WestJet and Canadian Solar earn top marks in Canadian ranking of best CSR reputation

Perceptions related to Corporate Social Responsibility make up more than 40% of a company's reputation

TORONTO, Oct. 13, 2016 /CNW/ - When it comes to corporate social responsibility (CSR), one Canadian company has come through with flying colours while another has earned its place in the sun by focusing on making a difference in the marketplace, in the workplace and in society at large.

In a new CSR Canadian study by the global research firm Reputation Institute, WestJet and Canadian Solar are the companies rated most highly for their corporate social responsibility, in the eyes of those who know the companies best.

"We live in a reputation economy, where stakeholders' perceptions have a direct impact on business results," says Brad Hecht, Chief Research Officer at the Reputation Institute. "If a company is perceived as a responsible business, people are more likely than ever to do business with it, to want to work there, to recommend it to their friends, and to believe the company in a crisis."

Based on the results of a survey on more than 300 companies among informed respondents, here are the top ten most reputable Canadian companies in CSR:

1.	WestJet	6.	Premium Brands
2.	Canadian Solar	7.	Canadian Tire
3.	Home Hardware	8.	Sun Life Financial
4.	Empire Company (owner of Sobeys)	9.	Shoppers Drug Mart (Pharmaprix)
5.	Jean Coutu Group	10.	High Liner Foods

The research also reveals interesting trends:

• The importance of CSR to a company's reputation has grown every year since 2008.
• The consumer and transportation industries tend to have the highest CSR reputations, while the energy and financial services industries have the lowest.
• There is a growing link between impressions of a company's citizenship, governance and workplace and likelihood to buy its products, to recommend the products or the company to friends, and to believe and support the company in a crisis.
• Millennials are the group most likely to link a company's CSR to these key decisions.

"While many companies equate CSR with 'doing good' and 'feeling good,' the most reputable companies use CSR as a strategy to convey a corporate purpose, deepen connections with employees and stakeholders, and show how their actions are aligned with their values," says Daniel Tisch, CEO of Argyle Public Relationships, a leading Canadian reputation management consultancy.

The 2016 CSR RepTrak® reflects public perceptions of corporate performance across three increasingly important dimensions of corporate reputation: citizenship, workplace and governance. The results describe which companies are best regarded by consumers for having a positive societal influence, being environmentally friendly, operating with openness and transparency, behaving ethically, rewarding employees fairly and promoting employee well-being, among other factors.

According to the study, while a majority of the Canadian public are familiar or very familiar with individual companies, they are uncertain or neutral about their efforts in the different dimensions of reputation, in particular those related to CSR.

"Companies have a unique opportunity through action and communication to swing fence-sitters to the positive side based on the information they receive," adds Tisch. "It's no surprise that the companies with the strongest reputations tend to communicate more with consumers and are perceived as more consistent – and more differentiated than their competitors – in their communication."

About Reputation Institute
Reputation Institute (RI) is the world's leading consulting and advisory firm for reputation. RI enables many of the world's leading companies to make more confident business decisions that build and protect reputation capital, analyze risk and sustainability topics, and drive competitive advantage. RI's most prominent management tool is the RepTrak® model for analyzing the reputations of companies and institutions — best known via the Global RepTrak® 100, the world's largest and most comprehensive study of corporate reputations, as well as Country RepTrak® and City RepTrak® studies that look at reputation across organizations within a given geography.

Learn more at: http://www.reputationinstitute.com/

About Argyle Public Relationships™
Argyle helps major brands and respected organizations build and strengthen their relationships with the stakeholders who drive their reputations, brands and business success – across Canada and beyond. For more than 35 years, Argyle has been chosen by some of the world's biggest brands, has put big ideas onto the public agenda, and has become one of Canada's largest independent communications firms. Argyle is a Canadian leader in awards for consumer marketing, corporate communications, health communications, public affairs, digital communications, branding and design. In 2016, Argyle was named for the second year in a row by PROFIT 500 as one of Canada's fastest growing companies. Argyle has offices in Toronto and Ottawa with affiliates across the country and around the world.

Learn more at: http://www.argylepr.com/

SOURCE Argyle Public Relationships

Image with caption: "Reputation Institute (CNW Group/Argyle Public Relationships)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161013_C6226_PHOTO_EN_794648.jpg

Image with caption: "Argyle Public Relationships (CNW Group/Argyle Public Relationships)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161013_C6226_PHOTO_EN_794646.jpg

Mary Zajac, Argyle Public Relationships, 416-968-7311 ext. 260, [email protected]