Today we'll be having a look at the following questions about corporations, and more specifically the film "The Corporation": 1. Is it fair to blame a single executive for the activities of a company that has thousands of employees?
2. Can Corporations Commit Murder? If a corporation is considered as a person in law (as it is in the US) who can be held liable (responsible) if a corporation kills people?
3. Recall 10 or more brands, their logos, their jingles, slogans, and any memory of the product (think Nike = swoosh = "just do it"). Do you know who owns the brand? What is your perception of this "brand"?
4. The documentary raises important questions about ethics and personal responsibility. One of the fundamental messages in the film is that corporations are irresponsible because in an attempt to satisfy corporate goals, everyone else is put at risk. To what extent is a person responsible for what they do even when within a company? Is a person morally culpable for their actions when satisfying the goal of profit within a corporation? Why or why not?
1. I do not think it is entirely fair to blame an executive or CEO for the actions of their employees. There will always be bad actors within any group, and a CEO with thousands of employees cannot possibly know everything that is happening within their company at any given time. However, the CEO should be held responsible for the general "direction" of their company, and its practices on a broader scale. A CEO shouldn't necessarily be responsible for the individual acts of their employees when their employees are acting in a way that they were not instructed to, but should be responsible for insuring their employees are instructed to act ethically.
2. I don't think a corporation can commit murder. While a corporation is recognized under the law as an individual, it is well understood that there is a limit on the "personhood" of a corporation. A corporation as its own entity cannot physically directly murder somebody, and as such the individuals within the corporation committing the act on behalf of the corporation should be charged with the crime.
3. I will format my answers as follows: Brand name, Logo description with hyperlink, Notable advertising such as jingles and slogans, [first ideas that come to mind.]
1.Tesla, Red T Logo, "To accelerate the advent of sustainable transport and electric technology" (what a terrible slogan. That's more of a mission statement than a catchy piece of advertising), [very formal and modern, wealthy and sleek.], This brand is owned by Elon Musk.
2. Amazon, A - Z logo, "Work hard. Have fun. Make history." (A little better than tesla's I guess), [Relaxed and convenient, fast and affordable], This brand is owned by Jeff Bezos.
3. FedEx, Blue and orange logo that is quite literally just the word FedEx, "The world on time." (much better, thank you FedEx.), [Hard working, Fast and Efficient, Reliable], I would have to use google to tell you that this brand is owned by Frederick W. Smith.
4. Google, Multicoloured G Logo, "Do the right thing." (What? What does that have to do with a search engine? Good advice but what are you selling?) , [Instant, All knowing, Helpful, Intimidating, Coldhearted(?)], I had to google (ironic) to inform you that this brand is owned by Sundar Pichai.
5. YouTube, play button logo, "Broadcast yourself." (Simple enough. That is the point of the website.), [Welcoming, Smart, Funny, Communal, Popular], This brand is owned by Susan Wojcicki.
6. Twitch, speech bubble logo, "You're already one of us." (Sounds a bit like a cult but it is fairly welcoming.), [Welcoming, Energetic, Communal, Entertaining, Thrillseeking], This brand is owned by Emmett Shear, though Twitch itself is a property of Amazon.
7. Steam, locomotive part logo, no slogan, [Faceless, high tech], This brand is owned by Gabe Newell.
8. Aliexpress, shopping bag logo, "Smarter shopping, better living!" (Eh. Pretty average.), [Cheap, Slightly Untrustworthy, Slow, Entertaining, Oversaturated.], I had to google to tell you that this brand is owned by Jack Ma.
9. Digikey, Digikey electronics logo, no slogan, [Very reliable, fairly priced, industrial, high quality, fast, effective], had to google to say Ronald Stordahl.
10. Twitter, blue bird logo, no slogan though "It's what's happening" is a common tagline in ads. (Kind of pretentious, don't you think?), [Oversaturated, Energetic, Problematic, Loud, Social], this brand is currently owned by Parag Agrawal, though is apparently soon to be acquired by Elon Musk.
4. A lot of the time, people likely don't fully grasp their role in the destructive nature of the corporation they work for. If you're a cashier at McDonalds, you probably won't think much of your responsibility for the environmental damage caused by the overgrazing and gas emissions of the cattle farmed to make the burgers you're selling. The idea of moral culpability for actions within a corporation is a very morally grey area, and the answer to this question will vary drastically depending on who you ask. It is hard to recognize one's own actions as immoral within a corporation when the actions that each individual is performing separately are seemingly regular, and only when the effects of each individual's actions on a broader scale are observed together is a problem apparent. One cannot be fully responsible for actions they don't understand.
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