The Common Object Request Broker Architecture seeks to provide a OS-platform- and language-independent "platform" to allow object components to be connected to one another.
This allows applications to be split into pieces (fine grained client/server applications) where components may be running on different parts of a network, on different kinds of computers, perhaps with components written in varying computer languages.
This could provide similar functionality to a Transaction Processing Monitor if CORBA objects are created to manage database updates. Presumably the "manager" objects should run on the database server in order to maximize robustness...
OMG - Object Management Group - The consortium responsible for CORBA and its standards