Saving Capitalism from Short-Termism: How to Build Long-Term Value and Take Back Our Financial Future

Conquering the obession with short-term profits is critical to the future of business, society, and capitalism itself―Alfred Rappaport presents a game plan every business leader should read

“As Rappaport keeps on speaking out for the realities surrounding investment and speculation, our society will profit as it builds on his keen insights.”
John C. Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group (from the Foreword)

About the Book:

Alfred Rappaport, who first introduced the principles and practical application of "shareholder value" in his groundbreaking 1986 classic Creating Shareholder Value, reiterated the basic message in his 2006 Harvard Business Review article: Focusing on Wall Street quarterly earnings expectations rather than on creating long-term value is an invitation to disaster.

Rappaport shows how deeply flawed short-term performance incentives for corporate and investment managers were an essential cause of the recent global financial crisis. In Saving Capitalism from Short-Termism, Rappaport examines the causes and consequences of “short-termism” and offers specific recommendations for how publicly traded companies and the investment management community can overcome it.

Whether you're a corporate manager, money manager, public policymaker, business-school student, or simply concerned about your financial future, Saving Capitalism from Short-Termism provides valuable insights and practical ideas to change the course of your organization ―and contribute to a healthier economy that benefits all.

Alfred Rappaport is the Leonard Spacek Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University’s J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is the author of the business classic Creating Shareholder Value and coauthor with Michael Mauboussin of Expectations Investing. Rappaport has been a guest columnist for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, and BusinessWeek. He created the Wall Street Journal Shareholder Scoreboard, an annual ranking by total shareholder returns of the 1,000 most valuable U.S. corporations, published annually from 1995 to 2008.

John Bogle (Valley Forge, PA) is founder and former chief executive of The Vanguard Group, the world's largest no-load mutual fund company, with more than $500 billion in assets owned by 12 million shareholders. In 1999, Fortune named Mr. Bogle one of the four financial giants of the 20th century, and Princeton University, his alma mater, awarded him its coveted Woodrow Wilson Award. His first book, Bogle on Mutual Funds, has sold over a quarter-million copies in hardcover and paperback.