Зарегистрируйтесь на getAbstract, чтобы получить доступ к этому краткому изложению.

Tyranny of the Bottom Line

Зарегистрируйтесь на getAbstract, чтобы получить доступ к этому краткому изложению.

Tyranny of the Bottom Line

Why Corporations Make Good People Do Bad Things

Berrett-Koehler,

15 мин на чтение
10 основных идей
Аудио и текст

Что внутри?

Does the bottom line drag us all down with it?

автоматическое преобразование текста в аудио
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×
автоматическое преобразование текста в аудио

Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Are you in the mood for some top-notch, well-documented corporation bashing? Ralph W. Estes’ powerful work is widely considered one of the most important books written on American corporations and their vast power, and he has nothing kind to say. Compelling and clearly written, his book shines a bright light into some very dark, creepy corners. And although he overstates, overgeneralizes and tends to blame corporations for every evil in society, there’s no debating that the concept of stakeholder accountability that Estes sets forth has moved to center-stage. Estes’ book specifically covers United States-based corporations, but getAbstract recommends this book to anyone who is subject to corporate influence, and - from the rainforest hunter-gatherer to you - that’s everybody.

Summary

What’s Wrong

The corporate system has gone astray. The history of corporations shows that their original purpose has been "systematically perverted" through an unbalanced approach that focuses solely on profit-and-loss. Note these symptoms of corporate power gone wrong:

  • Permanent layoffs affect millions of Americans while CEO salaries soar.
  • Massive layoffs shatter careers and devastate lives, while those with jobs live in fear.
  • Toxic waste poisons the land, water and air.
  • The market is filled with unhealthy and dangerous products.
  • Injury and death on the job remain a huge problem.
  • White-collar "hustles" in the S&Ls and on Wall Street ultimately cost the entire society.
  • Employees at all levels are held hostage to the tyranny of the bottom line.
  • Managers, who often perpetrate the corporate mess, are also the system’s victims - required to subordinate personal morality to an impersonal corporate culture.

The corporate system was created to serve the public interest, but it has ended up acquiring enormous power over the public. Today, corporations face only minimal control from the regulatory ...

About the Author

Ralph W. Estes is a professor of business administration at The American University, as well as resident scholar and co-founder of The Center for the Advancement of Public Policy in Washington, DC. He is also a CPA and was senior accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co.

Comment on this summary