In the case of Daimler-Chrysler there was no shareholder pressure. They would have been happy with getting a nice dividend every year. It was pure ego trip by the CEO (Schrempp) who wanted to play with the other big boys like GE. They created a huge and expensive corporate headquarter far away from any car-related activity to pretty much signal that management is above the guys who produce cars.

Same for Deutsche Bank when they declared a 25% return on equity goal. Many people said there is no way they can achieve this but the CEO kept pushing so they had to rely on shady business practices and increase risk. It's a pure ego trip. Nothing else.