NZ Post has best reputation, Telecom has worst

NZ Post has best reputation, Telecom has worst; new research

Auckland, August 27, 2010: New Zealand Post has the strongest corporate reputation in the country and Telecom New Zealand has the worst according to the 2010 Corporate Reputation Index[1] of the country’s largest employers.

In the results, compiled by AMR Interactive and announced today by Auckland based Core Communications, New Zealand Post achieves a higher ranking than some of the country’s most established companies, including Air New Zealand, Farmers, Progressive Enterprises and Fonterra, while Telecom New Zealand rates far below any other company in the independent study.

The Corporate Reputation Index measures how New Zealanders aged 18-64 score the country’s 20 largest employers [2], giving them an overall ranking using seven criteria; products, innovation, workplace, citizenship, governance, leadership and financial performance.

Produced by research consultancy AMR Interactive, the Australasian associate of the worldwide Reputation Institute [3], the study follows the same methodology that is used in 32 other countries around the world. This year is the first time the study has been conducted in New Zealand.

AMR’s Reputation Practice Director and General Manager, Oliver Freedman, says New Zealand Post’s high performance across all criteria resulted in it achieving the overall top ranking.

“Although, NZ Post did not receive top ranking in any of the individual areas, it was ranked within the top three for all seven, unlike any other company in the study,” says Mr Freedman. “It shows NZ Post’s consistent service in difficult economic times has clearly had a strong impact on how the company is regarded among the New Zealand public.”

Freedman also said that the difficult year experienced by Telecom New Zealand, which included the repeated failure of its XT network, saw its overall score fall below any of the 60 companies measured in the equivalent Australian index.

Air New Zealand ranks second overall, topping the poll in terms of products, innovation and workplace. The Warehouse ranks first in the remaining other four areas; financial performance, leadership, citizenship and governance and second for its innovation but drops to fourth overall due to only ranking 13th in terms of its products. Farmers is ranked third overall, with its workplace, governance and products all rating highly.

Managing Director of Core Communications, Steve Grbic, whose company is the Reputation Institute’s New Zealand Communications Associate, says that the high ranking of banks in New Zealand is remarkable, particularly given the global financial crisis.

“ASB and Bank of New Zealand rank 3rd and 4th for their citizenship and 7th and 9th overall. This differs from results in Australia and around the world where banks generally struggle to be perceived positively, particularly in the area of citizenship. It shows how established, strong reputations can help protect organisations in a challenging time.”

Earlier this week NZ Post confirmed a net profit after tax of $NZ1.3 million for the financial year to the end of June. While first overall on the Corporate Reputation Index, the company ranks second for its financial performance, products, workplace, citizenship and governance and third in the areas of leadership and innovation.

A breakfast seminar takes place on Tuesday, September 21st where businesses will have the opportunity to learn more about their rankings and improving company reputation.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Please find a full list of rankings for 2010 below or at http://alturl.com/9cd7b

Notable findings / comparisons with Australia:

1. New Zealand Post has a higher rating than that received by Australia Post in Australia

2. Air New Zealand rates higher than Qantas does in Australia

3. The Warehouse ranks first in terms of leadership, performance and governance (being honest, open and transparent) but only 13th in terms of products. Internationally, this is one of the first examples of a company that has managed to establish a good reputation without a strong foundation of positive product perceptions

4. ASB’s score is also higher than any of Australia’s major banks (in Australia) – NAB, Westpac, ANZ, CBA) and on par with Australia’s number one ranked bank – ING Direct

5. ANZ Bank in Australia is on par with ANZ in Australia. Westpac is rated slightly higher in New Zealand as is Bank of New Zealand

6. McDonald’s has a much stronger reputation than Burger King – this is mainly based on more positive perceptions of its Innovation, Workplace, Citizenship, Governance and Financial Performance

7. SkyCity is rated more positively in NZ than Crown in Australia

About the Reputation Index:

Other major reputation or Corporate Responsibility studies conducted in New Zealand use a self-rating system; the companies being analysed voluntarily provide the data, which can then be audited. However, the Corporate Reputation Index is different because it collates insight direct from consumers, and does not rely on any information provided by the companies being studied.

Only adults aged 18-64 are surveyed as part of the Reputation Index in New Zealand, with results weighted to ensure they represent appropriate gender and age groups.

About AMR Interactive:
AMR Interactive is a research consultancy that brings innovation, integration and insight to drive business success. AMR Interactive has operated in Australia for more than twenty years, offering a full range of research services to business and government. From advertising effectiveness and brand equity studies through to corporate reputation, customer satisfaction, concept testing and pricing AMR Interactive offers a complete research consultancy service. Our mission is to drive our clients’ success with the best people, products and processes.

NZ 2010 Corporate Reputation Index

Ranking COMPANY
1 New Zealand Post
2 Air New Zealand
3 Farmers
4 The Warehouse
5 Goodman Fielder
6 Repco
7 ASB Bank
8 Progressive Enterprises
9 Bank of New Zealand
10 Fonterra
11 McDonalds
12 Westpac
13 Skycity Entertainment
14 ANZ Bank
15 Suncorp
16 Burger King
17 Fairfax Media
18 Bayleys Realty
19 APN News and Media
20 Telecom New Zealand

[1] N=5751
[2] The list of Top 20 New Zealand companies studied in the Corporate Reputation Index is compiled by AMR Interactive by using a list of the top 100 companies on employment published by Kompass (a business search engine providing business users with comprehensive information about companies, people, products and services.)
Companies are excluded if they are not national, or only have a regional presence, or have a ‘Business to Business’ focus.
[3] The Reputation Institute is the leading international organisation dedicated to advancing knowledge about corporate reputations. Founded in 1997, the Reputation Institute has been a pioneer and global leader in the development of measurement tools and counsel to leading corporations around the world.

© Scoop Media