The BusinessWeek 50 represents our choice of the "best in class" from the 10 economic sectors that make up the S&P 500. These star performers in the class of 2007 are setting the agenda in their industries
This year's list is chock full of companies that are rewriting the rules in their industries. They are the agitators, the pioneers, and the game-changers that are leading the way in the 21st century
CEO Larry Ellison engineered a string of acquisitions that have given a boost to the software giant's revenues. Now he must prove he can manage a bigger, more complex company.
Profits at the artificial joint maker are soaring as aging boomers refuse to be sidelined by wear and tear. Credit a CEO who has galvanized both the sales force and R&D.
It's a lead underwriter of the first U.S. hedge-fund IPO--and has a stake in what could be the largest private-equity deal ever. The house that bonds built has come a long way.
The specialty metals company has seen a dramatic reversal of fortune since 2003, thanks to demand from hot industries such as aerospace, oil and gas, and nuclear power.
A healthy global economy and a boom in commercial sales are helping the world's largest real estate services company thrive as the market grows more complex.
