ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist®.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style3 { height: 68px; } .MsoNormal {} h1 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style4 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style6 { height: 69px; } h2 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Arial; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style7 { width: 285px; } .style8 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } .style9 { font-size: small; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> &nbsp;<table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr> <td height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style7"> <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140" class="style6"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" class="style6"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#8226; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#8226; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#8226; <a href="teflon.html"> THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#8226; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> REACTIONS</a> &#8226; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td height="2" class="style7"></td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style4">HP&#39;s Mark Hurd Resigns in Disgrace</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curt</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>is<a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b> (310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright August 11, 2010<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="style8">R</span>esigning in disgrace, Hewlett Pakard s 53-year-old CEP Mark Hurd fell hard off the pedestal, falling, once again, for another blond ex-adult movie star, not what you d expect from the Christian Baylor University graduate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While nothing like the blockbuster tales of PGA golf champion Tiger Woods, Hurd s  affair offered far less salacious details and more evidence that people in high places show an Achilles Heel when in comes to their own love life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> I realized there were instance in which I did not live up to the standards and principles of trust, respect and integrity that that I espoused at HP and which have guided me throughout my career, Hurd read a carefully prepared statement August 6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> After a number of discussions with member of the board, I will move aside and the board will search for new leadership, officially resigning his hard-earned post as president and CEO.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Hurd took HP s reins from interim CEO Robert Wayman Sept. 22, 2006, after a tumultuous power struggle a year earlier ousting controversial CEO Carly Fiorina, now the California GOP senate candidate seeking to replace Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hurd was tasked with cleaning up Fiornia  s mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Carly resigned Feb. 10, 2005 under heavy pressure from HP s board after taking the company in the wrong direction, especially the costly boondoggle acquiring Compaq Computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>After taking the reins of HP, Hurd laid off 15,200 workers, showing the kind of ruthless efficiency that won him high marks from the board and shareholders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His resignation Aug. 6, shocked many insiders, since Hurd and former TV-reality star Jodie Fisher deny having an affair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Fisher filed an unspecified sexual harassment claim against Hurd, prompting the HP board to investigate a suspicious business relationship.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>When the HP board discovered unjustified payments to Fisher for  event planning, they voted, on the advice of a  crisis communication expert, to let Hurd go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> As the investigation progressed, I realized there were instance in which I did not live up to the standards, and principles of trust, respect and integrity that I have espoused at HP and which have guided me throughout my career . . . said Hurd, swallowing the medicine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>HP s justification for firing Hurd makes no sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>They ve already discussed a severance package worth nearly $40 million, a golden parachute so extravagant HP s stock actually plunged eight percent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>If Hurd really had a serious ethical lapse or breached his contract, the board would have been far tougher readily paying out his golden parachute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Based on HP and media reports so far, he didn t do anything to warrant his firing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Whatever happened between 50-year-old former adult movie actress Jodie Fisher and Hurd, the sexual harassment claim seems without merit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>HP s board seems more focused on unjustified payouts to Fisher for  event planning services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> The corporation is exceptionally well positioned strategically, said Hurd, attesting to his superb leadership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> HP has an exceptionally talented executive team supported by a dedicated and customer focused work force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>I expect that the company will continue to be successful in the future, said Hurd, in a twist of irony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No board could possibly risk upending a company with strong leadership over what looks like a bogus sexual harassment claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whatever the advice of HP s unknown  PR expert, there s far more damage to the company changing CEOs than dealing with occasional complaints from disgruntled employees.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>HP s revenue for 2010 Q-3 was up 11% from 2009, generating around $30.7 billion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>That kind of performance speaks volumes about Hurd s management skills, not the ease with which HP s board tossed him under the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Whatever Hurd s mistakes, they were small potatoes compared to Fiorina, whose stubborn insistence on the Compaq merger cost the company untold billions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>HP s board could have just as easily stuck with Hurd, without causing unwanted damage to the company s reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since there s no egregious sexual harassment or glaring fiscal impropriety, HP s board showed the kind of knee-jerk response showing too much micromanagement or a hidden agenda.  The board deliberated extensively on this matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>It recognized the considerable value that Mark has contributed to HP over the past five years in establishing us as a leader in the industry, said the board.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>No corporate board has the company s best interests in mind by throwing the baby out with the bathwater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Dumping Hurd doesn t help the company s image or bottom line, long-tainted by Fiorina s blunders and bad decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Corporate boards controlled by former family members or friends of HP s old mom-and-pop operation do more damage to the company s bottom line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Unless there s something unreported with respect to Hurd s on-the-job sexual or business conduct, the board must let upper management deal with unwarranted claims from former employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hurd s departure hurt s HP by showing the kind or arbitrary and capricious decisions made by corporate boards unfamiliar with the company s operations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>If Hurd s actions were really so egregious, HP s board should have never agreed to the extravagant golden parachute that hurt the company s bottom line.</p> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <p class="MsoNormal"> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <span class="style9">About the Author</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="style8">&nbsp; </span>&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;</p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style7"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td height="1" class="style7"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> Homecobolos> p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">©1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"> Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>