Corporate Reputation Rankings 2016: and the Winner Is?

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability initiatives, actions, and communication are strategic aspects in establishing corporate reputation. Each year, numerous rankings are published which measure corporate reputation on a global scale. In this study, 20 global companies were assessed based on five of those rankings, 2016 Global RepTrak® 100: The World’s Most Reputable Companies; 2016 Global CSR RepTrak® Leaders; Global 100 2016; Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2016; and Newsweek Green Ratings 2016 to establish which company has the best reputation for 2016, all criteria and rankings combined. Communication of CSR/sustainability actions was also assessed through the corporate websites. This paper confirms the need for coherent and consistent CSR/sustainability criteria and metrics to accurately establish which company is the most reputable. Keywords