[Heyworth]

The business model that seems to be in vogue in recent years emphasizes short-term, quick profits, inflating share prices (which makes bonuses offered in the form of stock options pay off) by whatever means are handy and quick, avoiding risk, and avoiding long-term investment. These latter two contribute most directly to the decline in R&D activities.

Don't forget the part where the senior executives then use that temporary boost to the bottom line to coast to better jobs elsewhere, leaving the mid- and lower-level employees to clean up the mess they made.

[chimera]

Don't forget the part where the senior executives then use that temporary boost to the bottom line to coast to better jobs elsewhere, leaving the mid- and lower-level employees to clean up the mess they made.

Yes, but only if there are any of those lower-level types still around. The greedheads may well have thrown all of them to the wolves before parachuting out of what's left of the shell of a company.