MetaFilter posts tagged with corporate

With whom it starts

Blazecock Pileon — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:43:09 -0800

Healthcare reform has agitated right-wing extremists and moneyed interests in the United States for some time — during the presidencies of FDR and Truman as well as Clinton and Obama, most recently — but where do the objections originate from, and particularly those which are known to be based on complete untruths? Some of these lies start with or are repeated by well-known right-wing media personalities, but there are other people who get the ball rolling, who are perhaps less well-known. Elizabeth "Betsy" McCaughey originated one of the current myths more commonly known as "death panels", but despite her attempts to market herself as a folksy voice fighting for the well-being of senior citizens, she has been an effective advocate for the interests of private health insurance companies since the early 1990s. In The Atlantic's fascinating overview Triumph of Misinformation, award-winning journalist James Fallows follows the Clinton administration's failed attempt to pass healthcare reform, during which McCaughey spread a false claim about the Clinton proposal actively preventing patients from going outside the government system for treatment. Her fictitious story was quickly picked up and amplified by the mainstream media, with devastating effect. Her own version was entitled No Exit: What The Clinton Plan Will Do For You and was printed in The New Republic. Despite its publication, it contained so many inaccuracies that the magazine's former editors have all since disowned the piece (though Andrew Sullivan still lauded it up until two years ago). In an essay published on Bloomberg.com in February (and in several essays and letters since), she attempted to promulgate another lie in which hospitals and doctors under an Obama-led plan would be penalized for failing to contribute patient data to a federal health database, eliminating patient privacy and enforcing uniformity in treatment. This falsehood did not appear to gain as much traction as her subsequent "death panel" myth. After scrutiny following a critical two-part interview (full, extended version part 1 and part 2) (Flash req'd) with Jon Stewart this past Thursday, McCaughey resigned today from a vaguely described position with Cantel Medical, a private heathcare product corporation.

Have you Driven a Fail Lately?

man vs sun — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:15:29 -0800

After the Crisis Once this economic crisis blows over, a lot of companies will need their logos redesigned. Here's a dozen or so.

Why Google Employees Quit

Blazecock Pileon — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:55:42 -0800

Why Google Employees Quit

The Conglomerate Which Smiles Back (Until You Bite Its Head Off)

l33tpolicywonk — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:53:50 -0800

Why are our kids so sad? Positive psychology (previously) and our friends at Pepperidge Farm thinks its all a matter of fishful thinking. Can positive psychology give our children better virtues? Is it just teaching them inauthentic self-esteem? Or does it just sell crackers? Even the movement's founder, Martin Seligman, has some reservations. It's his daughter who taught him to be happy in the first place.

Why so purple?

staggernation — Sat, 17 May 2008 22:19:07 -0800

The Museum of Corporate Neckties. Corporations and neckties: two great tastes that &c.

The Brilliant Issue

Non Prosequitur — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:06:26 -0800

I asked Nathan Myhrvold, C.E.O. of Intellectual Ventures and widely considered to be one of the smartest people in technology, if he is brilliant. "If you put yourself in that camp, you might be correct," he teased. "But then, you're also an asshole." The Brilliant Issue profiles Porfolio's picks for best game-changers, upstarts, rebels, connectors and other influencers. yes it's mainstream Condé Nast bs but it's also fun!

I'll Buy That

bassjump — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:30:47 -0800

Selling out is becoming trendy. Last fall, Burt’s Bees was sold to Clorox. It turned out then that former owner Roxanne Quimby bought out co-founder Burt himself in 1999 and sold 80% of the company to AEA Investors in 2004; this was just the final stroke of the pen. The Body Shop became a part of L’Oreal in 2006 (previously), the same year Tom’s of Maine was bought out by Colgate. Estee Lauder acquired Aveda back in 1998. If you start getting into food, Stonyfield Farm is owned by Danone. Nantucket Nectars has been part of Cadbury Schweppes since 2002. And remember Fresh Samantha juices? Bought by Odwalla, which itself is owned by Coca-Cola. Ben and Jerry’s became a part of Unilever back in 2000, and now the company’s name is often a symbol of an acquisition gone awry. For better or worse, organic is now fluffy fodder for mass marketing. Even bleach-maker and Burt's Bees-buyer Clorox recently announced its own Green Works line of products. So you might ask: which companies are making an effort to be green and haven’t sold out (yet)? Here’s one list. Problem? It includes the founders of: - Seventh Generation, which has had some interesting encounters with giant retailer Walmart and has partnered with that other giant retailer, Target; - Stonyfield Farm, which as mentioned above is now a part of Danone, but whose business ethics are defended here; and - Whole Foods, which is trying to buy out Wild Oats but keeps butting heads with the FTC. But don't lose all hope. There are still lots of names on that list, and many green and greenish companies out there: Ecover, Dr. Hauschka, Dr. Bronner, Method, Kiss My Face, and heaps more. (These aren't endorsements, just examples.) There's advice on being green (I know, it ain't easy.) Or you could make your own.

Two hedge funds that predicted sub-prime crisis see corporate debt as next casualty

janetplanet — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:16:26 -0800

Two hedge funds that predicted sub-prime crisis see corporate debt as next casualty Two hedge fund firms that racked up huge gains betting on the subprime mortgage meltdown have begun winding down those trades and looking elsewhere. They're now betting against corporate debt using derivatives.

So, it wasn't the Happiest Town on Earth?

amberglow — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:54:55 -0800

Remember the Town Disney Built? -- 50% of the homes in Celebration, Florida are up for sale. A failure of corporate-owned and -planned Community™? or just a fallout of the bursting of the housing bubble? And whither New Urbanism? Celebration's Front Porch (home page) a neo-traditional architectural view: The Celebration Controversies

The end of the oldest Black-owned store on Harlem's 125th Street?

allterrainbrain — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 01:48:03 -0800

Harlem's commercial and cultural backbone, 125th Street, has been gentrifying fast; many of its Black-owned businesses have been forced out by high rents and replaced by branches of white-owned national chain stores. The street's best-known cultural centers remain (notably the Apollo Theater and the Studio Museum in Harlem), but now, its oldest surviving Black-owned store, The Record Shack, is facing eviction. Owner Shikulu Shange, along with other Harlem residents, will lead a town meeting next week to discuss strategies for keeping Black economic development alive in Harlem and in NYC (as of the 2000 U.S. Census, NYC's five boroughs were home to more than 98,000 of about 129,000 Black-owned businesses in all of New York State).

More than just profits, part two

infini — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:40:12 -0800

FabIndia becomes a Harvard Business Case study It's a brand that does not advertise. It, in fact, celebrates the success of its copycats. And now Fabindia, the craft-conscious enterprise, is a Harvard Business School (HBS) case study. "Founded in 1960, Fabindia makes the cut for being an example of a corporation that does not just aim to do well, but does good too. "A strong mission can be both an opportunity and a constraint on the growth of a firm," points out Dr Khaire. However, the private retailer's unique value proposition has not come in the way of it being recognised as big brand today. And this in spite of the fact that Fabindia has never advertised, points out Dr Khaire."

Global sweatshop lobby

Abiezer — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 05:55:54 -0800

"In a historically unprecedented visit, the influential Chinese scholar and labor law expert Liu Cheng arrived in Washington, D.C. this week to garner support from US legislators and labor leaders for a law that is pending not before the US Congress but before the National People’s Congress in China."
Global Labor Strategies' recent report Undue Influence has prompted comment that US corporate advocacy in China is retarding democracy. The US-China Business Council rejects this characterization of their lobbying efforts (China Law Blog broadly agrees). Their European counterparts think better compliance and implementation are key to improving protection for Chinese workers.

Panther House

Tlogmer — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 10:47:19 -0800

Does anyone remember Glassdog (the fake corporation, that is)? Panther house is sort of the ten-years-later version. (Bonus: the blog is pretty good.)

I think it might be time to get my own cow - or goat.

bigmusic — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:43:35 -0800

What's in your milk? Estradiol, testoerone, and growth hormones (IGF-1) IGF-1 is what Fox News doesn't want you to know is in your milk.

Next Up: Nuclear waste reefs

nevercalm — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 09:50:15 -0800

Artificial reef off Fort Lauderdale coast now an ecological disaster. Then: A 1972 Goodyear news release proclaimed the reef would "provide a haven for fish and other aquatic species,' and noted the "excellent properties of scrap tires as reef material.' Now: "They're a constantly killing coral destruction machine."

how much would michael scott cost in legal fees?

tylerfulltilt — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 08:42:12 -0800

Steve Carell may be hilarious in the office, but how much would his jackass behavior cost in real-life? clips (youtube)

dwarfing historic St. Petersburg

nickyskye — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:57:05 -0800

There are already some strange Soviet buildings. Gazprom intends to build these unusual skyscrapers in St. Petersburg. Maybe they will include caviar vending machines?

Have you heard about Michelle Shephard?

hypocritical ross — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 22:01:42 -0800

One Bank. Snarks aside, the guy does have quite a lovely singing voice. (vimeo)

Thinning the Air America

washburn — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 09:59:10 -0800

Blacklisted! The bankruptcy of the liberal Air America Radio Network is old news. What's new is a leaked ABC memo to affiliates (.pdf original) listing 90 corporations and major advertisers that stipulated that their ads not be aired during the broadcast of Air America content. Is there any hope that radio or television news in the United States can report stories that do not uniformly support the goals and viewpoints of the S&P 500? There are of course, alternative models. Is it time for a PBS Newschanel?

The Enron Explorer

tpl1212 — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 05:45:29 -0800

The Enron Explorer from Trampoline Systems "lets you investigate the actions and reactions of Enron's senior management team as the noose began to tighten" (through some 200,000 public domain corporate emails) using Trampoline's SONAR social network mapping platform. (via FutureFeeder)

David Brent goes to Microsoft

lilbrudder — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 00:12:13 -0800

Fans of the BBC version of The Office take note: in 2006, Microsoft hired Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant to make a pair of faux training videos for the UK Microsoft headquarters, with Gervais reprising his David Brent role. Both videos are now up on iFilm, and are pretty damn funny (if you're amused by the Brent schtick, which I am).

Anonymous Law Firm

grumblebee — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 07:02:32 -0800

The New York office was opened by the founders of the Firm in 1908, the same year women competed in the modern Olympics for the first time. While the Firm moved its headquarters to Los Angeles in 1972, the New York office remains a critical branch of the Firm today, paying tribute to the firm's deeply rooted traditions by undervaluing support staff, requiring formal business attire, and excluding Jews.

Immigrants as Felons Bill Author Heir to Kleenex Fortune

dorcas — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:31:45 -0800

Boycotts : politics and corportate power Hispanic News on a call to boycott Kimberley Clark (Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, etc...) as the corporate member behind Wisconsin Rep. James Sensenbrenner "author/sponsor of HR 4437 which would turn 11 million undocumented immigrants into felons, punish anyone guilty of providing them assistance" and more. What's the real story here? Boycotts, are they still effective? How much of a link (symbolic or otherwise) is there between this legislation and the company? None? A little? A lot?

Is the aircraft half-empty or half-full?

fenriq — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 11:45:19 -0800

Free Air Transport for Cancer Patients
The Corporate Angel Network puts cancer patients and half empty corporate jets together for travel to treatment centers for free. Win meets win.

Dilbertville

PenDevil — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 07:24:10 -0800

Robert Oppenheimer agonized over building the A-bomb. Alfred Nobel got queasy about creating dynamite. Robert Propst invented nothing so destructive. Yet before he died in 2000, he lamented his unwitting contribution to what he called "monolithic insanity."