Microsoft Tops J&J for Best Reputation

http://articles.news.aol.com/business/_a/microsoft-tops-jandj-for-best/20070131065409990004

Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates proved even more appealing than cuddly babies in the eighth-annual Harris Interactive/The Wall Street Journal ranking of the world's best and worst corporate reputations.

Top-ranked Microsoft managed to beat Johnson & Johnson, whose emotionally appealing baby-products business had kept it in first place for a remarkable seven consecutive years. In the Reputation Quotient survey conducted by market-research firm Harris Interactive Inc., respondents gave Microsoft very high marks for leadership and financial results. But Mr. Gates's personal philanthropy also boosted the public's opinion of Microsoft.

"The involvement of Bill Gates and his wife in their charitable foundation has had a definite impact on Microsoft's reputation," says Enriqueta Lopez Ramos, a survey respondent and retired university professor in San Benito, Texas.

Halliburton Co. finished in the cellar, with respondents giving it the lowest ratings of any of the 60 companies for ethical standards and for trust. Some people accused the company of using political connections to profit from the war in Iraq and overcharging the U.S. government.