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Technology is leading to rapid, all-encompassing changes in the modern business environment by introducing such a diversity of products that "choice" has become more important than "brand", according to Regis McKenna. He discusses the impact of real-time technology on the way we compete, live, work, learn, and even play.

What will the World Wide Web mean to your business? Scott McNealy answers that the Web levels the playing field, empowering businesses, industries, and "any 12-year-old with a PC" to reach millions of potential customers, listeners, and subscribers. McNealy, the president and CEO of Sun Microsystems, offers a number of startling revelations for business leaders on how to retool their organizations so they're not left with obsolete technology and poorly-equipped employees.

How has Intuit, the financial software application provider, been transformed by the Internet? CEO William Campbell describes Intuit's partnership with the search engine Excite to create the site Quicken.com. Together, the two companies connect with nine million people looking for personal finance information online. Highlights of Campbell's talk include advice on creating an online community, managing and distributing online content, and a look at online revenue models.

As more companies and consumers turn to the Web with their dollars, the success of e-commerce depends upon the creation of a new set of standards. Jay Tenenbaum, Chairman and Chief Scientist of Cngroup, describes tomorrow's Web and how the creation of standardized forms and documents will open up a world of information and services like never before. The Web, he explains, will be rivaled only by itself, and therefore, a business that is not online will soon be nowhere at all.

Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park may be good science fiction, but it's lousy science-in-fiction. Professor Carl Djerassi, who collaborated in producing the first oral contraceptive, talks about the "science-in-fiction" genre and how it differs from its implausible, inaccurate counterpart. Djerassi also discusses his novel, Menachem's Seed, the third volume in his science-in-fiction tetralogy (which includes Cantor's Dilemma, 1989; The Bourbaki Gambit, 1994).

As the relentless pressure of globalization continues to build, what can you do to assure that your organization remains competitive? Barry Sullivan sets the context for what "going global" means and how that differs for products and services. He contends that a shared corporate view of the future supported by keen knowledge of foreign marketplaces offers the best foundation for effective global action. The discussion includes how to create such a shared view and how EDS, his own firm, leverages its resources for global success.

Your company has had 16 years of growth, but now it faces a crisis that threatens to crush the brand, the sales, and the future. What do you do? Last year, this was the situation at Odwalla. Greg Steltenpohl, Odwalla's CEO, recounts the highly publicized public health crisis that caused an initial 90 percent drop in sales, decline in consumer confidence, and intense media and governmental scrutiny. With Steltenpohl guiding the transformation, Odwalla turned itself around and is currently back at 85 percent of pre-recall sales.

Speed - we see its competitive value every day from the rapid product development of Silicon Valley's best, such as Intel, to the nimble responses of a large service firm such as Charles Schwab & Company. Based on 8 years of research, Dr. Christopher Meyer emphasizes creating value through customer-driven resourcing, describes key actions to accelerate innovation and operations growth, and defines the stumbling blocks to increasing speed.

Graham presents her ideas for innovation, public policy, and political environment that support invention and rapid product introduction in healthcare.

In this program, Professor Thomas Z. Lys discusses the characteristics that distinguish deals in which acquiring shareholders benefit from those in which they do not. This analysis is not only important to preserve your shareholders' wealth, but also because there is considerable evidence that bad acquirers make good targets!

All great leaders whose "empires" have lasted beyond their lifetimes have in common some defining strategies, according to business consultant Dr. Keshavan Nair. Great leadership occurs not only in business, but in personal and community settings as well. Using historical references, he explains the concept of Service Leadership and shows how this philosophy can create a climate for success for leaders in any environment.

Whether it be in basketball or in business, the key to building a successful team is to strengthen individual qualities and focus the team on a single goal. Tara VanDerveer, Director and Head Coach of Stanford's women's basketball team, has had a near-perfect record of 224 wins to 33 losses over the past eight years and has led her team to two NCAA championships. In this speech, the candid and engaging storyteller shares the coaching methods that have helped her team triumph, as well as the pitfalls to avoid.

Terry Pearce, whose career includes 17 years with IBM, offers a road map for finding and using your authentic voice, the key to public speaking mastery.

In many cases, unmanaged stress in the organization is the hidden factor undermining personal and organizational effectiveness. Using biomedical research on human intelligence as the framework, Bruce Cryer presents a compelling model for building coherent organizations that are able to leverage the full capacity of human intelligence, adaptability, and innovation. Cryer uses case studies from significant global corporations as he discusses ways to improve personal and organizational effectiveness.