Open-book accounting is an extension of the principles of Open-book management to include in an organisation"s accounts all those with an interest in the organisation, not merely its employees and its shareholders (including those whose shareholding is managed indirectly, for example through a mutual fund). This effectively means all members of the public.

Since almost all accounting records are now kept in electronic form, and since the computers on which they are held are universally connected, it should be possible for accounting records to be world-readable.

This is an aspiration: at present, organisations run their accounts on systems secured behind firewalls and release of financial information by publicly quoted companies is carefully choreographed to ensure that it reaches all participants in the market equally.