false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171588636m/108583.jpg 108583 10 Over the last 150 years the corporation has risen from relative obscurity to become the world's dominant economic institution. Eminent Canadian law professor and legal theorist Joel Bakan contends that today's corporation is a pathological institution, a dangerous possessor of the great power it wields over people and societies. <P>In this revolutionary assessment of the history, character, and globalization of the modern business corporation, Bakan backs his premise with the following observations: <P><UL TYPE=DISC><P> <LI>The corporation's legally defined mandate is to pursue relentlessly and without exception its own economic self-interest, regardless of the harmful consequences it might cause to others.<P> <LI>The corporation's unbridled self-interest victimizes individuals, society, and, when it goes awry, even shareholders and can cause corporations to self-destruct, as recent Wall Street scandals reveal.<P> <LI>Governments have freed the corporation, despite its flawed character, from legal constraints through deregulation and granted it ever greater authority over society through privatization.<P></UL><P>But Bakan believes change is possible and he outlines a far-reaching program of achievable reforms through legal regulation and democratic control. <P>Featuring in-depth interviews with such wide-ranging figures as Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman, business guru Peter Drucker, and cultural critic Noam Chomsky, <I>The Corporation</I> is an extraordinary work that will educate and enlighten students, CEOs, whistle-blowers, power brokers, pawns, pundits, and politicians alike.<P> 623079 2003 The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power total:224|5:75|4:88|3:45|2:11|1:5| 224 889 364 42 5 2 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 15 15:59:58 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 15 15:59:58 -0700 2007
I'd like to buy a copy of this book for every friend, family membe...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 00:49:57 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 00:58:01 -0700 2009
The dominant institution for implementing this type of exploitation today is the corporation. Corporations get politicians elected, take over ou...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 30 21:53:40 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 22:01:02 -0800 2008 Externalization is bad for pretty much everyone except the one externalizing.
Corporations are really good at externalizing and, ironically, using the govt to do so.
My key take away from the book is that...more...]]> 5 0 true false Fri Apr 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 18:01:16 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 03 16:38:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jan 11 07:23:41 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 11 07:59:50 -0800 2008
Setting aside the arguments of the protesters, even among those committed to market-oriented economies, important differences remain about capitalism and the role of globalization. These differences are captur...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 22 04:47:50 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 22 04:51:28 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Mar 31 08:54:26 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 12:58:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Dec 05 19:28:33 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 05 19:31:21 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Feb 18 09:08:24 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 09:08:24 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Sat Nov 03 15:57:09 -0700 2007 Sat Nov 03 16:03:35 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 true false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Fri Nov 09 15:52:58 -0800 2007 Fri Nov 09 15:53:30 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 27 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Fri Oct 17 12:43:57 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 12:43:57 -0700 2008 Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power is a hard book to read. It's not that the text is difficult, it's that on every page another horrendous example of corporate greed is examined. The author, Joel Bakan (a Canadian), has succeeded in concisely explaining why corporations are pe...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Nov 27 14:26:02 -0800 2007 Tue Nov 27 14:34:05 -0800 2007 It gives a good basic overview of how the corpo...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue May 27 13:30:02 -0700 2008 Tue May 27 13:42:26 -0700 2008
Some of the negative legal structures and elements of the current economic situation that we are habituated to and take for granted are actually aberrations perpetrated by creative attorneys and greedy, anti-competitive, corrupt business people.

...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 15 10:37:19 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 07 17:58:38 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 15 10:37:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Nov 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 22 21:42:32 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 22 21:44:29 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Nov 30 23:45:33 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 23:45:33 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Nov 07 10:47:32 -0800 2007 Sun Feb 17 02:53:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Sun Feb 11 16:51:13 -0800 2007 Sun Feb 11 16:57:35 -0800 2007
I recommend this book because it is so easy to read, completely cogent, and deep enough to give you something to think about beyond the ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 09 14:58:49 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 09 15:02:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=108583