To help fill this knowledge gap, the Project and its partner organizations will conduct a series of research studies that will develop a deeper understanding of the dynamics that impact public trust in companies, in the institution of business, and within the roles that dimensions of trust (e.g., good will, competence), stakeholder relationships, and mediating institutions play in this process. The aim of this research is to better enable executives to benchmark the trust factors of their firms and develop strategies and goals for building and sustaining key trust relationships in ways that advance value creation.

The Project will catalyze academic research in the area of public trust by organizing the Ruffin Summit on Public Trust in Business, an interdisciplinary academic meeting to be held in the Fall of 2009.

Engaging the Business Community
Academic research alone will neither fill the current knowledge sufficiently, nor make new knowledge actionable.  The Project on Public Trust in Business will promote a dialogue between thought leaders in the areas of trust and business to advance game-changing solutions with regard to practice and the public policy process.

Organizations involved in the Project will also devote increased attention to the issue of public trust in our ongoing work. We will engage business leaders, mediating institutions, and key stakeholder representatives in a variety of forums—conferences, seminars, publications, and research—to share learnings and leading practices.