To be honest, I wonder if the concept of shareholders has had its day.No, but it's the law as it stands. A company has a duty of care to its shareholders first and foremost, in accordance with company law (a UK company, at least). So to not conduct business in a way that is beneficial to shareholders is illegal.
Every time I hear of something I think is awful, so many times shareholders are the root cause.
Whether its businesses cutting costs and degrading their products; whether it's companies being split up and asset stripped; whether it's pension funds being emptied...
...so many times it's being driven by a desire to increase shareholder profits.
I'm genuinely concerned that the very concept of shareholders is actually ruining the future. They seem to function much like a cancerous tumour on a business.