RE: [greenyes] FW: Corporation as Psychopath

[Helen Spiegelman <hspie@no.address>]

Nicky, I urge you to look more closely at your assumption that "big not for 
profit companies" are inherently more cozy and lovable than any other 
corporation.

Here in Canada heads are rolling in several of our big not-for-profit 
companies (Via Rail, Canada Post, et al.) because of appalling patronage 
scandals that are shaking the new government of Canada. Likewise our 
provincial SPCA was recently in the news because of a CEO milking the 
organization for his own and his appointees' benefit. Not-for-profit 
corporations are no less susceptible to abusive practices than for-profit ones.

And to make things more confounding, I believe it is an overstatement to 
say that you can really only be accountable transparent and fair when the 
pursuit of personal profit is removed.

There's something puritanical about the view that we shouldn't have 
for-profit factor in business. I have this sense that profit-seeking is as 
fundamental a part of the human condition as sex! The point is not to 
pretend that it doesn't or shouldn't exist, but to make sure it doesn't 
abuse anyone, right?

How about this for an early morning musing: corporations, if you will, are 
huge global pimps that exploit workers and the environment to advance their 
own interests.

(BTW, is this conversation happening because of the recent release of the 
much-acclaimed Canadian independent film "The Corporation"?)

Helen.



At 01:59 AM 2/25/2004, Nicky Scott wrote:
> I'd like to see an example of this cosy lovable corporation - surely it's an
> oxymoron?  I think democracy was a good idea in ancient greece and it
> certainly can work on a small scale and also- unfortunately we don't seem to
> have come up with anything that works better - still we end up with
> Presidents in power that not only 'lost' the election but who most people
> did not vote for (or didn't vote because - what a choice!)  The point of
> this tangent is to point out that you can really only be accountable,
> transparent and fair in organisations when the pursuit of personal profit is
> removed. You can have big not for profit companies - though they are rare -
> and we need to help develop more ethical not for profit businesses - but as
> long as transnationals corporations are trying to find the cheapest labour
> in the world under regimes who have little concern for environmental issues
> supported by governments (or is that 'that support governments?')  - then
> the future is bleak indeed - I'm not relishing the prospect of Siberian
> winters here whilst everyone seems to be blindly buying enormous SUV's.
> We need companies and governments that invest in people and the environment
> - or are we hoping to find another planet to move to (Mars perhaps)  - not
> in paying CEO's disgustingly inflated salaries.
> If you think it is bad in the States can I recommend 'the dark heart of
> Italy' by Tobias Jones - to see how Bush is a pussycat compared with
> Berlusconi!  He is the richest man in Italy owns most of the television and
> press and has been changing the law so that he himself is not liable to be
> investigated.  Happy reading
>
> Nicky Scott
> Community Composting Network
> UK