How corrupt is international business?

July 11, 2011 - PRLog -- United Kingdom, July 2011 – Protests at Vodafone, Top Shop and Barclays, as well as a small, but highly publicized demonstration at the U2 performance at Glastonbury, has bought the issue of tax evasion and corruption to the attention of the public.  Whilst none of these companies have committed a crime, they have all been accused of dodging tax – evading their moral responsibility to the countries in which they make the most money.   In the latest issue of critical perspectives on international business, the most recent research in corruption studies has been published in a special issue, summarizing recent developments in the field and asking what the mainstream anti-corruption industries have been doing during the global economic crisis.  The issue is available for free until 18 August 2011 at www.emeraldinsight.com/cpoib.htm, username: cpoib11, password emerald11.

This current anti-corruption crusade is accompanied by a small but growing body of critical academic work which has deconstructed the concept of corruption.  Guest editors of the special issue, Ed Brown and Jonathan Cloke of Loughborough University, UK, explain, “There can be few occasions when the editors of a special issue have the timing so felicitously supported by the passage of global events.  From the “epidemic” of mortgage fraud in the USA to the “liar loans” generated by a voracious securitisation chain in the global financial services sector, the global economic crisis stands testimony to the enormous power of a dynamic, complex, global private/state hybrid in corrupting both the alleged market discipline of the private sector and all of its public sector regulatory mechanisms”.

Papers include a critical examination of the international NGO Transparency International's (TI) role in combating corruption, the increasing legal pressure on international business to ensure compliance with legal and other standards on corruption, a case of bankruptcies in Nigeria and the role of tax havens in providing a supply-side stimulant for corrupt practices.

“Critical perspectives on corruption: an overview” is published as Volume 5, Issue 2 of critical perspectives on international business, and is available to read for free until 18 August 2011.  Published by Emerald Group Publishing, the journal provides space for researchers and practitioners in diverse fields such as management, politics, economics, geography, etc., to come together to examine questions surrounding international business and approaches to management practice.  For further information, visit www.emeraldinsight.com/cpoib.htm

- ends –

About Emerald    www.emeraldinsight.com
With over forty years’ experience, Emerald Group Publishing is a leading independent publisher of global research with impact in business, society, public policy and education. In total, Emerald publishes over 700 titles, comprising 200 journals, over 300 books and more than 200 book series as well as an extensive range of online products and services.  Emerald is both COUNTER 3 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.

Contact
Arnaud Pellé
Corporate Communications Manager
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Phone: +44 (0) 1274 777700
E-mail: apelle@emeraldinsight.com