March 1, 2017 / Fortune Asia / Volume 175 / Number 3

SECTION

FEATURES

The Promise and the Peril of the Trump Economy
By SHAWN TULLY
No President has ever put forth such a conflicted mix of free-market and protectionist policies. Will he make American growth great again?
PAGE NO. 30

THE WORLD’S MOST ADMIRED COMPANIES
The List
Which companies are most respected? Some 3,800 executives, analysts, directors, and experts voted- and here are the results.
PAGE NO. 39

THE WORLD’S MOST ADMIRED COMPANIES
Selling Soap and Saving the World
By VIVIENNE WALT
Unilever CEO Paul Polman has remade his company as a model of responsible capitalism. But can the consumer goods powerhouse grow fast enough to prove that his new model works?
46

If I Ran the Circus
By MICHAL LEV-RAM
For 30 years, Cirque du Soleil has thrilled audiences with acrobatic spectacles of split-second precision. Now, a mighty private equity firm is hoping to turn it into a disciplined business. It’s no small juggling act.
54

DEPARTMENTS
FOREWORD
6 The Case for Optimism
The new President has the best chance in a decade to get the economy right.
By ALAN MURRAY

BRIEFING

7 Politics
Corporate chiefs on the whole have been loving the Trump Rally. The one thing that scares them: What comes next?
By TORY NEWMYER

10 Energy
Forget Trump’s assurances of a coal resurgence; solar is where the jobs are.
By ERIKA FRY

11 Virtual Reality
The promised VR revolution isn’t showing up in the sales data.
By JEFF JOHN ROBERTS

12 China
Low-cost Chinese semiconductor makers look poised to stage an industry takeover.
By ROBERT HACKETT

13 Tech
Nintendo bets big on the success of the Switch, its latest videogame console.
By DAVID Z. MORRIS

FOCUS

VENTURE

14 Rocket Boom in the Desert
Space startups are taking off. Could do-it-yourself space travel become a reality?
By JENNIFER ALSEVER

18 American Voices
Meet Marvel’s chief mythmaker, Axel Alonso.
By ROBERT HACKETT

TECH

20 This Studio Has a Special Effect on Movies
Visual effects shop Crafty Apes has worked on a string of Hollywood hits.
By TOM HUDDLESTON JR.

22 Business in the Cloud
Companies are increasingly using technology that helps field workers schedule appointments and save time on repairs.
By HEATHER CLANCY

INVEST

24 A Coffee Stock Loses Its Buzz
Why investors have lost their taste for Starbucks, even though the company is growing faster than most competitors.
By RYAN DEROUSSEAU

26 Beware of Happy Memories
We’re hardwired to believe we can rely on the recent past to predict the future. For investors, that’s a dangerous tendency.
By CHRIS TAYLOR

FORUM

28 Disrupted
Blue chips are pitching a new message to lure hot tech talent: ”We’re sexy too!”
By DAN LYONS

29 A Boom With a View
The hype surrounding artificial intelligence technology may not be a fad.
By ERIN GRIFFITH

BACK PAGE
LAST BYTE
64 Betting on AI
The 100 most promising artificial intelligence startups worldwide.
Text by BRIAN O’KEEFE; graphic by NICOLAS RAPP

ON THE COVER: ILLUSTRATION BY PAUL MARTINEZ FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOE PUGLIESE

[IMAGES]

CIRQUE: MARK PETERSON-REDUX

ｩ Time Inc.