Companies That Have Gone International

Globalization and international trade have allowed the international expansion of many domestic business organizations. Media and publishing company Forbes International reports the top companies that have gone international and are the largest international business players are the Shell Group, British Petroleum, Toyota Motor and DaimlerChrysler.

The Shell Group is the largest international company, according to Forbes International. It specializes in the delivery and extraction of oil and gas, and it operates within 90 countries. The organization was founded in 1907 by the merging a British trade company and a Dutch oil business. Despite being the top international organization, the corporation is still looking forward to expanding its influence on the world market. For example, along with the environmental organization Living Earth, Shell is developing an international scheme for the expansion of sustainable energy. The partnership between the two companies is focused on delivering environmentally friendly energy solutions to Northeast Russia, South America and Africa.

British Petroleum is another oil industry giant that has grown on international level. Its history starts with the discovery of oil in Persia by British explorers in 1908. Since then, the company has focused on oil extraction and has established sites on all continents to claim oil resources. British Petroleum has diversified its activities and is involved in different energy production initiatives. This includes the development of alternative energy production and biofuels. For instance, the organization is investing millions of dollars in the development of biodiesel production in countries such as Brazil, Australia and India, thus expanding its international influence.

Toyota is a Japanese automobile company that has expanded the most among all other Asian motor companies. The organization has grown significantly thanks to the demand for affordable and reliable automobiles during the past 40 years. As of the beginning of 2010, a fact sheet by the company indicates Toyota has 51 manufacturing centers around the world with 170 distributors. This spread of production and trade makes the company a major player on the global automobile market, and Forbes rates the organization as the fourth-largest international company in terms of revenue.

DaimlerChrysler is the largest automobile industry in the world, according to Forbes. It was established in 1998 by the merging of two major companies -- German Daimler Benz and U.S. Chrysler. The corporation produces a variety of brands of automobiles, including the American favorites Chrysler and Dodge and the European Mercedes. Represented by its brands around the world, DaimlerChrysler operates in 112 countries. The number of distributors is continuously increasing because of the expanding influence of the company in countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.