Public faith in government and business continues to drop, and business leaders need to take action now to regain it.

Academics studying comments on Twitter find attitudes to brands are shaped by public perceptions of an organisation’s scruples.

Research shows the public wants accessible information to hold companies to account, and underlines the negative impact of recent corporate scandals.

Firms that engage in corporate social outreach should make sure they send consistent signals, or they risk their actions being interpreted as a sign of bad conscience.

As trust in social media dwindles, the British public is looking to “experts” such as business leaders to help lead a revival in economic fortunes.

The Confederation of British Industry finds that Brexit and young people have focused discussion on the role and reputation of business in society.

Research shows an improvement in public opinion on ethical business behaviour. But is business really behaving more ethically, or does it just appear more favourable when compared with other scandal-hit sectors?

Survey from the Institute of Business Ethics reveals that public perception of business ethics has risen, while the top three concerns are corporate tax avoidance, executive pay and exploitative behaviour.

Proposals for a “shorter, sharper” UK Corporate Governance Code have been published by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), with more focus on “issues which are of genuine concern to shareholders and other stakeholders”.

If business is to restore public confidence and trust, then responsibility must fall with directors to communicate with society beyond company reporting, argues Irena Prijović of ecoDa.