MNCs urged to keep in view local sensibilities

The multinational companies (MNCs) should take care of local sensibilities and development issues.
The significance and long-term importance of catering for local sensibilities can not be over-stressed for developing remote areas.
It requires tremendous patience and steady perseverance to overcome short-term frustrations, but the rewards are worth the entire effort.
In the national context, there is no other choice but to persevere in this direction.
These views were expressed by GM, Human Resources, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Mohammad Iftikhar, in a presentation on 'Managing Local Sensibilities & Development Issues' at the Third Session of the ongoing 'Management Convention 2004' on Tuesday.
In the context of globalisation and entrepreneur-ship, he said that it meant the capacity to sense the most personal feelings of the people of an area where the enterprise was operating or planned to operate, including the probable responses, positive or negative, to every perceptible detail pertaining to the enterprise and its working.
He observed that usually the feelings and response of people would have roots in their cultural heritage, religious beliefs, social practices and the state of their economic condition.
He identified local and geo-political conditions, unemployment, low literacy rate, limited purchasing power and lack of access to basic amenities like health, education, water, electricity etc as the main factors influencing local sensibilities and development issues.
He further discussed the challenges faced by PPL in Sui area and the initiatives taken by the Company for the development and social welfare of the people of that area.
Atlas Honda Chairman Yousuf Shirazi spoke on how to manage MNCs and local partnership and said that MNCs as promotional measures carried on socio-economic performance for the countries where they operated business.
Explaining the general perception about MNCs and international finance institutions (IFIs) he said that MNCs knew no political, economic and social barriers in fulfilling their parent company objectives, whereas IFIs' policies are considered generally as unfriendly for developing countries which only favour the developed world.
On regionalism he said that all Saarc countries had economic disparities and India would be the only gainer if economic parities were not achieved by other Saarc countries alike.
Describing factors important for MNCs and local partnership he underscored the need of harmonising each other's objectives, approaches, culture, values etc.
He emphasised the importance of openness and transparency in dealings and effective communication between the two parties.
He appreciated the present government's liberal and deregulated policies and termed them among the reasons for the recent boom in the automobile sector.
The session was hosted by MD/CEO of Siemens Pakistan Limited, Sohail Wajhat, while Commercial Director, Unilever Pakistan Ltd, Rob Zoon chaired it.