The Interdependence of Science and Business

From the development of new drug therapies and energy production to the development of computer chips science has been the foundation for many of the world’s greatest technological innovations. While innovation is the main driving power behind science however, business is all about making money and keeping shareholders satisfied. Traditionally, the business and science worlds have been viewed as separate entities. The two are interconnected and it is impossible to separate their impact on business from the effects of research.

While business is focused on profits, the long-term effects of their decisions could have significant social, environmental and economic consequences. Science is also concerned about the impact of its decisions in particular its decisions about the exploitation of resources and sustainability. A well-run business, for instance will exploit a natural resource at a level that science determines as sustainable. However, the greed of some businesses has resulted in over-exploitation and environmental catastrophe.

We have categorised the various ways corporations try to influence science at the macro and meso levels and coded the expected outcomes and effects of these strategies (TL carried out the initial coding, AG how to become a physics major second-coded 20 per percent of papers). We found that corporations employ five macro-level strategies in order to lower the credibility of negative scientific findings and boost the credibility of favorable research findings. These strategies are implemented using meso-strategies that over time skew evidence in favour of the industry. This has three effects: to cast doubt on the potential harms caused by products and practices; promote policy responses that are in favour of industry; and also to increase sales, consumption and use of industrial products.