BusinessWeek's Fourth Annual Special Report Ranks the 25 Most Innovative Companies...

BusinessWeek's Fourth Annual Special Report Ranks the 25 Most Innovative
Companies in the World
Survey of Key Executives Was Largest Sampling Ever; New Metrics and More
Global Nature of Respondents Produced Many New Names on the BusinessWeek
Ranking

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
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

SOURCE BusinessWeek

Patti Straus +1-212-512-2680 or Heather Carpenter +1-212-512-2854