WHY ECONOMIC OPTIMISM COLLAPSES? THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT - THE ONLY COMPETENT AND ETHICAL GLOBAL INSTITUTION

The data from the Edelman Confidence Barometer 2023 (23rd edition) is not encouraging at all. The collapse of economic optimism is accompanied by a widening of social gaps against the background of the continuous decline of the population’s trust in politicians, the media, and the church. The only global institution currently perceived as both competent and ethical is business. Corporations seem to be at the top of trust, seeming to be, at least for Romania, an underestimated actor so far. The increasingly favorable perception regarding ethics in the business environment makes us advance our hypothesis that there is already a huge pressure on the corporate executive, with expectations even targeting their involvement in solving society’s problems