2008 Fortune 500: Full list

The conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on 7 September 2008 led to the collapse of most of the leading investment banks later in September.

I think Sungard is the best company you can ever get because it cares for the employees more than the customers.
Additionally hiring more than 2000 employees in recession time like this is really appreciating. So it should be on number 1.

I used to work for Sprint/Nextel in their web chat department. NEVER have I worked for a company so RUDE and with such a high turnover rate. If your scores dropped because of customer surveys, out of your control, you are fired!! I saw more people come and go it was crazy!! No wonder they are below AT&T and Verizon!! DUH!! I would not have a sprint phone if it were the last company on Earth with service!!

Hey…..I just wanted to apprise to all viewers of this siite that Fiserv is a very good company,it has appeared in fortune 500 list…. I am in love with this company, my fiancee works in this organisation and tells me about this company, he admires his company a lot…i have generated affinity for this organization… Its really an organisation of substance

Managers are grunts and don’t get raises at Staples…even with their profit.

Mr Ken Chenault made 50million in 2008 bonus at American Express…and I and my colleagues were not given bonus or raises as employees of Amex…he is a liar and the company is found on greed…if he had any shame he would return 500million he has made in last 10 years at Amex…7000 people lost job at Amex and he along with other board of directors continues to enjoy…Shame…boo

well at least we still see companies in the USA still making money so its till worth it to work we all can get there one day

Pouring in good money after bad .akes a bad situation much worse.

Sigma-Aldrich…The employees are treated terribly, the management struggles to manage…all they care about is their share holders.

I just did a fair amount of research on the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and i feel like they deserve to be on the list. For 2008 their revenue was 526.5 million, Operating Income was 70.3 million and Net Income was 45.4 million and they trade publically on the NYSE. They are also have number one Cable TV Show in the United States, have TV shows on 5 different channels. Also WWE is the number two company in terms of Pay Per View Industry and just last year two million people attended live events. I dont understand why they are not on the Top 100, let alone the top 500 with companies that lose money hand over fist. This is not very accurate in my mind, because WWE should be on top.

It baffles me how bankrupt Lehman and ailing AIG and Citi can make the list

I can’t believe the govenment is still pouring money into Citi, I had a mortgage for 20 years with them and they would not work with us to allow us to keep our home after my husband lost his business. We had never had a late payment. Now they are helping people that made bad loans. I hope Citi goes bankrupt and out of business.

How can the exec’s at such companies like AIG, which the tax payers continue to bail out again and again, and now they are back asking for MORE MONEY…while they continue to draw a paycheck that is beyond the average person’s dreams, face their neighbors, family, or for that matter even look themselves in the mirror each morning? When a small company has financial problems, the firist thing the owners do is cut their own paychecks! Many times with a small company the exec’s will even forgo their paychecks in order to pay their employees! They do not give themselves bonuses or take expensive vacations/retreats no matter how stressful things get! What is wrong with the Board of Directors that put up with this type of behavior! Not only is it a waste of the company’s finances bt it is also a slap in the face to the public, the employees that probably have their wages frozen (those that make minimum wage up to & including say 60K per yr and less-HOW DEMORALIZING THOSE EMPLOYEES MUST FEEL IN THE MAIL ROOM WHEN THEY ARE DELIVERING THE BONUSES TO THEIR BIG HOTSHOT BOSSES!) Ia there no way to stop these exec’s? Must Congress always just give over more money with no strings attached? Do the Board of Directors have no morals? We already know that these exec’s have none! We, as tax payers should call for the resignation of the top exec’s of AIG & other companies before anymore money is handed over! Also, their stock options should be taken away, all bonuses should be paid back with interest the day they leave office-paid in full, and those salaries that were paid while the company filed false 10Q & 10K reports to the SEC, should be paid back to the company with interest for each yr a falsified report was filed Plus they should also be fined the maximum amount required byy law for lying to the SEC + serve the maximum jail time and be prevented from moving to Florida where they can get around all judgments! Florida needs to have this safe haven for people judgments revoked! More people need to be made aware of the laws in Florida regarding judgments! Only then will those laws change!

What happened to capitalism again? This is a company that took enormous risks and made very poor financial decisions without the smallest sign of concern, and ran themselves into the ground. AIG has proven that they do not have capable leaders in their executive positions, nor the positive corporate culture necessary to recover from such a failure. The decision to save a company who dug their own grave was a mistake, and it is one that we are now continuing to pay for even further.

I work for US Bank and am proud to say so. I have been working there for quite a while. Although the company is not perfect and has its own share of issues it is by far the best place I have worked for. The company is concerned about their employees and customers. They care about them and do everything they can to make sure they are taken care of. Those people who worked for US Bank and say otherwise are just bitter and selfish. They are always looking at how they deserve more when they really don’t perform to the expectations of the job or industry they are in. I have risen in the ranks within this company and am proud to say I will retire here. I am not concerned about layoffs or our company going under. We were not stupid with our lending practices like other banks and will be able to weather this storm and come out ahead of the other commercial banks in the United States.

How does a CEO live on 11 million dollars or even justify getting that kind of pay? While the workers keep taking hits, like layoffs and lose of stock?

caterpillar needs to start making equipment to drill boreholes in search of underground water in California so as to ease the drought situation we have in that part of the region,which in turn will save a lot of people from losing their jobs ,makes it cheaper and more cost effective for farmers to run their farms and also makes people spend less at the grocery store.people get to spend less at grocery stores due to the fact that by promoting boreholes,farmers cut their bills short and are able to use the money they save on other things required around the farm.

Where did you get your info you said fed ex was one of the best to work for and from your post you said ceo fred smith cut his salary and 10% for management with NO layoffs well I beg to differ with you because I and lot of us were laid off in first week of dec. 2008 so to answer to this would be NO fed ex is NOT the place to work for.

TOO PERFECT

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

General Electric

My deep concern Is related to Mr. Immelt. His tenure as chief CO for seven Years Has resulted in the shares being on the downsize. Does he have the insight and corporate skills to manage this companyand/or does GE need
tochange leadership.

Stanley Freeda

to change

i HAVE BEEN IN TRUCKING .Warehouse and sales and the respect you get from your employer is work and no incentive from these co, or businesses

Oddly, GM has resisted clean diesel technology for cars, which already exists in Europe, although VW clearly has made it a success story in the US. The excuse was always that it couldn’t be implemented with reasonable cost. It certainly would have helped fleet mpg ratings and the carbon footprint is somewhat less than petrol counterparts. At any length, a bailout for poorly managed companies is not the answer. It wasn’t even the answer on Wall Street, but Congress buckled under pressure

Land O’Lakes, a cooperative, should not be on the Fortune 500 list. They are losing money right and left in Dairy Foods, the division that has historically carried the entire company. Management is becoming more like high paid, greedy, manipulative corporate types than the managers of old that were attentive to employees, and most of all the members of the cooperative. If the memebers only knew how their money was squandered on a daily basis in Dairy Foods, they would recommend the termination of all of Dairy Foods management from its payroll.

I bet things are going to look a lot different this year.

Unfortunately, the climate of big business is to outsource jobs to other third world countries. Glad you like your job in India as that may have been a job in the USA. I’ve worked for UAL for 16 + years. Have been laid off for the past 3 years. I’ve seen us at our best and now it’s the worst. I feel for the current employees. It’s not going to get any better with Tilton running the business to the ground. Thank god for small business opportunities. I will think twice before working for a big corporation.

RUN FAR AND RUN FAST AWAY FROM AT&T! EVERY NEGATIVE COMMENT ON HERE IS VERY TRUE.
THE COMPANY IS NOW RUN LIKE THE “SWEAT SHOPS” FROM THE 1900′S. THEY HAVE CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYONE IS FEARFUL. THEREFORE TERRIBLE MORAL AND CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Hello, I bought macy’s at 8.86 and it’s going down so i need some thoughts,should i keep or sell macy’s?

Evidently American Express make this list from greed and not service.
As a person who owns several small businesses and spend over a million dollars a year with them they have messed with my credit by lowering my limits without warnings weekly although I have never been late on a payment.. I guess since Mr. Kenneth Chennault has made this list he feels no need to reply to letters and phone calls to us people that havent climbed the ladder as he has.I have never dealt with a company with such poor customer service.

Company is cheap and cut throat.

Exide Technologies is one of the worst companies to work for. The management is bad and the H.R department only goes by what the managers say and will not even discuss with the employee what is going on. The enviroment is hostile to say the least. Beware.

IS A UNION NEEDED AT THIS TIME OF THE USA RECESSION? IF GM LAYS OFF HUNDREDS OF WORKERS… GOOD FOR THEM… THEY HAVE LIVED THE LIFE OF LUXUERY FOR YEARS.IT’S TIME THEY NEED TO GET BACK TO THE BASICS OF LIFE WITH THE REST OF US,IN THE USA.THE UNIONS OF AMERICA ARE OUT TO MAKE MONEY NOT TO HELP THE AVRAGE AMERICAN.

ATT makes it practically impossible to talk to a live agent if you have a serious problem with their service of equipment. It must be by design. Does anyone have ny suggestions on how to get to a person?

I worked at Target for a month because they overworked me to the point of leaving. The starting pay was only minimum wage! They’re 31 out of the 500 and the overwork their minimum wage workers. Talk about greed!

Dillard’s is the worst managed place to work I have every seen. You talk about bad management, man this is a company that needs help, quickly. Who does their buying, way to much inventory. The lowest level of personnel (sales person)is pressured to sell apparrel to people that are not shopping nowadays, and push the Dillard’s credit card on people. I quit and moved on.

Hi All I work for United Natural Foods Inc in Southern California as services rep. I in joy working for them.

Hey, any body please let me know about Air Products$ Chemicals? How is the company? Thank you!

Interesting!

Wanting to know if anyone has any comments good or bad about their employment with CVR Energy or Coffeyville Resourses?

Can any one suggest how long this current economic slow down(instead of referring to the word Depression)will last

How good is the Company HanesbrandsInc in terms of making a career there and also in the current scenario of global financial turmoil

Hi all I work for IBM India and joined as a fresher . Furthermore, shall not hesitate to say that it is best company that a fresher can dream off. Not to mention the world renowned work culture that the company offers to its employees which is incomparable to other IT giants . This is derived from the recent discovery that I made interacting with friends working for other companies many of who say that they are jealous the way I work for the company and vice versa.

Hey, any body please let me know about Honeywell, how the work environment and how good is this.

I work for Bridgestone/Firestone they are a great company to work for, We Need sales Associates and Technicians who need jobs, come and visit our stores……… We are growing bigger and stronger… come and join our team!!

Pacific Life made a big mistake on our IRA and will NOT correct it. They posted the annual deposit to our IRA in the WRONG year, which also makes the next year INCORRECT. The IRS wants documentation, and Pac. Life won’t fix THEIR MISTAKE or provide the needed document. So we have TWO YEARS of INCORRECT amounts on our IRA. STAY AWAY!!

Honeywell..they go around and buy up companies, then send all the jobs overseas and fire all the American workers. How is that being a good company for America. It’s not! Corporate America is turning China into an economic power house and all the while we are losing good jobs.

AT&T is the most unorganized, mismanaged company I have ever worked for. I have worked there for over 20 years and this new U-verse build they are building is a joke. There is no direction. One hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing. On top of that they do not care about their customers, let alone their employees. They think they can bully anyone from City Hall to there very own customers. They are arrogant and smug and it starts at the top. When I first started as a 18 year old kid, they congratulated me on “having a job for Life”. Well a warning to all. Go to college and when you graduate, stay away from AT&T. You will regret it the rest of your life.

i think in the future every thing going to change even you. so be careful .
” you can’t change your past
but
you can change your future”+

Oracle with a greedy and flambouyant executive management team completely out of touch with their employees will create a tsunami of malcontented employees who have had enough…not to mention customers who have had enough of quicksanding maintenance fees…

After 23 years in the computer industry and 12 years at ScanSource I can say that without a shadow of a doubt ScanSouirce is the greatest company I have ever worked for. ScanSource firmly believes and practices that their employees are their greatest asset. There are stories told around here about what ScanSource has done for its employees that people would not believe. Stories about a family who lost their home to a fire, an employee’s job held open while he was out for over 6 months on sick leave, employee’s children with special needs and how ScanSource has helped them, a charity that supports local schools with money, equipment and volunteers.

Let me sum it up in the words of a baseball great, Robert “Buck” Rodgers, “There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.”

I worked for Coca-Cola Enterprises for 10 years. They need serious lessons on how to treat thier employees. Hope they get some people up top that can turn the ship around.

Absolutely without question the worst company to work for unless, of course, you enjoy a group of do-nothing top-heavy mid-level management dim-wits wasting time and getting paid outrageous salaries to do so.

Hi there.,has anyone got a clue that which company is taking over GE ?
The deal has already got finalised but till date no update on that ..
can anyone check on that ?

-Sandeep

Am working for Herman Miller, One of the best companies on earth bco’z of the amazing team to whom i work for , a nice hospitality and fun @ work……

I worked for MBNA before the Bank of America buyout. I worked in the technical sector, my job was sent to Hyderabad India, since they could get 1&1/3 techs for me. BOA is a giant money hungry beast, they are much more concerned in getting into the Chinese market than anything else. Now I am looking for a job in America, what a joke. I wonder how much of the Wall Street Bail-out BOA will get? Ken Lewis should be ashamed, but greed always wins out.

I have been employed with PNC Financial Service Group since 2000 with a total of 18 years within the banking industry. I believe in my company, the people with whom I work with as well as the service we provide to our clients. A company that is built on “WE and not “I “ will not crumble nor will it fall. “Hats off to my Boss, Jim Rohr for being a great leader.”

I’m spending the last three days scrambling amogst banks trying to protect my nest egg, the proceeds of my commercial property sale. The FDIC’s $100k guarantee doesn’t work. Stop the run on banks with a $500k guarantee! Now! Don aka flashg36@yahoo.com

Wells Fargo is by far the best bank there is. This bank is about helping customers succeed financially and not concerned with being the biggest bank on the block. I would recommend Wells Fargo to anyone who is looking for that one of a kind personal service. After 156 years they must be doing something right!

State Farm insured my home for 28 years, then when I had a claim they sued me and refused to pay the claim.

Cardinal Health, offers good benefits, competitve pay and encourages promotion from within, But if you are under the mercy of one of the managers in an outlying facility, you are under that managers rules, not CAH HR rules. Those managers can make up whatever they want want and you’d better jump when they say jump. Those managers really don’t anwser to anybody when it comes to their staff.

How can AIG be listed anywhere in the Top 500, we the people gave them an 85B dollar out. Somebody please help us. Becuase those appointed above us are not willing.

I love Citi

BANK OF AMERICA hands down the best companies to work for, even in these tough economic times we are still growing by the numbers. We have numerous benefits, great salary, and not to mention the best world class service out there. I can truly say Iam very proud to work for them, and thanks to various benefits provided I will continue to go to school and earn a higher career with them.

The comment about IBM stating that IBM employees are unethical, do not honor contracts, have no business ethics, etc. is no different than any other statement of prejudice. It is based on perception, rather than on fact. I have been with IBM for the past four years and I have met some of the hardest-working, customer service-focused and intelligent, decent, honest people I have ever met in either the private or public sectors in my 18 year career. I would walk through Hades in a gasoline suit for my current manager, or his, as they give me the freedom to make sound business and technical decisions which meet customer needs. My colleagues support me and “watch my back” on a daily basis, as I do for them, and we meet our mission day in and day out. I do work long hours at some times, but my management ensures I maintain a work-life balance, and I am commensurately compensated for my contributions. I will not state that IBM does not have opportunities for improvement, or disagree that it is “not the same IBM” as someone else commented. It shouldn’t be the same IBM. IBM must change and adapt to the needs of its customers, the economy, even the environment, and everything I see indicates that it is at least trying to be agile and accommodating. Clearly, we are the leader in technology services and innovation in the world, and we have a responsibility to improve how we do things every single day. Cynics among you may call me naive or brainwashed, but I believe in this company and would not have stuck with it through thick and thin if I did not believe in my fellow IBMers. Therefore, please consider that for ANY corporation, organization or group of people whom you accuse of less than honest action – the truth is out there, I know what that is, and I am pleased to say I will stay with IBM for as long as they will have me.

These oil companies said that they had to raise the prices of gas on us this year becuase of the economy. If you look at the numbers, it doesn’t look like the oil companies are hurting at all. Three of them in the top 5 and with Exxon Mobile making over 40 billion so far this year, who is hurting?

I worked for Bear Stearns for many years and it was a great company with a few bad seed who abused many perks.

i have been employed in Lexmark since past 3 years and for me this is the best Company in the world. Lexmark “rock”.

I work for PASI a company owned by CHS and I think that CHS is a great place to work.

Hanesbrands was great when it was under Sara Lee, they have lost there values.

I work for Ups and it is the best company I’ve ever worked for. Free benefits including health care and plenty of time off. discounted stock purchasing. what more can you ask for?
oh yes and job security. Thank you Teamsters…

I work for URS and I am very inclined to say, I am a very proud employee. The work atmosphere is great and very supportive and they really look out for you here. I love working for a company who encourages you to advance yourself through school and classes and has an awesome benefits package that works for me and my family. I also love their flexible work schedule, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

I work for RR Donnelley and its a great place to work but the only downside is the random layoffs

I work for carmax, and since the moment i was called in for the interview I knew I was going to work for a great place. My fellow associates and I take great pride for the company we work for because our company takes great pride in their fellow associates.:)

To the comment about TIAA Cref before me. Cref was Not awesome, Not even close. It was the worst company I ever worked for. I was at the main campus in Charlotte. No job security, low morale, huge turnover rate, walking people out the door if they took a long lunch. Horrible place to work, so glad I’m out of there… Holy Christ, amen!

Kimberly-Clark doesn’t use enough recycled content and is destroying the Boreal forest.

United Healthcare is refusing to fill a Rx as written by my neuroligist for Imitrex that I need for migraine headaches. UH will only pay for four pills a month. The medication is pre-packaged with nine pills and my doctor prescribes 18 pills a month. UH has denied my appeal with no reason given, stating that they will only approve four pills a month. As any migrainer knows, four pills a month is like no pills a month. Having read that UH’s projected revenues of $81 billion for 2008 with earnings of $6.5 billion, I think that it will not break the bank for them to cover the Rx as written by my doctor. UH needs to stop denying medication that people need to function and causing so much stress and tension putting people through these appeal processes. With the amount of premiums that my company pays them each and every month, for UH to withhold this one Rx borders on criminal activity!

Good career prospect for solid performers at AT&T ? I am not sure about that. I saw many freeriders and substandard performers who have been hanging around for over 10 years, whereas good employees got structured out. So, would you say this company rewards on staff performance ?

My mother is a buyer for the Children’s Place and she says that she likes her job. Although she works somewhat long hours (9-8, usually shorter though), the management seems pretty lenient because she can arrive a little late without any problems. She travels to Asia almost every 2-3 months. If you love to travel, two thumbs up!!

HAS ANYONE WORKED FOR PEPSI CO ? AND HOW WOULD YOU RATE THEM?

Lowe’s ignores employment laws and undermines communities. They are only interested in parting people from their money, not in customer service. I’ll never shop there.

The best bank to work for .. .The work environment too is amazing.

Great Company

Publix offers a tremendous opportunity for exceptional service cultured employees…passing on the culture is the key to Publix success.

Pathetic Company, Kmart needs to go under, they dont care about their employees. Very stressful work environment!

Time Warner losing profits?
Could it be because they have HORRIBLE customer service. We called for a set up and they told us 3 weeks!
We went with DISH.

The worst company I ever worked for was US Bank. Management always micro-managed the sub-ordinates. The complete staff is demotivated and buried in end less work pressure. The baking centers even doesn’t provide the “five star guarantee”. Lay-offs are very common.

Autozone under pays there employees and overworks them. Micro Management is out of controll! All they care about are profits! Care about your Workers! Better pay will help increase your profits when managers are not worrying about taking care of there families they can do a better job putting customers first!

Target is a great company! The Target Visa that they offer is awesome as well! Great benefits.

General Electric does business with Iran.

Gm, Ford Chrysler were set for failure when they came up with the bright idea to measure the “dealer” and not the car. I don’t care if the dealer is nice to me, I have had my car in for service 8 times. It is about the quality of the “car” not the dealership. The cars are horrible

Delta Air Lines has a great group of employees who are, in spite of deplorable managers, are still dedicated to customers and loyal to the company. Wake up, Richard!

UPS doesn’t care about family of employees or your well being as in health issues, they just care about how much money ups can make. management is a joke,two face, and will say anything,even lie just so the job is completed.

I as a woker for smurfit stone.For the first 20 years working there was good. But the last ten years they change mangment often and things like feeling good about going to work is gone.They have no respet for older workers.and they are pushing them out.

I’d like to know where they get there base salary from! I only wish i made as much as the base salary.

There’s something fundamentally wrong with a corporation which doesn’t have an HR department for it’s 50,000+ employees. Tells you a lot about what they think of their employees.

Wal-Mart was fabulous to work for and where I started in IT. Still proud to see them as #1!

WR Berkely is the finest company to work for,is inspirational, a true honest and brilliant leader.

I work for Brookdale Senior Living. They are a great company to work for. Thier standard of care is high and the residents are their upmost impotant part of our jobs. I work in the Nashville office. never met a nicer group of people and great team work. Would suggest a carrer in the company, they hire within, and want thier employee to be successful.

It’s incredibile to me that at&t has been allowed to reemerge as the 10th largest company in America and reign over us in the new telecom duopoly created in the past 8 years. No wonder the average citizen in Africa has faster internet access then we do. Shame on all of us.

I use to work for Genuardi’s a family owned store then it was bought by Safeway. They ranked 55 this year. They are a horrible company to work for, they only do well because they keep buying out other stores. Safeway you success belong to the previous owners of the stores you bought. the names give you success, not the way you do business.

I’m happy to see that URS the company I work for has made it into the top 500 this year. We have a big bright future ahead.

Terrible place to work and shop!

AT&T has very low moral with its employees. As a contractor working almost 3 years and a good relationship with my group, I had to leave because they had no intention of hiring me as an employee. This company uses you and then throws you out. Good riddance AT%T.

Pfizer is too busy worrying about its profits to do the ethical and moral thing when it comes to their clients. It hurts your conscience to work there.

at&t is definitely not the same company it was before 1996. It is a company that would sell its employees to the devil if it could make a profit! The moral of its CONTRACTORS is the lowest. Walk away from the job interviewer and do’nt look back!!

This is a wonderful company!!! Even with the economy Chase is going strong! They are also a great company to work for!

Awesome company! Relaxed environment and great place to work!

Wachovia Bank isn’t going anywhere. We have too many loyal customers and I know that we will weather through this unnecessary panic. To all of our customers I want to say you will continue to get #1 service!

Jessica from Bay Area, CA must be on drugs. U.S. Bank is a horrible place to work unless you like 1.5% annual raises (I was a VP)& being micro-managed to death. The bank does not treat their clients well either. Our office in Philly had >60% turnover after Wachovia sold our unit to USB. CLients were leaving as fast as employees.

I work at US Bank and I love it! Despite all the troubles the financial market is in I still feel comfortable working at US Bank and I am not worried of being laid off. US Bank doesnt believe in letting employees go. Also , US Bank has great executive management that has made very wise decisions for US Bank, its employees, their customers and shareholders!

I just recently went through the interview process for a position with AT&T and found out why they have such a negative image. They conduct the most impersonal, cold and disgusting interview process. I’m glad that I found out before becoming an employee of theirs. I think working for them may have been an even more disappointing experience. I WILL DO NO BUSINESS with such an organization!!!!!

I’ll put my money on Harron-Meibalz. Those guys have really grown through some hard times. Things are looking up, and – for those willing to put some effort in there – it’s a chance to score!

AG Edwards scammed a Lot of Workers out of their retirement money. The Workers were retirees from The Former Boston Edison Company. At the Moment it is in litigation with Wachovia who took over AG Edwards. The Secretary of States Office, Securities Division, for the Commonwealth of Massachusets is representing The Workers. The Rogue Brokers name is Howard “Buck” McHugh. I would Like to hear your comments on this particular case.

No financial institution is safe, large or small, hang on tight, and do your best…

Wells Fargo is the value of the year! Client Service, manageable risk and year over year returns make them the buy of buys!

I cant believe Affiliated Computer Services made it to this list. This is the worst company I have ever worked for.

I have put my money on GM motors, it is a very respectable company at a bargin price, with a good cash reserve and new products for 2010.
I hope to double my investment in three to six months.

Best regards,
Raed Abdel-jaber

I think General Motors is the best buy on wall street at its current low stock price. With the new cars coming out (electric,the new camero,ect.) the stock should rebound back to $45-$55. Plus the fact that GM makes a lot of products for the US military and they are paying a great dividend.

As Pacific Bell, AT&T was a good company to work for. They even cared about the customer. As SBC, the downward spiral began. The Texas mentality came and wreked havoc on productivity because all they cared about was “completes” not the infrastructure. DSL lagged, numerous customers now had options (to leave) and they did. Under the name change to AT&T, the disguise was just that. Still SBC at heart and well, today they are no more friendly, no matter what their ads say…

Micheals stores could be making more money but have no clue. The associates know nothing about the inventory. The seasoned staff left long ago and no face appears there for very long. New merchandising is not something readily introduced. I would rather spend $$ at an independent craft store and use my coupons at JoAnns.

AT&T is a GREAT place to work! Lots of opportunity if you are a solid performer. I’ve been with AT&T 20 years and have seen many promotions and have had lots of opportunity. I disagree with one comment about morale being down. I can’t remember morale being so high since the recent mergers!

I am working with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation ltd(HPCL). Its an excellent experience to work with HPCL. Due to rising crude oil price(which is input to my company) and less selling price of finished products(as it is controlled by govt) company is facing serious financial crisis. Still you can see people here are high flying and managment is committed to do any thing for employees.

Morale is way down at AT&T. Projects have been cut, there hasn’t been a training budget in years and the company does not support employees efforts to help our nations energy issues (i.e. working from home or working 4, 10 hour days).

Qualcomm has great working envirnoment

I worked for Bj services and trust me they are not worth your TIME!

Working for Nike now. It seems a fantastic company with very good remuneration.

I have been working for SKF India Limited, I have never seen such a good company in my career apart from remuneration… The way the company recognizing and empowering the employees are fantastic..

I’ve worked for Wal-Mart and found it to be one of the worst companies I have ever worked for. Management was miserable and most other employees didn’t care about customer satisfaction. It’s not a store I prefer to shop at either.

I’ve also worked at a DirecTV call center. Again, not a good experience. I was there for three years and got fired, along with several other tenured employees, for small reasons so they could hire new reps at a lower cost.

I currently work with Avon, and love it. Great people to work with and a great way to bring in extra money.

I have been an employee for LandAmerica Financial Group for the past 7 years. I can honestly say that the work environment is by far second to none. It’s not just a job, it’s more like a second family. The devotion of the employees (yes, this does include management) is outstanding. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. I plan on being a part of this amazing team for a very long time.

Ive worked for AT&T mobility and it was not the best job Ive had. Several managers have gone to other corperations since the pay and incentives are no longer what is used to be. You have T-mobile & Verizon wireless to name a few that simple are better companies to work for in the managment level. Ive seen these changes in the last year or two at ATT.

hi, this is good company

I work for Johnson Controls. It is a fantastic company. The people are wonderful to work with and there is plenty of potential for growth. Definately a GREAT COMPANY TO WORK FOR>

I work for a Berkshire company and find it a great place to work!

I noticed, walmart is the largest, smallest profit margin for it’s size and number of employees, and employees had positive remarks about working there. Ceo pay okay, maybe other Ceo’s should take lessons.

I work for Cardinal Health and I am a coordinator for the Pharmaceutical dept. in customer service. The company has the best benefits as soon as you walk in the door and the pay is very competitive for the market here in Little Rock. I was here for 6 months and worked my way up in no time. I am glad to say that I work for #19 on the list!

As an ex-Bellsouth Employee I now realize how corporate take-over’s work.
The employee’s of the company taken over literally pay for the merger.
Dwayne Ackerman sold us to the wolves!

Do yourself a favor and not work at Deloitte and Touche. They laid-off top performers.

If you have a choice as to where you can work, you should think twice about working at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co in Akron. The overall environment is very negative, with high layoff rate, low to zero yearly raises, and high executive wages. Most people who work there are not very happy with the way the company treats its employees and are looking for opportunities elsewhere.

I work for at&t,which is really SBC. They are the most arrogant and the worst business minded co. I have seen.I worked here when it was SNET and we really cared about our customers and our employees. These Texas idiots treat there once loyal employees like yesterdays garbage and there customers even worse.I would not recommend anyone I know to get a job here.There is no longer any dedication or loyalty to the employees. It’s a very sad place

After 11 years of stellar service, and being ranked in the top 20% of their employees appraised, EDS downsized my dad after only 7 months of disability due to surgery on his spine. He had never been sick before. They sent him a list of thousands of others who have also been downsized this year due to EDS’s zeal to send as many jobs to India as they can – and hid behind letting my disabled dad go as a “change in business requirements”. Even though dad says there are some good managers there, it is my opinion that EDS, as a company is unethical, a terrible place to work, and should get no merit from CNN whatsoever. My opinion is that EDS represents everything that is wrong with corporate America.

Graham Packaging does not deliver on its promise to their customers, instead does the opposite and wonders why they lose market share.

I recently joined Bank of America and have been impressed with this organization since day one. The capabilities and individuals that work for this bank are the best in the industry. I’ve seen numerous examples of this bank going the extra mile to do the right thing for the customer. On top of that, solid lending practices have shielded us a great deal from the sub-prime debacle compared to most. The future is very bright for this organization!

i’m honoured to work for Franklin Templeton…its like dream come true.

Another “analyst” irresponsibly predicts an exaggerated spike in oil prices, this time to $150 a barrel by Morgan Stanley. How about the media forcing codification of these predictions by disclosing if the “analyst” holds any interest in seeing prices sky rocket?

Boeing lost the bid for the Air Force tanker not the Navy.

Bear stearns is the worst place to work
for contractor.I was glad to hear that bank was bankrupt.this is not a good company to work for.

I work for State Farm and it’s an excellent place to work. It’s very family-oriented, complete with a huge employee park, tons of comapny sports, etc. An example is a friend of mine had a baby and they told her to take several months if she’d like with a guarantee her job would be safe when she got back. Also, the Corp HQ is in Bloomington/Normal, IL which is a fast-growing, clean, well-kept community.

Cognizant’s passion is “customer delight” A highly people friendly company to work. If you are ardent and achieve your goals then you can excel

I work for DaVita which is said to be number 454 on the Fortune 500 list. Well, the plans that our CEO has for the company is great, but the managers and supervisors aren’t that great. The pay is low compared to different company and they don’t treat there teammates well. I’m out of there as soon as I obtain a position somewhere else. Why is it that, it’s so hard to kind a company that does what it says? Why is it so hard to find a company that pays you what your worth and treats you with respect! I want to work to a company where the managers and supervisors help to follow through with what the CEO’s vision is and work for under someone that I respect. Is it that hard?

Mr Ford CEO
WHY are there NO HYBRIDS like the Escape in your Showrooms???? Are you waiting until the gas price hits $ 6/ gallon regular???
Instead of laying off workers the whole top 3 tiers of Management should RESIGN with NO Golden Umbrella.
Thank you.
Owen Foizen

Cognizant used to be one of the best companies. I loved it there. But these days, the quality of work, ethics of management/HR etc are questionable. In terms of Indian Work Culture, it is okay. But those of us working in US get used to getting respect from others, as this is how the US culture is. However, Cognizant management (Indians) treat Indians with less respect from their American employees. They forbid us from filling the timesheet for more than 8 hours, even though we are forced to work daily upto 16 hours. We are forbidden from taking sick leaves. And the ladies are treated with most Cognizant used to be the best place… but not anymore. I can personally vouch for that.

I am an EDS (Electronic Data Syestem Inc) employee. In the Present situation never know which companies Bids for EDS. HP or IBM.

I have been working with 3M for last 6 months & finding it to be a great company to work with. The business ethics & working culture which are highly talked about in todays corporate world are easily felt here which adds a extra charm to my job. Besides rewarding it’s employees with attractive reinumeration & a challenging career,the company also enriches their sense of social responsiblities.

Cognizant is really a best company to work with. It give great exporsure to various technologies. Transparent Management approach.

I am a manager with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. What a great company that provides endless room for personal growth.

hmmm…almost all of the oil/gas companies are in the top 10. are they getting too much profit at our expense?

The so called disintegrating core home phone business, is the only thing keeping Verizon afloat. Fios not making money today or tomorrow. Wireless, one is like another.

I am grew up in Akron and have only heard good things about Goodyear. I live in Columbus currently and work at Nationwide Insurance. Both have to be considered top-flight companies in Ohio and the Midwest.

I have worked for Symantec for seven years now. Best company I have ever worked for. Great management, great benefits, excellent work/life balance, solid pay.

Ebay is earning at the cost of honest seller’s.Ebay does not follow better business practices.It is abusing its platform.Ebay is interested to make money no matter what, no ethics.

Does any one has experience with GOODYEAR Tire & Rubber company in Akron, Ohio.
I would like to hear about it.

Thanks

I am currently an employee at AT&T and this is the worst place to ever work. The supevisors, managers, and directors look out for themselves and they do not back up their employees. They do not believe in letting people off if they are sick…example…a friend had pink eye and they would not let her off and her eye was swollen and had gunk coming out from it and they made her work and was not able to use any vacationtime to be off with a very cntagious disease. Winter time came around and the whol call center got the flu and people were on the phone coughing, vomiting, sneezing, and speaking very nasaly and AT&T did not care and allowed these people to stay at work. AT&T is horrible to work for. You may ask why I am still thee and trust me I am waiting for another jobn to come through then I am hitting the door fast as I can. They have a high turn around rate and they dont hesitate to fire people who have worked ther 5+ years. I have seen this so many times and I have been there just hitting 6 months. The best thing is there insurance but other than that I would never recommend this job to anyone!!!!

No wonder Cognizant has been listed in Fortune 1000. We are keeping our customers more than happy and building stronger businesses for a long period of time.

Cognizant Technology Solutions is one of the best companies to work for because they provide the opportunity to learn and explore new things.I joined CTS as a fresher.

Cognizant Technology Solutions is one of the best companies to learn and grow. Having joined as a fresher, it has been a very good experience, working on the latest technologies in Cognizant.

Johnson Controls is an excellent employer. The salary structure with incentives is extremely fair and the benefits are generous by today’s standards. Our governing policies ensure that we’re rewarded for treating the customers like Gold and we’re compensated for completing the circle.

With Cognizant it’s the “thrill of doign big things early’ #859 on a maiden entry, #9 in IT Services… Outsourcing’s David – watch out Goliath’s! Proud to be an employee.

I joined Continental Airlines 2 years ago upon completing 26 years with the military. The management and my coworker family have been great supporting my family and I. Larry and Jeff, along with our other executives make routine visits throughout all of our locations and field questions and concerns from coworkers, then act upon them. They are quick to keep us informed of the changing economic climate and the direction we are going, so that we can keep focus on our tasks at hand. We may not be the biggest airline, but we’re the best!

Be your own boss! Employees are sods

I just got on with JP Morgan Chase and there is a great deal of opportunity with the company!!

I work for Johnson Controls since 19-11-2007 and it’s great!

I am to proud be a member of the team at U.S Bank.

I worked for AT&T before and they are not the “best” company I have worked for. For the 4 years I was there, I saw re-org almost every year. Their philosophy is that even if two employees are doing the same job but one of them belongs to a team which is on the list to be retrenched, even that employee is a better performer, s/he will be retrenched and the other one who is a worse performer will stay. Besides, they have this conference-call culture and micro-division of labour which makes decision process/progress very clow. On being ethical, AT&T is being “conservative” enough not to be too aggressive or commercial in their pursuits. This contrasts very much with IBM which I had dealings with when I was there, where IBMers do not respect contracts and agreements or business ethics at all. Overall, AT&T people are polite but they are also a bit “snob” especially to colleagues who they think are not as “good” as them because they did not come from big US companies. In my opinion, AT&T people are just average performers and they are expert in their micro-area which are also quite “unique” in the industry. You will find long-service AT&T employees because they simply cannot change jobs.

Don’t work for Manpower or use them to find work. Their representative basically call me a liar about my work experience, C programmer.

I have been with Manpower for 2 years. This company is customer service driven. With a real desire to be an industry star, I am proud to be a valued member of the team.

I work for a branch of CH Robinson Worldwide here in Michigan. This company has proven to be an excellent one to choose for a career. Robinson Worldwide continues to be one of the largest third party logistics providers and I truly believe in everything that the company does and stands for. Everything involved with CH Robinson with it’s employees and customers is all relationship orientated. We choose to partner with our carriers and offer them many benefits that very few other companies can even attempt to match.
They creat a very interesting atmosphere to work in that includes great competition as well as team work. All of this while having an incredibly fun place to work. I can honestly say I have fun when I go to work everyday and now consider CH Robinson a very positive force in my life. I don’t know how they did it, but since joining the team my whole life has improved; both financially and emotionally.

I cannot begin to explain the benefits this company can offer. All I can say is if you have an opportunity to join our team, don’t second guess it like I did. My optimism almost cost me a life changing career.

Hartford Financials is a wonderful company interms of People, Culture and Environment.

Good to see Symantec part of Fortune 500. It’s definitely good company to work for.

Referring to the Editor’s note dated 21 April on the Northrop Grumman contract won over the Boeing bid. That was for the US Air Force tanker, not the Navy. And, yes, they would be working with the French company who manufactures the Airbus, however, the tanker would be made built in Mobile, Alabama. I know this because I am in a tanker unit in Alabama and proud of it! Boeing is just sore because they have had the tanker contract for 50 years, they threw something together that was basically the same thing as it has been. Northrop Grumman apparently gave them what was needed for our day and time. Remember we have to be the gas tank in the sky and we have to haul cargo and troops all at the same time. It is called multi-tasking, doing more with less. That is what they want the military to do now. So we have to have a supertanker to fulfill that need. Who says it has to be Boeing?

where the heck is chrysler/dodge?

Williams-Sonoma is an amazing company to work for. They consistently treat their employees like Gold, regardless if the employee works in the San Francisco HQ buildings, in the Stores, or in the Data Center. They truly are an excellent employer.

AT&T is an awesome company! They are very well run and have very happy and ethical employees.

A different company, but the same corporate culture, I agree totally with Gloria from Houston’s 4/28 comments. The company I speak of recently let go of 20% of its mid and upper level production/project management people, in a slash and burn maneuver, citing “lack of work”. The reality is that the work these highly qualified people performed will now be done by lower paid, less experienced employees. This from a company that touts a “family” and “teamwork” ethic and a “We are the best” culture. Watch the quality of this company’s work fall as moral and the desire to be part of this hypocritical ‘team’ dissolve.

I work for Exxon Oil Company and it’s great. We get free gas vouchers!

Best Buy is one of the WORST companies to work for. they dont care about thier people, they just care about the money/

Humana is such a great company that we all have spare time while administering your health expenses to add comments about our great company.

Quicken Loans has been and continues to be a fantastic place to work. Amidst country wide economic crisis and a mortgage debacle that surpasses any before it, Quicken loans superb underwriting and strict lending practices has brought this company to into a very stable growth period where we can now gain market share and watch competitors struggle out of business. From the top down, I have never worked for a company that treats employees so well.

Its not the same IBM anymore, thats all I can say. No loyalty whatsoever

I have worked at Humana for about 3-years I’m a Inventory Specialist and Drive a Fork-Lift Love my job let’s keep up the good work and make the list next year but be number 1 I know we can do it I just wanted to tell Mike McCallister he is doing a great job just wanted to tell every one that work’s for Humana keep up the great work we are all that we are going to have a great year…

AT&T a horrible company to work for. they truly abuse there workers with sales and more sales

American Airlines is a wonderful place to work !!! and fly

Sprint is not a good place to work , considering there are only 3 powerhouses and they are last. All companies think of profit over employees. Hundreds of stores have been closed and employees laid of with years of tenure. Companies are in the business of profit, no matter the fantastic experience you’ve had.

I worked for TECO Energy for many years. They are not innovators, but treat most employees decently – due in no small way to the presence of several unions, which cause even non-union employees to receive better benefits than usual. They also hew to their values and provide ongoing management training. You could do a lot worse than work for this company.

I work for AT&T in the advertising & publishing sector.

This is a great & vast revenue powerhouse with tremendous future global potential.

Working at Varian Medical Systems has been a wonderful experience. I get great professional challenges and am well respected by managers. If anyone is interested in working here, check out the web site at http://www.varian.com/careers

I have worked for two of the insurance companies on this list, Humana and United. I could not generalize as to whether they are great places to work or not. As with any industry, job satisfacton depends on your position, the management at your location and total compensation.

The oil companies are driving this economy. We need a way to take the profit making out of a commodity like oil and make the products more affordable.

I would like to know how many of the employees in these companies are located in the United States

The magical experience created by Disney for their guests is also felt by their cast members. What a marvelous place to work!!!

I work for AECOM and am so proud of its ethical culture and the way the company prides itself on its employees.

I worked for Lennar for 3 years, and I can only equate it with working for Darth Vader on the Death Star…about that much loyalty to the employee and actually Darth would probably be less intrusive….lol

I’m so glad to see Humana doing well I hope this means another great year and hope we have alot more because the customer count on us to be here for them because our customer’s are number 1and our Ceo Mike McCaster is doing one heck of a job keep up the good work Mike…….Humana is on it’s way to number 1 we can do it.

As a former employee of BB&T, I think the Sr Management of the Corp have a lot of integrity. But, the local management in it’s individual regions does not implement the standards by which this excellent company was founded. Thus, in my opinion, the company would be much more profitable if they didn’t rely so heavily on their regional staffs and had more contact with its employees.

HP? Great company for investors, crappy company for employees. Constant cuts in benefits, basically zero raises for years, all the time Hurd and his cronies talk about being “competitive” with other firms while outsourcing jobs left and right. Funny how HP never shows up on the “best companies to work for” list any more.

I work for Aflac Inc. in Columbus, Georgia and its an excellent place to work. I have been there since March of 2006 and as a young adult I’m happy to begin my career in corporate america at such a wonderful company. The benefits are unmatchable, and so is the love for the employees. We have a newly created job position entitled Teleworking, and I’m currently a part of that and I love every minute of being able to work from my home. I would like to commend Aflac for all that they do for their employees, stockholders and most importantly the customers!

I see Johnson Controls falling off in the near future.

at&t is the premeir telecommunications company by choice which now offers new advanced television “at&t u-verse”, it’s the best…

I worked for IBM and Sprint, Sprint is far better

I work for Covidien in North Haven, CT. Great medical device innovator with a prosperous future.

Does anybody have experience working for BP Amoco?

RR Donnelley is a terrible employer

I work for Bank of America in Charlotte, NC. With Bank of America my opportunities have been endless. Hands down the best company I have ever worked for.

Richmond Virginia actually has 8 Fortune 500 companies when you take into account Meadwestvaco & Owens & Minor which are located in the suburbs (but no more than 10 miles from city center). Not bad for a metro area much smaller than others with the same number of firms.

I work for Humana, I’m proud to say, and it’s great to see Humana on list!

They have nice commercials, but don’t pay their claims.

American Telephone & Telegraph changed its legal name to AT&T in 1994. So the no longer is an American Telephone & Telegraph.

I work for Johnson Controls in Newfoundland, Canada. Great company with great values and great employees.

I work for Life division its an excellent place to work.

I joined Assurant in December of 2007 and have found Assurant to be a progressive and agressive company. Assurant is poised to grow and the core values of Integrity, Change, Urgency and Excellence are what makes Assurant a great place to work. Assurant has engaged employees and values their input. I would not be surprised to see Assurant double business in the next two to three years.

It’s fantastic that Chase is so strong in a banking environment like this. Kudos to Jamie Dimon.

I work for Bank Of America. Keep doing re-org. Have been reporting to 4 different Managers for a span 4 years that I worked here.

I work for Cardinal Health at one of their customer care centers. It doesn’t matter how much you love working with the customers and how well you do it, if you don’t conform to everything they want you to do or say, you’re out the out the door. Every day there is a new rule as to what we can’t do and a longer list of things we should get completed in a day. Supervisors are quick to tell you if you did something wrong, but where are they when a customer says you were a great help to them? When your calls are monitered and you are slammed for not hitting every point on the score card, but did they care that it was a sales rep who you talk to all the time and you just helped them rush a much needed item for surgery scheduled for the next day? I love the job I do, because I love knowing I am helping the customer in the end. It’s not the pay, or the fact I don’t have to work on the weekends that keeps me going there. It’s because I know my sales reps need me and the customer needs me, not Cardinal Health. They have already shown that CSR’s are a dime a dozen. Until Cardinal Health gets a heart they will always be behind McKesson.

I’ve been working at Bristol-Myers Squibb for almost 7 years. Working for this company gives me a quiet satisfaction knowing that I am instrumental to bringing new drugs to market. I just wish that they offer more opportunities for all qualified employees to work from home. It takes me almost an hour to get to work and the increase in salary this year doesn’t even cover my weekly gas.

I recently started working for Dupont. Having worked at smaller companies before, I was curious how I would fit in with a large company. Other then the commute, the experience has been good. They pay well, have excellent benefits, and try to keep the work interesting. I will say being paid monthly will take a little getting used to. A good place to work otherwise.

I work for GM and hate all you foreign car buying nerds. Wake America.

HUMANA. I could not ask for a more positive, empowering environment. This company truly cares about people. I am proud to be a part of it.

I work for Humana in Cincinnati and I can’t imagine myself working for another company. They are concerned with your career and goals and completely step out of the corporate specturm and treat you as if your an actual person and not revenue. If you don’t work here, you should.

I have been working with MPS Group at a high level for about five years. I’ve found them to be a smart, well-managed company that is full of integrity.

I work for Unum and it is the best place I have ever worked!

I work for Humana, too. What a great company, great CEO, great people! That makes all the difference in the world!

FedEx is great! They help their employees strive for career progression through numerous training programs and opportunities.

I work for a division of Assurant and it’s not the worst place in the world to work but the compensation levels vs. cost of living in the area are not consistent with other areas of the country.

I work for Humana in Louisville. Great company, great people and a great corporate citizen.

I also work for Humana, and love it.

Humana is getting bigger and bigger I just hope it keeps growing. I t will as long as we take care of our customers first number one in our book because if you don’t have customers and take good care of them you have nothing………..HUMANA IS GREAT!!!

Humana is a Great Company to work for it is the best.I’ve worked here for 3-years and I LOVE IT AND I LOVE WHAT I DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can understand why some of you guys are bashing the oil companies…but these are American companies that provide really, really, REALLY good paying jobs to lots people. I made a total career change from being an Accountant to a Process Technician at an oil refinery(Phillips)…best move I’ve ever made. I couldn’t make $100,000/yr as an Accountant! But woe is the day that Exxon, Phillips, Chevron fall. Down goes Texas, Louisiana…the whole Gulf Coast. Hopefully these guys will figure something out in time before this happens…if it happens.

I work for US Technology

I now work for Humana, and after being in the insurance industry for over 12 years, I am amazed as to the potential and care that Humana shows towards customers and employees. It is abosolutely my opinion that Humana will grow to be the leader in the health care industry. Watch close they are an absolute leader.

I work at Bank Of America and its a great place to work! Plenty of opportunities for growth and the best rates in the market!

Money is the only source of pride.

Nothing is more important than getting rich. If being rich was such a bad thing, people would not pursue education and employment. People would just work on the farm, grow their own food, generate their own energy, and only sell excess inventory to buy supplies for their business.

I believe that making as much money as possible is a grand and noble accomplishment. I read in awe of all of the money that these companies are generating. They are providing a level of living and sophistication for Americans that is unrivaled in many parts of the world. I never see other countries trying to be less like America. More and more countries are adapting to an American lifestyle because we have the best that the world has to offer. I laugh at some of the ungrateful comments on here. If America is such a bad palce, move to another country.

I believe that many people come here to complain because they do not know what else to do. They really do not have true complaints or worries. But there are other people complaining and joining in makes for a fun time.

Wealth is the final frontier!

I am a very satisfied owner of a Focus ZX-3 SES ‘07, This the best car I have ever owned, too bad it is no longer being marketed. I have previously raced cars and traded in a ‘86 model (21 yrs). I settled on this because of its interior room for the size and price. I have had it for nearly a year and am greatly impressed with its roadability and comfort, less impressed with the fuel economy, starting @ 16mpg but is now 26mpg in town.
I think Ford has dropped its most impressive car for the money. RBD

i work for Bank of America & while the
company profits the employees suffer.
MBNA was fantastic to work for before BOA took over, now our paychecks have taken a huge cut. Our goals to reach incentive payouts have been raised to the point of becoming impossible to reach so they dont have to pay us.. & the amount of money paid for incentive bonuses has dramatically decreased.
At least MBNA gave back to the employees that created that profit.
Bank of America just keeps taking away from it’s employees.

I don’t work for a Fortune 1000 company. However, my job demands that I proofread everything that I send to a client. What has happened to attention to detail in the workplace and why are there so many misspelled words and grammatical errors in these comments?

I work for Humana and I love my job in Medicare advantage program. You couldn’t ask for a better company.

I work for Humana Europe – it is great!

I work for Assurant Employee Benefits and they are the BEST!!!!

I work for a division of Humana and HMHS for over 13 years. I hope to make it another 13.

I love my job at Progressive, and we love our customers!

Humana is a great company to work for

It is an honor to be employed by Ashland Inc. at its Lexington, Kentucky, campus — and in particular with its Valvoline division. Our leaders have crystal-clear vision which is communicated well to us as employees, and I couldn’t work with a greater group of individuals. As people, we are focused, team-oriented, and respected. In the past, I worked for two other Fortune 500 companies that don’t hold a candle to Ashland.

HOW CAN DELTA BE #129 WHEN IT WAS IN BANKRUPTY RECENTLY.

I Work for Humana Insurance NP2 DMS IN Aand i LOVE my job:)

I work for Bank of America and absolutely love it! They are very team-oriented, flexible and encourage and praise their employees. I think this is what makes them such a winning team and successful company. Plus they look beyond intelligence for those amicable personality traits that make for good team players that work in harmony.

Talk about customer service. Hanesbrands has the worst and their quality of products is not any better! Their interests are get your money and run.

I worked for Colgate Palmolive for 33 years. Why? Because they demonstrate in their guiding principles that caring about its employees is most important. Perhaps that is why their retention rate is so high.

Bank of America is an awesome company to work for and the future is bright

Everyone stop your griping about company profits and the big bucks the guys at the top are making. We live in a great society where ANYONE has a shot at starting a company and making it big. You just have to have the guts to go out there and take it for yourself. Not out of greed, but to make a better life for yourself, your kids, and your country. Its called Capitalism. Either do something for yourself or stop your complaining.

I had the worse working experience at Home Depot. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. The Corporate office is not in touch with what is really going on in the stores. As a Human Resource Manager they need to really stand behind what they say. That they want to take care of their people instead of skiming on the staff within the store. This will help them solve their customer service issues.

sprint is where is today thanks to the retail regional managers and store managers, all they care is about daily sales numbers, they didn’t care how those numbers were reach, regional managers pressure sales rep to add extra features on customers plans without their knowledge and if customers complains then issue credits to the account . this practice is still widely use today. i left the company few year ago and just recently cancel my parents service because the monthly bill was never accurate. this company can’t be trust.

I joined Cognizant when it was just a $50m company and have seen it grow beyond $2 billion. It’s a great place to work.

I just love coming back to Cognizant. The passion to perform is pervasive. Wow! we made the list.

I don’t see Dell getting their so called “Turnaround” in place. Michael had a great idea for supply chain. But as far as R&D, execution, operating expenses, and the biggest thing needed in a tech company “Foresight”, he and his merry band of new managers are clueless. And the management in place are just whipping boys sending the clueless corporate lemmings that I was once to deaf ears since our pay has gone down 3 consecutive years. i’m glad that I was “Discharged”. Even though I have a new job lined up already for me. See yah Dell, i’m sure Lenovo or worse Acer will jump over you. Why? because they have foresight.

I see why Wells Fargo is worth so much. Be careful noto to lose your job or have a catastrphe in your life, because they will foreclose on you in a HEARTBEAT! You don’t want to finance a home with them!

I worked for United Health Group and it was one of the worst companies I have ever worked for. The job was nowhere near what I was hired for and the healthcare benefits were horrible.

It might be a good idea to explain profit margin to most people. I’ll make this simple. Things are actually a little more complicated.

Let’s say a barrel of oil is $10/barrel. You have a quota that you want your margins to be 10%. If you buy and sell 10 barrels of oil you make $10. Simple enough? Now let’s say the price of oil goes up to $100/barrel. You keep the same margins to protect your risk in your investment. If you still buy and sell 10 barrels of oil, your sales revenue increases from $100 to $1000. Your profit also increases to $100. Simple enough?

Now look back again at Exxon Mobil. Their return on sales is a little over 10%. Chevron’s is actually a little under 10% along with ConocoPhillips . Now go take a look at Microsoft: over 20% margins. J&J is a little under 20%. Should Microsoft lower the cost of computers? Should J&J cut back prices on all their products?

The truth is only time will usher in a new era in the realm of energy. Until that time, the oil companies will continue to do what they do best. When they see something that is indeed profitable (Ex. Solar, Fischer-Trophs, shale oil) they will invest and capitalism will drive innovation. Can the government help? Of course. However, the plan of our government must be something that does not change every four years.

PS. I am going to work for BP in 3 months. Hopefully all is still well.

Notre Dame

I worked for Chevron and I hated it. The people there do not know whether they are coming or going most of the time and they really never see their skills go to good use within the company. Although the promotions and bonus are good, they are nothing compared to the managers and above that recieve 25%+ as a bonus anually. On the outside looking in, the company is all about making money even if it is at their employee’s expense. Like sending the younger employees overseas to countries like Nigeria and paying for their housing, food, personal nanny, and driver, etc. sounds great, but they are putting these kids lives at risk. Maybe it was the city that I was in (new orleans, la) but that company has a huge generation gap or it is going to crumble quickly. chevron believes that the horizons programs will serve as a band-aid to the problem, but they have a looooong way to go.
This is a classic case of people chasing after a dollar and not chasing after their dreams (with the exception of the engineers and the CEO Dave O’Reilly)

For all the ripples your opinions may make in this lame, gossipy forum, you’re all just sloshing around in the same bathwater. If this list of giant companies signifies anything, it’s that $$$ is the only language in the business world. So let whatever money you have talk business and save the hot air for education reform advocacy. Because many of these comments say more about our schools than they do about business.

I worked for S-P, it was the best companie Ive ever worked for.

They don’t earn billions, they earn what the market demands just like athletes, actors, prominent news anchors, etc. Many people view their pay as unfair, however, in most cases the intelligence and experience that these CEO’s bring to the table helps secure the jobs, 401k’s, pensions,etc of everyone working for the company. It is the corrupt few that have given them a bad name.

I think it is terrible how the big CEO’s, COO’s, and all the ones at the top sit and make billions and the little person on the end may make the minimum pay. SO SAD

Scott: I have heard what you said before, and re Europe/rest of world,that is true. I was in Argentina in ‘87 and gas was $2.50 gal. I had a conversation the other day re gal per barrel, I thought it was 55, which is @ $1.87 pg, so makes sense. BUT here’s my question, maybe you can answer: what dictates the prices the stations actually charge and change at a whim? Does it have to be NEW loads, then a price change? Do the oil companies tell them what to charge as their franchiser? THese guys change day-2day, dpending what’s in the news. Is that legal? Is there something/agency that regulates these price gougers?

PD, by interesting, do you mean surprising? Why are you surprised that people who live in regions of the country where oil and gas are produced would have educated opinions about the industry in question? Just about every person who wrote comments in ‘defense’ of the oil and gas industry supported those comments with facts, figures, and capitalist reality. I have yet to see much rigor in the ‘opinions’ of the dessenters. People who say that ‘Big Oil’ companies, who only control 10% of the global oil production, are setting the oil prices and making their profits at the gas pump are just wrong. Oil and gas companies are making their profits off selling the crude oil they produce and sell- not the gas they refine. These companies invest billions each year in projects and no one will bail them out with outside assistance if the price of oil falls drastically. Why? Because that is capitalism, love it or leave it.

Go figure most of the oil companies top your list as they continue to plead poverty and gouge us, the consumers!

Owens Illinois is part of my 401k. I am retired from OI,(2004). I am 66 years of age. I am hopeful of the high return again. Although not likely. I would like some input. Stay or sell.

Wow ! For a company that pays 1 in every 5 Americans to only make #281 on this list must say that they are not doing everything right, ADP, should focus more on their associates training and system updating. Better luck next year ADP, maybe next year you’ll break the 1/2 way mark (250 or better)

I’m angry about big oil, too, and the mega banks, insurance companies – all that. But what really ticked me off on this list was seeing those prescription drug manufacturers raking it in. Pfizer, Merck, Wyeth, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Eli Lilly – all in the top 133. What makes me angry is that there ARE alternatives to driving your car and overspending your budget on gas (although inconvenient for most, the alternatives are not life-threatening) – But, what are the alternatives for people who can’t afford overpriced prescription drugs which they need to maintain their health, or in some cases, their lives? It’s an outrage.

~How about there profit-sharing program

You don’t mention how heartless AT&T let go managers who are retirement eligible just to save the almighty dollar and keep employees they don’t have to pay as much.

Who cares about cost and refineries and taxes and crude prices???? Bottom line is the PROFIT Exxon, Chevron and the others take it!!! All the costs go up but they still make more Profit than anyone!

Nothing but quality!!!Keep up the good work.Thank you

Mercy, something is so wrong with this picture! Where are the electric cars!!!!

Western Union stinks. They are sending their union worked jobs out of the country or to non-union locations because they want to save 30 Million a year. They make more than that per quarter, and don’t want to continue to spend the money to keep these jobs in the US. I, along with several hundred others – nonunion managment and union employees, will be out of a job when this finally is completed. Greed will continue to move this company up the list.

40 billion in profits. No more needs to be said.

I’m stupid. My class status is shrinking while failing CEO’s pocket millions because I’m just dumb. Eggs went up 41% because I’m stupid. My wife just got a second job because she’s stupid. My brother stitched his own arm because he’s too stupid to just afford med insurance. Our budget doesn’t really include vacations anymore because we’re stupid. My neighbor has been out of work for 4 months because he’s stupid. My cousin just gave up and quit college because he’s too stupid to afford it anymore…

Funny how we’re all so stupid (suddenly), while living and operating exactly like previous generations (actually, we’re living lower). Makes you wonder if being stupid really has anything to do with it…

Fortunately, for KeyBank it opened the Branch in Grand Cayman Islands, where banks pay no taxes. Yet, unfortunate for the United States as there is no trade market. This while the Fed keeps lowering the rate banks borrow.

Target boasts of being the best company ever and talks about how much they care about their employees. When in all truth all they care about is getting their profits. I worked for them in their distribution center for 3 long years, they treat you like a slave and when their sales are down they cut your hours. Target only cares about Target!!

Too bad “The New AT&T” is one of the most expensive phine companies to have a plan under…..:(

When will enough profit be enough for the US Oil Companies? Maybe they will cut prices when the US Economy has been crippled and we are in a full blown recession, but I wouldn’t bet on it!!!!!!!

Did anyone see #58 Sprint Nextel’s numbers… are those accurate… 74% of your bill is pure profit…. I need to invest in Sprint….

Walmart is the best. I absolutely love your store! I love the clothes and just spending tons of cash on stuff I can use. I am very pleased with Walmart. The same applies to Dollar Tree.

How the F can we be struggling to put gas in our tanks and Exxon is still making huge profits!! They’re taking advantage of people. What a bunch of blood sucking thieves. God I hate the oil industry.

There needs to be a new organization formed, “OPIC”, the organization of petroleum IMPORTING countries! If these oil producing countries,(OPEC) want to charge us $117.00 for a barrel of oil, then maybe the rest of the world should turn the tables on them and start charging outrageous prices for the items thats these OPEC countries import from the rest of the world! Just a thought.

How can Symantec Corporation be ranked as 461? At this time most of Symantec’s employees reside in a country other than the United States. At this very moment CEO, John W. Thompson’s “vision” includes outsourcing all U.S. jobs to other countries. He is selling out all the little people that made Symantec a great company. Unfortunately he is selling Symantec to the highest bidder foreign bidder.

Of the posts here, nearly all discussion was about how the gas companies were the most profitable, but no one mentioned an obvious solution. This is a two edged sword that benefits everyone – biofuel. A little over $1000 converts your Jetta to run both diesel or vegetable oil. You save yourself $3.50-$4.00 per gallon for fuel and recycle cooking oil from TacoBell. Same performance too. If oil consumpton is “that” big a deal, why aren’t there more incentives for this?

why is there poverty and unemployment and crime with busineses making these kind of profits and they are american companies?everyone should have dequate housing,education,vocation and health care which should make america a mecca for businesses for the world to emulate?

In the last few years, Exxon merged with Mobil. Conoco merged with Phillips. Shell merged with Texaco and Chevron. BP bought Amoco. We got ourselves here.

Year over year HCA’s Hospitals consistently have the lowest employee and customer satisfaction ratings. As a current HCA employee I am embarrased to say that this company cares more about profits than patient care and safety.

Big Oil loves this new Ethanol craze: To drive 15,000 miles per year at 15mpg it takes…1000 gal of gasoline (not rocket science). However, with E10 Gasohol (10% Ethanol 90% Gasoline) and a fuel effeciency drop of 12.5% we burn 1143 gallon, of which 10%/114galon is Ethanol and 1029 is GASOLINE! We were better off w/o ethanol. Do the math at a 25% decrease in fuel effeciency and we burn 1333 gallons of gasohol, of which 133 is ethanol and 1200 is GASOLINE. We are burning more GASOLINE than we did before! Another thing, we need FED & State regulations to slow down speed limits to increase fuel effeciency. For every gallon we do not burn/demand, we will increase the supply and the price will drop.

The fact that gas prices are what they are while Chevron and Exxon Mobil are where they are on this list is disgusting. Where is the outrage?

Old man Buffet and his 40 employees made more profit than ummmmm Walmart!

Note Shell and BP are not on the list, because they are not American companies(or they would have both made the top 10); They are Dutch and British, respectively.

Your article smells like it has a problem with business doing well in this country. clearly, those who are blogging have some jealousy issues to content with. America is great for many reasons – including the fact that we do good business here. Someone is going to be #1, and although I am not a shopper of Wallmart I say “good for them”.

Yeah Kroger!! I love working for this company!!! I have to say – you may not believe it, but my manager, and our staff really do care about the associates. I am very lucky to have a job I enjoy. Kroger Delta Div – store #464 is great!!!!

Walmart and oil. The life line of the blue collar person. When will there be a gas company to offer the best price. Not until the US comes to a complete stop.

Most all of these companies work very hard for their profits. Exxon is at least American. Citco is not. Walmart sells mostly out of country products, but no smart comments for them.

Isn’t it strange that Exxon Mobile & Cheveron, Conoco Phillips, and Valero Gasoline Companies are in the top yet consumers are paying higher gas prices. I guess we are paying for their profits. I guess no one is investigating as to why they are making the profits as consumers pay over $ 4 a gallon on gas.

I work for Verizon and I can tell you now there is nothing like our FTTP network. I am directly involved with the construction of the new plant and it is so far ahead of our competitors its scary. Our competition is “light years” away from what Verizon’s capabilities are now. Luckily, our leaders had the foresight to see the future of our industry. Our CEO, Ivan S., was brilliant, when he made the leap of faith, his advisors made the right call. I enjoy working for Verizon, just hold on consumers a whole new world is available to you.

Wow YUM brands went up on the list again, perhaps NOW they won’t be so greedy by keeping their stores understaffed.

It just goes to say how important General Motors is to the Unite States. BUY FROM AMERICAN COMPANYS and the money will help America Grow.

why are they STILL getting subsides?? It should end now.

How very sad that a company that has broken so many labor and employment laws around the country makes it to the top of the Fortune 500 list. Wake up Walmart shoppers!

I absolutely agree this is a very misleading list. Why not list these companies at least by “Profit”?

The average reader might get the wrong impression as of the real “worth” of the companies in the list, and its absurd that companies that lost a lot of money (*cough* Ford *cough*) make the top 20.

okay all you socialist out there with your basket weaving degrees. companies are in it to make a buck and if that means going other places to do it where labor cost are cheaper they are going to do it. i think you need to look at your democratic socialist party and your labor unions who think that you should make 30 dollars a hour for turning a screw for 8 hours. get off the kool aid boys and girls and start thinking like men and woman. look at obama and hillary you call them presidential material, your laughable. are economy is hurting right now and they talk about raising taxes. obvious neither of them took an economics course. bailing mortgage companies out of there ridiculous lending practices and helping people out of there stupid decisions on houses they could ‘nt afford the answer is NO.

Amazing how you see much less SUV’s and trucks on the freeways. People are going to 4 cylinder cars again, but according to investors, the demand is still increasing? Where???? No special fixes for gas, everyone needs to change their consumption. Went from a full size truck to a saturn. Makes a huge difference on the wallet. If you want to take action, everyone use a vacation day or two and STAY HOME!!!! Don’t venture out in your vehicle. Maybe that can make a difference along with reducing our overall consumption.

In March 2008 I ordered a Dell laptop with Ubuntu Linux on it and the estimated ship date was about ten days out from my order. That was all well and good until on the day the laptop was supposed to ship I get an email saying it had been pushed back another week. Needless to say I wasn’t very happy so I went ahead and cancelled the order. That night I did more research and settled on purchasing a MacBook from Amazon.com that was shipped to my front door the very next day.

I guess Dell is making too much money to care about whether or not their orders actually get filled. But I have to admit I couldn’t be happier with the MacBook so it all worked out for the best.

Did anyone else puke in their mouth a little when they saw the profit for Exxon. When will our elected officials stand up to the lobbyists and stop capalizing on the American tax payer? Yes, I mean you George!

the fact that walmart made number one is actually quite sad. it just shows what americans choose to do with their time. instead of spending time with your families at the park, they choose instead to ‘go look around at walmart’. walmart is nothing more than a future monopoly, that mistreats and underpays its hardworking employees. pretty soon everything is going to start saying ‘made by walmart stores inc.’ and everything in the country will be being built by walmart. then thigns will be falling apart because walmart is so damn cheap. as a former employee i can personally vouch that walmart is a seriously ill workplace, and that with ample space to work, we wil not have any cool little stores on the corner. EVERYTHING will be put out of business by WALMART! is that where AMERICA is headed? and is that where we want it to go?

I’ve worked for Costco for almost 20 years.It’s the best company I have ever worked for, they treat their employees very well and offer great pay and benefits. I’ve worked at other large companies and worked for alot less money and alot more work. Yes, you work hard at Costco but the rewards are well worth it.

“the first time the Pentagon has awarded a major aerospace contract to an overseas company.” This is incorrect Northrop Grumman is an American Company. Just thought that you might want to correct your text. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks, but we were referring to EADS ("In March, the company lost a tanker deal with the U.S. Navy to a group that includes Airbus-parent EADS"), which is an overseas company, not Northrop.]

What do companies like big oil and rich people do with their money? They don’t bury it in the back yard. They invest it somewhere or they spend it. OK, if they invest it in banks this makes more money available for others to borrow and the more money that is invested in banks drives interest rates lower. Is that bad for people who need to borrow money? They could invest it in stocks and bonds, i.e., companies that produce a profit. Let me see now, profit….that is something that accrues when a company creates a product that is made efficiently and is of use to people. Oh, and I guess it also creates jobs, hmmm. Now the other thing they can do with their money is spend it. OK, what do they spend it on? Yachts, cars, food, comsumer goods…..hmmmm. Someone has to build cars, yachts,….produce consumer goods…does that mean more jobs? No, lets not do that, lets give it to the government in the form of taxes, then the politicians can give themselves another raise for life or spend it on a pet project like a highway servind a half dozen people. Hmmm, I think I get it. nowhere

Interesting that everyone from Texas (and that crackpot Bernard from Jersey) seems to support Big Oil . . .

Your article should note that these companies are rated by “Revenues” and there are several other measurements that are not considered here. For example, Exxon Mobile and several other companies had much higher Profits. AND your report does not show Net Worth which would probably shows that Exxon Mobile has a much higher Net Worth than Wal-Mart.

Oh, poor poor Exxon-Mobil. They only made number 2 on the list (revenues), but were number 1 (profit) by a long-shot.

That works out $10,000,000 for every US soldier who died in Iraq.

Scott B. of San Diego needs to LOOK AT THE FACTS instead of giving opinions. Every refiner in the United States today is trying to find ways to expand their refineries. This time period is the first time in the last 30 years that there has been enough incentive to build new refining capacity. Refineries are huge capital investments and how much more do you invest in refining capacity when oil field discoveries are declining. All the easy oil has been found. The average Joe is spending more on fuel but the Gunther’s, Pierre’s and Jose’s of the world (Europe, Japan, etc.) have been spending $3 to $4 per gallon for over 20 years. The US oil companies have provided pretty good value to US citizens over this 20 years. Think about Scott: The price of a barrel of oil is over $100 for a 42 gallon barrel. Out of this 42 gallon barrel, you might get 20 gallons of gasoline. Now you get other products out of the barrrel of oil but just do the math and you can see that the raw material cost for a gallon of gas is roughly $2.50 per gallon before you add upgrading costs to turn the oil into gasoline. Alternative fuels would be great but the cost for all other fuels that can make any impact and provide the amount of energy we consume are more expensive per unit of energy. Fossil fuels are the most efficient to convert into a usable form, i.e., gasoline, diesel, etc. Ethanol is a waste of energy as it takes more energy to make a gallon of fuel than it actually provides. As the cost of fossil based fuels goes up, alternative fuels will becom more viable and practical. Yes, and good old Hugo Chavez…the only way he can provide 25 cent per gallon gasoline is because his government controlled oil company produces its own oil. Do you think he sells his crude to other countries for $10.50 per barrel? Venezuela also has a very good beer….Polar, which sells for about 15 cents per bottle. Venezuela and other countries that have the oil can do things like this. If the US loses what access we have to oil now, our economy will crater. We had better be finding ways to use nuclear, solar, and wind and get over our reluctance to use coal which is said to be able to provide the US’s energy needs for 200 to 300 years.

both Mcdonalds(106) and Bristol Myers made about 10% profit. That means somehow u r paying pharma patent level premiums for fast food!
Halliburton(167) pulled in a whopping 23 % profit higher than the software companies which essentially mint the bucks. U must be through the nose to give their profit such a healthy boost.

Right on Scott (San Diego). The fact of the matter is: we are all admist a hoarding scam backed by the government with thier billion dollar acceptance through thier lobbyists) America is WIDE AWAKE and stop drinking the KoolAid about Percentage Profit that the big boys are trying to feed us.

Hydrogen is not an efficient way to replace oil. Currently the way that hydrogen is produced commercially is from natural gas. Hydrogen is not a green fuel in the sense that it does not replace fossil fuels. It is only a green fuel for people who drive hydrogen cars and say “my car doesn’t put out any CO2″ that is true, but the CO2 is simply being released into the atmosphere somewhere else when they make the Hydrogen.

For all of you that think anyone who works in the oil field is “having a good life” — Oil field workers make $12-$14 an hour and work at least 60 hours a WEEK!!(Many work 80 or more)AND, many don’t have any benefits except for a 2 week vacation! Let’s see the what a union worker making much much more an hour would do IF they had to work more than 40 hours a week!! If oilfield personal worked only 40 hours a week, you might really see the price of gas really go up. Hey, how about groceries? The government gives farmers help! They get money not to plant certain crops! Did you know that? Maybe, if we weren’t so dependent on foreign oil, gas prices would not be a high. Oil field workers are paying high prices just like everyone else. If big oil companies make too much profit – we want to add an additional tax. Isn’t this America? Poor farmers? Some, but not all! Rich Oil Men? Some, but not all! What I am saying – deal with it and get on with your life!

So…we blame the oil companies. Want to know who’s responsible for high gas prices? LOOK IN THE MIRROR! Want lower prices? All us consumers have to do is not use our vehicles just one day a week. Catch a ride with a friend, walk, take transit, ride a bike – any of the above will do. Do I think this will happen? No – we’re too dumb. But I would LOVE to see it happen, though.

COSTCO PAYS WELL BUT WORKS YOU LIKE A DOG. AND IF YOUR NOT UP TO PAR YOUR OUT OF THERE

Kyle C. (Macon, MO) sez:

“I am just as upset as the next person on paying 3.50 a gallon, and I refuse to support and of the Big Oil companies by owning even a single share of their stock, but we cannot hold the oil companies responsible for high gas prices.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!

He says he refuses to support the oil companies by owning their stock.

Here the ignorant American shows his, uh, er, ignorance.

If this guy (and the rest of you) would INVEST a small portion (1-2%) of your income in ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, you would be supporting American energy companies and fellow American workers at those companies. You would also support YOURSELVES and over the course of your 30-40 year work life, your investment would add up to more than the scam of Social Security will ever provide you, AND you would actually have had your lifetime worth of gasoline PAID FOR by the return on your investment…

Wake up America! You are a bunch of socialist lemmings who know nothing about Capitalism…

Scott B – Keep in mind, the average Joe in the United States is an idiot. I’m sure that comment will offend some, but it’s true. Look at voting records in the US (Less than a third of registered voters actually vote), look at the current sub-prime meltdown (”I can’t afford my adjustable mortgage. I knew it could go up, but I didn’t think it ever would. Goverment, please help me!!!”). And finally, look at what the average Joe does with his (or her) money. What percent of American live within their means (i.e. spend less than what they make each year)? How many of those are actually saving anything? How about investing in profitable ventures?
America used to be full of individuals who wanted to be independent and self-sufficient. Everyone wanted their own farm so that they could provide for themselves, and if it got too expensive to live somewhere, they’d move to cheaper, greener pastures. We all have ancestors that did it.
Unfortunately, the average Joe is now an idiot. He (or she) doesn’t save, doesn’t plan for the future, and constantly wants government to play Robin Hood. The big oil or any other big company aren’t the problem here. Idiocy is.

Let’s just hope Timken will stay in business in Canton, Ohio and for that matter the US period. Canton, Ohio has lost so many jobs that the lost of Timken plants would devastate Canton.

Scott B: Blame you liberal Democrats for your “most expensive gas in the U.S. They TAX you between .30 to 60 cents PER GALLON to subsidize your outrageous “social programs” for “inner-city yutes” and ILLEGAL immigrants (ExxonMobil EARNS about .30 cents per gallon). Yes, California, land of fruits and nuts.

Your other statement: “People might bash Venezuela (and Hugo Chavez), but I’ll tell you this much…it costs 25 cents per gallon of gasoline in Venezuela.”

You have got to be joking… You are FREE to move to Venezuela and trade that FREEDOM for .25 cents per gallon gasoline (which CHAVEZ owns as dictator) and then you can send letters to your liberal democrat politicians here who BAN oil companies from getting OUR OWN oil from Alaska, California’s coast, and Florida’s coast.

Your fuel taxes need to go to your education system in CA. Scott, you failed…

Progressive Insurance, while, #175 is going to start taking some of the pain at the pump away by introducing a new Usage Based Insurance product to the market that will help those that dont drive much and those that drive safely save $$$ on insurance….I’ve been paying way too much for Auto insurance and being a resident of OR I signed up and saved 23% on my last bill…not bad..its good to see some innovation from someone other than Apple. They also sponsored a 10m prize for the inventor of car that can get 100mpg or its equivilant (the car has to be ready for mass production to win)!!!

Nationwide made almost $2 billion (a company record)and grew revenue in 2007. Yet they laid off 1000 employees in the last 6 months. And we wonder why people feel corporate America is about nothing more than greed.

Scott,

Let’s take a look at the facts. If you run a business in a capitalistic economy (driven by investors) and someone suggests you should do something which puts your economics at risk, to help the public, are you going to? There is one reason why no refineries have been built in 35 years: Fundamental capitalistic economics. When you live in a capitalist society, you take the pros and the cons.

I like how you avoided the fact that I mentioned Europe + Canada paying more (which have more comparable economies to ours than say, Venezuela). You want to pay 25/cents and live under Chavez, what’s keeping you here? You are free.

There mere comparison to Chavez “dictates” pretty clearly how skewed your vision of reality is. Hydrogen? Nothing like driving around with a bomb attached to your car. What happens when someone gets in an accident, Scott? I guess in your idealistic world no one gets in accidents either.

Nothing like complaining without providing a realistic solution. Again, public transit, increased MPGs are the short term keys.

I’m starting to think that most of the oil company supporters on here either work for oil companies and/or own oil company stock. Instead of calling everyone clueless, stupid or uninformed…look at the FACTS. Oil companies don’t want to invest their gaudy profits into new refineries, because they can effectively charge whatever they want while using the lack of new refineries as an excuse. Big Oil money has ruled this country for a very long time now, and I’m sick of it. The rich keep getting richer and richer, while the Average Joe spends more and more of his income on gas. If this government would stop taking billions of dollars from the oil companies (thru stocks, lobbyists, etc) and start supporting alternative fuels, then we wouldn’t be having these discussions. I’m amazed that the oil companies haven’t embraced hydrogen and other sources of energy by stepping up and building the fueling stations….and then charging an arm and a leg for that service as well. No matter how you slice it, this has everything to do with greed and the almighty dollar. People might bash Venezuela (and Hugo Chavez), but I’ll tell you this much…it costs 25 cents per gallon of gasoline in Venezuela. Coincidence? I think not.

I know where those subprime losses went: Walmart.

“If all consumers do not purchase gas from the big name companies (ExxonMobile) for a day, and go to a smaller named company, would that effect the prices???”

Mark, not at all. What kind of economist suggests decreasing consumption for one data point (out of thousands) is going to do anything? What about the demand spike before and after? The only way for us to accomplish is anything is to drop the bar, consistently.

Nothing like a mass spam e-mail written by a monday morning economist with the intelligence of a monkey.

For those of you angry at Big Oil, consider the following:

If you re-rank the top 100 based upon percentage of profit, only one oil company makes the top 25 (ExxonMobil, 10.89%). There are seven banks (average 12.74%), three computer companies (average 22.24%), three insurance companies (average 18.67%), and four medical companies (average 15.39%) among the rest. Even Walt Disney is doing better, but I don’t see anyone calling for a Mickey boycott!

And consider, this is a GREAT time to be in oil. 10 years ago, no oil company would have made the top 25 in terms of profit percentage.

Yes, oil is profitable now, but it really is a dangerous industry to invest in long term. That’s why the biggest are so big (in terms of revenue), because they have to be to survive the downturns.

Very surprising indeed that 3 of top 5 are oil companies – considering oil and gas are the backbone of our economy. Stop blaming oil for the price of your gas – look at what 1) Europe and 2) Canada pay – I guess that’s beyond many people’s realm of concept. Until we decrease our demand for oil and gas, they are there to stay.

For all the people complaining about gas prices, how many of you drive SUV’s, how many of you take public transit when available? I may be one of the few, but I look forward to a consistent increase in price – only then will we CHANGE by building up public transit infrastructure and increase auto-makers MPG standards (grossly behind rest of world, mind you).

The key to our transportation problems is not cheaper gas. WAKE UP AMERICA

A two car family (and there’s a bunch) pays $90-100 a week to fill up 2 cars. That is appox $400+ per week on fuel. This is killing the economy.

Paying $400 a month on fuel is causing people to have to cut back at eating out(hurts the Restaurant and Food Industry) or rethinking buying a new house (hurts the Real Estate Indutry)or cutting back Shopping (hurts the Retail industry) etc. We got to cut spending!

Fuel is driving the cost of everything up…Groceries, Deliveries, Airlines etc. Almost everything retail is affected by fuel.

What ever happened to the “Victor goes the Spoils of War”
Why do we keep helping the Foreign countries when they keep gouging us with fuel??? Why is Government allowing this to happen. Why can’t we get the best people to run for office?

American wealth is flowing out of the country into the pocketts of OPEC. Ourforeign debt is cash due, paid in interest and political/economic blackmail. The fall of the Soviet Union can show how a great military power can collapse when it becomes a third rate economy.America will continue to decline until we can produce domestically, all our own energy needs.We need an intellegent energy policy that works .. We need a 21st century policy away from our 19th century fossil fuel roots.

Look at Microsoft! Over 27 percent of their revenue is profit. They put more money in the bank than Wal-mart! And speaking of banks, they’ve got larger profits than the oil companies too – those fees must be making up for all the defaulted mortgages.

I worked for Home Depot for 8 yrs, customer service is no longer their priority like it once was, hiring young part timers to fill spots has made things worse for customers and other associates, half the time we only had 1 person in a dept to cover for 6 hrs if that, it got really disgusting. HD is more concerned with reports and paperwork than helping our customers. Get back to the basics!

Once again, oddly enough when we have a Republican President, the collussion begins big oil companies in conjunc-tion with the automotive industry… Is the bottom line to allow larger profits to the oil companies and also force the general public to purchase
newer so called ecologically frindly manufactured vehicles ??? Big business
is the only one who profits and middle income families will pay the price…Oddly enough I have seen enough in my lifetime to know when I am being taken for a ride…Here’s a great question, why, when it takes 3 times as much oil to manufacture oil additives ??? Oddly enough they still seem reasonably priced ??? Also with every thing that is manufactured to cost more reasonably to produce the prices never reflect a sufficient decrease…And finally why do we continue to allow outsoucing of american businesses & jobs ???

It amazing, gas keeps going up and 3 of the top 5 fortune 500 companies are gas companies.

RE: Not purchasing from one oil company.

The answer is basically that it will have no affect. I can’t look up the link right now, but there is a good explanation on http://www.snopes.com as to why not.

i love wal-mart because i have more buying power while saving up for my bike because i’m about to get rid of my car.

Don’t just look at the oil companies’ profits, look at their profit margins. They may be making larger profits than they ever have, but they are spending much more as well.

The important point is not where you get your gas, it’s how much you use. Kyle and Gordon make very good points. It is the consumption that needs to be fixed.

11% growth in revenue and 17% growth in profits… they are doing something right.

I am just as upset as the next person on paying 3.50 a gallon, and I refuse to support and of the Big Oil companies by owning even a single share of their stock, but we cannot hold the oil companies responsible for high gas prices. Until recently in America the SUV was the best selling vehicle, which coincidentally got horrible MPG. We in America also forget prices on everything from carpet, tv’s and oil is driven by supply and demand, this is Econ101, and over the course of the last 5-6 years the 2 most populus countries on Earth, China and India, have been putting more people in new cars each year, thanks to their economic policies. Please do not blame the oil companies, blame our consumer driven economy

We’ve been hearing that the economy is hurt due to sub prime “mortgage crises” since middle to late last year. The components of a CDO is not just sub prime mortgages. It’s car loans, credit card receivables, etc. along with the enormous underwriting fees tacked onto these sprinkled with some “credit default swaps” to make them more tasty to investors. All put together with a poor recipe of marked to model. If the banks are scared to tell the truth, just say so, it’s okay. All of this does come as an enormous costs of inflation to the american consumer.

Oil Companies need to invest in more refineries in order to reduce the cost of gasoline and the Automakers need to start helping with hybrid products, yet we as a society will still make the demands for their products.. so in reality, we need to adjust our lifestyles NOW, or we will all be out and then what?

I have a question. A while ago I over heard people discussing how to take action as consumers that would greatly impact gas prices, but I’m not sure how well this would work.

If all consumers do not purchase gas from the big name companies (ExxonMobile) for a day, and go to a smaller named company, would that effect the prices???

Apple rolls in at #103! WOW!

What people pay at the pump is correlated to the price of oil, which, when high, helps oil&gas companies make a larger profit. With that said:
1) Integrated O&G companies did not make a large profit on refining/selling gasoline (they actually lose money at times)
2) They have been making large profits on the sale of the crude oil they produce
3) Crude oil is a commodity- price is not set by the Western companies, in fact the 5 largest western O&G companies make up ~10% global production COMBINED!!
4) Obscene profits is an ignorant term, these comapnies will invest 15-25 billion in captial alone in 2008 (you have to make large profits to re-invest, to provide energy to people who neither understand or appreciate their lifestyle).

Shouldnt the high profits of the oil companies be frightening and make you wonder whay are we paying soo much if they are making soo much?

Foot Locker has to improve on their turnover in the office and the field, they will have to watch their product line a little closer, the product has saturated the market.
I can’t ever find anything I like when I get the 30% off coupon.

I like the turn-around effort being executed at The Home Depot right now. Look for this stock to pop at any sign of a housing recovery.

Maybe the oil co.’s should bail out Ford and GM?!

Regarding the reader who obviously thinks they are being perceptive and clever when they note that “funny how 3 or the top 10 Fortune 500 companies are oil companies…”: Look at the list going back to 1955. Same thing. These companies are big because they have to be big to stay in business. Learn more about business before you comment.

IBM is International Business Machines… Although they don’t do that with American Telegraph & Telecommunications…

Odd

Anybody else notice that the profits of the mega-banks, (even with the housing bust) are still a higher percentage then the oil companies? (Example JP Morgan Chase % profit 13.2% Exxon 10.9%)

Dave Hoffmeyer
Avon, IN

I used to work for Kmart in the Sears Holding family and recently left the company. They may be a large company but they are one of the worst employers. They do not value their workers and are out of touch with customers. Sears was such a good company and I think this union has hurt them. Kmart lost their footing a long time ago. They have lost so much talent over the years. I know the management in the store I was in started to use fear tactics and belittlement to get the employees to work. They themselves put no physical work into their day and the stores show it. The workers also (who make little above minium wage) have been working for the past couple years on reduced hours. That is why the customers see such a poor customer service execution. I see by the volume why they are on the list but they are not a company I would want to invest any of my personal money. There is too much wrong internally.

IBM is #15…

Comment on others’ comments: Where is IBM? Look closely buddy. Oil companies being on top is amusing/surprising? Why?

Can’t believe there are GE bashers out there…Look how profitable they are in relation to sales.

The American people should be outraged. Second year in a row that big oil dominates the top 5….and if you think about, Walmart sells gas too…so make it 4 out of 5. The other company (GM) helps them out too by intentionally dragging their feet on making energy efficient vehicles….WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET MAD???

How can you be a top company and loose billions of dollars?

And I thought the oil companies were losing so much money…snifff, snifff…I have been crying for them. Oh wait, could it have any correlation to the price of gas. Why of course not says the oil executives to me the uneducated consumer!

Slabbe,

IBM = International Business Machines

9 of the top 100 are loss-making. Dismal comment

IBM is 15th

IBM is number 15, listed under their full name this year. I had the same problem finding them.

Why was not Booz Allen referenced at all on the list. Previous lists provided had the firm rated number one in Virginia.

Where is IBM on this list?

Surprising that 3 oil companies are in the top five!

Funny how 3 of the top 10 Fortune 500 companies are oil companies. They are killing consumers at the pump so they can profit. Got a love corporate America.

Needless to say, did anyone notice which 3 companies are in the top 5.

Have you bought their products or services? Tell us what you think.

Have you worked for any of these companies?

What do you think of the companies on the Fortune 500 list this year?