Analysis The Corporation Joel Bakan - 878 Words

In the book, The Corporation Joel Bakan, presents arguments: that corporations are nothing but institutional pathological psychopaths that are â€Å"a dangerous possessor of the great power it wields over people and societies.† Their main responsibility is maximizing profit for their stockholders and ignoring the means to achieve this goal. This in results portrays them as â€Å"psychopathic.† Bakan argues that: corporations are psychopaths, corporate social responsibility is illegal, and that corporations are able to manipulate anyone, even the government. A corporation is an artificial person established by the law. It nurses the same rights as humans contrariwise; they are not equally responsible for their actions. A corporation cannot face the same charges a human would, if illegal actions took place. Bakan illustrates the traits of a corporation to closely resemble the traits of a psychopathic individual human being. These traits are, but not limited to: â€Å"1) unconcern for others, 2) incapable of maintaining relationships, 3) disregard for others safety/health, 4) repeated lying, 5) incapable of experiencing guilt, and 6) failure to conform to social norms.† Therefore, executive’s means for earning high returns for shareholders can be seen as a trait of a psychopath. Yet, the corporation’s attributes are not based on the qualities of the executives outside of their careers. As Bakan would say, â€Å"the people who run corporations are, for the most part, good people, moral people.†Show MoreRelatedThe Corporation - Book Review1670 Words   |  7 PagesThe Corporation: A Book Review Joel Bakan’s book, The Corporation: the Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, is a decisive look into the mind of the corporation, or big business. It outlines the importance of profit in business and how ruthless corporations are willing to be in order to bring in substantial revenue. The book uses a historical timeframe to portray the ruthlessness of business ever since the idea of the corporation arose in the 17th century. It provides an insight into a worldRead MoreThe Corporation - Ethical Analysis2751 Words   |  12 PagesModern day corporations display every one of the previously listed characteristics. Is it right that an institution, whose power now rivals that of the State that once created it to seek the better welfare of its citizens, display the psychological traits of a dangerous personality disorder? Many say no: there is a rising discomfort with the corporation and its pervasion into every sphere of human life and it is this uneasiness that has prompte d many academics to further study the corporation and itsRead MoreDo You Agree with Milton Friedman’s (1970) Claim That: â€Å"the Only Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits†?2888 Words   |  12 Pageswhat surrounds them, whether it is the people who work for the company, the rest of society, the environment etc. Ethics helps companies distinguish what’s wrong or right in a certain situation and act upon it. It bases itself on the idea that a corporation is somewhat responsible for how it affects others, hence the term ‘corporate responsibility’. (Banerjee, 2007) But with time and experience it seems that ethics, although created for a noble purpose, can and are actually used by companies for purposesRead MoreThe Corporation Film Analysis Essay1736 Words   |  7 PagesThe Corporation Film Analysis The Corporation was based on a book written by Joel Bakan. It is a documentary film that looks at the history of corporation and follows them up until present day to illustrate their dominance in society. I found this film very interesting with me once being part of the corporate world and finding my way onto another career path for many of the reasons illustrated in this film. This film had an underlying statement of corporations’ number one concern was profitRead MoreThe Transnational Capitalist Class3371 Words   |  14 PagesThe rise of the corporation follows the path of the rise of Western capitalist society. When industrial societies expanded, the birth of many corporations formed to consolidate power, market share and ultimately, profit. In the last century, the emergence of large multinational corporations (MNC)* has brought both benefits and numerous problems to our global society. The documentary film The Corporation has left an indelible mark on my perception on how globalization has affected poor countries.Read MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagestheory focuses attention on the human issues in organization ‘There is nothing so practical as a good theory’ How Roethlisberger developed a ‘practical’ organization theory Column 1: The core contributing social sciences Column 2: The techniques fo r analysis Column 3: The neo-modernist perspective Column 4: Contributions to business and management Four combinations of science, scientific technique and the neo-modernist approach reach different parts of the organization Level 1: Developing the organization