MOSCOW, August 20, 2007 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information on the fourth part of the independent research called "Business Standing of the Leading Russian Companies" carried out within the framework of the project of the IFORS corp. twice a year starting from 2005.

1. „Industrious Companies" category

1. Rostelecom
2. AVPK „Sukhoi"
3. Stinol
4. «Power Machines» (Silovye Mashiny)
5. United Machine Building Plants
6. KAMAZ
7. GAZ

2. "Service and Consumer Companies" category

1. MTS
2. Aeroflot
3. Vympelcom (Beline)
4. Megafon
5. JSC „Russian Railroads"
6. Wimm-Bill-Dann Вим-Билль-Данн
7. „Baltika" brewing company
8. AVTOVAZ

3. „Raw Materials and Steel Companies" category

1. Gazprom
2. Lukoil
3. Seversteel
4. Norilsk Nickel
5. RUSAL
6. RAO „EES"
7. TNK-BP
8. Mechel Мечел

4. „Banks and Finance Companies" category

1. Vneshtorgbank
2. Savingsbank
3. Alpha Bank
4. Rosbank
5. Raiffeisenbank (Russia)
6. Rosgosstrakh Росгосстрах
7. Citibank (Russia)
8. ROSNO
9. Uralsib Insurance Group
10. MDM-bank

The list of companies for conducting the evaluation is determined by expert means; the scale of business, publicity, branch affiliation and other criteria are all considered in it. Key professional associations for large business, in interaction with which a substantial part of business standing is formed, i.e. investment association, representatives of the government and the media - were selected as target groups.

150 experts evaluated four groups of companies, relatively divided into raw, service, industrial and finance. Each professional group evaluated the companies proposed at first according to a number of general criteria, and then according to special criteria (specific for this particular target group). The rating of significance of the general criteria for all groups obtained in the process of the survey is represented in the diagram. The rating reveals that criteria like product quality, financial stability, reputation of the first persons in a company and professionalism of the management have the greatest influence on the reputation of a company in general. Concern about the environment and charity play the smallest role in the rating.

An integral index of "corporate reputation" is calculated for each company based on the rating of significance for these criteria and estimation of the extent to which the company corresponds to these criteria. The Index makes it possible to see, how high the business standing of one or other company is rated by all professional groups. As a result the company reputation rating is formed in each panel based on the integral index. The values and weight of all reputation indices are included in it.

Significance of the general criteria, estimated by all professional groups 

Product quality, competitive ability

Financial stability

Reputation of management

Professionalism of management

Degree of importance for the country's economy

General estimation of the company's commercial potential

Efforts taken to expand business and their effectiveness

Staff policy

Degree of responsibility when paying taxes, "a responsible tax-payer"

Concern about the environment

Charity

According to the rating of industrial companies, it becomes apparent that professional groups highly evaluate the reputation of such companies as "Alrosa", Rostelecom and AVPK "Sukhoi". Among the finance (Vneshtorgbank and Savingsbank) and raw material companies (Gazprom, "Lukoil", "Seversteel") the biggest companies in the field are the leaders. Two cell phone giants (MTS and "Vympelcom") and the national air carrier Aeroflot occupy the three first places in the service category.