In this year’s U.S. Top 20 Report, one theme frequently discussed by industry executives was how difficult it is to determine what lies ahead in 2003. The first quarter of 2003 is over, but the outlook remains cloudy. Some companies reported rising sales during the latter portion of 2002 and early 2003, but other companies found that sales were fluctuating on a weekly or monthly basis. There have been many reasons for the lack of a clear economic pattern. In particular, the greatest concern has...