Globalization's Growth Signals Future Business Climate

A solid majority -- 78% -- of multinational companies headquartered around the world recently surveyed by the French economics ministry expect to be "completely global" or "highly coordinated internationally" by the year 2002. In contrast, only 33% would have put themselves in those descriptive categories in 1990. Other significant data from the survey:

• Foreign sales are expected to account for 56% of total sales in 2002 (compared with 47% as recently as 1996).
• Foreign manufacturing is expected to account for 45% of total production in 2002 (compared with 35% in 1996).
• Assets abroad are expected to be 41% of total assets in 2002 (compared with 32% in 1996).