Some companies come to symbolise their country of origin in a far more fundamental way than by what they produce, or their place of incorporation, or the size of their workforce.
General Motors in the USA typified America’s dynamic expansion in industrial processes and consumer products in the last century; BP in Britain encapsulated the country’s past as an imperial power and global merchant trader; Sony of Japan was the very essence of the country’s post-war recovery through sophisticated hi-tech exporting. You could probably add Deutsche Bank of Germany, Fiat of Italy, and (no sniggering now) Guinness of Ireland as examples of corporates that became business symbols, almost ambassadors, of their respective nations.
This is why what is happening at Dubai World is so important to the future of the emirate as it grapples to come to terms with the post-crisis world. “Dubai’s flagship in global investments”, according to its website, is the beating corporate heart of the emirate, responsible more than any other single company for the way the world views Dubai.
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