The Corporation - Book Review
The 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 world of cheating, lying and stealing in order to advance in society; which is ultimately the goal Bakan was looking to reach. He provides many cases, examples and accounts which help the reader to understand the scheming which takes place and how the corporation is legally obliged to pursue profit at all cost for its shareholders.
Bakan begins by examining the history of the corporation starting in the 17th and following through to the 20th century. Here is provides the idea that the recklessness in today’s corporations can be traced back to acts committed periodically over the past centuries. He provides examples of companies such as the South Sea company and the railways in the United States and Great Britain. Businesses which were pilots in the creation of companies that had limited liabilities and produced restrictions that were both desirable and needed for the corporation. Bakan also uses the beginning of the book to present the US Supreme Courts decision to give the corporation the same rights as an individual would receive. This leads way into the remainder of the book with the idea that now that corporations were being considered to hold the same rights as human beings, they held the capacity to take over society. This would leave everyone else essentially useless outside of the big business world. One of Bakan’s main premises with this regard is that is the corporation is to be considered the same right as a person, if it to were hold characteristics and
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 world of cheating, lying and stealing in order to advance in society; which is ultimately the goal Bakan was looking to reach. He provides many cases, examples and accounts which help the reader to understand the scheming which takes place and how the corporation is legally obliged to pursue profit at all cost for its shareholders.
Bakan begins by examining the history of the corporation starting in the 17th and following through to the 20th century. Here is provides the idea that the recklessness in today’s corporations can be traced back to acts committed periodically over the past centuries. He provides examples of companies such as the South Sea company and the railways in the United States and Great Britain. Businesses which were pilots in the creation of companies that had limited liabilities and produced restrictions that were both desirable and needed for the corporation. Bakan also uses the beginning of the book to present the US Supreme Courts decision to give the corporation the same rights as an individual would receive. This leads way into the remainder of the book with the idea that now that corporations were being considered to hold the same rights as human beings, they held the capacity to take over society. This would leave everyone else essentially useless outside of the big business world. One of Bakan’s main premises with this regard is that is the corporation is to be considered the same right as a person, if it to were hold characteristics and
Cited: Bakan, Joel. The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power. New York: Free Press, 2004.