That's a myth of modern America. I've done a fair amount of research, and I can decisively tell you that no company is obliged to stay in business. They can always close their doors and take pride in knowing they kept the faith whilst their A-hole customers went to pot.
What I've found is most companies sell their souls in order to 'Grow'. 'Growth' is the mantra nowadays - no one worries about getting better or having pride in their products. Growth is all that matters, and when growth can't be sustained (wonder why?) they start running around doing stupid things like moving production to China and selling T-shirts.
