Multi-national, trans-nationals, conglomerates, mergers, acquisitions, franchises – all these are words that remind us that businesses now operate in a global environment. 

This makes it more difficult for community organisations and interest groups and even national governments to have much influence on individual business policies and practices.

The Compendium tells us “businesses today move in economic contexts that are becoming even broader and in which national states show limits in their capacity to govern the rapid processes of change that effect international economic and financial relations.” 

We are all aware of the KFCs, Burger Kings, BPs, Federal Expresses and Hiltons of the world.  While we have all these companies in Trinidad and Tobago, their head offices are situated elsewhere. Many times the operations of these companies here are governed by policies created elsewhere. 

Despite this reality we are not to throw our hands up the air and feel like we are at the mercy of these international companies. In fact what this states is that “this situation leads businesses to take on new and greater responsibilities with respect to the past. Never has their role been so decisive with regard to authentic integral development of humanity in solidarity.”

Businesses now have a responsibility to ensure that they operate in a manner that is fair and that their activities benefit all the countries, regions and communities in which they are involved. We as citizens must ensure that they are aware of their responsibility by holding them accountable for their actions.

We must solicit from them what their policies are, seek to understand them, ask questions where we are not clear, and demonstrate support for their activities when they benefit our communities. When we are not satisfied with their policies and the impact they have on our human person and our local and national community, we must lobby for discussions that lead to a satisfactory conclusion for all.

These companies must have an understanding that it is important for all to participate on an equal footing as it relates to development. The Compendium tells us what is equally decisive in this sense is their level of awareness that “development either becomes shared in common by every part of the world or it undergoes a process of regression even in zones marked by constant progress. This tells us a great deal about the nature of authentic development: either all the nations of the world participate, or it will not be true development.”

We have seen this in reality. While some countries have been able to move ahead, there are others that are struggling. Those that struggle tend to have high unemployment, high levels of poverty and large debts to repay.

However those countries that may have progressed ahead of others do not remain unscathed, as often they are called to assist the struggling countries and many times because of the global nature of the world today which results in freer movements of people – the problems often end up in some form on their doorstep

Next week we look at “The Role of business owners and management” – Chapter Seven; IIIb.

Interested in purchasing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church? Please contact the Catholic Commission for Social Justice, Archbishop’s House – 622-6680.