New CSR Rankings Analysis

Today Ethisphere published its annual "Most Ethical Companies" list, which means that it is once again time for an update to my CSR rankings series.  For those of you new to this blog, I routinely compare the findings of various CSR rankings in order to provide a foundation for conversation about what constitutes a good, responsible, and ethical company.  Today I compare Ethisphere Institute's most recent CSR rankings to comparable rankings by Corporate Knights, CRO, Newsweek, and RiskMetrics Group.  Since I have been keeping track of these things since January, I include my complete findings, which incorporate three studies from 2009 and four from 2010.

Here's a brief guide to how to read the chart below.  I have sorted my findings into three tables, the first consisting of companies selected by Ethisphere this year with which two other 2010 rankings agree, the second with which one other 2010 rankings agree, and a third with which no other 2010 rankings agree.  I have also included three 2009 rankings, as well as a "consensus score" indicating how many of the six individual CSR rankings agree with Ethisphere (each table is sorted and segmented by consensus score).

A few things to keep in mind when reading this chart.  First, CRO and Newsweek limit their lists to American companies, so they will automatically ignore any non-U.S. corporations.  Second, Ethisphere's Most Ethical Companies is the only list to include non-profits and private companies, which together account for a fair number of companies not recognized by other CSR rankings.  Third, Newsweek's top 100 list is confined to environmental considerations, so some companies excelling in social indicators may not show up in its 2009 ranking.

I think it is appropriate to conclude this post with one final thought.  If you question the merits of lists like these, you are not alone, as can be affirmed by Christine Arena's article in the Christian Science Monitor.  That said, I ask you: if YOU were to develop your own CSR ranking, what would YOUR criteria be?