Invisible Giant: Cargill and Its Transnational Strategies

By Brewster Kneen

Book Overview

Transnational corporations straddle the globe, largely unseen by the public. Cargill, with its headquarters in the US, is the largest private corporation in North America, and possibly in the world. Cargill trades in food commodities and produces a great many of them: grains, flour, malt, corn, cotton, salt, vegetable oils, fruit juices, animal feeds, and meat. Among its most profitable activities is its trade in the global financial markets. There are few national economies unaffected by Cargill's activities, and few eaters in the north whose food does not pass through Cargill's hands at some point. Yet Cargill remains largely invisible to most people and accountable to no one outside the company. This is an explosive book that breaks the silence on the true extent of Cargill's power and influence worldwide - its ability to shape national policies, and the implications of these strategies for all of us. Thoroughly revised and updated, Kneen's new book offers shocking new evidence of Cargill's activities since the book was first published.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0745319580
• ISBN13: 9780745319582
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Pluto Press (UK)
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

A Gilmpse Inside the Giant

No other company epitomizes the global concentration in worldwide commodity trading and processing like Cargill. Although it's the largest privately-held company in the world, few people realize the scope of Cargill's activities or its influence on the food we eat and even the salt we put on our roads in the wintertime.Kneen's second edition of this book, published in early 2002, is timely and poignant. Even though at times it reads almost like a textbook, Kneen's work meticulously describes Cargill's business segments and its geographic reach. Cargill's classic approach is to enter a market in a modest way and establish a "beachhead." From there, it expands its ownership and influence, often becoming the dominant force in an industry. In addition, Cargill has the political muscle to affect public policy towards trade and agriculture, not only at the Federal level in the U. S., but also through state, provincial and local governments worldwide.Although no fan of Cargill or big agribusiness in general, Kneen nevertheless presents a fairly balanced, at times almost antiseptic analysis of this secretive and very powerful company.I recommend this book to anyone interested in the influence of large corporations on key economic sectors - especially agriculture.