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Readings About Corporations and Society

Explore readings on today’s corporations and society issues.

Insights
July 17, 2019
Written

The Internet Is Broken. Can It Be Fixed?

A new Stanford GSB course probes the online world’s growing problems and potential remedies.
A static screen with a 404 error. Illustration by Tricia Seibold
April 24, 2019
Written

Roger McNamee: “Facebook Is Terrible for America”

Facebook’s loudest critic says social media profits by manipulating consumers.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing regarding the company’s use and protection of user data on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. Credit: Reuters/Aaron P. Bernstein
March 15, 2019
Written

Businesses Behaving Badly: The State of Corporate Scandal in 2019

Expert panelists put corporate wrongdoing in its broader context.
Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf arrives to testify before a Senate Banking Committee hearing on the firm’s sales practices on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 20, 2016. Credit: Reuters/Gary Cameron
August 6, 2018
Written

The Biggest Antitrust Story You’ve Never Heard

The rise of institutional investors threatens competition, hurts consumers, and might qualify as a new kind of monopoly.
A sign for BlackRock Inc hangs above their building in New York. Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson
May 4, 2018
Written

It’s Time to Value Stakeholders over Shareholders

Why corporations need metrics that quantify how decisions affect things beyond the bottom line.
Valeant CEO Michael Pearson, former CFO Howard Schiller, and Pershing Square Capital Management CEO Bill Ackman | Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
April 12, 2018
Written

The Decline of the IPO

With fewer companies going public, corporate transparency gets murkier.
A hand holding a magnet, attracting dollars | iStock/Anikei
January 22, 2018
Written

How Engineering’s Blind Spot Creates Runaway Monopolies

One of Big Tech’s biggest problems is that designers too often forget to put a soul in the machine.
A man looks at his Google Pixel phone | Reuter/Stephen Lam
November 30, 2017
Written

Dealing With the Dominance of Corporate Lobbyists

In an era of “toothless” rules, the best fix might be as simple as paying congressional staffers more.
A statue of George Washington | Reuters/Joshua Roberts
September 18, 2017
Written

Is Capitalism Killing America?

Young & Rubicam Chairman Emeritus Peter Georgescu says it’s time to end the era of shareholder primacy.
The Wall Street bull is seen in the financial district in New York | Reuters/Brendan McDermid
August 14, 2017
Written

Anat Admati: Mythbusting Four Popular Excuses for Failed Financial Regulations

A Stanford professor skewers a few fallacies often advanced by politicians and regulators.
The New York Stock Exchange from the steps of Federal Hall behind a statue of former U.S. President George Washington. | Reuters/Brendan McDermid
July 25, 2017
Written

How to Stop White-Collar Crime

A federal judge says fear of prison is the best way to deter bad behavior.
Hands grip the bars of a jail cell. | iStock/chinaface
June 7, 2017
Written

Is Capitalism Bad for Workers?

Labor’s share of national income is shrinking. But don’t hit the barricades just yet.
A laborer builds components of wind turbines at a wind power equipment factory. | REUTERS/China Daily
April 7, 2017
Written

The Financial Industry Needs to Team Up Against Hackers

System-wide collaboration is key to blocking cyber thieves, says former U.S. Treasury deputy secretary.
A man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask surfs the web | Reuters/Nacho Doce
March 30, 2017
Written

When Harry Fired Sally: Punishment in the Financial Adviser Industry Has a Gender Bias

Male investment advisers commit misconduct at a much higher rate than women do, but women are more likely to get fired.
A group of men in pin strip suits | Reuters/Larry Downing
August 5, 2016
Written

In the Game of Global Income Shifting, the Feds Are Overmatched

Corporations profit from tax-avoidance schemes even when they’re likely to trigger IRS audits.
Apple CEO Tim Cook (center) was grilled in 2013 by a Senate subcommittee investigating the company's offshore tax strategies. | Reuters/Jason Reed
February 23, 2015
Written

Why Your Workplace Might Be Killing You

Stanford scholars identify 10 work stressors that are destroying your health.
A man holding his hands over his face at work. | Reuters/Luke MacGregor