Don't Fear Corporations by Ben Stein

[regularguy]

That's all nice but what percentage of corporations worldwide, past and present, does this represent? Stop focusing on the few that are in bed with governments and start praising the majority of corporations that have done and continue to do good things! After all, corporations are made up of people like you and I who want to see the world become a better place. Why are they different than you?

Sounds like you're talking about charitable non-profit corporations. The goal of a for-profit corporation is to make money for the stockholders. If the corporation happens to do "good things" along the way, then that's great. But making the world a better place is not a motivation for the average corporation... and it would typically run counter to the primary motivation of making a profit.

[flyboy56]

Sounds like you're talking about charitable non-profit corporations. The goal of a for-profit corporation is to make money for the stockholders. If the corporation happens to do "good things" along the way, then that's great. But making the world a better place is not a motivation for the average corporation... and it would typically run counter to the primary motivation of making a profit.

Most people are employed by a corporation. Corporations must be more efficient, produce a better product than their competitors and and poor money into research and development if they want to survive. Do governments operate this way? And yes, make a profit so they can continue providing for their employees and their customers.

[regularguy]

Most people are employed by a corporation. Corporations must be more efficient, produce a better product than their competitors and and poor money into research and development if they want to survive. Do governments operate this way? And yes, make a profit so they can continue providing for their employees and their customers.

But if laying off employees or eliminating employee pensions - or firing all the employees and moving a factory to China - will improve the stockholders' earnings, then that's what most corporations will do. (That's not something governments typically do.)

[reg_indy]

Most people are employed by a corporation. Corporations must be more efficient, produce a better product than their competitors and and poor money into research and development if they want to survive. Do governments operate this way? And yes, make a profit so they can continue providing for their employees and their customers.

Corporations are more about profits than anything else...

[flyboy56]

Corporations are more about profits than anything else...

If you want to blame someone blame Wallstreet if you think Corporations are profit hungary.

"Wall Street investment firms employ thousands of analysts whose job is to issue reports and recommendations on specific stocks. These analysts typically look at the company's fundamentals and then build financial models in order to project future trends, most notably future earnings . They then use these projections as a basis for issuing recommendations on whether or not they think the stock should be bought or sold. Analyst recommendations vary from one firm to another, but usually they resemble something along the lines of "strong buy," "buy," "hold," and "sell." Many investors take these recommendations quite seriously, and you'll notice that often times when an analyst changes his or her outlook on a stock the price will rise or fall immediately."

http://www.investorguide.com/igu-art...estimates.html

[NCBirdfan]

Corporations have also stopped the overthrow of governments at the behest of Government.

Does that count?

It certainly does. They make profits on both sides of the street. Cha-ching! No morals are needed when the love of money is the goal.

[jessup270]

* Many corporations send thousands of lobbyists to Capital Hill, when the winds of war are in the air, when there is lots of government money to be had and have at it they will.

* Then there are the corporations who lobby the government to put a competitor out of business with unfair regulations.

* What about CEOs who demand massive salaries and bonuses, yet use the Taft Hartley act to make striking workers come back work.

[georjec2]

At whose request and used by who?

At the request of the government and capitalism.

Is the government culpable for the misery and harm resulting from the War on Drugs or is it just those no good drug dealers ?

My point is none of the participants hands are clean.