Mintel also surveyed perceptions of companies' ethical/green credentials. While the most important attribute contributing to a company's reputation was the quality of products/services (86 per cent), policy on environmental or ethical issues was important to 16 per cent of those questioned and 6 per cent felt the company's international trading reputation was important. Mintel's survey methods are relatively comprehensive. Those surveyed are categorised by sex, age, social class, region of residence, lifestyle, special groups, television/ newspaper preferences and by supermarket user. It is difficult to imagine that the senior managers of any large company are not at least seeking awareness of society's perceptions of their company, although there is no reason to suggest that their perceptions of society's perceptions of their company are accurate.