President Barak Obama referred in his inaugural address to the necessary trust between government and the people. The issue of trust—in human relationships and in the global economy—has become central to the way the world should work. Powerful voices are saying so. But what do we really understand by trust?

I’ve been struck by the number of senior executives who have called for an emphasis on ethical and even moral values in the light of the global economic crisis.

The scale of the fraud, amounting to some $50 billion, committed by the former head of the Nasdaq market Bernard Madoff beggars belief. What lessons can be drawn from it about the nature of trust - and gullibility?

How to stay ethical during a downturn: this was the theme of a talk given by Roger Steare, author of Ethicability, at Cass Business School in London on 26 November.

What is our human response to financial crisis and recession? They need moral as well as economic components, as the father of capitalism emphasised.