Rules of the Game

Socially responsible behaviour is increasingly demanded of both individuals and organisations as ever more information on the negative side‐effects of economic activity emerges. The two main areas of concern are sustainability (environment) and social justice (accountability). Monitoring and influencing the behaviour or organisations and their managers requires access to sufficient, high‐quality information. Quality of information can be summed up in the degree of transparency it has, from clear to opaque. Accountancy is the profession most involved in the production of financial information. Information technology has had a profound effect on the accountancy profession and on the rules which determine how financial information is produced. The rules are already highly complex but they would need to be changed further to address the concerns of sustainability and social justice. Unless these concerns are addressed Socially Responsible Capitalism will elude us, with potentially disastrous consequences for us all. Even if the accountancy rules are expanded successfully, it will still be essential that individuals educate themselves so that they can successfully challenge organisations about their behaviour, and influence them to behave responsibly.