Empires of profit

the long version

"Daniel Litvin traces the clashes of culture and unexpected social problems encountered by a series of powerful companies past and present. Beginning with the English East India Company and Cecil Rhodes in southern Africa, Empires of Profit goes on to tell a range of stories, from the ruthless exploits of United Fruit in Central America (which helped give rise to the term "Banana Republics"), and the expulsion of U.S. oil firms from the Middle East in the 1970s, the modern examples including Shell in Nigeria and Rupert Murdoch in China. In every chapter, the characters, incidents and the sometimes shocking behavior that has helped shape much of today's anti-globalization sentiments are brought starkly to life."--Jacket.