Zappos, Apple, and Best Buy share a common feature: consumer trust is their key competitive advantage. Why is the ability to generate trust a new asset for companies? What are the characteristics of firms that are really trusted? In a world that is highly inter-connected, the levels of integrity and trust expected of others haveRead more…

By Roland Reitter and Bernard Ramanantsoa, Economica, January 2012 What is trust? Why is it a strategic asset for companies now more than ever? How is trust built? How is it evaluated? Bernard Ramanantsoa and Roland Reitter, whose research has focused on the concept of corporate identity for the past several years, have just publishedRead more…

The departure of a manager, the abandonment of a project, the closing of a site … each of these events is a loss that has to be dealt with in the open during a suitable grieving period. Otherwise, the silent accumulation of these “little deaths” will damage employees’ trust in management. It’s clear: major shiftsRead more…

A few painful numbers: according to a survey performed by BVA on behalf of BPI Consulting*, only 22 percent of employees have a very good opinion of their superior and only 18 percent have a favorable view of executives. Trust is in danger and it is high time to act, on both strategic and operationalRead more…

The blossoming of social conscience, the 2008 crisis, and the explosion of web 2.0 are all behind a trend that is revolutionizing the value creation chain: collaborative consumption. Would you be willing to share your car with strangers? Created in 2010, WhipCar, a London car rental company proposes over 1000 vehicles, none of which itRead more…

No customer can come first without valuing and winning the engagement of employees. The Indian company HCLT, a veritable laboratory for employee motivation and engagement, unveils its iconoclastic methods Taking care of employees is the best way to attract customers. That, in a nutshell, is the management philosophy of Vineet Nayar, CEO of HCL TechnologiesRead more…