There has been speculation that the Pope's failing health means he has less influence over the day-to-day work of the Vatican.

BBC: Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald

The Congress party, whose home minister made the decision, has less influence on India's rich and powerful cricket board than some of its rivals.

ECONOMIST: The Indian Premier League

Moreover, the oil industry is in private hands, so even if the government in Moscow wanted to put a lid on production, it has less influence over its oil companies than OPEC governments have over theirs.

ECONOMIST: OPEC��s oil shock | The

But the very fact that official policy has remained so loose, for so long, has meant that the Bank has much less influence now on the cost of borrowing for households.

BBC: Quantitative easing for whom?

Not surprisingly, Coca-Cola's influence on Santa Claus has been less of a creative leap than a homogenizing force.

FORBES: A Visit From Coca-Cola

But it is less clear how much ability to influence events Microsoft really has.

ECONOMIST: America Online