.. we have shareholders to think of and we MUST increase profits every year.

Yep, that's EXACTLY the problem for all companies, bloody shareholders!!!

Any company with shareholders is on the eve of it's closure, we dont have the same economic climate that we've had 20+ years ago when shareholding "WAS" a good idea and investment.
NO company today can offer fantastic economic growth, there's no room to spread, not enough money to go around anymore, and HAVING to provide for shareholders worsens the expansion of any company.

It's about time companies started offloading all their shareholders and remain strong and having a future....afterall, it's shareholders that kill companies and cause everyone to lose our jobs, it's that simple.

Shareholders alone ARE the end of the world.