Watching the movie, “The Corporation” is an eye opener for me. One of the things that struck me is the statement made by Michael Moore that the main motivation of corporations is the bottom-line, that is, to make as much profit as they can. It is saddening that most corporations only take into consideration their stockholders, without concern for their other stakeholders such as their employees and customers. Moore mentions further that for corporations, “there is no such thing as enough”. From the movie, I also learned that it is legal for corporations to put profit over the public good because that is what is required of them. This is where the importance of ethical behavior in corporations come in. If companies are ethically and morally responsible institutions, then profit alone will not be their main motivation; rather, their service to society and how their value their other stakeholders will also be part of their mission.
Another disturbing issue that dawned on me was the unfair labor practices of corporations raised by Charles Kernaghan, Director of the National Labor Committee. It is depressing to know that some big clothing companies pay their workers a measly amount compared to the price of the clothes that they sell. I think that these laborers, mostly from third world countries are being exploited. The multinational corporations take advantage of their poor conditions. What is ironic though is that these companies perceive themselves as “saviors” of the poor laborers because they are able to offer them jobs to provide for their basic necessities. These big corporations deceive us by saying that if we buy their products, we are donating a portion of the sales proceeds to help children, but in reality, they are exploiting children through cheap child labor.
After watching the movie, I came to the realization that it is very important that the board of directors of corporations, as well as their management team should be aware of their social responsibilities. They are the ones who will steer their corporation in the right direction. It is only when they become mindful of their moral and ethical obligations to their stakeholders, and to society as a whole, will corporations be viewed as caring and not simply an organization concerned with the bottom-line figure.
Works Cited
The Corporation. Dirs. Joel Baker, Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar. 2004. Film.
