Every day in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal we see yet another company either under investigation, indicted or sentenced. What is going on? We wonder, in view of the recent corporate scandals, if we are we dealing with a few bad apples or the tip of the iceberg?

Scandals are certainly not new. One of the earliest major scandals occurred in Holland in 1634 with the tulip pyramid investment schemes that left investors with a devastating loss of 96 percent of their investments.

In the Georgia Land Scandal that took place in 1795, every member of the State Legislature took a bribe to approve a land deal selling 35 millions acres for a penny and a half an acre.

In the Panama Canal Scandal that shook up France in the 19th Century, 104 legislators were involved in the corruption, accepting bribes.

Could it be possible that un-ethical behavior is endemic in the corporate world, and that we hear only about those that get caught and exposed? This is not a reassuring thought.

I strongly believe that trust is at the basis of any relationship and that without it society could not function. As Graham Green once said: “It is impossible to go through life without trust: That is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself.”

We would never ride an elevator, have surgery, or open a bank account if we did not have some degree of trust in the system. If every corporation defrauded investors, there would be no investors left. Without some degree of trust, our whole system would collapse.

It hasn't yet!