Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in Australia
Abstract Background The practices of transnational corporations (TNCs) affect population health through unhealthy products, shaping social determinants of health, or influencing the regulatory structures governing their activities. There has been limited research on community exposures to TNC polici...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Globalization and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-022-00870-0 |
| _version_ | 1811211744348995584 |
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| author | Julia Anaf Fran Baum Matt Fisher Fiona Haigh Emma Miller Hailay Gesesew Nicholas Freudenberg |
| author_facet | Julia Anaf Fran Baum Matt Fisher Fiona Haigh Emma Miller Hailay Gesesew Nicholas Freudenberg |
| author_sort | Julia Anaf |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The practices of transnational corporations (TNCs) affect population health through unhealthy products, shaping social determinants of health, or influencing the regulatory structures governing their activities. There has been limited research on community exposures to TNC policies and practices. The aim of this paper was to adapt existing Health Impact Assessment methods that were previously used for both a fast food and an extractives industry corporation in order to assess Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) operations within Australia. CUB is an Australian alcohol company owned by a large transnational corporation Asahi Group Holdings. Data identifying potential impacts were sourced through document analysis, including corporate literature; media analysis, and 12 semi-structured interviews. The data were mapped against a corporate health impact assessment framework which included CUB’s political and business practices; products and marketing; workforce, social, environmental and economic conditions; and consumers’ adverse health impacts. We also conducted an ecological study for estimating alcohol attributable fractions and burdens of death due to congestive heart disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke, breast cancer, bowel cancer and injury in Australia. Beer attributable fractions and deaths and CUB’s share were also estimated. Results We found both positive and adverse findings of the corporation’s operations across all domains. CUB engage in a range of business practices which benefit the community, including sustainability goals and corporate philanthropy, but also negative aspects including from taxation arrangements, marketing practices, and political donations and lobbying which are enabled by a neoliberal regulatory environment. We found adverse health impacts including from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and violence and aggression which disproportionately affect Indigenous and other disadvantaged populations. Conclusion Our research indicates that studying a TNC in a rapidly changing global financialised capitalist economy in a world which is increasingly being managed by TNCs poses methodological and conceptual challenges. It highlights the need and opportunity for future research. The different methods revealed sufficient information to recognise that strong regulatory frameworks are needed to help to avoid or to mediate negative health impacts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:17:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c148f55e57f947ba894f5c4275fe584d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1744-8603 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:17:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Globalization and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-c148f55e57f947ba894f5c4275fe584d2022-12-22T03:46:35ZengBMCGlobalization and Health1744-86032022-09-0118112210.1186/s12992-022-00870-0Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in AustraliaJulia Anaf0Fran Baum1Matt Fisher2Fiona Haigh3Emma Miller4Hailay Gesesew5Nicholas Freudenberg6Stretton Health Equity, Stretton Institute, North Tce Campus, University of AdelaideStretton Health Equity, Stretton Institute, North Tce Campus, University of AdelaideStretton Health Equity, Stretton Institute, North Tce Campus, University of AdelaideHealth Equity Research Development Unit *HERDU, UNSW Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity (CPHCE), University of New South WalesCollege of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University of South AustraliaTorrens University AustraliaGraduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New YorkAbstract Background The practices of transnational corporations (TNCs) affect population health through unhealthy products, shaping social determinants of health, or influencing the regulatory structures governing their activities. There has been limited research on community exposures to TNC policies and practices. The aim of this paper was to adapt existing Health Impact Assessment methods that were previously used for both a fast food and an extractives industry corporation in order to assess Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) operations within Australia. CUB is an Australian alcohol company owned by a large transnational corporation Asahi Group Holdings. Data identifying potential impacts were sourced through document analysis, including corporate literature; media analysis, and 12 semi-structured interviews. The data were mapped against a corporate health impact assessment framework which included CUB’s political and business practices; products and marketing; workforce, social, environmental and economic conditions; and consumers’ adverse health impacts. We also conducted an ecological study for estimating alcohol attributable fractions and burdens of death due to congestive heart disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke, breast cancer, bowel cancer and injury in Australia. Beer attributable fractions and deaths and CUB’s share were also estimated. Results We found both positive and adverse findings of the corporation’s operations across all domains. CUB engage in a range of business practices which benefit the community, including sustainability goals and corporate philanthropy, but also negative aspects including from taxation arrangements, marketing practices, and political donations and lobbying which are enabled by a neoliberal regulatory environment. We found adverse health impacts including from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and violence and aggression which disproportionately affect Indigenous and other disadvantaged populations. Conclusion Our research indicates that studying a TNC in a rapidly changing global financialised capitalist economy in a world which is increasingly being managed by TNCs poses methodological and conceptual challenges. It highlights the need and opportunity for future research. The different methods revealed sufficient information to recognise that strong regulatory frameworks are needed to help to avoid or to mediate negative health impacts.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-022-00870-0Alcohol industryGlobalizationHealth equityTransnational corporations |
| spellingShingle | Julia Anaf Fran Baum Matt Fisher Fiona Haigh Emma Miller Hailay Gesesew Nicholas Freudenberg Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in Australia Globalization and Health Alcohol industry Globalization Health equity Transnational corporations |
| title | Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in Australia |
| title_full | Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in Australia |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in Australia |
| title_short | Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in Australia |
| title_sort | assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations a case study of carlton and united breweries in australia |
| topic | Alcohol industry Globalization Health equity Transnational corporations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-022-00870-0 |
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