Citation
Maddock, L. (2016), "Quo Vadimus?", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 29 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-02-2015-1983
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Quo Vadimus?
Article Type: Literature and insights From: Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Volume 29, Issue 1.
Do our stewards and gatekeepers know that we have a twenty first century version of Shakespeare's "hellbroth"?
(See recipe below):
Steroids injected into cattle;
toxic grain past sell-by date;
"modified" crops;
dying rivers and streams;
islands of plastic drowning the oceans,
and
acid mine drainage!
But pretence and apathy remain
in private and public domain.
Millions hold invisible placards high:
"Save the whale"
"Save the rhino"
"Save the tuna"
"Save the trees"
Sometimes, even […]
"Save the children".
Huge organisations create "policies" while producing "proof" that they ARE (read this loudly, please)
"responsible about"
"ethical concerning"
and
"committed to"
repairing past destruction while
"preventing" further damage.
Suddenly the populist claims are holy writ
the giant companies have a Spiritual mission […]
Save the earth and all life.
(No, not to focus on profit, fool!
Don't you listen to the voice of Power?)
Our planet wears Melpomene's mask.
The seminal equations no longer work:
Food does not equal the population,
employment does not equal the population,
dignity does not equal the population.
A "hellbroth", as I said.
Tainted water poisons,
tainted air suffocates,
tainted soil is barren.
We cannot eat profit!
Bring back the honourable stewards NOW.
In days of yore, fanfare accompanied them; today their train is banknotes.
Lelys Maddock - School of Accountancy, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa