Britain's Worst-Run Companies: A Survey Exposes UK's Most Hated Brands

Britain's worst-run companies have been exposed in a new survey, with British Airways, Royal Bank of Scotland, and the owner of the Daily Mail emerging as the most hated brands. The Reputation Institute found that these companies, along with several others, have failed to recover from recent scandals, strikes, and shoddy service. In contrast, high street names such as Boots the Chemist and John Lewis Partnership have topped the list as the most admired.

Key Takeaways:

• British Airways ranked 114th in the survey, below Eurostar, due to the recent strike action by its cabin crew.
• The airline's poor reputation was exacerbated by its treatment of passengers during the Channel tunnel incident.
• Companies that have suffered from scandals, strikes, and shoddy service, such as Royal Bank of Scotland, British American Tobacco, and Imperial Tobacco, scored poorly in the survey.
• Utility companies Thames Water, Severn Trent, and Scottish and Southern Energy also ranked low, with the state-controlled RBS and Lloyds TSB following closely behind.
• The top 10 most admired companies in the survey included big high street names such as Boots the Chemist, John Lewis Partnership, Marks & Spencer, and Debenhams.
• Dairy Milk-maker Cadbury, bought by American conglomerate Kraft earlier this year, came third in the survey.

Statistics:

• 6,000 consumers were surveyed in the Reputation Institute's study.
• 114th is the ranking of British Airways in the survey.
• The recent strike action by BA cabin crew weighed heavily on consumers' minds.
• 34% of consumers said they had lost trust in some of the country's biggest brands due to the banking crisis.
• The Reputation Institute found that events like striking staff and poor service stay in the mind of the public for a long time.

Sources:

• Reputation Institute survey of 6,000 consumers in the UK.
• "UK's worst-run companies: British Airways, RBS and Daily Mail owner on list" by Zoe Wood, in The Guardian.