Nobody can quantify the value of a good reputation. But nobody wants to lose one. Just ask Wells Fargo (WFC), whose practice of opening accounts without permission tarnished its formerly gleaming name, sending it plunging off Fortune’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies this year. (Volkswagen and Chipotle suffered the same fate last year.) The happier news? Surging rankings for Microsoft (MSFT), which tops an industry category for the first time since 2003, as well as for Facebook (FB), Netflix (NFLX), and Salesforce (CRM). A few companies, such as 3M (MMM) and McDonald’s (MCD), made their way back onto the All-Star list, proving that, though it may not be easy, it’s possible to restore a reputation.
A version of this article appears in the March 1, 2017 issue of Fortune with the headline “The World’s Most Admired Companies.”
