When it comes to businesses Size does matter. We have entered what seems like the second golden age of mega cooperation’s. In the 1920’s where we had manufacturing conglomerates like Standard Oil Co. dominating the economic landscape by essentially hogging all the resources, nowadays we have transnational companies controlling world affairs through their spheres of influence. Larger companies have more opportunity to generate large scale change. Big companies can influence policy makers through lobbying and have the resources to get things done. The problem with this is when big companies decide to use their influence carelessly.
Big cooperations have a bad reputation for being corrupt and will stop at nothing for the pursuit of profits. While this generalization is sometimes unfair, it is not unfounded. In 2010, 4.9 million barrels of oil was release into the Mexican gulf. This was later known as the “BP” oil spill. It was all caused by the carelessness of a company that put profits before safety. A company, that for decades, hired unqualified inspectors to check for maintenance issues. One of many examples that cooperate interests gets in the way of doing the things right.
On The other hand, people have a much better perception of small business, as they are run by real everyday people who do not have the luxuries of hiding behind the cooperate curtain. Small businesses are also more involved in the local community, developing real relationships with their clients. This is why small business are often considered more honest, more down to earth and more trustworthy. But are they really though? I am rather skeptical, the desire to take shortcuts exists everywhere, its not exclusive to cooperate settings. However, when it comes to the consequences of taking shortcuts, small business cannot be compared to a cooperations. The consequences of local restaurants that occasionally dumps trash illegally cannot quite compare to a bank whose accounting problems could cause an economic meltdown. When big companies mess up, it could affect the lives of millions of people. This is why an economic climate that favors large cooperation is becoming ever more worrying. The task of regulating big companies Have become a more daunting task.
That’s why it is important for companies to recognize that building ethical values in a company is very important. With a bigger size comes an bigger responsibility, companies can decide if they want be an instigator of catastrophes or be positive instruments of change. I hope they chose the latter.
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http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1051759/intel-recognised-ethical-business
