Originally Posted by
gloopy
I agree that's why they are doing it. I've always wondered about the nature of a BoD fudiciary. There has to be something to protect the long term investor, otherwise any company could canibalize itself for short term gain.
Sadly, there's not. Apple is trying very hard to focus on the long term, but Carl Icahn has bought a stake and wants it to double...via any means possible. It's an illustration of the problem in most US corporate governance cultures.
Originally Posted by
gloopy
Look at Honda or Toyota, two brands known for long term quality. Either could destroy/monetize their own long term quality tomorrow, transfer a ton of money to their investors and it would be a year or two before word got out, their brand got tarnished by the customers and by then they could be long gone. Ditto for any company of course.
They're both Japanese companies and they both take the very long term view. Same with Chinese companies. Sadly, most US companies don't want the battles they inevitably face with short term institutional "investors" if they try to take a longer term view.
Carl