Size Doesn't Always Count to be the Best! Tech-Economy.org's CLI-Business Ranks the Best U.S. Companies

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 2003--

New Index Ranks Companies Based on Their Financials, Customer Service and Retention, Business Process, and Learning/Growth

“The Fortune 500 ranks the biggest in terms of revenue -- we rank companies based on a variety of factors with the goal of identifying the best companies out there.”

Tech-Economy.org just released the bi-annual results of its ranking of U.S. companies in terms of competitiveness. "Just being the biggest does not mean you are the best," says Dr. Margaret Johnson, director of Tech-Economy.org. "The Fortune 500 ranks the biggest in terms of revenue -- we rank companies based on a variety of factors with the goal of identifying the best companies out there."

Tech-Economy.org's Business Competitive Landscape Index (CLI-Business) ranks companies based on the "balanced business scorecard" (BSC) areas of financials, customer, process, and learning/growth. Just as the BSC has revolutionized business management, Tech-Economy.org believes that using it as a basis for rating competitiveness gives executive management a leading indicator of future performance.

       Top Twenty Companies in CLI-Business

       1    Microsoft                  Computer Software
       2    Dell Inc.                  Computer Hardware
       3    Intel                      Electronics
       4    Pfizer                     Pharmaceuticals
       5    Cisco Systems              Computer Hardware
       6    Chevron Texaco             Energy & Utilities
       7    Berkshire Hathaway         Financial Services
       8    Sysco                      Food
       9    CVS                        Retail
      10    Delphi                     Automotive & Transport
      11    Coca-Cola                  Beverages
      12    United Parcel Service      Transportation
      13    Bank of America Corp.      Banking
      14    Walgreen                   Retail
      15    PepsiCo                    Beverages
      16    Wachovia Corp.             Banking
      17    BellSouth                  Telecommunications
      18    Merck                      Pharmaceuticals
      19    Washington Mutual          Banking
      20    Johnson & Johnson          Pharmaceuticals

At #1 is Microsoft, which is the world's foremost software company, providing a variety of products and services, including its Windows operating systems and Office software suite. Microsoft's strong showing in CLI-Business is due to a very strong Financial score, which offsets its weaker scores in the Customer, Process and Learning/Growth categories.

Next in the ranking is Dell Inc. The direct-sale computer retailer competes with Hewlett Packard for the top position. Dell's exceptional Customer and Process strengths offset a lower Financial score to put it in second place.

At #3 is Intel, the world's top semiconductor maker. Intel is strong in the Financial and Learning/Growth categories.

Next is Pfizer, which produces pharmaceuticals of which 14 drugs are the top sellers in their therapeutic categories. Pfizer is #4 in CLI-Business due to its Financial and Process scores. It is second only to Microsoft in its Financial score.

About Tech-Economy.org

At Tech-Economy.org, we believe that IT serves as the foundation for the 21st-century economy. Industrial Age indicators and measures cannot fully capture the current situation. Tech-Economy.org provides indicators that focus on IT to understand what really drives the economy.

Tech-Economy.org is a non-profit research firm focusing on information technology and its impact on the national and global economy. Tech-Economy.org explores the relationship of IT and the economy through the tracking of a series of indexes: Technology Consumer Confidence Index; Technology Economy Index; Competitive Landscape Index; and, Global IT-Economy Index. Connect with http://www.tech-economy.org for more details.