Tyranny of the bottom line

the long version

Tyranny of the Bottom Line tells the story of corporate power gone awry: permanent layoffs affecting millions of Americans while CEO salaries go through the roof; toxic waste poisoning the land, water, and air; unhealthy and dangerous products on the market; injury and death on the job; white-collar hustles in the S&Ls and on Wall Street that ultimately cost us all. Ralph Estes shows how the corporate system has gone astray. Employees, at all levels of the organization, are held hostage to the tyranny of the bottom line. Massive layoffs can shatter careers and devastate lives, while those still employed live in constant fear. Managers, so often maligned, are also victims of a system that seems to require them to subordinate personal morality to an impersonal corporate culture. Packed with countless examples that dramatically support his case, Estes traces the history of the corporation and shows how the original purpose has been systematically perverted through an unbalanced focus on profit-and-loss. He then presents, in a simple and accessible style, proposals to bring about full and fair accountability to stakeholders.