A great post by the OP.
Personally, I do not think the CP should be overly concerned with the finances of the company. This is not his role and causes a conflict of interest, which almost always ends badly for the company, pilots, and passengers, if a safety incident occurs due to cutting corners.
CP's should apply all their experience and skill to leading their pilots whilst complying with regulations, company procedures and flight standards to be the best and most efficient that they can be. Safety and common sense must remain paramount, as is appreciation of pilots as human and not just a "cost" or a "resource".
All of my past CP's have embodied the above good qualities, with one exception. That individual never flew an operational hour in 15 months at the company and thus never gained any respect from the staff pilots regardless of all his orders etc. Literally, a total waste of space.