This book investigates how the rise of financialization and the volatility of capital markets have fundamentally altered the strategic decision-making processes within publicly quoted corporations. The authors, Julie Froud and colleagues, utilize a rigorous analytical framework to examine the shift in management priorities from long-term industrial growth to short-term shareholder value maximization. By contrasting the pressures of the 1990s bull market with subsequent bear market conditions, the text provides a detailed account of how financial metrics have come to dominate corporate governance and operational strategy.

Experts recognize this work as a critical contribution to the study of corporate governance and the broader implications of financialization in modern economies. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a sophisticated examination of the intersection between finance and management strategy.