In its March 2011 issue, Fortune magazine released its annual list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. These are the companies that have the best reputations among business people.

To create this list, Fortune’s research group surveys approximately 1,400 companies: the 1,000 largest U.S. companies ranked by revenue; non-U.S. companies in Fortune’s Global 500 database with revenue of $10 billion or more; and the top foreign companies operating in the U.S.

After sorting those companies by industry, they select the 15 largest for each international industry and the 10 largest for each U.S. industry. The researchers then asked executives, directors, and analysts to rate companies in their own industry on nine criteria:

• Innovation
• People management
• Use of corporate assets
• Social responsibility
• Quality of management
• Financial soundness
• Long-term investment
• Quality of products/services
• Global competitiveness

Manpower Inc. was named the overall industry leader in the temporary help sector, with #1 ratings in people management, social responsibility, quality of management and global competitiveness. According to a statement released by the company, they feel they earned this achievement through their global footprint, strong leadership and a “commitment to doing well by doing good.”

Robert Half International, with a second place rating overall, ranked number one for innovation, use of corporate assets, financial soundness, long-term investment, and quality of products/services . Adecco Group was the third-most admired temporary help firm.

If you would like your staffing agency to achieve even a fraction of the success of these three companies, perform some competitive intelligence research. What makes Robert Half’s services so innovative?  How does Manpower create high-quality management, and how do they treat their employees and customers? What makes the products and services of either company so outstanding that they are known throughout the industry? By doing a little bit of homework, your company can provide world-class services for your employees, your customers, and your shareholders.