
Colin Mayer's "Prosperity" radically challenges corporate purpose, arguing businesses should prioritize societal good over shareholder profits. Financial Times' Martin Wolf reluctantly agrees with its revolutionary stance. This Oxford professor's manifesto is reshaping how influential economists view capitalism's future - could corporations actually save society?
Colin Peter Mayer is the Peter Moores Professor of Management Studies at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and the author of Prosperity: Better Business Makes the Greater Good, a transformative work challenging traditional corporate paradigms.
A leading authority on corporate governance and purpose-driven business, Mayer combines decades of academic research with practical insights from advisory roles at institutions like Oxera and the UK Natural Capital Committee.
His book critiques shareholder-centric models, advocating for businesses to prioritize social and environmental well-being alongside profit—a theme rooted in his leadership of the British Academy’s “Future of the Corporation” initiative.
Mayer’s other influential works include Firm Commitment: Why the Corporation is Failing Us and How to Restore Trust in It and Capitalism and Crises: How to Fix Them, which expand on systemic economic reforms.
Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017, his ideas shape global policy debates and corporate strategies, with Prosperity serving as a cornerstone text for redefining 21st-century business ethics.
Prosperity challenges the traditional view that businesses exist solely to maximize shareholder profit. Colin Mayer argues this mindset has harmed economies, environments, and societies. Instead, he proposes corporations should prioritize solving societal and environmental issues profitably, redefining their purpose to foster long-term economic and social well-being. The book outlines reforms in corporate governance, ownership, and regulation to align business with broader societal goals.
This book is essential for business leaders, policymakers, and students of economics or sustainability. It’s also valuable for anyone interested in corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical business practices, or systemic economic reform. Mayer’s insights appeal to readers seeking actionable strategies to align profit with planetary and social health.
Yes. Mayer’s well-researched critique of shareholder primacy offers a visionary yet practical blueprint for redefining business success. Its blend of academic rigor, real-world examples, and policy recommendations makes it a timely resource for addressing modern challenges like inequality and climate change.
Mayer attributes economic inequality, environmental degradation, and political distrust to the shareholder-first model. He argues this narrow focus undermines innovation, employee welfare, and sustainable growth. Instead, businesses should balance profit with responsibilities to stakeholders like customers, communities, and future generations.
According to Mayer, a corporation’s purpose is to “produce profitable solutions to the problems of people and planet.” This shifts the focus from profit maximization to creating value through ethical problem-solving, fostering trust with stakeholders, and aligning operations with societal needs.
These lines encapsulate Mayer’s argument for reorienting business around societal value.
Unlike conventional texts focused on profit optimization, Prosperity offers a systemic critique of capitalism’s flaws and a roadmap for embedding ethics into corporate DNA. It complements works like Doughnut Economics but stands out for its legal and governance-focused solutions.
Some argue Mayer’s vision may be idealistic, particularly in incentivizing short-term-driven industries to adopt long-term reforms. However, his detailed policy proposals and historical examples provide a pragmatic counter to skepticism.
As debates about ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investing and corporate accountability intensify, Mayer’s framework offers actionable steps for businesses navigating climate crises, AI ethics, and equitable growth. Its principles align with global trends toward stakeholder capitalism.
Colin Mayer is Emeritus Professor at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, a Fellow of the British Academy, and advisor to governments worldwide. His expertise in corporate governance, taxation, and sustainability underpins Prosperity’s authoritative tone.
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Trasforma la conoscenza in spunti coinvolgenti e ricchi di esempi
Cattura le idee chiave in un lampo per un apprendimento veloce
Goditi il libro in modo divertente e coinvolgente
What if we've been asking the wrong questions all along?
Corporations are born, grow, reproduce, mutate, and die.
Deception is intrinsic to humans as self-preservation.
We see that cooperation stems from corporate structure.
The corporation represents one of humanity's most significant ideas.
Scomponi le idee chiave di Prosperity in punti facili da capire per comprendere come i team innovativi creano, collaborano e crescono.
Distilla Prosperity in rapidi promemoria che evidenziano i principi chiave di franchezza, lavoro di squadra e resilienza creativa.

Vivi Prosperity attraverso narrazioni vivide che trasformano le lezioni di innovazione in momenti che ricorderai e applicherai.
Chiedi qualsiasi cosa, scegli la voce e co-crea spunti che risuonino davvero con te.

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Imagine a world where businesses exist not just to make money, but to solve meaningful problems for society. This isn't some utopian fantasy - it's actually the original purpose of corporations before we lost our way. Today, trust in corporations has plummeted to historic lows, and for good reason. The shareholder-primacy model that has dominated business thinking for half a century has created a system where profit trumps all other considerations. Yet the modern corporation has undergone a dramatic transformation that few fully appreciate. Intangible assets now comprise 85% of US corporate market value, compared to just 20% forty years ago. This seismic shift is exemplified by WhatsApp's $19 billion acquisition despite having minimal physical assets and operating at a loss. We're in a new era - what Colin Mayer calls "the Age of the Mindful Corporation" - but we haven't updated our thinking about what corporations are for. The corporation wasn't born as a profit-maximizing machine. It began as something far more noble. Corporate origins trace to Roman times through institutions that were fundamentally public in nature. The societas publicanorum could continue indefinitely, own property, and raise finance through tradable shares - creating "popular capitalism" two millennia before Margaret Thatcher. Medieval corporations administered towns, established universities, and managed charitable institutions. Even the Catholic Church advanced corporate law during the 11th-13th centuries by granting corporate rights to alms-houses and hospitals. Only in recent history did corporations lose their public purpose, with the profit motive completely overshadowing their public dimension.