FT 500 2005 - Top stories
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Fair shares?
The FT Global 500 list is a snapshot of capitalism’s Darwinian struggle, in which the fittest companies thrive. But the profit imperative has long been under siege from altruistic quarters.
Movers and shakers
Despite Iraq and surging oil prices, the world’s top companies are getting richer. But who tops the pile, which industries are thriving and is America’s corporate dominance on the wane?
Corporate fortunes
Who is up, who is down and who is holding steady - this annual Financial Times list ranks the performance of the top 500 companies around the world. General Electric holds on at number one, oil companies are rising to the top and more Russian and Saudi companies are making their mark.
Bad days at the office
With their corporate brochures and PR machines, companies used to be able to control most of what was said about them. The rapid rise of employee weblogs has put paid to that.
The bull market
Sizing up the world’s top 20 companies for waffle and cant is a telling business. Banks write compassionate cheques that they cannot cash but at least the oil barons tell it like it is.
Over a barrel
The post-Enron backlash bloodied some of the world’s biggest businesses in 2004. And while the oil giants lord it at the top of the tree, the climb just got longer for American carmakers.
Top dogs, fat cats
A job at the pinnacle of a big corporation is hugely demanding. But does this justify the pay packets some CEOs receive - and how can we measure their worth?
Apple bites back
Single-minded as ever, Steve Jobs has confounded critics once again with the runaway success of the iPod, catapulting Apple from nowhere to 159th on the FT Global 500.
FT 500 2005 index of tables
The top 500 companies ranked globally and by sector based on market capital. Showing newcomers and departures, rises and falls from the list. Regional lists of the top 500 companies in Europe, UK, US and Japan and web-only data are included.
