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The article discusses the expansion of the John Deere Co. into low priced farm tractors. The company's research and development lab in India is credited with creating a basic, low-cost tractor targeting Indian farmers. The tractors cost about $14,000 dollars and have become popular among hobbyists and farmers in the U.S. who do not need tractors with advanced features.

A list is presented of the top companies in 64 industries, including financial data services, trucking, and apparel.

The author reflects on the possibility of a U.S. recession in 2008 and reports on American businesses in 7 different cities over a period of 7 days. In Oregon he found that 781 people had their homes taken by the bank in 2007 and the timber industry has declined. He talks with Harjit Sodhi of Phoenix, Arizona who has been unable to sell his home and is having trouble with his restaurant. In El Paso, Texas Dee Margo of JDW Insurance says there is no recession.

The article lists the top ten companies for developing leaders within a global economy including General Electric, Procter & Gamble, and Nokia.

The article looks at ways companies build the reputation for developing talent in leadership positions. Companies must choose assignments for prospective leaders strategically to boost job experience. Promising leaders must be identified early on in their careers, and companies who are adept at building leaders begin to evaluate employees' leadership capabilities from their first day of employment. The use of teams in the leadership development process is becoming recognized as a crucial step. INSETS: 'No Holds Barred';Resource Room.

The article discusses the debate over whether New York City or London, England, is the financial capital of the world. The article states that London is a worldwide leader in foreign exchange, metals trading, and over-the-counter derivatives and has attracted small firms to its AIM exchange. The article states that the concern for both cities is to continue to prosper as more financial centers are created around the world.

The article reports on how business leaders are lining up behind Democratic and Republican candidates for the 2008 U.S. presidential election, especially Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, who has secured the support of a number of corporate Republicans. Clinton's winning over of Morgan Stanley chief executive officer (CEO) John Mack is detailed, and executive endorsements for all the major candidates are listed. INSET: Plum Job: Who'll Be Treasury Secretary?.

The article reveals the comments of 18 business leaders and thinkers on the future of technology, media, business, globalization, and Iraq. Those asked to share their thoughts include president of News Corp. Peter Chernin, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson, chief executive officer (CEO) of Kaplan Thaler Group Linda Kaplan Thaler, founder of BP Capital T. Boone Pickens, and CEO of Mozilla Mitchell Baker.

The article profiles Costco chief executive officer Jim Sinegal, who micromanages the corporation to ensure that customers are satisfied and keep spending. Costco, which is the fourth-largest retailer in the United States, owes its success to high quality products sold at often obscenely low prices, coupled with precise demographic marketing. INSET: DOWN IN THE AISLES.

A list of the top 100 fastest growing companies in 2006 is presented. The number one fastest growing company is Vaalco Energy. The company is followed by Hansen Natural, Armor Holdings, Southern Copper, and LCA-Vision. Data is given for share growth, revenue growth, and total return for price to earnings.

The article presents a list of the top 100 companies to work for. The information was based mostly on employee evaluations. Among the top are Genentech, Wegmans Food Markets, Valero Energy, Griffin Hospital, and W.L. Gore & Associates. Insets list the best large, mid-sized and small companies to work for.

Focuses on the United States' supply of oil from Venezuela, which is lead by socialist President Hugo Chavez. Importing of one-seventh of the U.S.'s oil, or 1.6 million barrels a day, from Venezuela in 2005; Chavez' fight against big oil companies, including hiking taxes and royalties on the international giants while strengthening the hand of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); Threats from Chavez made against its oil supply to the U.S. if U.S. President George W. Bush challenges his rule in Caracas.

This article presents a chart ranking the 100 fastest growing business enterprises in the United States. Our fastest-growing companies list always provides a snapshot of the times. This year Internet juggernaut Yahoo leads the pack, riding the online ad boom. You'll also find energy producers thriving on record oil prices; homebuilders and lenders living large on our lust for real estate; and the usual complement of cutting-edge tech companies profiting from innovation. To compute the rankings, we use data from Zacks Investment Research and give equal weight to three factors: profit and sales growth (for three years through the first quarter of 2005) and three-year total return (through June). For additional details, see fortune.com. Now, prepare to be dazzled by some scorching numbers.

This article focuses on the growth in the sport of stock car automobile racing under the auspices of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). It's 10 minutes before race time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and in the grandstand, a quarter of a million fans are settling onto their NASCAR seat cushions, sipping from their NASCAR cups, adjusting their NASCAR caps. Out on the asphalt is the suntanned figure of Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli, whose mission is to introduce FedEx CEO Fred Smith to Tony Stewart, the roly-poly star driver of the bright-orange No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet. This is the new world of NASCAR, the fastest-growing, best-run sports business in America--with the emphasis on business. Stock-car racing is now a multibillion-dollar industry. The second-most-watched sport on television behind pro football. With NASCAR claiming one-third of all American adults as followers--including a growing swarm of blue-state and female fans--corporate America is stumbling all over itself to get in on the action. NASCAR drivers are media-savvy, fan-friendly marketing machines. According to the IEG Sponsorship Report, NASCAR had total corporate sponsorship revenue last year of $1.5 billion, compared with $445 million for the NFL and $340 million for Major League Baseball. At the center of it all is NASCAR itself, a private, family-controlled, for-profit company started 57 years ago in Daytona Beach, Fla., that now includes offices in midtown Manhattan, L.A., and the center of U.S. retail, Bentonville, Ark. The kingpin charged with executing the sport's bare-knuckle business model is a 43-year-old college dropout named Brian France. The third generation in his family to run stock-car racing's governing body, France took over as NASCAR's CEO just a year and a half ago--and quickly made major changes, aggressively borrowing business tactics from other professional sports and recruiting some of their top next-generation talent.

Presents information on the most influential people in business and other industries. Description of their careers and accomplishments; Inclusion of Felicia Thornton, Fred Hassan, Sonny Mehta, Will Smith and many others.

Profiles Michael Dell, who started one of America's most admired companies in the personal computer industry. Discussion of Dell's business model; Depiction of Dell as a renegade executive and as a mature executive; How Dell has tried to maintain a competitive advantage; Challenges facing Dell and company CEO Kevin Rollins; Emphasis on the idea that Michael Dell is self-taught; Competition from Gateway, IBM, HP and others; Dell Inc.'s financial status and market share; Mention of Dell computer products that were not successful; The decision to build a factory in North Carolina.

Focuses on the market patterns in business since 1991 to the present. Growth in the health care market; Success of drilling companies; Computer technology and its rise and fall; Increased interest in real estate.

This is an introduction to a special section about corporate growth and trends in business. Fortune introduced our list of the country's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in 1991, highlighting corporations that were profiting in a stagnant economy. Since the first year, we've identified our up-and-comers by tracking revenue growth (we later began factoring in profit growth and stock performance as well). They help us find the businesses in a sweet spot, the managers with the big ideas who get the little things right. Growth can be fleeting. But when the right factors come together--a great product, relentless execution, creative management--the best ones find a way to use change to their benefit.

This article presents four possible solutions to the worldwide oil crisis. Every day brings another culprit. On Aug. 5, 2004 it was word that crude exports from Russia's massive Yukos Oil might be in jeopardy, as authorities there said they were once again freezing the company's accounts. Just three days earlier it had been a different kind of news--al Qaeda's reported plans to attack U.S. financial institutions--that whipped oil prices into a frenzy. In a post-9/11, safety-obsessed world, U.S. energy security--making sure we have enough oil to run our economy--remains shockingly vulnerable. And that's why, as "Fortune" has taken stock of the myriad ideas and alternatives that can begin the process of freeing us from the grip of oil, we have applied a political as well as a technological reality check. The goal: a real-world plan that won't derail the economy and has a strong chance of political success--though some proposals will surely meet resistance. Our proposals target four key areas: (1) Create incentives to improve automobile fuel economy; (2) fund a real alternative-fuel program--particularly for a nontraditional form of ethanol--which could slash gasoline consumption dramatically within two decades; (3) tighten federal efficiency standards and encourage state efficiency programs, which could help cut as much as one-quarter of all electricity use without any sacrifice in quality of life; and finally, (4) encourage the 37 states that don't require utilities to use a minimum amount of wind and solar power to do so. INSETS: DUELING PROPOSITIONS;AND IN THE OIL PATCH....

This article examines how the automated teller machine (ATM) has revolutionized the way Americans deal with money and its impact on global commerce. A recent survey found that most respondents considered convenient ATM access a critical factor in choosing a bank. After the technology had earned the trust of once highly skeptical customers, an amazing transformation began to take place: Face-to-face business became face-to-interface, and it changed the way people consumed. Now that they had access to their cash whenever and wherever they wanted, they bought on impulse instead of planning every purchase ahead of time. The ATM also placed consumers firmly on the path of demanding ever more convenience and self-service Perhaps most important, it introduced ordinary consumers to technology in a direct manner for the first time. The ATM clearly fell short of expectations in one area, though. It never reduced the number of tellers or filled the demand for bank branches--something the machine's pioneers had promised.

The article identifies ten firms that expect to grow from five major trends in the industry. Stryker is the sixth-largest medical-equipment maker, with $3.6 billion in annual sales. Chief executive John Brown shook up the medical-device industry last year when he enlisted golf great Jack Nicklaus to plug Stryker's artificial hip in a high-profile ad campaign. Zimmer Holdings, under CEO Ray Elliott, bought Swiss rival Centerpulse, a deal that catapulted Zimmer into the No. 1 spot in the orthopedic-device field and got it into the fast-growing spinal-implant market. Cerner should benefit as hospitals upgrade their information technology. IMS Health is the dominant provider of sales and marketing information to the drug industry, with an unrivaled database that tracks 75% of all drugs consumed in the world. American Healthways recognized the potential of disease management. Omnicare purchases drugs in bulk from manufacturers and then doles them out to residents in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Mylan Laboratories sells more than 125 generics used for hypertension, depression, and other conditions. Medicis Pharmaceutical was started by Jonah Schacknai and has plenty of room to gorw in the dermatology market. Patterson Dental is the nation's largest distributor of dental supplies. INSET: Ten stocks for the health-care boom.

Offers a look at the business practices of billionaire tycoon and building developer Donald Trump in the United States. Reference to his reality television program "The Apprentice"; Discussion of Trump's life-style; Problems with his casino company; Praise for the Trump National Golf Club; Discussion of Trump's self-promotion and image of himself; Success of Trump in real estate; Background information on Trump; Discussion of Trump's personal debt in the 1990s; Management of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts; Partnership with the founder of Conseco, Steve Hilbert; Relations between Trump and his employees. INSETS: GAMBLING DEBTS;STUDY IN GREEN;TRUMP VS. WORLD.

This article focuses on Google Inc. It was the day before Sergey Brin's 30th birthday, and by all rights he should have been on top of the world. Here onstage in front of some 300 peers--engineers and other geeks attending a conference on Internet search--he was answering softball questions about Google, the search-engine company he co-founded five years ago. Google's search service has changed the way everyone from chief executive officers (CEO) to their teenagers look for and think about information, dominating search not just from its own site but also as the engine for major sites like Yahoo, America Online (AOL), and Amazon. Barring any last-minute exception, by April 30, 2004, the company will be required to start publishing its financials--a Securities and Exchange Commission rule for firms with as many shareholders or option holders as Google has. So, the thinking goes, why not make a virtue of that loss of secrecy by raising buckets and buckets of cash?--as much as $2 billion, as analysts currently predict. A Google initial public offering (IPO) of that size would be the largest by any startup in high-tech history and would probably value the company at about $20 billion, just a couple billion dollars north of what Google valued itself for when it proposed using stock to acquire social-networking site Friendster last summer. Executives at America Online, Google's biggest partner, accounting for roughly 10% of its revenue, have in meetings expressed concern that Google has become too powerful to keep as a partner, according to a high-level financier who was a party to the conversations.

The article discusses the manner in which companies will manage teams that are both located around the globe and comprised of diverse people. Topics include ethnographers who study employees who like to work alone, ways which people use laptops, email, and cell phones, and how employees connect with people with the aid of a water cooler.

The article reports that many luxury fashion companies in the U.S. are facing declining sales numbers because of an overall market slowdown in 2008. Companies such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Saks Fifth Avenue have advertised sales and marked down prices far more than usual. The luxury fashion sector has outperformed the general clothing retail sector, but it is experiencing the economic pinch.

The article discusses the international nature of the design and manufacturing processes behind Nokia's product, an Internet appliance, called the N810. The product itself is described. A list is provided of the individuals, their locations, and the part they played in the design and manufacture of the product. Countries mentioned include the U.S., England, and Finland.

The article reports on the 100 fastest-growing companies of 2006. The number one company is Vaalco Energy. The top ten include familiar giants, biotech firm Genentech (number 79), making its third run on the list, as well as Internet-portal powerhouse Yahoo (number 19) and energy stalwart ConocoPhillips (number 75), which both appear for the second consecutive time. Energy companies occupy a third of the list. Computer and biotechnology firms also make the list.

This article reports on the possible acquisition of the Spanish-language broadcast and entertainment group Univision. The company which includes the television networks Univision and Telefutura, as well as a cable channel, radio stations and a recording division holds 80% of the U.S. Hispanic TV market, making it an attractive purchase for media companies like CBS, News Corp., Disney and Time Warner.

The article profiles 50 of the most powerful women in business around the world. Some of the women include: Anne Lauvergeon of Areva, Xie Qihua of the Shanghai Baosteel Group, Marjorie Scardino of Pearson, Linda Cook of Royal Dutch/Shell, Tomoyo Nonaka of Sanyo Electric, Marina Berlusconi of Fininvest, and others.

A list is presented of 50 women executives rated the most powerful in international business enterprises.

This article presents profiles of the fifty most powerful women in international business ranging from nuclear energy to oil and mining. Each profile lists the company, country, and 2006 rank on the list along with a synopsis of recent accomplishments. 50-year old geologist Cynthia Carroll tops the list as chief executive officer of Anglo American, the world's largest mining company. INSET: KEEP AN EYE ON THESE FOUR RISING STARS.

The article provides a list of 50 women executives in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Number one on the list is Patricia Russo, who is the CEO of Alcatel Lucent in France. Number two is Anne Lauvergeon, the executive chairman of Areva in France. In third place is Anne-Marie Idrac, the president of SNCF in France.

The article features the world's 50 most powerful women. Women are moving into positions of power at some of the world's largest corporations. Barbara Stymiest was recently appointed to the number two spot at Royal Bank of Canada. Two Frenchwomen, Dominique Reiniche and Marie-Christine Caubet, were promoted at Coca-Cola and Renault, respectively. Anne Lauvergeon, chairman of Areva, the world's largest nuclear-technology company, increased her own power by becoming a director of Vodafone.

Focuses on the United States' supply of oil from Venezuela, which is lead by socialist President Hugo Chavez. Importing of one-seventh of the U.S.'s oil, or 1.6 million barrels a day, from Venezuela in 2005; Chavez' fight against big oil companies, including hiking taxes and royalties on the international giants while strengthening the hand of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); Threats from Chavez made against its oil supply to the U.S. if U.S. President George W. Bush challenges his rule in Caracas.

This article provides a list of the world's most powerful women, including Cynthia Carroll, Anne Lauvergeon, and Marjorie Scardino.

The article provides a list of 50 women executives in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Number one on the list is Patricia Russo, who is the CEO of Alcatel Lucent in France. Number two is Anne Lauvergeon, the executive chairman of Areva in France. In third place is Anne-Marie Idrac, the president of SNCF in France.

Mentions the achievements of ten companies that have been on America's Most Admired Companies list and the type of award they should get. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners; Wal-Mart; Dell; Northwestern Mutual; Alcoa; Microsoft Corp.; Dow Chemical; UPS; Merck; General Electric.

The article considers the mission of a group of ethnographers from Xerox to help companies go global. The team follows workers as they go about their business. One goal is to pass their findings on to customers, which can use the information to harness global workforces. Xerox is trying to understand how different people collaborate.

A list is presented of 50 women executives rated the most powerful in international business enterprises.

The article looks at what Anne Sweeney, co-chairperson of the company Disney Media Networks, believes to be the best advice she has ever received. Sweeney was overcome by an etching into a piece of steel which asked what attempts would be made under the assumption that failure was not possible. Sweeney discusses her motivation to take professional risks. She also mentions her stance on the delivery of bad news. INSET: Take My Advice.

The article presents an analysis of a ranking of the 500 largest corporations in the world and discusses how the ranking is reflective of a changing economic landscape. Remaining at or near the top of the list were Exxon Mobil, Wal-Mart, and Toyota Motor Corp. Included in the article are observations related to the increasing number of corporations from non-U.S. countries such as China and Russia which generate enough revenue to be considered among the largest companies in the world.

The author reports on the formation of RecycleBank LLC by former financial consultant Ron Gonen. Specific topics discussed in the article include the way in which RecycleBank was started, the way in which consumers can earn gift cards by recycling their trash with RecycleBank and the amount of trash that has been saved from ending up in landfills since RecycleBank was started.

The article presents information on John Demsey and his work with the MAC AIDS Fund. All sales of Viva Glam lipstick by MAC, a division of the Estée Lauder company, go directly to support the fund, which has raised millions of dollars for AIDS research. In addition to heading Estée Lauder, Demsey chairs the fund, overseeing its distribution.

This article profiles Chief Executive Officer of the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) Julia Stewart. The author describes how Stewart was once a waitress herself and how she now likes to take prospective employees out, observing how they treat restaurant servers. Stewart invigorated the tired chain, which made $45 million in profits in 2006.

An interview with Container Store chief executive Kip Tindell is presented. He relates the importance of taking good care of employees, so they in turn treat customers well. He likes to have many unscheduled staff interactions throughout the day. His favorite personal organizer is his briefcase, which he brings everywhere.

The article compares London, England, to New York, New York. Several different categories are offered, including value of currency, mayors, and stock exchanges. London is said to have the advantage over New York in the fields of foreign exchange and metals trading, whereas New York is still ahead in the amount of funds its firms manage.

The article profiles president and founder of the company Rock & Republic Andrea Bernholtz. The interview covers a range of topics, including her business travel, Air New Zealand as her favorite airline, The Soho Hotel in London, England as her favorite hotel, articles she will not travel without, and Venice, Italy has her favorite vacation spot.

This article presents a comparison of weekend travel bags including the Lambertson Truex, the Valextra leather duffel, and T. Anthony's Concorde duffel.