The World's Most Respected Companies 2005

As we're getting to the end of the year, the time is coming for various tops and classifications for the year that passed.

For the eighth year, the Financial Times (reg. required) has published its World's Most Respected Companies list. And for the first time, Microsoft garnered the number one position. Not only that - Bill Gates was named the World's Most Respected Business Leader, and was second on the Most Influential Business Writer of Management Guru list, losing only to management theorist Peter Drucker, who passed away earlier this month.

As FT wrote in its announcement:

The new economy has finally triumphed over the old. For seven successive years, General Electric has topped the table of the world's most respected companies. But for the first time it has been pipped to the post by Mircosoft, the software group.

The top ten comapnies, out of 50, named this year by the Financial Times, are:

1. Microsoft
2. General Electric
3. Toyota
4. Coca-Cola
5. IBM
6. Wal-Mart
7. BP
8. Procter & Gamble
9. Apple Computer
10. Siemens