Power is going to do whatever they can get away with doing. When you are dealing with corporations, you have to bear in mind that you are dealing with an entity that thinks it is ok to exploit people. They think it is ok to dump toxic waste into people’s water supply. They think it is ok to release dangerous products into the market that may cause injury or death. They think it is ok to pay non-livable wages, and to charge exorbitant prices for goods. They think it is ok to lay off workers and leave them in dire poverty. That’s why the minimum wage had to be legislated, why environmental and worker safety standards had to be regulated; because otherwise, companies would try to not pay you anything, and they would put you and your community in danger without the slightest hesitation.
They think it is ok to do anything they have to do to make a profit. That is the psychology of a corporation; that is their programming, and anyone who works at the executive level, even if he or she is a decent, moral person individually; they function within the institutional framework of an entity that does not have a conscience. You cannot appeal to them on any basis that does not compute with their programming; so don’t bother trying.
You have to deal with them according to their internal logic. That means, basically, being able to impact their profitability. This can mean revenues, share prices, their reputation in the market, their efficiency, their access to credit, and so on. All of these things are within our power to influence.