The global business environment is in a turbulent state. Slow economic growth in the developed world ( caused primarily by the low population growth rates and high market saturation rates), in combination with equally slow economic growth in the developing world (caused by the high population growth rates and the lack of financial liquidity), has given rise to commercial protectionism amidst political liberalism. On the positive side, the political liberalization of the planned economies of China and the USSR and the opening of space to commercialization and industrialization provide a ray of hope of future growth and prosperity.
Faced with a changing business environment, MNCs are coming to the realization that cooperation for competition is the best strategy. Thus, as we have seen, many firms are undergoing an internal restructuring in an effort to make themselves leaner and more flexible. Externally, MNCs are forming strategic alliances to promote cooperation in R&D, production, marketing, financing, and new venture development.
Consortia and global alliances are clearly the most appropriate means for tackling the commercialization and industrialization of outer space. In the not too-distant future, consortia of MNCs are likely to begin exploring the advantages of zero-gravity production of pharmaceuticals, computer chips, and other products whose manufacture depends on either rapid transmission of data around the globe or a trouble-free physical environment.
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