Boulding, dean of Duke's Fuqua School of Business, believes that the public's trust in business now as compared to after the Great Recession indicates how business has led during the pandemic
Bill Boulding, Dean, Duke’s Fuqua School of Business
Image: Courtesy Fuqua School of Business
As dean of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, Bill Boulding, speaks frequently with the business community. Lately, he’s been fixated on a single message about the opportunity business has right now to improve society.
“Now that we have gotten into this position where business has a moment, where we are trusted, we cannot fail,” Boulding said.
Boulding cites the Edelman Trust Barometer as evidence of a shift in the public’s attitude toward business. The global survey shows business is not only the most trusted institution compared to governments, non-governmental organizations and the media, but also that it is the only institution the public views as both ethical and competent.
As Boulding explained in a recent discussion on Fuqua’s LinkedIn page, the public’s trust in business now as compared to after the Great Recession indicates how business has led during the pandemic.
The Edelman survey found 77% of people trust their own companies the most of any institution. It also indicated that 72% of people trust their company’s CEO the most compared to other societal leaders. Furthermore, results showed the pandemic has caused 33% of people to believe business must be part of helping solve society’s challenges, on top of the 27% people worldwide who believed that was true even before the pandemic.
[This article has been reproduced with permission from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. This piece originally appeared on Duke Fuqua Insights]