ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in this book. The book contributes to the recurring theme of the corporate objective by critically re-examining conventional shareholder wealth maximisation (SWM) and the stakeholder theory in the Anglo-American sphere. It introduces the criteria of urgency and long-term sustainable development (LTSD) during the decision-making process to assist with balancing the various stakeholders' interests when there is a conflict. The book discusses the objective of companies in China and endeavoured to offer some constructive suggestions on this topic, one that has been largely ignored by domestic Chinese scholars so far, due to the significance of China on the global business stage. It explains the stakeholder model from descriptive, instrumental and normative aspects. The book also discusses other main reasons behind it: both complicated historical factors and current legal/political/economic factors drive the focus on shareholders' roles and powers, making them the centre of corporate governance, apart from the Western influence.
