The Vanishing American Corporation

The Vanishing American Corporation PDF Author: Gerald F. Davis
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1626562806
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
It may be hard to believe in an era of Walmart, Citizens United, and the Koch brothers, but corporations are on the decline. The number of American companies listed on the stock market dropped by half between 1996 and 2012. In recent years we've seen some of the most storied corporations go bankrupt (General Motors, Chrysler, Eastman Kodak) or disappear entirely (Bethlehem Steel, Lehman Brothers, Borders). Gerald Davis argues this is a root cause of the income inequality and social instability we face today. Corporations were once an integral part of building the middle class. He points out that in their heyday they offered millions of people lifetime employment, a stable career path, health insurance, and retirement pensions. They were like small private welfare states. The businesses that are replacing them will not fill the same role. For one thing, they employ far fewer people—the combined global workforces of Facebook, Yelp, Zynga, LinkedIn, Zillow, Tableau, Zulily, and Box are smaller than the number of people who lost their jobs when Circuit City was liquidated in 2009. And in the “sharing economy,” companies have no obligation to most of the people who work for them—at the end of 2014 Uber had over 160,000 “driver-partners” in the United States but recognized only about 2,000 people as actual employees. Davis tracks the rise of the large American corporation and the economic, social, and technological developments that have led to its decline. The future could see either increasing economic polarization, as careers turn into jobs and jobs turn into tasks, or a more democratic economy built from the grass roots. It's up to us.

The Vanishing American Corporation

The Vanishing American Corporation PDF Author: Gerald F. Davis
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1626562806
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Get Book

Book Description
It may be hard to believe in an era of Walmart, Citizens United, and the Koch brothers, but corporations are on the decline. The number of American companies listed on the stock market dropped by half between 1996 and 2012. In recent years we've seen some of the most storied corporations go bankrupt (General Motors, Chrysler, Eastman Kodak) or disappear entirely (Bethlehem Steel, Lehman Brothers, Borders). Gerald Davis argues this is a root cause of the income inequality and social instability we face today. Corporations were once an integral part of building the middle class. He points out that in their heyday they offered millions of people lifetime employment, a stable career path, health insurance, and retirement pensions. They were like small private welfare states. The businesses that are replacing them will not fill the same role. For one thing, they employ far fewer people—the combined global workforces of Facebook, Yelp, Zynga, LinkedIn, Zillow, Tableau, Zulily, and Box are smaller than the number of people who lost their jobs when Circuit City was liquidated in 2009. And in the “sharing economy,” companies have no obligation to most of the people who work for them—at the end of 2014 Uber had over 160,000 “driver-partners” in the United States but recognized only about 2,000 people as actual employees. Davis tracks the rise of the large American corporation and the economic, social, and technological developments that have led to its decline. The future could see either increasing economic polarization, as careers turn into jobs and jobs turn into tasks, or a more democratic economy built from the grass roots. It's up to us.

American Corporate Economy

American Corporate Economy PDF Author: William Lazonick
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 9780415186124
Category : Corporations
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
The readings collected in these four volumes examine the evolution, operation, and performance of the American corporate enterprise, and the American corporate economy more generally. Divided into seven sections, many of the readings provide broad overviews of the evolution of the US corporate enterprise, while others contribute to debates on its role in the evolution of American economy and society. The material is arranged thematically to help the reader navigate the field. There is also a new introduction and a thorough index, making this set an invaluable resource for both academics and practitioners in the field.

The Corporate Economy

The Corporate Economy PDF Author: Robin Marris
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 134901110X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 479

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Book Description


Constructing Corporate America

Constructing Corporate America PDF Author: Kenneth Lipartito
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191530808
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
Why and how has the business corporation come to exert such a powerful influence on American society? The essays here take up this question, offering a fresh perspective on the ways in which the business corporation has assumed an enduring place in the modern capitalist economy, and how it has affected American society, culture and politics over the past two centuries. The authors challenge standard assumptions about the business corporation's emergence and performance in the United States over the past two centuries. Reviewing in depth the different theoretical and historiographical traditions that have treated the corporation, the volume seeks a new departure that can more fully explain this crucial institution of capitalism. Rejecting assertions that the corporation is dead, the essays show that in fact it has survived and even thrived down to the present in part because of the ways in which it has related to its social, political and cultural environmental. In doing so, the book breaks with older explanations ground in technology and economics, and treats the corporation for the first time as a fully social institution. Drawing on a variety of social theories and approaches, the essays help to point the way toward future studies of this powerful and enduring institution, offering a new periodization and a new set of question for scholars to explore. The range of essays engages the legal and political position of the corporation, the ways in which the corporation has been shaped by and shaped American culture, the controversies over corporate regulation and corporate power, and the efforts of minority and disadvantaged groups to gain access to the resources and opportunities that corporations control.

Makers and Takers

Makers and Takers PDF Author: Rana Foroohar
Publisher: Currency
ISBN: 0553447254
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
Is Wall Street bad for Main Street America? "A well-told exploration of why our current economy is leaving too many behind." —The New York Times In looking at the forces that shaped the 2016 presidential election, one thing is clear: much of the population believes that our economic system is rigged to enrich the privileged elites at the expense of hard-working Americans. This is a belief held equally on both sides of political spectrum, and it seems only to be gaining momentum. A key reason, says Financial Times columnist Rana Foroohar, is the fact that Wall Street is no longer supporting Main Street businesses that create the jobs for the middle and working class. She draws on in-depth reporting and interviews at the highest rungs of business and government to show how the “financialization of America”—the phenomenon by which finance and its way of thinking have come to dominate every corner of business—is threatening the American Dream. Now updated with new material explaining how our corrupted financial sys­tem propelled Donald Trump to power, Makers and Takers explores the confluence of forces that has led American businesses to favor balance-sheet engineering over the actual kind, greed over growth, and short-term profits over putting people to work. From the cozy relationship between Wall Street and Washington, to a tax code designed to benefit wealthy individuals and corporations, to forty years of bad policy decisions, she shows why so many Americans have lost trust in the sys­tem, and why it matters urgently to us all. Through colorful stories of both “Takers,” those stifling job creation while lining their own pockets, and “Makers,” businesses serving the real economy, Foroohar shows how we can reverse these trends for a better path forward.

The Forgotten Americans

The Forgotten Americans PDF Author: Isabel Sawhill
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300230362
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
A sobering account of a disenfranchised American working class and important policy solutions to the nation's economic inequalities One of the country's leading scholars on economics and social policy, Isabel Sawhill addresses the enormous divisions in American society--economic, cultural, and political--and what might be done to bridge them. Widening inequality and the loss of jobs to trade and technology has left a significant portion of the American workforce disenfranchised and skeptical of governments and corporations alike. And yet both have a role to play in improving the country for all. Sawhill argues for a policy agenda based on mainstream values, such as family, education, and work. Although many have lost faith in government programs designed to help them, there are still trusted institutions on both the local and the federal level that can deliver better job opportunities and higher wages to those who have been left behind. At the same time, the private sector needs to reexamine how it trains and rewards employees. This book provides a clear-headed and middle-way path to a better-functioning society in which personal responsibility is honored and inclusive capitalism and more broadly shared growth are once more the norm.

New World, New Rules

New World, New Rules PDF Author: Marina von Neumann Whitman
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
ISBN: 9780875848587
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
This is a chronicle of American corporation's changing role, as well as a perceptive look at what these changes mean for business and public policy. It challenges companies and the government to consider practices and policies that will contribute to corporate viability and the health of society.

Corporate Makeover

Corporate Makeover PDF Author: Harvey Hirst Segal
Publisher: Viking Adult
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Discusses the complex interrelationships that constitute today's war for control over U.S. corporations and the leadership necessary for a healthier economy.

The Ten Capitalistic Sins of American Corporate Economy

The Ten Capitalistic Sins of American Corporate Economy PDF Author: Guillermo G. Onitcanschi
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 1553950623
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
The corporate scandals that have been ravaging American Corporate Economy during 2002 have been widely discussed in newspapers and broadcasts. Even if it's a very serious problem, people believe that little has been done in order to correct the underlying issues, which seem to be far from clear. The Ten Capitalistic Sins of American Corporate Economy discusses in short chapters the main issues related to this ominous problem. In each case the main points are identified and discussed in a very simple language, and several original proposals are outlined for discussion. People unfamiliar with the American business world will find surprising revelations about several wrong ideas prevailing in big corporations, ideas that have much to do with their poor performance. On the other hand, people familiar with that world will find in the book an original line of though to deal with certain complex issues in a common sense language, avoiding the usual and confusing technical jargon.

The Fracturing of the American Corporate Elite

The Fracturing of the American Corporate Elite PDF Author: Mark S. Mizruchi
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674075382
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
In the aftermath of a financial crisis marked by bank-friendly bailouts and loosening campaign finance restrictions, a chorus of critics warns that business leaders have too much influence over American politics. Mark Mizruchi worries about the ways they exert too little. The Fracturing of the American Corporate Elite advances the surprising argument that American CEOs, seemingly more powerful today than ever, have abrogated the key leadership role they once played in addressing national challenges, with grave consequences for American society. Following World War II, American business leaders observed an ethic of civic responsibility and enlightened self-interest. Steering a course of moderation and pragmatism, they accepted the legitimacy of organized labor and federal regulation of the economy and offered support, sometimes actively, as Congress passed legislation to build the interstate highway system, reduce discrimination in hiring, and provide a safety net for the elderly and needy. In the 1970s, however, faced with inflation, foreign competition, and growing public criticism, corporate leaders became increasingly confrontational with labor and government. As they succeeded in taming their opponents, business leaders paradoxically undermined their ability to act collectively. The acquisition wave of the 1980s created further pressures to focus on shareholder value and short-term gain rather than long-term problems facing their country. Today’s corporate elite is a fragmented, ineffectual group that is unwilling to tackle the big issues, despite unprecedented wealth and political clout. Mizruchi’s sobering assessment of the dissolution of America’s business class helps explain the polarization and gridlock that stifle U.S. politics.