The Walt Disney Company was recently named one of the most socially responsible companies in the world – sharing the top spot with Microsoft, Google, and BMW.
Reputation Institute – a private consulting firm – conducted a study where more than 55,000 consumers in 15 countries were asked to identify companies with the strongest Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reputation.
Consumers had to evaluate how much they agree with three statements: (1) Company is a good corporate citizen; (2) Company is a responsibly-run; and (3) Company is an appealing place to work.
In the survey, the scores came from four indicators – trust, esteem, admiration, and good feeling. Reputation Institute also analyzed the “seven dimensions of corporate reputation” that include workplace, governance, citizenship, financial performance, leadership, products and services, and innovation.
The top four companies based on the results were Microsoft, The Walt Disney, Google, and BMW. The companies were placed in a four-way tie because there was not enough of a significant difference between their scores (which ranged from 72.92 for Microsoft to 72.83 for Disney to 72.14 for BMW) according to the Reputation Institute.
In an article in Forbes, Kasper Ulf Nielsen, executive partner at Reputation Institute said “CSR speaks to who the company is, what it believes in and how it is doing business. It’s a core element of reputation and can be used to help establish trust and goodwill amongst stakeholders.”
Disney’s score also showed that the company has the best perception for citizenship. Nearly 50 percent of consumers who participated in the survey said Disney is a good corporate citizen and supports good causes, including protecting the environment.
