The Shareholder Value Myth: How Putting Shareholders First Harms Investors, Corporations, and the Public

An in-depth look at the trouble with shareholder value thinking and at better options for models of corporate purpose.

Executives, investors, and the business press routinely chant the mantra that corporations are required to “maximize shareholder value.” In this pathbreaking book, renowned corporate expert Lynn Stout debunks the myth that corporate law mandates shareholder primacy. Stout shows how shareholder value thinking endangers not only investors but the rest of us as well, leading ma...