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The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century
- Why (almost) everything we are told about business is wrong
- Narrated by: Peter Wicks
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
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The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century
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Summary
"Original and thought-provoking... A brilliantly erudite account of the major waves in the theory and practice of management" - The Financial Times
"The doyen of British thinkers on the evolution of business...One of the great attractions of his [work] is that he stands above and apart from conventional political attitudes" - Literary Review
For generations, we have defined a corporation as a business run by a capitalist elite, that uses its accumulated wealth to own the means of production and exercise economic power.
That is no longer the reality. In the twenty-first century, our most desired goods and services aren't stacked in warehouses or on 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.
John Kay, one of the greatest economists of our time, describes how the pursuit of shareholder value has destroyed some of the leading companies of the twentieth century. Incisive and provocative, this book redefines successful commercial activity and leadership, the knowledge economy and what the future of the modern corporation might be.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Olly Buxton
- 06-09-24
great fresh new perspectives
I've always enjoyed John Kay's writing — particularly obliquity. This is a revaluation of all values—well, half of them, anyway as there is a second volume due apparently—and it contains some brilliant insights and fresh perspectives on a topic most of us probably feel we know pretty well. There are parts where John veers slightly towards “grumpy old man putting the world to rights territory”—yes, he does a bit of a Martin Wolf— but on the whole it is well recommended. Good food for thought even for dyed-in-the-wool commercial lawyers and business types who thought we knew this subject inside out.
Jolly Contrarian
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Wright
- 08-09-24
book of the year so far
the clarity of the arguments put forward and the range of examples given throughout the book.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Avi D Reader
- 01-11-24
Rather disappointed. Three hours of excellence wrapped in ten hours of circumlocution.
First, I have read many of John Kay's works over many years. He is top of my list when recommending to others a book on personal investing. I really looked forward to this book- but even listening at 1.5X speed I find it tedious. Do I really need a history lesson in the weight of military weapons to get the point that 'better is not the same as more' (which is not '21st century economy', mud huts were better than caves and wooden buildings better than mud huts). And the promise of a second volume feels more like a threat. Sorry John, more may not be better when it comes to word count.
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