The text is comprised of a series of case studies focusing on specific instances of corporate best practices. The companies in this study are not perfect companies. Many of them have a "past" that includes questionable practices. But these are companies that work to foster trust both inside the company and in their relationships with customers, suppliers, shareholders and the communities in which they operate., The study will not be merely a descriptive iteration of good corporate conduct, however. Rather, in the last chapter focuses on and extract the frameworks embedded in corporate decision-making that incorporate and integrate ethics as one of the key components in the decision process.

The text will include case narratives presenting specific examples of "best practices" of leading companies, devoting one chapter to each case. The book concludes with a careful examination of how and in what ways programs a particular company has in place (including mission and values statements, codes, ethics and compliance programs, stories of company heroes, etc.) respond to issues or challenges when they arise. The processes that helped that company to avoid a crisis and to achieve some positive ethical outcomes are outlined. The book concludes with analysis of frameworks for corporate and managerial ethical decision-making, frameworks that help to establish models for best practices. These frameworks will be such that they can be generalized to other corporate situations and replicated by other companies in their search for excellence or the avoidance of misconduct.