Electronic Business articles from August 2002

Electronic Business archives from August 2002

Corporate terrorists. (Editor's Note).(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... Corporate America has accomplished what the Al Qaeda terrorists could not. Immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the Nasdaq index sunk to 1,423. Then, buoyed by investors' patriotism and faith in the U.S. public...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2002... R-E-S-P-E-C-T I have always liked your publication for its clear, crisp, style. It's easy to read and full of meat [and] good information. After reading [the June] Editor's Note ["The Cultured Corporation," page 6], I understand why you...

The laptop as constant companion. (The Chip Advisor).
August 1, 2002... The run times of portable electronic devices are increasing, chiefly due to improvements in battery and power-management technology. The best laptops on the market run for about five hours on a single charge, a big improvement over the two-hour...

Supreme Court mistakenly restricts patents. (On the Law).
August 1, 2002... An obscure, but widely invoked principal of patent law is the "doctrine of equivalents." An accused product can infringe a patent, even if it lacks a required component, if the product has a corresponding component that is "insubstantially...

Production utilization increases, but end-user demand still weak. (Economic Outlook).
August 1, 2002... The long period of weak demand for computers, communications equipment and information-technology equipment of just about all kinds has taken its toll on the semiconductor industry. Capacity utilization rates in the sector reached an all-time...

Same trend, different continent: Venture funding in Europe hits the skids. (Finance).(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... If it's true that misery loves company, then U.S. entrepreneurs should be very satisfied. Mirroring the overall U.S. trend, investment in European venture-backed companies in the first quarter of 2002 fell by roughly one-third from the...

When the VC bucks just aren't there: lack of venture money prompts start-ups to seek other funding sources. (Finance).
August 1, 2002... Money never grew on trees, but during the tech-investment boom, it seemed like it did. Now the free flow of venture capital has all but dried up, so would-be entrepreneurs must seek other sources of funding. In April, San Francisco-based...

Clearance sale: Trying to unload a start-up? Better get real. (Business Trends).
August 1, 2002... Having given up any expectation of going public, many entrepreneurs are hoping their companies get bought for at least a modest return on their investment. If they haven't already closed up shop--as many have--most of these start-ups must first...

Analog assignment: Stanford project-cum-company could revolutionize analog circuit design. (Business Trends).(Barcelona Design's Mar Hershenson)
August 1, 2002... Mar Hershenson was just trying to get her math homework done in 1997 when she wrote a simple program to design an analog amplifier. Little did she realize then that the project would last for years, turning first into her doctoral thesis...

EIA takes political action: Group forming PAC, as result of campaign finance reform law. (Business Trends).(Electronic Industries Alliance )
August 1, 2002... The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) is forming a political action committee (PAC) in an effort to continue contributing money to prohigh-tech candidates after the new campaign finance law goes into effect this fall. The law, which...

Patent ruling reversed: Supreme Court says circuit court went too far. (Business Trends).(Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki vs. Festo)
August 1, 2002... The U.S. Supreme Court 3 has reversed a circuit court ruling that severely limited the scope of infringement claims inventors could make in certain patent suits. The Supreme Court, however, did place some limits on those claims. In a 9-0...

Rambus charged with antitrust activity. (Business Trends).(by Federal Trade Commission)
August 1, 2002... A complaint filed against Rambus Inc. by the Federal Trade Commission adds to the embattled memory-design company's woes, but will have little immediate impact on its ongoing court battle with Infineon Technologies AG. In June, the FTC...

eHR is playing a larger role in corporate communications: but companies must make a business case for additional spending. (Business Trends: Management).(Web-based human resources management services)
August 1, 2002... When George Simon, Broadband Services Inc.'s executive director of human resources and employee development, automated his HR system in 2001, the move was not just for employee convenience. Electronic HR (eHR) was an integral part of BSI's...

Building better boards: bankruptcies and accounting scandals are putting directors on the spot, and may lead to a host of new regulations. (EB 300).
August 1, 2002... Convened this year's annual shareholder meeting on May 22, its first items of business was an unusual 20-minute presentation by Chairman Andy Grove explaining the makeup and responsibilities of the company's 11 members board of directors, on...

Electronic Business. (EB 300).(list) (electronics businesses ranked according to income)
August 1, 2002... THE RANKINGS CALENDAR YEAR 2001 Electronics Rank ...

Fingerprint of failure: Veridicom provides a $33-million lesson in how not to run a start-up company. (Management).
August 1, 2002... Veridicom Inc., a Silicon Valley fabless semiconductor start-up, had everything going for it when it launched in 1997. Its fingerprint recognition technology had been under development for more than a decade. The product, a fingerprint...

China: Factory for the world; China's special economic zones make it easier for U.S. companies to locate in this huge country. (Site Selection).
August 1, 2002... Looking at the glistening high-rise office buildings and Rodeo Drive-style European designer boutiques, it's hard to believe that just 25 just ago Shenzhen was a sleepy fishing village mired in poverty. Today, the only fishnets in Shenzhen are...

Dictating design: can TSMC get the semiconductor industry to play by its rules for 90 nanometer chips? (Chip Fabrication).(Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company)
August 1, 2002... PLAY BY OUR RULES AND REAP THE REWARDS. And, oh by the way, we may choose not to play if you don't go along with our rules. This carrot and stick influence game is being trotted out by the industry's largest semiconductor foundry: Taiwan...

Does your recycler actually recycle? (Commentary).(Industry Trend or Event)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... The U.S. electronics industry has been reeling since the release of the February 25, 2002 report "Exporting Harm: The High Tech Trashing of Asia" by the Basel Action Network. The report detailed the alarming effects exports of e-scrap from the...