The board of directors of a major pharmaceutical firm, Zenith PLC, wishes to prioritise long-term research and development (R&D) into rare diseases, which will limit short-run returns. However, they face significant pressure from institutional investors who require a minimum return on capital employed (ROCE) of 8% to prevent a call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). To balance these competing demands, the board decides to target an ROCE of exactly 8% and allocate all remaining investable funds to R&D.

Which business objective are the directors of Zenith PLC pursuing?