Magazine to publish ‘black list’ of worst companies

Corporate Responsibility Magazine has spent over a decade publishing a list of the 100 best corporate citizens. But for its April-May issue, which is out this week, the magazine is taking a different approach.

The new issue will feature a “black list” of the worst companies, or the least transparent.

From the New York Times:

To compile both its “best” and its “worst” list, the magazine scored companies from the Russell 1000 index of large-capitalization stocks on 349 data points in categories like financial, governance and human rights.

“We decided to ask ourselves what the bottom of that list would look like, never dreaming for a minute that we would uncover a full 30 corporations where no relevant data at all could be turned up,” he said.

The list includes well-known companies like Abercrombie & Fitch, Lorillard, Scripps Networks Interactive and Weight Watchers, along with more obscure ones like Central European Media Enterprises, which owns television stations like Pop TV of Slovenia.

As for the magazine’s list of the best corporate citizens? Here’s the top 10:

1. Hewlett-Packard Co.

2. Intel Corp.

3. General Mills, Inc.

4. International Business Machines Corp.

5. Kimberly Clark Corp.

6. Abbott Laboratories

7. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

8. Coca Cola Co

9. Gap, Inc.

10. Hess Corporation

To see the full list of the 100 best corporations, here’s a PDF.

Hmmm, who do you think will make the top 10 for the worst companies?