Changing Business from the Inside Out

13Recognition, awards, and rankings

This chapter delves into the complex, but important, world of corporate responsibility rankings, lists, ratings, and awards.

Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition (Abraham Lincoln).

Allow me to start this chapter with a bit of a rant: The field of corporate responsibility has become a ratings game. On the one hand, this can be viewed as a positive force as companies compete for top billing in the various public ratings. On the other hand, the ratings game has become something of a beauty contest that, at its worst, threatens the credibility of the corporate responsibility movement and, at its best, takes a sizable amount of corporate treehugger time. For a deep dive ...