Has anyone seen the documentary "The Corporation"? I've read some rave reviews and was thinking about picking it up for use in my Business Ethics class, but I've not seen it. Feedback would be great...

Great movie, very informative. When I saw the film, I left with so much information in my head that I was stunned. I highly recommend it, especially for a business ethics class, because it relates to both "business" and "ethics".

If your business ethics class wants to be bombarded by left-wing, anti-US propaganda, by all means check out The Corporation.

Any suggestions for any pro-US, right-wing propaganda that's also entertaining?

All of the docs that I have are pretty left-leaning. I'd like to show something from the other side, but I can't find anything good. I've got a bunch of lectures on economics, but they're a snooze.

Hah, no sorry PE, I think if you want something from the right, you will have to stick with "facts" and "figures." Sorry.

Its a good movie, I knew a lot about coroporations before I saw the movie. So I wasn't so shocked and stunned as somepeople. I'd say if your not going to pick up that movie for your class. Pick it up for yourself its diffinately worth taking a look at. Also Noam Chompskys "Manufacturing Consent" is another great documentary. Its more Anti-media though. But its worth checking out aswell.

Hmm...I went into this forum to post about the Enron movie, which I just saw. But there's no thread I can find about that, so this one seems okay.

I don't know about 'The Corporation', but the Enron movie makes even facts look like propaganda. I was hoping for some objective story just telling the facts about what Enron did, and instead it seemed like they went out of their way to demonize people -- even when it seems the facts just stated as facts would do the job just fine. I think they showed a picture of that Fastau guy in a Halloween costume dressed up as the devil.

You can't equate 'stating an opinion based on your own personal observation of facts' with propaganda. I mean, the right cranks out some pretty egredious propaganda too. It just does so in nationally televised speeches and fake town hall meetings.

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Originally posted by paxsoprano:
Hah, no sorry PE, I think if you want something from the right, you will have to stick with "facts" and "figures." Sorry.

I decided to use a more dry, academic reading on the corporation ("In Defense of the Shareholder" by John Boatright) and to skip showing the documentary in favor of assigning the main argumentative chapter of Bakan's book. They bookend nicely with tonight's readings: Friedman's "The Social Responsibility of Business" and Ed Freeman's "The Stakeholder Theory of the Modern Corporation."

I've not seen the Enron movie, but it looked to be pretty inflammatory.

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Originally posted by Bobthespirit:

I don't know about 'The Corporation', but the Enron movie makes even facts look like propaganda. I was hoping for some objective story just telling the facts about what Enron did, and instead it seemed like they went out of their way to demonize people -- even when it seems the facts just stated as facts would do the job just fine. I think they showed a picture of that Fastau guy in a Halloween costume dressed up as the devil.

so i just saw both the corporation and enron. maybe i'm more a lefty than i ever knew, but enron didn't seem like its intent was to demonize...rather, that fastau was dressed like the devil seems so on point to me. he was a liar, a cheat, a fraud, and an all-around douche bag. i don't see how using similar facts (and photos, as the case may be) is so much demonizing as it is pointing out ironies or interesting facts about the whole case. these men were total scum, which doesn't change the fact that the movie should be objective, but they still deserved to portrayed as such. the film never really took any needlessly harsh low blows, as far as i can recall.

the corporation, on the other hand, was willing to take swipes at corporations, but all of the evidence they served up seemed to largely back up the points that they made, the largest of which was that corporations are legally obligated to make as much money as possible, even if that includes externalizing their costs which can frequently lay the burden on the government (and therefore tax payers) and the health of citizens. it didn't seem to be a particularly subjective look at this point, but a lack of subjectivity doesn't immediately invalidate it to me. is it supposed to? (also, i make a distinction between the interviews and the storys told. the interviews are opinions of the interviewed, while the stories have more journalistic aspect. i'm sure the interviews were far more out there than the stories and therefore didn't strike me or stay in memory.)

pMe, did you watch this movie yet? i'm curious what a Business Ethics professor thought about it.

I saw THE CORPORATION and liked it well enough, but thought the film-makers naive. I spent 15 years working in a large corporation and the filmmakers, none of whom far as I know ever worked in a large corporation, thought the corporations are more powerful than they actually are. I laughed when I saw this doc. and I said "I wish we were as powerful" as outsiders/these filmmakers think. There are too many other factors to keep corporate power in check, such as the government and competitors. I think the filmmakers missed that.

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There are too many other factors to keep corporate power in check, such as the government and competitors. I think the filmmakers missed that.

Ok, then explain Enron.