NEW YORK, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Indicating a strong affinity
to innovators in technology and tech leaders, more than half of 500 senior-
level business executives named the personal computer (56 percent) and the
Internet (51 percent) as the greatest innovations of the past 75 years,
according to a recent survey conducted by BusinessWeek Research Services.
Bill Gates (50 percent) and Steve Jobs (47 percent) were viewed as the most
innovative CEOs. The survey, which addressed innovation in business and
leadership in celebration of BusinessWeek's 75th anniversary, also revealed
the companies, entrepreneurs, personalities and political figures considered
to be markedly innovative.
When asked what they considered to be among the greatest innovations,
49 percent of business executives named the discovery of DNA, after the
personal computer and the Internet. Comparatively, 34 percent of respondents
named the television, and more than a quarter named the polio vaccine, while
only one percent cited the hybrid automobile and two percent said cloning.
The Tech Effect
Most survey respondents identified the most innovative CEOs as leaders of
technology companies. In addition to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, top choices
for CEOs whom respondents considered the most innovative are Michael Dell and
Jeff Bezos (each named by 1 in 3 of those surveyed). eBay Chief Executive Meg
Whitman was chosen by 28 percent of respondents. Although Bill Gates topped
the list of innovative CEO, his company, Microsoft, fell short to Steve Jobs'
Apple as the most innovative company (32 percent and 35 percent,
respectively). Pixar, where Jobs is also president, came in a close third at
31 percent.
Innovation and Politics: Warren Buffet for President?
Given the peak political season, respondents were asked which government
leaders and political figures are considered leaders of innovation.
Executives who participated in the survey named Mahatma Ghandi (56 percent),
Martin Luther King, Jr. (45 percent) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (42
percent) as the most innovative. When asked which business leader would most
likely get their vote for president, nearly 60 percent named Warren Buffet,
followed by Jack Welch (42 percent), Lou Gerstner (32 percent) and Bill Gates
(29 percent). When asked which U.S. Presidents/political figures would make
the most effective business executive, more than 60 percent of respondents
named former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, followed by Alan Greenspan
(53 percent) and Bill Clinton (34 percent).
Boldface Innovators
More than half (52 percent) of business executives consider Henry Ford to
be the most innovative entrepreneur, followed by Sam Walton (48 percent) and
Walt Disney (41 percent). Donald Trump was the least popular among survey
respondents, only favored by five percent.
Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of those surveyed named Steven Spielberg as
the most innovative from a list of esteemed personalities and individuals.
Remarkably, 55 percent favored Tim Berners Lee, the inventor of the World Wide
Web, over more celebrated names such as Madonna and Oprah Winfrey. Thirty-
nine percent selected Pablo Picasso to be among supremely innovative
individuals.
Potential Threats to Future U.S. Innovation
When asked what they considered to be the greatest barriers or threats to
future U.S. innovation, executives cited reduced R&D spending (46 percent),
the public education system (45 percent) and corporate bureaucracy (36
percent).
The online survey of 500 male and female adults (18-years-old and over)
was conducted by BusinessWeek Research Services between July 6-19, 2004. The
survey also queried executives on dream jobs and career perspectives (results
available separately).
BusinessWeek will publish a 75th anniversary worldwide issue on Innovation
in October, (issue date: October 11; available on newsstands October 1), which
will explore innovations in key areas and take a look at innovation as the
driver of the global economy.
Later this month, BusinessWeek will also announce the winners of its
"Fantasy Career" Contest, which offered its readership and the public an
innovative opportunity to try out-of-the-box careers. In addition, a 75th
anniversary event in New York City will take place on September 30th. Further
details for regional and international initiatives will be announced within
the coming months.
BusinessWeek (http://www.businessweek.com) is the world's best-selling
business magazine, with a worldwide circulation of nearly 1.2 million and
5.6 million readers worldwide each week. It is published weekly by The McGraw-
Hill Companies in New York.
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