The Importance of Common Values (Part 2)

In a continuation of last week’s blog concerning recent increases in both the trust in business and trust in government sub-indices of the American Dream Composite Index, we again refer to the report by the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics in order to better understand how public trust in these institutions is created and maintained.  Beyond creating and sharing common values/interests with the public, businesses and government organizations must address the inherent power imbalances that often exist between individuals and these institutions.  Businesses and governments must work to assure that both risks and opportunities are shared fairly across both parties and, in cases where power imbalances are inevitable, work to limit feelings of vulnerability on the part of the public.  Any examples of how these elements of trust are either facilitating or hindering the degree to which you trust businesses and/or government institutions?