But, I think that, more and more, government is asking for the officers of a company to carry "personal responsibility" for illegal acts performed by persons at the company.

So carrying your example out further:

If a company "steals", government now wants to send real people to jail (the officers of the company), rather than just having "the company" be punished thru fines.

There are limits to how much a company can be a "virtual person". You can't put a company in jail. But you can act upon them financially, by levying fines. Some would argue that you can give them the "death penalty" by forcing them into bankruptcy.

That's why people like former Enron and MCI/WorldComm officers are being carried away in handcuffs. The protection of a "virtual person" can only go so far.

Personally, I would like to see majority shareholders punished also, when a company (or officers) so wrong. I think more shareholders would take ethical violations much more seriously.

Imagine if Warren Buffet had to spend a night in jail because an officer of a company he owned 50% of decided to be a criminal, under the name of the company. He would become a whole lot more interested in how the company was managed.

It's time we make owners of companies responsible for what their employees do, both officers and shareholders. You can't hide behind the "virtual person", just like Oz couldn't hide, either.

Glen