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QuoteLet's say you were given a year to kill Hewlett-Packard. Here's how you do it:
Fire well-performing CEO Mark Hurd over expense-report irregularities and a juicy sexual-harassment claim that you admit has no merit. Fire four board members, as publicly as possible. Foment a mass exodus of key executives who actually know how to run the giant computer company.
Hire new a CEO from German competitor, SAP, which sells business software, not consumer products. Tell the new CEO, Leo Apotheker, that Mr. Hurd "left H-P in great shape."
Draw public criticism from a major corporate-governance advisory firm, alleging Mr. Apotheker filled board openings with cronies.
Announce plans to maybe sell the PC business. Or maybe spin off PCs as a stand-alone company. Uncertainty will damage the price.
Never mind the years of effort H-P spent -- including a controversial merger with Compaq -- becoming the world's largest PC maker. Never mind that the PC business feeds H-P's more profitable businesses. Dumping it is a beautiful absurdity that one analyst, Jayson Noland of Robert W. Baird & Co., described as "like McDonald's getting out of the hamburger business."
Watch Moody's threaten to downgrade H-P's credit.
Act surprised as H-P's stock plunges more than 40%.
Go to Wall Street and tell long, confusing stories about how you are transforming H-P from a low-margin to a high-margin business.
Didn't realize how much of a clusterfuck HP was in currently. Sucks for my friend that works for Porter Novelli for HP. :horrormirth:
I was hoping this was going to be a thread about helping Voldemort win.
Quote from: Egregore Samsa on September 03, 2011, 04:34:53 AM
I was hoping this was going to be a thread about helping Voldemort win.
:mittens:
Quote from: Egregore Samsa on September 03, 2011, 04:34:53 AM
I was hoping this was going to be a thread about helping Voldemort win.
:mittens:
That's probably a bit late, though.
Quote from: Egregore Samsa on September 03, 2011, 04:34:53 AM
I was hoping this was going to be a thread about helping Voldemort win.
Me too, and then I was dissapoint.
I remember the Compaq merger and the controversy.
Apparently, that went well enough for them, so why suddenly the case of the derps?