Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: OLDTRADER who wrote (168950)	3/5/2002 3:26:25 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 176387

Poll Finds More Compaq-HP Opposition The Associated Press Mar 5 2002 12:14AM SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - As Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. awaited a report that could help or doom their $22 billion merger, a third independent poll again found widespread opposition to the deal among HP workers. The Field Research Corp., known more for its closely watched polls on political races, said Monday its surveys of 940 HP employees in Fort Collins, Colo.; Boise, Idaho; and Corvallis, Ore., found that 64 percent oppose the deal, while just 28 favor it. The telephone polls had a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points. They were commissioned by merger opponent David W. Packard, the son of one of the company's co-founders, at a cost of $300,000. Packard said he wanted an objective measure of employee sentiment because he doubted the company's findings that 66 percent of workers it surveyed in January liked the deal. Because the Field polls surveyed HP workers in only three cities, they should not be considered representative of HP's worldwide work force of 86,000 people, said E. Deborah Jay, Field's president and chief executive. ``But it definitely calls into question the results of the HP survey,'' she said. ``We keep finding the same result, which suggests there may be more than pockets of opposition.'' HP spokeswoman Judy Radlinsky said the company stands by its January online survey of 420 workers, who were in a variety of business divisions and geographic locations. The methods were verified by International Survey Research LLC. Leo Brajkovich, a global research director for ISR, said the Field polls and the HP survey are not necessarily contradictory. It is quite possible, he said, for two-thirds of a massive company to support something even if two-thirds of the people at three sites oppose it. HP employees who oppose the deal most often told Field that they worried Compaq would not bring enough value to HP and that they lacked confidence in HP management and chief executive Carly Fiorina. Employees who like the deal said it would make HP stronger or more competitive. Employees own just 2 percent of HP, but the main opponent of the Compaq acquisition, dissident director Walter Hewlett, argues that a lack of support among the rank and file would make the complex and risky absorption of Compaq into HP even more difficult. The deal might not even get to that point, however, if it fails to get a blessing Tuesday afternoon from Institutional Shareholder Services, a Rockville, Md.-based proxy advisory firm. ISS's analysts tend to weigh whether proposed mergers violate principles of corporate governance and whether they appear to be bad long-term investments. Some analysts believe that as many as 40 percent of HP shares are held by investors who either will follow ISS's advice or will be in some way influenced by the report. Other analysts put the total much lower. One thing is clear, however: Many investors will have ISS cast their vote for them on March 19. Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi estimates that as many as 12 percent of HP shares will fall into that bloc, including those held by Barclays Global Investors - which owns 3.1 percent of HP stock and is the company's fourth-largest investor. Barclays is putting its votes in ISS's hands because Barclay's chief executive, Patricia Dunn, sits on HP's board. Because Hewlett and Packard family interests with 18 percent of HP stock are already lined up against the deal, many analysts believe that an ISS ruling against the acquisition would make it almost impossible to pull off. A positive report probably would keep the race too close too call. ``It's a very big moment,'' said Paul McGuckin, a vice president and research director at Gartner Inc. If ISS opposes the deal, ``it's going to be very hard to overcome that kind of a decision.'' On the Net: Pro-merger site: votethehpway.com Anti-merger site: votenohpcompaq.com

To: OLDTRADER who wrote (168950)	3/5/2002 8:42:34 AM
From: OLDTRADER	Respond to of 176387

Stockman Scott:It will fail IMO.HWP will rise 2-3 pts.CPQ-will Enronise.How about my market call-Go Blue.