America’s Most Admired Companies: Top 20
What do you think of the corporations on Fortune’s top 20 Most Admired Companies list? Should they be in the top 20? Have you worked for any of the companies, or bought their products or services? What makes a company admirable – social responsibility, excellent talent, sharp marketing, smart managers, or just plain profits? What companies do you admire most? Tell us what you think. The best replies will be published here, and possibly in a future story on CNNMoney.com.
Hi there,
I’m so glad to hear so many great comments about GE.
I just got offered a job at GE Commercial Finance and am really looking forward to starting!!! It’s my dream to work at GE for a long time and I just hope I will be able to make a good contribution to my team. =)
The people I met have been extremely nice and open about their company culture… Congrats GE!
Only executives, directors, and securities analysts were asked to participate in this survey.
Charlies post sums up this survey accurately…
…Fortune needs to rename this list “Companies Most Admired by the People (Business Executives, Investors and Analysts) Who Make Gobs of Cash Off Them Regardless of How The Companies Actually Treat Their Employees, the Environment or the Consumer or Whether Their Products are Any Good.”
Posted By Charlie, New York, NY : March 6, 2007 2:00 pm
Toyota?? This demonstrates how ignorant Americans really are. This is a Japanese company that is helping turn the USA into a third world country …and the average citizen is dumb enough to help. World oil is traded in USD; helping increase the US trade deficit devalues the dollar; therefore, buying a Toyota drioves up oil prices and send ALL profits to Japan. The US gov’t can’t even figure this out. AND, Mid-level quality, high recall rate, and why do Americans buy them…pure ignorance.
If you feel FedEx is a good company it is because they have independent contractors that do all of the delivery. The company itself is very poorly run. The independent contractors work very hard for little pay and absolutely no recognition.
Worked for GE through the 70s & 80s as a toolmaker in the small appliance division, until Jack sold us off. Been looking for a company like GE ever since. Best company I have ever worked for.
Foe the person who said Southwest runs their res. centers like sweatshops, really people who have a job with Southwest should be lucky. All other airline jobs are junk except for Southwest. They have not laid off like other airlines have, they have not cut anyones pay scales, they offer profit- sharing to its employees so, you are barking up the wrong tree. Southwest has been profitable in a time where airlines are struggling and putting its employees on the street. I think Southwest is one of the best companies out there because its leaders care for the employee and in turn the employee cares for the customer.
UPS is a different company since the IPO, but the differences are more apparent internally than externally. From the outside, we are a responsible corporate citizen, we innovate, and we provide myriad opportunities for our people. However, from an internal perspective, we have lost the great spirit of teamwork and partnership that defined us in our earlier years. As our competition with other carriers has grown more fierce, the management stress level has risen and the emotional reward has gone away. The financial benefits are also drying up, as the divide between the wealth available to mid management vs the executive levels has widened. What our people are finding out as a result is just how valuable we can be to other companies. There is a mass exodus taking place, and many of our best and brightest have landed new jobs that produce much less stress and much more of everything else, especially financial reward. From the outside, brown is great but you can rest assured that there is considerable turmoil in the guts of this organization. Time will tell what the long term result will be.
Starbucks, the 2nd most admired company: No work life balance for Store managers, downgrading our leadership conference to 8 hours of disconnected speaches from Regional directors, zone vp’s that use the b word publically in professional settings? I wont go on, but the company has slipped considerably since I started there several years ago.
I have just started with GE, and I have been highly impressed at the professionalism and efficiency at which they have made my transition from the military to their company. The benefits are the best I have ever seen, they pay great, and the facility that I work at has a small business feel with everyone on a first name basis, managers that will listen to everyone’s inputs about how to make it better, and lots of picnics and cookouts(not only for the employees, but also for the contractors that work onsite). I am proud to work for the most respected company and will do my part to keep it in the number 1 spot for a long time to come!
Target is my least admired company to do business with. They will not support the Boy Scouts, they do not allow the Salvation Army buckets outside their store, and they will not let the words “Merry CHRISTMAS” pass their lips. The Salvation Army does far more good and spends more money on relief than the Red Cross - and that has nothing to do with religion, thank you! Target also has excessively liberal policies that affect their products and the way they treat their communities. NOT my idea of a responsible company.
No one should admire a company or corporation. They collectively have destroyed the American economy by sending jobs out of our country.
I worked for a J&J company and let me assure you that due to their decentralized structure all J&J operating companies are NOT the same. Be sure to do your research before you fall for the “J&J” reputation.
I am so glad there are so many people below who will no longer buy Proctor and Gamble prodcuts or shop at Wal Mart or Target because they carry them - all because of the cruel and inhumane product testing they do on animals.
THAT MEANS there will be more left for me and the store aisles will be less crowded when I come through.
I admire companies who make sure the products they put on the market are SAFE becuse they tested them first. Sorry Charlie, but if you want to change the hierarchy, then give animals opposable thumbs and teach them to shoot.
Yeah PP&G!
Southwest Airlines rocks! Anyone who has traveled on any other airline or been a slave (employee) at any other airline probably already knows this. They are a great company because their emplyees come first and it shows!
Apple Computer Rocks ! Great products, amazing innovation, and awesome customer service…can’t wait to get my new I-phone !
WalMart! Are you kidding me! When it comes to employees, they rate almost last on WalMart’s priority list, probably right after pest control. Not to mention all the American comapnies put out of business because of them. Ethics was clearly not a considered factor in Fortunes decision process. WalMart is nothing but “death to the little guy,” all in the name of (excessive)profits. Not that profits aren’t the goal of all companies but Walmart is doing it at the expense of it’s employess, the general public, and the country as a whole. Personally, I don’t ever, ever shop there. I can’t rationalize giving this company one single hard earned dollar.
Starbucks is an incredible company. I am a store manager for Starbucks and I have never had a job that provided me with more satisfaction. We are encouraged to keep our partners (co-workers) happy, as well as providing great customer service and taking care of our environment. I have never had a bad day at work. I look forward to every day with Starbucks and they deserve all the positive recognition.
In comparison to other retailers I am glad to see that the true nature of Walmart is reflected. I question why billions of consumers shop at their stores given the years of civil rights and labor law violations against every minority worker these laws were established to protect.
I remember shopping at the very first Target Store in Minneapolis MN with my Mother. Now my 9 year old grand daughter, Micah, who who lives in Little Rock just loves getting a Target gift card for any occasion. We are now a family of 4 generations that LOVE Target!!
As for the person who says Southwest Rocks….obviously they do not work in the reservations centers. Next time you are calling to make a reservation give the agent a break, they are required to ask 100 questions like would you like to apply for a southwest credit card, how about a rapid rewards membership and so on. God forbid you have to be away from your phone more than 20 minutes a day, after Herb left morale went down hill. Southwest reservations centers are now run like a sweat shop. It is no wonder why they have closed so many centers.
GE is an awesome company & WELL deserving of the #1 slot. They own so many companies from appliances to TV stations to electronics to Jet Engines. Why their stock doesn’t skyrocket? I don’t understand. They are reportedly a good company to work for. They pay for schooling for their employees that wish to better themselves, they promote within the company when possible, they encourage their employees to think outside the box and pay them for their suggestions, they constantly work to improve everything they touch. They care about people which was obvious when MSNBC promptly cancelled IMUS’s televised radio show when he carelessly degraded a girls basketball team. They are doing so many things to save our environment by creating energy saving appliances and lighting & engines, etc. What an awesome company to watch!
To name International Paper to this list is to call into question the entire criteria. International Paper’s environmental record is a travesty. Their competition, Bowater, etc., are way ahead on sustainability issues. If IP’s scorched earth, profit at all costs methods prevail there won’t be any customers to sell to. IP desperately needs to evolve.
It is surprising to see certain ‘parochial’ comments, especially about Toyota from the ‘Land of Opportunities’ that probably tought the world about the business of business.
Toyota buys $26 billion worth of auto components in the US!
Roughly half of the retail merchandise in the US is imported. This means that many American shopers cannot enjoy the low prices if they were produced in America.
GM has mfg facilities in 33 countries; employs more than 0.3 million people worldwide; vehicles are sold in 200 countries. GM does a pretty good business in China.
Many of the global oil companies derive their income by operating throughout the world.
Any major Global corporation today, not only earns a significant percent of their revenue outside the USA, but also look for having lot many competitive workforce. All this would not be possible, if people in these nations start echoing similar thoughts.
We need to understand that business corporations cannot be immortal, if they don’t adapt themselves to changing customers’ requirements. The rules of the game keep on changing and you need to keep chaning your strategy if you want to be a winner.
The end is justifed as long as the means are legal, moral and ethical.
First and foremost I think the green trend in the corporate world is fantastic and hope that it continues to move more and more in this direction. However, how these companies are ranked I find a bit disheartening. For example, Starbucks being ranked number 2. They may be awesome in terms of treating their employees well, but when they throw millions of milk jugs in the trash every day. This contributes to overflowing landfills, energy waste, shortage of fossil fuels, and definitely is NOT helping with global. If only these corporations would learn to RECYCLE!!!
FedEx has its own advantage in this logistics field worldwide, but if there is a better company, I will still try it. FedEx deserves to be placed in this list.
Toyota Motor Sales is most certainly an American company. As an employee of Toyota in Torrance, Ca, I can testify that thousands of American employees would be out of work if Toyota did not have the presence that it does in America. Our benefits are outstanding and employee morale is extremely high. The Tundra represents the first American designed and manufactured Toyota vehicle. Toyota is a fabulous company to work for.
Toyota’s profits do not go to Japan.Toyota has many many American vendors to pay. The Camery is made in Georgetown, KY, not Japan. Many of the Japanese comapnies as well as German ones have production plants in the US. The workers are very happy, yes they have done things for the communities they are near that the American companies have never done. You’re so blind to think their profits go to Japan. The profits stay here in America. They work without Unions & the big 3 are trying to figure out how things work so well for them. They produce a far better product than the Americans ever built, so it’s no wonder they will be the #1 auto maker & probably before the end of this year.
Have found Fed EX to be rude and not helpful by both the package drivers and the pickup centers in the Syracuse NY area. UPS have been the best by far in both courtesy and professional ism. They’ve made my shipping and receiving plesant and easier, Wish I could use them exclusively’
Some deserve it and some do not. High on my DO NOT list is GE. Particularly the Consumer Products unit. They sell poorly disigned products prone to damage and harm the home and homeowner and then, instead of fixing the problem, will send in their lawyers to fight it to the extreme. No, GE should be admired - it should be admonished and reviled.
perhaps staff turnover should be used as another benchmark to grade such “admirable” companies.
FedEx is a great company and treats its employees well. The company provides generous benefits to employees, is involved in community efforts, and really does provide great customer service most of the time. Unfortunately, no company can make all of its employees or all of its customers happy all of the time.
I work for FEDEX and my god I can only imagine how bad it is if we are in the top 10. The Union push will be underway soon only so much abuse a person can endure.
Certainly the employees are not voting in these “most admired company” lists. Its other company’s managers and executives voting. I think the list should be renamed to “most admired company that can do the best job at milking everything out of their employees”. If you ask anyone who works for them (non manager) they’ll say they hate their job.
I used to work for GE Global Research in Schenectady, New York. Their mold infested building made me sick — how’s that for ECOMAGINATION?!
I work for GE in their credit card division. This is the best company i have ever worked for. I am still considered an entry level employee and the company is still paying for me to go to university, offers a huge amount of flexibility regarding hours and when a close family member died they sent flowers cards and gave me 10 days off paid. The managers here are also great! There is no such thing as being scared of bringing something to managements attention they are very receptive to negative and positive feedback. Suggestions are seriously considered and generally implemented, even from the little people!! I have never had a better job!
There is so much miss information here it is scary. If half of you believe a quarter of what you are saying, we are all lost. PLEASE, PLEASE do 5 seconds of research before you open your mouth.
To those of you who have had experiences that you feel are not reflected in this list. Contact those companies and let them know. Given the chance they would rather make you happy customers over pissed off bloggers.
I enjoy the quotes of people that say “I do work for GE” and it is a wonderful company, probably people in management or on their way up through the GE culture. It is not a wonderful company maybe the research division is as good as it gets, their products are bad and low quality, their managers are out of sync when it comes to technology all they care about is the next step up. Being an Engineer at this company I should know, that is why China banned their generators.
As bad company as there is and people who voted them number 1 do not what they are talking about
Google should not be on this list. They have the biggest chunk of the internet pie but their practices are nothing to be admired. Try talking to a Google adwords rep and you will understand. They will not give advise to help the customer improve the services Google offers. That might lower Googles’ income on the account. They only offer features that cost the customer more money.
I’m not surprised that Pepsico made the list, but being a long time employee of their snack food division(frito-lay)I can only say that their treatment of their workers(especially those that work on the operations side) is horrendous!!!! The quality of their entire management team(both sales and operations) at all levels is nothing short of incompetence. It does’nt surprise me that similiar comments have been made by employees of fed ex, target, and others. I think in order to be admired by the corporate community in this day and age equates to mistreatment of a companies workforce. It’s very sad!!!
fed ex??care absolutly nothing about it employees they are machines
It’s hard to believe Wal-mart is ranked among the most admired. Give the employees or communities affected by this greedy giant a vote and you’ll see it as the least admired.
Their motto “Respect for the Individual” is a joke. Low prices are only in effect until the competition is eliminated. Much of their merchandise is low quality and cheaply made in a third world country. My family and I refuse to shop at a Wal-mart.
How is any of this determined?? Who voted? I’m not sure how you tally something as intangible as admiration. It seems like it is based name recognition more than anything.
As a truckload supplier for Toyota Motors, I can say first hand that our level of admiration is high. I say that not because they are one of my key customers but because they really do deserve the admiration for not only their near flawless product but more so for how they treat their “associates” as well as their suppliers. “Respect for Humanity” is one their most important and key values. From their, things begin to flow including their relentless effort to improve and help suppliers continuously improve as well. Toyota would have garnered our vote as well.
good management, service, and marketing appeal,and price, along with proper respect and great consideration for their employees. I wish ford and chrysler were in the top 20 list, and general,motors also.
As long as Wal-Mart is on this list, I have a hard time giving it much credit.
There is no doubt that STARBUCKS sells the number one coffee in the world! And it’s no wonder why they profit in the billions each year! Starbucks has some of the best coffee products available on the market. It is however a wonder how they can retain good managers in their company?! Having been management at Starbucks before I can tell you that the pay is absolute garbage for what is expected. I can also say that the proposed “Work life balance” and were in the “People business” mottos Starbucks has towards their salaried managers was non existent in the district I worked for. Leaving Starbucks was the best decision I could have ever made; I make thousands more a year and I truly have real work life balance.
In my opinion there is more internal politics at Starbucks than there is in Washington! Good Luck!
Toyota is headquartered in Torrance, California… 55% of their vehicles are made in the United States, which is more than the “Big Three” can say. I work for the Financial Services arm of the company and this has been my best job thus far in my life. The pay is good and the benefits are incredible. In my eyes, this is an American Company that has a huge American workforce… Especially in the south where the unemployment rate is very high. Go Toyota: 3rd most admired company for a reason!!!
Apple should definitely not be put onto the top 20 most admired companies. If this ranking is based on being green in anyway, Apple definitely does not fit that criteria.
In a recent article on Businessweek, they referred to a recent response from Apple’s Steve Dowling from Greenpeace asking for more recycling and fewer toxic chemicals. He said “We disagree with this criteria.” That alone speaks loud and clear on Apple’s idea on environmentally friendly.
There is no doubt that Apple Inc. should be on top of this list. What Steve Jobs have done with the iPod and iTunes Music Store is just amazing. He has changed the music industry completly. And now he is attacking the phone industry. Apples brand is getting stronger every day, and the sharholders are getting richer.
About UPS. It’s disturbing to hear some of the negative misperceptions expressed here. I started at UPS 12 years ago and worked my way into management 5 years ago and I am very proud of where UPS is today. It’s true as a publicly traded company the path to being a millionaire is not the same as it was but we are still one of only 10% of all companies that provide a 401K and a pension plan. A gold watch at 65? That’s just plain incorrect. Jim Casey, our founder would be proud of the company he started 100 years ago. My father is a retired teamster and I will never belittle the fact that they are a major reason why UPS is the world’s largest (and best) package delivery company.
Sadly, many of these companies sell their “soul” so to speak to get where they are. They support abortion, political correctness (which is just another term for “liberalism to the max” these days) or they advocate sexual immorality in some form or other in commercials or where they donate their excess. Thus, I’m not surprised they are popular or rich. It’s not really hard work but profit and politics.
Fed- Ex employees are mean people.
To bad they are the best game in town.
Funny, in Europe I have a different perception:
- GE: company known, products unknown
- Starbucks: never was there. I rather like real italian espresso
- Toyota Motor: they are good
- Berkshire Hathaway: never heard about that
- Southwest Airlines: never heard about that
- FedEx: heard, but never tried
- Apple: they are great!
- Google: I know them from 1996!
- Johnson & Johnson: products unknown
- Procter & Gamble: products known, company not so popular
- Goldman Sachs Group: known
- Microsoft: damn yes, we feel the pain
- Target: never heard about that
- 3M: yes! great products, very inventive
- Nordstrom: never heard about that
- United Parcel Service: I know that, but I never worked with them
- American Express: I have VISA
- Costco Wholesale: never heard about that
- PepsiCo: I like them more than Coke 
- Wal-Mart Stores: hehe! they tried to come to Europe, but failed.
Unfortunately, my experience working for 3M has been nothing but a disappointment. Unsupportive and unforgiving management/leadership, passive-aggresive approach leaves expectation and communication gaps, stringently hierarchical. Avoid this place like the plague.
GE? The large appliance division cranks out poor quality dishwashers and microwaves. Business Week published my dishwasher flustrations letter in the July 31st 2007 issue. Read it- its in Business Week’s archieves! Jeffrey Immelt sent out his ace tech as a comp. The company man said the water from the town was attacking the parts. The town sent me out the latest EPA water tests - PH neutral! Desolved solids nil Wrong again! A high rate of magnitron failure in their Space Saver Microwaves! Warrantied for 10 years , Cost $100.00 for them to replace it! My 55 + PRD development, Legacy Oaks with 241 homes. has daily visits from Jeff’s techies! Whirlpool is now our choice!
I do work for GE.
I don’t have to work more than 40 hours a week if I don’t want. They foster a life outside work, encourage community service, healthy lifestyle and substainibility for their employees, have the most receptive upper managment I have heard of, and spend over a billion a year to develop their employees.
Yes, they will export jobs if it makes economic sense. Or more likely in your case, they will eliminate people that don’t add value, which makes my day even better, knowing I will never have to work with the whiny, self centered Tim Miller’s of the world.
Starbucks would not send coffee to our troops and gave poor excuses why when asked.
We would rate you onthe bottom 20.
I am a GE employee. How many hours you work in a day is a function of what you do, not who you work for. If your work is directly related to production, you will work long hours, regardless of the company. If you are involved with projects, you will work long hours if you are running late, otherwise you won’t. It all depends on where you fit in. I enjoy a very flexible work environment with GE. All team leaders/manager embody the traits that GE promotes. It is a pretty good place to work at. Now having said that, GE is a big company, and this (Aviation) is just one part of it.
And btw, I’m doing all this (surfing) from home, while working for half of my time, since I took half day off to prepare for my MBA exam (that GE is paying for). Flexibility is great!
For all the complainers and whiners, you can keep complaining, or learn to live in the new global economy. If you don’t like a company, go work for one that you do. It’s called market economy. And I laugh at people blaming Toyota for the ills of US automotive economy. If they cannot compete with the Japanese, they need to shut down, as simple as that. Market will shift the resources to doing something else that they are better at doing. Economics 101, “Comparitive Advantage”.
And btw, this is like a peer review of companines, not what customers or employees, or governments think. Of course the peers would consider these factors, but it’s not exactly the same.
I would like to comment on G.E. being named the most Admired Company in the World, (for the 2nd year in a row). Kudos and Congrats. I have worked for G.E. Equipment Services now for going on 1 year. I absolutely love the company. G.E. is very employee focused. They offer many great benefits to us, such as Tuition reimbursement and a great management training program. They ensure that all employees are highly trained and offer a forum for all to voice concerns. There is great opportunity for advancement for anyone who show’s the drive and desire to progress in their careers. As all companies are faced with tough decisions from time to time, G.E. in no different. They must do what’s right for the company and I stand behind their decisions 100%. I love the fact that our company is highly committed to environmental causes such as Wind Energy Production, Water Desalinization, Clean Coal, and the Evolution Locomotive. Keep up the good work and Congratulations on being the #1 most admired company in the US and World 2 years running. I am very proud to say that I am a part of this organization.
Fedex deserves to be in the top 10. Not only is the comapny socially responsible whenever disaster strikes anywhere in the world, they treat their employees well. Sure corporate America is not what is was 20 years ago, but only the strong survive…and that is good for employees, shareholders, and the communities in which they live in work.
To respond to some of the innaccurate responses above:
Toyota does not even come close to employing the same number of Americans as GM or Ford. Just because they have built several plants here and GM and Ford have closed several, does not make them employ more people. Get the facts.
Also, GM and Ford DESIGN and ENGINEER their cars in the USA. Some of the vehicles GM and Ford build are assembled in other countries. This has been done out of necessity to compete with the foreign car companies like Toyota and Honda that have no retirees to support in the US and can sell at higher profits. The only way for GM and Ford to preserve the jobs of at least some of their employees is to stay in business. If they kept building all of their cars here with the cost of health care and benefits they would not exist very much longer and we would all be paying for their layed off and retired workers through increased taxes.
If GM or Ford close their doors, we will all be paying for our stupidity in letting it happen. Our taxes will have to support the hundreds of thousands of GM and Ford employees that will be out of work plus the hundreds of thousands more that work for companies that supply the parts, the tens of thousands that work at the dealerships, and the hundreds of thousands that would need retirement income and health care. It will cripple the US economy and hurt your wallet.
Procter and Gamble? Most admired? Their cruel and unnecessary animal testing practices are finally starting to be exposed.
I have a hard time believing this list is generated from public opinion. Fortune’s opinions probably.
I have worked at GE and am embarrassed that Fortune has put them at the top of the list of most admired companies. GE has been a leader in downsizing, lying, breaking contracts and padding the bank accounts of their executives.
Obviously the company that Jack built has Fortune in their pocket in the same way they have the Harvard Business Review and others.
If the American public was as well informed as they like to think that they are, GE’s sales would be suffering because they would be boycotted.
During the time I was at GE they were leading edge in things like moving operations outside of the US, downsizing, price gouging, product quality reduction, overpriced warranties and many other low life activities.
Fortune has established their credibility to me with this one as well as the AOL writers who love to replicate sensational articles that are out of line.
Most of the people who go to Starbuck’s wouldn’t know a decent cup of coffee it if was thrown into their face. Pay $5 a cup for garbage. Be a Starbucky! But hey, their spin’s good.
Is it the 20 most admired companies or the 20 most eco-friendly companies? Hug a tree, park the car.
Proctor & Gamble have a long history of cruel and inhumane testing on animals. To have that company portrayed in a positive way is a disgrace to Fortune. Do some research into their animal testing and you’ll have nothing but tears in your eyes, not admiration.
3M gets voted in the top 20. I just don’t understand it, they outsource jobs,get rid of their employees and get praise for it!!!! You have got to be kidding me! Is this what company’s have to do to get recognized?
I’m glad to see such People oriented corporations such as Southwest, FedEx, Starbucks, Apple & Microsoft made the list. Many of the top 20 companies have strong reputations as good corporate citizens (FedEx’s tsunami & hurricane relief, Microsoft’s Gates foundation, etc.) I was a little irked to see the Walmart juggernaut on the list though. I don’t think that near monopilization of the retail world should equate to admiration, but I’m sure their shareholders are happy.
I agree with a previous poster though… one bad experience with a company doesn’t make the whole corporation bad - just human. Just because FedEx was late with your package or your iPod broke doesn’t mean the whole company is bad.
Southwest Airlines rocks!!!! An amazing company!!
I’ll take a lousy employer in a unionized environment, where workers have direct input into their future through contract negotiations, over any scab company where employee rights and benefits are entirely up to the employer’s benevolence at any given time. In that regard, unionized Toyota is worth more than a dozen non-union Microsofts.
Apple #7 and Climbing Upward.
Microsoft Slipping down to #12 and falling…
With the Vista Upgrade Nightmare people have been going through, I think next year you will see Apple moving much higher, and Microsoft falling much lower.
Lookin’ forward to my new iPhone, YES!
Not hard to believe Starbuck’s made it, their employees are running that company and that’s why their service is so terrible in most of their stores!
Yeah….. you people who claim, ” do your research. Toyota employs more then GM and Ford does.” Toyota has 10 plants in the US( or 11 with the new Tundra plant unless they counted that in their ads before it was finished). GM has over 50 plants in the US. Only 3 in Mexico. GM still employs more Americans then Toyota by a wide margin still. Guess what? GM and Ford are shrinking. What do shrinking companies do? Lay off people to better fit their smaller size. Plus, most of them are still getting paid due to the Job Bank. I am not excusing GM and Fords past mistakes. But, there getting a lot better. The new Saturn Aura is finally competition for the Camcord. I have had 4 GM’s so far and none of them had any major issues. Just routine maintenance that ALL cars have. No doubt though Toyota deserves the spot. They’re making billions of money and trying to get people to go green with hybrids( although in reality they just want your money and think the people buying the Prius and other hybrids are more conerned about saving money then saving the environment. Environment is #2 with money being #1).
I worked for GE and to rate them high in managing people (if that means it’s a grat place to work) you have one heck of a disconnect. The office environment was cold, employees were not competitive but worked out of fear and would take any opportunity to put their co-worker down so they looked good, and burn out was the norm not a fleeting moment. As far as valuing its’ American workforce, forget about it, every job is subject to and was encouraged to be moved overseas (regardless of quality of service as is evidenced by any of their consumer product Help Desks). Where is the source of this information?
One thing that really troubles me is when a JAPANESE car company has its American workers wave an American flag. Toyota is a JAPANESE car company folks! The only reason they set up shop in the US is to bypass any tariffs that would be put on their imports. 95% of their parts are IMPORTED from JAPAN! They are only assembled by American workers, nothing more! Toyota knows what they are doing and they are going to try everything they can to wipe out American auto manufacturers. So they cause the big three to close plants in the US and THEY hire workers with no benefits or retirement plans. Are they really contributing to society when they cause 1000’s to lose their jobs and they only hire a fraction to that number? WAKE UP AMERICA!!!! I’d rather push an American car than drive a Toyota!!! Where is your loyalty???
GE may be a good company to work for, but it is a really BAD company to buy from. I used their customer service line to get advice on replacing an aging GE refrigerator. They gave me a model number, which I ordered. It didn’t fit the space. I called them, emailed them, and wrote to them to try to get them to replace the refigerator. Not even the courtesy of a reply after spending $1100. I will NEVER purchase another GE product.
What about the good old United States Postal Service. Employees for the most part are treated well,paid good wages and very dedicated to their job. Look at the horrible weather, devastating storms throughout this country and the mail still goes through.
How in the world did Walmart make the top 20 let alone the top 200. I haven’t read anything goog about Walmart for years. Amazing.
GE is most admirable, huh? Try working for them. If you don’t fit into their narrow GE style (work 60-70 hours/week; give up your life for the company; shut up about anything that is not proper; work for peanuts - at least at their wholly-owned subsidiaries; and are ready and willing to lose your job to an underpaid indentured servant overseas), you will get nowhere.
How does a company like Goldman, Sachs rank as the highest rankied securities firm in your top 20 when they are ranked #3 in their own industry? Why would the top ranked firm in the securities industry also not be the highest ranked securities firm overall?
A list of the top most admired companies that includes Wal-Mart is suspect. Why are they admired? Saving money by not insuring employees … saving money by hiring part timers … saving money by letting counties take care of employees and dependents? Not something that I admire.
From the many people I have known who work for Starbucks their #2 ranking comes as no surprise. Starbucks is one of the great international companies that makes its employees #1…when will the rest of the corporations realize their success rests on respecting their people? Keep up the great work Starbucks!
I think the most admirable Corporations are those which are profitable, efficiently
It would be a mistake to try to avoid all mistakes. All these companies are like individuals. only those who do good things make mistakes that end up in law suits. This is normal and as long as it does not becomes a trace, we should accept and go on.
Fortune needs to rename this list “Companies Most Admired by the People (Business Executives, Investors and Analysts) Who Make Gobs of Cash Off Them Regardless of How The Companies Actually Treat Their Employees, the Environment or the Consumer or Whether Their Products are Any Good.”
GE is an amazing company, and yes, they do sometimes have to make hard decisions to stay competative. I work for GE at their R&D facility in NY. It’s the single greatest job I’ve ever had, with the best team, best job satisfaction, and best management I’ve had anywhere. There are 1800 people at my facility to are trying to change the world on a daily basis through cleaner coal initiatives, hydrogen powered vehicles, more efficient wind turbines, and other astonishing innovations that will greatly impact the environment and world in the years to come.
Every company that is OVER 100 years old has made mistakes, but GE does its best to try to correct those when possible.
There will always be people who have negative experiences with companies, that can’t be helped. If you worked at GE for 1 week, you would know why we are the most admired company - its a fantastic place with great people who actually care.
It’s disturbing to see an animal torturer like P&G on a “most admired” list. Refusal to use existing nonanimal alternatives should be an automatic disqualification from this list. Like many others, I’d be more interested in a “most admired” list that took humane and environmental considerations into account.
Toyota builds a better car than GM or Ford at a better price and even though they are slightly generic, they last a long time. GM assembles cars in Mexico, if you saw the housing conditions the workers live in you’d be appalled. Toyota assembles more cars in the U.S. than Ford or GM and both Ford and GM are laying off more than 30,000 employees each by the end of this year. I live in Atlanta and the Doraville plant is dramatically affected. People need to do some more research on these companies before they bash them. If Ford and GM built a better product at a better price Toyota would be having all the problems they’re currently having. If it wasn’t for trucks and SUVs the U.S. automakers probably wouldn’t exist anymore. People need a car that lasts over 100,000 miles on average. Not everyone can afford a new car every 4 or 5 years. The best product wins.
Ge is more than an electronics company.
They are involved with transportation, Entertainment with NBC/Universal, Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Etc Etc. Basically everything…I think that is pretty admirable.
Everyone needs to remember that companies have to make some difficult decisions (layoffs, exporting jobs etc) in order to stay competative. What good is a company that doesnt make any money? Does anyone remeber Bethlehem Steel or Westinghouse (when is was more than a name and a real company).
Toyota is a great company! They build a great product in the USA and employ more Americans than the so called “American Car Companies.” All Toyotas minus Lexus and the Prius are built in the USA including the drivetrain. GM, Ford, and DC, dont even make the cars used in NASCAR in the USA…
People are strange…if they had one bad experience with a toaster they think a billion dollar company cant be admired. Please.
I really do not understand all the negativity towards the most admired companies. It seems many are confusing “best to work for” with “most admired”. There is a seperate list for those rankings and many of these companies are not on both. So what. And for all the Toyota haters out there, get over it. Toyota employs more Americans than GM or Ford and builds a far superior product. GE is an amazing company, they make the hard decisions (layoffs, exporting, etc) to stay competative. What good is a unproductive, not profitable company, think Westinghouse, Ford, GM, Crysler, Bethlehem Steel. Once great companies that could not adapt and change with the times. You have to take the good with the bad. This is business not social welfare, a job is not a right.
One more thing…the guy that is mad at American Express for not paying for the Girls MBA needs to get over it. If she wants an MBA she can get it. If she wants her company to pay….find one willing. Its not a workers right to get education paid for. Maybe American Express does not see the need for her position…ie not a good investment.
No IBM? One of the most admired companies in the entire world. If not number one, I expected it to be number two.
How does customer service factor into these ratings? From my experience, GE customer service is awful when you do have a problem with one of their products, and I don’t admire them much on that basis.
I am thrilled to see Wal-Mart once again listed. I have been an employee of the company for almost 5 years and cannot say enough good things about the company.
GE is known for it’s Process Excellence
Looking at all these negative comments, I think it’s clear that the term “most admired” works best for those who know the least. Try calling the survey “The Top 20 Most Admired From A Distance” next time.
Last time I checked, Warren Buffett is worth $47 billion, not $4 billion.
Hearing so much about GE I decided to see for myself. Determined, I left my job and joined GE after a rigorous process. Observing GE from inside really convinced me of the valid reasons why this Company is #1 in so many aspects. I can now safely vouch that GE is #1 inside out.
Wal-Mart? It is taking advantage of the young and elderly, they work you just enough so they can get what they want out of you, pay you as little for this work and have no benifites and for this we, the costumer get poor service from people who do not care, they are just there to collect the low wage so they get to the second job they have to have just to survive.
I was at Wal-Mart last night, the store was full of people, I had to look for a item, could not find anyone to help me, then when I found it, after looking for 1/2 hour I had to wait in line for another hour just to check out, they are 35 check out lines but only half were open all with very long lines, I bet the Waltons do not have to go through this, I wish we would have never allowed them to locate in Morgan City, Louisiana
Russell Stoute
Toyota in the Top-10! This is just another way of stabbing the American automakers in the back. Yes, they need to step up to the plate and “really compete” for their survival such as Ford wimping out in curtailing production of the Taurus. What a great car, and a contender if not a leader of the pack with the Camray and Accord. However, Shame on Fortune for even giving Toyota a spot in this “best admired” company list. It is NOT an American company. May I remind the American people where the profits go - To Japan!
Walmart? Admired? Even their “Green” policies are a crack up as they’re under the guise of enviromentalism but just another way for them to save money. I thought the general consensus among reasonable people was Walmart symbolizing the new American economy as the class margins continue to grow. Walmart generally earns its ranks as one of the most despised companies in American popular culture along with Haliburton.
Personally, I am surprised at seeing so much negativity on this blog. Probably its time to have an alternate list to Fortune if it is so un-believably wrong!!!…or maybe they got something right 
All organizations have the good and the bad. What matters is how focussed are they are on reducing the bad and promoting the good. Above all, taking concrete action.
I believe GE is a truly Global company and a world citizen…not just another US company. If we had more companies like GE the world will be a more peaceful place. Employees across the world build wonderful comeraderie and understanding when they directly interact with people all over the world.
It would be probably wise to note that a lot of growth for most of the big global companies is coming from overseas (outside US) and the shareholders get returns because of this. You must also note that these companies are as hard nosed when they work overseas…and who doesn’t like to pay less for a service or product!! So if year over year the price is not going up…your true value of money is going up (consider inflation). Technically, if price never went up, one would not need any increase in salary year over year (unless you are doing a more valuable job/ getting a promotion).
It is time for the world to realize that the competition will only grow. Only the best across the world will survive. One needs to either become a true world citizen or close their eyes to the changing world.
Go out there and take a look, every human being in this world has the same issues. However, companies like GE are focussed on improving the lot of the world while delivering share holder value. It is innovative, it takes guts and it takes caring for the world (not just oneself/US).
Hopefully, we will see more positive feedback on this blog…of people who really see the world as one and not in small silos of states and countries…kudos to companies out there who work day in and day out to make this world a better place one day at a time…Cheers.
My future “Most Admired Companies” will be those where the CEOs and other top management are voted into their positions by the employees in a secret ballot. Democracy should be the way to go, not only in governments, but also in companies. Even better would be employee referendums to decide major issues.
Target? Are you sure? Go on the web and type in Target sucks! see what you get? It’s funny, every Target is the same, the upper management is a joke. Very nasty to their employees.
The bricks of this sturdy wall are perseverance among employees, smart work, responsiveness, commitment guided and disciplined work force.
GE culture not only justifies the term “Imagination at Work” but also rationalize something called “Work beyound Imaginations”
It seems like this list was made by people who just want to fit and appeal to the “cool” kids (i.e. Apple, Google), while instead should really consider the direct positive impact a company like Microsoft is having on the consumer and professionals. A great example of how it should work was by chosing G&E as #1, not only do they provide huge innovation, but they aren’t necessarily talked about amongts people like Google and Apple are, when really nothing about the company is known. Seriously, ask an average person that if they know that Google offers email or if Apple makes computers?
I’m so glad Pepsi beat out Coca-Cola on this list. If it weren’t for McDonald’s and the recent acquisition of Subway as a major customer, Coke would have no market share. Their inability to bring new and innovative products to the marketplace will continue to contribute to their downward spiral. Anyone had a “C2″ or a “Blak” lately? And don’t even think about CCE, probably KO’s biggest blunder since New Coke. CCE is run by people so out of touch they can’t handle a customer or distribution problem unless it was a case study they read out of a text book.
I think Wal-Mart should have been further up the list. Despite a little bad press that occurred for no other reason than it is popular to do so:
“Net sales for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2007, were $344.992 billion, an increase of 11.7 percent over fiscal year 2006.”
“Income from continuing operations for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2007, increased 6.7 percent to $12.178 billion, up from $11.408 billion in the prior year.”
Those are BILLIONS folks (with a “B”).
Take it from an employee Nordstrom is a great place to work with a strong focus on taking care of it’s people.
This survey shows that the Hay Group surveyed “the good ole boys network” and came up with a list of companies that provide executives/directors/security analysts with egregious profits; regardless of the end means. Many of these “admired” companies put more monies into spin *rather* than into social responsibility or retaining local worker talent or providing the rank and file worker with meaningful wage/compensation.
Gordon Gekko would enjoy these survey results.
Hay Group and Fortune should ask “middle America” what companies are admired and which are reviled. Want to bet which of these two surveys would more closely match the “Fortune Most Admired Companies” list? It is a sucker bet!
Its amazing how many people think that the only thing GE cares about is the bottom line. You have to realize that without caring about the bottom line GE wouldn’t exist. They do whatever is necessary to make themselves a profitable company. I’ve never seen a company more loyal to it’s employees, shareholders and surrounding communities. It’s leadership programs are unmatched and they do millions upon millions in charities and community service every year. I have to mention the $750 Million they invest in R&D for ecoimagination and how that number will soar to $1.5 Billion by 2010. GE was a perfect choice for #1!
My 1989 Toyota Camry is still going, and going, and going. Sometimes I wish it would just die so I can buy a new car.
GE is the most admired??? The company has delivered zero value (have you looked at the share price?) to shareholders since Immelt took over, takes its customers and suppliers for granted and puts no effort whatsoever in building an environment where employees want to stay. Most admired?
UPS should be much higher, for everything they do with charities and donations. On top of that, they hand out grants and scholarships like candy. UPS also pays for their employees’ college tuition. Yes, you heard that right. Every dime, just for being a part-time employee.
Thanks for the opportunity to offer comment.
Anyone who believes GE makes their appliances, or could care about the reliability of their products, should check again. They’ve sold their name to second rate appliance manufacturers all over the world. Hardly admirable.
Apple has been noted as less than aggressive as an environmentally responsible citizen, hardly admirable. Starbucks, most admirable? For grinding coffee and offering a hotspot? Really?
Fundamentally, I guess Fortune is preaching to the choir.
P&G is admired? Not if you are a small grocery company that has to try to deal with their customer service. They are terrible. They don’t bother to keep the little guy appraised of any developments. I guess they think they are big enough to lord over us small guys.
What’s up with all the companies in the Top 20 most admired that aren’t even the most admired within their category? Toyota is the #2 auto maker to BMW, Apple is number 2 in computers to IBM. Southwest is #2 in airlines to Continental, yet all of those #2 companies are in the top 20 and those #1 comapnies are not. how much money did a #2 company have to give to be in the top 20 in place of a #1 company?
UPS lol, anyone who works their knows its a disaster. From the fake smiles the drivers portray, to the POS management hardliners who threaten your job if u cant deliver 200 pkg in 8 hours. Garbage
How dare you say that starbucks gives a fair market price given what they’ve done with Ethopia and the Arrabica coffee bean.
And GE with their PCB scandal being something you admire? Talk about a lack of ethics in business
How dare United Parcel Services make this list. The only way UPS gets a head in the corporate world is off their employee’s backs. They have absolutely no regards to the people that earn them their income. Managment has no idea what it is like to be a worker all they care about is how many package are delivered per minute and if the driver does not do it they will get written up. UPS Corp. looks at it’s employees as machines instead of human beings. The founder of UPS would be ashamed of todays UPS.
I hate Southwest, they have the worst service of any airline I have purchased tickets with. Theyve lost my bags twice and there was no one competent enough in their office to help me with the problem. Yet they are the cheapest ticket on the market, so I can see why maybe they are admired for their profits, but certainly not their service!
Kudos to GE for re-inventing themselves. Whoever is running their PR campaign deserves the credit, because their household products are pure garbage. They have the reliability of a 50 year old russian watch
When I went to go buy a new car, I went to a couple of different Toyota dealerships and they had HORRIBLE customer service. I never bought a Toyota and refuse to because of that. Starbucks is AWESOME though!
Toyota IS an American company you dolt. Your American-born companies are cutting American workers while Toyota is hiring them. Which is more American?
My only unpleasant surprise was to see Wal-Mart on this list once again. I know, it has been a staple on this list on an annual basis; and yes, the company does look good on paper. The Wal-Mart ‘big business’ philosophy, however, is one of many substantial contributors to a dissapearing middle class. At the store level employees are paid minimum wage or just above (unless having been a loyal and competent employee for 5+ years), store management works rediculously long hours for meager salaries (at best), and all of the store employees do one of the most difficult things there is to do — work with the public. Outside of the store level the salaries and bonuses are so disproportionate to reality that it is disturbing. Wal-Mart is also guilty of working their employees 31 hours a week or less — this way their employees are not considered full time, and the company does not have to provide benefits. The end result is that employees get paid minimum wage (or slightly above) for a short work week (31 hours is 77.5% of a full time work week), they are not provided with health insurance, and do not have the money to provide themselves with health insurance (unless they have a spouse who has coverage and they are on that plan). This is nothing short of criminal. This type of ‘big business’ is preventing a hard working people from getting above the poverty line, and is rewarding out of store level employees and board members disproportionately — the store level employees have a more demanding job, and their financial compensation is nothing short of an insult. The fact that Wal-Mart does all it can to discourage health insurance eligibility is immoral and unethical - and yes, it contributes so highly to the bottom line that above store level employees are able to pay themselves extraordinarily well, and gives board members the ability to give themselves multi-million dollar bonuses every year. This is a ‘big business’ trend that, if it is allowed to continue (Wal-Mart is certainly not the only offender), will deplete the middle class of this once-so-great country; and will be the beginning of either a civil war or a revolution. Wal-Mart is a disgrace to ethical business practices everywhere, a slap in the face to hard working hourly employees, and a death sentence to ‘mom and pop’ businesses that are much healthier for our economy. To add insult to injury, it is standard practice for Wal-Mart to hike prices once most of the ‘mom and pop’ competition has either been put out of business or has had to relocate.
Wal-Mart may look good on paper. On the moral and ethical scale, however, they are on the bottom of the list; along with all the other ‘big business’ players. Please do what you can to not support ‘big business’… they will be the death of a once great nation if they are allowed to continue.
I think FOTUNE should reconsider American Express on it’s list. They (Amex) make a practice of hiring “consultants” who are really freelancers. These semi-employees receive no medical benefits, vacation compensation, or other benefits that are awarded to a full-time employee. In one department I’m aware of, there are more freelancers than full-time employees. It kind of grosses me out that American Express pretends to be this wonderful company, but when you scratch the surface, it’s all bs.
In the computer industry, Microsoft is widely known as a corporate predator willing to do just about anything to secure and extend the near monopoly it has been convicted on two continents of abusing. As a matter of corporate policy, they would deny consumer choice and attempt to stifle any innovation they can’t appropriate. I do not understand how anyone knowing the true nature of Microsoft could admire the company and can only conclude that their true nature isn’t widely known outside the computer industry.
Clearly, Fortune has ranked these companies according to how they treat their sharholders … and not their employees or the environment !!!!
wal-mart? you’re kidding me, right? fedex? i guess the people writing this list have never called their customer service.
I am glad to see American Express in the top 20. Now I know the company I do business with is a good company.
What can we expect in the future for this companies?
Some of the names on the list are a joke. Starbucks - what does it contribute to society except low wages and over priced “hip” coffee. UPS - as a small business, try to find speak to somebody who can correct your bill, tell you that they will begin a trace before 14 days when a critical envelop is missing, etc., or even give you a credit when the driver decides to pass up a drop box before a holiday leaving your letters until after the holiday.
It is very sad to see GE at the top of the list since GE seems to only care about the bottom line. I have worked for a couple of GE companies in the past soon after being acquired by GE. The transition to GE was tortuous with about half the employees of both companies being laid off. In the second case, a lot of the expertise was outsourced overseas by MBA-types. After years of poor results from overseas staff, they have finally come to realize that North American employees have value. In the meantime, former GE employees have taken considerable business from their old boss.
Unlike what other people say and think I believe GE was a perfect choice for the number 1 spot. They make everything from your toaster oven to the nuclear reactor powering it. Wonderful long term investment.
GE, you must be kidding me. Why don’t you ask the great grandchildren of Nicola Tesla how great GE is. The guy invents electricity as we know it, and he is a mostly unknown in history. But everyone knows who Westinhouse(GE) is. Like he was anything but a rich guy.
Did you read the note from the editor about how they rank these companies. It goes like this, the winner
Wal-mart…admired? Surely you jest! Underpay, under/non-insure, sub-part time scheduled work weeks…I guess if we’re talking slave labor that’s government subsidized while the Fat Cats slave trade ring leaders keep getting greedier then yes, Wal-mart should be admired!