ABSTRACT
In today’s global economy, it is increasingly difficult to find a company whose business activities do not cross national borders. For instance, Jeep, identified in a recent poll as the quintessential American brand, is now marketing a Grand Cherokee SUV built on a chassis shared with Italian auto manufacturer Fiat. Among a ranking of cars and trucks deemed “most American” on the basis of domestic parts content and assembly, Japanese manufacturer Toyota’s Camry ranks number two and Honda’s Odyssey is number four. American soft drink manufacturer PepsiCo is a major player in snack food markets in Ukraine, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. European aircraft manufacturer Airbus assembles its A320 jetliner in a plant located in Brookley, Alabama. More than half of British consumer products giant Unilever’s sales are in emerging markets, including Indonesia, Brazil, and India. In these examples and many others, to refer to a company as “American,” “Japanese,” or “English” does not yield an accurate picture of the firm’s multinational reach. 1
