But that suggests a role for government, if what you are describing is an oligarchy in all but name, composed of corporate and fund managers, otherwise unaccountable to the public or any sense of right or wrong.
I could be wrong, but I'm not so sure that a minority can't influence corporate decisions, particularly with the assistance of public outrage, nor that a fairly good sized minority doesn't directly purchase equities rather than suffer loss or statis in some mutual fund. But correct me if I'm wrong. Are the institutional guys REALLY, the only game in town?
The large fund managers are the 1,000 pound gorillas. However, companies can act so shameful that it prompts public outrage. For instance (and I'm not saying it's true) but if it were suddenly revealed that senior officers of a Fortune 500 company used kittens during a trap shooting competition (Pull! Meooooow...bang!) at a corporate retreat, then the public outrage would call for some heads to roll...
You seem to attribute human sensibilities to these companies. They're not human. They're organizations, essentially machines. Their only purpose is to make money by producing a product. Their only obligation is to follow the laws in the cities, states and countries they operate in.