Information technology companies have once again taken the top honors in Business Week’s performance rankings of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. IT firms held the top five spots in the rankings and seven out of the top ten. The top five companies, in order, were Microsoft Corp, Dell Computer Corp, Cisco Systems Inc, Intel Corp and Compaq Computer Corp. Joining those companies in the top ten were EMC Corp at number eight and Computer Associates International Inc at nine. The worst performers in the industry are Novell Inc, which came in at 495, and 3Com Corp which ranked 499th – free falling from 34th place last year under the weight of its merger with US Robotics Corp. The rankings are based on the idea that performance means growth and companies are rated on eight key criteria, among which are growth in sales, profits and return to shareholders. These figures are analyzed over both one year and three year periods. Also considered in the ranking process are profit margins and return on equity. á
