The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power

by Joel Bakan | Nonfiction |
ISBN: 1845290798 Global Overview for this book
Registered by hunnyb of Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on 9/11/2005
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com
3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by hunnyb from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, September 11, 2005
Really enjoyed the miniseries of this when it was on the telly - looking forward to reading it in public places and having people think I am socially aware :)

Journal Entry 2 by hunnyb from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Monday, May 29, 2006
Review from Amazon:

"Bakan, an internationally recognized legal scholar and professor of law at the University of British Columbia, takes a powerful stab at the most influential institution of our time, the corporation. As a legal entity, a corporation has as its edict one and only one goal, to create profits for its shareholders, without legal or moral obligation to the welfare of workers, the environment, or the well-being of society as a whole. Corporations have successfully hijacked governments, promoting free-market solutions to virtually all of the concerns of human endeavor. Competition and self-interest dominate, and other aspects of human nature, such as creativity, empathy, and the ability to live in harmony with the earth, are suppressed and even ridiculed. Bakan believes that, like Communism, this ideological order cannot last and that corporate rule must be challenged to bring balance and revive the values of democracy, social justice, equality, and compassion. This eye-opening look at a system "programmed to exploit others for profit" has been made into a provocative film documentary that could be the next Bowling for Columbine."

Journal Entry 3 by hunnyb from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Monday, May 29, 2006
Wow! This book is refreshing in its practical ideas for change, rather than just saying "all corporations are evil, we should just do away with them". Bakan's analysis of corporations as a legal, constructed entity also highlights how they should not be above regulation - after all, it's regulation that creates them in the first place.

Hopefully this book will appeal to both business types and anti-globalisationists, because it really deserves a wide readership.

Journal Entry 4 by hunnyb from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, June 1, 2006
Bookray list:

Drusillamac (Scotland, surface int'l)
Erishkigal (US, surface Int'l)

Journal Entry 5 by Drusillamac from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Sunday, July 9, 2006
Oh my gosh, I hadn't realised I had forgotten to journal this book! I received it a few weeks ago and shall be getting round to reading it shortly. Once again, apologies for not journalling.

Journal Entry 6 by Drusillamac from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 26, 2006
I finished this book off last night. Scotland is in the middle of a heat wave which made it difficult to sleep! Anyway, onto the book.

Last semester we watched parts of the film version of The Corporation. A lot of the same themes and case studies were covered in this book. I was still shocked to find out that corporations are legally bound to put the priorities of their shareholders first before anything else. This book made very despressing reading.

However, Bakan does provide a possible solution to corporations. He remains optmistic about the future and suggests more public based corporations are required. He seems confident that the power of the corporations will not go beyond the power of the state. No doubt there are some people out there who will disagree with him. I agree with hunnyb, it's a nice change to read a book about globalisation that isn't all doom and gloom. Yes, globalisation can be a negative thing but, as Bakan argues, it can be used for good.

Off to Erishkigal when I get an address.

Journal Entry 7 by Drusillamac from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Thursday, July 27, 2006
I sent this to Erishkigal via surface mail today.

Journal Entry 8 by wingerishkigalwing from Salt Lake City, Utah USA on Monday, September 25, 2006
arrived in today's mail! I've a couple of ring's ahead of it (how *do* they manage to arrive in batches??), but look forward to getting to this one as soon as possible.

Are you sure you want to delete this item? It cannot be undone.