The power of the TNC Flashcards
what 2 forms do TNC’s come in?
State owned
Publicly traded
What are state owned TNC’s?
owned by the government (most common in emerging nations like china)
What are publicly shared TNC’s?
these are owned by shareholders
What does fortune 500 represent?
the largest 500 TNC’s
What were the profits and employment of fortune 500 in 2014?
$1.7 trillion profit
65 million people
Where do profits go from state owned TNC’s?
profits return to the state
(China 12 largest TNC’s are state owned)
What is global culture often exemplified by?
ubiquity (everywhereness) of consumer icons such as Coca-Cola and McDonalds
How many people buy McDonalds every second?
750
where are the top 6 global Media TNC’s from?
USA
What are the top 6 media TNC’s?
Comcast
Google
Disney
News corps/ 21st century fox
Time Warner
Viacom
Top 6 media TNC revenue?
Comcast- 68 million
Google- 66 million
Disney- 48 million
News corp- 41 million
Time Warner- 23 million
Viacom- 14 million
How do TNC’s hold influence? (intellectually)
as they own much of the worlds patents
What do patents do?
Protect others from using the work without paying loyalties
Where do 85% of all royalty payments go to?
USA
EU
Japan
What do patents do to emerging powers/ developing nations?
have to continually pay out benefitting USA and EU
How many patents did Chinese innovators pay for in 2013?
652,000
What can patents act as?
a form of control
What are some examples of patents controlling?
ownership of gene technology or crops (Monsanto)
What is a patent?
intellectual property that prevents someone else from using, copying or selling an idea or product you have created without asking for permission or paying
what sort of things can patents protect? (specific examples)
vacuum cleaner technology (Dyson)
a colour (Cadbury purple on chocolate)
Monsanto (GM seed ownership)
Who is Monsanto?
an American multi-national who own the patents for seed genetics (GMO crops)
What do Monsanto have?
patented soya beans ‘round up ready’ (sue people who want to try save/ replicate them)
What have Monsanto done since they began selling their GM seeds?
sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringements
What % of soy bean, corn and cotton in the USA are Monsanto’s?
90%
How does Monsanto affect their customers?
Leave them afraid of being sued but also that they have to buy there seed to have good yield
How has Monsanto fundamentally changed the way farmers farm?
by using heavy-handed investigations and ruthless prosecutions
Will use herbicides without thinking of damage to ecosystem
What is the result of Monsanto’s investigations?
nothing less than an assault on the foundations of farming practices and traditions that have endured millennia causing many farmers to go out of business
What is the main thing the Monsanto control?
the oldest right of farming to save and replant crop seeds
How much can farmers save by not buying seeds every year?
$20,000
What will Monsanto do if you try clean seeds?
They will send a private investigator to lie/ mislead to what seeds are kept/ grown and constantly monitor as an intimidation tactic
What was Michael White sued for?
sued for patent infringement after unknowingly cleaning roundup ready soya seeds for a local farmer
How was Mr white affected by private investigators?
destroyed his family, health and seed cleaning business
