Transparency. Nonprofit, for-profit, nongovernmental, and government organizations of all sizes are encountering this term in everything they own and touch. Regulators, activists (such as Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks colleagues), and consumers are all fueling the call for free and easy public access to corporate information. And in an era of the Internet, mobile computing, and real-time analytics that can process an incredible volume of data within seconds, it’s easier than ever to uncover even the most secretive and secured documentation.

Brands are now forced to move from an attitude of having nothing to hide to proactively showing and proving they have nothing to hide. And they must go even further beyond lofty statements about their value and culture to real, distinct, and clear statements on actual results that can be proven in a court of law.

No, not all consumers are demanding transparency. But as total transparency becomes a basic hygiene factor, even those who don’t request it will expect brands to prove their ethical and environmental credentials to those who do care.

Read the full post in SAP Business Innovation.