In Whose Interests

Book excerpt: In In Whose Interests, Patricia Marchak adopts a critical perspective, arguing that multinational corporations do not operate in the interests of society at large or in the interests of a national society such as Canada. Creating and sustaining a set of interests particular to their own well-being and growth, they are efficient organizations for which human labour and management of technical resources are primarily of monetary value. Such resources, along with natural materials, are managed by and for corporations so that technology, labour, and knowledge are harnessed to corporate growth rather than social welfare. Divided into two parts, the first concerned with the political economy of a corporate capitalism with particular reference to the Canadian situation, the second concerned with the internal organization of corporations, and with the contributions of sociology to an understanding of these, In Whose Interest provides a comprehensive entry into the literature of political economy.