GLO 420 Future Societies

These are questions from Joel Bakan's 'The Corporation' and Powell's Capitalist Firm in the 21st Century:

 

The questions are as follows:

 

1. Explain the title of the chapter, what does Bakan mean when he describes corporations as externalising machines? Use an example to illustrate, and comment on whether you agree that this is an inherent characteristic of corporations.

2. With reference to Powell's chapter explain ANY ONE of the following three trends he identifies using one example from the text and one or more original observed instances.

a) From Jobs to Projects
b) Flattening of Hierarchies
c) Cross Fertilization

3) Comment on how the changing nature of work and the changing relations between firms and workers/employees have broader implications for society in general and in the context of crises such as the Covid pandemic.

4) Are there ways in which the trends emerging in the new form of capitalism may be able to transform corporations from the externalising machines of the past into institutions that are capable of doing more than just making profits at the expense of people and the planet?