Transparency: of Business or Process?

Abstract Over the last decade, “transparency “ has become an increasingly sensitive issue throughout the public sector - and within those organisations having their roots in the public sector such as the privatised utility industries. However, the meaning of “transparency “ is not always clear. We commonly talk in terms of the principle of transparency, but all principles are capable of being manipulated to serve and justify particular courses of action and there is a danger that transparency can be, and in fact may increasingly be, used to justify demands and actions where it could be inappropriate, and at worse, counterproductive.