Editorial: The Fragile Nature of Corporate Reputation

Most large corporations in America for decades assumed they were respected and trusted as good citizens by their employees and the public. The primary focus of management, therefore, had been on producing and selling their goods and services at a profit attractive to shareholders. This has been the primary focus of marketing and marketing communications as well. Efforts to build a strong, positive corporate reputation have been the province of public relations or low on the priority list while everything else focuses on transactions. A few companies like General Electric, DuPont, Toyota, McDonalds, and BP created memorable corporate efforts.