Trends in the contemporary global economy and the international corporations

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of several global trends chosen from among the megatrends considered to be of key significance to or particularly representative of the process of a new global socio-economic reality materializing during the coming decades. The point of view of big business, which is often overlooked in such analyses, has been given particular attention. Large-scale companies (i.e. international corporations and financial institutions) play a key role as a global actor due to their immense financial assets and global reach. In effect, they are increasingly the co-creators of global trends rather than just their followers. Those trends which are advantageous to big business are not always in line with national development policies. The reverse is often the case which has led to the decreasing competitiveness of highly-developed countries. conclusion of the article outlines possible scenarios of further evolution of the role of big business as a global actor. The(original abstract)