{"product_id":"the-speculation-economy-how-finance-triumphed-over-industry","title":"The Speculation Economy: How Finance Triumphed Over Industry","description":"“A fascinating account of the early twentieth century emergence of a stock-market-oriented economy.” —BusinessWeek\n\nAmerican companies once focused exclusively on providing the best products and services. But today, most corporations are obsessed with maximizing their stock prices, resulting in short-term thinking and the kind of cook-the-books corruption seen in the Enron and WorldCom scandals of the first decade of the twenty-first century. How did this happen?\n\nIn this groundbreaking book, Lawrence E. Mitchell traces the origins of the problem back to the first decade of the preceding century, when industrialists and bankers began merging existing companies into huge “combines”—today’s giant corporations—so they could profit by manufacturing and selling stock in these new entities. He describes and analyzes the legal changes that made this possible, the federal regulatory efforts that missed the significance of this transforming development, and the changes in American society and culture that led more and more Americans to enter the market, turning from relatively safe bonds to riskier common stock in the hopes of becoming rich. Financiers and the corporations they controlled encouraged this trend, but as stock ownership expanded and businesses were increasingly forced to cater to stockholders’ “get rich quick” expectations, a subtle but revolutionary shift in the nature of the American economy occurred: finance no longer served industry; instead, industry began to serve finance.\n\nThe Speculation Economy analyzes the history behind the opening of this economic Pandora’s box—the root cause of so many modern acts of corporate malfeasance.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1576754006\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.1576754006.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Mitchell, Lawrence E.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43857856659517,"sku":"BVV.1576754006.G","price":29.01,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/1576754006-0.jpg?v=1792531322","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/the-speculation-economy-how-finance-triumphed-over-industry","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}