The Impact of Transnational Corporations on the History of Mankind

"The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahá'u'lláh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. . . . The economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated."

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 202)

"IGOs [Intergovernmental Organizations] were not the only targets of criticism because of the disaffection with globalization in the 1990s. Transnational corporations also came under fire. As in the 1970s, they were seen as international actors whose power was so great that they could barely be controlled. . . . Listed in order of balance sheet total, the largest transnational corporations in 1997 were: Shell, Ford, General Electric Company, Exxon, General Motors, Volkswagen, IBM, Toyota, Nestle and Mitsubishi." [Routledge History of International Organizations, p. 690-1]

The United Nations Global Compact is a United Nations initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is a principle-based framework for businesses, stating ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. Under the Global Compact, companies are brought together with UN agencies, labor groups and civil society. Cities can join the Global Compact through the Cities Programme. . . . The Global Compact provides a list of its 12,000+ participant organizations, composed of roughly 8,000 businesses and 4,000 non-business entities on its website. The site provides a brief overview of each participant, and a link to their Letter of Commitment (if new), Financial Overview and Contributions (if applicable), and Communication on Progress (COP). Notable companies who have signed on the Global Compact include, but are not limited to, Starbucks, L'Oreal, Bayer AG,Coca-Cola, 3M, and Deloitte. In addition to its signatories, the Global compact has been repeatedly supported by the UN General Assembly, honoring its 15th anniversary in June 2015 alongside the Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, himself who claims that 'Business can be a global force for good" and that "advocacy and example can drive action to achieve a life of dignity for all people'" [Wikipedia]

The following is a list of some of the better known multinational corporations by date of formation.