IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v113y2013i4p639-648.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corporate Transparency: A Perspective from Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae

Author

Listed:
  • João Neves
  • Antonino Vaccaro

Abstract

This article analyzes the issue of organizational transparency through the lens of Thomas Aquinas’ ethics. It provides moral justification for current claims about corporate transparency and sheds light on the ethical values and virtues affecting information disclosure decisions. Transparency is conceptualized as an informational mechanism necessary for performing the virtues of truthfulness, justice, and prudence. This article extends the organizational transparency and corporate social responsibility literatures by providing an alternative moral justification grounded in virtue-based theory, which extends our understanding of the information disclosure decisions made by management. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Suggested Citation

  • João Neves & Antonino Vaccaro, 2013. "Corporate Transparency: A Perspective from Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(4), pages 639-648, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:113:y:2013:i:4:p:639-648
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1682-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10551-013-1682-6
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-013-1682-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hess, David, 2007. "Social Reporting and New Governance Regulation: The Prospects of Achieving Corporate Accountability Through Transparency," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(3), pages 453-476, July.
    2. Hess, David & Dunfee, Thomas W., 2007. "The Kasky-Nike Threat to Corporate Social Reporting: Implementing a Standard of Optimal Truthful Disclosure as a Solution," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(1), pages 5-32, January.
    3. Mark Nixon, 2007. "Satisfaction for Whom? Freedom for What? Theology and the Economic Theory of the Consumer," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 70(1), pages 39-60, January.
    4. Domènec Melé, 2009. "Integrating Personalism into Virtue-Based Business Ethics: The Personalist and the Common Good Principles," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 88(1), pages 227-244, August.
    5. Hess, David, 2008. "The Three Pillars of Corporate Social Reporting as New Governance Regulation: Disclosure, Dialogue, and Development," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 18(4), pages 447-482, October.
    6. Ericka Costa & Tommaso Ramus, 2012. "The Italian Economia Aziendale and Catholic Social Teaching: How to Apply the Common Good Principle at the Managerial Level," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 103-116, March.
    7. Antonino Vaccaro & Dalia Patiño Echeverri, 2010. "Corporate Transparency and Green Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(3), pages 487-506, September.
    8. Lloyd Sandelands, 2009. "The Business of Business is the Human Person: Lessons from the Catholic Social Tradition," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 85(1), pages 93-101, March.
    9. Lizet Quaak & Theo Aalbers & John Goedee, 2007. "Transparency of Corporate Social Responsibility in Dutch Breweries," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 76(3), pages 293-308, December.
    10. Antonino Vaccaro, 2012. "To Pay or Not to Pay? Dynamic Transparency and the Fight Against the Mafia’s Extortionists," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 23-35, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Joan Fontrodona & Alejo Sison & Boudewijn Bruin, 2013. "Editorial Introduction: Putting Virtues Into Practice. A Challenge for Business and Organizations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(4), pages 563-565, April.
    2. S. Douglas Beets & Mary G. Beets, 2019. "An Absence of Transparency: The Charitable and Political Contributions of US Corporations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 1101-1113, April.
    3. Luis Ignacio Álvarez-González & Nuria García-Rodríguez & María José Sanzo-Pérez, 2018. "Online Voluntary Transparency in Spanish Retail Firms. Measurement Index and CSR-Related Factors as Determinants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-20, October.
    4. Beat Reber & Agnes Gold & Stefan Gold, 2022. "ESG Disclosure and Idiosyncratic Risk in Initial Public Offerings," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(3), pages 867-886, September.
    5. Sana Ben Hassine & Claude Francoeur, 2024. "Do Corporate Ethics Enhance Financial Analysts’ Behavior and Performance?," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-19, September.
    6. Xi, Dan & Wu, Yuze & Wang, Xue & Fu, Zhe, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility and excess perks," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    7. Higgins, Colin & Tang, Samuel & Stubbs, Wendy, 2020. "On managing hypocrisy: The transparency of sustainability reports," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 395-407.
    8. Balzarova, Michaela & Dyer, Celia & Falta, Michael, 2022. "Perceptions of blockchain readiness for fairtrade programmes," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    9. Schniederjans, Dara G. & Khalajhedayati, Mehrnaz, 2023. "Corporate Responsibility Communication and Score Trends: A Buyer and Supplier Perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    10. Domènec Melé, 2016. "Re-thinking Capitalism: What We can Learn from Scholasticism?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 293-304, January.
    11. Shuili Du & Kun Yu, 2021. "Do Corporate Social Responsibility Reports Convey Value Relevant Information? Evidence from Report Readability and Tone," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 172(2), pages 253-274, August.
    12. Felix Septianto & Joya A. Kemper & Fandy Tjiptono & Widya Paramita, 2021. "The Role of Authentic (vs. Hubristic) Pride in Leveraging the Effectiveness of Cost Transparency," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 174(2), pages 423-439, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Antonino Vaccaro & Alejo Sison, 2011. "Transparency in Business: The Perspective of Catholic Social Teaching and the “Caritas in Veritate”," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(1), pages 17-27, March.
    2. Antonino Vaccaro, 2012. "To Pay or Not to Pay? Dynamic Transparency and the Fight Against the Mafia’s Extortionists," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 23-35, March.
    3. Sebastian Utz, 2019. "Corporate scandals and the reliability of ESG assessments: evidence from an international sample," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 483-511, April.
    4. Christina W. Y. Wong & Chee Yew Wong & Sakun Boon-itt & Ailie K. Y. Tang, 2021. "Strategies for Building Environmental Transparency and Accountability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-25, August.
    5. Enes Ünal & Vikash Kumar Sinha, 2023. "Sustainability trade‐offs in the circular economy: A maturity‐based framework," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4662-4682, November.
    6. Eenkhoorn, P. & Graafland, J.J., 2010. "Lying in Business : Insights from Hannah Arendt’s ‘Lying in Politics’," Other publications TiSEM 3227207d-c563-4afd-ae08-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. Miguel Cunha & Arménio Rego & Antonino Vaccaro, 2014. "Organizations as Human Communities and Internal Markets: Searching for Duality," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 120(4), pages 441-455, April.
    8. Alma Acevedo, 2012. "Personalist Business Ethics and Humanistic Management: Insights from Jacques Maritain," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 105(2), pages 197-219, January.
    9. Simona Cosma & Rossella Leopizzi & Simone Pizzi & Mario Turco, 2021. "The stakeholder engagement in the European banks: Regulation versus governance. What changes after the NF directive?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(3), pages 1091-1103, May.
    10. André Habisch & Lorenzo Patelli & Matteo Pedrini & Christoph Schwartz, 2011. "Different Talks with Different Folks: A Comparative Survey of Stakeholder Dialog in Germany, Italy, and the U.S," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(3), pages 381-404, May.
    11. Michela Cordazzo & Laura Bini & Giuseppe Marzo, 2020. "Does the EU Directive on non‐financial information influence the value relevance of ESG disclosure? Italian evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3470-3483, December.
    12. Nuno Ornelas Martins, 2021. "Adam Smith and Catholic Social Teaching," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(2), pages 401-411, May.
    13. Antonino Vaccaro & Dalia Patiño Echeverri, 2010. "Corporate Transparency and Green Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(3), pages 487-506, September.
    14. Rea Wagner & Peter Seele, 2017. "Uncommitted Deliberation? Discussing Regulatory Gaps by Comparing GRI 3.1 to GRI 4.0 in a Political CSR Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(2), pages 333-351, December.
    15. Irene M. Herremans & Jamal A. Nazari & Fereshteh Mahmoudian, 2016. "Stakeholder Relationships, Engagement, and Sustainability Reporting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(3), pages 417-435, October.
    16. Andrea Venturelli & Fabio Caputo & Simona Cosma & Rossella Leopizzi & Simone Pizzi, 2017. "Directive 2014/95/EU: Are Italian Companies Already Compliant?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-19, August.
    17. Michał Jurek, 2014. "The genesis and evolution of CSR self-regulation with special refer-ence to the case of financial institutions," Working papers wpaper70, Financialisation, Economy, Society & Sustainable Development (FESSUD) Project.
    18. Xi, Dan & Wu, Yuze & Wang, Xue & Fu, Zhe, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility and excess perks," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    19. Gregory Jackson & Julia Bartosch & Emma Avetisyan & Daniel Kinderman & Jette Steen Knudsen, 2020. "Mandatory Non-financial Disclosure and Its Influence on CSR: An International Comparison," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 323-342, March.
    20. Elisa Baraibar‐Diez & María D. Odriozola & José Luis Fernández Sánchez, 2017. "A Survey of Transparency: An Intrinsic Aspect of Business Strategy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 480-489, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate transparency; Virtue ethics;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:113:y:2013:i:4:p:639-648. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.