Power and Property - The Ownership and Control of Canadian Corporations

Abstract

<p>The thesis locates the Canadian economy, specifically Canadian controlled firms, within an important debate about the nature of corporate capitalist economies. In particular, the thesis responds to the argument that control of the modern corporation has passed to the hands of unpropertied, professional managers whose interests are distinct from those of the capitalist class and who have completely rearranged the direction of corporate policy.</p> <p>It is suggested that the majority of Canadian controlled firms remain under the control of dominant shareowners. Furthermore, particular aspects of management controlled companies are drawn out and suggestions are presented about the nature, specifically the asset composition, of these firms.</p> <p>Lastly, the thesis argues that the dispersion of share ownership coincides with a continued movement toward the centralization of corporate control. This movement is discussed in the final chapter.</p>