Are US Companies Too Short-Term Oriented? Some Thoughts

You may be able to download this chapter for free via the Document Object Identifier.

US companies are often criticized for being overly short-term oriented. This paper documents that those criticisms have a long history, going back at least 35 years. The paper then considers the implications of sustained short-termism for corporate profits, venture capital investments and returns, private equity investments and returns, and corporate valuations. The paper finds little long-term evidence that is consistent with the predictions of the short-term critics.