In the telephone poll conducted by The Cherenson Group, a Livingston, NJ-based public relations firm, nearly six in ten adults believe the recent stock market woes are caused by corporate lying and dishonesty, almost four times more than other factors including the economy (15 percent) and the threat of terrorism (10 percent).

The research also found that a whopping 86 percent of adults say that if presented with two products or services of equal quality, they would actually pay more if the company had an excellent reputation for being honest with customers, employees and shareholders.

"Dishonest companies will pay a price with investors and consumers," said Michael Cherenson, vice president of The Cherenson Group. "Companies with a reputation for honesty, however, will reap the rewards not only with its stock price, but they can actually charge more for its products and services."

According to Cherenson, findings from Cherenson Group studies also confirm that by investing in reputation and public relations, a company can realize bottom lines savings in the form of recruitment, retention and overhead costs and can generate more revenues by leveraging its reputation with its pricing
strategies.