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Transparency is generally seen as a corporate priority and a central attribute for promoting business growth and social morality. From a philosophical perspective, society has experienced a gradual paradigm shift which intensified after the Second World War with the advent of the information era. As a fundamental part of an inescapable, hegemonic capitalist system and given the insistent emphasis on it as a moral imperative, transparency, this book avers, needs to be examined and challenged as to its true governance value in building a sustainable twenty-first century society. Rather than clinging to the fantasy of complete transparency as the only form of accountability, corporate governance is strengthened in this way by practicing true social responsibility, which emerges not from outward-looking compliance but from a deeper place in the corporate psyche through inward-looking contemplation and the development of moral maturity.
E-Book Content
Finn Janning Wafa Khlif Coral Ingley
The Illusion of Transparency in Corporate Governance Does Transparency Help or Hinder True Ethical Conduct?
The Illusion of Transparency in Corporate Governance “This book offers a penetrating analysis of the sharp realties of the state of corporate governance. The very principles we depend upon for assessing the quality of governance in corporations are deeply flawed. We rely on the principles of accountability, transparency and trust to guide our decision making. But at the heart of this process the concept of transparency only confirms the status quo. The meaning of transparency is overwhelmed by the prerogatives of the current norms and practices, and the deep-seated values of shareholder primacy underlying contemporary business. The authors demand a more authentic and truthful approach to determining the purpose of the corporation and the resulting estimations of its performance.” —Professor Thomas Clarke, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Finn Janning • Wafa Khlif • Coral Ingley
The Illusion of Transparency in Corporate Governance Does Transparency Help or Hinder True Ethical Conduct?
Finn Janning Barcelona, Spain Coral Ingley Auckland University of Technology Auckland, New Zealand
Wafa Khlif Accounting, Auditing and Control TBS Business School Barcelona, Spain
ISBN 978-3-030-35779-5 ISBN 978-3-030-35780-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35780-1 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer