Shareholder Value and Group Analysis

The article suggests a group-analytic approach to explain the behaviour of groups in situations determined by economic forces beyond their control. Its starting point arises from two propositions: Aristotle's claim that all human beings are basically members of communities and pursue a common goal, namely to enable everyone to lead a `good' life, and the argument presented by the philosopher Robert Solomon, that modern management needs to respect ethical obligations. A practical example is given to illustrate the interaction between leadership responsibility and commercial considerations. This leads to the conclusion that group analysis is a useful method to better understand the pressures and insecurities that accompany globalization and to help people to overcome such anxieties.