ABSTRACT
This chapter develops ethnographic evidence. It focuses on shifts to still more local issues that provide the immediate context for business development, such as the State and the ethnic identity and composition of companies. The companies that produce goods for supermarkets include a number of well-known transnationals. Some of these have been in the area for a considerable time. The transnational may not be instantly recognizable in its local form. The establishment of Lever Brothers West Indies Limited in 1987, although it left the majority shareholding with the international firm, seemed to represent more than a tokenistic sop to localization when it came to decision-making. In cases of tighter control the local executives may advise as to which brands should be pushed and which have their image localized, or where new capital should be injected. The biggest component of the company is its manufacturing sector, which includes chemical plants.
