Tag Archives: BMW

Rolex Rises in Reputation Rankings

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Rolex, The Walt Disney Company and Google top Reputation Institute’s 2016 Global RepTrak 100, the world’s largest annual survey of corporate reputations. The RepTrak System measures the general public’s perception of the world’s top companies on the seven key rational dimensions of reputation: products and services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, leadership and performance.

An “excellent” reputation is represented by an overall RepTrak Pulse score of 80 or higher. A RepTrak Pulse score of 70-79 is considered “strong,” while 60-69 is “average.” None of the companies in the Top 100 scored below 67.

“The Global RepTrak 100 shows that to be a winner in the global market, companies need to deliver on all seven dimensions of reputation,” said Kasper Ulf Nielsen, executive partner at Reputation Institute, in a news release. “The top three companies all demonstrated strong or excellent scores in each dimension, which means that consumers are more likely to buy and recommend their products and services.”

One notable absence from the RepTrak 100 is German automaker Volkswagen, whose reputation dropped by 13.7 points globally in the wake of an emissions scandal. VW earned a strong RepTrak Pulse score of 75 in 2015, good enough for 14th place on the Global RepTrak 100 that year, but dropped to an average RepTrak Pulse score of 61.3 in 2016, falling to 123rd position.

Across the seven dimensions of reputation, VW saw an average drop of 10.9 points, with the biggest drops in governance, citizenship and leadership. VW also saw a drop across all supportive behaviors, which underscores the impact of a company’s reputation on the business.

The top 10 companies in this year’s rankings are:

  1. Rolex
  2. The Walt Disney Company
  3. Google
  4. BMW Group
  5. Daimler
  6. LEGO Group
  7. Microsoft
  8. Canon
  9. Sony
  10. Apple

Consumers identified Rolex as the global leader in products and services, while Apple remains the global leader in innovation and leadership. Google earned top marks on performance and workplace, with The Walt Disney Company perceived as best in citizenship and governance.

Out of the 100 companies that made the list, only six companies managed to make their way into the top 10 across the majority of the markets. Rolex, which occupied the fourth spot in 2014 and 2015 but jumped to first place overall in 2016, ranks in the top 10 across 11 markets – the most out of all companies.

Microsoft returned to the top 10 in 2016 after a one-year absence, replacing Intel, which slipped to 11th place. Though it remains in the top 10, Apple slid from 7th place since 2014.

Download the complete list of Top 100 Reputable Companies.

Stanley: Duke Energy’s New Edwardsport Plant to Contribute to Affordable Electricity

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Jim Stanley, President of Duke Energy Indiana, relays the status of the company’s new Edwardsport coal gasification facility.

Duke Energy’s new power plant using advanced integrated gasification combined cycle, or IGCC, technology that is being built in Edwardsport, Indiana, is an investment in the local community, the state and our future. 

When local, state and community leaders offered their support for Duke Energy’s decision to move forward with the project, they did so knowing the positive impact that reliable, affordable electricity could have on our state, the local community and the people we serve. When completed in 2012, the plant will produce 10 times as much power with significantly less environmental impact than the much smaller and older plant it will replace. It will be the first major new power plant built in Indiana in more than 20 years and serve as a critical starting point to modernize the state’s aging electrical systems.

Some will say now is not the time to build an expensive new power plant. But by investing now, we can ensure our children and grandchildren will have the infrastructure they need for a better future. And by spreading out the cost of the plant over time, we can meet our future energy needs and pay for our investment without a dramatic increase in our family energy bills.

Furthermore, in these challenging economic times the impact the construction and eventual operation of the plant is having and will have on our economy is dramatic, generating good-paying, high-skilled jobs and spurring economic growth across the state. 

Currently about 1,400 electrical workers, iron workers, plumbers, carpenters, laborers, and other professionals are working on the construction site.  This number is expected to grow to about 2,000 this summer. And when completed, the plant will employ about 100 full-time workers with high-skilled well-paid jobs. In addition, the 1.4 million to 1.7 million tons of Indiana coal the plant will use each year will contribute to an estimated 350+ new mining and railroad jobs. And, as one of the largest construction projects in Indiana, the Edwardsport plant has generated approximately $468 million dollars through contracts with 141 Indiana businesses, such as Bowen Engineering, BMW Constructors, F.A. Wilhelm, Gribbins Insulations and Solid Platform, just to name a few.

In these economic times, when Indiana workers are hard-pressed to find work and businesses are cutting back, supporters of the project should be commended for supporting high-value construction projects like Edwardsport that have an immediate economic impact on our state and local economies and serve as a catalyst for further growth and investment in the future.

Editor’s UPDATE: Congrats to Mr. Stanley on his new position as Duke Energy’s Senior VP of power delivery for U.S. operations.

Letters to Our Leaders: Laboring for a Solution

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Automotive production in the United States is moving south. Yes, Indiana has been successful recently in attracting Honda and incorporating a Toyota expansion into the existing Subaru facility in Lafayette, but those have been exceptions rather than the rule.

Since Nissan chose Smyrna, Tennessee for a plant location in 1983, the Volunteer state and neighbors in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina have become attractive locations for BMW, Kia, Honda and others. Good transportation and a strong workforce are two of the reasons. The biggest, according to some, is that these are right-to-work (RTW) states that allow the automakers (and other major employers) to avoid union concerns.

The 22 states with RTW laws have seen dramatic increases in economic development and personal incomes compared to those lacking the RTW measures. It’s not the lone reason, of course, but one that deserves full consideration.

One of the keys to progress for any state is standing out from the others. RTW would do that for Indiana in the Midwest and on a national level.

This week’s Letter to Our Leaders has the details.

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