The stakeholder theory of corporate control and the place of ethics in OHADA: The case of Cameroon

Abstract

The rapid increase in globalization in the last two and a half decades has caused businesses to easily transcend national boundaries. States respond to such flexibility by harmonising their laws to easily adapt to such changes in order to attract investments. This is the case with the OHADA jurisdiction where its architects foresaw an economic spur through integration of business laws. Though expected to stay within the bounds of the law, the law cannot absolutely determine how businesses should prioritise their stakes. As such, ethics comes in to complement the law. This article uses the stakeholder theory of corporate control to investigate the place of ethics in OHADA, as applied in Cameroon. It concludes that an altruistic social conscience is still highly wanting.