NORWALK, CT: Media coverage of a company's financial performance is having a significant effect on corporate reputation, according to the Delahaye Index for the third quarter.
The Delahaye Index reflects analysis of print and broadcast coverage to rank the reputations of the top 100 US companies.
General Motors has the greatest change in performance this year, which rebounded from the 100th spot in the first quarter to 13 this quarter due to positive coverage about its financial performance, said Mark Weiner, president of Delahaye.
One of the most notable declines in this quarter's index was Hewlett-Packard, which plummeted 90 spots to the last spot on the index because of negative news about its corporate spying scandal.
"When we see this kind of volatility, it's a reminder that reputation comes with risk," said Weiner. "Those companies with good solid reputation have that much further to fall when things don't go right."
Microsoft topped the list for the fifth quarter in a row, followed by Disney, IBM, Time Warner, and Wal-Mart.
