Woolworths still tops reputation survey but drops on 2014 score

Coming in at a close second and third are other retail giants, Pick n Pay and Shoprite, with scores of 70.8 and 69.0 respectively.

The other industries surveyed are Financial Services: Banking where FNB topped the scores, Financial Services Diversified where Old Mutual holds prime position, Energy where Shell leads and Telecommunications where MTN took the lead spot. From a clothing retailer perspective, Mr Price Group was found to have the best reputation followed by Edcon Group.

This year's study measured the reputation of 30 well-known companies, included among these are the ten largest listed South African companies based on revenue. Companies that are not easily recognisable by the public and those that are wholly owned subsidiaries of other companies were excluded. The scores rates corporate reputation on a scale from 0 to 100.

Scores

From a reputation point of view, Capitec Bank is becoming a serious contender in the banking sector, "We have a newcomer that is no longer seen as an outsider but from a reputation perspective is now playing in the big league", said Dr Dominik Heil, Chairman of the Reputation House.

Products, services biggest drivers of reputation

The main purpose of the study is to understand what aspects are most prominent in determining the reputation of companies in South Africa, with a focus on large companies. Dr Heil said that the biggest drivers of corporate reputation in South Africa in 2015 were Products & Services, Innovation and Performance, which are markedly ahead of Workplace, Governance, Citizenship and Leadership.

"While there is an increase in the average reputation of the South African companies, we are seeing a similar picture that we typically see when there is a crisis and uncertainty in an economy. The fact that people are under a lot of pressure economically and given the lack of visible leadership in the public and private sector, people's attention has shifted towards basics such as pricing, quality of products and value for money."

The 2015 RepTrak Pulse was conducted in May and June 2015, with 10,547 people between the ages of 18 and 64 from economically active segments of the public ie with an LSM of 6+, were surveyed. At least 300 respondents were interviewed about each company included in the survey. Respondents had to be "somewhat" or "very" familiar with the companies surveyed and provide measures on at least three of the four pulse statements i.e. Trust, Admiration, Esteem and Good Feeling. The research was conducted via Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews amongst the South African public reached on mobile phones.

For more information, go to www.reputationhouse.co.za.