A review of “A New Vision of Value” – old wine, new bottle

Abstract

Purpose

This paper is a review of KPMG’s true value methodology. It highlights how a positive for the methodology is its advance of a systemic perspective, with the challenge being its furthering of an agenda of corporate centricity, where money is the mediator for societal decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on existing literature to develop its arguments.

Findings

The paper highlights how the true value methodology has merit for furthering a move towards the embrace of a more systemic thinking by business leaders; for example, how organisations are nested in society, not separate from society. However, the methodology is a cause for concern, because, for “true value” (ibid, p. 3) to be identified, albeit the notion of true value is one that stuns with its hubris, there is a need to monetise all exchanges and have corporations make societal well-being decisions based on monetary calculations as opposed to moral or ethical considerations. Thus, the methodology is advancing a corporate centric and narrowly defined perspective on what constitutes societal progress.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is a review of the methodology with some critique and implications for management, leadership and culture discussed.

Practical implications

The arguments presented highlight how the methodology furthers a particular perspective, and thus it should, like all tools, be used with an understanding of its limitations.

Social implications

A key social implication brought forward in the paper is a corporate-centric perspective on societal progress. This corporate-centric perspective ensures that although a more systemic perspective is taken, society is viewed as a little more than a servant of the corporation.

Originality/value

In drawing on existing literature, the originality lies in the combination of arguments brought together to realise the central claims.

Citation

Barter, N. (2016), "A review of “A New Vision of Value” – old wine, new bottle", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 7 No. 4, pp. 531-538. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-12-2015-0111