BizAims

In order to develop the list of the top 20 companies, representatives of Fortune together with their survey partners from Hay Group asked over 3,700 people working in various industries to choose 10 companies that they like the most.

The list below highlights the companies that have shown great results in terms of innovation, leadership, as well as financial power.

 1. Apple

The first place granted to Apple is in fact the result of Steve Jobs' activity. He was the one to bring back on the track the company that 10 years ago had been registering a downturn. It was great to see him making a company worth $24 billion in sales by focusing mainly on a portable jukebox along with a portable computer with one-digit market share. His main idea was quite simple: the products that Apple makes really work and the more you purchase the better they function.

 2. Berkshire Hathaway

This company, with its main focus on GEICO, life insurance, annuity sales and sales of jewelry, registered great results, which can be seen if analyzing its stock charts from autumn of 2007. According to Wall Street experts the company and its highly praised leader, Warren Buffett, is very talented at making tomorrow's profits from today's issues.

3. General Electric

 Although General Electric is not on the first place, it was able to maintain its high reputation. Half of the company's profit comes from financial services. According to GE's representatives, in July of 2008 the company looks forward to bail out of subprime. Till nowadays General Electric stays the main shareholder-wealth earner. What is most impressive for the $173 billion company is that it continues to register a 15% profit growth.

4. Google

It's no surprise that everything from the world of information technology moves around Google. The motto of the company is "Do no evil." The number one search engine houses specialists who ask on a daily basis "what is good for the web", and that can be translated as "what is good for Google".

5. Toyota Motor

Although Toyota Motor passed though some unpleasant stages over the last 12 months, being unsuccessful in NASCAR races and facing criticism for the faultless quality of its goods, it was still able to come second on the American market, its cars surpassing Ford in terms of sales. Today the Japanese company continues investing in hybrid technology.

6. Starbucks

 Because the sales of the company decreased this year, Starbucks dropped 4 positions in the list of America's most admired companies. In 2007 the company's stock trades registered half the results Starbucks had in 2006. Howard Schultz came back as the company's chief executive officer in January of 2008; however, Starbucks still lacks employees. Being 6^th in the list, means that its brand still remains powerful.

7. FedEx

 Today the company probably is concerned mainly with its environmental efforts. This is because of the continuously increasing prices for fuel. FedEx focuses not only on hybrid cars that are becoming one of the main trends in the industry. The $35.2 billion company pays a great attention to solar energy. Its new installation provides 80 percent of the total demand for energy for its Oakland hub supplies. According to the company's CEO Fred Smith, such innovations played their major role in making the word "FedEx" a household verb.

 8. Procter & Gamble

The main reason why this company appeared in the list of America's most admirable companies is that its hold a key to success, which lies in three steps: strategic focus, innovation, and internationalization.

9. Johnson & Johnson

This company surely showed some great results in 2007, recording its operating margins of about 25 percent. It is worth mentioning that the $61 billion company operates for 122 years and is highly appreciated for its talent to stay competitive in three market fields: consumer health products, branded pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

10. Goldman Sachs Group

One of the most influential global investment banks registered record profits last year. The company is in the list of America's favorites because its high profits are not just a result of luck, they are the result of fusion of individual ambition, great team-work and deep paranoia present in the company's culture.

Companies that continue the list (from 11 to 20):

  11. Target - General Merchandisers

  12. Southwest Airlines - Airlines

  13. American Express – Megabanks, credit cards cos.

  14. BMW – Motor Vehicles

  15. Costco Wholesale – Specialty Retailers

  16. Microsoft – Computer Software

  17. United Parcel Service – Delivery and Logistics

  18. Cisco Systems – Network Communications

  19. 3M – Medical and Other Precision Equipment

  20. Nordstrom – General Merchandisers