Want The Benefit of the Doubt? APCO Study Says You'd Better Up Your Rep...

APCO says its “Return on Reputation Indicator,” the tool used to “help companies better understand, protect and increase their reputation equity” shows how consumer spending, employee tenure, community support and shareholder value are all tied to better business image.

For example, a one-point increase in the retail industry’s reputation, the study says, means annual spending by the average consumer ups $133 a year, a boost in community activists advocating on behalf of the industry, and more policy-makers supporting the retail industry on most proposals (nearly a percentage-point increase).

It also suggests more than a half-million retail employees are likely to remain on the job and a market capitalization lift of 0.4