Google ranks as most reputable company in Ireland

Google has taken the top spot as the most reputable company operating in Ireland – that’s according to the Ireland RepTrak 2010 study, released by Corporate Reputations today.

Kellogg’s, BMW, Marks & Spencer and Nokia also came out trumps in the top tier of Ireland’s top ranking companies in 2010.

Conversely, Anglo Irish Bank rests at the bottom of the list, finishing last out of the 115 organisations included in the survey.

Meanwhile John Player & Sons, UPC (Chorus NTL), NTR, and Bank of Ireland were also ranked in the bottom five.

The Ireland RepTrak 2010 aims to rank the reputations of some of the largest and most visible firms in Ireland. The study measured companies’reputations based on:

·     Consumer’s trust;

·     Esteem;

·     Admiration;

·     Good feelings about a company; and

·     It also gauged perceptions across seven rational dimensions of reputation.

Organisations from Anglo to Airtricity and Intel to Google were ranked, with nearly 12,000 ratings received from the general public.

Key findings from Ireland RepTrak 2010

Of the 20 companies with the best reputations in Ireland, the study reveals that:

·     12 were multinationals and eight were indigenous firms.

·     The top five indigenous Irish firms are, in order, the Irish Times, An Post National Lottery, Eason & Sons, Smyths Toys and An Post.  

Computer industry strongest performer overall

The strongest performing industry overall was the computer industry, followed by the automotive industry, consumer goods, retail and food manufacturing.

·     Marks & Spencer Group, FBD and Nokia were the top-performing firms in retail, financial services and telecommunications industries respectively.

·     The worst-performing industries were, in order: tobacco; financial services; airlines and aerospace; and transport and logistics.

Commenting on the results of the study, Niall O’Riordan, head of Policy and Public Affairs, Google, said: “At Google we know that our users are only one click away from moving to a competitor service. Our corporate reputation is about putting our users first. Meeting their expectations through the products and services we provide is integral to everything we do as a company.”

Corporate reputation key to sustaining and growing business

Prof Damien McLoughlin, UCD Michael Smurfit School of Business, said: “A good corporate reputation does not happen by chance. The leading companies on this ranking have invested much time and resources in ensuring that their reputations are strong and their commitment has been rewarded.”

By Carmel Doyle

Photo: Niall O’Riordan, head of Policy and Public Affairs, Google, and Niamh Boyle, managing director, Corporate Reputations

^{Photo by Jason Clarke}