Thorstein Veblen 
The Theory of Business Enterprise (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 

This 1904 volume presciently criticizes the dominance of large corporations in culture and economy, contrasting the goals of business—the making of profit—with the goals of industry—the making of goods. Veblen describes the industrial system as essentially flawed in many ways.

About the author

Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was a U.S. economist whose criticisms of American capitalism and businesses combined Darwinian evolutionary theory with broad sociological principles.  The result, known as institutional economics, was extremely influential at the time of the Great Depression. He wrote the classic critique of capitalism The Theory of the Leisure Class.