Toward a better understanding of public trust in business

doi:10.1017/CBO9781139152389.016

13 - Toward a better understanding of public trust in business

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2014

Andrew C. Wicks and

Edited by

Brian Moriarty and

Jared D. Harris: Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Andrew C. Wicks: Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Brian T. Moriarty: Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Jared D. Harris: Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Brian Moriarty: Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Andrew C. Wicks: Affiliation:
University of Virginia

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Summary

The research compiled in this volume, the consistently dismal poll results, and continued public interest in the role of business in society give rise to a number of opportunities to further improve our understanding of public trust in the institution of business. One of our primary objectives in commissioning these chapters was to stimulate further scholarly thinking and research on the subject of trust in the institution of business; as such, a number of questions offer potential avenues for additional analysis and inquiry.

Definition and antecedents

We need a better conceptual understanding of what constitutes “public trust” and how we might define it in terms that build on the existing literature and extend our theoretical understanding. Given the potential importance of trust in business as an institution, there is an opportunity for scholars to bring more precise understanding to what exactly respondents are talking about when they talk about public trust in business writ large. How much of one’s trust in business as an institution arises from one’s direct experiences with various specific businesses? How much is attributable to a particular stakeholder role or mindset? How is one’s generalized trust in business influenced by observations about others’ experiences, or the observed behavior of firms with which one has no direct experience? We need to better understand the drivers of trust in business as an institution. Several chapters in this volume begin to offer theory about how public trust is formed, but many questions remain.

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Type: Chapter
Information: Public Trust in Business , pp. 361 - 368

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139152389.016 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2014

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