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Technology Stocks : 3Com Corporation (COMS) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Harold S. Kirby who wrote (30013)	4/24/1999 9:31:00 AM
From: David Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 45548

Harold, my money says the labels on the "quote" key and "shift" key on your keyboard have been worn clean off. <g> Any takers? <g>

To: Harold S. Kirby who wrote (30013)	4/24/1999 12:32:00 PM
From: E_K_S	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 45548

To Thread - Here is some background info on Claflin.... [Jul 15, 1998 ] "...Claflin will report to Eric Benhamou, 3Com's current president, who will remain chairman and CEO. Claflin will run all of 3Com's networking product divisions, as well as other departments, and Benhamou will have responsibility for finance, partnerships, and other areas, including the Palm Computing division..." "...Following a 22-year career at IBM, Claflin took over Digital's PC division and crafted an enterprise-oriented marketing push. At the time of the company's purchase by Compaq, the 46-year-old Claflin was Digital's senior vice president and group executive for worldwide sales and marketing. Observers say he has a reputation for building effective manufacturing and marketing operations..." "...While at IBM, Claflin orchestrated the launch of that company's successful ThinkPad portable PC line. ...The executives said Claflin's systems experience would help 3Com to build on its network interface expertise...." (http://www.idg.net/idg_frames/english/content.cgi?vc=docid_9-65841.html) ==================================================================== From an article titled: CAN THIS MAN REV UP DIGITAL? Marketing whiz Bruce Claflin has to fire up sales--fast (July 14, 1997) "...The youngest of three rough-and-tumble boys from a middle-class family in Radnor, Pa., the former high school fullback concedes: "At one level, I'm afraid. I don't want to fail. But I love the challenge." Claflin began testing himself at an early age. The summer before his senior year at Penn State University, he bought an old pickup and drove West, "just to see whether I was capable of doing things on my own." He landed in Boulder, Colo., where he worked in construction by day and lived in his truck by night. After a few weeks, he moved on, but the truck broke down in Utah, and he hopped freight trains for the rest of the summer, riding the rails back to finish his senior year. After that experience, Claflin says, "I was ready for a paycheck. I never wanted to live like that again."..." (http://www.businessweek.com/1997/28/b353596.htm) ===================================================================== Posted at 9:25 p.m. PDT Wednesday, July 15, 1998 3Com names Claflin president (http://www.sjmercury.com/business/center/3com071698.htm) "...Before moving to Digital to become vice president and general manager of the company's personal computer business unit, Claflin held several positions at IBM. He led product management and brand efforts for IBM's global PC business, and before that was president of IBM PC Company/Americas, covering all manufacturing, distribution, marketing, service and support operations in North, Central and South America. He was also general manager of the company's worldwide mobile computing business, and helped introduce the successful ThinkPad notebook PC..." ====================================================================== Observation: As stated in the first article: ".... Claflin will run all of 3Com's networking product divisions, as well as other departments, and Benhamou will have responsibility for finance, partnerships, and other areas, including the Palm Computing division..." ...shows that 3COMS has already separated the working divisions and management responsibilities between Benhamou and Claflin. The logical next step is to sell the Palm Computing division, it's technology and have Benhamou step aside. Although it has been almost a year since Claflin joined 3Coms, there are no significant changes in the network product divisions he is now responsible for. In fact the troubles continue to get worse as a result of their marketing plan (of selling edge products) and competition from CSCO and others heat up. IMO, 3COM will have to restructure by selling some of their non-performing or non-strategic assets and use these proceeds to enhance and broaden their core technologies and re-focus their longer term business plan. The key for 3COM's board will be to develop an overall business strategy for the next five years, hire the key management to methodically implement this strategy and detail this plan (and results) to Wall Street on an on-going basis. It's not clear to this investor if Claflin is the right guy, but what ever change is made, it must be made clear to the new CEO (and middle management) that these changes will result in a much stronger and more profitable 3COM. The corporate culture needs to be re-energized and adopt a "new" entrepreneurial sprit for these upcoming changes. EKS

To: Harold S. Kirby who wrote (30013)	4/24/1999 12:34:00 PM
From: LABMAN	Respond to of 45548

3 COM ANNOUNCED 10MM SHARE BUYBACK ON MARCH 23 3Com® Announces Stock Repurchase Program SANTA CLARA, Calif. - March 23, 1999 — 3Com Corporation, a global networking leader, today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 10 million shares of the company's common stock. Such purchases would be made in the open market from time to time and would, in part, offset the issuance of shares for employee stock plans. This brings the total number of remaining shares authorized for repurchase to 12 million. The amount and timing of shares to be purchased will be based on several factors, including the price of the company's stock, the level of stock issuances under the company's employee stock plans and market conditions. There is no set time limit on the repurchases and except for reissuances in connection with employee stock programs, there are no other specific plans for shares that might be purchased. About 3Com Corporation With more than 200 million customers worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people to information in more ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers innovative information access products and network system solutions to large, medium and small enterprises; carriers and network service providers; PC OEMs; and consumers. 3Com - More connected.™ For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox. 3Com is a registered trademark and More connected is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. News/Events \| Partners \| Technology \| Markets \| Products \| Support \| Inside 3Com Home \| Log In \| Search \| Feedback \| Site Map \| Site Features \| Document Center \| Shop \| Legal Copyright © 1999 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. LM

To: Harold S. Kirby who wrote (30013)	4/24/1999 4:05:00 PM
From: Doug	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 45548

Harold: Thx. An accumulate; Hold is appropriate. However I would modify that as follows assuming one holds 1000 shares. For every +ve in excess of $1. normal vol ; sell 100 and every -ve on decrease greater than $1 on normal vol buy 100. For every +ve tick in excess of $2.50 ; sell 300 and every -ve on decrease of $2.50 buy 300. Perhaps someone with some programming skills & a COMS historical data download , could check the difference in return between a Buy HOLD and SELL for the last cycle from low to high and an optimization strategy as detailed above. Good luck.!