These three retailers are tops in corporate reputation

Another corporate ranking, another first place finish by Amazon.



The online giant came out on top in Harris Poll’s annual corporate reputation rankings report. The poll measures the reputations of the 100 most visible companies in the United States as perceived by the general public.



With a corporate reputation quotient (RQ) or rating of 86.27, Amazon had the highest RQ in the poll’s 18 years of study. It was followed by Wegmans (85.41), and Publix Super Markets (82.78). The three companies were the only retailers to crack the top 10.



For the RQ rating, consumers rate perceptions about each company across 20 attributes, classified into six elements of corporate reputation: financial performance; vision & leadership; corporate reputation; social responsibility; emotional appeal; products and services; and workplace environment. Amazon and Wegmans ranked in the top three on all six elements.



The Harris Poll report noted that in today’s increasingly polarized country, the reputations of some companies stronger on one side of the aisle vs. the other. Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby, two companies that have publicly made clear their conservative-leaning corporate values are the most polarizing. Republicans give Chick-fil-A a higher RQ score than all other companies (it ranks No. 1 -- beating the likes of Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, etc.). In contrast, Target is an example of a company judged more positively by Democrats.



“As companies struggle with questions around how prominent their values should be and whether their leaders should ‘speak up’ on society’s issues, RQ confirms both the reward and the risk of such choices,” the report said.



To see the complete rankings click here.