As the world starts to globalize, it is accompanied by criticism of the current forms of globalization, which are feared to be overly corporate-led. As corporations become larger and multinational, their influence and interests go further accordingly. Being able to influence and own most media companies, it is hard to be able to publicly debate the notions and ideals that corporations pursue. Some choices that corporations take to make profits can affect people all over the world. Sometimes fatally.

The Rise of Corporations

Today we know that corporations, for good or bad, are major influences on our lives. For example, of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations while only 49 are countries. In this era of “globalization”, marginalized people are becoming especially angry at the motives of multinational corporations, and corporate-led globalization is being met with increasing protest and resistance. How did corporations ever get such power in the first place? What was the impact of giving corporations the same right as individuals in 1886 in the United States? Last updated Thursday, December 05, 2002.

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Corporations and Human Rights

Large, transnational corporations are becoming increasingly powerful. As profits are naturally the most important goal, damaging results can arise, such as violation of human rights, lobbying for and participating in manipulated international agreements, environmental damage, child labor, driving towards cheaper and cheaper labor, and so on. Multinational corporations claim that their involvement in foreign countries is actually a constructive engagement as it can promote human rights in non-democratic nations. However, it seems that that is more of a convenient excuse to continue exploitative practices. Last updated Thursday, September 19, 2002.

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Pharmaceutical Corporations and Medical Research

Concern is rising at the priorities of medical research and pharmaceutical companies. There is concern that the profit motive has led to emphasis on research that is aimed more at things like baldness and impotence, rather than various tropical diseases that affect millions upon millions of people in developing countries. Unfortunately, while a large market therefore exists, because most of these people are poor and unable to afford treatments, the pharmaceutical companies develop products that can sell and hence target wealthier consumers. Last updated Thursday, January 25, 2007.

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Pharmaceutical Corporations and AIDS

The AIDS crisis is one example that highlights the motives of some of the larger pharmaceutical corporations. When South Africa wanted to try and produce cheaper drugs to help its own people, by producing more generic and cheaper drugs, these companies actually lobbied the US government to impose sanctions on them! Last updated Sunday, June 02, 2002.

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Evasion of Tax and Other Responsibilities

Through corporate crime, tax havens, transfer pricing and many other policies, both legal and illegal, billions of dollars are avoided from being taxed. The much needed money would helped developing (and developed) countries provide important social programs for their populations. Usually, these crimes, which often have far worse effects than individual crimes, go unaccounted. Last updated Wednesday, September 14, 2005.

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Corporations and the Environment

Many industries such as the energy and fossil fuels industry leave many environmental problems in their wake. Because international lending schemes are tied with “reforms” that include cutting back on regulatory and safety measures such as health, education and the environment, problems can arise without many resources available to deal with them. While large corporations are able to profit, the costs from environmental and other damage has to be borne by the local population. Last updated Saturday, May 25, 2002.

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Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility is a bit of a buzz word and some feel that it has been diluted from its original aims, while others are trying to find innovative ways to engage with businesses to be more responsible in their practices. Posted Saturday, July 07, 2007.

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Corporate Influence on Children

When companies see children as an enormous market with incredible purchasing power, it leads to a lot of advertising and marketing targeted directly at them. Some are concerned at the effect it has as children, teaching them to be consumers and overly conscious about materialistic things, perhaps even at the expense of human qualities from an early age. Last updated Saturday, June 02, 2001.

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Corporations and Worker’s Rights

For many companies, the largest cost is often the work force. Hence, where profits are the bottom line, it is only natural for companies to seek out the cheapest labor possible. However, when international agreements are often designed to foster an environment where cheaper and cheaper labor is promoted, the workers themselves are often not paid enough to live on. When a nation tries to provide regulatory steps to improve workers conditions (which does mean more costs to the companies), multinational corporations naturally pick up and go to other places where there are less measures in place. In this way, improving working conditions will always be difficult, as it is not in the interest of the large companies. Last updated Sunday, May 28, 2006.

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Influence at the WTO

Transnational corporations are able to exert enormous influence in no less a powerful body as the World Trade Organization (WTO). These corporations are closely linked to the WTO decision-makers themselves. Last updated Tuesday, May 15, 2001.

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Corporate Power Facts and Stats

As transnational corporations grow in size and power, their influence and impacts affect more and more people. These stats provide an insight into the growing size and influence of corporations. Last updated Tuesday, May 15, 2001.

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