From new drugs and energy production to the development of computer chips science has laid the foundation for many of the world’s greatest technological what is physics innovations. While innovation is what drives the field of science, business is all about profit and ensuring shareholders are satisfied. Science and business were typically thought of as two distinct worlds. Both are interconnected and it’s impossible to separate their impact on business from that of research.
While the business world is mostly focused on making money, its longer-term effects can be significant for the environment, social and economic impacts. Science is also concerned with the impacts of its actions, especially its decisions regarding the exploitation of resources and sustainability. A shrewd business, for instance, will exploit a natural resource at an amount that is scientifically deemed as sustainable. However, the greed of certain businesses has resulted in over-exploitation and ecological catastrophe.
We have categorized the different methods corporations employ to influence science at the macro as well as meso-levels, and mapped the intended outcomes and consequences of these strategies (TL did the initial code-coding, AG second-coded 20 per cent of papers). We found that corporations employ five macro-level strategies that work collectively to minimize the perceived credibility of unfavourable science and maximise favourable science. These strategies are enacted by meso strategies that, over time, skew the evidence base in favor of industry. This leads to three distal outcomes: to raise doubt about the potential harms that industry products and practices, to promote policies that favor industry and to increase the use, consumption and sales of products and services, thus maximising profits for companies.