Identity as a Global Corporate Entity - Literature review Example

A review of Pfizer's website evidences the extent to which Pfizer emphasizes its identity as a global corporate entity, not as a transnational or multinational but as a company whose declared affiliation is global, not national. Its trademark slogans, "working for a healthier world," and 'caring for community," are expressive of the aforementioned. It is precisely within both this context and Pfizer's activities as a pharmaceutical corporate entity that one need evaluate whether the question of whether Pfizer is better off with home-country nationals or parent country nationals.

As a corporate entity whose claims of loyalty are towards global, rather than national, citizenry, any suspected proclivity towards the hiring of parent country, rather than host country nationals, would negate its cited, and highly publicized claims. Banai and Sama (2004) argue that empirical evidence indicates that MNCs who betray a preference for home country employees/managers, do not simply establish themselves as foreign entities within their host economies but, place themselves at the forefront of ethical questioning and suspicion.

Rather than be regarded by host country citizens as potential employers and sources of foreign investment, they are regarded as conduits for the channeling of financial resources from the host economy to the parent one (Banai and Sama, 2004). Needless to say, this constrains the potential for constructive cooperation between the MNCs in question and the host economy. Insofar as Pfizer is concerned, it will further cast suspicion on the veracity of its publicized slogans. Judging by the stated, therefore, Pfizer should rely on host-country employees.

In addition to the above stated the argument for reliance on host country employees is further fortified by the very nature of the industry within which Pfizer operates. According to Feinberg and Majumdar (2001) the healthcare and drug industry are unique from others to the extent that environmental conditions directly influence the nature of ailments and, to some degree, the susceptibility and responsiveness of a people to drug types. This means that an intimate knowledge and awareness of the host-environment and people directly correlate to a pharmaceutical company's ability to deliver.

The implication here is clear. As a pharmaceutical company, Pfizer's failure to hire host-country nationals would impinge upon its capacities and abilities to deliver that which it is required to - effective medication. The imperatives of Pfizer's hiring host-country, as opposed to home-country, nationals are further supported by the fact that the former have the requisite knowledge of the host economy which the latter do not. Holland (1976) establishes the importance of the aforementioned upon the presentation of empirical evidence which suggests that host-country employees' knowledge of the domestic economy is imperative for the formulation of pricing structures and the positioning of products and services on the market.

This means that if Pfizer perceives of a host-economy as a market, and not just a manufacturing locale, it needs to hire host-country employees as opposed to home country ones. The arguments presented in the above aimed towards the establishment of the imperatives of Pfizer's hiring host-country employees as opposed to home country ones. Apart from the fact that the hiring of the latter will cast doubt on the company's ethics, especially in light of its claims to global citizenry, it will further constrain Pfizer's capacity for the effective delivery of healthcare, not to mention its ability to successfully position and market its products.

References Banai, M. and Sama, L.M. (2004) Ethical dilemmas in MNCs' international staffing policies: A conceptual framework.' Journal of Business Ethics, 25(3), 221-235. Holland, S.S. (1976) Exchange of people among international companies: Problems and benefits.' Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 424, 52-66. Feinberg, S.E. and Majumdar, S.K. (2001) Technology spillovers from foreign direct investment in the Indian pharmaceutical industry.' Journal of International Business Studies, 32(3), 421-437.