• MSNBC/Forbes, Wednesday, May 23, 2007 10:45 AM

Lego--the 70-year-old Danish toy manufacturer--beat out 600 companies worldwide for having the best reputation, according to a study conducted by Reputation Institute, a New York City-based consultancy and research firm.

Lego's high standing likely has to do with a turnaround following a misbegotten venture into online gaming and movies a few years ago, according to Charles Fombrun, executive director of Reputation Institute. "They ventured farther afield, and their brand got diluted," he says. That prompted leadership changes and bad press, but they've recently pruned their lines of business.

The Swedish furniture company IKEA moved from fourth place last year to second. More impressive was the Spanish grocery chain Mercadona, which zoomed from 29th place to fourth. Barilla, the pasta maker, fell to third from first. The Australian Wheat Board finished dead last, a notch above oil company Halliburton.

Read the whole story at MSNBC/Forbes »