Right. We accept corporations because their entitlements (such as liability limitation) and some regulations enable investment in great ventures that make society more prosperous as a whole. That's the theory. Whether it happens or not is of course a worthy matter of ongoing debate.

In my view, the end of a business is whatever serves the self interests of the participants. A customer may want something different than an employee or an owner. A supplier is not obligated to offer a price that benefits the owner. Instead they are free to negotiate a price on behalf of their own interest. Likewise an employee, which is a kind of supplier. To the extent that the public are affected by the behavior of a corporation, they can demand regulations based on the public interest.

The people who are actually legally or contractually obligated to serve as fiduciaries for the owners can usually be counted on the fingers of one hand.

"It is not to the benevolence of the butcher, brewer, or baker, that we appeal for our supper, but to their regard for their own self interest." -- Adam Smith