From Financial Stock Management to Intellectual Management: Ethics and Governance

The theme of government in business, and in a larger sense, in society, has been studied at all levels, political, economic, sociological and ethical. To this end, many scholars have found that the source of productive factors: land, capital and labour, have aspired to increase their spheres of activity and thereby influence society, broadly understood, and the productive system as a whole. Moreover, the way governing power has been exercised by those who control the more important, or rather strategic, productive factors for a given historical period has been underscored. In this last sense it should be noted how in the course of time a “shift” of power has taken place from one factor to another, and this almost makes understandable the deduction that, given the changing importance of the factors under consideration, there can be in future further shifts in the power of government both in society and businesses. In this view, the present research sets as its objective the investigation of the determinants of government power in business and the evolution they have undergone over the course of time. This analysis will be effected tracing the principal phases of development of the modern company, placing particular importance on the causes and consequences linked to the success of the irresponsible company. The article will conclude by offering some ideas for possible self-regulation useful in developing responsible behaviour towards the various stakeholders. Furthermore it will be revealed how the implementation of strategies for the effective management and increase in value of knowledge represents the latest trend of successful entrepreneurial systems, which find in intellectual and managerial capitalism the new model for the governance of a company.