Google has the best reputation of any U.S.
company while failed insurance giant AIG's name is the worst,
according to a corporate reputation poll released Monday.
The Harris Interactive poll placed the internet search giant ahead
of consumer products company Johnson & Johnson in second spot and
multinational conglomerate 3M in third. Warren Buffet's Berkshire
Hathaway was fourth, followed by Apple.
Technology companies were the top-rated sector with some 75 per
cent of the 30,000 respondents saying they had positive views of the
industry.
Banks, tobacco companies and cable companies dominated the bottom
rankings, with AIG, the insurer whose collapse precipitated the great
recession, ranked as the least reputable company in the country. BP
was its closest competitor.
Other tech companies that featured on the list included Intel (6th
place), Amazon.com (8th place), Microsoft (16th), HP (25th) and IBM
(26th). Sony gained 14th place in the poll, which was conducted
before news of its massive data breach came out, while Facebook
debuted in 41st.
"These top-scoring companies are seen as supporting the
infrastructure of the lives of the American public," said Robert
Fronk, a senior vice president at Harris. "They get credit for
simplifying, delighting or enriching people's lives."
