Citizens DisUnited: Passive Investors, Drone CEOs, and the Corporate Capture of the American Dream
Miniver Press, June 2013
Citizens DisUnited: Passive Investors, Drone CEOs and the Corporate Capture of the American Dream is an indictment of corporate executives divert shareholder assets to undermine democracy and enrich themselves, putting both capitalism and democracy at risk. Once again, Monks lays bare the problems of governance and government -- problems that are undermining our democracy and creating a system controlled by CEO kings. He calls out the perpetrators by name and gives specific fixes that must be done -- immediately.
Far too much of American business is being run for the personal enrichment and glorification of its manager-kings. This book shows how that happened and unveils, for the first time, a new study showing that corporations "un-owned" by their shareholders -- corporate "drones" -- are far worse corporate citizens and have significantly lower average shareholder returns than firms in which owners still exercise authority over management.
Paperback | ISBN: 9781939282101 | Publication Date: June 2013
Reviews:
"Bob Monks clearly shows that our corporate culture has become corrupt, irrelevant, senile, and moribund. To resurrect The American Dream, we need go back to the fundamental values that created this nation and inspire a new era of Just Capitalism based on improving the quality of life for all people."
-- Deepak Chopra
". . . a devastating critique of U.S. corporate governance and
the functioning of financial markets."
-- Sir Adrian Cadbury, author of Corporate Governance and
Chairmanship: A Personal View
"A brilliant jeremiad. Monks' long work in this field has enabled
him to cut through the dross, the flotsam and jetsam, and find the
tipping point."
-- Dwight Allison
"A horrifying story and a frightening and worrying one. Much of
it I never knew -- not the scale nor the collisions.
Congratulations on bringing it all to light."
-- Charles Handy, author of The New Philanthropists
"Unless the serious ills Monks identify are overcome, and
speedily, democracy and Western capitalism will be dangerously
tarnished and weakened. This book is of that importance."
-- Allen Sykes, Co-author of Capitalism Without Owners Will
Fail
"More invaluable advice from Robert A.G. Monks, 'Mr. Corporate
Responsibility' on both sides of the Atlantic for decades. Monks
analyzes the new breed of dysfunctional 'drone corporations' whose
shares are so widely-held as to be out of all outside control and
on automatic pilot driven by insider management. He calls out the
most influential trustees of pension funds, endowments, and
foundations by name, as those on whom we must now rely to take
responsibility, and adds many important proposals for necessary
reforms. This book needs to be read by asset managers and trustees
worldwide."
-- Hazel Henderson, President, Ethical Markets Media (USA and
Brazil), author, Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy
and The Green Transition Scoreboard®
