The 50 Most Innovative Companies 2010

The 50 Most Innovative Companies 2010
Special Report: The 50 Most Innovative Companies 2010

Story: 50 Most Innovative Companies

Story: What Executives Make of Innovation

Slide Show: Cutting Edge Companies
Before the world shuddered two years ago, U.S. companies dominated our Most Innovative Companies ranking, easily outnumbering corporations based outside of America. But now that the global economy seems to be growing again, senior executives surveyed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) no longer consider the U.S. the be-all and end-all in innovation. Yes, Apple reigns as No. 1 again, trailed by silver medalist Google. And Microsoft and IBM find themselves back in the top five, based on BCG's global poll. But for the first time ever, more companies on our Top 50 are based outside the U.S. China's rise is the fastest. A year ago, its only representative was Lenovo, at 46. This year Greater China is tied with Asia's postwar powerhouse, Japan, thanks to showings by BYD (8), Haier Electronics (27), Lenovo (29), China Mobile (44), and Taiwan-based HTC (47). To make room for 2010's freshmen, a half-dozen American giants on 2009's list got dumped: AT&T, ExxonMobil, 3M, Johnson & Johnson, Southwest Airlines, and Target. For more details on the ranking, see the footnotes at the bottom of the table.


Click column heading once to reorder from highest to lowest. Click twice to reorder from lowest to highest.
2010
Rank
2009
Rank
Company
HQ Country
HQ Continent
Stock Returns 2006-09 *
(in %)
Revenue Growth 2006-09 **
(in %)
Margin Growth 2006-09 ***
(in %)


1 1 Apple U.S. North America 35 30 29
2 2 Google U.S. North America 10 31 2
3 4 Microsoft U.S. North America 3 10 -4
4 6 IBM U.S. North America 12 2 11
5 3 Toyota Motor Japan Asia -20 -11 NA
6 11 Amazon.com U.S. North America 51 29 6
7 27 LG Electronics South Korea Asia 31 16 707
8 NR BYD China Asia 99 42 -1
9 17 General Electric U.S. North America -22 -1 -25
10 14 Sony Japan Asia -19 -5 NA
11 16 Samsung Electronics South Korea Asia 10 17 -9
12 33 Intel U.S. North America 3 0 12
13 31 Ford Motor U.S. North America 10 -12 NA
14 8 Research In Motion Canada North America 17 75 -6
15 18 Volkswagen Germany Europe 8 0 14
16 7 Hewlett-Packard U.S. North America 9 8 9
17 13 Tata Group India Asia Private Private Private
18 20 BMW Germany Europe -8 0 NA
19 24 Coca-Cola U.S. North America 9 9 1
20 5 Nintendo Japan Asia -8 22 3
21 10 Wal-Mart Stores U.S. North America 7 6 -1
22 NR Hyundai Motor South Korea Asia 23 12 17
23 9 Nokia Finland Europe -14 0 -37
24 34 Virgin Group Britain Europe Private Private Private
25 12 Procter & Gamble U.S. North America 1 5 2
26 22 Honda Motor Japan Asia -11 -9 NA
27 NR Fast Retailing Japan Asia 17 15 0
28 NR Haier Electronics China Asia 28 22 -15
29 19 McDonald's U.S. North America 15 2 10
30 46 Lenovo China Asia 18 -1 NA
31 32 Cisco Systems U.S. North America -4 8 -6
32 21 Walt Disney U.S. North America 0 2 0
33 15 Reliance Industries India Asia 21 23 -4
34 NR Siemens Germany Europe -3 -4 27
35 NR Dell U.S. North America -17 -4 -7
36 38 Nestlé Switzerland Europe 8 4 1
37 NR British Sky Broadcasting Britain Europe 6 9 -10
38 25 Vodafone Britain Europe 6 17 -13
39 47 JPMorgan Chase U.S. North America -2 18 -21
40 NR Oracle U.S. North America 13 13 5
41 NR Petrobras Brazil South America 18 5 -11
42 42 Banco Santander Spain Europe 2 -1 8
43 48 Fiat Italy Europe -10 -2 -12
44 NR China Mobile China Asia 1 16 1
45 NR Goldman Sachs U.S. North America -5 6 4
46 43 Nike U.S. North America 12 5 2
47 NR HTC Taiwan Asia 6 11 -11
48 40 Facebook U.S. North America Private Private Private
49 36 HSBC Britain Europe -5 -7 -45
50 30 Verizon Communications U.S. North America 1 7 6