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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gottfried who wrote (37311)	9/19/2000 1:44:34 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

Applied Materials Chairman and CEO James C. Morgan Named To Business Hall of Fame by Bay Area Council Morgan Honored As Business Visionary, Global Citizen and Bay Area Civic Leader SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2000-- James C. Morgan, chairman and chief executive officer of Applied Materials, Inc. has been named to the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame by the Bay Area Council. The award recognizes the extraordinary achievements of individuals and families who have advanced Bay Area-based business to positions of national and international prominence and enrich the civic life of the Bay Area Community. Since 1995, the Bay Area Council has attempted to create a broader appreciation and recognition for extraordinary local individuals and families through its Bay Area Business Hall of Fame. Previous inductees include: Charles Schwab, Walter Shorenstein, the Bechtal, Haas and Kaiser Families, and William R. Hewlett and David Packard. ``These are all individuals and families who have made significant contributions to the Bay Area and its standard of living,'' says Bay Area Council Board Chairman Jay Harris. ``This is a region where the exceptional is expected and viewed as ordinary -- we're trying to put things in a more thoughtful and appreciative perspective.'' Under Morgan's leadership, Applied Materials has become the largest provider of wafer fabrication systems and services for the worldwide semiconductor industry. Morgan's leadership has fostered an entrepreneurial environment for employees. The Company has introduced numerous technological innovations that have revolutionized the way semiconductor chips are manufactured. In the process, Applied Materials has become one of the great global companies of the century and a core holding of the new economy. A pioneer among U.S. business leaders, Morgan saw the enormous potential of the global high-technology market, and established operations outside of the United States beginning in 1976. In addition, Morgan has served on numerous government advisory boards counseling others on ways to strengthen the competitiveness of the U.S. semiconductor industry. In 1996 he received the National Medal of Technology, recognizing his contribution to technological innovation. Morgan is a founder of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, an unprecedented coalition of business, government, education and community leaders joining forces to advance Silicon Valley's economy. Under his leadership Applied Materials has been an active supporter of initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide and improving math and science education for children locally and throughout the United States. Applied Materials has received national recognition under Morgan's leadership, including being named to Fortune Magazine's list of ``50 Best Companies For Minorities,'' and Industry Week's list of ``100 Best Managed Companies.'' Morgan is a member of the board of directors of Cisco Systems, Inc. and serves as a board member of the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute and the National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. He is a member of the Council on Competitiveness and the Chairman's Circle of the Pacific Basin Economic Council. He is director emeritus and past president of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, (SEMI) the first global trade association. Morgan is a past board member of the American Electronics Association and of SEMI/SEMATECH, the association of U.S. equipment companies which supplied advanced systems to the SEMATECH chip-making consortium. He is a member of the World President's Organization, and from 1986-1991 he was co-chairman of the Japan-Western U.S. Association. The World Forum of Silicon Valley named him ``International Citizen of the Year'' in 1995. In addition, he co-authored the book, Cracking the Japanese Market: Strategies for Success in the New Global Economy. Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT - news) is a leader of the Information Age and the world's largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor industry. Applied Materials' web site is appliedmaterials.com.

To: Gottfried who wrote (37311)	9/19/2000 11:00:09 PM
From: William Griffin	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 70976

Wittington tries to explain his reversal. 8) Technology News Tue, 19 Sep 2000, 10:59pm EDT Banc of America's Whittington `Regrets' AMD Cut: Call of Day By Chelsea Emery New York, Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Richard Whittington, a Banc of America Securities analyst, says he ``regretted'' lowering his rating on chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. last week. Intel Corp. gave him the chance to make amends. On Wednesday, Whittington cut AMD and Intel to ``market perform'' from ``strong buy,'' citing lower-than-expected demand for personal computers and Intel's likely inability to meet demand for its chips. The semiconductor analyst said he'd gone too far with his downgrade on AMD, so when industry data showed him Intel was likely to meet customer demand after all, he used the opportunity to upgrade AMD, too. ``I try not to change ratings very precipitously without serious justification,'' he said in an interview. ``I regretted it and used this as an opportunity to raise my rating back'' to ``buy'' from ``market perform.'' It's been about nine years since he's changed his mind in so little time, Whittington said. He said he couldn't give any past examples. Shares plunged after the analyst downgraded Intel and AMD last week. Intel sank 14 percent through yesterday while AMD sank 13 percent. Those declines, plus indications that price fluctuations in DRAM chips may have ended, spurred Whittington to change his rating today. ``It's been only a week, but there are indications that Intel is supporting its customers and that the DRAM market may be stabilizing,'' Whittington said. He wasn't more specific. Still, he said, Intel's decline was the biggest impetus to his ratings change. ``The stocks have gone down, Intel especially, more than I would've expected,'' Whittington said. ``I certainly wouldn't have re-recommended Intel if the price hadn't dropped,'' he said, using the opportunity to raise AMD, too. Big Gains Investors heeded today's report, too. Intel jumped 3.38 to 59.13, its biggest gain since June 19, and Advanced Micro climbed 2.94 to 29.44. The Intel upgrade helped spark the Nasdaq Composite Index's biggest rally since June 2. Whittington's past calls have made money for some investors. Micron Technology Inc. has nearly doubled since he raised his recommendation on shares of the maker of computer-memory chips to ``strong buy'' from ``market perform'' in February. International Rectifier Corp. has more than tripled since he raised his rating to ``strong buy'' from ``buy'' in August 1999. In contrast, Genesis Microchip Inc. has slumped 23 percent since the analyst lowered his rating on the stock in December. Whittington received a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1978. He's followed semiconductors for 13 years for various firms, with a two-year break to manage his own money as a private investor. He joined Banc of America Securities in June 1999. Some investors said Whittington's rapid shift is a sign of a trend in analyst coverage. It indicates ``how the analysis process has become more market sensitive and less research and judgment sensitive,'' said Douglas Altabef, chief investment officer of Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. ``People are more short term in their focus, and we have analysts playing to that reality.'' Whittington, who follows about 30 semiconductor-related companies for Banc of America, said he disagreed. ``I violated my own rule book,'' he said. ``My job is not to induce volatility, but to offer the best advice.''