In the world of GA, or at least the parts I have been involved with, you are 'obliged' to go and get yourself an endorsement for whatever the company operates, usually B58, C310 or Nav/Chieftain.
Is the current practice being adopted by Easterns etc just a flow on effect from this way of thinking? However, 2K for a Baron endorsement is considerably less than 18K for a Dash 8, especially when you don't end up being paid 9 times the salary!
I look forward to a time when the pool of experienced pilots dries up and these companies will be forced to stop paying peanuts and slugging pilots for endorsements. Maybe I'm just dreaming.