"America's Most Admired Companies"

Anne Fisher

Fortune

March 6, 2006, pp. 65-76

Each year, Fortune magazine gives its rankings of America's most admired companies, based on ratings made by US and worldwide executives, directors, and securities analysts. This year's Top Twenty in America were:

1. General Electric
2. FedEx
3. Southwest Airlines
4. Procter & Gamble
5. Starbucks
6. Johnson & Johnson
7. Berkshire Hathaway
8. Dell Computer
9. Toyota Motor
10. Microsoft
11. Apple Computer
12. Wal-Mart Stores
13. United Parcel Service (tie)
13. Home Depot (tie)
15. PepsiCo (tie)
15. Costco Wholesale (tie)
17. American Express
18. Goldman Sachs
19. IBM
20. 3M

Ratings were also made for companies in the respondents' own industries on social responsibility, innovation, long-term investment value, use of corporate assets, people management, financial soundness, quality of products/services, and quality of management. The high scorers on these criteria were:

• Social Responsibility—United Parcel Service, International Paper, Exelon
• Innovation—Apple Computer, Google, UnitedHealth Group
• Long-term investment value—Exxon Mobil, UnitedHealth Group, Altria Group
• Use of corporate assets—Exxon Mobil, UnitedHealth Group, United Parcel Service
• People management—Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Google
• Financial soundness—Exxon Mobil, Microsoft, United Parcel Service
• Quality of Products/services— Nordstrom, United Parcel Service, Walt Disney
• Quality of management—UnitedHealth Group. General Electric, Procter & Gamble

The top ten admired companies around the world were:

1. General Electric
2. Toyota Motor
3. Procter & Gamble
4. FedEx
5. Johnson & Johnson
6. Microsoft
7. Dell Computer
8. Berkshire Hathaway
9. Apple Computer
10. Wal-Mart Stores

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