Top talent has never been more valuable, nor the competition for it more fierce. On these pages, we profile 12 leaders who are one step from superstardom. They're not CEOs yet, but they're on deck--at the biggest companies on the planet. Learn from them. (more)

Sales are soaring, margins are up, and investors are cheering. How Pepsi outmaneuvered Coke by looking beyond the cola wars. (more)

No one has ever brewed biofuel from straw on a commercial scale. With Shell's backing, Iogen is likely to be the first. (more)

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be oilmen. Give 'em biodiesel! That's the refrain of the new troubadour of renewable fuels, Willie Nelson. (more)

Stop dreaming about hydrogen. Ethanol is the answer to the energy dilemma. It's clean and green and runs in today's cars. And in a generation, it could replace gas. (more)

Richard Branson doesn't claim to be an energy guru. But he's bullish on ethanol. And once upon a time, he didn't know much about airlines or records or phones, either. (more)

The country's largest public companies (more)

A sports-centric guy phone offers real-time scores, analysis, even video highlights--and ushers in a new era of specialized handsets. (more)

Hot spots across the country are copying New York and Miami's hyper-expensive "bottle service." Barney Gimbel explains why clubs are clamoring to let you play bartender. (more)

Fujio Mitarai has turned his Japanese camera company into a profit engine. Now his sights are set on flat-screen TV. (more)

Patrick Ricard has turned a family pastis company into a global drinks giant. Now he's going after No. 1. (more)

Fujio Mitarai has turned his camera company into a profit engine. Now his sights are set on flat-screen TV. (more)

You're good. Now get great with these head-hunter-approved strategies. (more)

They're already major players. And they have what it takes to go all the way. (more)

Andrew Wen, 36, Master Replicas, Walnut Creek, Calif. (more)

Move over, Jack Welch. From Apple to Pixar, Steve Jobs is showing why he's the model CEO for the 21st century. (more)

Cebeci, Turkey (more)

One thing's for sure about the Boston Scientific/Johnson & Johnson bidding war: The winner will pay too much. (more)

Why a veteran strategist sees value in names like Dell, Oracle, and Cisco--but not Google. (more)

Technical analysts find gloomy portents in the market's gyrations--and fret about Wall Street's bullish mood. (more)

Warning: Breakthrough technologies can take a very long time to pay off. (more)

Hollywood goes to war over simultaneous release of film and DVD. (more)

Carl Icahn's takeover bid for Time Warner is just heating up. (more)

Grading pundits and prognosticators: More famous = less accurate. (more)