Amazon only other tech firm in top five

Apple has taken first place in a Harris Interactive poll on corporate reputations. The company scored a quotient of 85.63, giving it enough to beat out last year's winner, Google, which in the new poll has claimed second place with 82.82. Remaining companies in the top five include Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Kraft Foods.

Apple is moreover said to have seized leadership in several categories, namely Financial Performance, Products & Services, Vision & Leadership, and Workplace Environment. It was outclassed by Whole Foods in terms of Social Responsibility, though, and by Amazon in regards to Emotional Appeal.

"Apple’s current dominance is built on strong investments in its brand, predominantly through its products and services," Harris writes. "This one-dimensional approach to building reputation has ultimately yielded high associations with all six reputational dimensions. Conversely, Hewlett Packard, which once out-ranked Apple, has headed in the reverse direction. Hewlett Packard’s slowly eroding reputation has been injured by negative perceptions on Ethics and Vision & Leadership dimensions, and its brand is beginning to feel the damage."

In all only eight companies are said to have earned an "excellent" reputation in 2012, meaning a score of 80 or higher. The amount is half that of last year. Coca-Cola in fact leaped to its current spot from 15th place in 2011, while Amazon made somewhat less spectacular progress, rising from eighth place. Johnson & Johnson, 3M, and Berkshire Hathaway were knocked out of the top five.

By Electronista Staff