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The latest university ranking report produced recently by the US News & World Report has named Cambridge University as the best university in the Europe for the academic year 2009/2010.

The school scored impressive marks on each of the assessed criteria, namely academic peer review (100), student to faculty (100), employer review (100), international faculty (98), international students (96) and citations per faculty (89).

Cambridge gets the better of University College London (UCL), Imperial College London, Oxford and Edinburgh in the latest European table.

UCL has one of the most impressive runs in the recent years, leapfrogging Imperial College and even Oxford, which is usually ranked neck-and-neck with its great rival Cambridge. Oxford was in poor 4th this time around.

Incidentally, the history of Cambridge in the 13th century has a lot do with Oxford, when a number of scholars at Oxford left after a series of disagreements and disputes with the local folks. They then formed Cambridge, which became the second oldest university in Britain, and initiated great rivalry between the two. Both are regularly and jointly called Oxbridge, a term referred to the two top universities in the UK.

Cambridge University is made up of a number of colleges (31 in total), with each run almost independently and decides things on their own way such as appointing the teaching staff, selecting and admitting students and arranging the students’ welfare and so on. Some colleges enroll only female students, and two of them admit only graduates. Its reputation and fame for outstanding academic achievements would not need much introduction. Cambridge graduates are very much sought after and can command the highest paying jobs around.

With a strong brand name, Cambridge usually gets large financial support and endowment. In 2006, the total endowment for the school was said to reach the $8 billion mark, which makes it the highest endowment across all universities in Britain. In 2000, Cambridge received over $200 million contribution from the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation which provided scholarship for students outside of UK pursuing their postgraduate studies in the university.

Out of the top 10 universities in Europe this time around, 8 of them are British universities, with King’s College London, University of Manchester and Bristol University occupying the number 7, 8 and 10 respectively. The only two non-British universities which made it to the top 10 are ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) which shares no. 5 with Edinburgh and Ecole Normale Superieure of Paris at no. 9.

Businesses come and go. So do organizations. When the economic turbulence hits, restructuring becomes the order of the day. Layoff will be inevitable. People in the organization lose their job. The job market becomes more and more competitive.

Surprisingly enough, some small number of companies stood firm against the test of time. No matter how shaky the economy is, they just won’t budge. Many people went to work until the day their retire, sometimes lasting for a few decades. These organizations are now regarded as the top companies to look up to.

But these types of companies are hard to come by. Here are 5 of them, recently discovered by CNN:

1. Nugget Markets

Nugget Markets was founded in the 20s or more than 8 decades ago by a father and son team. Until today, it remains as a family owned upscale supermarket with major presence in the greater Sacramento, California, US. Nugget Market was ranked 10 in the 2009 Best Companies to Work For.

[Photo: NuggetMarket.com]

2. Devon Energy

Based in downtown Oklahoma, Devon Energy is the biggest US-based independent oil and natural gas producer. It has a strong presence in the US but is now expanding outside of the States including in Brazil, China and Azerbaijan. Devon ranks among Fortune’s 500 Largest Corporations in the United States.

[Photo: Devon Energy]

3. Aflac

Aflac Corporation, a company specializing in supplemental insurance, was established by three siblings more than 50 years ago in 1955. After signing more than 6,000 policyholders in its first year of operation, the company never looked back and has expanded its wing all the way from the US to Japan. More than 40 million people worldwide subscribe to the company’s insurance today.

[Photo: Aflac]

4. QuikTrip

QuikTrip is a chain of convenience stores normally found in the area of Midwestern and Southern United States. It is one of the preferred stores by the Americans as it offers a relatively wider options of goods. QuikTrip has been consistently ranked among Fortune’s 100 best companies to work for, and was named by Forbes as the 32nd Largest Private Company in 2005.

[Photo: QuikTrip.com]

5. Container Store

The Container store basically provides solution for home and office storage. Throughout the United States, the company operates through 47 locations. Since its establishment in 1978, it has been steadily growing at an average rate of 20% through new branch set up, merger and organic growth. Container Store has been included in Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work in America for the past 5 years.

[Photo: Container Store]

Following is the 10 top medical schools in the United States (US) for the primary care category, based on the latest medical school ranking (2009/2010) published by the US News & World Report.

1. University of Washington, Seattle

University of Washington (UW) is one of the oldest public universities in the west coast of America, and with student residency of over 40,000, it is certainly the largest tertiary institution in the northwestern United States. The Academic Ranking of World Universities placed University of Washington at a respectable 16th. The campus is rich with heritage and tourist attractions including the Henry Art Gallery, the Washington Park Arboretum, Burke Museum of National History and Culture and many more.

2. University of North Carolina (UNC) – Chapel Hill

Located in Chapel Hill, UNC is considered as one of the earliest Public Ivy institutions, a term that refers to a group of institutions that ‘provide an Ivy League collegiate experience at a price of a public school’. The state law was made to favor locals which requires at least 82% of a freshman class to be students from North Carolina. Yet, it is still a popular choice for outsiders. UNC offers an undergraduate scholarship to eligible students that covers the tuition fees, books, lodging and funds for summer study.

3. Oregon Health and Science University, Portland

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a merger product between University of Oregon Health Sciences Center and Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology (OGI). The university’s main campus is located on Marquam Hill which is also the school’s medical school. It is getting crowded as the years go by, but worry not, as the management is planning to expand the facilities to accommodate the increasing number of students. As a medical student, there will be a few associated hospitals you will have option to hook up with.

4. University of Colorado – Denver

More commonly referred as UCD or UC Denver, the University of Colorado Denver is the biggest research institution in Colorado state. Home to over 27,000 students, UC Denver does not only offer medical courses but other wide range of programs including business, engineering, humanity, history, chemistry, language and culture. Its hospital, the University of Colorado Hospital provides service to some half a million patients every year.

5. University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

UCSF is another world leading institution in myriad of medical fields such as health sciences, pharmacy, patient care, dental and nursing, and is consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the US by major researchers and publications. It is also widely credited with its expert capability in handling complex cases and medical treatments including neurosurgery, kidney & liver transplant, oncology, ophthalmology, fetal surgery, pediatrics and internal medicine.

6. University of Vermont, Burlington

The University of Vermont (UVM) was initially chartered as a private university but about 70 years after its founding, it was declared a public university after merging with Vermont Agricultural College. Its mixed traditions of public and private establishment makes the university unique on its own. The College of Medicine is one of the many schools that make up the whole university. Apart from medical school, UVM also comprises of College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, College of Arts, School of Business Administration, College of Education & Social Services, College of Engineering and College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

7. Michigan State University, East Lansing

Noted with its aggressive out-of-country academic program, the Michigan State University (MSU)offers one of the largest study-abroad programs in America with presence in over 60 countries worldwide. Nevertheless, its massive participation outside of its original campus does not mean that it compromises the quality and reputation of the institute. The Shanghai Jiao Tong University study ranks Michigan State University as the 80th best university in the world.

8. University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical School, Worcester

The University of Massachusetts Medical School is one of 5 UMass campuses, which itself is divided into three different schools: School of Medicine, Graduate School of Nursing and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Apart from being highly ranked in the primary care, its research achievements should not be overlooked as it has time and again made breakthrough research discoveries in the field of HIV, cancer, genetic disorder, immune diseases and diabetes, among others.

9. University of Minnesota Medical School

A combination of two campuses located in Minneapolis and Duluth, the University of Minnesota Medical School enroll a rather selective number students every year. In fact, the Duluth campus filters its students and gives preference to those who have tendency to choose primary care or family medicine later in their career. In terms of medical research, UMMS is ranked 35th in America. Apart from nurturing medical degree students, the university also has residencies which are part of their graduate medical education courses.

10. University of California, Los Angeles (Geffen)

Generally referred as UCLA, the university’s professional schools of health sciences are made up of the David Geffen School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Nursing and School of Public Health. The UCLA Medical Center was named among the top 5 hospitals in the US alongside Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and John Hopkins Hospital. The Times Higher Education also ranked UCLA as the 30th best university in the world.

Following is the list of the world’s top 10 franchises for the year 2008. The list is part of the Franchise 500 ranking, which has been established since 1980, and is published by the Entrepreneur.com website.

The Franchise 500 is widely considered as the best and the most comprehensive rating of the franchise companies in the world.

The companies are carefully judged mainly through a number of quantifiable measures, which cover the financial strength, growth rate, stability, the length of business operation as well as the business size. Other factors taken into account also include startup cost, failure rate (termination), and financing access to aspiring franchisees. All financial data is also audited by qualified, independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

1. 7-Eleven

The company started its first operation in 1927 in Dallas as a small, improvised outlet selling grocery and convenient items such as bread and milk. The name 7-Eleven came about due to its initial operating hours which was between 7pm to 11pm. A 24-hour store was first opened about 30 years later and soon it began to gain popularity. The company almost went bankrupt after facing financial turmoil in the 80s but was bought over by a Japanese corporation, Ito-Yokado which remains the largest share holder until today.

By mid of 2007, 7-Eleven replaced McDonald’s as the corporation with the world’s largest number of outlets. The company operates in more than 15 countries worldwide, with its biggest customers coming from the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.

2. Subway

Subway is a fast food restaurant selling mainly sandwiches and salads to urban folks. The company has undergone a tremendous growth in the recent years, and as of today is the fastest growing franchise in the world. Subway’s speedy growth is mainly attributed to its ability in attract health conscious consumers who are beginning to look for better fast food options and alternatives.

There have been stories of people losing weight by mixing their exercise with the consumption of Subway’s meals and the company took full advantage in their marketing to promote their products. Subway was established by 2 smart guys in the science field. One of them graduated with a PhD.

3. Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts was officially founded in 1950 in Massachusetts by William Rosenberg, and was turned into a franchise after five years of operation. However, this was not the first major success achieved by Rosenberg. Prior to opening the donut store, he has already been successful in two different food businesses.

Today, Dunkin’ Donuts claims itself as one of the world’s largest chain of coffee and baked goods with more than 7,000 stores operating worldwide, serving close to 3 million customers per day. Dunkin’ Donuts, which serves muffins, bagels, coffees and other type of drinks (apart from donuts of course) is also considered a competitor for Starbucks coffee house.

4. Pizza Hut

Believe it or not, the multi-million Pizza Hut chain was started with merely 600 dollars. Two college brothers and students by the name of Dan and Frank Carney was captivated with the idea of selling home made pizzas to the students. With the $600, they bought second hand equipment, together with the family-inherited recipe, and they were on their way.

Little did they know that the small pizzeria business would soon grew and became one of the world’s most famous pizza brands. Altogether, Pizza Hut has more than 30,000 outlets worldwide, which include restaurants, delivery-carry out and kiosks. The company has market presence in more than 100 countries.

5. McDonald’s

In fifth position is still a food franchise, and a popular one too. What else if it is not McDonald’s? The company, which is famous for its burgers (hamburgers, cheese burgers, Big Mac and so on), fries, ice creams, desserts and others, has one of the largest restaurant chains in the world, which provide daily food for almost 50 million customers worldwide.

Contrary to popular opinion, McDonald’s was not founded by Ray Croc. Rather, Ray Croc was the one who bought the equity of the company and spearheaded a worldwide domination and penetrating every level of the community. The original McDonald’s was established by siblings Dick and Mac McDonald’s, before the company was bought over by Ray 15 years later.

6. Sonic Drive In Restaurants

Another fast food restaurant. Established in Oklahoma in 1954 under the name of Top Hat, the company turned franchise after 5 years of successful operation, and has never stopped since. In the earlier years, the company sold beers and later evolved to offer a broader range of food and meals.

After the founder, Troy Smith introduced a drive-in concept, sales started pouring and revenues grew multi-fold. Sonic Drive underwent its most remarkable growth between 1960s to 1970s and became the craze of the days, especially the youth. Majority of the drive-in outlets are operated by franchisees, which were are also the managers or the partners of the company.

7. KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) Corp.

Remember KFC, remember the famous Colonel Sanders’ hardship story. Fresh from retirement, he was looking out for some small venture to try making some money. Backed by his learning experience as a chef, Sanders introduced the pressure frying method which allowed chicken to cook faster than the normal pan-frying way, and tasted better too.

The company’s specialty products come in a broad range of chickens, cooked and served in various forms. The major two types are the original recipe and spicy (or extra crispy). KFC also hires one of the most creative and fast thinking personnel who often come out with fresh ideas to market their newly introduced products.

8. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)

InterContinental Hotels Group is one of the two companies in the top 10 list which is not in the food business. Listed in the London Stock Exchange, it is a multinational corporation that owns a number of reputable hotel brands. In its franchise business operation, the company offers its expertise in the hotel management, sales and marketing, and system management.

Some of its hotel brands include the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Indigo, InterContinental and others. And with a total of more than half a million rooms offered by more than 3,000 hotels, IHG is clearly the world’s largest hotel chain. However, the group only owns 18 hotels, while the rest are owned and operated by its franchisees.

9. Domino’s Pizza

Just like Pizza Hut, the formation of Domino’s Pizza has a lot of similarities. Backed by only US500, the sibling founders, Tom and James Monaghan bought over an ailing pizza store in Michigan, and marketed their products to mainly students in colleges and universities. One of them, James, pulled out from the business a year later, leaving Tom alone.

Tom went on to drive a remarkable turnaround and eventually made Domino’s Pizza as the household name not only in the United States but in various other countries and continents including Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa. One of the flagship benefits offered by Domino’s Pizza is the 30-minute guarantee, where customers would receive free pizza if their orders take more than 30 minutes to be served.

10. RE/MAX International

Perhaps the least known franchise in the list. RE/MAX is a privately-held firm specializing in real estate industry, particularly the residential and corporate property. It was established by two siblings by the name of Gail and Dave Liniger in 1973 and started their very first office in Denver. It is backed by a 350-strong employees, and is based in Colorado.

In RE/MAX franchise operation, the agents, under each franchise office, are responsible for the operation, and are entitled for a certain percentage of the commission. The company has an international network of more than 100,000 agents across more than 65 countries worldwide.