Source: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
Recently the Chicago Booth school of management asked leading economists to agree or disagree with this statement: Having companies run to maximize shareholder value creates significant negative externalities for workers and communities. The questionnaire was prompted by a statement from the Business Roundtable that businesses were bound by a “fundamental commitment” to all stakeholders, including shareholders but also customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities in which they operate. Most agreed or strongly agree, although the largest single group included the uncertain.
