The consequence of corporations

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavour to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”

Abraham Lincoln


The global influence of today’s multi-national corporations must not be under estimated. Whilst today we look to the UN to advocate what needs to be done to protect the good of all in the world, I believe it is only with the agreement and co-operation of the world’s largest corporations, that the necessary changes can be implemented. The world’s largest corporation Royal Dutch Shell has an annual turnover in excess of $450 billion, which would give it a raking of number 22 in the league tables of national economic scale. RD Shell has a greater annual turnover than the Gross Domestic Product (Atlas method) of Saudi Arabia. Even the 10th highest revenue generating company would rank 45th in the league of economic nations. Not only are they hugely significant financially, they are absolutely totalitarian in nature, the executive controls the behaviour of the whole and the enterprise is focused on one thing alone, the generation of maximum wealth for its shareholders. These companies would not exist if they did not have consumers providing a financial return for their products or services, we the consumer are therefore to be held equally accountable for their activities.

Whilst Abraham Lincoln’s quote serves as a useful warning of what might be, I do not believe corporations are intentionally malignant and that this quotation says as much about the struggle between different groups, be that business folk or politicians, for power and influence, as it does about any disservice to the People. I believe that the growth of corporations and the damage their activities are doing to the planet and to human society, is more a function of the global economic model and human social constructions, than it is about any deliberate intent to dominate. In recent times, whenever humankind has been threatened, it has been the corporations that have responded to actually provided the solutions to any particular problem; be that pharmaceuticals, fossil fuel reserves or armaments. Corporations are excellent problem solvers; the question is; are we asking them to solve the right problems?

It is interesting to note that prior to the 'credit crunch' of the world’s 10 largest revenue generating enterprises, 5 were oil and gas companies and 4 were automobile companies. It is a small wonder that little has been done to reduce our fossil fuel dependency over the last 15 years, despite irrefutable evidence of the damage it is causing. Furthermore, since 6 of theses companies are American owned, is it surprising that George.W.Bush a former oilman himself, has continually frustrated the global attempt to take positive action to address this issue? The lobbying power of major corporations cannot be under estimated and because of their size it is unlikely to diminish. The key is for corporations to redefine themselves as the executors of the global agenda since they are best placed and best able to serve this role.

We must recognise the role corporations play in creating unnecessary consumer demand and the increasingly slick slight of hand they use to increase sales and the unnecessary use of natural resources but equally important, if not more so, is to identify what makes corporations so effective at getting things done across international boundaries and how this and their other competencies might be deployed to further our collective cause, which I propose should be to re-enchant the world..