In the current issue of the Atlantic Monthly, Alex Beam reviews Roger Lowenstein’s Origins of the Great Crash. Lowenstein at one point refers to the management classic, My Years With General Motors, by legendary GM Chairman Alfred Sloan. “There is no mention of GM’s share price in his decision-making,” he writes. “In contrast,” Beam notes, “Jeffrey Skilling … based every decision on its effect on Enron’s share price.”
I guess Mr Sloan was worried about making great cars! (Alas, an idea that eluded several of his successors! Life is tough!)