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Joseph Schumpeter once argued, “Creative destruction is the inevitable companion of capitalism.” The late Harvard economist predicted that the rise of giant corporations would lead to an economic collectivism (in his words, “a sober kind of socialism”) and, with it, the demise of the free enterprise system.

Although the bright lights of the big city have not entirely lost their glitter, many companies are finding that rural living can be good for business.

“The United States can't sit around in striped pants drinking pink gin,” the late Sen. Jacob Javits (R‐NY) once warned. “Washington should discard its long‐standing and misguided notion that aiding American business is somehow wrong.” Now, someone in the nation's capital is listening. Believe it or not, it is Vice President Dan Quayle.

The next global battle will be fought over jobs. The planet's population today is just below 6 billion—moving to 8 billion by early in the next century. If each year we add another 95 million people to the earth's total, then each year we need to create an additional 40 million jobs globally. A most unlikely—and dangerous—scenario.

Who can forget Bhopal? The December 1984 catastrophe claimed more than 2,850 lives and left tens of thousands injured. Yet, despite these tragic consequences, Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi withheld his criticism of Union Carbide Co. Instead, he acknowledged the positive contributions of multinational corporations (MNCs) and suggested that their influence would increase, not decrease, in India. Gandhi said, “We would like foreign businesses to help in the goal of building a new, dynamic, and self‐reliant economy.”

Restructuring has become a popular option for streamlining organizations. But has corporate America neglected the drawbacks of downsizing? The author maintains that, in many cases, muscle—as well as fat—is cut in the process.

What ever happened to the borderless economy? That notion, advanced a few years ago by the Japanese strategist Kenichi Ohmae, suggested that space‐age technology would integrate productive factors around the world, rendering national boundaries obsolete.

Today, governments and foreign‐based corporations acknowledge their mutual interests. This is a shocking turnabout for many leaders in business and government. Not long ago, multinationalism was under heavy attack.

China's entry into the economic big leagues is full of obstacles, but with one‐fifth of the world's population now champing at capitalism's bit, the opportunities for strategic‐minded businesses are boundless.

Power is getting a dirty name, or at least a different one. Bookstores are crowded with various exposes hyping the disintegrating, fragmenting, upheaving, exploding, or breaking up of power—politically, economically, geographically, and organizationally. To illustrate: