What is Corporate Power? Does it mean corporations shape our lives, regardless of our input? Or does it just mean corporations exist to beat out brick and mortar type stores. Regardless of how it is defined, it is clear corporations have significant influence on human life today. Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations and 49 are countries. This is a startling fact that neatly displays the influence that corporations have.
The beginnings of corporate power began with the age of “robber barrons”. You know, the guys who created railroads and oil companies with last names like Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan and Vanderbilt. This often ruthless group of men created vast empires of wealth by creating monopolies on certain areas of business which were often at the cost of the public. The effects of the creation of large corporations had longstanding effects on the people of the world. In America, it helped develop the middle class, created many jobs for the lower class, and forced the move of many to large cities. Unfortunately, it also had the longstanding effect of entrapping people in jobs these companies offered(which were often dangerous) and forced people to live off the products they created.
While much has changed today, Americans are still at the grasp large corporations. Looking at the most pertinent economical issue today, oil, has a profound impact on the lives of everyone across the world. Exxon, the world’s largest oil producer next to OPEC, generated an almost unheard of $40.61 billion dollars in profit in 2008. Gas prices themselves are hovering around $3.50/gallon. While not 100% Exxon’s fault, there are only 5 other major gas producers in the world who account for roughly 1/4 of the world yearly output of oil. Thus, a company like Exxon does have an effect on pricing. Everyone utilizes gas someway. Either in the car they drive or the gas in the truck that brought the food to the supermarket, the oil prices affect everyone. Massive corporations such as Exxon have a severe grasp on the everyday life of Americans. It’s not just oil companies either. Software companies, airlines, healthcare companies, all have a hand over humans throughout the world. For example, Microsoft Windows runs on roughly 80% of computers worldwide. Such a large number of customers allows Microsoft certain affordances such as almost forcing its web browser, Internet Explorer, on its customers. While Microsoft has recently been sued for this, it is testimony to the power that companies have developed over the years.
But is this all so bad? Is there any real horrible effect to the population? Well it depends. Certain numbers of jobs are lost to large companies such as Wal-Mart which push smaller brick and mortar run shops out of business. What you see and hear in the digital world is effected a la the Microsoft example above. Whether or not the rapid rise of corporate power in America is good or bad, it is clear it is very real.
http://science.jrank.org/pages/3574/Industrial-Revolution-Effects-Industrial-Revolution.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Vista-Barely-More-Market-Share-than-Windows-98-67907.shtml
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