Spring 2008
“Issues Affecting Reputation Management and Strategic Communications”
1 Boston College
2 United Parcel Service, Inc.
MASSACHUSETTS 3 Children's Hospital
C O R P O R AT E 4 Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA
R E P U TAT I O N 5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
SURVEY 6 Dunkin’ Donuts
7 University of Massachusetts
8 Harvard University
9 Tufts University
10 Brigham and Women's Hospital
11 Friendly Ice Cream Corporation
12 Yankee Candle Co.
13 BJ's Wholesale Club
Survey summary available at: www.morrisseyco.com/survey
In Celebration of the Good
I will ignore the sensational headlines and the tawdry tabloid accounts
of the mighty fall from grace of some of our elected and public
officials. Reputations can be built and destroyed in an instant due to a
lapse of judgment, a thoughtless act or a series of errors. People make
mistakes, sometimes big mistakes, but this too will pass. Remember that
we are all human. We all have the magnanimous and human capacity
to forgive.
We might remember that at this time. The Spitzer case reminds us not
to be preachy, not to be self-righteous or holier-than-thou. Not to ever
get up on a high horse, because the fall down can be a long one. We also
learned again not to fly too close to the sun as Icarus once did, for the
fault of arrogance and hubris is perhaps the greatest to overcome. I
disagree with John Kenneth Galbraith's statement that humility is an
overrated virtue. Sometimes it can be mankind's wisest choice of
virtues. Recently, I had a chance to spend time with one of my favorite
leaders, Father J. Donald Monan, S.J., the chancellor and past president
of Boston College. Fr. Monan is always upbeat, committed to trying to
find ways to help others and does so in a quiet, humble way – giving
credit to others - never to himself. The world would be a finer place if
it were filled with more Fr. Monans. It is no wonder that the institution
he once led is now rated as having one of the very best reputations. His
successor as president of Boston College, Father William Leahy, S.J., is
cut from that same cloth - a doer of good deeds, demonstrating through
action and compassion for others. Both would disdain the public
vol.8 no.
14 Tufts/New England Medical Center
15 Staples
16 Tufts Health Plan
17 Massachusetts General Hospital
18 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
19 Stop and Shop
20 Boston University
21 Home Depot USA, Inc.
22 Northeastern University
23 Reebok International Ltd.
24 Citizens Bank
25 Shaws Supermarkets
{ M C R S - continued on PG 2 }
accolades for themselves, but would celebrate with quiet pride their
university's number one ranking (see above).
So for our coverage here, for the fifth anniversary of the Massachusetts
Corporate Reputation Survey, I take the editor's prerogative to write
about the good in the world. This is not a naive view. I'm told that the
more we smile the better our health will be. The more good that we do,
the more others are likely to follow our example. The more we give away
in the name of charity, the more others are going to do the same. Our
reputation for good endures because it lives on. People can always
change for the better; organizations can make a fresh start and a new
beginning and try to do good for their employees, their customers, their
communities and the society as a whole.
On a final note, we dedicate this issue to another quiet and good
person - John Gorman, the brilliant researcher, pollster and measurer of
character. We lost John this past January, but his thinking will remain
with our efforts for a long time. It was his intelligent insights and
urging that helped us to bring the Massachusetts Corporate Reputation
Survey to life. May his goodness live on for many years to come.
Peter Morrissey can be contacted at peter@morrisseyco.com
Reputation Excellence: www.morrisseyco.com/blog
 { M C R S - continued from PG 1 }

MCRS 2008
10
T
his issue of the Mount Vernon Report focuses on the results of According to an April 24,
Top FOR-PROFITS
the fifth annual Massachusetts Corporate Reputation 2007 press release issued
1 United Parcel Service, Inc.
Survey (MCRS), conducted by Morrissey & Company and by Advancing the Business
2 Dunkin’ Donuts
Opinion Dynamics Corporation. As we’ve discussed in past issues of of Technology, Massachusetts
3 Friendly Ice Cream Corporation
the Mount Vernon Report, reputation takes much time and effort to build, has the second-highest
hard work to maintain, and can be tarnished or even ruined in seconds concentration of high-tech 4 Yankee Candle Co.

by bad judgement, misdeeds and transgressions. The MCRS evaluates workers in the nation. 5 BJ's Wholesale Club

the reputations of Massachusetts’ leading private and public Massachusetts’ high-tech 6 Staples

organizations. We selected 74 Massachusetts-based companies and industry gained 4,300 jobs 7 Stop and Shop
organizations that employ a large number of Mass. residents, and asked (two percent growth) in 8 Home Depot USA, Inc.
200 executives to rate them on six attributes: 2005, the most current 9 Reebok International Ltd.
• General reputation • Ethics and corporate governance state data available at that
10 Citizens Bank
• Products and services • Workplace environment time. Massachusetts remained
• Social responsibility • Financial stability the 6th largest cyberstate,
employing 237,500 people, and the state has the second-highest
As we’ve seen in past surveys, non-profits have stronger reputations than concentration of high-tech workers in the nation.
for-profits. Boston College, which has appeared in the top 10 for the
past four years, is number one. The only for-profit companies As for the biopharmaceutical industry, according to a study released
appearing in the top 10 are UPS (second place) and Dunkin’ Donuts November 14, 2007 by the Pharmaceutical Research and
(fifth place). We see more non-profits in the top 10 – maybe this is Manufacturers of America, the Massachusetts biopharmaceutical
because people view them as working for the greater good? Regardless, industry employed 55,000 workers in 2005, up 12 percent from 2000
for-profits must work to build their reputations and stand out as excep- and up 46 percent since 1990. Massachusetts is one of the country’s
tional companies. leading centers in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. In 2005,
Massachusetts ranked sixth nationally in the number of jobs, or third,
In general, technology and biotech companies are not recognized often if the results are adjusted for the small size of Massachusetts and its
enough by area executives to gain a significant reputation rating. workforce.
These companies are sig- ~ Megan Page
Top 10 NON-PROFITS nificant players in our
More information on this year’s MCRS is available at
1 Boston College economy, but they http://www.morrisseyco.com/survey/
2 Children's Hospital face the challenge of
3 Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA building their reputations
among individuals who
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
aren’t likely to be users,
5 University of Massachusetts

6 Harvard University
patients or investors.
Strategic, targeted commu-
“You don’t build a reputation on
7 Tufts University
nications programs, sup- what you’re going to do.”
8 Brigham and Women's Hospital ported by strong people
9 Tufts/New England Medical Center and programs internally, ~ Henry Ford
10 Tufts Health Plan can help these companies
raise their profiles.

pg.
2
 “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”
~ Socrates
Reputation Conversation:
Top-Ranked BC Shares Best-Practices and Advice on Reputation Management
The MCRS has reported once again that nonprofits enjoy the
best reputations among Massachusetts organizations. This year,
Boston College, one of the oldest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the
United States, ranked highest on the survey for the first time. Below,
Jack Dunn, director of public affairs, speaks about BC’s rankings and
reputation efforts.
To what do you attribute your success in this year’s MCRS?
Did you undertake any new or unique programs or
outreach that contributed to your ranking?
We felt it was recognition of Boston College’s
long-standing efforts to be a good employer, a
generous and involved neighbor, and a leader in
the field of higher education.
BC is a university located in two communities:
the Chestnut Hill community in Newton and
the Brighton community in Boston. Last year,
Saint Columbkilles, the last Catholic school in
Brighton, was preparing to close, so Boston
College invested upwards of $800,000 to save the
school. We created a partnership between the
Archdiocese of Boston, Saint Columbkilles and
Boston College to assist with curriculum development,
teacher training and financial resources. We also helped cre-
ate a leadership team and board for the school. For years Boston
College has partnered with several local public schools through our
highly successful Connect Five Initiative. However, reaching out and
saving the last Catholic school in the area was a gesture that was very
much appreciated by the community.
pg.
3
What value do you place on reputation? How do you think this helps
you stand out from your competition?
Reputation is very important. We are an institution that receives
30,000 applications each year for 2,250 seats in the freshman class,
making us one of the most competitive, selective and sought-after uni-
versities in the United States. Our institutional reputation is an essen-
tial ingredient in generating interest in Boston College. That is
why we were honored to have topped the MCRS this year.
What advice do you have for other educational institu-
tions or nonprofits to help enhance their reputation?
The most important advice is to stay true to your
mission. We have an employee base of 3,400
individuals who view Boston College as much
more than a job. They are invested in this institu-
tion because they support our Jesuit Catholic
mission and that has proved to be very beneficial
to us in the recruitment and retention of excellent
employees.
Is there anything in store for 2008 that you hope will
affect your reputation this year?
In December 2007 we announced our strategic plan to invest
$1.6 billion in Boston College over the next 10 years, and I think
we’ll see the benefits from the announcement of that strategic
investment. Of course, we will also face the challenges associated with
any announcement that contains $700 million of new construction
projects.
John B. (Jack) Dunn serves as director of public affairs at Boston College. He graduated
from Boston College with degrees in political science and Romance languages in 1983.
Dunn currently oversees University communications with external media and constituencies,
and disseminates all University-related news and information.
~ Sarah Gerrol
 Build a Reputation as an Outstanding Employer
E
njoying a reputation for being an excellent place of business
instills pride and success in employees and can have a substantial
effect on your business. Employees are a company’s most valuable
asset and serve as brand ambassadors. Therefore, every action and verbal
and nonverbal communication of every employee impacts an organiza-
tion’s overall reputation. Time and again we have seen the importance of
employees’ enthusiasm about their colleagues and the company they work
for. Positive reputations help employees firmly establish a more positive
frame of mind about their job, coworkers, leadership and responsibilities.
The following is a list of suggestions for how employers and employees
can work together to build a positive reputation. With effective com-
munications, employees can maintain, support and protect a company’s
reputation for the good of every employee and the company as a whole.
Like, Enjoy and Appreciate Employees
The attitude toward employees that employers bring
to the relationship can have a great impact.
Employees easily sense the extent to which their
employer likes, enjoys and appreciates them, and
negative attitudes can have extensive impact. These
concerns can be changed over time, and, without
fail, the employer and employees will benefit.
Celebrate Successes
Employees are expected to work together to
accomplish company goals. They should also cel-
ebrate together when the goals are accomplished.
Celebrations express a company’s appreciation for their hard work and
help motivate employees to continue working toward success.
Be Proud of Advancing Employees
Be proud when outstanding employees advance their careers by chang-
ing employers. Losing an outstanding employee is often disappointing,
and turning the loss to an advantage can be a challenge. Rather than
focus on the negative, organizations must ensure that employees leave
with a positive attitude and a commitment to say good things about
their company. Celebrating these successes will confirm the company’s
stellar reputation as an excellent place to learn, work and grow.
Compensate Fairly
Fairness of compensation matters more than level of compensation in
building a positive reputation. Where employers sometimes fall short is
in realizing that total compensation includes more than just salary and
Morrissey & Company
121 Mount Vernon Street
Boston, MA 02108
Please visit us on the World Wide Web at: http://www.mountvernonreport.com RepEx Blog: www.morrisseyco.com/blog
The Mount Vernon Report™ is published and copyrighted 2008 by Morrissey & Company, an independent Reputation Management and Public Relations firm headquartered at 121 Mount Vernon Street, Boston, MA 02108. Permission to copy and
distribute is granted, provided that full attribution is given to Morrissey & Company. Further commentary or response to any of the topics discussed in this issue is welcome and should be directed to 617-523-4141 or via e-mail to peter@morrisseyco.com.
Printed on recycled paper. In an effort to conserve natural resources we have altered the format of the Mount Vernon Report to omit the use of an envelope.
pg.
4
monetary benefits. Compensation also includes health insurance,
retirement programs and paid sick leave, along with other, more out-of-
the-box incentives like subsidized cultural offerings.
Provide Education
Few people enjoy doing what they cannot do well. Employee education
is an investment in people. An employer’s willingness to make this
investment in employees helps build a positive image among employees,
company customers and others in the community.
Communicate Clearly and Often
An employee complaint of too much communication is rare; a
complaint of not enough communication is common. Staff meetings,
clear instructions, opportunities to ask questions, regular performance
appraisals and planning together for the coming year are just a few
examples of how employers can facilitate commu-
nication.
Promote from Within
Promoting from within recognizes an employee’s
past contribution and shows the employer’s confi-
dence in their abilities and dedication. Promoting
current employees reinforces an employer’s com-
mitment to their people and, in turn, fosters higher
performance and feelings of loyalty toward the
organization.
Community Involvement
Community involvement is an excellent way to foster goodwill.
Community outreach shows that a company is a good corporate citizen
and will help the organization deal more effectively with its neighbors
and area decision makers. One of the most important aspects of these
programs is an organization’s support of employees who donate their
time and energy to charities, initiatives, support groups and other pro-
grams. Organizations should recognize and support their community-
minded employees.
Recruitment Initiatives
It’s not enough to just place an ad in the Help Wanted section of the local
newspaper or online database anymore; rather, it is employees that can be
a company’s most powerful form of advertising. Employees working at
companies with strong reputations will cultivate relationships with indi-
viduals who reflect the company’s mission, value and culture, and will
serve as your greatest resource for other like-minded candidates.
~ Margaret Brady