Regarding interpreting surveys - for this one you should probably factor in the demographics of Fortune readers and how that can skew the results.

I'm really baffled as to how 2 of the 10 least admired companies are dollar stores. I mean, do you really expect excellence at the dollar store? What kind of people were they polling that yielded not one, but TWO dollar stores on this hate list??

Most Admired:
Zappos.com
Les Schwab Tires
Apple
Costco

Least Admired:
Delta Airlines
Comcast
Sprint
Sears

Bad:
*Macy's - I am from the Chicago area
*Gap - they treat their customers and workers like crap IMO
*Walmart
*BestBuy

blech, budweiser. apparently americans are idiots.

1. ) Apple
2. ) Nintendo
3. ) Panasonic
3. ) Colgate/Palmolive (for making Ultra-brite)
4. ) Taiyo Yuden
5. ) Pepsicola (including Frito Lay)
6. ) Procter & Gamble (yes, they make great stuff)
7. ) Wal*Mart. Say what you will but they save me money and their store brands are great.
8. ) Nikon
9. ) Capcom
10.) New Balance (making sneakers in the USA is a BIG deal to me.)

Least Admired:
1. ) USPS
2. ) NORTEL! Their products are so fussy and particular and their support is HORRIBLE!
3. ) BenQ (I got a DVD-RW drive DoA and the basards told me I should just buy a new one. I did ... of another brand!)
4. ) HP
5. ) Sears/Kmart. I used to like both, now they both suck.
6. ) LG - Goldstar with a new logo is still Goldstar crap.
7. ) Thompson (RCA) I like my things to not die in a year.
8. ) Aldi - I like their cheap prices but not their "move it buddy" attitude and zero customer help.
9. ) RIAA
10.) Gamestop - I'll buy used games but I won't sell them anything. Also, I'd like it if they didn't open my games before I want to buy them.

why do you guys like toyota so much? (serious question.)

Bud sucks, but I'm not surprised at it being in there. It's a rather bland beer, cheap. That'll always make for popular drink. Gets you drunk, it's sure to be inoffensive to the average taster, and you don't need to pay $4.5 per bottle.

Honestly, something smells off about this. Somehow Bud is the most admired with Coors being the least admired. Seems like the fix was in on this one. Bud certainly isn't that good and Coors surely isn't that bad. To be honest you can never trust Fortune magazine. They often seem to have their own agenda.

That's all I have for now....

@Gann:
PS: Coke owns Glaceau

@Bladefist: Yeah, but if you use them for things other than the reader, you'd like them. Plus, I don't care what the size is if I'm on my computer at work.

Most admired: Whole Foods, Honda, Apple, Netflix

Least admired: BoA, any other financial "institution", K-Mart, Comcast

Ditto on BofA.NOT an American bank!
Who cares about Bud, Coors,or smarmy cheap wine.
I like Miller High Life, cause that is all it say's it is.
If any of you knew just how much "American" companies are being taken over by foreign investers, you would realize that we are not "America" anymore. At least in the corporate sense. Goods and services are only used for the maximized profits that can be taken out of the USA.
If you can't hear that sucking sound, you have a vacuum between your ears.

How is Family Dollar and Dollar General on the "least" list? Isn't their business model to sell crap at cheap prices?

Nordstrom rocks. Their salespeople alone make it my favorite place to shop. They don't ignore you, but they don't annoy you, either. They are actually helpful, no matter how much you're spending. Very smart strategy. It's made me a loyal customer.

"Pisswasser, this is beer!"

But that's because I've been playing GTA IV.

I'm trying to think of companies I admire... I really am... but I'm not sure I would really use the word to describe the brands I like. Nintendo has made its share of stupid moves, like not using disc format for the N64 and neutering online play on the Wii. I mostly shop at Target because they're not Wal-Mart. There are plenty of companies I hate, of course, but they've mostly been covered by the Worst Company contest.

Most Admired

Apple
Zappos
Netflix
Costco
Target
TiVo

Least Admired

Comcast
Microsoft
Amtrak*

*Least admired doesn't do my feelings towards Amtrak justice. I fucking hate them. Plain and simple. I've waited three, four, five hours for trains. Often, their trains will stop for hours on end for no reason. I hate them so much, but they're the cheapest option to get from campus to home. And I hate it. I hate that I'm forced to pay $35 to be treated like a piece of shit. I hate Amtrak so much!

Looking at the most admired, it's easy to see for me that if you meet someone that works at one of those companies, they always talk very positively about their job and how much they enjoy it. Try finding someone at Dollar General that loves their job...

That being said... my most admired:
Nintendo
Anheuser Busch

Least Admired:
Sprint
Wal Mart

least admired:
comcast
citibank

Proctor & Gamble, yeah I can see that. Lots of things to help around the house. Herman Miller and those sodding chairs and flimsy cubicles concerns me.

Feel sorry for Amtrak as I used them to go from Dallas to Charlottesville via Chicago. It was a hard slog but I had fun seeing a lot of the US I'll never see again.

If I were to think of a company that's done me right and would recommend in a flash (there is one). ABF U-Pack have been on time for drop-off and pick-up. The drivers and phone staff and courteous and efficient. My goods arrive pretty much how I packed them, and I'm not a pro.

And on the opposite end, Tuffy Muffler for flashing the friendly face of franchise mechanics while attaching a muffler that would shake itself loose and fitting spark-plug wires that turned my car into a stuttering heap.

@Mistrez_Mish:

I can explain that one.

Your name was saved as a "consignee" for your old work address. This is done to help the computer system to match up a garbled or incorrect address by using the "consignee" or addressee name.

Although your new address was correct on the printed label, the shipper has to also input the address into the system. Many many times, the shipper fails to input the address, or types it incorrectly, or on the wrong lines, or whatever.

So the computer system can't recognize the address, but does recognize the name, which had been stored under your old address, and the package is incorrectly routed to the address the system has saved.

Or the computer doesn't recognize either, and flags it for a person to correct manually; but that person doesn't have the package in front of them (because these corrections take place before the package has arrived at the delivery center) only the computer data, so all they can find is your old saved address. See?

Now, if your old workplace had refused the delivery, then it would have gone to a person who could read the label, see what error was made, correct it, and then report the error and the person responsible, if any, to management.

Also, I admire Zappos!

My most admired:
Netflix
Zappos
Toyota
Lowes
Target
Tivo

Least admired:
AT&T Wireless
Home Depot
US Airways
Walmart
Time Warner Cable

Least Admired:
- Microsoft
- Jiffy Lube
- General Motors
- Sears
- WalMart
- Home Depot
- Monster.com

Least Admired
Home Depot
Sears
Walmart

As for companies I have not seen listed yet that I'm suprised about:

Chik-fil-a (you should read Truett Cathy's book), Navy Federal, USAA.

On the Beer Snob/Hillbilly debate: I think some of you are confusing taste and quality. They are exclusive traits.. Sarusa has it right.. You may not like the taste of the American macros but AB's quality is actually very very good. That and their public image, as much as you guys complain about their watered down beer, is very good as well. What, with all the horses, and dogs, and frogs.. and the ability to speak with animals.

Oh. and don't forget about Busch Gardens.. I mean, with AB you get roller coasters! How could you vote against roller coasters? You are communists aren't you?

@magic8ball: Tied for 6th place.

As for my 'list': Any company that pays for naming rights to an event (think college bowl game or any other event), a stadium (like the new shitti field here in the big apple), museum (sorta like Cisco Sports Museum also here in NYC, although that are listed as a founding sponsor), or any other item, is a bad company. To me, the selling and buying of naming (and 'presenting' as in the Rose Bowl, presented by Citi) rights is the same as the world's oldest profession and I'm not talking about a bakery. I go out of my way to cut off my nose to spite my face and not patronize companies that think, oh we named the game, you should buy our cell phone. Sorry, not gonna happen. Wouldn't be prudent.

As for good a company, Tiffany's has always given me excellent customer service. How do I prove they only gave me 11 champagne glasses and one was cracked when I paid for 12? I just told them and then they looked up my order (and no, I didn't have my receipt, as I had gone in to the store just to ask what I would have to do) and in 5 minutes the agent came out with the blue box with 2 new glasses.

"Prime minister of Malaysia = bad"

Most Admired:
Target
Marriott. Superb customer service. I am a platinum traveller, and genuinely enjoy staying at Marriott properties.
For airlines, I pick Delta. United, American, US Airways, and Northwest have really let customer service go down the toilet. Delta, several years ago, had grouchy employees, but they have really turned it around.

Least Admired
Best Buy (They only care about making a profit. They don't care about customer service. They have done nothing to foster customer loyalty. As such, I do not set foot in Best Buy.)
Comcast (If ANYONE offered broadband in my neighborhood for MORE money and had even slightly better service, I'd switch in a second.)

USAA; Mag Instruments; Washington Post Company; Apple; Microsoft; General Electric; Honda; Nikon; Zwilling J.A. Henckels; Samsung; NPR; PBS; and the U.S. Department of Defense.

@44 in a Row: Wow! You're right. I didn't know either; I have a bottle right in front of me and it doesn't say Coors or Molson anywhere on it.

A while back I had UPS deliver a package to my office... only,it didn't go as planned. You see, I had had packages delivered to my old office by UPS before without a hitch. Seems that they still had this address on file (mind you I had been at my new job for about 3 years at this point).

The address on the package was correct, my telephone number was there... they decided that it wasn't such a good idea to call if they became a little confused - it was sent to the old office.

I'm just glad that I hadn't changed my phone number in the time between leaving the old employer and starting up at the new one or my former co-workers probably wouldn't have gotten a hold of me.

- The End -

United Package Smashers? They're ok, but Fed Ex would seem to have a better image (to me anyway).

Nordstrom, PG and John Deere make sense. Would like to have seen Toyota up there. Maybe even Panasonic.

I'm surprised Sprint isn't on the list of worst companies. Can we put all the businesses complicit in causing the housing crash in there too?

I hate Apple
--Form > Function logic
--Ungodly overpriced products
--Too proprietary in all areas of their products

Using Coors and, worse, Coors Light as representatives of American style lager (whether you like the style or not) is probably an unfair straw man.

It would be like me taking Labatt Blue or Molson Ice, pointing out their mediocrity, and telling you to try some real beers, like Newcastle or Chimay. Not really fair, is it?

Methinks Fortune's survey methodology is a little suspect. Perhaps they could use a link to the "Worst Company" stories here.

Anheuser-Busch is not just beer...they also own several amusement parks (SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, the new Aquatica, etc) through which they provide services. And while not everyone has to love their beer, they have almost 50% market share in the US, so it's not insane that they'd be on the list.

Im not surprised with Coors with the bad reputation. THE BANQUET BEER? What the Eff kind of marketing is that?

Wow, my opinion of Fortune magazine has changed drastically from these lists...in the past I felt like I could count on the different Fortune lists...not anymore!!

Oh well...

And who the hell would admire Anheuser-Busch based on "quality of products or services"? Their beer is f'n horrible!

Top of my list are Google, Apple, Target, Netflix and Whole Foods. Bottom of my list are every HMO, Wal-Mart, Bank of America and eBay.

anheuser bush is a good company they let me into seaworld for free

@linkura:

I didnt' vote for any of these.

Maybe Anheuser-Busch made the list because of their amusement parks.

I have drunken my seasons pass worth of beer at SeaWorld this year. You know it's free at their beer garden and they have some decent draft-only beers available there, plus my wife likes their bottled mojitos.

Oh yeah, Shamu is kinda kewl too.

Bad:
Wal Mart (see Costco)

Nintendo
(They've provided me 22 years of entertainment)

Dr. Martins
(Comfortable and stylish)

Starbucks
(Yea, yea, I know, burnt coffee, destroys local shops, yadda, yadda. I drink my coffee with milk, so their coffee tastes just right to me.)

Bud and Coors both suck. Support your local microbrewers and drink real beer!

I'm actually really surprised Apple isn't on that list. Not that I'd put them there myself, but that they're generally well-liked.

Good:
Enron
Dell
Countrywide

Bad:
I got nothing. I cant think of any bad companies. They're all so great.

Boy, I'd sure like to get a look at the raw statistical data on this, etc. The real companies that conduct themselves honorably never make the list to choose from. Wonder why that is?

Oh and Adobe=good, at least for Illustrator and Photoshop.

Good:
Calphalon
Dewalt
Apple
Tempurpedic
Smartwater (glaceau)

Bad:
Walmart
Ikea
Best Buy
McDonalds (and all like it)
Coca-Cola (and all like it)

Most admired:
* Coca-Cola
* American Express
* Kenneth Cole
* Marriott
* MGM Mirage

Least admired:
* Pepsi
* Domino's
* GM
* American Airlines
* UPS
* AT&T
* ESPN
* And, of course, Budweiser. Everything except Busch Light and Natty Light is swill trying to pretend it's not.

W --- T --- F !!!

Admired for their buggyness? What?

Least Admired
- Pepsi
- Bose
- Monster Cable
- Wal-Mart
- Off-brand Toilet Paper

But realistically, who cares. The beer has less of a hike here, which makes it cheaper and taste better. The only thing you cant replicate from Belgium is their water.

I mean, I happen to like it just fine, and buy it when it's not terribly expensive. But I had a friend who thought it was made by some small Belgian brewery.

Apple
Toyota

Least admired:

Bank of America

Heh, I worked in 6 of the most admired companies in some capacity in the past.

BMW? For reals? I've always more closely associated them with assholes than quality cars.

Companies I admire? Nordstrom, Caribou Coffee, Micron pens.
I have always been happy with said product involved or never had service that I would consider a negative experience.
Throw Trader Joes in there for good measure.

I'm suprised Adobe Systems is on there. They annoy the hell out of me after every time I open something I get a pop up saying that there is an update ready to be installed.

But I guess to be a good commentor, I'd put National Geographic magazine up there. Rather undervalued, but top quality all around, always has been.

Others: Leatherman tools, Jones Sodas, LEGOs, Bicycle Playing Cards, Hohner harmonicas.