(MONEY Magazine) – XIRCOM The connection for remote PC users

Business: Xircom makes plug-in cards and modems that allow portable-computer users to link to corporate networks and the Internet from outside the office. Intel has a 10.5% stake in the company.

Opportunity: The company is focused on the telecommuting market, which is growing 30% annually, much faster than desktop PCs. New products this year include high-speed devices for home offices and small businesses and an upgrade of its top PC card, which has 56% of the market.

Risk: Wall Street links Xircom's stock with 3Com, its closest competitor, and PC makers. Those stocks have fared poorly so far in 1999.

--Vanessa Richardson

FAIRFIELD COMMUNITIES Selling pieces of resort ownership

Business: One of the largest U.S. time-share firms, Fairfield operates 31 resorts in 12 states and the Bahamas, with its units divvied up among 240,000 individual owners.

Opportunity: Fairfield is looking at other "destination" areas for expansion, and it's building resort properties in Daytona Beach, Fla. and Durango, Colo. Fairfield is considered to have the best sales and marketing programs in the business. It's also a possible acquisition candidate for a hotel chain.

Risk: Development and marketing costs of the new resorts may reduce profit margins. The timeshare industry has lagged the market because other firms have missed earnings targets. --V.R.

BIOMATRIX More relief for arthritis sufferers

Business: Biomatrix has the patent on hylans (artificial compounds that mimic certain molecules), which are used to treat arthritis in humans and animals as well as facial wrinkles and scars.

Opportunity: Its main product, Synvisc, a lubricant injected into arthritic knees, claims a 75% share of a $125 million U.S. market. Usage should increase as a consumer ad campaign targets 10 million potential patients and a deal with Wyeth-Ayerst provides wider global distribution. A new factory will quadruple production capacity.

Risk: A Synvisc substitute from a rival company with a strong sales force will be on the market in 2000. --V.R.