Take a guess first. Which technology companies are the top performers worldwide? Google would certainly get some votes. Apple anyone? Maybe you think Research In Motion is leading the way.
This year BusinessWeek ranked companies on four criteria: shareholder return, return on equity, total revenues, and revenue growth. Those with the best aggregate ranking go to the top of the list.
Here is this practical list:
1- Amazon
www.amazon.com
Country: U.S.
Revenue (Millions): 19,920
Revenue Growth: 25%
Return on Equity: 23%
Shareholder Return: 2%
The Internet superstore nabbed the top spot for the third straight year thanks to strong revenue growth and stock performance.
the company has shown a knack for expansion, with its growing Web-services business and popular Kindle electronic reader.
2- Oracle
www.oracle.com
Country: U.S.
Revenue (Millions): 23,630
Revenue Growth: 12%
Return on Equity: 25%
Shareholder Return: -7%
Due to its domination of the market for database software and aggressive acquisition strategy, Oracle's revenues and profits have grown rapidly over the past five years. Its $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems brings it valuable software, including the Java programming language. But Oracle will have to figure out what to do with Sun's struggling computer business.
3- SAP
Country: Germany
Revenue (Millions): 16,093
Revenue Growth: 13%
Return on Equity: 27%
Shareholder Return: -9%
Last quarter, the software giant's product revenues plunged 33%, but revenues from services and support helped fill the gap. Adapting to hard times, SAP is pushing smaller and less costly software packages. Its biggest challenge looms in the future: Will it be able to manage an expected shift to cloud computing by companies that now do most of their computing in-house?
4- Inventec
Country: Taiwan
Revenue (Millions): 11,715
Revenue Growth: 45%
Return on Equity: 14%
Shareholder Return: -2%
For years, Taiwanese computer manufacturer Inventec operated in the shadow of larger rivals. Now, though, the Taipei-based company is on a roll, thanks to big laptop orders from Hewlett-Packard. The stock price has soared 125% so far this year and hit a 52-week high on May 19.
5- IBM
www.ibm.com
Country: U.S.
Revenue (Millions): 100,839
Revenue Growth: 0%
Return on Equity: 91%
Shareholder Return: -13%
Year after year, Big Blue seems to defy gravity. Right now, its software and services businesses are propping up a struggling computer hardware business. Acquisitions are a help. Also, the company is pushing a "smarter planet" strategy—providing the technology and expertise that companies and governments need to improve the effectiveness and productivity of their operations.
6- Bharti Airtel
Country: India
Revenue (Millions): 5,804
Revenue Growth: 46%
Return on Equity: 31%
Shareholder Return: -16%
India's largest cell-phone company is the world's third largest. Adding 3 million new customers a month in a very competitive market with the globe's cheapest call rates, Airtel has kept ahead of the crowd by pampering high-value customers with offerings like the iPhone and soon-to-be-rolled-out 3G networks. It crossed 100 million customers in May, and Chairman Sunil Mittal plans to double that number in as little as three years.
7- Quanta Computer
www.quanta.com.tw/Quanta/english/Default.aspx
Country: Taiwan
Revenue (Millions): 25,295
Revenue Growth: 5%
Return on Equity: 24%
Shareholder Return: 7%
Quanta has long been the world's top manufacturer of laptop computers. Like other Taiwanese manufacturers, Quanta has received a much-needed lift from netbooks, the new mini-laptops. Analysts expect the company to score another win with the launch later this year of slim new laptops by Acer and other customers using Intel's CULV (consumer ultra low voltage) platform.
8- Wistron
Country: Taiwan
Revenue (Millions): 8,859
Revenue Growth: 55%
Return on Equity: 19%
Shareholder Return: -11%
Wistron is another Taiwanese manufacturer riding the netbook boom, with the stock price almost doubling since the start of the year. The company, formerly the production arm of Acer until the PC maker spun it off in 2001, generated 80% of its sales from laptops last year. It also makes TVs and LCD monitors.
9- Tencent Holdings
www.tencent.com/index_e.shtml
Country: China
Revenue (Millions): 1,041
Revenue Growth: 87%
Return on Equity: 40%
Shareholder Return: 34%
Shenzhen-based Tencent is China's biggest Internet-chatting company. With more than 400 million Chinese youth using its QQ instant-messaging service (QQ is the name of Tencent's mascot, a cuddly penguin), it also has expanded into online games. Those moves have helped drive its Hong Kong-listed stock up 22% over the last year. In the first quarter of 2009, its net income beat analyst expectations, growing 95% to $152 million.
10- Acer
Country: Taiwan
Revenue (Millions): 14,276
Revenue Growth: 18%
Return on Equity: 14%
Shareholder Return: 3%
The popularity of netbooks has lifted Acer into a tight race with Dell for the No. 2 slot in the global PC market, behind Hewlett-Packard. The Taipei-based company, known for its bargain-basement prices, is pushing a multibrand strategy in the U.S. with its Acer, Gateway, and eMachines brands. Acer reported a 31% drop in earnings for the first three months of the year, to $60 million, but analysts are hopeful about its new laptops, which are lighter and more energy-efficient than slim machines of many rivals.
for a complete list click here
Finding reliable and fast-growing companies to work for is a difficult task to do, the companies above proved that they have been born to grow and grow, so flow with this growth…
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