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Case Study
chips, cheaper by playing chipmakers AMD and Intel against each other. He has
also developed better relationships with retailers, while Dell has started to suffer
from its lack of a retail distribution system.
It is ironic that while shareholders suffered under Fiorinas reign, she profited
handsomely from her five-year stint at the company. At the time of her dismissal, it
was estimated that she would enjoy a severance package in excess of $20 million.
In addition, Michael Capellas, the former CEO of Compaq, who served as
president of the postmerger HP, received in excess of $15 million when he left,
even though he was only with the combined entity for a relatively short period. The
merger was the most significant action that Fiorina orchestrated at HP and it was a
clear failure. When CEOs receive great rewards for eroding shareholder value,
there are few incentives for them to pursue different strategies. One solution would
be to tie CEO compensation to the achievement of specific targets. If a CEO very
aggressively pushes a major merger in which the success is predicated on the
achievement of certain measurable performance targets, then let the board only
agree if the CEOs compensation and bonuses are also tied to the achievement of
those targets. This should be particularly true for deals that face strong opposition,
as this one did. If the CEO does not agree to performance-based compensation tied
to such major corporate gambles, then maybe the likelihood of these goals being
achieved is questionable.
QUESTIONS
Q1) What were the main reasons behind the merger Of HP and Compaq?