For 25 years Fortune Magazine has been ranking the top 20 American companies. This year, 2007, Starbucks ranked #2 for all industries, and #1 in the Food Service industry. General Electric tops them all off at #1. They are followed by Toyota (3), insurance company Berkshire Hathaway (4), and Southwest Airlines (5).

Among the eight attributes of reputation used for ranking, Starbucks scored the highest score (#1) in...

• Innovation,
  
• People Management,
  
• Use of Corporate Assets,
  
• Quality of Management, and
  
• Quality of Products/Services

They are ranked #2 in the areas of...

• Social Responsibility,
  
• Financial Soundness, and
  
• Long-Term Investment

States Fortune online...

For years now Starbucks has paid fair-market prices to Third World coffee farmers and helped develop ecologically sound growing practices. Starbucks is also a regular on FORTUNE's annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. It's green, it's humane, it's politically correct, it sells a popular product and provides a comfy place to hang out and consume same - what's not to like?