Samsung US reputation ranking falls by 42 places
Samsung's reputation in the US among the general public took a huge hit last year, dropping 42 positions for the 2017 ranking, a prominent corporate reputation survey agency has said.
According to Harris Poll's research, the South Korean tech giant was ranked 49th in the reputation ranking among 100 top companies in the US in 2017. The firm scored 75.17 in the reputation quotient compared to last year's 80.44 when it was ranked seventh.
Amazon, meanwhile, ranked top for the second straight year and scored 86.27 -- the highest score ever from the agency -- and a rise from 83.96 last year.
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Apple was ranked fifth compared to its runner-up position last year while Google ranked eighth, a drop from third place.
Tesla made its top ten debut at ninth, "despite the fact that many Americans may never purchase one of its products -- or even ride in one", the Harris Poll said.
CEO Elon Musk's "celebrity CEO factor" coupled with him "having the Trump administration's ear" make the firm fascinating to watch going forward, according to Wendy Salomon, vice president of reputation management and public affairs at The Harris Poll.
Harris Poll said its quotient score is measured based on more than 23,000 Americans in social responsibility, emotional appeal, products and services, vision and leadership, financial performance, and workplace environment.
It said product recall due to contamination and poor leadership conduct were the biggest risks for companies.
Samsung year last year recalled its Galaxy Note 7 due to the phones catching fire -- a first of its kind for smartphones -- while the company boss has been involved in a Korean bribery scandal since November.
Despite the steep fall, Samsung's was not the steepest decline. Wells Fargo dropped 20.6 points due to its accounting scandal, while Volkswagen fell 20.5 points, likely due to the emission scandal.
Top ranker Amazon was unsurpassed in four areas: Emotional appeal, products and services, vision and leadership, and financial performance. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been one of the most vocal in opposing Donald Trump's controversial policy pledges.