Welcome to the online study guide for the corporation, the awardwinning documentary by mark achbar, jennifer abbott, and joel bakan. The corporation documentary summary analysis jotted lines. Explored through specific examples, this film shows how and why the modernday corporation has rapaciously pressed itself into the dominant institution of our time, posing big questions about what must be done if we want a equitable and sustainable world. The documentary is critical of the modern day corporation, its global economic dominance and the impact it is having on the environment. The tvo logo appears on the lower right corner of the screen.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. These questions are about the corporation documentary that is based on the book by joel bakan. In the mid1800s the corporation emerged as a legal person. Reflection on the film the corporation the corporation is a renowned canadian documentary film directed by mark achber and jennifer abbot based on the book by university of british columbia law professor joel bakan the corporation. The book inspired a feature documentary film, the corporation, written by bakan and cocreated with mark achbar, which won numerous awards, including best foreign documentary at the sundance film festival, and was a critical and box office success.
No, it is the modern day corporation as portrayed by directors mark achbar and jennifer abbott along with writer joel bakan in the twoandahalfhour documentary the corporation, released in 2003. The corporation is farenheit 911 for people who think. Some of the wellkept secrets that have been revealed by this documentary would be the reality of. Like the church, the monarchy and the communist party in other times and places, the corporation is todays dominant institution. Joel bakan is an author, filmmaker and a professor of law at the university of british columbia. The pathological pursuit of profit and power discusses the book and the documentary with journalist marc glassman. Examines the pathological selfinterest of the modern corporation. It was produced in 2004 and has received many awards, one being the sundance world cinemadocumentary audience award. The corporation is a documentary by mark achbar, jennifer abbott, and joel bakan. Based on bakan s bestselling book, the corporation. The original film was a call to action, says joel bakan. The corporation is a cogent, informationrich and artfully crafted probe of the most powerful business.
The film was written by joel bakan, and codirected by mark achbar and jennifer abbott. Joel conrad bakan born 1959 is an americancanadian writer, jazz musician, filmmaker, and professor at the peter a. More than a decade after the corporation started a global conversation about the modern business corporation, bestselling author and scholar joel bakan is now working on a followup project that focuses on the corporation s remarkable evolution and transformation since the first film. The corporation by jennifer abbott, and joel bakan mark. The independentthis fine book was virtually begging to be written. On a conference room, three executives sit at a large chair, watching president george w.
The manifesto has spawned a documentary film, also called the corporation. The corporation film analysis essay 1736 words bartleby. Joel bakan interest, regardless of the often harmful consequences it might cause to others. Award for best documentary, the corporation contends that the corporation is. The corporation documentary written by joel bakan and directed by mark achbar and jennifer abbott shows they are up to one thing in producing this material to. The corporate legal mandate, to pursue profit on behalf of shareholders, impels corporations to take any action, including callous, antisocial, and even unlawful behaviors, so long as they.
The corporation is a documentary film by mark achbar, jennifer abbott and joel bakan, and it has received dozens of awards in film festivals around the world. Bakan wrote a book, the corporation the pathological pursuit of profit and power, during the filming of the documentary. The corporation documentary essay 612 words bartleby. What i really liked about it was that he offered practical solutions watched the documentary years ago during college, but never got around to reading the book. Our website is a unique platform where students can share their papers in a matter of giving an example of the work to be done. Summary of the corporation documentary essay example.
He tackles the issues of sweatshop labour, vehicle safety, and marketing to children. The corporation documentary summary analysis jotted. The corporation, based on a book by the canadian law professor joel bakan, is divided into cutely titled chapters democracy ltd. His work examines the social, economic, and political dimensions of law, and he has published in leading legal and social science journals as well as in the popular press. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, the film has achieved international critical and box office success. The corporation engages us in a darkly amusing account of the institutions birth as a legal person whose prime directive is to produce everincreasing profit for its shareholders regardless of the cost to anyone or anything. Born in lansing, michigan, joel bakan moved in 1970 with his parents to vancouver, british columbia, canada, where he graduated from eric hamber secondary high school. The corporation documentary written by joel bakan and directed by mark achbar and jennifer abbott shows they are up to one thing in producing this material to breach into the politics of the pursuit of power and profit of businesses today. Portrait of a corporate psychopath business the guardian. The corporation is a documentary made in 2003, which revolves around the attainment of legal status by corporate companies, which accords them the privilege of enjoying similar rights as human beings.
The corporation book by joel bakan official publisher. The documentary is critical of the modernday corporation, considering its legal status as a class of person and evaluating its behaviour towards society and the world at large as a psychiatrist might evaluate. The pathological pursuit of profit and power joel bakan. Allard school of law at the university of british columbia born in lansing, michigan, and raised for most of his childhood in east lansing, michigan, where his parents, paul and rita bakan, were both longtime professors in psychology at michigan state university. It considers the corporation s legal status as a class of person and evaluates its behaviour towards society as. Synopsis the corporation mark achbar, jennifer abbott and joel bakan, 2004 is a canadian docu mentary about the institution of the corporation. A former rhodes scholar and law clerk to chief justice brian dickson of the supreme court of canada, bakan has law degrees from oxford, dalhousie, and harvard.
With lucidity and verve, joel bakan unveils the history and the character of a devilish instrument that has been created and is nurtured by powerful modern states. Oct 23, 2004 joel bakan, whose provocative film documentary, the corporation, is due out at this month and whose book of the same is in the shops constable. The film, cowritten by ubc law professor joel bakan, argues that if a corporation is indeed a legal personas it is seen in the eyes of the law in much of the western world. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, and is made by the team comprising mark achbar and jennifer abbott. In the book, bakan tells compelling stories of corporate malfeasance with the help of a corporate spy, a labour activist, and a member of the arctic gwichin nation. The pathological pursuit of profit and power bakan, joel. We are all its potential victims, which is why we must all understand how the corporate form makes it so difficult to control its abuses. Based on joel bakan s soontobepublished book, the corporation. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, during the filming of the documentary. The corporation is a 2003 canadian documentary film written by university of british columbia law professor joel bakan, and directed by mark achbar and jennifer abbott. With lucidity and verve, expert knowledge and incisive analysis, joel bakan unveils the history and the character of a devilish instrument that has been created and is nurtured by powerful modern states. The author of the paper will begin with the statement that the corporation is likened to human being although it poses no feelings. I need help on my paper cause i dont really understand it completely even after watching it.
As the title of the book suggests, business corporations are all too often guilty of pursuing profits over the interests of people and the environment. Nov 06, 2017 based on joel bakans bestseller the corporation. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, the film is a timely, critical inquiry that invites ceos, whistleblowers, brokers, gurus, spies, players, pawns and pundits on a graphic and engaging quest to reveal the corporations inner workings, curious history, controversial impacts and possible futures. Mar 22, 2020 the corporation is a documentary written by joel bakan in 2003, which revolves around the attainment of legal status by corporate companies, which accords them the privilege of enjoying similar rights as human beings. A fast clip shows the interiors of an office building. It is a documentary film that looks at the history of corporation and follows them up until present day to illustrate their dominance in society. The modern corporation, according to law professor joel bakan, is singularly selfinterested and unable to feel genuine concern for others in any context. The corporationis a thoughtprovoking documentary that presents a controversial and wellinformed discussion of the positive and negative influence of corporations in todays society. Supreme court so ruled, in a decision based, bizarrely, on the 14th amendment to the constitution. An ambitious and wayout radical conclusion, but the premise and examples are wellillustrated and wellargued. Imbued with a personality of pure selfinterest, the next 100 years saw the corporation s rise to dominance. As a result, i argue, the corporation is a pathological institution, a dangerous possessor of the great power it wields over people and societies. As part of the 75th meeting of the academy of management conference, happening here in vancouver attendees are invited to the critical management studies divisions activist speaker session screening of the corporation and discussion with joel bakan at the vancity theatre on sunday august 9, 2015, from 47pm. The corporate legal mandate, to pursue profit on behalf of shareholders, impels corporations to take any action, including callous, antisocial, and even unlawful behaviors, so long as they generate a profit.
The corporation is not a film my dinner companion would enjoy. It critiques that it is considered to be a person, but since it has so many disregards to the human wellbeing and only cares about making as much money as possible, if it were an actual person it would be considered a psychopath. With mikela jay, rob beckwermert, christopher gora, nina jones. That was the one that guaranteed former slaves equal rights. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, and is made by the team comprising of mark achbar and jennifer abbott. The corporation is based on a book of the same name written by joel bakan. Apr 15, 20 the documentary is based on a book written by joel bakan titled the corporation. Reaction paper on the documentary called the corporation essay. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, this 26awardwinning documentary explores a corporation s inner workings, curious history. Start studying exam2387 joel bakan the corporation s rise to dominance. The corporation the 2003 canadian film documentary, the corporation, is about the modernday corporation. The corporation mark achbar, jennifer abbott and joel bakan, 2004 is a canadian documentary about the institution of the corporation.
Winner of 10 audience awards, including sundance, and 26 awards in total from prestigious festivals around the world, it stands as the topgrossing canadian feature documentary. Allard school of law at the university of british columbia. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, this documentary is a timely, critical inquiry that examines the very nature of. In this complex, exhaustive and highly entertaining documentary, mark achbar, codirector of the influential and inventive manufacturing consent. The corporation is a canadian documentary film written by university of british columbia law professor joel bakan, and directed by mark achbar and jennifer abbott. These questions are about the corporation document. Thats the chilling diagnosis that the canadian documentary the corporation issued in 2004 for our modern day business organizations. Eminent canadian law professor and legal theorist joel bakan contends that todays corporation is a pathological institution, a dangerous possessor of the great power it wields over people and societies. Published in 2004, the corporation, by legal scholar joel bakan, demonstrates that corporations often misbehave because it is in their nature to do so. The corporate legal mandate, to pursue profit on behalf of shareholders, impels corporations to take any action, including callous, antisocial. In the mid1800s the corporation won the status of a legal person. Noam chomsky and the media, teams up with codirector jennifer abbott and writer joel bakan to examine the farreaching repercussions of the corporation s increasing preeminence. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, this 26awardwinning documentary explores.
Over the last 150 years the corporation has risen from relative obscurity to become the worlds dominant economic institution. The corporation film analysis the corporation was based on a book written by joel bakan. Eminent canadian law professor and legal theorist joel bakan contends that. Imbued with a personality of pure selfinterest, the. The documentary is critical of the modernday corporation, considering its legal status as a class of person and evaluating its behaviour towards society and the world at large as a psychiatrist might evaluate an ordinary person. The corporation, according to joel bakan, is the monster that can swallow civilization greedy, exploitive, and unstoppable. The modern corporation an interview with joel bakan the biggest change corporations have made in last 15 years have been their embracing of commitments to. It begins with the unsettling information that, under the law, a corporation is not a thing but a person. That raises a number of questions, which i address in subsequent chapters. The corporation is a 2003 canadian documentary film written by university of british columbia law professor joel bakan, and directed by mark achbar and. Jun 04, 2004 directed by mark achbar, jennifer abbott.
Much more depth than the movie documentary based on the book. The documentary has been displayed worldwide, on tv sometimes in 3 parts and is also available in dvd. Bakan and achbar met at a funeral and discovered a shared interest in globalization. The corporation s cocreator joel bakan appears on air during a special presentation of the corporation as a fundraiser on kpbs out of san diego california.
The corporation is a 2003 canadian documentary film written by joel bakan, and directed by mark achbar and jennifer abbott. The makers of the documentary delve deep into the inner workings of the corporation ultimately defining it as a psychopath. It brings to the fore the social injustices that corporate companies commit in their business ventures. Access a free summary of the corporation, by joel bakan and 20,000 other business, leadership and nonfiction books on getabstract. Joel bakan is a professor of law at the university of british columbia, and an internationally renowned legal scholar and commentator. The corporation is a canadian documentary film written by joel bakan, and directed by mark achbar and jennifer abbott. The corporation a film by mack achbar, jennifer abbott. The pathological pursuit of profit and power, this 26awardwinning documentary explores a corporations inner workings, curious history.
The documentary is based on a book written by joel bakan titled the corporation. Also interesting is bakan s spinning off his work into a documentary film also titled the corporation, further presenting the case that this modern business model that people have accepted is. Born in lansing, michigan, and raised for most of his childhood in east lansing, michigan, where his parents, paul and rita bakan, were both longtime professors in psychology at michigan state university. T his radical canadian documentary features some notable ceos, whistle blowers, brokers, gurus, spies. The film explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. Big picture media corporation filmwest associates pt. The film starts with the premise that corporations have been given the rights of a legal person, so one must evaluate what kind of person is the corporation.
He went on to earn a ba at simon fraser university 1981, and then, as a rhodes scholar, a ba in law from oxford university in 1983. The documentary examines the modernday corporation. The corporation is a 2003 canadian documentary film critical of the modernday corporation, considering it as a class of person as in us law it is understood to be and evaluating its behaviour towards society and the world at large as a psychologist might evaluate an ordinary person directed by mark achbar and jennifer abbott. Jan 23, 2012 the corporation is a 2003 canadian documentary film written by joel bakan, and directed by mark achbar and jennifer abbott.