On behalf of в интересах кого-л, чего-л

origin – происхождение

outgrowth – результат, продукт, отросток

statute – статут, устав, законодательный акт

a generation – поколение

on behalf of – в интересах кого-л, чего-л.

The international corporation or global company has its origin. Usually it is the outgrowth of the great trading companies of the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1811 a New York statute said corporations could be created by the filling of documents. After that it became a matter of bureaucratic operations to become a corporation. By 1850 it was a very common thing in the United States and was under general statute in European countries as well. Since that time the corporate movement began. As the jet plane, satellite communications and computers began, it became possible for a company to control business in all the world.

The growth of international corporate operations is faster than the economic growth of the industrialized nations. There are some projects which predict that within a generation almost a half of the free worlds production will be internationalized.

This trend for internationalism presupposes some benefits such as new jobs, higher living standards and the closing of the gaps between people - economic, education and technological. At the same time serious questions can be asked. Is it the most efficient way to use world researches? Can the international corporation be the best force for a better world? Is it politically stronger than government? Can it take care of the self interest and competitiveness on behalf of the greatest good? And in what way can the global company work toward easing the world’s crises - monetary, political, energy and food?

a global company, a matter of bureaucratic operations, as well as, jet plain, sattelite communications, to presuppose, benefits, living standards, closing of the gaps, at the same time, the most efficient way, competitiveness.

1. ……by the filling of documents.

2. ……it became possible for for a company to control business in all the world.

3. ……. was a very common thing in most countries.

4. ……. such as new jobs, higher living standards.

5. ……. to use world researches.

6. ……. can be the best force for a better world.

3. Look through the Text and pick out 5-7 sentences which convey the basic information.
Read the Text.

ECONOMIES OF LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION

Even if countries have quite similar climates and factor endowments (1), they may still find it advantageous to trade. Indeed, economically similar countries often carry on a large and thriving trade (2). The prosperous

industrialized countries have become one another’s best customers. A main reason for this situation lies in what is called the economies of large-scale production. For many products, there are advantages in producing on a large scale; costs become lower as more is produced. Thus, for example, automobiles can be made more cheaply in a factory producing 100,000 units than in a small factory producing only 1,000 units. This means that countries have an incentive to specialize in order to reduce costs. To sell a large volume of output, they may have to look to export markets. The smaller the country, and the more limited its domestic market, the more incentive (3) it has to look to international trade as a way of gaining the advantages of large-scale production. Thus, Luxembourg or Belgium has much more to gain relatively than does the United States. Indeed, the advantages of large-scale production have been one of the major sources of gain from the establishment of the European Economic Community (EEC), which was formed for the purpose of providing free trade between most western European countries. Even a large country such as the United States, however, can gain in some cases by exporting in order to lengthen production lines. For example, the Boeing Company has been able to produce airplanes more cheaply because it is able to sell large numbers of aircraft to other countries. The importing countries also gain because they can buy aircraft abroad more cheaply than they could produce them at home.

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