r2i forum

She has been brought to correct the sinking stock prices but a company with so much revenue took so many wrong decisions in a row was appalling to see.

Will she stay with HP for the long run ? Or she re-entered workforce only to correct her image after the CA governor fiasco and will leave if Whitehouse is ocupied by Republicans in 2012 elections?

Can HP's tablet PCs take significant market share from Apple/Samsung/Amazon?

At ~$26, has HP seen all time low or still more downward trend yet to come?

Note: Intention was to discuss Meg Whitman and her role in HP than just discussing stock price, hence here than Stock market pick thread in financial forum.

Thanks for any inputs and thoughts !!

Popular opinion believes that there are superman (superwoman) CEOs out there who can magically fix a dysfunctional company.

Real evidence shows that such a creature does not exist (or at least is very very rare.) Supermen/superwomen CEOs usually fail or only succeed to prop up a sinking ship for a short term.

Real companies are built and fixed in a hard way brick by brick, with contributions from vastly more people than just one hyped up CEO. I suspect HP will rise or fall based on what many more people than Meg Whitman do. If she is any smart (and I believe she is), she will be wise to listen to her team, identify what the promising strategy is and who the real stars are and nuture and motivate them. But that is hard work, not quick-fix.

Samv - I agree with you to an extent but would also like to point out that the CEO is the person taking the decisions that carry the highest risk. He/she will take inputs/advice/data from a large number of people but in the end the CEO takes the call and many times such a call can make or break the company.

For instance, HP has now decided not to spin-off its PC business. Meg owns that decision and the company will direct its enormous resources and invest heavily based on this decision. Meg is yet to decide about the WebOS and the Palm business. She is consulting many, taking advice from many, but again in the end she will need to decide and the decision carries a huge risk.

Rbee - to answer your question - I personally don't think that Meg can "save" HP. The company is in a decline and I doubt it can return to the kind of market leadership that it once had.

Plus the CA race in my opinion diminished her as one hypocritical liar.

VS007;421294Plus the CA race in my opinion diminished her as one hypocritical liar.

That is not a handicap to become CEO :)

rabtag;421375That is not a handicap to become CEO :)

Not to become one, but to effectively govern. CEOs are public face of the company and their personal image matters.

Samv, good post. In general true but I agree with RnR that CEO has highest level of power for disposal of resources as troops will work based on CEO's directive that's why the question whether Meg has still capacity to what is left to resurrect HP.

RBee;421571whether Meg has still capacity to what is left to resurrect HP.

HP had too many missteps, they have been playing catch up game since Mark Hurd left. Most tech leaders have execution plans charted out till next 3-5 years Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, Google, IBM you name any leader. HP is still strugling eith stratergic direction. In this day one only needs to look at Nokia , Research in Motion, Computer Associates, Yahoo to see what lack of vision costs.