Megacorporation
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Megacorporation, mega-corporation, or megacorp, a term originally coined by Alfred Eichner in his book The Megacorp and Oligopoly: Micro Foundations of Macro Dynamics[1] but popularized by William Gibson,[2]
Examples in literature
Such organizations as a staple of science fiction long predate cyberpunk, appearing in the works of writers such as
Examples in film
In the Alien film franchise characters are repeatedly manipulated and endangered by the unscrupulous megacorporation Weyland-Yutani, which seeks to profit from the Aliens.
In the animated Pixar film WALL-E, the megacorporation Buy n' Large has completely supplanted every planetary government.
In the Avatar series of films, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) is a megacorporation that outmatches most governments in wealth, influence, and military power. The RDA has monopolized ownership of all extra-terrestrial colonies and assets, granted in perpetuity by an international committee.
Examples in games
In the sci-fi strategy game Stellaris, players can choose to control a megacorporation that has consumed all aspects of their alien government, with variable policies such as indentured servitude, media conglomerates, or even employee resurrection.[6]
In the video game The Outer Worlds, many megacorps purchase the rights to solar systems from Earth governments. Corporate colonies, being lightyears away from government influence, are effectively governed by their parent companies, with employment acting as citizenship.[citation needed]
In the
In the Ratchet & Clank franchise, each of the featured galaxies is dominated by an arms manufacturer with a near-total monopoly on commercial activity, the largest of which is simply called "Megacorp".[citation needed]
In Cyberpunk 2077, several megacorps (most notably Arasaka and Militech) provide security services and sell weapons. While also controlling The populous through different methods in a distopian way. [8]
In Titanfall franchise, which contains Apex Legends, a megacorporation named Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation [IMC] dominates the entire mining and manufacturing industry across the Frontier (galaxy) based on Earth, well as maintaining private military contractors to suppress dissidents.[9]
Real-life examples
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Although the term itself arose out of
Today many countries have competition laws (also known as antitrust laws) to prevent real-life corporations from having mega-corporation characteristics. On the other hand, some countries protect a certain industry deemed important by mandating that only a single company, usually state-owned, can operate in it. An example of the latter is Saudi Arabia, which gains the majority of its government revenues through its mega-corporation Saudi Aramco.[citation needed]
In the book The Wal-Mart Effect, Charles Fishman describes Walmart as "[in] a whole class of megacorporations of which Wal-Mart is just the most extreme, vivid example".[10]
See also
- Company town
- Corporate warfare
- Corporatocracy
- Chaebol
- Evil corporation
- Keiretsu
- Zaibatsu
- List of largest corporations
- Oligarchy
- Plutocracy
References
- ISBN 978-0-521-06861-1, retrieved 2023-01-02
- ISBN 978-0-8223-3762-1.
- ^ "Salon Books | "An engine of anarchy"". 2008-01-08. Archived from the original on 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ^ "Library Data (A-M) - Traveller". Traveller RPG Wiki. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
- ^ "Transnational | KimStanleyRobinson.info". www.kimstanleyrobinson.info. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- ^ "Stellaris: MegaCorp - Paradox Interactive".
- ^ "UAC". DoomWiki.org. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ Harvey, Angie; L, Wesley; Hoolihan, Hannah (October 30, 2020). "Cyberpunk 2077 Guide – Corporations". IGN. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
- ^ Macy, Seth G. (2016-10-26). "Titanfall's Story and Lore Explained". IGN. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ISBN 978-0141019796.