From new drug therapies and energy production to computer chip technology science has been the foundation for many of the world’s greatest technological breakthroughs. While innovation is the main driving force behind science business, it’s all about making money and keeping shareholders satisfied. Science and business were traditionally considered to be two separate realms. However, the two are inextricably linked, and it is impossible to separate the impact of research in science and its business impact.
While the business world is mostly concerned with making money, its long-term consequences can be significant for the environment, social and economic implications. Science is concerned about the repercussions of its actions, specifically its decisions on the exploitation of resources and sustainable development. A well-run business, for example, will exploit natural resources at a level that science determines as sustainable – but the greed of some companies has resulted in over-exploitation and ecological disaster.
We have categorized the different ways that corporations try to influence science at macro and meso scales and have coded the expected outcomes and effects of these strategies (TL performed the initial coding, AG second-coded 20 per cent of papers). We discovered that corporations employ five macro-level strategies to reduce the perceived credibility of unfavourable scientific findings and boost the credibility of favorable scientific http://scorbe.de/ findings. These strategies are implemented by meso strategies that in time, can skew the evidence base in favor of industry. This has three distal effects: to cast doubt on the potential harms caused by industrial products and practices; promote policy responses that are in favour of industry; and to boost sales, consumption, and use of products from industry.