Megacorporation

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

"Megacorporation" is a term popularized by William Gibson derived from the combination of the prefix mega- with the word corporation. It has become a term popularly used in cyberpunk literature. It refers to a corporation that is a massive conglomerate, holding monopolistic or near-monopolistic control over multiple markets (thus, it exhibits both horizontal and vertical monopoly). Megacorps are so powerful that they can ignore the law, possess their own heavily-armed (often military-sized) security forces, hold 'sovereign' territory, and possibly even act as an outright government. They often exercise a large degree of control over their employees, with the idea of 'corporate culture' taken to the extreme.

It is generally agreed that no real megacorps currently exist in the real world. Even the largest multinational corporations (MNCs) do not possess anywhere near the same level of direct power seen in the megacorps of cyberpunk literature. The South Korean chaebols and the Japanese Zaibatsu, it may be argued, come closest to fitting the role of megacorps in today's world, at least on a national level. In Nigeria, multinational oil companies are heavily intermingled with the local police, who act as their security forces. Historically, there have been similarities between megacorps and the trading companies of the 17th and 18th century mercantilist period, such as the British East India Company as well as resource exporting companies such as United Fruit, which effectively controlled several Central American governments up through the 1960s.

List of fictional megacorps

Arasaka, from the Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game Axon corporation, from the Unreal series of video games The Cartel from the Afterworld web series Comstar, from the Battletech science-fiction game franchise Ares Macrotechnology, from the Shadowrun role-playing game Blue Sun, from Firefly and Serenity CHOAM, from the book Dune Cinque Flèches, from Blood+ Corporate Sector Authority and Commerce Guild, from the Star Wars universe Dan Halen Sheetrock International from ''Squidbillies Eurocorp Syndicate, from Syndicate Wars GENOM, from Bubblegum Crisis Izanagi corporation, from the Unreal series of video games Kramer Associates, from For want of a Nail. Jupiter Mining Corporation, from Red Dwarf LexCorp/LuthorCorp, Wayne Enterprises, Sivana Industries, and several others in the DC Universe. Liandri corporation, from the Unreal series of video games Ling-Standard Products, from Traveller Omni Consumer Products (OCP), from RoboCop and spinoffs Omni-Tek, from the sci-fi MMORPG Anarchy Online

Paradigm Corporation, from the anime The Big O Pentex, from the World of Darkness roleplaying games. Pharmacom Industries, from the movie Johnny Mnemonic Phayder Corporation, from the Unreal series of video games PTMC, from the Descent series of video games RAMJAC, from Kurt Vonnegut's Jailbird Shinra Electric Power Company, from Final Fantasy VII Stark Enterprises, from Marvel Comics Iron-Man along with its rival Stane Enterprises which Stark buys out and its future descendant Stark-Fujikawa. Also known as Stark International. The Transnats, from the Mars Trilogy, which eventually buy out whole countries TriOptimum Corporation, from the System Shock video game series Tyrell Corporation, from Blade Runner U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, from I, Robot novel and movie franchise Umbrella Corporation from the Resident Evil series Union Aerospace Corporation also known as "The UAC", from the Doom video game series, featured most prominently throughout Doom 3. Vault-Tec Technologies, from Fallout Vector Industries, from the Xenosaga videogame series Weyland-Yutani, from the Alien films and spinoffs.

See also

• Corporatocracy

External links

• Article on Mimecom

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Friday February 15, 2008 at 13:02:12 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation