In a previous life, Alpha Male was a director at a business strategy think tank that researched, amongst other things, transparency.  Only this “transparency” was the sort demanded by social activists and other stakeholders of global corporations, not the oft-cited position transparency we all love (or hate) in the hedge fund business.

Still, much of the lessons learned in the course of our research applies to transparency in fund management as well.  This is what the Wall Street Journal had to say about a book written upon completion of the research:

“An old force with new power is triggering profound changes across the corporate world. Those who harness its power will thrive; those who ignore it risk paying a high price.

The force is transparency.  This is far more than the obligation to disclose financial data. People and institutions that interact with firms are gaining unprecedented access to all sorts of information about corporate behavior, operations and performance…The corporation is becoming naked.”

Well “nakedness” seems to be revealing itself again.  The perennial issue of hedge fund transparency is streaking onto the industry’s agenda right now.

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