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The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century

Why (almost) everything we are told about business is wrong
Brief Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 'Original and thought-provoking... A brilliantly erudite account of the major waves in the theory and... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2999
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A radical reappraisal of the nature and activities of business - what it is for and how it works

A radical reappraisal of the nature and activities of business - what it is for and how it works

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

'Original and thought-provoking... A brilliantly erudite account of the major waves in the theory and practice of management' - Financial Times

'Instead of theory it has wisdom... an excellent book' - New Statesman

For generations, we have defined a corporation as a business that uses its accumulated wealth to own the means of production and exercise economic power. That is no longer the reality. Corporations no longer control their own industries, and our most desired goods and services aren’t stacked in container ships: they appear on your screen, fit in your pocket or occupy your head.

But even as we consume more than ever before, big business faces a crisis of legitimacy. The pharmaceutical industry creates life-saving vaccines but has lost the trust of the public. The widening pay gap between executives and employees is destabilising our societies. Facebook and Google have more customers than any companies in history but are widely reviled.

In incisive, provocative prose, economist John Kay describes how the pursuit of shareholder value has destroyed mammoth companies, redefines successful commercial activity, and looks to the future of what the corporation might be.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781805222385

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 July 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Profile Books Ltd

Edition: Main

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 360g

Pages: 448

About the Author

Sir John Kay is one of Britain's leading economists. He has been awarded the Saltire Prize for Other People's Money, which was also shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. Previous titles include Obiquity, The Long and Short of It, Greed is Dead, and Radical Uncertainty. He lives in Oxford.

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