The Silent Victims of the Corporations
- Sherry Lynne Comaniuk
- Oct 24, 2016
- 5 min read
Image from: http://www.impawards.com/2004/posters/corporation_ver2_xlg.jpg
Introduction
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” (as cited in Phillips, 2009, p. 63). This statement had resonated with me for years and had become my moral compass – my guiding star on how to live my life. The Corporation that we viewed and discussed is such a powerful documentary that unmasks the corporations as what they truly are – destructive, wasteful, abusive, and unconcerned of the detriments that they bring to others. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the perils that the corporations bring unto the environment, the animals, and other life forms. The paper will also stipulate an action plan that adheres to corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The Silent Victims
The corporations are the biggest institution of our times. They bring enormous wealth, yet they also bring great, and often hidden, harms. There is an apparent lack of public control over large corporations that the number of corporate criminals has gone to an exponential level. In addition, the corporations have gotten so powerful that they can make others pay for the costs that they cause – the concept of externalities. It is a technical term that basically means letting somebody else deal with the problems that the corporation creates. It pertains to the effect of a transaction between two parties on a third party who is not involved in the transaction. A corporation is an externalizing machine. Terrifyingly, the corporation, the dominant institution of our time, has been created in the image of a psychopath, who bears no moral and social responsibility (Achbar & Abbot, 2003). In this industrialized era, the environment, the animals, and other life forms are the third party. They are the silent majority that gets displaced and decimated to near extinction.
Watching The Corporation was a personal and emotional experience for me. Its most heart-wrenching scene was of a fish slowly dying, poisoned by the chemicals dumped into the ocean. I wept for the fish and for the other helpless animals that had to die so that mankind can indulge in our lavish, extravagant, and totally unnecessary consumerism. How many more animals have to die before we realize that the earth is not ours for the taking?
Caroll and Buchholtz state that the primary nonsocial stakeholders are the nonhuman species, natural environment, and the future generations because they have a direct stake in the organizational actions, hence, are the most influential (2015, p. 68). However, they have no voice and are often not properly represented; hence they are often the silent victims. The harms that these corporations inflict on the animals are numerous: the destruction of habitat; factory farming; research experimentation; pollution; and many others.
Big corporations have always trivialized the risks that their actions pose and they have a reckless disregard for the safety of others. They deceived and repeatedly lied for more revenue and profit. For instance, Monsanto invented Posilac to make cows produce more milk. However, the results showed that it caused unnecessary pain, suffering, and distress to the cows (Achbar & Abbot, 2003). According to PETA (n.d.), more than 100 million animals suffer and die in the U.S. annually in cruel chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics tests as well as in medical training exercises and curiosity-driven medical experiments at universities. The exact figure is not known because 99 percent of animals used in experiments such as mice, rats, birds, etc. are not covered by even the minimal protections of the Animal Welfare Act and therefore go uncounted. Examples of animal tests include forcing mice and rats to inhale toxic fumes, force-feeding dogs with pesticides, and dripping corrosive chemicals into rabbits’ eyes. There are many non-animal test methods that are more humane, cheaper, faster, and more relevant.
What makes human life more important and worth saving than an animal’s life? This mentality is backward and reminiscent of the olden times wherein man hailed himself as the king of the world, and everything else was his for his taking. For me, every life matters.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability
The most inspirational part of The Corporation was the Interface’s transformation from an uncaring firm to one fully-committed to the Green Revolution. Its president regards himself and other businesspeople as the plunderers of the earth. He believes that the current industrial revolution is not working and is not sustainable. He promotes the practice of sustainability which is doing no harm, using materials that have already been extracted, using them over and over again using renewable energy. The Interface aims “to climb the mountain of sustainability which is higher than Mt. Everest… The point of the top symbolizing zero footprints” (Achbar & Abbot, 2003). This shows that corporations can change and embrace CSR.
More than ever, CSR and sustainability have never become more critically important. Sustainability pertains to using resources to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present but also for future generations (Caroll & Buchholtz, 2015, p. 55). Practicing sustainability has a tremendous impact on the lives of the animals, to the environment, and ultimately, to the mankind’s future. How will I apply this in my life? First, as a customer, I will only purchase goods that are cruelty-free, made from recycled materials, and are recyclable. I will support the businesses that are environmentally-conscious and practice CSR such as Starbucks, Costco, Nike, etc.
Similarly, I will avoid the businesses which are notorious for their exploitations such as Walmart (for every job that Walmart creates, four jobs are lost). I will continue doing environmentally-friendly actions such as the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle), conserve and reuse water, reduce energy consumption, etc. I will also become a stronger advocate, I will strive to educate everyone within my circle on how to be environmentally-conscious. I will raise awareness and spread what I learned from SMGT4481 as well as from my reading and research.
Alone, my contributions are infinitesimal. But if more people start caring, then perhaps, we could make a difference. As a future employee, I will work only for a socially and environmentally-responsible company. I will also give suggestions to my employer on how to improve the CSR practices. I will not tolerate or turn a blind eye to the practices that are causing harm to the environment and animals. I will stand up against them at all cost. Doing the right thing is never easy. But if I do not commit myself, how can I live with myself? If we do not start protecting the environment and the animals, then who will? If not now, then when?
Conclusion
It’s time that we start thinking about what we are taking from or doing to the earth. The pursuit of profit is not a crime. However, some things are too sacred and too essential for our future, hence, must be protected at all cost. We should make products and goods more sustainably for this lack of environmental vision has been the reason why many species are facing extinctions today. To value the lives of animals, the silent majority, we must give them a voice. We must fight for them for they cannot fight for themselves. We must join the Green Revolution that is happening all over the world right now. We must rebuild what we destroyed.
This paper had examined the perilous impacts that the corporations bring unto the environment, the animals, and other life forms. This paper also stipulated specific action plans to ensure that CSR is integrated into my personal and professional life.
References
Achbar, M., & Abbott, J., (Directors). (2003). The corporation [Video]. Canada: University of British Columbia. Retrieved October 5, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pin8fbdGV9Y
Carroll, A.B., & Buchholtz, A.K. (2015). Business and society: Ethics, management, and stakeholder management (9th ed.). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.
PETA. (n.d.). Animal testing 101. Retrieved from http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animal-testing-101/
Phillips, C. (2009). The welfare of animals: The silent majority. Queensland, Australia: Springer.
