According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, "transparency" denotes an individual or system that is "free from pretense or deceit and readily understood." And research from SUNY New Paltz (as communicated through the ASTD Benchmarking Forum), found that "business areas, including accounting, ethics, and negotiations, further define transparency as the access to information regarding decision-making," and "the existence of policies and processes that are open and visible."