Largest business in the world

This is a list of the world's largest public and private businesses by gross revenues.
In accounting, revenue is often referred to as the "top line" due to its position on the income statement at the very top. This is to be contrasted with the "bottom line" which denotes net income.Revenue may refer to business income in general, or it may refer to the amount, in a monetary unit, received during a period of time, as in "Last year, Company X had revenue of $42 million." Profits or net income generally imply total revenue minus total expenses in a given period. ^[1]
Some companies receive revenue from interest, dividends or royalties paid to them by other companies.In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover. ^[2]
In general usage, revenue is income received by an organization in the form of cash or cash equivalents. Sales revenue or revenues is income received from selling goods or services over a period of time. Tax revenue is income that a government receives from taxpayers.
This revenue includes donations from individuals and corporations, support from government agencies, income from activities related to the organization's mission, and income from fundraising activities, membership dues, and financial investments such as stock shares in companies.
Two common accounting methods, cash basis accounting and accrual basis accounting, do not use the same process for measuring revenue. Corporations that offer shares for sale to the public are usually required by law to report revenue based on generally accepted accounting principles or International Financial Reporting Standards.In more formal usage, revenue is a calculation or estimation of periodic income based on a particular standard accounting practice or the rules established by a government or government agency.
In a double-entry bookkeeping system, revenue accounts are general ledger accounts that are summarized periodically under the heading Revenue or Revenues on an income statement. Revenue account names describe the type of revenue, such as "Repair service revenue", "Rent revenue earned" or "Sales".^[3]
For non-profit organizations, annual revenue may be referred to as gross receipts.^[4]

Business revenue

Business revenue is income from activities that are ordinary for a particular corporation, company, partnership, or sole-proprietorship. Lending businesses such as car rentals and banks receive most of their revenue from fees and interest generated by lending assets to other organizations or individuals. For some businesses, such as manufacturing and/or grocery, most revenue is from the sale of goods.
Service businesses such as law firms and barber shops receive most of their revenue from rendering services.
This includes product returns and discounts for early payment of invoices. Most businesses also have revenue that is incidental to the business's primary activities, such as interest earned on deposits in a demand account. Revenues from a business's primary activities are reported as sales, sales revenue or net sales. This is included in revenue but not included in net sales.^[5] Sales revenue does not include sales tax collected by the business.
For example, a company that manufactures and sells automobiles would record the revenue from the sale of an automobile as "regular" revenue. If that same company also rented a portion of one of its buildings, it would record that revenue as “other revenue” and disclose it separately on its income statement to show that it is from something other than its core operations. Other revenue (a.k.a. non-operating revenue) is revenue from peripheral (non-core) operations.

Financial statement analysis

Conversely, high income growth would be tainted if a company failed to produce significant revenue growth. Consistent revenue growth, as well as income growth, is considered essential for a company's publicly traded stock to be attractive to investors. Net Income is the result of this equation, but revenue typically enjoys equal attention during a standard earnings call. If a company displays solid “top-line growth,” analysts could view the period’s performance as positive even if earnings growth, or “bottom-line growth” is stagnant. Revenue is a crucial part of financial statement analysis. A company’s performance is measured to the extent to which its asset inflows (revenues) compare with its asset outflows (expenses).
Gross Margin is a calculation of revenue less cost of goods sold, and is used to determine how well sales cover direct variable costs relating to the production of goods.
Net income/sales, or profit margin, is calculated by investors to determine how efficiently a company turns revenues into profits.
Revenue is used as an indication of earnings quality. There are several financial ratios attached to it, the most important being gross margin and profit margin. Also, companies use revenue to determine bad debt expense using the income statement method.
Price / Sales is sometimes used as a substitute for a Price to earnings ratio when earnings are negative and the P/E is meaningless. Though a company may have negative earnings, it almost always has positive revenue.

Business Today

Spotlight on the Seminar Series: Pacific's Bill McComb &A Conversation with 5^th.

On Monday, February 21th Business Today warmly welcomed Bill McComb, CEO of Liz Claiborne Inc., now reestablished as 5th and Pacific. 5th and Pacific owns Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand Jeans, and Kate Spade.  Mr. McComb is responsible for the rebranding of the Liz Claiborne. McComb, 48 years old, joined the company as CEO in November 2006. Mr. Mccomb lives here in Princeton. His prior experience at Johnson & Johnson in the areas of consumer products and brand marketing, as well as his direct operation of international businesses, provides important insights in the area of brand management and marketing.
Mr. Mccomb’s predecessor became comfortable with the Liz Claiborne brand name and decided to buy some other brand names. The company has gone through some truly radical transformations. Liz Claiborne Inc. has met much success since the 1980s. After buying over 50 other brands, the company had to do some restructuring.
The September 2008 financial collapse had gravely affected their marketing and consumer strategy. Liz Claiborne did a deal with JC Penney that would guarantee that sales would increase for the next 8 years. In October of 2011, JC Penney bought Liz Claiborne and Mr. Mccomb began the transformation to 5th and Pacific.Back in early 2007, brands like Lucky Jeans and Juicy Couture had certain brand reach. If the company were to treat each of these brands as its own company, Liz Claiborne could evolve to the hot rapid growth of a high end fashion line.

Small business ideas

Learn strategies from & with global business leaders. July 17-26, 2012

It’s also likely that your web presence is English language only, and you only receive patronage from English-speaking customers.Congratulations – you’ve taken the plunge and launched your own small business in a difficult economy. Since you’re a Lifehack reader, it’s likely that your business has an online element – an ecommerce website, social media presence, etc.
In fact, no matter what sector you’re in, you’ll find it easier to rank on search engines in languages other than English, because there’s comparatively far less content and search engine competition.But why? Only 27% of all web users speak English – that means you’re missing out on nigh-on three-quarters of your potential online audience.
It’s a relatively simple five-step process to take your small business ideas out to the world.It may seem daunting to think about exporting your products or services to countries where you don’t speak the native language, but in fact it’s a relatively easy process to test the waters in foreign markets with micro-sites – and thanks to tools like Google Translate and others that we’ll come to later, it’s also inexpensive.
1) Google Global Market Finder

Brainstorm your list of English keywords (for instance, ‘videogames’) and select your region to test the traffic for its local equivalents. With the example above, it turns out that the markets with the highest search volumes for ‘videogames’, or the translated equivalent, are India, Japan and the Philippines – interesting…This handy tool, Google’s  Global Market Finder, can help you test your theories.
2) Brainstorm markets

You know that emerging markets like China and South Korea have rapidly growing economies, and you also know that culturally they’re very fond of technology and gaming – so it’s probably worth looking at launching a micro-site for those two countries!Your first step into international export is to use your knowledge of the global economy and world cultures to brainstorm countries where you think there may be a gap for your product. Let’s say you’re a designer of indie video games.
3) Optimize

But make sure before you launch that your website is optimized with your top keywords, which you will have decided upon by brainstorming, researching your local competitors, translating your English key terms and researching all of these using Google’s keyword tools.
4) Translate your micro-sites

Now you know which markets to target, your next step is to create your micro-sites (around five pages is average), get your content translated and localized (which means paying attention to local references, measurements, currencies, etc) and launch it – preferably on a local domain hosted in-country, or otherwise on a subdomain off your main site (you can always shift it to a local server later).
5) Promote

To turn your cottage industry into an international exporter, the steps are simple but the rewards are many – remember, on the internet no one knows your company is just one guy and a dog.
Last, but not least, spread the word, by content marketing to relevant local websites (and building links), putting out press releases, and establishing your local social media presence (a foreign language Twitter account is a great way to quickly make a splash, but that’s a topic for another blog).

Business ideas

9th January 2011.

We hope that you’ll find these concepts as inspiring as we do, and that you’ll be able to apply them to your own company, brand or work in the coming year! We’ve selected 20 business and marketing ideas that we believe will provide entrepreneurs with plenty of opportunities in 2011.

1. Vegetarian butcher serves up lupin-based meat substitutes
The company’s main innovation is its own line of lupin-based, protein-rich products, developed by a Dutch team of scientists and chefs. De Vegetarische Slager — the vegetarian butcher — opened a store in The Hague that’s dedicated to meat substitutes in the same way a butcher is dedicated to meat. De Vegetarische Slager is targeting the higher end of the market — consumers willing to pay as much for a meat substitute as they would for the real thing. As more people opt for meatless Mondays or cut out meat altogether, we wouldn’t be surprised to see vegetarian butchers pop up on main streets around the world.

2. Pop-up ‘MedCottage’ enables senior care at home
The MedCottage is already authorized for use in Virginia and is designed to comply with local zoning ordinances throughout the US.As the massive baby-boomer generation enters its senior years, a strain on long-term care facilities seems inevitable. Aiming to offer an alternative mode of senior care, Virginia-based N2Care has come up with the MedCottage, a pop-up, medically equipped suite that families can use on their property to care for seniors at home.

3. On a bet, party people fill KLM flight to Miami using Twitter

Crowd clout and group buying — turbo-charged by social media — provide companies across industries with new opportunities to empower consumers while improving their bottom line or, at the very least, their brand image.DJs, promoters, label reps and ‘professional party people’ from the Netherlands have persuaded Dutch airline KLM to add an extra flight to its roster. In a new twist on crowd-buying, the initiators of Fly2Miami made a bet with KLM on Twitter to organize a non-stop flight from Amsterdam to Miami.

4. Luxury women’s panties by curated subscription

Customers can order panties individually, or they can sign up for subscriptions lasting two, three, six or 12 months. Panty by Post is a Canadian venture that offers a selection of women’s underwear by monthly subscription.  A different panty is then sent every month, each wrapped in an attractive mailing package. It’s a great example of subscription-based retail, offering curation alongside convenience. One to apply to a category you’re passionate about.

5. Indian courier service hires only deaf workers

The company puts a heavy emphasis on the training of employees — right down to the finer points of personal grooming.India has one of the largest deaf populations in the world, but social stigmas have eliminated many job opportunities for the roughly 6 percent of the population that is affected. Aiming to empower this isolated group economically while tapping into a growth market, Mirakle Couriers is a messenger service that hires only deaf workers.

6. Buy-one-give-one indie eyewear sells for $99 per pair

The market for prescription eyewear has traditionally been dominated by high prices, little innovation and a few large competitors. That’s why we’ve seen online discounters emerge, and it’s also why Warby Parker has set its sights on the industry — so to speak — with a paradigm-busting model that aims to combine independent design, “buy one, give one” generosity and some long-overdue pricing transparency.

7. Tapping professional skills of micro-volunteers via iPhone & web

The service is available in various cities in Spain through a partnership with bicycle maker Trek. There’s no charge for borrowing the electric bikes, which have a 70 km range and recharge during braking as well as through plug-in power. Fiat hopes the loaner bikes will demonstrate its commitment to sustainable mobility.San Francisco-based Sparked by The Extraordinaries is an online platform that seeks to make it easy for altruistic consumers to support an organization or cause. It enlists both individuals and groups of company employees to contribute their expertise to a nonprofit in even the smallest chunks of time.

8. Fiat offers electric bikes as loaner vehicles

The service is available in various cities in Spain through a partnership with bicycle maker Trek. There’s no charge for borrowing the electric bikes, which have a 70 km range and recharge during braking as well as through plug-in power. Fiat hopes the loaner bikes will demonstrate its commitment to sustainable mobility.Showing smart thinking from a major brand, and tapping into the desires of eco-conscious consumers, Fiat now offers Spanish owners of its Fiat 500 an electric bike option while their car is in the shop. Since this is a relevant and appealing way to let consumers try out a product that’s still unfamiliar to most, electric bicycle brands would do well to seize the opportunity and initiate similar partnerships in other countries.
9. A fresh take on online memorials
The concept is part of a wider trend in web publishing, whereby it’s becoming increasingly simple for non-geeks to build beautiful websites, often in 10 minutes or less. Other examples include Flavors.me and Tumblr.1000Memories provides a place for friends and family to gather and remember deceased loved ones. While the field of online memorial services is a crowded one, many of those sites were clearly created in the early days of the web. With its fresh design and more current feature set, 1000Memories sets itself apart and could attract a audience. (One to launch in other countries!)

10. Cleaning product sold in cartridges, diluted at home from the tap

Developed by Planet People, the iQ line of household cleaning products features small cartridges of plant-based concentrate. The coloured concentrate visibly mixes with the water, and voila: a full bottle of cleaner. Consumers fill a spray bottle with ordinary tap water and pop in a cartridge. Forward-thinking manufacturers are working to decrease the amount of packaging used for their products. Some offer concentrated formulas, others sell refills in bags instead of containers. Now, a Canadian startup has come up with an innovative solution: refill cartridges that consumers dilute at.

11. Mobile app for group texting and on-the-fly conference calls

As many as 25 people can be included in a group at any one time, but users can create as many groups as they want — one for their basketball team, one for coordinating a surprise party, one for the PTA, one for updating family members while travelling, etc.Available for both iPhone and Android, GroupMe is a free tool from New York-based Mindless Dribble that gives groups of friends private text messaging and instant conference calls.

12. Trial gear and showers for runners at Tokyo Adidas store

Expert staff are on hand to offer tips and recommendations, so runners could presumably try a different combination of goods each time they run, giving them the ultimate in try-before-you-buy purchasing confidence. Located near the Imperial Palace, the Adidas Runbase store is a far cry from your average sporting goods purveyor. Included in the space are 16 shower cubicles and 248 lockers for rent. Also available are a broad array of cutting-edge Adidas shoes and clothing available for the borrowing. This is brand-as-butler thinking that’s well worth considering for your own marketing and sales strategies.

13. Mobile garage makes any car greener

The full-service company begins by bringing the garage to the customer’s front door with a valet service whereby it picks up the car, green-tunes it and then drops it off again.Colorado-based Green Garage specializes in “green-tuning” cars to run cleaner, greener and cheaper through sustainable, energy-saving automotive maintenance and repair products. Given where the automotive industry began on the sustainability spectrum, it seems safe to say there’s plenty of room for improvement, and that’s just what we’re beginning to see.
14. Books by gift subscription, hand-picked for the reader
This is where smaller retailers have a chance to shine and to set themselves apart from the (online) behemoths.The march of the subscription models continues! We’ve already seen a wide variety of products offered by subscription over the past year or so, however, Just the Right Book adds a slightly different twist by adding hand-picked customization.

15. Waiting-room service lets patients pass the time elsewhere

They can then go anywhere they’re reachable by phone; by calling in regularly to an interactive system, they can find out via an automated message how many people are still ahead of them, and how much waiting time still remains. As their turn approaches, they can then return to the clinic just in time.TechnowaiT’s 1-2-3-Go! service is designed to allow patients to leave the waiting room and go somewhere else to pass the time until it’s their turn to be seen. Patients begin by registering at the doctor’s office and taking a number.

16. Funding service targets eBay merchants

That application is far briefer than most because Kabbage learns much of what it needs about the retailer — including sales and credit history, customer traffic and reviews, and competitive information — via online data that it can access in seconds with the applicant’s permission. Kabbage then makes an immediate decision; if approved, the borrower can access funds immediately via PayPal. Online vendors begin with Kabbage by entering their eBay marketplace ID. Using that, Kabbage checks their activity and history on the marketplace; if both are sufficient, it asks the retailer to complete an application. Interesting niche, and potentially a new style of lending to businesses, with decisions based on real-time, readily available data.

17. Fair-trade lemonade supports grassroots projects

Not only does LemonAid pay its suppliers higher prices on account of their fair-trade practices, but it also donates a major share of its yearly revenue to further support small, locally based grassroots projects in the developing world. For every bottle of LemonAid sold, a share of the proceeds is donated back to the countries from which its ingredients derive.LemonAid is an organic drink made entirely of a few organic, fair-trade ingredients. The company’s organic juice, for example, comes from a small farming cooperative in Brazil; its sugar cane, meanwhile, is derived from a cooperative in Paraguay.

18. High-end clothing brand only sells on tour dates

Avoiding the pop-up moniker, the brand describes itself as being ‘on tour’. A lesson in scarcity that other retailers might learn from?Over the past few years, we’ve seen nearly every major clothing brand — from the Gap to Louis Vuitton — set up one or more pop-up stores, drawing attention to their product lines and to their regular retail outlets. In contrast, a Munich-based brand isn’t attempting to supplement its fixed-store bread and butter; Clemens en August’s only offline sales are through temporary outlets, twice a year.

19. Village rainwater harvesting system stores enough for a year

Currently implemented in six drought-prone villages in the Churu District of Rajasthan, the system captures enough rainwater to meet the drinking needs of an entire village for 12 months. Akash Ganga currently supplies some 10,000 people with fresh water.Akash Ganga, or River from the Sky, is a sustainable system that channels rooftop rainwater from every house in a village through gutters, and then pipes it to a network of multitier, underground reservoirs.

20. Targeting travellers, beauty retailer finds a niche in 3 fluid ounces

Helping consumers avoid bag-check charges or confiscation of their toiletries and cosmetics, 3floz sells beauty and grooming products in TSA-approved sizes only.Ever since authorities placed rigorous limits on liquids allowed on flights, travellers have had to figure out how to both pack their favourite toiletries and comply with those regulations.