13 July 2016 12:00 am
Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunication services provider with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa, has been ranked first in a listing of 100 emerging market multinational companies as part of a study on corporate transparency and reporting by Transparency International.
Bharti Airtel was followed by Tata Communications, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Consultancy Services, and Tata Steel.
In the latest edition of Transparency in Corporate Reporting: Assessing Emerging Market Multinationals (https://issuu.com /transparencyinternational /docs/2016_transparen cyincorporatereporti? e=2496456/37122985) 100 of the fastest-growing companies based in 15 emerging market countries and operating in 185 countries around the world scored an average score of 3.4 out of 10, where 0 is the least transparent and 10 is the most transparent. Bharti Airtel topped the list with a score of 7.3.
According to Transparency International, across emerging markets all companies need to do much more to pursue comprehensive public reporting to address corruption and provide the transparency that is the basis for robust and accountable governance.
Anti-corruption programs that keep a company from using bribery as a tool or provide ways for whistleblowers to report corruption without fear of retribution must be made publicly available to send a clear message to their customers, staff and partners that a company does not accept corrupt practices.