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November 13th, 2002

Global Finance's World's Best Companies - 2002
© Dr. Terry J. van der Werff, CMC

In its November, 2002, issue Global Finance magazine identifies the world's best companies.

My, my, what a difference a year makes.  United, last year's best global airlines, is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.  Enron, last year's best energy services company, is the poster child for corporate malfeasance.  Who says the world doesn't change and "the big boys are always on top!?"

For the fifth year, Global Finance identifies the world's best companies in 28 economic sectors, compared with last year's 25 sectors.  The three new sectors are Leisure, Tobacco, and splitting Consumer Products into Consumer durables/electronics and Consumer nondurables.  17 of the 28 companies are newly crowned as best in their industry on the face of the earth, a rather large 61% turnover rate.

Airlines SkyTeam Alliance Global new
Automotive Toyota Motor Japan new
Beverages Diego United Kingdom new
Chemicals BASF Germany new
Computer hardware IBM United States new
Computer software Microsoft United States new
Conglomerates General Electric United States
Consumer durables/ electronics Samsung Electronics South Korea new
Consumer non-durables Procter & Gamble United States new
Defense & aerospace Lockheed Martin United States new
Electronics Samsung Electronics South Korea
Energy services/electricity Southern Company United States new
Energy services/equipment GE Power Systems United States new
Food Nestlé Switzerland
Franchises McDonald's United States
Hotels Starwood United States
Infrastructure Bechtel United States
Leisure Starbucks United States new
Logistics United Parcel Service United States
Media & entertainment Viacom United States new
Metals & mining Anglo American United Kingdom
Network systems Cisco Systems United States
Oil & gas ExxonMobil United States new
Pharmaceuticals Johnson & Johnson United States new
Retailing Wal-Mart United States
Telecom equipment Nokia Finland
Telecom services Vodafone United Kingdom new
Tobacco Philip Morris United States new

Criteria for selection are both objective and subjective:

revenue and profit growth
market capitalization and share price growth
technology or product breakthroughs
strategy
crisis control
aggressiveness in market building
social responsibility
success in expanding outside the home country

The above criteria are similar to last year's list, but a bit less numbers oriented.

Each company has a several paragraph description, partly descriptive and partly suggestive of strategies that may be worth thinking about for your own company.

In addition to the above, Global Finance identified the top companies in the same 28 sectors for North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, each with a one paragraph description.

Source: Global Finance, November, 2002, issue.

View Global Finance's list of best companies in 2001.
View Global Finance's list of best companies in 2003.
View Global Finance's list of best companies in 2004.

View Global Finance's list of best companies in 2005.

 

 


van der Werff Global, Ltd.
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