Class Inequality / World Economy Activities
The Power of World Corporations
When we teach students in our introduction to sociology classes about the world’s largest global corporations we try to convey their size and influence. One way to convey size (and by extension influence) is to compare a corporation’s revenues to a country’s GDP. In fact, we can think of GDP as a country’s revenue. To clarify GDP is the monetary value of all of goods and services a country produces within a particular time period, usually over the course of a year. A corporation’s revenue is the total amount of money a corporation receives for goods sold or services provided during a certain time period such as a year.
According to 2012 data the 10 largest corporations (see PowperPoint below) in the world had a combined revenue of $3.5 trillion. The revenue of the world’s largest corporation –Royal Dutch Shell—is $485.5 billion. McDonald’s (not among the top 10 but one of the top 500) revenue is $27 billion. There are only four economies in the world that have a GDP larger than $3.5 trillion. There are only 23 countries with a GDP larger than Royal Dutch Shell revenues. Of the 200+ countries in the world there are a 122 with GDPs less than $27 billion.
Instead of simply conveying these facts, one way to help students to register their significance is ask them to determine
how many countries have a GDP > than $3.5 trillion,
how many countries have a GDP > $485.5 billion
how many countries have a DDP < $27 billion.
To facilitate their calculations, present students with spreadsheet attached below listing country names and corresponding GDPs. Simply reviewing the country names and corresponding GDPs opens students’ eyes to the shear size of the corporations and can provide the background knowledge to have a meaningful discussion about the largest corporation’s influence.
By Joan Ferrante at Northern Kentucky University
According to 2012 data the 10 largest corporations (see PowperPoint below) in the world had a combined revenue of $3.5 trillion. The revenue of the world’s largest corporation –Royal Dutch Shell—is $485.5 billion. McDonald’s (not among the top 10 but one of the top 500) revenue is $27 billion. There are only four economies in the world that have a GDP larger than $3.5 trillion. There are only 23 countries with a GDP larger than Royal Dutch Shell revenues. Of the 200+ countries in the world there are a 122 with GDPs less than $27 billion.
Instead of simply conveying these facts, one way to help students to register their significance is ask them to determine
how many countries have a GDP > than $3.5 trillion,
how many countries have a GDP > $485.5 billion
how many countries have a DDP < $27 billion.
To facilitate their calculations, present students with spreadsheet attached below listing country names and corresponding GDPs. Simply reviewing the country names and corresponding GDPs opens students’ eyes to the shear size of the corporations and can provide the background knowledge to have a meaningful discussion about the largest corporation’s influence.
By Joan Ferrante at Northern Kentucky University
| gdp_powerpoint.ppt |
| gdp_worksheet.doc |
Privilege Walk
The purpose of this exercise is to provide participants with an opportunity to understand the intricacies of privilege in American society. Since this is a powerful exercise and should be thoroughly processed, please plan on spending at least one hour for this exercise. You can spend more or less time depending on the number of statements you make to participants.
Participants should stand shoulder to shoulder facing the same direction in a straight line without speaking. Ask participants to listen carefully to each statement, and take the step required if the statement applies to them. Possible statements include, but are not limited to:
Participants should stand shoulder to shoulder facing the same direction in a straight line without speaking. Ask participants to listen carefully to each statement, and take the step required if the statement applies to them. Possible statements include, but are not limited to:
- If your ancestors were forced to come to the USA not by choice, take one step back.
- If your primary ethnic identity is American, take one step forward.
- If you were ever called names because of your race, class, gender, or sexual orientation, take one step back.
- If you were ever ashamed or embarrassed of your clothes, house, car, etc., take one step back.
- If you parents were professionals: doctors, lawyers, etc., take one step forward.
- If you were raised in an area where there was prostitution, drug activity, etc., take one step back.
- If you ever tried to change your appearance, mannerisms, or behavior to avoid being judged or ridiculed, take one step back.
- If you studied the culture of your ancestors in elementary school, take one step forward.
- If you went to school speaking a language other than English, take one step back.
- If there were more than 50 books in your house when you grew up, take one step forward.
- If you ever had to skip a meal or were hungry because there was not enough money to buy you food when you were growing up, take one step forward.
- If you were taken to art galleries or plays by your parents, take one step forward.
- If one of your parents was unemployed or laid off, not by choice, take one step back.
- If you attended private school or summer camp, take one step forward.
- If your family ever had to move because they could not afford the rent, take one step back.
- If your parents ever told you that you are beautiful, smart, and capable, take one step forward.
- If you were ever denied access to academics or jobs because of race, class, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, take one step back.
- If you were encouraged by your parents to attend college, take one step forward.
- If you were raised in a single-parent household, take one step back.
- If your family owned the house where you grew up, take one step forward.
- If you were ever offered a good job because of your association with a friend or family member, take one step forward.
- If you were ever accused or cheating or lying because of your race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, take one step back.
- If you ever inherited money or property, take one step forward.
- If you had to rely primarily on public transportation, take one step back.
- If you were ever stopped or questioned by the police because of your race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, take one step back.
- If you were ever afraid of violence because of your race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, take one step back.
- If you were ever uncomfortable about a joke related to your race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, but felt unsafe to confront the situation, take a step back.
- If you were ever the victim of violence related to your race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, take one step back.
- If your parents did not grow up in the United States, take one step back.
- If your parents told you that you could be anything you wanted to be, take one step forward.
- If you can get band-aids the color of your skin, take one step forward.
- If you see people of your race widely represented in the media, take one step forward.
A Social Dilemma
can be found on the NYU Teaching Resources Site.
Marxism Exercise
You are a worker in our factory. The factory makes chairs. You get paid £5 an hour and in an hour you make on average 10 chairs. You work 8 hours a day and have an hour for lunch (not paid). The chairs sell for £20 each. The costs of raw materials, overheads (bills etc) works out to be about £20 per worker per hour. The work gives you just enough to support you and your family in the house you are living. You love carpentry and spend much of your free time messing around with wood in your shed. However you don’t particularly enjoy your job as you rarely see a finished chair or a satisfied customer.
· How much do you earn in a day?
· How much do you in reality get paid for each chair you make?
· How much does your boss get for each chair you make in an hour?
· How much does your boss make from every worker in the factory in an hour?
· Who owns all the buildings, machinery, tools and raw materials?
· How can you try and earn more money?
· What would happen to you if the factory closed?
· What would happen to your boss (Mr Wakefield) if the factory closed?
· You hear there are a group of immigrant workers living near your factory willing to work for £4 an hour. How does this make you feel?
· Who made the chairs/who put their labour power into the chairs?
· What job would you prefer to do? What kind of job would you feel more satisfying?
Adapted from TES
· How much do you earn in a day?
· How much do you in reality get paid for each chair you make?
· How much does your boss get for each chair you make in an hour?
· How much does your boss make from every worker in the factory in an hour?
· Who owns all the buildings, machinery, tools and raw materials?
· How can you try and earn more money?
· What would happen to you if the factory closed?
· What would happen to your boss (Mr Wakefield) if the factory closed?
· You hear there are a group of immigrant workers living near your factory willing to work for £4 an hour. How does this make you feel?
· Who made the chairs/who put their labour power into the chairs?
· What job would you prefer to do? What kind of job would you feel more satisfying?
Adapted from TES