IJIC, Volume 5 (2021)

Synopsis

Tri-County Electric in South Carolina had conducted board meetings for decades without open transparency. Before the entire board was voted out during a special election, there were accusations of board member pay having doubled the national average and enacting rules that made it difficult for members to challenge co-op directors. As a result of the outrage over the history of abuse and corruption at Tri-County Electric, a series of proposals were recommended by the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina Chief Executive. However, these proposals did not seem to address the urgency of all needed changes, so the state government passed legislation to revise rules that governed electric cooperatives; increasing transparency to co-op members and adding limited government oversight.

Keywords

Transparency, Communication, Corporate Governance

Target Audience and Usage

The suggested audience includes students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs with a focus on business or corporate communications. These students should understand the basic functions of team communication before undertaking to analyze this case.

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