In the latest edition of the influential magazine, The Economist, an article titled “A new idolatory” describes a debate between Shareholder maximization versus customer value and employee maximization.  This debate is a “phoney war between shareholder capitalism and stakeholder capitalism.”  

I agree wholeheartedly.  The separation between a the interests of shareholders, employees and customers emerge when we look at a small period of time.  Shareholders can price higher or cut corners on service and make more profits.  But the company will not have many customers in the longer term.  Similarly employees can continue to demand higher salaries and benefits and reduced working hours, but they will not have a vibrant company that can meet the needs of its customer in the longer term.  So focusing on employee and customers is no different than shareholder value maximization over a long period of time.

This is similar to the debate between individualism and altruism.  It is linked to the time period over which you are trying to maximize interests of one party.  The interconnectedness of our existence leads us to seek everyones benefit for value maximization in the long term.