My Account

Numerous Cardinal libraries in western NC are temporarily closed due to impacts of Hurricane Helene. This may cause delays in the fulfillment of hold requests. Please contact your local library or county/municipal officials for more info on closures in your area.

For profit : a history of corporations Cover Image

For profit : a history of corporations / William Magnuson.

ISBN: 1399805207
ISBN: 1541601564
ISBN: 9781399805209
ISBN: 9781541601567
Physical Description: vii, 357 pages ; 24 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York : Basic Books, 2022.

Magnuson, William J., 1982- (author.).

Summary:

We have long been suspicious of corporations recklessly pursuing profit and amassing wealth and power. But the story of the corporation didn't have to be like this. For most of history, they were not amoral entities, but public institutions designed to promote the societies that granted them charter. Magnuson reveals how the corporation has evolved since its beginnings in the ancient world. What happens in this next chapter of the global economy depends on whether we can return to their public-minded spirit, or whether we have sunk irrevocably into the swamp of high profit at all costs. Epic and compelling in scope, For Profit illuminates the roles corporations played, for good and evil, in the making of the modern world.