Caroline Johansson

Institutional Ownership: a Paradox Where Long-term Goals Are Promised in Theory but Short-term Acts Occur in Practice? Caroline Johansson

The development of the capital market in Sweden in recent years has transformed the ownership in companies from private owners to large institutional owners including investment companies, insurance companies and pension funds. The investors are accused of being passive owners with a strict focus on short-term financial results and of having no interest in developing companies and building long-term relationships. There has though been an increasing trend in the business sphere towards new forms of ownership activity and corporate engagement where the investors present themselves as active owners with a sense of responsibility and interest in companies due to pressure from the society. Owners are however obliged to earn profit and present positive short-term results to shareholders and customers in order to survive in the competition and it can therefore be difficult to combine both long and short-term goals. This book should help shed some light on whether a paradox exists within institutional ownership between long-term goals and short-term acts and can be useful to professionals within institutions and capital markets or anyone else who may be interested in ownership questions.