Three Developing Country Firms Among World's Top 100 Non-Financial TNCsThree developing country corporations are on the list of the world's top 100 non-financial transnational corporations (TNCs) for the first time, according to the World Investment Report 2001, released recently by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).The report says that the Triad (European Union, United States and Japan), where 91 of the world's top non-financial TNCs are headquartered, continued its dominance of the list, as ranked by 1999 foreign assets. The list is topped by General Electric (US) for the fourth year running, with ExxonMobil Corporation (US) leaping from fifth to second place. Royal Dutch/Shell Group (Netherlands/UK) remains in third place, while General Motors (US) has moved from the #2 slot to #4. TotalFina SA (France) has joined the top 10, jumping from # 32 in 1998 to #8 in 1999. Ford Motor Company (US), Toyota Motor Corporation (Japan), DaimlerChrysler AG (Germany), IBM (US) and BP (UK) remain among the top 10, although their ranking has shifted. Foreign assets of the top 100 were up 10 percent, to 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars; the three largest increases in foreign assets were all reported for petroleum companies. |
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