Click here to print
Recent Press Releases (U.S. and international) for magazine issues and staff changes may be found below. Please note that for many issues there exists only a highlights sheet, while for others there may also be a full press release. The cover of FORTUNE's current issue is pictured at right. Please contact the appropriate communications staff member with any questions.
Highlights of the October 30, 2006 Issue of FORTUNE
SECRETS OF GREATNESS: THE EXCELLENCE ISSUEA Special Issue Devoted to Peak Performance -- Practical, Inspirational Advice from the Best in Business
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GREAT, By Geoffrey Colvin, page 88 Research shows that the lack of natural talent is irrelevant to great success. The secret? Painful and demanding practice and hard work. Maybe we can't expect most people to achieve greatness. It's just too demanding . But the striking, liberating news is that greatness isn't reserved for a preordained few. It is available to you and to everyone.
HOW ONE CEO LEARNED TO FLY, page 98 A Q&A with Boeing's James McNerney, who has made his mark at three major companies. How? “Help others get better.” “The whole [sports] team dynamic is similar in business. Leadership is earned.”
TWELVE PEAK PERFORMERS, page 104 FORTUNE talked to everyone from an NFL kicker to a tech CEO to a Hollywood star to find out what goes into the secret sauce of excellence.
FOUR KEY SKILLS TO MASTER NOW, by Reed Tucker, page 123 Stand and deliver. Cut a sweet deal. Rev your reading. Make a name stick—and reap the career rewards.
WHY COSTCO IS SO DAMN ADDICTIVE, by Matthew Boyle, page 126 Costco counts nearly 48 million people as members, and those customers are not only slavishly devoted (averaging 22 trips per year, according to UBS analyst Neil Currie), but surprisingly affluent as well (more than a third have household incomes over $75,000). While Wal-Mart stands for low prices and Target embodies cheap chic, Costco is a retail treasure hunt, where one's shopping cart could contain a $50,000 diamond ring resting on top of a 64-ounce vat of mayonnaise. Despite having 82 fewer outlets than its nearest rival, Wal-Mart's Sam's Club, Costco generates about $20 billion more in sales. Clearly Costco is doing something right—but what? And how? “We always look to see how much of a gulf we can create between ourselves and the competition,” Costco CEO Jim Sinegal says. “So that competitors eventually say, ‘F--- ‘em, these guys are crazy. We'll compete somewhere else.'”
CROSS-TRAIN YOUR BRAIN, by Jia Lynn Yang and Jerry Useem, page 135 The pursuit of excellence need not be single-minded. That serious hobby of yours? It can make you better in everything you do.
THE BEST OFFENSE IS A STUBBORN CONTRARIAN, page 138 Moneyball author Michael Lewis explains how iconoclasts in business—and sports—find new ways to succeed. “Necessity breeds innovation. People are put in natural underdog situations.”
DOES IT RUN IN THE FAMILY?, by Stephanie N. Mehta, page 142 Paul Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm since July 2006, is talking up the tech company's latest big bet: live television on your cellphone. Jacobs is spending $800 million on the gambit, which includes a state-of-the-art network operations center a few miles from Qualcomm's San Diego headquarters. A dozen years ago, Qualcomm was a wireless tech company, pure and simple. It had developed the digital wireless process called CDMA (code division multiple access), which is now the leading standard in the U.S. and serves as the basis for every 3G (third generation) network being built around the world. Nobody would have guessed then that the company would one day be home to a fledgling media operation, and that its executives would be trying to do deals with TV networks and Hollywood studios. Jacobs isn't reinventing Qualcomm so much as moving it beyond his father's laser-like focus on CDMA.
THE CEO STATS THAT MATTER, by Justin Fox, page 154 Earnings can be misleading, and stock prices are too hyperactive. So what is the best way to measure executive performance?
GROSS NATIONAL PROPHETS, by Devin Leonard, page 164 South Park is Comedy Central's highest-rated program, attracting 3.1 million viewers an episode, more than The Daily Show with Jon Stewart . Last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, it generated $34 million in advertising revenue. In 2004, Comedy Central sold the syndication rights in a deal said to be worth $100 million. But South Park 's real value may lie in the future—particularly in new media, where the show performs spectacularly. But that future will depend on creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and whether they can keep their outrageous edge. “Once you have a moment to second-guess yourself, we would just sit around and look at our stomachs for a month,” Stone says. Here's how they keep it outrageous.
DEPARTMENTS FIRST Why Gas Prices Dropped Trust us. It wasn't the work of OPEC or Republicans trying to influence midterm elections. On the Radar Return of the Big Mac attack? ... Tickle this, Elmo … New Vistas for Microsoft. Publishing's Headache Book houses are finding that embargoes of hot new releases are almost impossible to enforce. Creative Comp at American Tower Backdating options isn't the only way an executive can get rich. DISPATCHES Beltway Battle Political moneymen Terry McAuliffe and Ed Gillespie handicap the midterm races. Unlocking the iPod A geek hero is liberating iTunes, whether Apple likes it or not. COLUMNISTS Street Life The ever-expanding universe of private-equity. Brainstorm This PC wants to save the world. Politics Revolt of the fairly rich. INVESTING Cable on the March The industry is winning its war with the telcos. Three stocks to buy and one to watch. The Beer King Gets a New CEO At Anheuser-Busch, August Busch IV will face challenges from Miller, wine, and liquor. BUSINESS LIFE Special Delivery BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, and Saab are luring new carbuyers to Europe with deep discounts and posh road trips.
.
For further information please contact: Phil DiIanni
|