Quality and Transparency Help Corporate Reputation

Not surprisingly, the more open and trustworthy a company is, the better its reputation. According to an annual survey, only 45% of Americans trust business. This is a decline from previous years where more than half of Americans had greater faith in the corporate sector. The proliferation of negative news reports and the availability of more information on the activities of big corporations, apparently are contributing factors.

With the advent of "information ubiquity", the primary way a company can maintain or improve its sterling corporate reputation is to provide quality, become more transparent, ensure employee welfare, and be more trustworthy. Of course, this mandates more, not less, communication across various platforms for CEOs and other business leaders.

In the U.S. 85% of "informed publics" aged 25-64 believe corporations should create shareholder value in a way that aligns with society’s interests, even if that means sacrificing shareholder value. Another 61% believe government should regulate corporations’ activities to ensure business behaves responsibly. The U.S. is surpassed only by Germany, the U.K., Ireland and China in these opinions. For much greater detail, check out the Edelman Trust Barometer, a fascinating study of how well-informed people across the world feel about business.