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Apple tops the list of the world’s most admired companies for 8th year running

Apple has topped the list of Fortune‘s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies for the 8th consecutive year, with Google taking the number two slot occupied last year by Amazon, while investment company Berkshire Hathaway moved up one slot into third place.

Apple received the top score in all nine categories of innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness (was never going to be too much doubt about that one), long-term investment value, quality of products and global competitiveness … 

Fortune compiles the definitive list by polling 4,104 executives, directors and securities analysts, asking them to select the 10 companies they admired most. The full top-ten list was:

1. Apple
2. Google
3. Berkshire Hathaway
4. Amazon.com
5. Starbucks
6. Walt Disney
7. Southwest Airlines
8. American Express
9. General Electric
10. Coca-Cola

Apple regularly tops similar lists, named last year by Forbes as the world’s most valuable brand, and by Barron’s as the world’s most respected company. Perhaps most impressively, for a company which chases profitability rather than market share, Apple was declared joint-winner in the market share stakes for Q4 last year.

Image: Area 52 Advertising Inc. | Moment Mobile | Getty Images

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Comments

  1. Taste_of_Apple - 10 years ago

    Well deserved.

  2. AeronPeryton - 10 years ago

    I only admire a handful of that list, and I don’t know what Berkshire Hathaway even is.

    • philboogie - 10 years ago

      In those instances I simply highlight text and triple-tap:

      “Berkshire Hathaway
      Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that oversees and manages a number of subsidiary companies. The company wholly owns GEICO, BNSF, Lubrizol, Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom, Helzberg Diamonds, FlightSafety International, and NetJets, owns half of Heinz and an undisclosed percentage of Mars, Incorporated, and has significant minority holdings in American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, Wells Fargo, IBM and Restaurant Brands International. Berkshire Hathaway averaged an annual growth in book value of 19.7% to its shareholders for the last 49 years (compared to 9.8% from the S&P 500 with dividends included for the same period), while employing large amounts of capital, and minimal debt.”

      • philboogie - 10 years ago

        Excuse me, 3-finger tap

      • I’m amazed Apple’s dictionary has such a detailed description of the operations of Berkshire Hathaway, however it leaves out the only reason Berkshire is on this list. It’s Warren Buffet’s company.

      • AeronPeryton - 10 years ago

        Oh good, nothing I care about. :)

  3. philboogie - 10 years ago

    All because little Steve was told to paint the _back_ of their fence, which no one would ever see.

  4. Google :D Yeah, right…

  5. Does this still surprise anyone?

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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