Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hela]

Dear teachers,

According to the paragraph hereunder could I answer the following questions like this? Would you please have a look at the content and the language?

Anita R: You know the big dilemma now in business is that businesses rule our lives, rule the world. I mean, you can forget politics, and you can forget religion, as being the two most, foremost institutions. Business institution now has, because it's so wealthy, because it's so creative in many ways, it controls government thinking, political thinking. And it controls our health, our safety, it controls what we eat, controls what we think. And it�s because this whole growth in the global economy, and which really means corporate global economy. So this growth in corporations just bow down to nothing, no local laws, no national laws. They stop any environmental standards, any human rights standards if they deem it gets in the way of trade. So they for me are the big enemy. So my messages now is "look for businesses that support local communities, because you keep the money in the local arena. Support local economic initiatives, support local farming, support anything local. And if we're working and trading internationally, let us trade with the grass roots. And let's trade ina way that is honourable. Let us pay living wages, and not slave wages. Let us be penalized if we have human rights abusers, within the products that we make or sell. People are standing up and challenging those big brand names because they don't like their business practices.

1) What does business control?

It�s a system that has become so important as to influence everything: our lives, the world, the government and political thinking, our health, our safety, what we eat, what we think. =

Multinational corporations are a pressure group that is so wealthy as to bend politicians to its will. It influences / controls their political and economical orientations and imposes its own agricultural and industrial policies on them. Multinational corporations control people�s lives also by deciding on the types of products (food, medicine) they should consume.

2) Why are multinational corporations the big enemy?

Because they infringe the law and people�s rights / ignore local and national laws, and people who stand up for environmental or human rights issues. They will counter any measure, policy that will go against their interests They stop any environmental standards, any human rights standards [= precept, principle, maxim, general rule ?] if they deem it gets in the way.

3) What are her suggestions for honourable business practices?

a) She encourages the young to abide by / observe local laws and work for the benefit of their community to ensure its growth → invest in local communities, favour local economic initiatives / enterprises, and support local farming.

b) She also advises them to trade with the labourers/grassroots in an honourable way → ensure those decent (living) wages and working conditions, and social rights.

c) Their business should be environmental-friendly.

4) What is a "toiling job"? a tiring one?

Thank you very much for your help.

Hela