Does this tell anything about the future of HP? Gerry '83 300D '83 240D Hewlett Packard names former SAP boss Apotheker CEO
There had been much speculation that HP's board would replace Mr Hurd, who left in August following a fuss over ethical lapses, with an insider. But in the event it has chosen to put its faith in an outsider from Germany who used to run that country's software behemoth, SAP. Mr Apotheker will face a series of challenges, including the need to rebuild morale inside HP, which has been badly dented by the Hurd fiasco, and to restore faith in "the HP way", a style of management that has long emphasised high ethical standards and collegial behaviour. Although Mr Apotheker's appointment, which will take effect on November 1st, comes as a surprise, it may be a clever choice. That he was fired as SAP's boss after less than a year in office does not have to count against him. It says more about the circumstances under which he took the helm at the company in May 2008. With the recession in full swing, he was forced to cut costs sharply and lay off nearly 4,000 employees. This helps explain why an internal survey conducted shortly before his departure showed that only half of SAP's 50,000 employees still had confidence in its top management, compared with three-quarters a year earlier. Mr Apotheker also did not make himself many friends among SAP's customers, particularly the smaller ones in Germany. He tried to push through some tough decisions, perhaps too aggressively. Above all, he insisted on increasing maintenance fees, which customers have to pay to get upgrades and support on products they have previously bought. The plan was scrapped shortly before he left after months of bitter complaints from customers.....snip http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/10/hewlett_packard_names_former_sap_boss_apotheker_ceo _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
