In a year of loss, they're building market share, upending their industries, and changing consumers' lives
"Power lasts 10 years," goes an old Korean proverb. "Influence, not more than a hundred."
In a year that brought the mighty to their knees, some of the biggest players in business have seen their power whittled away. The once-venerated Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in September. American International Group (AIG) now bows to government officials after nearly collapsing under a web of risky bets. Even the blue-chip General Electric found itself going hat-in-hand to Warren Buffett.
As the proverb points out, influence has a shelf life, too. And it's probably getting shorter as the cycle of change accelerates. Companies that once wielded a seemingly unshakeable hold over their industries—General Motors (GM), Sony (SNE), Microsoft (MSFT)—now find themselves following the lead of more nimble players such as Toyota (TM), Apple (APPL), and Google (GOOG). "There's no standing still," notes veteran strategy guru Gary Hamel. "Influence is like water, always flowing somewhere."
The core characteristics of influence are unchanged, whether it's inspiring a loyal following, spawning big ideas, or building up mammoth market share. What has changed is how players achieve it. A company's physical assets are less important now than the force of its ideas. In the age of blogging and instant communication, consumers are less the recipients of corporate influence than powerful actors who help shape it. "We're coming to realize a brand is not just what the manufacturer says it is," says Shelly Lazarus, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, "but everything that the consumer or the customer experiences." Think of the community built around Apple products.
With that in mind, BusinessWeek developed a list of the World's Most Influential Companies. We chose 10 companies that have devised winning strategies in their industries. They are the ones with the game-changing ideas, the greatest impact on consumers, and the bold tactics rivals emulate. None is infallible or without controversy. And our choices were more art than science. But we believe each company played a major role in business over the past year and could shape the corporate landscape for years to come.
In honing the list, BusinessWeek worked with an advisory board of 14 academics, consultants, and industry leaders worldwide. Several themes emerged. For one, the developed world is no longer the sole repository of influential companies. Nearly a third of the board's suggestions were for companies based in emerging markets, where a vibrant workforce and global capital play a vital role.
LATECOMERS
And forget about first-mover advantage. Google was not the first search engine, just the simplest and most technologically advanced. Apple, though late to the cell-phone race, has revolutionized the industry with its iPhone. Futurist Andrew Zolli notes that these latecomers don't "just define, but redefine, the terms of competition."
A company's ability to exert power beyond its own people often reflects the strength of its relationships. Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, notes that "influence today is about how sophisticated, how broad your network is." Facebook may not yet make much money, he argues, but it's creating a new way for companies to reach customers. Wal-Mart (WMT), meanwhile, is leveraging its ties with Chinese suppliers to exert influence over mainland environmental practices. While its motivation may be as much about saving costs as saving the planet, that initiative could help the retailer leave its biggest imprint yet.
The influence of talent farms—companies revered as much for their management bench as for their products—could be changing, too. Whether it was marketing savvy at Procter & Gamble (PG) or the "Get me a CEO from GE!" refrain of the 1990s, certain companies have been deified for their management skills. But University of Michigan professor C.K. Prahalad argues that the assumed superiority of such alumni hasn't always been borne out. The entrepreneurial cultures at Home Depot (HD) and 3M (MMM) struggled under the rigorous management systems brought in by GE veterans Bob Nardelli and Jim McNerney. Best practices don't always travel well. Poaching from marquee names "was perfectly legitimate when everybody used to run similar manufacturing-oriented, cost-oriented businesses," says Prahalad. With today's need for innovation, he says, it's the "unique person you want to look at, not necessarily whether he had this or that experience at P&G."
Don't conclude that influence today is more ephemeral or harder to measure than in decades past. Strip away the fast-moving trends, the flip-flops in consumer behavior, and influence still comes down to what Munich-based strategy consultant Roland Berger sums up as "impact on society." In the 1950s that meant shaping the needs of a swelling consumer culture. In the decades since, influential companies built everything from air travel infrastructure to the information highway. Today, the best are trying to serve a global customer base while finding profitable ways to solve a range of societal ills. It's a daunting mission at a time when the world seems overwhelmed. Those who tackle it, however, may wield influence for a generation. And, perhaps, for even more than 100 years.
The Influencers
"Influence is like water, always flowing somewhere."
— veteran strategy guru Gary Hamel.
With that in mind, BusinessWeek, working with an advisory board of 14 academics, consultants, and industry leaders worldwide, has developed a list of the World's Most Influential Companies. We selected 10 companies that played a major role in their industry over the past year and could shape the corporate landscape for years to come. Have a look at the names on our list, as well as two other categories we think are worth noting: companies that are masters of their domain because they dominate their market and those up-and-comers likely to emerge as the next generation of influence leaders.
1. Apple
Location: Cupertino, Calif.
Industry: Information Technology
Annual Sales: $24 billion
It’s the epitome of cool—a company that has gained a cultlike following because it somehow manages to breathe new life into every category it touches. From sleek laptops to the even sleeker iPhone, Apple (AAPL) products are imaginative, irreverent, and pleasing to the eye. They’re fun to use and have wreaked havoc on competitors. Consider how the iPod and iTunes software created a new business model for the global music industry. CEO Steve Jobs’ initial pitch in 2001: Put 1,000 songs in your pocket. Slowing iPod sales are just a sign of how ubiquitous the music player has become.
Now Jobs is shaking up the tech industry again with the iPhone. Apple has sold more than 13 million of them in the past 18 months. Samsung, Research in Motion (creator of the BlackBerry), and LG Electronics (page 56) have tried to copy its touchscreen-based design while counterfeiters raced to produce knockoffs.
One-Stop Shop
What rivals lack is the AppStore. Instead of just using a smartphone for talking and e-mail, Apple customers can download more than 10,000 applications within seconds on their iPhones. One lets you turn your iPhone into a flute. Other applications enable inventory tracking. Outsiders make them, and Apple keeps 30% of the revenue.
Now companies such as Google, T-Mobile, Microsoft, and RIM are creating AppStores of their own. Good luck. Apple’s U.S. partner, AT&T, is basking in the Apple glow. “AT&T used to be seen as this wheezing, oversized telco, but Apple’s hipness has rubbed off on it,” says tech consultant Paul Saffo.
For Apple, the key has been turning its isolated flashes of brilliance into a science. “They have been astoundingly consistent,” says Saffo. Even amid a recession, Jobs is obsessing over new products. And he knows everyone else is obsessing over what he’ll do next.
2. Unilever
Location: London
Industry: Consumer Products
Annual Sales: $52 billion
There used to be one way to sell a product in developing markets, if you bothered to sell there at all: Slap on a local label and market to the elite. Unilever (UN) changed that. The Anglo-Dutch maker of such brands as Dove, Lipton, and Vaseline built a following among the world’s poorest consumers by upending some of the basic rules of marketing. Instead of focusing on value for money, it shrunk packages to set a price even consumers living on $2 a day could afford. It helped people make money to buy its products. “It’s not about doing good,” but about tapping new markets, says Chief Executive Patrick Cescau.
“Unilever was among the first to prove you can build brands at the bottom of the pyramid,” says Martin Roll, head of Singapore branding consultancy Venture Republic. Companies from Nokia to Royal Philips Electronics have followed suit.
Priced To Sell
The strategy was forged about 25 years ago when Indian subsidiary Hindustan Lever. found its products out of reach for millions of Indians. HLL came up with a strategy to lower the price while making a profit: single-use packets for everything from shampoo to laundry detergent, costing pennies a pack. A bargain? Maybe not. But it put marquee brands within reach.
Unilever continues to woo cash-strapped customers. In India, it has trained rural women to sell products to their neighbors. “What Unilever does well is get inside these communities, understand their needs, and adapt its business model accordingly,” says Joan E. Ricart, a professor at IESE Business School in Barcelona.
Three years ago the company built a free community laundry in the biggest slum in São Paulo. Named after its Omo detergent brand, the laundry created an oasis of cleanliness that helps explain why Unilever has 70% of the Brazil detergent market—despite charging 20% more than Procter & Gamble’s Ariel brand.
3. JPMorgan Chase
Location: New York
Industry: Banking
Annual Sales: $64.5 billion
It’s a testament to the times that CEO Jamie Dimon has become a towering figure in finance. As rivals were leading the charge into esoteric mortgage-backed products, he shied away. Instead of steering JPMorgan Chase (JPM) into new realms of risk and reward, Dimon beefed up reserves and told staff to pay for their own newspaper subscriptions.
But the conservative banker has had greatness thrust upon him. By shunning the deals that sent others crashing, he helped JPMorgan emerge as the king of banking. Even as its own fortunes suffer amid the turmoil, regulators trust it. Politicians cite the bank as a model of the kind of management needed to save Wall Street from future bouts of greed. And some rivals have looked to it for survival.
In March, as Bear Stearns was set to implode under the weight of its bad bets, Dimon came forward to pick up the pieces. While Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke helped broker the deal, Dimon says “it was our capital, our reputation, the work of our people that got the thing done.” Six months later regulators helped JPMorgan pick up collapsed mortgage lender Washington Mutual in one of the largest bankruptcies ever.
Other banks have absorbed troubled institutions, too, but none has proved as essential as JPMorgan. Buying Bear Stearns stabilized a jittery market. The bank’s balance sheet showed that some segments of Wall Street still valued prudence. Dimon couldn’t stave off the global turmoil, but Burnham Financial Industries fund manager Anton V. Schutz argues that JPMorgan’s absence would have made things worse. “These deals saved us all a lot of problems,” he says.
D.C. Clout
How Dimon ultimately will choose to leverage his company’s newfound dominance is unclear. With a $330 billion mortgage and home-equity loan portfolio, he is on the front lines of the housing crisis. JPMorgan was early in offering assistance to homeowners to stave off foreclosure and went beyond federal guidelines to modify loans. Dimon is also becoming more of an industry voice in Washington. “It’s an endorsement of the way he’s handled the crisis and managed risk,” says Brad Ziff, head of the hedge fund advisory practice at Oliver Wyman.
While Dimon says JPMorgan faces “a lot of issues” along with the rest of the sector, he’s acutely aware of his moment in history. But his first priority is to get back to boosting reserves. This time, others want to follow his lead.
4. Wal-Mart
Location: Bentonville, Ark.
Industry: Retailing
Annual Sales: $379 billion
With its unparalleled buying power and reach, Wal-Mart (WMT) has revolutionized retailing and business practices worldwide. Name practically any product category, from groceries to photo processing, and there’s a good chance Wal-Mart is the No. 1 player in that space. It became the world’s largest retailer by cutting costs to deliver rock-bottom prices. And it made thousands of suppliers do the same. With about 100 million Americans shopping at its stores every week, vendors have no choice. A deal with Wal-Mart can make or break a business.
Wal-Mart has been criticized for allegedly applying its low-cost ethic to people. Critics cite low wages for its 2 million workers, as well as goods sourced from countries where factory conditions are a concern.
Green Machine
But Wal-Mart is determined now to use its sway for good, especially to better the environment. It’s pushing to create “zero waste” stores and sell more green products, with its sales of 145 million energy-saving light bulbs already dampening U.S. electricity consumption.
More significant, perhaps, it’s forcing Chinese manufacturers to clean up their ways. In November, Wal-Mart told big mainland suppliers that they must become 20% more energy-efficient within three years to stay on contract, and they must disclose more. As incoming CEO Mike Duke told suppliers, “If you sell us tennis shoes, we expect you to know—we expect you to tell us—not just where the tennis shoes were assembled, but which subcontractors played a role in making them.”
With Wal-Mart’s pressure on the world’s fastest-growing polluter, the impact could be profound. As sustainability consultant Andrew Winston argues: “Only Wal-Mart is big enough to daunt China’s worst practices.” Even those who like to blame it for other practices recognize Wal-Mart’s power in going green.
5. News Corp.
Location: New York
Industry: Media
Annual Sales: $33 billion
The media business looks depressing, unless you’re Rupert Murdoch. Even as News Corp.’s assets suffer amid a global recession, Murdoch continues to place big bets, from buying up TV stations in Eastern Europe to turning The Wall Street Journal into an even bigger brand. His critics can be merciless, but his rivals always pay attention. “This is a company that can see around corners,” says Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen. “And everyone watches what they do.”
With his fearless and sometimes reckless empire-building, Murdoch has changed the game. Objectivity was the stated goal in U.S. news journalism until the boldly partisan Fox News Channel stole share from CNN. Social networking looked like a fad until News Corp. (NWS) ponied up more than $580 million to buy MySpace.com. China was impenetrable—until Murdoch penetrated it. And rivals look on with envy as News Corp. has become the dominant force in TV in countries from India to Britain.
High Stakes
Long before “multiplatform” became the mantra of every media baron worth his private jet, Murdoch showed how it was done. News Corp. is both a producer of content—movies, books, TV shows, and newspapers—as well as a distributor of it. He has demonstrated that mighty brands such as Britain’s BBC can falter if you dare to give people what they want, as BSkyB’s satellite service has proved. He is willing to lose staggering amounts of money to build newspapers, such as The New York Post and, now, the Journal, into bigger properties. Opponents call it pride. Murdoch says he’s looking for the next big thing. Strike that; he wants to create the next big thing.
Whether Murdoch will fall flat on his face is always a question. Certainly his tendency to bet the farm on new ventures has taken News Corp. to the brink before. But, at 77, he continues to be the pioneer who makes everyone else hold their breath. “We’re almost paranoid to any sense of creeping incumbency,” says James Murdoch, Rupert’s son and chief executive of News Corp.’s European and Asian operations. “We may fail sometimes. But when we see an opportunity, we try to run with it as fast as we can.” That could be the expanded Journal or BSkyB’s new online subscription service, which other TV companies shied away from for fear of cannibalizing their core businesses. One thing is certain: News Corp. lives to make waves.
6. Toyota
Location: Aichi, Japan
Industry: Automobiles
Annual Sales: $283 billion
Forget for a minute that Toyota (TM) will soon beat General Motors in vehicle sales to become the world’s largest automaker. With the Big Three turning to Washington for life support, that milestone comes at a time when Toyota’s own earnings are slumping.
Instead, head to Georgetown Community Hospital in Georgetown, Ky., and ask executives how they were able to trim 30 minutes off treatment times for emergency room patients. The answer: by working with a Toyota affiliate to adopt its fabled production system. No wonder University of Michigan professor Jeffrey Liker calls Toyota “the most influential [and] probably the most imitated company in the world.”
Few companies have proven as influential beyond their industry as Toyota. Thousands of companies have studied its lean production methods to cut waste and increase efficiency. The impact is felt in industries from mining to retail. Veteran United Technologies Chairman George David is among the fans.
And since 1992 Toyota has consulted on its best practices through the Toyota Supplier Support Center. The goal is less to generate revenue than to foster goodwill. Toyota often sells services at cost or gives away materials for free. That’s probably wise, given continued sensitivities over its impact on U.S. manufacturing.
Ahead Of The Curve
Although not immune to the downturn, Toyota continues to change the game in the auto industry. When it brought the hybrid Prius to the U.S. seven years ago, rivals said the technology would never catch on. Today, GM and Ford are producing their own gas-electric vehicles. And Toyota, which has more than 1,000 hybrid-related patents and expects to sell 1 million hybrid vehicles annually within five years, has become synonymous with greener motoring. “There might be an occasional surprise” from competitors, argues UBS analyst Tatsuo Yoshida, “but Toyota will continue to lead.”
While Toyota’s influence arguably has increased during the financial crisis, the company is suffering. Sales are down, and it got into dubious practices like 0% financing to cut swelling inventory. Like U.S. rivals, it’s paying for a rush to build and sell big vehicles. As pickup sales slowed recently, Toyota halted production in a Texas assembly plant.
As Detroit teeters, Toyota has another tool: some $40 billion in cash and securities it can invest in new vehicles and plants. And its expected $5.9 billion profit this year could leave it well-positioned to have even more sway once the economy recovers.
7. Saudi Aramco
Location: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Industry: Energy/Oil
Annual Sales: $210 billion (est.)
On June 22, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah said the kingdom would open its taps to cool down soaring oil prices. The Saudi move, which annoyed some fellow OPEC members, helped trigger a subsequent price collapse. For J. Robinson West, chairman of Washington consultancy PFC Energy, the market reaction “was critical in pointing out the ascendancy and influence of Saudi Arabia in the industry.”
Much of that clout resides in one company, Saudi Aramco. It allows Saudi Arabia to be a kind of central banker of oil. Every day the Dhahran-based outfit ships around 8 million barrels to industrial powers. It’s the world’s largest oil producer, controlling almost 10% of global supply. More important, as the only player willing and able to vary production significantly, it plays a critical role in the health of economies worldwide. If it lets prices drift too high, millions worldwide could suffer. Too low, and the Saudi economy gets hit.
Technology Leader
Incoming Chief Executive Khalid al Falih understands his company’s influence over global supply. Saudi Aramco has spent tens of billions of dollars to increase capacity and keep fields operating at higher-than-average rates. Among other things, it has used its wealth to become a trendsetter in new technologies such as underground sensors and horizontal wells to squeeze more oil from each field. Andrew Gould, CEO of oilfield services giant Schlumberger, adds that Saudi Aramco’s “success in tackling many of the industry’s toughest technology challenges is growing.”
Saudi Arabia has managed to overrule some of its more radical peers to keep up supply. The kingdom’s financial health depends on its ability to successfully manage oil prices through Saudi Aramco. It doesn’t always succeed. But the markets listen closely to what the Saudis say.
Location: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Industry: Energy/Oil
Annual Sales: $210 billion (est.)
On June 22, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah said the kingdom would open its taps to cool down soaring oil prices. The Saudi move, which annoyed some fellow OPEC members, helped trigger a subsequent price collapse. For J. Robinson West, chairman of Washington consultancy PFC Energy, the market reaction “was critical in pointing out the ascendancy and influence of Saudi Arabia in the industry.”
Much of that clout resides in one company, Saudi Aramco. It allows Saudi Arabia to be a kind of central banker of oil. Every day the Dhahran-based outfit ships around 8 million barrels to industrial powers. It’s the world’s largest oil producer, controlling almost 10% of global supply. More important, as the only player willing and able to vary production significantly, it plays a critical role in the health of economies worldwide. If it lets prices drift too high, millions worldwide could suffer. Too low, and the Saudi economy gets hit.
Technology Leader
Incoming Chief Executive Khalid al Falih understands his company’s influence over global supply. Saudi Aramco has spent tens of billions of dollars to increase capacity and keep fields operating at higher-than-average rates. Among other things, it has used its wealth to become a trendsetter in new technologies such as underground sensors and horizontal wells to squeeze more oil from each field. Andrew Gould, CEO of oilfield services giant Schlumberger, adds that Saudi Aramco’s “success in tackling many of the industry’s toughest technology challenges is growing.”
Saudi Arabia has managed to overrule some of its more radical peers to keep up supply. The kingdom’s financial health depends on its ability to successfully manage oil prices through Saudi Aramco. It doesn’t always succeed. But the markets listen closely to what the Saudis say.
8. Monsanto
Location: St. Louis
Industry: Food Products
Annual Sales: $8.6 billion
Frankenfood. Genetically modified organisms. Synthetic growth hormones to increase milk production in cows. For some people, just the mention of Monsanto (MON) is enough to turn them off their dinners. While the biotech food giant and world’s top seed seller has its share of detractors, few would dispute Monsanto’s influence on the global food chain. About 97% of U.S. soy is now grown using Monsanto technology, and the company’s insect- and herbicide-resistant corn and cotton have become the default standard for U.S. farmers. Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen argues that it’s “light years” ahead of rivals, noting that “if you don’t have Monsanto’s seeds for soybeans, you can’t compete [because] the yield per acre is so much better.”
Poverty Fighter
While critics question the environmental and health impact of Monsanto products, they agree that the company has revolutionized farming since introducing genetically modified seeds in 1996. About 282 million acres worldwide are now devoted to biotech crops, with the fastest growth in developing countries. In India, cotton yields are up 50%, helping farmers more than double their income last year. A study by one nonprofit found that the adoption of Monsanto’s insect-protected corn in the Philippines elevated agricultural households above the poverty line.
Following Monsanto’s lead, others are now tinkering with plant and animal DNA to create new foods, from cancer-fighting purple tomatoes to orange juice laced with omega-3 fatty acids. Monsanto’s next priority: crops that require less fresh water and land to flourish. And the company has vowed to provide African farmers with drought-resistant seeds royalty-free. As Monsanto Chief Executive Hugh Grant has told BusinessWeek: “That isn’t a feel-good thing. Satisfying the demand curve is a great business opportunity.”
9. Huawei
Location: Shenzhen, China
Industry: Information Technology
Annual Sales: $12.6 billion
Most people outside China have never heard of Huawei. But the Shenzhen-based maker of networking equipment, cellular handsets, and other telecommunications gear is making the world pay attention to China in a new way. Although controversial and hard to pin down in terms of finances, the company has become a role model in how to gain global clout. Instead of competing solely on cost, Huawei invested early on to move into higher-end products. Rivals say it has also proven a master at using connections in Beijing to extend its global reach.
But most of its success has come from offering customers top quality products at a low cost. That has forced multinationals such as Nortel, Alcatel-Lucent, and Cisco to compete on its terms with razor-thin margins and an ever improving product mix. Ericsson CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg describes his mainland rival as “pretty brutal” on pricing and innovation. Adds Cisco Executive Vice-President Wim Elfrink: “When we compete with Huawei, we compete with China Inc.”
Founded 20 years ago by former army officer and current CEO Ren Zhengfei to import foreign telecom equipment, Huawei quickly moved to make its own products. It became a top supplier to Chinese businesses and drew scrutiny for doing business with Iraq. Five years ago, Cisco charged it with stealing intellectual property. Cisco dropped the suit and, tellingly, CEO John T. Chambers later said he would love to partner with Huawei. He’s not the only one: On Dec. 10, Huawei announced it will be teaming up with the Google-backed Open Handset Alliance to launch an Android phone in 2009.
Targeting America
The private company’s finances remain opaque, but Huawei says 70% of revenues come from outside China. The company now serves more than 1 billion users through 35 of the world’s top 50 telecom operators, including Vodafone, BT, and France Telecom. Next up: trying to make gains in the U.S., where equipment sales last year totaled just $100 million. “We are at a starting phase,” says Charles Huang, Huawei’s president for global marketing.
Xiang Bing, dean of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing, says Huawei’s success shows mainland firms how “you can make a jump and be a big player.” One sign of heft: being forced to drop a proposed $2.2 billion takeover with Bain Capital of Marlborough (Mass.)-based 3Com amid concerns about Huawei gaining access to sensitive U.S. technology. A setback, perhaps, but unlikely to dent Huawei’s growing power base.
10. Google
Location: Mountain View, Calif.
Industry: Information Technology
Annual Sales: $16.6 billion
It hasn’t exactly created a legion of imitators. If anything, Google’s crushing dominance of online search—generating 3,000 queries per second in the U.S. alone—has made rivals look sickly in comparison. Users can search in 119 languages, including Klingon (from Star Trek). Its democratization of information even took a nefarious turn as Indian authorities say terrorists used Google Earth to map out the recent attack on Mumbai. But its most profound influence is over the way people think and how companies respond. Media and advertising giants are struggling to adapt to a world ruled by Google. Why shovel big bucks into traditional ads when it lets you reach the right person for pennies a click?
Consider that 10 years ago Google (GOOG) consisted of Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and an idea. Now it employs more than 20,000 of the brightest thinkers on the planet. Their goal: transform the world. It’s taking on everything from TV to cell-phone design. Success comes not through marketing but through simplicity and reliability. Google is easy and it works.
Washington Clout
That influence extends to a unique management style, which includes letting technical people spend 20% of their time on projects of their own choosing. Although Google is starting to trim some of the more esoteric ventures, it remains a benchmark for innovations in human relations and finance as well as technology.
It’s also wielding clout in Washington. It successfully pushed the Federal Communications Commission to open up the airwaves to new mobile devices and Internet services. But Washington has also fought back, forcing Google to drop a deal with Yahoo! amid the threat of an antitrust suit. That won’t stop Google. “They’re going to be a brand in our everyday lives,” says Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of the blog Search Engine Land. Many would say it already is.
11. Masters Of Their Domains
Not all companies follow the same path to influence. Just as Yao Ming is the top Chinese center in the NBA (and the only one), some companies achieve dominance because they’re essentially the only players in their space.
12. 3M
Location: St. Paul, Minn.
Industry: Consumer Goods
2007 Sales: $24.5 billion
The St. Paul (Minn.) maker (MMM) has plenty of rivals, but few bother to compete when it comes to sticky notes and transparent tape. Scotch Tape commands more than a 90% market share, and in the ultimate sign of market dominance, its brand name has become synonymous with the generic product name.
13. Autodesk
Location: San Rafael, CA
Industry: Computer Software
2007 Sales: $2.2 billion
Autodesk’s (ADSK) computer-aided design software, priced at $4000, is the only option for consumers and small architecture and design firms. The company’s popular AutoCAD software has 85% market share, and its drive into 3D products design has led to the acquisition of competing packages like Maya and Softimage, creating concern among some in the computer-graphics industry that the consolidation might stifle innovation.
14. China Mobile
Location: Hong Kong, China
Industry: Telecom
2007 Sales: $52 billion
The state-owned telecom is the world’s largest mobile-phone operator and controls about 70% of China’s mobile market, with more than 443 million customers. Just the prospect of a partnership with China Mobile (CHL) was enough to send Apple’s (AAPL) stock soaring in November of last year, although the companies are still in talks. Google (GOOG) has partnered with China Mobile on search, which it sees as a promising way into the Asian market.
15. Jarden
Location: Rye, NY
Industry: Consumer Goods
2007 Sales: $4.6 billion
Jarden (JAH) has largely cornered the market on what CEO Martin Franklin calls “kitchen drawer” products such as playing cards (it owns Bicycle, Hoyle, and Bee), toothpicks (Diamond), and canning jars (Ball). “The whole strategy from the beginning was to buy businesses with dominant market shares of niche markets,” explains Franklin. “I didn’t want to bang heads with P&G.”
16. Intuit
Location: Mountain View, CA
Industry: Computer Software
2007 Sales: $2.7 billion
Intuit’s (INTU) TurboTax brand owns almost 80% of the consumer tax preparation software market, while QuickBooks commands 90% of the small-biz accounting software market. As the public moves to filing their taxes online, the company aims to stay ahead of the curve by introducing Web-based tools for personal finance management.
17. Japan Steel Works
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Industry: Steel
2007 Sales: $1.8 billion
Japan Steel Works (5631.T) is the only maker of ultra heavy forgings for nuclear reactor vessels, with a backlog of more than five years on orders. The plant can churn out just a handful of these forgings each year, so some utilities are putting down $100 million deposits to secure their place in line. As fears grow that there won’t be enough supply to meet the growing demand for nuclear energy, other companies are making moves into this space. In France, a subsidiary of AREVA is developing this capability, as are Doosan Heavy Industries in Korea and Mitsubishi Steel in Japan.
18. Nielsen
Location: New York, NY
Industry: Marketing Research
2007 Sales: $4.7 billion
The New York company still rules the $600 million TV-ratings industry in the U.S., although it doesn’t have the same cachet it once did. TiVo, whose digital video box collects precise viewing data automatically, is starting to grab some of Nielsen’s business with its Stop//Watch Ratings Service.
19. Microsoft
Location: Redmond, Wash.
Industry: Computer Hardware and Software
2007 Sales: $51 billion
Despite years of antitrust battles, the Redmond (Wash.) giant still accounts for almost 9 out of every 10 computer operating systems. Yet analysts took note when Windows’ market share dipped below 90% in December. The Mac OS has been making slow but steady gains, partly due to the unpopularity of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Vista. Internet Explorer, another blockbuster Microsoft product, commands 70% of the Web browser market, down from 95% in early 2003. Yet industry analysts don’t think Microsoft (MSFT) has reason to panic, especially with Windows 7 and a new version of IE on the horizon.
20. Sirius XM
Location: New York, NY
Industry: Media
2007 Sales: $922 million
For satellite radio in the U.S., there is now no other choice following the July 2008 merger of the two former rivals. The merger is an interesting case for law students because it shows how struggling rivals may be given the latitude to create a monopoly until new technologies catch on among consumers. Of course, if the market definition is broadened to include music for businesses, Sirius XM (SIRI) competes with Muzak; if the market is defined as all radio listeners, it has countless competitors.
21. YKK
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Industry: Manufacturing
2007 Sales: $5.6 billion
With roughly half of the world’s zipper sales, the YKK acronym adorns pants and jackets around the globe. In a sign of the brand’s influence, there is even a worldwide market for counterfeit YKK fasteners. However, the company has used some illegitimate means to achieve its pricing power. Strange as it may sound, YKK was hit with a 150 million euro fine last year for operating a zipper cartel with its closest competitors.
22. Up And Comers
Not all the influential companies are billion-dollar behemoths. Many are up-and-coming stars still expanding their global reach, building brand recognition, or trying to disrupt their industry's dominant player. That hardly means they aren't making their presence felt. Here are some of our advisers' nominations for the most influential emerging companies.
23. Li & Fung Ltd.
Location: Hong Kong
Industry: Supply Chain Management Services
2007 Sales: NA
The 102-year-old Hong Kong-based consumer-goods sourcing company, which once represented Chinese silk and porcelain manufacturers, now helps retailers and apparel brands ranging from Toys R Us to Reebok find the best sources for clothing, toys and accessories. As companies fret over slowing consumer spending, Li & Fung has had to clamp down on operating costs and seen a slide in its shares. Still, the demand for a global supply chain isn't going to wane, and Li & Fung will be making introductions to its vast network of 10,000 suppliers for years to come.
24. Facebook
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Industry: Information Technology
2007 Sales: $150 million
It's helped elect a president, changed the way people communicate, and is altering the world of online advertising yet again. The popular social network, which now has more than 160 million members, could even end up more influential than Google (GOOG), says Pop!Tech and Z + Partners founder Andrew Zolli, one of our advisory board members: "Advertising, media, and consumer product development are all going to be influenced by social networking, and more particularly, by the ability to extract from social networks relationships which are indicative of buying and selling patterns, or consumer influence patterns." As it seeks to expand even deeper into international markets—the site doesn't yet have a strong presence in Brazil, Germany, India, or Japan—Facebook's influence will only continue to soar.
25. HCL Technologies
Location: Noida, India
Industry: IT Services
2007 Sales: $1.9 billion (for year ended June 30)
The info-tech services provider specializes in everything from managing tech infrastructure to creating custom software solutions. Where it has the potential to be most influential, however, is not technology, but management. Vineet Nayar, CEO of the Noida, India-based firm, has adopted a novel philosophy: Management should be accountable to employees. He puts that into practice by publishing top managers' performance reviews on the company's intranet, by installing a one-stop service desk for employees problems on anything from laptops to bonuses, and by posting answers to dozens of questions employees leave for him each week online. Several top technology executives have made the pilgrimage to HCL's (HCLT) headquarters to see Nayar's philosophy at work, and Harvard Business School professors are already teaching case studies about it.
26. Craigslist
Location: San Francisco, CA
Industry: Online Classifieds
2007 Sales: NA
There are many forces behind the downfall of the staggering newspaper industry, whether it's the flight from print advertising or the rising cost of newsprint. But Craigslist, the online community for classified ads that gets more than 12 billion page views per month, has played no small role. Criagslist users post more than 30 million free classified ads a month, according to the company, and more than two million new job listings are paid for each month in 10 cities by employers. As Craigslist digs deeper into classified-ad markets both in the United States and abroad— it's recently added sites for everywhere from Valdosta, GA. to Ahmedabad, India—its impact will be felt even further.
27. SKS Microfinance
Location: Hyderabad, India
Industry: Financial Services
2007 Sales: $42.5 million (for year ended March 31)
Grameen Bank, the organization founded by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, may be the best-known practitioner of microfinance, which provides small loans and other financial services to the poor. But advisory board member Tarun Khanna, a professor at Harvard Business School, believes Hyderabad, India-based SKS Microfinance could have even more impact. (Khanna is on the board of the organization.) For one, it's "unabashedly for profit," Khanna says, which means it's growing fast and plowing those profits back into building new systems and greater scale. Already, SKS has 14,000 employees and 3.5 million customers throughout India, and is adding 300,000 new customers each month.
Location: St. Louis
Industry: Food Products
Annual Sales: $8.6 billion
Frankenfood. Genetically modified organisms. Synthetic growth hormones to increase milk production in cows. For some people, just the mention of Monsanto (MON) is enough to turn them off their dinners. While the biotech food giant and world’s top seed seller has its share of detractors, few would dispute Monsanto’s influence on the global food chain. About 97% of U.S. soy is now grown using Monsanto technology, and the company’s insect- and herbicide-resistant corn and cotton have become the default standard for U.S. farmers. Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen argues that it’s “light years” ahead of rivals, noting that “if you don’t have Monsanto’s seeds for soybeans, you can’t compete [because] the yield per acre is so much better.”
Poverty Fighter
While critics question the environmental and health impact of Monsanto products, they agree that the company has revolutionized farming since introducing genetically modified seeds in 1996. About 282 million acres worldwide are now devoted to biotech crops, with the fastest growth in developing countries. In India, cotton yields are up 50%, helping farmers more than double their income last year. A study by one nonprofit found that the adoption of Monsanto’s insect-protected corn in the Philippines elevated agricultural households above the poverty line.
Following Monsanto’s lead, others are now tinkering with plant and animal DNA to create new foods, from cancer-fighting purple tomatoes to orange juice laced with omega-3 fatty acids. Monsanto’s next priority: crops that require less fresh water and land to flourish. And the company has vowed to provide African farmers with drought-resistant seeds royalty-free. As Monsanto Chief Executive Hugh Grant has told BusinessWeek: “That isn’t a feel-good thing. Satisfying the demand curve is a great business opportunity.”
9. Huawei
Location: Shenzhen, China
Industry: Information Technology
Annual Sales: $12.6 billion
Most people outside China have never heard of Huawei. But the Shenzhen-based maker of networking equipment, cellular handsets, and other telecommunications gear is making the world pay attention to China in a new way. Although controversial and hard to pin down in terms of finances, the company has become a role model in how to gain global clout. Instead of competing solely on cost, Huawei invested early on to move into higher-end products. Rivals say it has also proven a master at using connections in Beijing to extend its global reach.
But most of its success has come from offering customers top quality products at a low cost. That has forced multinationals such as Nortel, Alcatel-Lucent, and Cisco to compete on its terms with razor-thin margins and an ever improving product mix. Ericsson CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg describes his mainland rival as “pretty brutal” on pricing and innovation. Adds Cisco Executive Vice-President Wim Elfrink: “When we compete with Huawei, we compete with China Inc.”
Founded 20 years ago by former army officer and current CEO Ren Zhengfei to import foreign telecom equipment, Huawei quickly moved to make its own products. It became a top supplier to Chinese businesses and drew scrutiny for doing business with Iraq. Five years ago, Cisco charged it with stealing intellectual property. Cisco dropped the suit and, tellingly, CEO John T. Chambers later said he would love to partner with Huawei. He’s not the only one: On Dec. 10, Huawei announced it will be teaming up with the Google-backed Open Handset Alliance to launch an Android phone in 2009.
Targeting America
The private company’s finances remain opaque, but Huawei says 70% of revenues come from outside China. The company now serves more than 1 billion users through 35 of the world’s top 50 telecom operators, including Vodafone, BT, and France Telecom. Next up: trying to make gains in the U.S., where equipment sales last year totaled just $100 million. “We are at a starting phase,” says Charles Huang, Huawei’s president for global marketing.
Xiang Bing, dean of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing, says Huawei’s success shows mainland firms how “you can make a jump and be a big player.” One sign of heft: being forced to drop a proposed $2.2 billion takeover with Bain Capital of Marlborough (Mass.)-based 3Com amid concerns about Huawei gaining access to sensitive U.S. technology. A setback, perhaps, but unlikely to dent Huawei’s growing power base.
10. Google
Location: Mountain View, Calif.
Industry: Information Technology
Annual Sales: $16.6 billion
It hasn’t exactly created a legion of imitators. If anything, Google’s crushing dominance of online search—generating 3,000 queries per second in the U.S. alone—has made rivals look sickly in comparison. Users can search in 119 languages, including Klingon (from Star Trek). Its democratization of information even took a nefarious turn as Indian authorities say terrorists used Google Earth to map out the recent attack on Mumbai. But its most profound influence is over the way people think and how companies respond. Media and advertising giants are struggling to adapt to a world ruled by Google. Why shovel big bucks into traditional ads when it lets you reach the right person for pennies a click?
Consider that 10 years ago Google (GOOG) consisted of Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and an idea. Now it employs more than 20,000 of the brightest thinkers on the planet. Their goal: transform the world. It’s taking on everything from TV to cell-phone design. Success comes not through marketing but through simplicity and reliability. Google is easy and it works.
Washington Clout
That influence extends to a unique management style, which includes letting technical people spend 20% of their time on projects of their own choosing. Although Google is starting to trim some of the more esoteric ventures, it remains a benchmark for innovations in human relations and finance as well as technology.
It’s also wielding clout in Washington. It successfully pushed the Federal Communications Commission to open up the airwaves to new mobile devices and Internet services. But Washington has also fought back, forcing Google to drop a deal with Yahoo! amid the threat of an antitrust suit. That won’t stop Google. “They’re going to be a brand in our everyday lives,” says Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of the blog Search Engine Land. Many would say it already is.
11. Masters Of Their Domains
Not all companies follow the same path to influence. Just as Yao Ming is the top Chinese center in the NBA (and the only one), some companies achieve dominance because they’re essentially the only players in their space.
12. 3M
Location: St. Paul, Minn.
Industry: Consumer Goods
2007 Sales: $24.5 billion
The St. Paul (Minn.) maker (MMM) has plenty of rivals, but few bother to compete when it comes to sticky notes and transparent tape. Scotch Tape commands more than a 90% market share, and in the ultimate sign of market dominance, its brand name has become synonymous with the generic product name.
13. Autodesk
Location: San Rafael, CA
Industry: Computer Software
2007 Sales: $2.2 billion
Autodesk’s (ADSK) computer-aided design software, priced at $4000, is the only option for consumers and small architecture and design firms. The company’s popular AutoCAD software has 85% market share, and its drive into 3D products design has led to the acquisition of competing packages like Maya and Softimage, creating concern among some in the computer-graphics industry that the consolidation might stifle innovation.
14. China Mobile
Location: Hong Kong, China
Industry: Telecom
2007 Sales: $52 billion
The state-owned telecom is the world’s largest mobile-phone operator and controls about 70% of China’s mobile market, with more than 443 million customers. Just the prospect of a partnership with China Mobile (CHL) was enough to send Apple’s (AAPL) stock soaring in November of last year, although the companies are still in talks. Google (GOOG) has partnered with China Mobile on search, which it sees as a promising way into the Asian market.
15. Jarden
Location: Rye, NY
Industry: Consumer Goods
2007 Sales: $4.6 billion
Jarden (JAH) has largely cornered the market on what CEO Martin Franklin calls “kitchen drawer” products such as playing cards (it owns Bicycle, Hoyle, and Bee), toothpicks (Diamond), and canning jars (Ball). “The whole strategy from the beginning was to buy businesses with dominant market shares of niche markets,” explains Franklin. “I didn’t want to bang heads with P&G.”
16. Intuit
Location: Mountain View, CA
Industry: Computer Software
2007 Sales: $2.7 billion
Intuit’s (INTU) TurboTax brand owns almost 80% of the consumer tax preparation software market, while QuickBooks commands 90% of the small-biz accounting software market. As the public moves to filing their taxes online, the company aims to stay ahead of the curve by introducing Web-based tools for personal finance management.
17. Japan Steel Works
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Industry: Steel
2007 Sales: $1.8 billion
Japan Steel Works (5631.T) is the only maker of ultra heavy forgings for nuclear reactor vessels, with a backlog of more than five years on orders. The plant can churn out just a handful of these forgings each year, so some utilities are putting down $100 million deposits to secure their place in line. As fears grow that there won’t be enough supply to meet the growing demand for nuclear energy, other companies are making moves into this space. In France, a subsidiary of AREVA is developing this capability, as are Doosan Heavy Industries in Korea and Mitsubishi Steel in Japan.
18. Nielsen
Location: New York, NY
Industry: Marketing Research
2007 Sales: $4.7 billion
The New York company still rules the $600 million TV-ratings industry in the U.S., although it doesn’t have the same cachet it once did. TiVo, whose digital video box collects precise viewing data automatically, is starting to grab some of Nielsen’s business with its Stop//Watch Ratings Service.
19. Microsoft
Location: Redmond, Wash.
Industry: Computer Hardware and Software
2007 Sales: $51 billion
Despite years of antitrust battles, the Redmond (Wash.) giant still accounts for almost 9 out of every 10 computer operating systems. Yet analysts took note when Windows’ market share dipped below 90% in December. The Mac OS has been making slow but steady gains, partly due to the unpopularity of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Vista. Internet Explorer, another blockbuster Microsoft product, commands 70% of the Web browser market, down from 95% in early 2003. Yet industry analysts don’t think Microsoft (MSFT) has reason to panic, especially with Windows 7 and a new version of IE on the horizon.
20. Sirius XM
Location: New York, NY
Industry: Media
2007 Sales: $922 million
For satellite radio in the U.S., there is now no other choice following the July 2008 merger of the two former rivals. The merger is an interesting case for law students because it shows how struggling rivals may be given the latitude to create a monopoly until new technologies catch on among consumers. Of course, if the market definition is broadened to include music for businesses, Sirius XM (SIRI) competes with Muzak; if the market is defined as all radio listeners, it has countless competitors.
21. YKK
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Industry: Manufacturing
2007 Sales: $5.6 billion
With roughly half of the world’s zipper sales, the YKK acronym adorns pants and jackets around the globe. In a sign of the brand’s influence, there is even a worldwide market for counterfeit YKK fasteners. However, the company has used some illegitimate means to achieve its pricing power. Strange as it may sound, YKK was hit with a 150 million euro fine last year for operating a zipper cartel with its closest competitors.
22. Up And Comers
Not all the influential companies are billion-dollar behemoths. Many are up-and-coming stars still expanding their global reach, building brand recognition, or trying to disrupt their industry's dominant player. That hardly means they aren't making their presence felt. Here are some of our advisers' nominations for the most influential emerging companies.
23. Li & Fung Ltd.
Location: Hong Kong
Industry: Supply Chain Management Services
2007 Sales: NA
The 102-year-old Hong Kong-based consumer-goods sourcing company, which once represented Chinese silk and porcelain manufacturers, now helps retailers and apparel brands ranging from Toys R Us to Reebok find the best sources for clothing, toys and accessories. As companies fret over slowing consumer spending, Li & Fung has had to clamp down on operating costs and seen a slide in its shares. Still, the demand for a global supply chain isn't going to wane, and Li & Fung will be making introductions to its vast network of 10,000 suppliers for years to come.
24. Facebook
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Industry: Information Technology
2007 Sales: $150 million
It's helped elect a president, changed the way people communicate, and is altering the world of online advertising yet again. The popular social network, which now has more than 160 million members, could even end up more influential than Google (GOOG), says Pop!Tech and Z + Partners founder Andrew Zolli, one of our advisory board members: "Advertising, media, and consumer product development are all going to be influenced by social networking, and more particularly, by the ability to extract from social networks relationships which are indicative of buying and selling patterns, or consumer influence patterns." As it seeks to expand even deeper into international markets—the site doesn't yet have a strong presence in Brazil, Germany, India, or Japan—Facebook's influence will only continue to soar.
25. HCL Technologies
Location: Noida, India
Industry: IT Services
2007 Sales: $1.9 billion (for year ended June 30)
The info-tech services provider specializes in everything from managing tech infrastructure to creating custom software solutions. Where it has the potential to be most influential, however, is not technology, but management. Vineet Nayar, CEO of the Noida, India-based firm, has adopted a novel philosophy: Management should be accountable to employees. He puts that into practice by publishing top managers' performance reviews on the company's intranet, by installing a one-stop service desk for employees problems on anything from laptops to bonuses, and by posting answers to dozens of questions employees leave for him each week online. Several top technology executives have made the pilgrimage to HCL's (HCLT) headquarters to see Nayar's philosophy at work, and Harvard Business School professors are already teaching case studies about it.
26. Craigslist
Location: San Francisco, CA
Industry: Online Classifieds
2007 Sales: NA
There are many forces behind the downfall of the staggering newspaper industry, whether it's the flight from print advertising or the rising cost of newsprint. But Craigslist, the online community for classified ads that gets more than 12 billion page views per month, has played no small role. Criagslist users post more than 30 million free classified ads a month, according to the company, and more than two million new job listings are paid for each month in 10 cities by employers. As Craigslist digs deeper into classified-ad markets both in the United States and abroad— it's recently added sites for everywhere from Valdosta, GA. to Ahmedabad, India—its impact will be felt even further.
27. SKS Microfinance
Location: Hyderabad, India
Industry: Financial Services
2007 Sales: $42.5 million (for year ended March 31)
Grameen Bank, the organization founded by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, may be the best-known practitioner of microfinance, which provides small loans and other financial services to the poor. But advisory board member Tarun Khanna, a professor at Harvard Business School, believes Hyderabad, India-based SKS Microfinance could have even more impact. (Khanna is on the board of the organization.) For one, it's "unabashedly for profit," Khanna says, which means it's growing fast and plowing those profits back into building new systems and greater scale. Already, SKS has 14,000 employees and 3.5 million customers throughout India, and is adding 300,000 new customers each month.
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