It definitely is a thing in the eyes of Delaware courts:
In eBay vs Newmark:
>Having chosen a for-profit corporate form, the craigslist directors are
bound by the fiduciary duties and standards that accompany that form. Those
standards include acting to promote the value of the corporation for the benefit of
its stockholders. The “Inc.” after the company name has to mean at least that.
Thus, I cannot accept as valid for the purposes of implementing the Rights Plan a
corporate policy that specifically, clearly, and admittedly seeks not to maximize
the economic value of a for-profit Delaware corporation for the benefit of its
stockholders—no matter whether those stockholders are individuals of modest
means or a corporate titan of online commerce.
https://courts.delaware.gov/Opinions/Download.aspx?id=143440
In the Trados case:
>It is, of course, accepted that a corporation may take steps, such as giving charitable contributions or paying higher wages, that do not maximize profits currently.
They may do so, however, because such activities are rationalized as producing greater
profits over the long-term. Decisions of this nature benefit the corporation as
a whole, and by increasing the value of the corporation, the directors increase the share of
value available for the residual claimants. Judicial opinions therefore often refer to
directors owing fiduciary duties ―to the corporation and its shareholders. This formulation captures the foundational
relationship in which directors owe duties to the corporation for the ultimate benefit of
the entity‘s residual claimants. Nevertheless, ―stockholders‘ best interest must always,
within legal limits, be the end. Other constituencies may be considered only
instrumentally to advance that end.
https://courts.delaware.gov/opinions/download.aspx?ID=193520