Table of contents: VOL. 152, NO. 12 - December 12, 2005
COVER STORY
A Harvard historian explains how Intel's legendary chief became the best model we have for leading a business in the 21st century. AN ESSAY BY RICHARD S. TEDLOW (more)

They all laughed when Jefferson bought half the continent from France. Alaska was called "Seward's Folly." Other "crazy" investments have worked out fine too. (more)
anime explosion
From Pokémon to Full Metal Panic, the anime industry is doing everything the rest of show biz isn't: embracing technology, coddling fans--and making a killing. (more)
bing! while you were out

business life
How to make the most of the office grapevine, what telecommuters should do when visiting HQ, why there aren't more female CEOs, and more. (more)
The top gadgets and gear (to give or receive) this holiday season. (more)
china face-off
L'Oréal, Shiseido, Estée Lauder --the world's leading cosmetics companies are vying for a piece of a booming market. (more)
elvis: the king's business
Investor Robert Sillerman is combining the King, American Idol, and other entertainment assets to build his next media conglomerate. (more)
first
By staving off bankruptcy for a year, the carrier thought it was taking the high road. It hasn't worked out that way. (more)


Patent cases have always been costly. Could they now be fatal too? (more)
In the beginning, Craigslist was a casual e-mail sent to friends. Could it end by turning newspaper classifieds to ashes? (more)


Musicians composing original works for cellphones strive for greatness in 20 seconds or less. (more)
Lincoln Mayne, New York City (more)
investing
In a humdrum year for investors, we were right about Marvel but wrong about Google. Here's the wrap-up. (more)
John Malone is frustrated that his empire sells at a discount. So are shareholders. Can new CEO Greg Maffei help boost the stock? (more)

lessons in leadership
From the pages of FORTUNE: Peter Drucker on the making of great business leaders. (more)
Demand criticism. Let subordinates have the floor. And think more like Vaclav Havel. What you can learn about leadership from ten top bosses. (more)
At Intuit, failure is very much an option as long as you learn from it. How a Silicon Valley legend and a GE veteran teamed up to lead a thriving culture of innovation. (more)
Thirty years after he published the "bible of software engineering," Fred Brooks talks about managing teams of people and why projects so often go wrong. (more)
media bubble
Upstart ad agencies bring creative sparkle back to New York. (more)
street life
On Wall Street a fat year means big bonuses. Let the party begin. (more)
value driven
The fight over executive pay obscures bigger boardroom problems. (more)
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