I have already argued above that the shift in attention is inevitable. Companies will move toward international markets, and the best way to do this is by joining forces with foreign investors or companies. Thus, now the corporation has to conduct business in various environments, which may be quite different from each other with different expectations. The company will have to address all the environments, and in doing so, it will divide its attention among them. It cannot focus on only one local environment as Terasen is doing now in BC.
Why should it when, for example, its largest volume of sales, and subsequently revenues, comes from another market, region? The logic of business requires that it directs its attention toward those markets which result in more profitable than the local British Columbia market. Even though Terasen operates in British Columbia, it may come that its primary revenue market is in the United States. Of course, the company’s interest in this other foreign market will increase in comparison to the local British Columbian market. Another important factor to mention is that it may also show interest in outsourcing labor for manufacturing purposes to foreign countries which offer cheaper labor and raw materials. This would seriously damage the local community as it would raise unemployment.
Nevertheless, companies such as Terasen are deeply connected with British Columbia as their operations are based on the forests of the region. Thus, the relation it has with this region is special as it provides its primary raw materials. There is also a brand recognition, or public perception process, involved in this situation as well. If the company distances itself much from the region it initially launched its operations and becomes less responsible toward the community in that region, this may spark a negative perception among the consumers in various markets. Other communities may feel threatened that the company may do the same with them, and this situation will ultimately damage the company more as the communities are involved.