There is little doubt that the profit goal represents the basic need of the MNEs’ shareholders. It is also the need of all groups interested in the continued survival of the MNE. Yet this interest in the continued survival of the MNE expressed a second basic need – need of security. 11 The importance of security to any MNE cannot be doubted. Profit is useless if it cannot be secured by the MNE and transferred wherever it so desires. Its assets and investment must be secured. A favorable business environment must also be secured. Without security, an MNE’s survival can never be assured. It is no wonder that MNEs have embarked on policies to grow into gigantic sizes, to control resources, and production and manufacturing processes in many countries, and even to intervene in the affairs of government in both the home and host countries, in order to ensure the security of its profits, assets, organizations and operations. 1. represented a significant change, not merely in terms of scale, but of the nature of the activity 短语of the nature…与前面的of scale 并列，即…change, not merely in terms of scale, but (in terms) of the nature…, 意思为“不仅在规模上而且在商务活动性质上……” 2. local assembly 在当地装配。local 有两个基本含义，一为“当地的”；二为“地方的”。须根据上下文进行判断。 3. small in number