Consumers punish misbehaviour.

These results are consistent with a US survey sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Reputation Institute, which was conducted online last month. In that case, a quarter of the 10,830 respondents had acted on their feelings about a company at the cash register and either boycotted the company’s products or urged others to do so, when they didn’t agree with its actions. PwC’s Reputation Assurance practice predicts several trends that reflect these findings: – within ten years, the valuation methods used by analysts will include metrics such as social performance and intellectual capital; – within five years, 70 percent of North American and European companies will assign to boards responsibility for areas of reputation and social responsibility; – within ten years, the majority of multinationals will publish a broad range of non-financial information alongside financial data, covering areas such as the environment and anti-corruption measures.