Nintendo Is The World's Best Company
While it's our job to name the Worst Company In America, BusinessWeek has decided to identify the world's best businesses, tapping management consultant firm A.T. Kearney to rank the world's best companies.
Nintendo took the crown, while Google is the highest-rated American company at No. 2 and Apple close behind at 3. In all, 14 American companies made the cut, with ExxonMobil sneaking in at No. 38. That's what a year without a major oil spill will do for you.
The rankings criteria:
To create the list, A.T. Kearney examined the 2,500 largest publicly listed companies in the world. Kearney's team singled out those with a minimum of $10 billion in sales in 2008, at least 25% of which came from outside the company's home region. It then ranked the companies on their sales growth and value creation-the rise of market capitalization after subtracting any increase in capital-over the past five years. This year, the list expanded to 40 companies from the 25 Kearney ranked in the past.
No word on whether Nintendo gets something better than our golden poo trophy.
World's Best Companies 2009 [BusinessWeek]
(Photo: blue_j)
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Comments:
If by "best" you mean "best investment", then yes. It says nothing about what the businesses are like for consumers.
@VA_White: I used to work there, and I would say no, it's not. There's so much micromanagement it's ridiculous, and they're not very competitive with their pay.
@Stoli: Sad to hear that. He's pretty happy where he is. He sets his own hours and is left to work pretty much on his own. Maybe it depends where you work.
@Stoli: Probably depends on location, when you have a huge multi-national corporation, it probably ends up exactly like Walmart or McDonalds. One place might suck, but the one just down the road might as well be the gateway to heaven. Even though they try to be even, it really boils down to local management and regional oversight.
@FoxCMK: It's more than likely that those "testimonials" came from rabid fan-boys and they are definitely not your average consumer.
Nintendo has gotten my love for 20 years - you never forget your first love- and I always loved Mario & Luigi and watched the "Mario Brothers Super Show."
One of the things I love most about Nintendo is their commitment to backwards and forwards compatibility: I really enjoy being able to play Gamecube games on my Wii and I really like that I can play brand new DS games on my DS Phat from several years ago; any company that doesn't force me into hardware upgrades on a regular basis is always in my good book.
@FoxCMK: Did any of them mention Nintendo's mandatory update bricking their Wiis? Nintendo is trying to get into an arms race with the pirates, and it is a war they can only lose. The bricking is an example. Every patch they release to try and secure the wii fails, and this one actually damaged non-modded wiis too.
@Bhockzer: You're absolutely right- there's no chance at all that an average consumer is happy with Nintendo products. I mean, look at their absolutely horrible sales of the DS and Wii-totally in last place- they prove beyond a doubt how sick and tired people got of the "touch-screen" and "motion-control" gimmicks so quickly.
;P
Speaking of, how DID you guys end up delivering the golden poo?
@Ghede: ...how is it mandatory? I've been playing my Wii almost every day since they put out the update- and I haven't updated. I've heard of the bricking, and it's unfortunate, but at least Nintendo is offering to fix the broken Wiis for free.
I'm serious, how do you get the idea that it's mandatory?
@Ghede: Mandatory? Last I checked I had the option to download the update. Which I didn't. Because it was not mandatory.
What a surprise, but I guess Nintendo deserved it. If Consumerist has Above and Beyond award, Nintendo would most likely be one of the front runner as well. High mark on both corporate side and consumer side for this company.
I've called Nintendo a few times myself. Never once did I get horrible CS service as I have with Consumerist's Worst Companies. While their games may not be for everyone, I have no qualms with their overall business practices... yet. But we all know under the guise of the family friendly game company probably lies a sinister ulterior motive....
@dp05 - now with less...fizzle...: If you continue to buy new games, there will come a time when a game you'd like to play requires the newer firmware and you will have to either update or not play that game.
@Ghede: At least they're not suing people for downloading illegal games like the RIAA with their music. Well... not in America. Plus, they're trying to stop something that's illegal, pirating.
And the bricked Wiis from the updates... it's free to get repaired! And it's not like all the Wii consoles are bricked from the updates. Why would they want to purposely brick everyone's Wii console, only to offer free support? I consider the free repair much better than Sony's response to their PS3 firmware issue, and earlier MS responses to the RROD on the 360s.
@WiglyWorm: Don't they mail it with a letter explaining what the contest was and why the company won? I guess the question is who the letter goes to. PR department?
@secret_curse: It may well be fixed by that point- or, just as likely, a later update will be out. We can talk about "will happens" and "might happens" all day, but... again, how was the update mandatory?
I'm a little surprised at how high Google ranked. I don't really see them as that innovative. They have some cool things you can use on their site, and their search is awesome, but I don't really see them making a huge impact anymore. Maybe a few years ago when they suddenly exploded and dominated everybody, but not today. I completely agree with Nintendo being on top, Apple should be #2 though.
@jurisenpai: I remember the old cartoons. And there was that one with the kid that had the controller belt buckle, and he could press the buttons and do things. It was basically a giant Nintendo infomercial cartoon. But man it was awesome when I was a kid.
That list has Monsanto on it, automatically invalidating it
Our home is big on the Nintendo love. About four years ago, my son left his Gameboy SP in the cargo pocket of his pants, and I accidentally laundered them. After it dried out, it actually worked okay, but I noticed that the back panel covering the battery was bulging out. Afraid that it would rupture, I called the company simply to ask how to dispose of the thing since I wasn't sure it was safe to put into a landfill. They took all my information, sent me a FedEx return envelope in which to return the item, and sent my son a brand-new Gameboy. THAT is going way above and beyond.
@downwithmonstercable: I believe I can stil "Do the Mario!" with the best of them. Ah, youth, wasted on product placements...
@downwithmonstercable: Yeah, I'm in agreement about Google; innovative isn't a word I would use to describe them. Actually, maybe I should take that back, they do try to innovate, but but haven't really had anything take hold (the list of failed google projects is quite long). Google is the new Microsoft; they both dominate their respective fields (google's being search and advertising) but have grown too big slow moving to meaningfully branch out into other areas. I must say though, they have done an excellent job of managing their brand. The fact that everyone still thinks of them as this nimble start-up that could venture into new fields at a moments notice and not the risk adverse behemoth they actually are is quite surprising.
@W10002: they're offering to fix non-modded wiis. and btw modded is not exactly the same as pirated. i downloaded codes to allow my wii to play dvds but didn't download any games, which i could have. i pirated nothing, but if i want to play future games, i will have to download the update, and the update will brick the wii because it has been modded--though i payed for the wii and i think they have no right to fuck with it after the fact. it isn't nintendo's job to police my wii, especially since i haven't done anything illegal in the first place.
We're the Mario Brothers, and plumbing's our game
We're not like the others who get all the fame
If your sink is in trouble, you can call us on the double
We're faster than the others, you'll be hooked on the Brothers Unh!
H-hooked on the Brothers
Gimme gimme, gimme gimme
Yo, you're in for a treat, so hang on to your seat
Get ready for adventure and remarkable feats
You'll meet Koopas, the Troopas, the Princess, and the others
Hangin' with the plumbers, you'll be hooked on the brothers, to the brink!
Unh! Unh!
I say a h-h-h-h-hooked on the brothers!
The brothers!
The brothers!
Yo, yo!
It's the Mario Brothers and plumbin's their game
Found the secret warp zone while working on the drain
Lend the princess a hand in the Mushroom Land.
Comin' atcha with the plumbers, you'll be hooked on the brothers!
Nooooooooow, Evil Koopa and his Troopas are up to misbehavin'
They kidnapped the princess; Mushroom Land needs savin'
Abusin' and confusin' everybody he discovers
They can't help but be hooked on the brothers! Unh!
@downwithmonstercable: Captain N!
I miss all those cartoons. Redbox tends to have at least one Mario Bros DVD in each of their kiosks...
@jurisenpai: Oh man, I loved that show when I was young.
A few years back they released all of the Legend of Zelda cartoons that had been produced. Now I watch them and I realize that they were so cheesy, but they're still fun to watch.
@jurisenpai: I remember the old cartoons, and making mom buy me the Zelda cereal just because I thought it was super cool.
But did you happen to see the super mario brothers movie? That definitely is a black stain on the franchise...
@jurisenpai: their new hardware is eliminating backwards compatability, and good luck--DSi-only games are going to be the next things for the DS line.
@downwithmonstercable: Gmail is pretty awesome. Google Labs is pretty innovative (not exactly what they're producing, but the crowdsourcing nature of it).
Unlike Microsoft, Google has integrated itself so far into life that if Google ever suffers a glitch, many would try to Google the Google problem.
@fjordtjie: Yes, you paid for your Wii.
And yes, it works with the games you've already paid for.
And the update is NOT mandatory.
But yes, future games you MIGHT purchase may require this update to function. What it means is that Nintendo is saying that games you DON'T own will only work WITH the update -- which Nintendo has every right to do, as you don't actually own those games yet.
See how this all makes sense, and how your rights haven't been violated?
@Kogenta:
Definitely agree w/you on that one. All depends on local management and regional oversight, as well as what department you're in. Nintendo is probably a good company to work for in terms of benefits and top managment philosphy, but if you work for an a** who micromanages you and you're not happy with the department and/or tasks, then don't have a good working environment and can't see the big picture.
@WiglyWorm: I believe that there is a ceremony in front of the corporate headquarters. This ceremony involves many gestures and chanting from those who have been wronged. The ceremony culminates with the golden poo being flung in through the front window. Then everyone runs away.
Hey, shouldn't we start a Best Company in America, BCIA after Comcast finally wins WCIA '10 next year?
@downwithmonstercable: Android is bringing open source to phones. GoogleMaps, GoogleStreetView, and GoogleEarth have all pushed navigation sites to improve their service and have brought previously difficult and expensive to obtain satellite imagery to the common person. Gmail finally pushed other e-mail providers to start offering more than 250 mb of storage, allow for customization, and the conversation threading and intelligent spam filters that Gmail have done wonders for increasing the functionality of e-mail in general. GoogleChrome is helping force IE and even FireFox to become faster, more customizeable, and secure. GoogleWave is looking to be something that can revolutionize the way we collaborate with others online to complete a task. GoogleDocs alone has made it easier to successfully create documents with groups of people without the need to share a single computer. Let's not forget all of the important data that Google is able to organize and make useful because of the sheer amount of data that transfers through Google, such as search trends and map widgets showing anything from the spread of H1N1 to carbon emissions to the closest taco stand. There is also GoogleHealth which could help save lives by integrating medical records and all of the work that Google has done to help the environment.
Are you gonna that 'shroom, Mario ?
@fjordtjie: While I wouldn't recommend it, there have been people mentioning that they have downloaded home-brew software to their Wii, and have updated to this new patch without bricking their console, and their Home-brew channel still works. Depending on how that DVD code you downloaded works, it might not necessarily brick your Wii.
I sure wouldn't be willing to find out, though.
@pecan 3.14159265: I agree Gmail is cool. But that's been around a while, and it's still email with some cool tweaks. When I think innovative, Nintendo and Apple definitely come to mind. Nintendo for being able to reinvent how people play videogames, and who plays videogames. Apple for being a forerunner in mobile devices.
Google labs has some interesting stuff, but until it changes the way we do things and puts the spotlight on Google, I wouldn't give them much credit until something comes of it.
@DoktorGoku: Their sales are worse, but I don't know if it says anything about the product - to me it says more about their target market. Nintendo is not necessarily marketing the Wii or DS to "gamers" who spend tons on gaming - they're marketing to families, young children, women, seniors, casual game players- not exactly the cornerstone of the gaming market. I don't necessarily think it's a stupid strategy (but I'm a casual gamer and the Wii therefore appeals to me).
@downwithmonstercable: I don't really find Nintendo all that innovative. Motion controls have been around for forever, they just made it the main deal for their system. In terms of games, they used to be innovative, but they have increasingly relied on putting out rehashes of existing games while Sony and Microsoft are releasing the games like LittleBigPlanet, CastleCrashers, flower, and the entire PixelJunk series in general. Look at games like Katamari, that have been around for years that are still unique yet Nintendo is the only company to not embrace the game. In a way, you could even claim that the Wii control scheme is just an extension of Guitar Hero, BeatMania, or DDR's control scheme of bringing interactivity into the game by making the user feel as though they are actually doing in real life what they are doing in the game.
Well, they haven't taken money from taxpayers. Nor hurt nor maimed anybody for their profit... in public.
Get you stupid console war drivel out of here.
The real innovator is people that make innovation viable to the public. Henry Ford wasn't an innovator because he invented automobile.
One of my family members works for Nintendo and would agree it is equally great for employees. They are all-around awesome.