Abstract
This is an empirical study exploring the priorities of top managers in U.S. publicly held corporations, focusing on the shareholder primacy and stakeholder perspectives. My coauthors and I examine which of these perspectives is being enacted in practice. Our study looks at whether decreased shareholder litigation risk prompts a shift from shareholder-centric to broader stakeholder considerations. Additionally, we analyze how firm ownership and governance traits impact these managerial trends, and if self-serving motives play a role in the shift towards stakeholder approaches.