Table of contents: VOL. 6, NO. 8 - September 1, 2005
COVER STORY
The $50 Million Giveaway
by Michael V. Copeland
WANT TO START A COMPANY? WE FOUND 11 VENTURE CAPITALISTS SITTING ON BUSINESS IDEAS THEY'RE DYING TO BANKROLL. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SEND THEM EXACTLY THE RIGHT BUSINESS PLAN. (more)

Features
A Sales Channel They Can't Resist
by Elizabeth Esfahani
Home-shopping giant QVC is becoming one of the most powerful forces in retail. Here's the secret to its surprising success. (more)
Betting the Farm
by Erick Schonfeld
MONSANTO'S MOVE INTO BIOENGINEERED CROPS ALMOST POISONED THE COMPANY. NOW THEY MAY BE THE FUEL THAT REMAKES IT INTO THE MICROSOFT OF FOOD. (more)
Cashing In On Cash Flow
by Carleen Hawn
Investing isn't just about tomorrow--these seven strategies can help you live like a fat cat today. (more)
The Low-Down-Payment Empire
by Carleen Hawn

The Secret Way To Play Oil
by Susanna Hamner

New Tricks for an Old Strategy
by Susanna Hamner

How to Make Your Business Plan the Perfect Pitch
by Michael V. Copeland
EVERYONE WANTS A MILLION-DOLLAR PAYDAY. HERE'S HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES. (more)
The ROI on your MBA
by Rob Howe
We survey the country's top business schools to tell you how good an investment they really are. (more)
The Internet Puzzle
by John Battelle
NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright has put together all the pieces of the perfect media conglomerate. Will the Web tear it apart? (more)
hits & misses
Hits & Misses
by Elizabeth Esfahani

what's cool
Favorites
THE BUSINESS TOOLS YOU CAN'T WORK WITHOUT* (more)
Too New to Review
by Matthew Maier

B.Y.O. GPS
by Matthew Maier
Here are three portable units that let you say no to the car-rental agencies' confusing and costly systems. (more)
How to Love Your Layover
by Georgia Flight
Sick of filling the endless hours between flights with phone calls and e-mail? More and more airports are offering creative ways to pass the time. (more)
Class is in Session
by John Tayman
Audi A3? Mini Cooper S? Whether you're packing Junior off to college or racing around the city, you can't go wrong with either of these refined German starters. (more)
A Smashing Success
by Elizabeth Esfahani

what's next
Keeping Track of Bad Drivers
by Tania Hershman

Opening Doors With Data Entry
by Monica Khemsurov

Tricks of the Trader
by Steve Powers

Hybrids Go Mainstream
by Michael V.Copeland

Knocking on China's Doors
by Michael V.Copeland

Telecom Fights Back
by Michael V.Copeland

The End of Compact Discs?
by Michael V. Copeland

what's next?
Ending Advertising's Spiral
by John Heilemann
Entrepreneur Miles Nadal wants to save the industry from itself by emphasizing creativity, not control. (more)
what works
How Adobe is Pushing Quark off the Page
by Mark Borden
When the leader in desktop publishing software got lazy, a nimbler competitor grabbed market share. (more)
Massively Multinational Player
by Geoff Keighley
By spreading the work among nine countries, Yves Guillemot made Ubisoft's game studios the cheapest--and most creative--in the industry. (more)
Showing Products in a Better Light
by Jennifer Alsever
It's time to trash those harsh overhead fluorescents. Spotlights and sunshine put retail customers in a buying mood. (more)
The Builder of Boomtown
by Thomas Mucha
Suburban sprawl put $11.7 billion Pulte Homes on the map. Now market research is helping CEO Richard Dugas turn it into America's real estate king. (more)
The Only Question That Matters
by Damon Darlin
Surveys are tedious. Focus groups are fickle. That's why Intuit and GE use a radical new research technique to keep customers happy and revenue growing. (more)
Brewing Success from Failure
by Mariko Mikami
Suntory created a $900-million-a-year hit soft drink by meditating over mistakes. (more)
Thinking Outside the Shoe Box
by Susanna Hamner
Spanish brand Camper thrives by encouraging its designers to ignore what's in fashion. (more)
A Truly Sticky App
by Siri Schubert
Faced with a decorating challenge, the founders of Blik invented the hottest new thing in interior design. (more)
Let the MBA Buyer Beware
by Jeffrey Pfeffer
Choosing between business schools can be maddening, unless you know exactly what you're looking for. (more)
Why AMD Still Doesn't Scare Intel
by Om Malik
It builds some of the world's most sophisticated chips, but it's not yet turning a consistent profit. To get there, it needs to be strong where its larger rival is weak. (more)
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