Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Featured Case Study: Ending the Woes of Short-Termism
Can the case be made for longer term thinking?
Developed by: Anna Norman, Olexandr Spasov, Nathan Brougher, and Caroline Lucas. This case was written under the supervision of Andrew Hoffman.
Eric Ries, one of the most prominent entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, is launching the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE), a new stock exchange for companies and investors that want to focus on long-term values and sustainable development rather than short-term profit gains. Despite LTSE having a strong value proposition for many companies, this case analyzes the many business challenges that Ries and LTSE must overcome: the large shift required in the systems-thinking of current investors, limiting shareholders’ control and influence, gaining the critical mass required to achieve scale and profitability, government legislation and permits, and gaining trust and credibility from potential companies and investors. This case asks students to articulate the risks within the existing, short-term focused stock exchange system, as well as identify the forces that produce short-termism in publicly listed companies.
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