1.

According to the film, the standard metaphor for a corporation is that

of an apple within a barrel where most apples are good and just a few
bad. Several CEOs offered alternative metaphors, such as pieces of a
jigsaw puzzle, a sports team, family unity, a telephone system, or an
eagle. Less flattering metaphors are that of a devouring monster, a
whale, or the Frankenstein monster. Are any of these metaphors more
appropriate than others?

2. The movie opens indicating that the world dominance of corporations

is a recent historical phenomenon, and in some ways has replaced the
power of monarchies, the church, and other governing social institutions.
If there will always be dominating, self-serving institutions, why is
corporate rule today any worse than the alternatives?

3. Original 19th century corporations were limited in their tasks,

shareholders were liable, and many had a finite lifespan. How would this
limit the negative impact of corporations on society?

4. Constraints on corporations were lifted after the Civil War when the
14th amendment to the constitution extended the legal rights of persons
to corporations. What if anything was so bad about this change?

5. One person stated that corporations have no soul to save, no body to

incarcerate. What does this mean?

6. The notion of externalities is that corporations pass on problems and

expenses to the public or taxpayers. What are some examples of this?

7. The film lists several features of psychopathic personality disorder

and notes how they apply to corporations. These include the following:
(1) callous unconcern for the feelings of others, (2) incapacity to
maintain enduring relationships, (3) reckless disregard for the safety of
others, (4) deceitfulness: repeated lying and conning others for profit, (5)
incapacity to experience guilt, (6) failure to conform to social norms
with respect to lawful behaviors. Are any of these exaggerations
regarding the true nature of corporations?

8. A Monsanto product called Posilac (BST) is artificial hormone for

factory farm cows that increase milk production. How does this product
benefit the farmer?

9. One side effect of Prosilac is that it causes infection in cows, which

results in pus getting into milk. It also requires giving cows antibiotics
which cause strains of super viruses. Are these problems
counterbalanced by the products economic benefits for farmers?

10. A commodities trader stated the following: our information that we

receive does not include anything about environmental conditions,
because, until the environmental conditions become a commodity
themselves, or are being traded, then obviously we will not have
anything to do with that. What does this imply about corporate concern
for the environment?

11. One person in the film stated the following: Whether you obey the
law or not is a matter of whether its cost effective. If the chance of
getting caught and the penalty are less than it costs to comply, people
just think of it as being a business decision. In other words, criminal
fines are just another cost of doing business. Might there be a more
effective form of punishment that would motivate corporations to follow
the law?

12. The narrator asks If the dominant institution of our time has been
created in the image of a psychopath, who bears the moral responsibility
for its actions? How might we answer this question?
13. A former Goodyear CEO stated that No job in my experience with
Goodyear has been as frustrating as the CEO job. Because even though
the perception is that you have absolute power to do whatever you want,
the reality is that you dont have that power. Massive layoffs in
particular, he explains, are driven by capitalism and not by the private
sympathies of the CEO. Contrast this with the actions of Interfaces
CEO Ray Anderson, who imposed an environmental moral agenda.
What might account for the differing perspectives of these two CEOs?

14. Noam Chomsky stated that individual slave owners may be kind
people, but in their institutional role they are monsters. Is this an
appropriate comparison to corporate CEOs?

15. A woman from India describes terminator bio-technology, that is,

seeds that are designed to grow crops for only one season. What is the
profit motivation behind terminator technology and what if anything is
morally wrong with it?

16. A corporate spy states the following: Its about competition, its
about market shares. Its about being aggressive. Its about shareholder
value: what is your stock at today. If youre a CEO, do you think your
shareholders really care if youre Billy Buttercup or not? Do you think
theyd prefer for you to be a nice guy over having money in their
pocket? I dont think so. I think people want money. Thats the bottom
line. Is this an accurate portrayal of shareholders interests?

17. Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface (the worlds largest commercial

carpet manufacturer), describes a paradigm shift that he experienced
when reading Paul Hawkens The Ecology of Commerce and learning
about impact of corporations on species extinction. This motivated him
to seek ecological sustainability within his corporation. He states that the
day must come when environmental plundering is not allowed and
people like him will end up in jail. How far off is that day?

18. The narrator states the following: The pursuit of profit is an old
story, but there was a time when many things were regarded as either to
sacred or to essential for the public good to be conspired business
opportunities. They were protected by tradition and public regulation.
Today, common goods such as land and water have been turned into
private property. How might capitalists defend such privatizing of the
commons?

19. A person stated that 20%-40% of childrens products would not have
been purchased without children nagging their parents. What is the
moral problem with child advertising?

20. Noam Chomsky describes the concept of creative wants and how a
persons sense of value is based on how many creative wants he or she
can satisfy. What are examples of creative wants, and whats so bad
about them?

21. The movie describes different advertising techniques such as

students who became walking billboards for a corporation in exchange
for college tuition; product branding (e.g., Disney and the concept of
family magic), real life product placement. What if anything is wrong
with these?

22. The movie discusses the issue of patenting the DNA and genes of
living things; according to the Patent Office we can now patent anything
thats alive except a full birth human being. What if anything is so bad
about this?

23. The film describes the efforts of the Bechtel corporation to privatize
water in Bolivia, which made it illegal for people to collect rain water. Is
there any situation in which this might be morally justified?

24. The film describes IBM punch card machines that Nazis used to
record data on holocaust victims. The machines that were regularly
serviced by IBMs German subsidiary throughout the war, and the
American IBM company profited from this. To what extent do
companies have a moral responsibility to limit the use of their products?

25. The narrator states that It should not surprise us that corporate
allegiance to profits will trump their allegiance to any flag. Assuming
this is true, what is so bad about this?

26. The narrator states for corporations to dominate government, a coup

is no longer necessary. Similarly, a former CEO of Goodyear states
that, through corporate globalization, Governments have become
powerless compared to what they were before. What makes it so
difficult for governments to control the activities of corporations?

27. One person in the film stated the following: If companies dont do
what they should be doing, theyll be punished in the market place. Is
this sufficient motivation for businesses to behave morally?

28. Chomsky stated that the existence of corporations is not engraved in

stone and that most states have laws which require that they be
dismantled. Would routine dismantling of law-breaking corporations
solve the problem?

29. Michael Moore states that The curse for me has been the fact that in
making these documentary films Ive seen that they can actually impact
change, so Im compelled to just keep making them. What kind of
change is Moore talking about?
30. A spokesperson for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce criticized efforts
in California to dissolve the Unical oil corporation. He stated that
opposition to the company came primarily from people at the left end
of the spectrum who dont produce anything but hot air. Is his point
valid?

31. One person in the film stated the following: There are many tools
for bringing back community; the importance of litigation, legislation,
direct action, education, boycotts, social investment. There are many,
many ways to address issues of corporate power. In the final analysis
whats really important is the vision. You have to have a better story.
What kind of story would motivate people to rise up against
corporations?

32. Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface, stated the following: The first
industrial revolution is flawed, it is not working, it is unsustainable. It is
the mistake and we must move on to another and better industrial
revolution, and get it right this time. Andersons focus is on the
ecological sustainability of manufacturing, which is only part of the
problem. What else would be needed in the new industrial revolution?