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Business in Society Report

What does good business look like in the age of AI? In this second annual Bentley-Gallup survey, we asked 5,458 people across America where they think businesses are having a positive impact – and where they are coming up short. Here is one of the key findings.

82% Americans say avoiding a major pay gap between CEOs and average employees is important, but only 13% say businesses do it well

How important is it that businesses avoid a major pay gap between CEOs and employees?  

How important is it that businesses avoid a major pay gap between CEOs and employees? 

"While they seem reluctant to use the tax code to reduce economic inequality, Americans consistently think that firms are not distributing the wealth they generate equitably among their top executives and other employees. Corporate boards may disagree, but they ignore this fact at their peril." 

Jeffrey Moriarty
Professor of Philosophy
Bentley University

"The CEO-employee pay gap is a controversial issue. While high CEO salaries can attract top talent, they can also be seen as excessive. Companies should prioritize compensating and valuing employees rather than relying on high CEO compensation to retain top talent. "

Kristina Minnick 
Stanton Professor of Finance
Bentley University