Trust Across America™, a think tank dedicated to unraveling the complexities of trustworthy business behavior, today announced the results of its second annual study of almost 2500 public companies, naming Smithfield Foods as the Most Trustworthy Public Company for 2011. Barbara Kimmel, Executive Director states: “Smithfield Foods looks to be somewhat of a “reinvention” as its score rocketed from 2010.” According to the company website, its motto is “Good Food Responsibly®. We remain 100 percent committed to environmental leadership, community involvement, employee safety, animal care and high-quality food.”
The Trust Across America study independently analyzes over 200 data points with respect to five key corporate indicators of trustworthy business behavior: Financial stability and strength, Accounting conservativeness, Corporate integrity, Transparency, and Sustainability, aptly called FACTS™. Companies do not participate in the analysis. The framework, initially conceived and developed in 2008 with a group of academics, corporate leaders and consultants, is “the most holistic and comprehensive trust “health” checkup for public companies,” according to its founders. Kimmel points out that “There is lots of work to be done for those companies choosing to make trust a high priority. No company is perfect, nor did any receive a score of “100.” In fact, even the top ranked companies did not break 90. But we were pleased to see the average score rise this year from 2010.”
The following is a ranked list of the Top 10 Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2011
#1 Smithfield Foods (SFD), a global food company (www.smithfieldfoods.com)
#2 Xcel Energy (XEL), a regional supplier of electric power and natural gas (www.xcelenergy.com)
#3 Nike, Inc. (NKE), a global marketer of athletic footwear, apparel and equipment (www.nikeinc.com)
#4 Dole Food Company (DOLE), the world’s largest producer of high quality fruits and vegetables (www.dole.com)
#5 Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a semiconductor design innovator (www.amd.com)
#6 Allergan (AGN), a global technology-driven multi-specialty healthcare company (www.allergan.com)
#7 Temple-Inland (TIN), a low-cost corrugated packaging and building products company (www.templeinland.com)
#8 Herman Miller (MLHR), a designer and manufacturer of furniture (www.hermanmiller.com)
#9 Texas Instruments (TXN), a developer of analog, digital signal processing, and semiconductor technologies (www.ti.com)
#10 Lexmark International (LXK), a provider of printing and imaging products and software solutions (www.lexmark.com)
“We are pleased to see two companies, Texas Instruments and Lexmark International on our “Top 10” for two years in a row,” stated Kimmel. “It’s all about corporate culture. While most CEO’s aspire to run trustworthy companies, most don’t know where to start.” Trust Across America™ provides key analytical tools to begin the journey.” Frank Sonnenberg, author of the newly released book Managing with a Conscience (2nd ed.) agrees. “If businesses are to thrive in the global marketplace, they must be able to outshine the competition in critical areas such as trust. In fact, trust must be more than something that is talked about; it must be at the core of everything that is done. Trust is not an abstract, theoretical, idealistic goal forever beyond our reach. Trustworthy business behavior MUST become a priority.”
Trust Across America (TAA) is a program of Next Decade, Inc., an award-winning firm that has been unraveling and simplifying complex subjects for over 20 years. TAA provides a framework for public companies to improve trustworthy business practices through detailed individual company reports, industry and sector analyses, and an index of its data.TAA also provides a variety of media opportunities to highlight companies and leaders exhibiting high levels of trust and integrity.
For more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview with Barbara Kimmel, please call (908) 879-6625 or email barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
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