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The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century

Why (almost) everything we are told about business is wrong

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The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century

By: John Kay
Narrated by: Peter Wicks
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About this listen

 SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS 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" - 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.©2024 John Kay (P)2024 Profile Books Ltd Business Ethics Corporate & Public Finance Economic History Economics Workplace & Organisational Behavior Business US Economy Taxation Socialism Capitalism Economic Inequality

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All stars
Most relevant  
I enjoyed it but not enough that I would actively recommend it to my friends.

I found it a series ok relatively interesting titbits

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the clarity of the arguments put forward and the range of examples given throughout the book.

book of the year so far

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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

great fresh new perspectives

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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.

Rather disappointed. Three hours of excellence wrapped in ten hours of circumlocution.

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I went to University twice to find out about the contents of this book, Save yourself 5 years. I do revisit this book typically scrolling to a random place and still find myself saying 'Ah! yes of course'. The performance is good, the story very very good.

V.Good

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Came across as a long sequence of business small lessons and anecdotes but lacked an overarching theme

Disappointing

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