Theories for Profit Maximization for Corporate Directors Essay

Another challenge for companies when considering social responsibility is the possible negative perception of shareholders. Historically, publicly-owned companies had a primary focus of maximizing shareholder value. Now, they must balance the financial expectations of company owners with the social and environmental

Milton Friedman’s shareholder theory of management says that the purpose of a business is to make money for the owner or the stockholders of the business. Friedman says that there is only one social responsibility for the business: to use its resources in order to increase

There are three internal and one external governance mechanisms used for owners to govern managers to ensure they comply with their responsibility to satisfy stakeholders and shareholder’s needs. First, ownership concentration is stated as the number of large-block shareholders and the total percentage of the shares they own (Hitt, Ireland, Hoskisson, 2017, p. 317). Second, the board of directors which are elected by the shareholders. Their primary duty is to act in the owner’s best interest and to monitor and control the businesses top-level managers (Hitt, Ireland, Hoskisson, 2017, p. 319). Third, is the

The stakeholder theory made popular by Ed Freeman (1984) does seem to represent a major advance over the classical view (Freeman, 1984). It might seem inappropriate to refer to the stakeholder position as neoclassical. Bowie (1991: 56-66) has defined stakeholders as a group whose existence was necessary for the survival of the firm--stockholders, employees, customers, suppliers, the local community, and managers themselves.

Over the years, firms have increasingly been maximising shareholder value. However, Steve Denning, a former director of the World Bank, author of six leadership and management books and columnist for Forbes, disagrees. His article “The Origin of the ‘World’s Dumbest Idea’: Milton Friedman”, was published on June 26, 2013 on Forbes, debates against Friedman’s argument that the social responsibility of corporations is to make money for its shareholders. The main issue here is whether the maximisation of shareholder value as the guiding principle of executives is detrimental to the corporation. Although Denning has exhibited valid points in his argument, his lack of citation, biased view on most arguments and his tone has dampened the credibility

After bashing the old idea of managerial capitalism, Freeman starts explaining why his reconceptualized stakeholder concept is much more logical. Freeman modestly articulates a stakeholder theory using the “narrow definition” of a stakeholder, which includes those who are vital to the success and survival of a corporation. Specifically, these stakeholders include owners, management, suppliers, employees, customers, and the local community. As well as being directly connected with the corporation, Freeman argues that the stakeholders are also interconnected with each other as well, and that each stakeholder is vital to the survival of the corporation, and vice versa. Employees rely on the business to give them a paycheck; the business provides their livelihood. Employees return the favor because they run the business on a day to day basis. Suppliers are vital to the firm’s success because the quality of the raw materials purchased will determine the quality and price of the final good produced by the firm. As a result, the firm is a customer of their supplier, and is therefore vital to their supplier’s success. The next stakeholder, customers,

The impact and the extent of the impact that Stakeholders and the organization have over each other depends on the nature of organization and the relationship between the stakeholder and organization. Every stakeholder has its distinct affect on organization or business depending on its nature, functions and relationship with organizations. For example, government sets rates of pay, taxes, level of national insurance and introduce new legislations. Shareholders elect board of directors and vote on director’s pay levels in annual meeting. Trade unions represent its members and negotiate on behalf of its members for their rights.

The first approach which has been prevalent in the U.K in the past and in South Africa (prior to the coming of the Constitution) is the shareholder oriented approach which is a mono-focal approach. Only the shareholders and their interests are considered to be appropriate when focusing on cooperate company decision making. The strengths

Does the maximaization of shareholder value reward socially destructive actions by corporations?Certainly not.A company is not an instrument of shareholders, but a coalition between various resource suppliers, with the intention of increasing their common wealth and hence is contradictory to Mr Al Dunlaps view of share holder primancy.

American corporations and American society have been under the impression that shareholder primacy— corporate managers should be focused on the shareholder’s interest to maximize shareholder value— is the way to run a corporation, however, United States corporate law does not require directors of public corporations to maximize shareholders value; it is just one possible objective. American law protects the directors’ authority to sacrifice shareholders value in the quest of other corporate goals. Directors and executives of large corporations have the right to do “what is best for the corporation in the long run” (Stout page 46) they are free to run the corporation as they please and maximizing shareholder value is not the main concern for the corporation. Stout also argues that shareholders are neither owners, nor principals, nor residual claimants of the corporation. “Corporations are independent entities that own themselves” (Stout page 52) shareholders do not own the corporation they own shares of stock, which is a contract that provides restricted rights to the corporation. The belief that shareholders are the only residual claimants is a false statement because the corporation itself is the only residual claimant and the board of directors elects what to do with the left over residual funds. Finally, Stout argues that the lack of empirical evidence

This paper will have a detailed discussion on the shareholder theory of Milton Friedman and the stakeholder theory of Edward Freeman. Friedman argued that “neo-classical economic theory suggests that the purpose of the organisations is to make profits in their accountability to themselves and their shareholders and that only by doing so can business contribute to wealth for itself and society at large”. On the other hand, the theory of stakeholder suggests that the managers of an organisation do not only have the duty towards the firm’s shareholders; rather towards the individuals and constituencies who contribute to the company’s wealth, capacity and activities. These individuals or constituencies can be the shareholders, employees,

As stakeholders play such an important role in shaping an organization’s reputation, this study now turns to define what a stakeholder is and how to communicate with stakeholders in the case of crisis. Many communication scholars (e.g. Cooper, 2003; Dougherty, 1992; Gray, Owen, & Adams, 1996; Lerbinger, 1997) have asserted that stakeholders are a group of people, or public, that mutually influence an organization. Stakeholders are interested in particular organizations, and in turn, organizations are interested in them (Gray et al., 1996). Further, Lerbinger (1997) noted that stakeholders are people affected by an organization’s operations and decisions, who in turn, can affect an organization’s performance.

It was concluded that: “shareholders are the only stakeholders of a corporation who, in seeking to maximise their own claim, simultaneously maximise everyone’s claim.". It was said that: to generate maximum value for shareholders-is in principle the best means also of securing overall prosperity and welfare." It is not difficult to understand that how shareholder primacy works for increasing social wealth. For example, if shareholders’ interests increase, the better payment and safer workplace will be provided to employees a good environment protection will be concerned when making business decision; and the customers will be given a lower costs and better quality products. Taking all the matters as a whole, the social wealth will be enhanced

The origins of the ideas shaping shareholder theory might be more than 200 years old, with roots in Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (1776). In general, shareholder theory encompasses the idea that the main purpose of business lies in generating profits and increasing shareholder wealth. According to the theory of shareholder, the main goal might be stated as the ‘the primary responsibility of a company is to maximise the wealth of its shareholders’ (Friedman, 1962). As Zhang (2011) stated that the

“Corporate finance theory, teaching and the typically recommended practice at least in the US are all built on the premise that the primary goal of a corporation should be the maximization of shareholder value.”