Electronic Business articles from October 2002

Electronic Business archives from October 2002

The importance of corporate communications. (Editor's Note).(Editorial)
October 1, 2002... It's mid-September as I write this and the business climate in Silicon Valley is, well frankly, dismal. The upturn that many predicted for this fall isn't materializing. Our president is talking about a war with Iraq. And many bright,...

Letters.
October 1, 2002... CAUTIONARY TALE I very much enjoyed this article ["Fingerprint of failure," August 2002, page 62]. Great job. I can imagine how many interviews this one required. Fascinating reading--it sounded intriguing and then once I started...

The future of smart cars. (The Chip Advisor).
October 1, 2002... I've been thinking a lot recently about automotive electronics--what people often call telematics. As buzzwords go, that one is pretty bland, but the topic isn't. Navigation systems, remote diagnostics and other such features allow automakers...

Audit IP to maximize protection. (On the Law).(protection of Intellectual property)
October 1, 2002... Intellectual property may be "intangible," but there's nothing intangible about the steps that you need to take to maximize your protection. To ensure your company's IP is protected, audit these assets regularly by taking the following...

Clear communication on the Web. (Commentary).(Column)
October 1, 2002... One electronics company leads off the corporate profile on its Web site by saying that it "is a worldwide supplier of semiconductor products that was incorporated in California in 1974 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1997." Sure, that makes...

Behind the component database numbers. (Commentary).
October 1, 2002... "Sixteen million components!" "Twelve million parts." "Virtually every component in existence." These days, companies offering electronic-component databases are making some hefty claims about the size of their technical libraries. Avnet's...

The economic recovery--shaky but still moving slowly ahead. (Analysis).
October 1, 2002... The nation's economic recovery appeared to be in danger of stalling out at mid-year. Consumer spending was still growing at a respectable rate, although more slowly than over the previous two quarters. But capital spending continued to languish...

Bucking the trend: CEO compensation at VC-backed companies grows in '02. (Finance).
October 1, 2002... Even though venture investors have become increasingly tight-fisted with their money, they're still willing to pay a premium for quality management. "The economy isn't that great, but compensation is going up in most cases," says John...

Stock options under fire on a different front: IRS seeks to include options in cost-sharing arrangements. (Finance).
October 1, 2002... While the debate over whether companies should be required to expense stock options rages, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service has proposed new regulations that would require options to be included in the cost-sharing arrangements that many...

No good news. (Business Barometer).(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... By this fall, most managers were hoping for improved business conditions. But this month's survey of purchasing managers reveals a pessimistic view of component sales and customer demand. With additional layoffs occurring at big electronics...

Finding funds: Christmas comes early for later-stage start-ups seeking money. (Business Trends).
October 1, 2002... During one of the worst money-raising environments in years, a few electronics companies recently secured substantial second-round or later-stage venture financing. That they managed this is interesting enough, but what's more useful is how...

Cranking it up: low technology for the high-tech set. (Business Trends).(Freeplay's FreeCharge battery charger)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2002... Hand-cranked appliances went out of fashion more than half-century ago, along with the venerable RCA Victrola phonograph. But now a London-based company Freeplay Energy Group plc has revived the concept and is incorporating it into some...

FCC plays chip makers' tune: digital TV tuner mandate is music to IC companies' ears. (Business Trends).
October 1, 2002... Some chip companies are whistling a happy tune at the market prospects created by an August announcement by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Frustrated with the slow pace of the digital TV rollout, the agency mandated that nearly all...

Off-season priority: test company uses down cycle to improve customer satisfaction. (Business Trends: Management).
October 1, 2002... Many electronics companies take advantage of industry downturns to build new products so they're ready for the next upswing. Credence Systems Corp. did just that during the current dip--and went one better. The Fremont, CA-based automated...

Unfinished business: managing one of the biggest spin-offs in corporate history would be a challenge even in the best of times. But what Agilent's Ned Barnholt got was the worst of times. (Cover Story).
October 1, 2002... In less tumultuous times, Edward "Ned" Barnholt might already be basking in the limelight of the successful 1999 spinout of Palo, Alto, CA-based Agilent Technologies Inc. from former parent company Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP). Indeed, his adroit...

Five habits of highly effective public relations: when times get tough, the tough get strategic. (Corporate Communications).
October 1, 2002... BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND APRIL OF 2002, CEO Jim Morgan of Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, CA, was featured in Newsweek, Time, U.S. News & World Report and USA Today. He didn't even have to restate earnings or declare bankruptcy. How does an...

Getting to know you: companies should spend more time and money finding out who their investors really are and what they want. (Corporate Communications).(investor relations touted by CCBN)
October 1, 2002... WITH INVESTORS UNEASY about both business conditions and the plethora of corporate scandals, investor relations (IR) is becoming more important than ever. The days when JR simply wrote the annual report and quarterly earnings releases,...

Hybrid autos REV up: but will SUV-addicted buyers opt for an environmentally friendly car that saves on gas but commands a premium price? (Automotive Electronics).
October 1, 2002... They're quiet as a golf cart; they're a little funky looking--in that Volkswagen beetle, so-ugly-you-love-'em way--and best of all they consume gas in dainty sips. SUV gas-guzzlers, move your tank-size, parking-space-hogging, girth aside!...

Eternally yours at 8 bits: ubiquitous 8-bit microcontrollers live on in a market that won't die. (Embedded Systems).
October 1, 2002... IT IS SAID THAT the more things change, the more they stay the same. In the world of the 8-bit microcontroller, this truism drives a multi-billion-dollar market. Way back in 1980 Intel Corp., Santa Clara, CA, invented the progenitor of the...

IP reuse and resale. (Commentary).
October 1, 2002... Electronics organizations are beginning to wrestle with an increasingly important challenge; how to take advantage of the intellectual property, such as creations of the mind including software applications or special project-management...

Industrial automation: enters the internet era. (Leadership Series: Special Editorial Section).
October 1, 2002... Rockwell, Emerson, National Instruments and other industrial OEMs are leading the charge tot use Internet-linked microcontrollers. Next--a big shift toward wireless? College students have one less excuse to hide dirty laundry under the...