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Reputation Institute Study
Rankings Across Seven Categories
Matthew Kirdahy, 05.21.07, 12:00 PM ET
Revenues, profits and the bottom line are all paramount to the survival of any business, in any market. But good business isn't just about a sound balance sheet. What about the image each company garners at home?
The Reputation Institute taps into this notion of money being just as important to the health of a company as its image based on the opinion of the local consumer.
On a global scale, the Reputation Institute had consumers weigh in on 200 companies and grouped them, given the results, in seven dimensions: Products/Services, Innovation, Workplace, Governance, Citizenship, Leadership and Performance. According to the "seven reputation dimensions" portion of the report, the key for every company is to be relevant to its own stakeholders in what the company says and does. A total of 18 companies earned top-five positions in the seven dimensions, for which separate U.S. and global rankings were produced.
Although no single company comes out on top in all the dimensions globally, Sweden's IKEA, the home furnishing company, appears in the top five in five of the seven dimensions. IKEA spokeswoman, Mona Liss, said this solid foundation indicates just how the company's core values resonate with its employees and its customers.
"We are best at looking at how people live their lives in their homes and coming up with home living solutions that work and look great," Liss said. "At IKEA, home is the most important place in the world."
The study shows that IKEA is No. 1 in governance and leadership, which Liss explained stems from the company's equality in the workplace in lieu of a true hierarchy or caste.
"We really don't have titles at IKEA," she said.
In the U.S. rankings, the reputation of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is heavily rooted in favorable perceptions of its governance and performance, taking the top spot in both dimensions. UPS is ranked No. 1 in citizenship, while Johnson & Johnson leads in products and services as well as workplace. Microsoft comes out top in innovation and leadership.
Johnson & Johnson Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Weldon attributed his company's devotion to leadership to generations of commitment.
Weldon said, "We feel a special privilege knowing that every day our products, services and philanthropic efforts touch the lives of more than a billion people all over the world."
The Reputation Institute's report also shows some companies are praised by local consumers in only one or two of the reputation dimensions. Finland's Nokia, for instance, is only praised for its innovation and India's Infosys Technologies only for its leadership.
The report said that suggests these companies have some vulnerability in the other areas of their reputation with consumers.
In other global dimensions, Denmark's Lego sits atop all in products and services, while the leading cellphone maker in the world, Nokia, is ranked No. 1 in innovation. Toyota is ranked tops in performance, while the Norway-based Aker is No. 1 for workplace. Denmark's Vestas took the lead spot in citizenship.
Rankings Across Seven Categories
Matthew Kirdahy, 05.21.07, 12:00 PM ET
Revenues, profits and the bottom line are all paramount to the survival of any business, in any market. But good business isn't just about a sound balance sheet. What about the image each company garners at home?
The Reputation Institute taps into this notion of money being just as important to the health of a company as its image based on the opinion of the local consumer.
On a global scale, the Reputation Institute had consumers weigh in on 200 companies and grouped them, given the results, in seven dimensions: Products/Services, Innovation, Workplace, Governance, Citizenship, Leadership and Performance. According to the "seven reputation dimensions" portion of the report, the key for every company is to be relevant to its own stakeholders in what the company says and does. A total of 18 companies earned top-five positions in the seven dimensions, for which separate U.S. and global rankings were produced.
Although no single company comes out on top in all the dimensions globally, Sweden's IKEA, the home furnishing company, appears in the top five in five of the seven dimensions. IKEA spokeswoman, Mona Liss, said this solid foundation indicates just how the company's core values resonate with its employees and its customers.
"We are best at looking at how people live their lives in their homes and coming up with home living solutions that work and look great," Liss said. "At IKEA, home is the most important place in the world."
The study shows that IKEA is No. 1 in governance and leadership, which Liss explained stems from the company's equality in the workplace in lieu of a true hierarchy or caste.
"We really don't have titles at IKEA," she said.
In the U.S. rankings, the reputation of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is heavily rooted in favorable perceptions of its governance and performance, taking the top spot in both dimensions. UPS is ranked No. 1 in citizenship, while Johnson & Johnson leads in products and services as well as workplace. Microsoft comes out top in innovation and leadership.
Johnson & Johnson Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Weldon attributed his company's devotion to leadership to generations of commitment.
Weldon said, "We feel a special privilege knowing that every day our products, services and philanthropic efforts touch the lives of more than a billion people all over the world."
The Reputation Institute's report also shows some companies are praised by local consumers in only one or two of the reputation dimensions. Finland's Nokia, for instance, is only praised for its innovation and India's Infosys Technologies only for its leadership.
The report said that suggests these companies have some vulnerability in the other areas of their reputation with consumers.
In other global dimensions, Denmark's Lego sits atop all in products and services, while the leading cellphone maker in the world, Nokia, is ranked No. 1 in innovation. Toyota is ranked tops in performance, while the Norway-based Aker is No. 1 for workplace. Denmark's Vestas took the lead spot in citizenship.
