"I've got a rep to protect"

Danny Zuko said it in Grease and that adage still rings true in today's business world.

The Massachusetts Corporate Reputation Survey released the results from their third annual survey and non-profit companies dominated the list. For the third year in a row, Harvard University came in at #1 followed by Boston University, Children's Hospital, Tufts University, and Brigham & Women's Hospitals.

These non-profit organizations have projected a positive image among potential employees, customers and partners. They also avoided negative press over the past year.

The same cannot be said for Fidelity Investments. They placed 3rd on last year's list, but tumbled to 21st this year due to trading and management scandals and a lavish bachelor party for some of its top stock traders.

If you ever doubt the power of a strong brand, just think about Harvard. The 369-year-old institution is a renowned worldwide brand known for strong ethics, products, degree of social responsibility and financial stability. Not even a trio of lame Harvard-based movies like Soul Man, With Honors and Legally Blonde could derail this legendary brand.

So remember, keepers of the brand: "Grease, I mean, 'brand' is the word."