NEW YORK, April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple, Google, Toyota Motor, and General Electric once again top the list of "The 25 Most Innovative Companies" in BusinessWeek's fourth annual special report, produced in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group.
As the recession debate shifts from "what if" to "how long," slashing research and development budgets just got a lot more tempting. But there can be an upside to the downturn. Low-cost methods for creating new products are easier than ever as emerging markets provide both cheap labor and booming pockets for growth. "It's tough out there, and getting worse. Our annual list of the 25 Most Innovative Companies shows how executives are using the slowdown to create new value through innovation," says IN: Inside Innovation editor-in-chief, Bruce Nussbaum.
Among the haves are the 25 companies that make up the ranking of "The World's Most Innovative Companies." They nurture cultures that value creative people in good times and bad. They develop a diverse portfolio of projects that helps them weather dud ideas. And no finger-wagging Wall Street analyst is going to keep them from doubling down on smart bets that will position them well when the economy rights itself again.
To determine the list of the 25 most innovative companies, the Boston Consulting Group once again asked executives to vote for the most pioneering companies in the last year. In a climate when innovation will be scrutinized more than ever, three financial measures were added. For 2008, votes cast in the BusinessWeek-BCG survey got an 80% weighting, while three-year revenue and margin grown each got 5% and stock returns were weighted 10%.
BusinessWeek's special report, "The World's Most Innovative Companies," is featured in the April 28th issue, on newsstands April 18th. BusinessWeek.com will also feature expanded content, including an interactive table of the full ranking of the top 50 most innovative companies, lists of the most innovative companies by industry and region, and full methodology, at http://www.businessweek.com/go/08/innovative.
THE 25 MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES Rank Company 1 Apple 2 Google 3 Toyota Motor 4 General Electric 5 Microsoft 6 Tata Group 7 Nintendo 8 Procter & Gamble 9 Sony 10 Nokia 11 Amazon.com 12 IBM 13 Research in Motion 14 BMW 15 Hewlett-Packard 16 Honda Motor 17 Walt Disney 18 General Motors 19 Reliance Industries 20 Boeing 21 Goldman Sachs 22 3M 23 Wal-Mart 24 Target 25 Facebook
