The Revolution In Corporate Values Since WWII

In the midst of a jobless recovery and the greatest wealth disparities in the country’s history, the writer sees the results of a fundamental change in the values that determine how companies are run. Sometime in the 1980s, she says, the idea that the primary purpose of a corporation is to maximize shareholder value began to take hold, and it’s changed everything. But, she acknowledges, global competition may have had something to with it too.