A Positive Twist

So far in all of my blog entries I have expressed interest in the negative side of corporations in our society.  I have focused on the unpleasant aspects of all corporations and left out any positive influence that they have.  Yes, corporations make mistakes and they sometimes let greed get the best of them, but they are not all bad.  It is obvious that they have a major impact on our every day lives.  I feel that I have demonstrated this with my past blog posts.  They are what turned our economy into one that thrives.  They have allowed our economy to be based on supply and demand and freedom in the business of enterprise.  Instead of raising crops, providing ourselves with clothing, and relying on horses for transportation, we live off of essentials provided by corporations.  Corporations also give out jobs meaning that they employee a great number of Americans.  This in turn keeps our economy flowing.  If it were not for corporations, the Untied States would not be what it is today.  There would be a completely different way of life.  In my opinion, the way in which we live today compared to the way people lived years ago, is much more appealing.  There are definitely things that corporations could do differently.  For instance, they could invest time and money into bettering our environment.  Although some corporations are striving to do this, many others could join in on the cause.  Most corporations could also put more focus on the exact interest of the consumers.  Doing what is best for the people that buy the products that a corporation is selling can only enhance the business.  There are several other improvements that could be made in order to better the reputation that comes along with a corporation.  Most corporations have this reputation for a reason but they can always fix problems within the business.  I believe that corporations are not all bad and we as a society benefit from them. 

picture by: geograph

Every Company Has an Image

Every company that is trying to sell a product is going to do everything they can to market the product.  This makes very much sense because without good marketing the product is never going to sell.  Good marketing often means creating an image of what that company is like.  The company makes claims in order to send a message to the consumer.  Claims are what the company says is true about their business.  There are some situations in which companies are not truly honest about how they run their company.  They may paint a pretty picture of what a consumer would like the company to be, but in reality some are not how they appear.  For instance, the company Monsanto claims to be very healthy, green, and beneficial.  On the Monsanto website I found a that one thing they pledge to do is, "Use sound and innovative science and thoughtful and effective stewardship to deliver high-quality products that are beneficial to our customers and to the environment" (par. 6).  They say that they are committed to producing good and safe products that are healthy for the community and the environment.  If you look deeper into who Monsanto really is, you will find that they actually inject a dangerous hormone into the cows on their farms.  This hormone is called rBGH and it is meant to allow cows to carry more milk.  As stated by Sustainable Table foundation, "Developed and manufactured by the Monsanto Corporation, this genetically engineered hormone [rBGH] forces cows to artificially increase milk production by 10 to 15 percent" (par. 1).  The problem is that not only does it make an uncomfortable living situation for the cows, but it can also cause cancer in humans.  The Sustainable Table also says, "Milk from rBGH-treated cows contains higher levels of IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor-1). Humans also naturally have IGF-1, and increased levels in humans have been linked to colon and breast cancer" (par. 9).  Most people are more than likely unaware of these health risks but they wouldn't know any different if they base their opinion of Monsanto around what it states on it's website.  It is wrong for companies like Monsanto to use false advertising techniques.  If a company claims to do one thing, that is what it should do.  Yes, companies should advertise, market, and make a name for themselves.  They should not, however, mislead their consumers.  There are many companies that are not guilty of this.  Braum's is one of them.  In case you have never heard of Braum's, it is a place that sells dairy products, fast food, and some types of groceries.  Eventhough it offers meals, it is best known for it's milk and ice cream.  Braum's claims to only provide milk that comes from cows who have had no injections at all.  On their website Braum's has stated, "We do not inject our cows with hormones like rBGH to stimulate milk production and we don't add antibiotics to their feed" (par. 2).  Their claim is proved true by many sources.  One is The Oklahoman

Newspaper that in one article stated, "The cattle are fed a vegetarian diet and come from Midwestern ranches hand-picked by Tuttle-based Braum's. All-natural beef products available in Braum's Fresh Market will include steaks, ground beef and patties" (par. 1).  What Braum's says they do is what is done.  They provide their consumers with truth.  This makes them a very reliable and trustworthy company.  Monsanto and Braum's are two different types of companies.  One lives by what the claim and the other does not.  I do not agree with the false claims that Monsanto makes and I hope they will be stopped soon.

http://my.uca.edu/tag.371334a5509bd53a.render.userLayoutRootNode.uP?uP_root=root&uP_sparam=activeTab&activeTab=u11l1s26&uP_tparam=frm&frm=frame

http://www.braums.com/whatsnew.asp?id=94

http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/monsanto-pledge.aspx

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/rbgh/

"rBGH." The Issues. Sustainable Table, July 2008. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

"Our Pledge." Who We Are . Monsanto, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

"We Believe in Natural ." What's new . Braum's , 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

"Braum's Offers All-Natural Meat." The Oklahoman 17 Jan. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

That's Not My Job

There is a very dangerous mindset that some corporations encompass.  This mindset allows them to do business without much consideration of the effects of that business.  Many corporations will do all that they need to do in order to achieve goals that they have set for themselves, but they neglect the issues that could potentially be involved in the goals.  This way of thinking is very external.  It is the pushing aside of future external problems so that progress can be made in that particular moment.  The problems that may arise later are called externalities.  These problems are created when a corporation makes a decision to do something that looks good at the time but can later have consequences.  The corporations may even be aware of the tolls it could take but they try to externalize them, or in other words ignore them, for the benefit of their business.  Pushing the problems onto someone else is not uncommon.   They have this way of thinking that seems to say, "That is not my job so let someone else do it."   Corporations have profit to uphold and deadlines to meet so they have to do what they can to get the job done, even if that is ignoring problems or expecting someone else to deal with them.  Externalities are not a good thing.  In fact, I think that corporations who fall into this mindset are doing nothing but harm to our future and the future of generations yet to come.  For instance, South Western Energy Company has been drilling for oil by means of hydraulic fracking and in turn causing hundreds of earthquakes.  They are externalizing the effects of this drilling even though these effects are very obvious.  They are trying to expand their profit but at the same time they are doing damage.  This example shows that certain corporations are running a successful business but they are causing harmful effects in the meantime.  Some companies do not even cause harmful effects they just push aside issues that need to be resolved.  They let someone else take care of these issues instead of dealing with them.  The point that I want to make is that corporations who have externalities need to deal with them instead of pushing them into someone else’s hands or ignoring them all together.  I believe that externalizing problems may better the business at that time but in the long run it will turn out bad.  If corporations know that a goal they are trying to achieve cannot be achieved without some type of problem occurring down the road, they should reconsider.  It is scary to think that some corporations choose to push problems aside that could have negative effects on our society.  I think that corporations should strive to eliminate externalities and choose more appropriate alternatives. 

Advertising: Children as Targets

In the American society, we are all bombarded daily with advertisements through commercials on t.v., magazines, the radio, and many other media outlets.  Companies work very hard to sell their products to the targeted audience that will provide the best sell rates.  We are surrounded with pop culture throwing ideas and items at us constantly.  As adults, we know that not everything that is advertised is a good and necessary product.  We learn to ignore advertisements that don't apply to our lives specifically and we keep in mind that the company does have the goal of selling the product no matter what it takes.  Children are a different story.  They, too, are bombarded with advertisements that try to reel in their interest.  Many times, the child will decide that they want a certain product and they do anything to get it.  For instance, after a child sees a new toy commercial on t.v. what are they going to do?  They are going to ask their parents for the toy.  They are not just going to ask, they are going to nag.  They will keep this up for a long as possible or until they get what they want.  This puts the parents of the child in a bad position.  They do not want to just give in and teach the child that nagging gets them what they want, but the parents can only take so much of the nagging.  The Majority of corporations understand how to sell a product to a child.  They also understand that while the parents of the child wouldn't normally buy the product, even after seeing it advertise, the child will add extra pressure which will do the trick.  Most corporations make children believe that the product is something they want.  This causes the child to nag and no parent likes a nagging child.  In most cases parents give in and buy the product that the child wants.  It is simply easier for the parents.  With this said, it only makes sense that companies would aim the marketing of their product towards children and not the parents.  Much of the time it is through the child's nagging on end that finally pushes the parent over the edge.  This advertising occurs so often and is in fact successful.  The problem is whether or not it is truly ethical.  Is it right for corporations to make innocent, basically clueless, children believe that they need a certain product?  That question is definitely hard to answer.  Yes, advertising to children is affective, but to what degree is it acceptable? Marketing to children is not necessarily a bad thing there is just the issue of how to go about it and which lines should not be crossed.

Plunder

In writing class today, we discussed the problem of plundering within corporations.  For those of you that don't exactly know what plundering is, it is basically taking natural resources from the earth that the wildlife of this planet need for everyday life.  Plundering is taking something that doesn't only belong to you, but to others as well.  Most of the discussion in class was geared toward why corporations believe they have a right to these valuable resources on the planet.  It seems as if corporations feel they can take, take, and take some more without considering the harm they could be imposing on, not only the wildlife, but the earth in general.  Many corporations will do what they can to gain the resources they need to continue their business.  In most cases, the welfare of the environment is just forgotten or shrugged off as if it is not as important as what the corporation is doing at the time.  This is not the way corporations should think but sadly it is most of the time.  There are times when corporations such as Interface Carpets do realize the mistakes that they have made and agree that some things they do are wrong.  In the video below Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Carpets states, "The way I've been running Interface is the way of the plunderer; plundering something that is not mine, something that belongs to every creature on earth".  Anderson's eyes were opened to his corporation's mistakes and he admits that plundering is wrong and should be illegal.  One major question is why do corporations feel they have the right to take from the environment in the first place?  One of the thoughts that was brought up in class today was that corporations argue that man has dominion over all living things.  This is what the bible states in Genesis but corporations could be using this out of context because the bible also states in Genesis that man should take care of the earth they were given.  Man is not supposed to harm the earth but rather better the earth.  If corporations want to have dominion, this means they also have to treat the planet considerately.  In my opinion, corporations forget the second part of the rule very often.  My hope is that corporations will follow the example of Interface Carpets and become more environmentally friendly.

Obesity: An issue in America

     As you probably already know, obesity is a major issue in America.  There are many Americans struggling to stay at a healthy weight.  Obesity is everywhere in our society, but the question is why?  Why are there so many obese Americans?  This question is hard to answer because there are so many different angles and ways of looking at the situation.  First, lets just state the facts.  America is very fast pace.  We as Americans are always going somewhere.  The average American life is very commercial and demands a lot of time.  If we are not here we are there and we barely have enough time to do it all in one day.  When lunch and dinner time roll around it is more appealing to take the easy way out.  That is to go to the fast food restaurant right next down the street.  You walk in, order, and within a few minutes you are out of there and on to your next activity.  This process probably sounds pretty familiar.  Places like Taco Bell, McDonald's, KFC, and many others pull you in using the most valuable idea in American society...convenience.  Most fast food places like the ones mentioned above are very appealing after a long day at work and your child's soccer game coming up in thirty minutes.  It is easy and quick.  No waiting in front of an oven for an hour and no dirty dishes to clean.  The problem with this fast food business is that fast food is not always healthy.  In fact most of the time it is very unhealthy and fattening.  Because it needs to be so fast, the restaurants don't have time to worry about whether or not the food is actually good for people.  Most will sell the public whatever they can in order to keep business thriving, even if the food causes extreme weight gain.  Now that it has been established that fast food restaurants can cause weight gain another question arises. Who is at fault?  The individuals who consume the unhealthy food or the corporations who sell the unhealthy food?  The answer to this question could go both ways.  In my opinion, both sides are at fault.  It is the individuals choice to consume the food, but it is very disappointing to think that corporations would sell this unhealthy food without thinking twice or even not being truthful about the ingredients (which sometimes is the case).  The individual has to regulate how much fast food they are taking in at a time and how often they are doing so. Yes, we as Americans need to make smarter decisions when it comes to the food we eat, but the corporations need to consider what they are selling to the public.  Either way changes need to be made on behalf of the lives of millions. Whether the individuals or the corporations are more at fault, obesity needs to be eliminated.


Picture by: phototram

Public or Profit?

When you consider a person, what characteristics come to mind?  Maybe physical attributes like tall or skinny.  Maybe traits such as honest or easy going.  Do these same traits come to mind when considering a corporation?  I know that I can think of a certain corporation such as adidas and an image of what I think that corporation is like will come to mind, similar to what happens when a certain person comes to mind.  When a corporation first comes to my mind I don't initially think of that corporation as a group of many different people, but instead as one body or one person.  This is because corporations are treated like individual people.  Under the law they have the same rights as an individual.  They can do things like sue and borrow money just like a person.  That is not a problem at first glance.  After all, corporations are what keeps our economy flowing so they should be able to function as a person.  They have to have the rights that individuals have in order to continue the business.  The problem is that corporations themselves are not individuals.  They don't have a beating heart or a soul.  They have one mission and that is to increase business in order to gain money.  Gaining money is also not a problem until gaining money becomes gaining more and more profit.  The want to gain more profit leads to greed and greed is never satisfyed.  All of the people that make up the corporation become consumed in earning more profit and they hide behind their corporations label.  The name "Nike" protects any one individual person from being seen.  So therefore, public interest goes out the window.  A certain mindset says, "It is not the individual failing to uphold the rights and interest of citizens it is the corporation".  With the rights of individuals within reach, corporations gain power.  Although there are a select few corporations that care about the public, most only care about the profit.  A corporation mixed with the rights of an individual has the potential to be deadly.