(FORTUNE Magazine) – MANAGING/COVER STORY 62 THE END OF THE JOB As a way of organizing work, the traditional job is becoming a social artifact, created in the 19th century and well suited to the demands of a newly industrial world, but poorly adapted to a fast-moving, information-based economy. Its demise confronts everyone with unfamiliar risks -- as well as rich opportunities. by William Bridges

72 SEVEN RULES TO BREAK IN A DE-JOBBED WORLD

COMPETITION 79 A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME IN BEER If you think selling beer is as dependable as summer, think again. Marketers everywhere have lots to learn from the tumult in an industry where major old brands are striking out. by Patricia Sellers

80 PUTTING A NEW FACE ON THE BIG BRANDS

POLITICS & POLICY 91 ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE ON THE RUN It's possible that no major environmental legislation will pass Congress this year. The reason for this nonevent is momentous, though largely unreported: For the first time in years, the greens are on the defensive. Business leaders, local officials, and angry citizens are demanding an end to rules based on silly science and bad economics. And this time, they just might win. by Ann Reilly Dowd

INFOTECH/SPECIAL REPORT 109 WHAT'S DRIVING THE NEW PC SHAKEOUT It's the booming home market, sparking new winners and losers, furious competition (IBM has been elbowed out of the top three), and ever more amazing machines for you. by David Kirkpatrick

127 WATCH OUT FOR THE CD-ROM HYPE Some industry executives tout the luminescent disks as the hottest thing since the VCR. But that view rests on seven widely accepted myths you should know about. by Stephanie Losee

136 THE CD-ROM HIT PARADE

147 GLOBAL NESTLE'S BRAND-BUILDING MACHINE The Swiss powerhouse is racing across the developing world building brands, roads, farms, factories, and whatever else it needs to capture new markets. by Carla Rapoport

MANAGING 203 NEW IDEAS FROM THE ARMY (REALLY) The service is way ahead of business in retraining senior managers and keeping the chief's attention fixed on the future. by Lee Smith

SELLING 215 WHY SOME CUSTOMERS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS Still chasing market share? In a price-crazed environment, sellers are learning that the economics of customer retention are more compelling than ever. by Rahul Jacob

DEPARTMENTS 1 EDITOR'S DESK 8 INDEX 14 NEWS/TRENDS How the economy will shape the fall elections, the virtual office gets frighteningly close, and more.

27 FORECAST The Federal Reserve's latest rate increase will put a dent in the economy.

by Joseph Spiers

Economic Intelligence: The myth of the job hopper, prime time for startups, and more.

DEPARTMENTS 33 PERSONAL INVESTING The American way to invest in a European recovery -- without leaving home. by Shelley Neumeier

Also: The case for gas refiners, investing safely in mortgage-backed bonds, a Minneapolis fund's possible $800 million loss, and Portfolio Talk with Warren Isabelle of Pioneer Capital Growth in Boston.

46 LETTERS

226 COMPANIES TO WATCH Lam Research of Fremont, California, is the No. 1 maker of specialized machines for etching computer chips. by Justin Martin

229 PRODUCTS TO WATCH NBC's new Desktop Video news service aimed at financial businesses, Brother's simpler printer for computers, and more. by Wilton Woods

230 THE WIRED EXECUTIVE A retired CEO launches a new business with the help of a few computers and an off-the-shelf networking package. by Alison L. Sprout

233 BOOKS & IDEAS Revisionists claim that protection worked wonders for key U.S. industries in the 1980s -- and could again. They're wrong. Here's why. by Rob Norton

238 ENTREPRENEURS Two Maryland millionaires succeeded in several businesses because they took advice from older mentors -- and each other. by Alison Rogers

241 HOW'S BUSINESS If our age seems lacking in leadership, take heart. Warren Bennis says leaders aren't born, they're made -- mostly self-made. by Marshall Loeb

ABOVE: The clock is ticking not just for jobs in hard-hit industries or jobs in certain parts of the country, but for the very idea itself, the familiar envelope we call the job. Photograph by Murray Alcosser (Image Bank).

COVER: The traditional job -- like the one held by this mechanic in 1921 -- is not going to be part of tomorrow's economic reality. Photo by Lewis Hine (collection of the New York Public Library).

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