Green. It’s the color usually associated with both money and the environment. Two of the most popular topics today, in America.

Not too surprisingly, the best of the Top 20 “most admired companies” in America work, at least in part, on strategies and products aimed at helping preserve our blue planet.

While eco-friendliness hasn’t always been the valued corporate trait it has become, the climatic and environmental changes our world is going through are dramatically reshaping how people think of which company deserves their admiration.

Here’s are the companies being admired the most, nowadays, according to Fortune:

1. General Electric
2. Starbucks
3. Toyota Motor
4. Berkshire Hathaway
5. Southwest Airlines
6. FedEx
7. Apple
8. Google
9. Johnson & Johnson
10. Procter & Gamble
11. Goldman Sachs
12. Microsoft
13. Target
14. 3M
15. Nordstrom
16. United Parcel Service
17. American Express
18. Costco Wholesale
19. PepsiCo *
20. Wal-Mart Stores *

* Both companies got the same score… so it’s a tie!

While some companies getting high scores like PepsiCo (selling sugary beverages to kids) may leave you literally scratching your head, most of these top performers are doing more than a few things right.

Studying these companies’ PR smarts may yield interesting pointers as to how they got on this coveted list. Even if your company is smaller, some of these findings might easily apply to your business model.

Which company do -you- admire most, and why?

Tags: most admired companies, pr smarts, eco-friendliness, america, usa

Many of the risks today’s companies face are subtle or indirect. It’s not just about competitors or computer hackers anymore. The risks have gone as global as your company’s efforts to serve new, ever expanding, markets.

Let’s take a look at few risk factors you should be on the lookout for:

• Globalization – As you know, supply chains and markets have gone global which means there’s a new set of potential crises, anything from natural disasters, political unrest or even cultural clashes for which you need to worry about… and plan for.
• Outsourcing – While outsourcing may, in fact, reduce the monetary burdens, this “à la mode” management approach also dramatically reduces your control. For instance, from the instant your outsourcing partner suffers a fire or a labor strike, it’s your problem too.
• Single Sourcing – Getting all your manufactured goods from a single source may buy you a better price, it also means there’s no easy alternative in the event this supplier suddenly shuts down.
• Crises – Being located in mainland America means you have little chances of being hit by a deadly tsunami or a terrorist attack but over time, the odds add up so instead of foolishly downplaying those crises your think won’t happen, reflect on the damage caused if any one of them does… and prepare for that.
• Employees Leaving – When employees leave, especially the seniors, their knowledge usually walks out the door with them. Even though their smarts may not end up in your competitors’ hands, these infinitely useful tidbits of information may be lost. Make sure to have a system in place which can capture and share this tactic know-how or risk sweating over the same problems, all over again.

The goal here isn’t to become paranoid about risk management but since so many companies don’t set time and money aside for these matters, now is probably a good time to assess your company’s risk awareness… and preparedness.

Tags: risk, corporate risk, risk management, risk awareness, preparedness, damages, employees, outsourcing, globalization, competitors, computer hackers