Management and the Global Economy - Essay Example

Such companies are Ericsson, Honda and Chiquita among others. This paper looks into the above companies and offers light in respect to their strategies that have seen them conquer their respective lines of operation. Significance of Technology/ Ethics/ Culture in International Business Management Facebook is a widely used social site which attracts people who are mostly between 18-30 years. Its strengths include the wide fan base that currently stands at slightly over 600 million. It is partly owned by Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft which bought minority shares worth $240 million in 2007.

The company has reformed over time by upgrading its site to suit the changing customer needs as well as to outwit competitors. Fans are able to post and share videos and photos with their friends, send messages, chat online among other unique and new features. It has however been criticized for not regularly updating the fan page. According to Latham (2011) Facebook should take advantage of the online advertisement boom to increase on revenue base and popularity. The company has also faced many legal battles and political interference for example the recent case where classmates of the founder wanted to be cashing more from the company claiming to have co-founded the company.

Football or soccer has a peculiar popularity which is part of culture in Europe and United Kingdom to be precise. Manchester United is one club that has a wide following not only in UK but in the whole world. The club has a fan base that comprises of five percent of the global population. Manchester United Plc. has taken advantage of this by expanding its revenues sources to Asia, Africa and Latin America through sales of club’s merchandise like jerseys and magazines as stated by ESPN. The club is currently owned by the Grazer family from United States which controls seventy percent stake.

The club’s financial status has not been appealing due to high expenses and less-than-matching revenues. The company takes advantage of their website to sell merchandise. Its Grazer takeover wrangles have attracted attention for a long time coupled with poor financial performance and massive debt. The strong brand name and its multinational approach are its important strengths. Although competition is intense from arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, Manchester has many opportunities to capture a wider market and fan base.

Operating within ethical standards by companies draws mixed reactions as this is more of a subjective issue. That which one party may regard as ethical is totally the opposite for another. This is well illustrated by Chiquita Brands Int. where at some point it has been involved in both ethical and unethical practices. Examples of ethical practices include building schools and health facilities for its workers and their families. It also returned land to Central Americans and later funded relief efforts after the 1972 earthquake.

Unethical ones include being involved in corruption with the Costa Rica’s government, assisting CIA to topple Guatemala government, helped in the attack of Cuba in early 1960s and many others as stated in Chiquita Brands Int. Case Study. The company has had a huge influence on the political landscape in South America which has ultimately affected its image negatively acting as its weakness. It has also been good in breaking laws