(FORTUNE Magazine) – THE NEW ECONOMY/SPECIAL REPORT 36 WAKING UP TO THE NEW ECONOMY Embrace it, for it will transform our lives and work more profoundly than we can imagineand nothing is going to stop it. by John Huey

48 SERVICE IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS On the front line of the new economy, servicefast, imaginative, customizedis the ultimate strategic imperative. by Ronald Henkoff

64 GOVERNMENT LEARNS HUMILITY Washington is reluctantly admitting that it can't manage everything. Look for policy to begin to take a more modest role in the new economy.

by Rob Norton

68 THE NEW WORK FORCE BUILDS ITSELF Innovative schools, adaptable employers, and a few government programs help workers find a way into the new world. by Louis S. Richman

79 THE PRODUCTIVITY PAYOFF ARRIVES For years, information technology didn't seem worth the investment. But at last some smart companies are figuring out how to make computers pay. by Myron Magnet

82 AMERICA MAY BE MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN YOU THINK

88 THE GEOGRAPHY OF AN EMERGING AMERICA The industries that form the backbone of the emerging U.S. economy are shifting to gleaming new centers in the South and to the mountainous West, to edge cities, and to the boondocks. by Kenneth Labich

97 GLOBALOR JUST GLOBALONEY? Wendell Willkie prophesied a unified world economy in 1943; it still isn't here. Are our old ideas of globalism outdated? FORTUNE peers through the hype. by Alan Farnham

CORPORATE PERFORMANCE 103 COMPANIES TO WATCH Plumbing a new niche in the general-maintenance market, Roto-Rooter is gaining customers through longer hours and better service. by John Labate

Also: Communications Systems Inc. of Minnesota and Circuit Systems of Illinois.

THE ECONOMY 104 COMMODITY PRICES SPELL INFLATION DANGER Beware the swell of rising prices for steel, copper, and cotton. Demand is huge, supplies are tight, and no relief is in sight. by Susan E. Kuhn

TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY TO WATCH A fast, portable blood-analysis machine, originally intended for astronauts in space, may soon provide blood tests while you wait. by Alison L. Sprout

SPORTS 126 HOW U.S. SOCCER HOPES TO SCORE Holding the World Cup in the U.S. is part of a massive business plan to sell soccer to Americans. Sound familiar? It may work this time. by Bill Saporito

DEPARTMENTS 4 EDITOR'S DESK 8 INDEX 12 NEWS/TRENDS Tailored health plans take off, heresy strikes Madison Avenue, profit lessons for Disney, a buyer's market in credit cards, and more.

19 FORTUNE FORECAST The improving trade outlook should be balm for bruised bonds and the buck. by Vivian Brownstein

Economic Intelligence: Women chill out, and more.

23 PERSONAL INVESTING With prices down, the world's emerging markets are buys again. FORTUNE tells you which are the best, from India to Brazil. by Shelley Neumeier

35 LETTERS TO FORTUNE

131 PRODUCTS TO WATCH

132 BOOKS & IDEAS The case for a return to the gold standard, plus a guide for executives in government, and who is losing baseball.

135 KEEPING UP by Daniel Seligman

FORTUNE (ISSN 0015-8259). Published biweekly, with three issues in October, by Time Inc. Principal office: Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020-1393. Reginald K. Brack Jr., Chairman; Don Logan, President; Joseph A. Ripp, Treasurer; Harry M. Johnston, Secretary. Subscriptions: U.S., possessions: one year (27 issues) $52.95; Canada: one year (27 issues) $53.73. Second-class postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. | Authorized as second-class mail by the Post Office Dept., Ottawa, Canada, and for payment of postage in cash. Member, Audit Bureau of Circulations. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FORTUNE, P.O. Box 30604, Tampa, Fla. 33630-0604. Customer inquiries: FORTUNE, P.O. Box 60001, Tampa, Fla. 33660-0001. Phone: 1-800-621-8000. ) (c) 1993. Time Inc. All rights reserved. FORTUNE is a registered mark of Time Inc. For subscription queries, call Customer Service at 1-800-621-8000. Time Inc. GST R122781974.