| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : MAY 3, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Compaq Hits Another Pothole OCTOBER, 1991 Compaq, beset by low-cost clones, posts first-ever quarterly loss. Board ousts the CEO, founder Rod Canion, and promotes Eckhard Pfeiffer, who ran European operations. SEPTEMBER, 1992 Pfeiffer slashes PC prices by as much as one-half. FEBRUARY, 1994 Pfeiffer crows that Compaq will make all its PCs ''build on order'' by 1996. At the time, Compaq is able to build less than 5% of its machines to order. AUGUST, 1995 Compaq becomes No. 1 in overall PC sales. AUGUST, 1997 Compaq acquires Tandem in a $3 billion deal. JANUARY, 1998 Compaq announces $8.4 billion deal to buy computer maker Digital Equipment. MARCH, 1998 Compaq discloses that it expects first-quarter earnings will be lower than expected. Over the holiday season, Compaq ships too many PCs to resellers, causing inventory levels to swell. The company's stock falls 8%, to 25 7/16. NOVEMBER, 1998 Compaq says ProSignia desktop PCs will be sold only over the company's Web site, causing friction with resellers. MARCH, 1999 With sales lower than expected, Compaq reverses decision to sell ProSignia line exclusively via the Web. APRIL, 1999 Compaq announces that first-quarter earnings will be half what analysts expect. Compaq's stock tanks 20%, falling to 24 1/16. APRIL, 1999 Chairman Rosen boots out Pfeiffer. Rosen, with directors Enloe and Doyle, step in while a search for new CEO is conducted. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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Can Compaq Catch Up? TABLE: What Needs Doing TABLE: Compaq Hits Another Pothole CHART: Compaq's Stock Price A Tough Call, but the Right One Commentary: High-Tech Honchos Needn't Come from High Tech INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online | |||
