ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the important issues of lining up investors behind the strategy. There are substantial differences depending on the ownership of the business. The chapter is structured around investor engagement in three ownership models: the listed corporation, the private company and the special case of the start-up business. Investors have considerable ultimate power over the business and the executive management team, so their aims, concerns and interests are important considerations. The owners of a private company have discretion over the strategy they want the business to pursue. The corporate world is dominated by listed companies so engagement with the equity markets is a common challenge. Many investors in listed shares are faceless and fickle, switching ownership regularly and often taking a short-term view. The start-up business is where there is the greatest flexibility and the most potential to set the business on a sustainable path through careful selection of investors.
