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Reports on AOL Time Warner and the call on Bob Pittman to help save AOL from collapse by chief executive officer Richard Parsons. Challenges that AOL has after the merger between America On Line (AOL) and Time Warner; Roles of Steve Case and Barry Schuler; Decline in stock price and morale; Strategy for improvements at AOL, including the need for attracting more advertising; Outlook.

Focuses on the financial troubles of Enron Corp., an energy-trading company. Reasons for the decline of Enron's stock; Impact of Enron's debt and bad investments on shareholders and employees; Discussion of the role of former chief operating officer Jeff Skilling and chief executive officer Ken Lay in the management of Enron; Efforts to sell the company to rival Dynegy.

Focuses on Ford Motor Co. chairman William Clay Ford Jr. How executives at Ford were reluctant to let someone from the Ford family have control of the company; Bill Ford's intention to transform Ford into a corporation that cares for the consumer and the environment as much as for making money; Comparison of Bill to Ford's founder, Henry Ford; Relationship between Ford and chief executive Jacques Nasser; Biographical information. INSET: Hanging Tough on the SUV Issue, by John Greenwald et al.

Reports on the apparent deal between media conglomerate Bertelsmann and Internet file-sharing service, Napster, as of November 2000. Reasons why Bertelsmann head Thomas Middelhoff wanted to meet with Napster founder Shawn Fanning; Possibilities for their relationship; Plans for the two companies to provide access to music files while protecting copyright privileges of artists and the music industry.

Focuses on the design economy in the United States. View of Mark Dziersk, president of the Industrial Designers Society of America, on design and functionality; Reason for the interest in design; How Target stores has designer Michael Graves do inexpensive versions of his work for sale to the mass market; Use of plastics in design products; Household items and personal style; Corporate demand for design strategies; Question of the sustainability of the design economy. INSET: Marc Newson Wants to Curve the World.

Takes a look at the movement toward making automobiles in the United States (US) more stylish. The efforts of J. Mays, chief of design of Ford Motor Co.; Look alike products in the US; Assertion that the style movement has carried over into other industries; Concept cars in the works, including the Ford Thunderbird 2001, Ford Focus, and Audi TT.

Reports on the shooting rampage of Buford O. (Neal) Furrow at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles, California, as of August 23, 1999. Details; Wounding of five people, which included three children; Charges that he faces, including federal charges for killing an on duty federal employee, Joseph Ileto; Biographical and personality information; Involvement with the Aryan Nations, an organization of white supremacists; Comments from family friend and former classmate Loni Merrill. INSETS: Fueling Hate;The Journey of a Gun.

Focuses on the transglobal company emerging from the merger of Chrysler with Daimler-Benz to form DaimlerChrysler. Challenges; Leadership of the company under chief executive officers Jurgen Schrempp and Bob Eaton; Whether globalization can bring together the leading capitalists of Europe and the United States; Stock price; How Chrysler's leverage diminished under Bob Eaton; Establishment of an automotive-strategy group to come up with new products.

Reveals that Chinese gangs are smuggling illegal immigrants by the thousands into the United States--often forcing them into a life of servitude. Grounding of the freighter Golden Venture on Long Island, N.Y. in June 1993, causing death of six of the 281 Chinese would-be immigrants; Recount of the ship's trip from China; The clandestine immigration to the US orchestrated by Chinese criminal syndicates; Immigration laws; More.

Looks at the economy of Vietnam 20 years after the end of the Vietnam War. Improvements in the country's economy; The uneven nature of progress; The ten year period when unorthodox communist policies and the occupation of Cambodia made Vietnam a poor country; The differences between rural Vietnam and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; Processing of shrimp for export; Starlight Electronics; Entrepreneurs. INSET: Washington: The last POW, by Kevin Fedarko.

Discusses the business strategy of Sony's Nobuyuki Idei as of November 17, 1997. The radical changes taking place in Japan's corporations; Idei's quest for Sony to combine Japan's technical wizardry with America's creative panche; Idei's history with Sony; The importance of American managers to Idei's strategy; The product battle over the digital video disc (DVD); Products made by Sony.

Focuses on the finances of the Catholic Church in light of sexual abuse lawsuits against priests. Revenue of the Catholic Church which will ensure it does not go bankrupt; How the Roman Catholic dioceses in the U.S. organize their affairs separately; Efforts to protect assets from liability; Research by lawyers and victims to determine the wealth of diocese.

Profiles South Korean technology company Samsung Electronics. Way that it progressed from being a mass marketer of cheap televisions and video recording equipment to a successful maker of high-end cell phones, DVD players, elegant flat plasma TV and other consumer products; Hope of Korean-American marketing chief Eric Kim to surpass Sony in brand recognition by 2005; Company revenue; Founding by the Samsung Group; Leadership of Yun Jong Yong; Establishment of Samsung Telecommunications America; Outlook.

Focuses on the visit of United States President George W. Bush to Japan. Failures of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to pass reforms to aid his nation's struggling economy; Impact Japan's struggles could have on the global economy; Economic statistics on Japan, including its high amount of public debt, increasing unemployment and bankruptcies, struggling banking system, and weakening yen; Policies Bush is expected to encourage Koizumi to adopt in order to aid Japan's economy.

Discusses the efforts of car developer Bob Lutz to develop new cars for General Motors (GM) that will be coveted by consumers. Production of the Pontiac Solstice; Problems in the design process at GM; Need for Lutz to work quickly; Biographical details of Lutz; Reason GM chief executive officer Rick Wagoner hired Lutz; Challenges GM faces, including its relationship with the autoworkers' union and a small global operating margin.

Reports on the merger of America Online Inc. (AOL) and Time Warner Inc., which was approved by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in December 2000. Lack of understanding of the future scope of a company so large and diverse as AOL Time Warner; Description of the merger process, including the FTC hearings that set restrictions on the company; Outlook for the new company's success.

Reports on the business problems of DaimlerChrysler as of December 4, 2000. Role of Jurgen Schrempp of Daimler Benz who purchased Chrysler; How Schrempp has assembled a team that does not include Americans; Problems of transnational mergers; Thought that the automobile market will experience slow growth.

Focuses on Gene Kirila and the development of the Virtual Engineered Composites (VEC) process of digital manufacturing. How the digitally controlled chemical molding system works; Role of financier Irwin Jacobs of boatbuilder Genmar Holdings; Plan of Genmar to open the world's first automated boat plant at Little Falls, Minnesota; Expectation that VEC Technology Inc. will go public.

Focuses on Masayoshi Son's ambitions for owning an Internet empire that he calls zaibatsu. Background on Son, who is of Korean heritage, and his Internet vision; Development of his holding company, Softbank, based in Tokyo, Japan; Joint ventures in Europe; His 300-year plan to build a web of mutual cross-investments with sales, marketing and supply ties; Effect of Son's business strategy on the competition.

Reports that China coveted nuclear missiles information from the United States so it's military can be a credible player on the international level. Credibility that only a modern military brings; Comparison of China's military force with that of the United States; Beijing's struggle to recast its military priorities; Challenge of building a world-class military.

Reports on the changes made at Pepsi-Cola Co. in the 1990s, since Roger Enrico became the company's chief executive officer. Reorganization led by Enrico; Gains that the company has made on rival Coca-Cola Co.; Termination of deals with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell; Details of Pepsi-Cola's plan to help market the motion picture `Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.'

Highlights the economic condition of Japan as it is threatened by the financial crisis that has hammered the economies of Asia as of December 1997. The sense of distrust in Japan intensified by the spectacle of South Korea's continuing meltdown; The main fire wall against a global financial crisis being Japan; The race for Japan to reinvent itself.

Focuses on automobile designers of General Motors (GM). Bryan Nesbitt's design of Chrysler PT Cruiser; Comments of Robert Lutz, GM vice chairman of product development, on capabilities of the company's automobile designers; Truck designs by a team headed by Therese Tant.

Discusses the agreement reached between Bertelsmann, the German media conglomerate, and Napster, the company that has spawned millions of music-sharing enthusiasts on the Internet. Details of the plan under which Napster will develop a business model that should allow record companies and performers to be paid for their music; Background on Thomas Middelhoff, chairman of Bertelsmann; The issue of copyright infringement.

Reports on the involvement of the gas company, Enron, in the plans of Blockbuster Video to offer motion pictures over the Internet to users with digital subscriber lines (DSL). Transformation of Enron from an energy company to a telecommunications company; Efforts of chief executive officer (CEO) Kenneth Lay and president Jeffrey Skilling to make the company successful; Companies joining with Enron, including IBM.

Presents ideas for automobiles provided by designers from General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Chrysler, and Nissan. Use of different materials in cars; Concept of recyclable cars; Options that are customizable.

Presents information on the impact the financial crisis of 1998 has had on the Japanese political landscape as of October 1998. Likelihood that Keizo Obuchi, prime minister and member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will last the year; Challenges from opposition leader Naoto Kan, member of the Democratic Party of Japan; Obuchi promising tax cuts and funds to stimulate the economy; Japan's need for bank reform. it. INSET: When Fukui Starts to Go, You Know There's a Problem.

Focuses on the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Medal winners; The postponement of the men's downhill due to the weather; The overruling of the decision to revoke the snow-surfing gold medal from Canada's Ross Rebagliati, winner of the men's giant slalom.

Focuses on the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. The opening ceremonies; The reminder that the Games are an unchanging festival of youth; The problems encountered.

Reports on the efforts of the United States government to help ease the financial crisis in Asia as of January 1998. Work of U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin; U.S. changing position on helping Asia's economy; How the crisis could effect the U.S.; Problems in Korea involving the interlocking conglomerate corporations; Amount of loan given by the International Monetary Fund; How the hopes of South Korea rest on newly elected president Kim Dae Jung; Comments.

Highlights the success in business of Sony Corp. as a company specializing in electronic products. Foundation; Management secret; Company creed; Company culture; Life inside its laboratory; Replacement of its pioneering analog products with digital gadgetry; Revenue; Visions for the future.

Reports on the economic progress of Vietnam after the war. Effect of Marxist policies and the invasion of Cambodia on the economy; Business strategy of the company Starlight Electronics; Religious and intellectual freedom; Moves toward a market economy; Costs to foreign businesses of bribery and corruption; Control by Hanoi of the economic policies of Ho Chi Minh City.

Discusses the role of Lee Iacocca in developing and marketing the E-Bike, an electric-powered bicycle, in the United States. Number of E-Bikes that Iacocca hopes to sell annually; What the E-Bike is; Iacocca's historical interest in electric propulsion; The market that Iacocca hopes to sell the bike in; Challenges that Iacocca and his company, EV Global Motors Co., must overcome.

Discusses President Bill Clinton's extension of China's trade privileges for a year. The case for and against most favored nation status for China; China's token accommodations; China's insistence on its own view of human rights; How economic development in China is making centralized repression more difficult; Need for a more consistent policy on China; More.

Discusses the push for reform in Japan as it heads into parliamentary elections scheduled for October 20, 1996. Criticisms being leveled at Kasumigaseki, the district in Tokyo where government bureaucrats have their offices; Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's pledges to cut the number of ministries in half if his Liberal Democrat party wins a solid mandate; The closeness of elections; The number of candidates; Background on problems Japan faces.

Focuses on the updated version of the BMW Morris Mini automobile. Comparison to the Volkswagen Beetle; Praise of the Mini 163-horse power version; Interest in the car because of an effective advertising campaign; Outlook for its sales in the United States.

Discusses the outlook for the leadership of Ford Motor Co. by William Clay Ford Jr. Decision of Ford to fire former Ford chief executive officer Jacques Nasser; History of the company; Outlook for changes in the company; Problems facing the company.

Focuses on Hyundai Motor Corp., its reputation for producing low-quality automobiles, and how the company has experienced an increase in sales. Discussion of how political unrest in Korea has affected the industry; Mention of how Finbarr O'Neill managed the company's operations in the United States; View that offerings from Hyundai and its subsidiary Kia Motors have improved in quality.

Reports the rollover ratings released by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration for sport utility vehicles (SUV) in the United States. How the ratings were based on a proportional comparison between a vehicle's center of gravity and the width between its tires; Criticism of the ratings; Details of safety appliances on the 2002 model Ford Explorer.

Reports that China coveted nuclear missiles information from the United States so its military can be a credible player on the international level. Credibility that only a modern military brings; Comparison of China's military force with that of the United States; Beijing's struggle to recast its military priorities; Challenge of building a world-class military.

Presents information on the efforts of Japan's Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa to end the country's economic crisis in 1998 and convince world finance leaders that Japan will survive. Impact on the rest of the world if Japan's economy collapses; The banking crisis in Japan; Miyazawa's background and career; Deals he has helped to make. INSET: Three Japanese scenarios in search of reality.

Explains how the devaluation of Asian currencies like the Japanese yen, the Hong Kong dollar and the Chinese renminbi could adversely impact the stock market in the United States and thus the US economy. How other Asian currency devaluations have impacted the US trade deficit; The growing cost of defending currencies; Economic problems in China and Japan which are likely to cause devaluations in 1998; Outlook.

Discusses the exhibition `At the End of the Century: One Hundred Years of Architecture' unveiled in July 1998 at Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan.

Focuses on the mysterious and brutal world of Japan's prisons. Governance by the 1908 Prison Act, the overriding goal of which in conformity; Nightmare of breaking the law in Japan; Examples; Assertion that nothing is amiss by the Ministry of Justice; Idea of caging the mind, not just the body; Stymied attempts to liberalize the Prison Act.

Focuses on Japan's economy as of December 6, 1999. Restructuring of large corporations that have been state-supported; Influence of entrepreneurs such as Hiroshi Mikitani, owner of an electronic commerce site; The industry of continuing education, including popularity of the Attackers Business School.

Highlights the Sega Dreamcast video-game player. The marketing campaign for the player; Features of the player, including realistic graphics and ports for peripherals; Cost of the player; How the player is Sega's attempt to reinvent itself and improve the company's status in the video-game industry.

Reports on the $1.35 billion lawsuit brought against Morgan Stanley Dean Witter by former employee Christian Curry. Charge that co-workers subjected Curry to racial harassment and discrimination; Claim that Curry was fired because the company assumed he was gay; Charge that Curry was fired for lying on an expense report and trying to plant racist e-mail on the company's computer system.

Comments on automobile manufacturers in the United States and the types of cars which they are designing. Cars on show at the North American International Auto Show; Influence of the roadster design in cars from Ford and Dodge; The redesign of the Ford's Thunderbird, the 2001 T-Bird; Cars which were introduced at the auto show including the Chevy Impala and Dodge Charger; Comments of Ford Motor Co. vice president J. Mays.

Profiles Zhu Rongji, 64, China's vice prime minister and anointed czar of economic reform. His pragmatic style; His lack of interest in the former Soviet Union's kind of political reform; The possibility of his succeeding ailing leader Deng Xiaoping, 88; Rongji's task of taming China's runaway economic growth; More.