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Where Are the Women?

By now, plenty were supposed to be in the corner offices. It`s not working out that way. In many fields, men still rule, while women often choose more nuanced paths that keep them from reaching the top. But who are the real winners? Linda Tischler

Surprise Package

Surprise! It`s those dudes in brown. UPS`s new supply-chain arm lets companies outsource everything from cell-phone repairs to customer call centers. And yes, they do deliver. Chuck Salter

Surviving a Corporate Death

The fall of Peregrine Systems would be just one more tale of 1990s excess meeting a brutal comeuppance--except for its employees, who waged a remarkable fight to keep their company alive. Carleen Hawn

Monsieur Chocolat

How do you say Willy Wonka in French? Celebrate Valentine`s Day with confectioner Jacques Torres, who`s applying mass production techniques to the delicate task of making fine chocolates--with delicious results. Chuck Salter

Man of Mystery

Ram Charan lives nowhere and goes everywhere, consulting for the largest and most powerful companies seven days a week, 365 days a year. Work is all he does, and all he wants to do. Jennifer Reingold

The Cannabis Conundrum

As the founder of a British pharmaceutical company puts it, if it weren`t called marijuana there would be an entire biotech business built around this plant. And that`s just what`s starting to happen (but not for the U.S. drug industry or the American patients these medicines might help). Bill Breen

Making Tracks

Richard Carpenter is mapping every mile of America`s railroad system as of 1946. By hand. "It`s a story," he says, "that needs to be told. Charles Fishman

Fast Talk: Mother (and Fathers) of Invention

How do new products happen? We asked some inventive folks about coming up with ideas and seeing them through to the marketplace. Christine Canabou

Next

Offshore Storm: The Global Razor`s Edge

IBM may send 4,730 white-collar jobs to India and China. Another 14 million could follow. Carleen Hawn

Chatter

How innovation happens. Ryan Underwood

To: The Queen, Subject: My Dog

When her dog died under mysterious circumstances after a veterinary operation in Bristol, England, Janet Mahoney was distraught, then angry. Ian Wylie

CEO See-Ya

Which CEOs deserve the boot? Jennifer Reingold

Kenny Moore Held a Funeral and Everyone Came

A former monk has found a suprising new mission--ministering to the needs of employees at KeySpan Corp. Linda Tischler

The CEO Stays in the Picture!

Yellow Corp.`s Bill Zollars takes a cue on K Street. Chuck Salter

The Grocery Chain That Shouldn`t Be

Trader Joe`s stores are cramped, the brands private label. But cost control, simplicity, and cheerful employees spell red-hot growth. Irwin Speizer

Getting to " Very Satisfied"

Two consultants offer tips to go beyond taking customers` money. Danielle Sacks

One Pizza, United...but Open to Interpretation

How do you successfully sell the same product in OVER 50 countries? You don`t. Jennifer Esty

These Boots Were Made for Selling

The hottest site for haute couture? It`s eBay. If you`re Manolo Blahnik, is that a good thing? Ryan Underwood

The Latest Chinese Success Story

Globalization comes to rest on the last thing you`ll ever buy. Michael A. Prospero

60 Seconds With Paul McFedries

From "McJob" to "metrosexual," Paul McFedries meticulously documents the latest words to enter the English lexicon. Lucas Conley

High Times

What to read on an airplane when you don`t want to pay for $5 headphones to watch the latest Steve Guttenberg movie. Ken Gordon

Artistic Minimalism

Problem: How to win audiences and money for risky contemporary art in a down economy Solution: Start a festival. Ian Mount

Viva Recycling!

Now here`s what we call creativity. In Cuba, where new things are rare, a phone gets turned into an electric fan, and a plastic bottle becomes a taxi sign. Fiona Haley

Dowsing for a Signal

Hunting for wireless connectivity, a good signal remains hard to find. Scott Kirsner

Nanotech Solar Cells, in Camouflage Colors

Flexible plastic, the sun, and new freedom from battery packs. Abby Schultz

FC Readers' Choice Award

The team behind the AFLAC duck tells what it takes to stand out from the crowd in this month's selection, Bang! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World.

Office Handbook

Chapter 14: Intracompany Romance Ryan Underwood

The Corporate Shrink

What to do when a fellow manager is falling down on the job. Plus: scents and sensibilities. Dr. Kerry J. Sulkowicz

A Day In The Life of Work

Winter Trail Grooming Manager Earl Ward ensures the Jackson Hole Fiona Haley

Columns

Making a Resolution that Matters

To make resolutions that matter, don`t look forward. Look back. Marshall Goldsmith

Behind the Scandals: Men at Work

Recent business scandals have less to do with corrupt individuals than a narcissistic--and male--organizational culture. Shoshana Zuboff

The L Factor

What accounts for success and failure? More often than you might think, it`s just luck. But like most things, luck can be managed. Seth Godin

More Great Stuff

The Price of Balance

This month`s letter from the editor. John A. Byrne

Between The Lines

The stories behind this issue`s stories. Fast Company

Competing at One-Tenth the Cost

Report From the Past. Keith H. Hammonds

Feedback

Letters. Updates. Advice. Fast Company

The Net/Net

A go-to guide of the products and services featured in this month`s issue Fast Company

Web Exclusives and Extras

The Best of Both Worlds

Catherine Hakim, a sociology professor at the London School of Economics, surveyed people's labor force preferences -- how men and women each value work in their lives. Linda Tischler

Dr. Dope's Connection

David Watson, the CEO of the Dutch R&D company Hortapharm, has assembled what is arguably the world's most comprehensive cannabis-seed library. Bill Breen

Feedback: Where Are the Women?

Our readers respond. Linda Tischler

More than 60 Seconds with Paul McFedries

In this extended interview, Fast Company covers more ground with neologist Paul McFedries. From "McJob" to "metrosexual," McFedries meticulously documents the latest words to enter the English lexicon. Lucas Conley

Not Going the Extra Mile

UPS` latest breakthrough technology is steering its loaders and drivers in the right direction. Chuck Salter

Pipe Dream?

Rick Doblin has a prescription for fixing NIDA's ailing medical-marijuana program: establish an alternative. Bill Breen

Pot Proponent Just Says No

Medical marijuana's elder statesman is not convinced that the therapeutic benefits of cannabis can be separated from the psychoactive effects -- or that cannabis should be "pharmaceuticalized." Bill Breen

Winning the Career Tournament

Stanford Professor Charles A. O'Reilly followed a group of MBA students from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Management for eight years after graduation. Linda Tischler