Science has been the basis for many of the most important technological advancements around the globe. From new drug treatments and energy production to the latest computer chip technology. But while innovation is what drives science, business is about making profit and keeping shareholders satisfied. Science and business were traditionally thought of as two distinct worlds. However, the two are interconnected, and it is impossible to disentangle the impact of scientific research and its business impact.
While the business world is primarily concerned with making money, its longer-term effects could be significant for the environment, social and economic consequences. Science is also concerned with the impact of its decisions and its decisions, particularly those regarding the exploitation of resources and sustainability. A shrewd business, for example, will exploit natural resources at a level that science determines as sustainable, but the greed of a few businesses has resulted in over-exploitation and ecological disaster.
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 did the initial coding, AG second-coded 20 per percent of papers). We discovered that corporations employ five macro-level strategies to reduce the perceived credibility of favourable scientific findings http://scorbe.de/how-to-become-a-physics-major/ and maximize favourable scientific findings. These strategies are implemented by meso strategies that, over time, skew the evidence base in favor of industry. It has three distal consequences: to cast doubt on the harms that could be caused by industrial products and practices; to push policy solutions that are in favour of industry; and to boost consumption, sales and use of industry products.