Vault Guide to Top Tech Employers (2009)

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VAULT GUIDE TO THE

TOP TECHEMPLOYERSEDITED BY AMAN SINGH DAS

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AcknowledgmentsWe are extremely grateful to Vault’s entire staff for all their help in the editorial,production and marketing processes. Vault also would like to acknowledge thesupport of our investors, clients, employees, family and friends. Thank you!

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 1

Working in the Industry 3

Recommended Resources 5

EMPLOYER PROFILES 73Com Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Adaptec Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Adobe Systems Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Advanced Micro Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Affiliated Computer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Agilent Technologies Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Akamai Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Alcatel-Lucent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Alliance Data Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Altera Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Analog Devices Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Appian Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Apple Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Applied Materials, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

ASML Holding N.V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Atmel Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

Attachmate Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Autodesk, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Benchmark Electronics, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Black Box Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

BMC Software, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Borland Software Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

CA, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

CACI International, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

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Canon Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Cirrus Logic, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147

Cisco Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Compuware Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Comverse Technology, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Dell Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

Diebold, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

DRS Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

EMC Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188

Epicor Software Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

Fiserv, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202

Fujitsu Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Garmin International, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

General Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214

Harman International Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218

Harris Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

Hewlett-Packard Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

Hitachi Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

IKON Office Solutions Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244

Ingram Micro Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Integral Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255

Intel Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259

Intermec, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

International Business Machines Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268

Intuit Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

Jabil Circuit, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280

KLA-Tencor Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .283

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career message boards, expert resume reviews, the Vault Job Board and more. ix

Kofax plc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287

Lam Research Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292

Lenovo Group Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296

Lexmark International, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301

LSI Logic Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306

ManTech International Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314

McAfee Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317

MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321

Metier, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325

Micron Technology Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328

Microsoft Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333

National Semiconductor Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345

NCR Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349

Network Appliance Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353

Novell Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .357

NVIDIA Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .361

ON Semiconductor Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

Oracle Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368

Palm Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .374

QLogic Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .379

QUALCOMM Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383

Red Hat, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389

Research in Motion Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .393

Ricoh Company Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .399

Sage Group plc, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .402

Samsung Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .406

SanDisk Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .411

Sanmina-SCI Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .415

SAP Aktiengesellschaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418

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SAS Institute Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .422

ScanSource Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .426

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .430

Seagate Technology L.L.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .434

STMicroelectronics N.V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .439

Stratus Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .443

Sun Microsystems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .447

Sybase Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453

Symantec Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457

Synnex Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .461

Tech Data Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .464

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467

Teradyne Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .472

Texas Instruments Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476

Total Systems Services, Inc. (TSYS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .481

Trimble Navigation Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .486

Unisys Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .490

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .494

VeriSign Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .498

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502

Vmware, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .506

Western Digital Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .511

Xerox Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .514

Zoom Technologies Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .522

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IntroductionInformation technology is the professional field that creates and maintains thecomputers and related systems that keep modern society interconnected andcomfortable. Commonly known as IT, technology affects all aspects of modern life,from ordinary email to the maintenance of nuclear defense systems. Contrary to thestereotype, the industry isn’t just for pasty-skinned nerds, but has room for a widerange of personality types. Historically, salaries have been generous and thepossibility of making a mint in stock options has emerged as an especially deliciousbonus for those brave enough to sign on with an unproven startup operation.

Dipping in the current recession

But technology is no longer an easy ride to—if not fame and fortune—a verycomfortable career. The technology market in the United States has suffered majorvicissitudes over the past two decades. For instance, the industry foundered after thedot-com bust and lost approximately 400,000 jobs between 2001 and April 2004,according to a report sponsored by the Ford Foundation. Still smarting from the bust,many tech companies were running lean and mean before the economic downturnof 2008, and the industry is faring better than others; according to a Bureau of LaborStatistics survey released in March 2009; the sector’s unemployment level is about5.4 percent, as opposed to over 7 percent in 2001. However, some industry watcherspoint to the acceleration of job cuts in the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of2009 as an indicator that the tech sector may not be a safe haven for long.

No other field like IT for intellectual fulfillment

Despite these swings in fortune, few other career paths can offer what technology jobsoffer—meritocracy, high salaries, teamwork and intellectual fulfillment. For logicians,machinery-lovers and people-people alike, technology careers continue to beattractive. And while the field may suffer fluctuations, those willing to refresh theirskill set find themselves continually employable.

Chip-ing away

Although the tech industry is doing better than most industries during this gloom anddoom recession, there are certainly some sectors, like the microchip industry, that arestruggling to hold its own. Microchips are up there with the wheel and domesticatedanimals in terms of human inventions that have had a dramatic effect on history. Themicrochip as we know it—which consists of multiple circuits embedded in a semi-conductive substrate—was invented by Jack Kilby, an employee of TexasInstruments, in 1958. The first semiconductors, which only had a handful of circuits,were initially used in highly-funded government projects, like the Apollo Moon missionand in the guidance systems for Minuteman missiles. As the production of chipsbecame less expensive, they began their inexorable move into the realm of consumergoods during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Unlike those first microchips, which

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combined tens of circuits on a single chip, microchips produced today can havebillions of circuits in an area that can fit on a fingertip.

The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical, prone to vertiginous highs andastonishing lows, and right now it’s at a low. The volatile industry is partly due to thehigh cost of entry; a fab or foundry, a plant where microchips are made, can takeseveral years—not to mention $2 billion and change—to build. As the price of chipsrises, more fabs are built; as they add their capacity to the marketplace, the price ofchips falls. This has already happened several times over the course of the industry’shistory, notably in the 1980s, when Japanese manufacturers flooded the marketplacewith inexpensive chips. The market reached a high in 1999—in time to fuel the techboom—and again in 2004, in order to power the recovery from the tech bust.

Now, Chief Information Officer of Applied Materials Ron Kifer is calling current times“the worst semiconductor downturn in history.” Kifer is experiencing these toughyears first hand. In May 2009, the semiconductor manufacturer posted a $133million dollar loss for the first quarter and stated that its new orders fell over 64percent—one of the company’s worst quarters in its 42-year history. Other chip-making companies aren’t faring well either; Cirrus Logic’s revenue dropped 25percent, while rival Amtel downsized five percent of its staff.

Other tech sectors hit hard as well

The recession is hitting other technology sectors hard, too. Projects in the solar powerindustry have dried up and with that has revenue for solar technology companies likeSunPower Corporation and MEMC Electronic Materials Incorporated. Even headhoncho Microsoft hasn’t been safe from the recession. By the end of 2010, thecorporation will lay off a total of 5,000 workers although the company says it will alsocreate up to 3,000 new jobs. As of late May 2009, more than 330,000 employees inthe tech industry have been pink slipped.

“Creeping” Up

But there is still some good news. While the chips may be down—literally—others are“creeping” up with gizmos that call, play, direct, email and network all at once. ManyAmericans, one out of five to be exact, are ditching their land-line connections for asmarter type of phone, and lucky for them, the overwhelming trend in the techindustry is to add more features to products. The scheme is a surefire crowd-pleaser:feature-laden gadgets attract customers and sell at a premium, and adding a chipthat turns a cell phone into a music player doesn’t contribute much to itsmanufacturing cost. This process, known as feature creep, has a downside, however.Consumers only spend about 20 minutes on average fussing around with a newproduct—and if they can’t figure out all the bells and whistles in that period of time,they’re unlikely to return to it. It may be easy and cheap to add more features, but it’s


Introduction

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extremely difficult to design an elegant, easy-to-use interface for the device, insteadof just adding more menus and buttons.

The smartphones battle

Two smartphones are clearly gaining the most in sales—Research in Motion’sBlackBerry and Apple’s iPhone. While the battle of the applications may still be goingstrong, BlackBerry has the slight upper hand selling around 3 million units more thanthe iPhone.

Another tech product on the rise is the netbook. These mini laptops are primarilyused for simple tasks like word processing and email. If you don’t need fancyfeatures netbooks can be a dirt cheap alternative to a laptop. Starting as low as $300,netbooks are tiny, ultra-lightweight and are expected to account for 10 percent ofcomputer sales by the end of 2009.

WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY

As befits such a large and diverse industry, there are a variety of jobs to please alltypes—not just shaggy guys with 1970s eyewear who think it’s perfectly reasonableto wear socks with sandals. Career options include semiconductor design andmanufacture, programmers, systems designers, data storage experts and, of course,those much-maligned IT guys, who are a feature of nearly every sizeable business.The tech industry has added almost 400,000 jobs in the last four years and all thoughsome companies might be suffering, people like Bill Gates believe the tech sector willbe the liberator of the recession.

Prepare for odd questions

Some companies in the tech industry—notably Google—are notorious for theiroddball interviewing tactics. Google actively seeks out techy types that have alsowritten books or started their own companies, and has been known to recruit peopleby putting brainteasers on billboards. Not every company in the industry uses suchoff-the-wall strategies, however. Insiders report that interviews usually have severalrounds—sometimes as many as three phone screens before a face-to-face interview.Interviews for jobs that require specific skills—like programming expertise—generallyhave a technical component where the job seeker must demonstrate his skills.Common interview questions of the non-brainteaser sort include the standardbehavioral questions—“stories about leadership, teamwork, dealing with ambiguity,multi-tasking, project management, conflict management,” according to one sourceat a major hardware company.


Introduction


career message boards, expert resume reviews, the Vault Job Board and more. 3

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Getting your foot in the door

Tech companies frequently hire interns for the summer and during the school year.The competition for the top candidates is heating up as the number of computerscience majors rose in 2008 for the first time is six years. In addition to the cachet ofa big-ticket name on the student’s resume, interns are showered with perks as if thetech bubble never burst. Google interns get free nosh—morning, noon and night—at the company’s renowned café, Microsoft interns can get free housing andtransportation to and from work, and Apple interns get a basic medical plan. Thereare also internship opportunities in the field for electrical and mechanical engineersand IT divisions are frequently in need of younger helpers to patiently teachexecutives how to send meeting requests in Outlook.

Not moving out, but moving up

Many workers in the tech industry are understandably worried about their jobsmoving overseas. An Indian programmer is happy to work for a fraction of the costof a programmer in Silicon Valley, for instance, and does the same work in about thesame period of time. Although these jobs are moving overseas, Americans aremoving into positions that can only be done face-to-face— like sales or consulting.IBM will cut around 10,000 jobs in 2009, with many positions outsourced to countrieslike India. But, in the next few years, the company plans to hire 4,000 new employeesin divisions like consulting. Other companies like Microsoft, AT&T and Boeing arefiring but hiring in other growing areas like Internet and software engineeringdivisions. To stay ahead of the outsourcing wave, employees should be flexible andkeep their skills up-to-date.


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RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Technology organizations

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)—www.acm.org

Association of Shareware Professionals—www.asp-shareware.org

Association for Women in Computing—www.awc-hq.org

Computer & Communications Industry Association—www.ccianet.org

Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)—www.comptia.org

Information Technology Association of America—www.itaa.org

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)—www.ieee.org

Usenix Association (Unix user group)—www.usenix.org

Product reviews

DriverGuide.com

EnGadget.com

Gizmodo.com

Nuts & Volts (magazine)

PC Mag (magazine)

PC World (magazine)

News and trends

CNET (www.cnet.com and www.news.com)

Computerworld (magazine)

eWeek (magazine)

Information Week (magazine)

Network World (magazine)

The New York Times (Thursday “Circuits” section)

SiliconValley.com

Slashdot.org (news about open-source)

Wired (magazine)


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EMPLOYER

PROFILESVault Guide to the Top Tech Employers, 2010 Edition

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3COM CORPORATION

350 Campus Drive

Marlborough, MA 01752-3064

Phone: (508) 323-5000

Fax: (508) 323-1111

www.3com.com

LOCATIONS

Marlborough, MA (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX • Houston, TX •

Los Angeles, CA • Miami, FL • New York,

NY • Reading, MA • Reston, VA • Rolling

Meadows, IL • San Jose, CA • St. Louis,

MO • Westminster, CO

Alajuela, Costa Rica • Amsterdam

Athens • Bangalore •Bangkok • Barcelona

Beijing • Bogota • Brisbane • Bryanston, •

South Africa • Budapest • Buenos Aires •

Cairo • Casablanca • Cologno Monzese, •

Italy • Courtaboeuf, France • Dubai • Dublin

Hangzhou, China • Hertfordshire, England •

Istanbul • Jakarta • Leonberg, Germany •

Lisbon • Ljubljana, Slovenia • Lod, Israel •

Maarssen, The Netherlands • Madrid •

Mexico City • Moscow • Mumbai • Munich •

New Delhi • North Sydney, Australia •

Oakville, Canada • Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Prague • Rome • Santiago, Chile • São

Paulo • Seoul • Singapore • Skovlunde, •

Denmark • Sofia, Bulgaria • Solna, Sweden

Southgate, Australia • Taikoo Shing, Hong

Kong • Taipei • Warsaw • Wellington •

Vienna • Zurich

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative • Business Development •

Engineering • Executive • Finance • Human

Resources • Information Technology • Legal

Marketing • Professional Services • Sales •

Supply Chain

THE STATS

Employer Type: Public Company

Stock Symbol: COMS

Stock Exchange: Nasdaq

Chairman: Eric A. Benhamou

President & COO: Ron Sege

CEO: Robert Y. L. Mao

2008 Employees: 6,103

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,294.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): -228.8

KEY COMPETITORS

Alcatel Lucent

Cisco Systems, Inc.

NETGEAR, Inc.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.pcrecruiter.net/pcrbin/regmenu.exe?uid

=odbc.3com

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THE SCOOP

Enterprise outfitter

3Com Corporation is a global converged-network infrastructure supplier whose stableof products includes just about everything any corporation needs to build a network.In addition to computer hardware, such as routers, switches and hubs, it also sellsthe wires, cables and jacks required to deliver a network inside an office building.And for companies looking to free themselves from all of that wiring, 3Com offers anarray of wireless networking products based on the popular Wi-Fi and Bluetoothprotocols. Additional gear offered by the company includes hardware firewalls,redundant power supply systems and equipment to allow Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) telephony. The company also offers network management software and ITconsulting services.

Networking (pre)history

3Com boasts an illustrious past, having been founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfehimself, co-inventor of the Ethernet—the ancestor of modern local area networks, orLANs. Metcalfe even conceived the 3Com name with the goals of the Ethernet inmind—it is derived from the words “computer,” “communication” and“compatibility.” 3Com introduced its first product, a PC network interface card calledEtherLink, in 1982. In 1983, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IIEE) chose Ethernet as its international networking standard and the technologyultimately went on to beat out rival networking protocols, such as IBM’s Token Ring.3Com then capitalized on rising PC sales and established itself as one of the earlyleaders in network interface cards (NICs). By 1984, the company had gone public.

3Com grows up

In the late 1980s, 3Com branched out from NICs (which very quickly became low-margin commodities) into more sophisticated networking infrastructure equipment,such as routers, hubs and switches. This expansion was aided by a series ofacquisitions that began in 1987. Like many networking companies, 3Com struggledto cope with the sluggish aftermath of the millennial tech bubble bursting—in fact, ithas been losing money since 2000. Deep cutbacks in corporate IT spending sharplycurtailed the company’s revenue, and 3Com started cutting jobs at an astonishingrate in 2001. The company changed its direction and strategy several times, re-entering the high-end corporate networking market in 2003 (reversing an earlierdecision in 2000 to abandon it) through a partnership with Huawei Technologies ofChina. At the same time, 3Com discontinued its consumer-oriented product lines,opting instead to focus solely on the enterprise market. It also moved itsheadquarters from its longtime home in Silicon Valley to the Boston-metro area,where the bulk of its enterprise networking business is now based.


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Toward the end of 2004, 3Com announced that it was acquiring TippingPoint in aneffort to beef up its VoIP security holdings and compete with Cisco. TippingPoint’sspecialty is intrusion prevention systems (IPS), a technology it invented in 2002. Thefirm’s products include automatic VoIP and peer-to-peer protection, made forcorporations (3Com’s core customer base), service providers, government agenciesand educational clients. The $430 million cash buyout made TippingPoint a divisionof 3Com once the acquisition was completed early the next year.

3Com reaped huge rewards from H-3C, its partnership with the Chinese firm HuaweiTechnologies; it purchased Huawei’s 49 percent of the venture in November 2006 bybeating out several would-be buyers, including Texas Pacific Group and Bain Capital.After the $882 million buyout was completed, the computing firm got total ownershipof H-3C, its R&D facilities and its profits. 3Com’s profitless streak came to an end in2006, with the incorporation of H-3C networking and security product profits into theend of 3Com’s fiscal year. The firm’s revenue rose by 22 percent over 2005, to $795million, and it earned $8 million in profit. When 3Com released its fiscal 2007 results,they were good: $1.2 billion in sales, and a further rise in profit, to $38 million. 3Comgained new ownership in September 2007 when Bain Capital purchased a majoritystake. At the end of its fiscal year 2008 (ending May 30, 2008), 3Com reported $1.3billion in annual revenue.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Just a slight revenue decrease in a crisis year!

3Com reports profits for the fiscal 2009 third quarter ending February 27, 2009 of$324.7 million, a slight 3.5 percent decrease compared to revenue of $336.4million in the corresponding period in fiscal 2008. Net income for the quarter was$1.9 million, compared with a net loss of $7.8 million in the same period theprevious year. “I am very pleased with 3Com’s performance in the quarter,especially given the current economic conditions,” says Bob Mao, 3Com’s CEO.“Our China business remained strong in the quarter. Our TippingPoint segmentachieved record revenue. The strength in these two segments, combined withstringent cost management, allowed us to offset weakness in other geographiesand deliver substantially higher year-over-year profit,” adds Mao.

• January 2009: Kessler for TippingPoint

Bringing more than 20 years of senior management experience runningentrepreneurial startups as well as larger successful organizations, Alan Kesslerjoined 3Com as TippingPoint’s new president, reporting directly to 3Com Presidentand COO Ron Sege.

• October to December 2008: New executives to bring in the cash

3Com announces several executive appointments in line with the company’sgrowth and profitability targets. David H.Y. Ho, former chairman of the Greater


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China Region for Nokia Siemens Networks, was brought in as an independentdirector in December. Gene Skayne joined the company as vice president offinance and corporate treasurer in October. In September, Kathleen Cole, formerchief executive officer of Worldport Communications, Inc. was also appointed asanother independent director.

• September 2008: 3Com’s Euro tour

Swisscom, Switzerland’s leading telecommunications company, announced that it ischanging to a completely 3Com network over a period of four years. The project hasmoved Swisscom from ATM to Ethernet technology, and reduced the complexity ofits network management. 3Com solutions and products, based on industrystandards, were developed and tested with Swisscom during an 18-month pilotphase. Meanwhile, 3Com also announced that France-based Adecco, a globalleader in HR services, has chosen 3Com solutions to renew its LAN infrastructure.

• July 2008: 3Com’s Olympic participation

As a leading internet architecture solution innovator based in China, 3Com’s H3CTechnologies actively gets involved in a number of major networking infrastructureprojects going on in Beijing, the venue for the 2008 Olympic Games. H-3C is theprincipal technology partner of choice on several Olympic-related projects,including the “Good Luck Beijing” pre-event in Hong Kong, the Beijing publictransportation surveillance system upgrading, the new terminal building’s networkfor Beijing International Airport and Sohu.com’s video-on-demand-service portal.

• June 2008: Super-3Com answers the call of the small

3Com released secure mobility solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses(SMB) and enterprises. The new products range from Power over Ethernet (PoE)access points to routers and adapters, enabling business people to work andcommunicate more efficiently and productively on a wireless network than everbefore. One of the new products is the 3Com® AP3950, a centrally controlleddual-radio PoE enterprise access point providing simultaneous 11n performancein the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. It works with 3Com’s existing Wireless MobilitySystem controllers and switches. Customers with 3Com maintenance servicecontracts received a free 11n software update on each covered product. Anotherrelease is the 3Com AirConnect® 9550, a dual-radio PoE access point for SMBsthat provides simultaneous operation in 2.4GHz and 5GHz 11n bands.

• May 2008: 3Com’s X-Family unified security platform fathers a worthy anti-spampartner

3Com licensed Commtouch’s GlobalView™ mail reputation service as the 3Com®

anti-spam filter service for its 3Com unified security platforms. With the additionof the Commtouch anti-spam capability to the X-Family unified security platform,not only will 3Com customers secure their networks from internal and externalattacks, they will effectively be able to eliminate 80 percent or more of the junkemail they receive.


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• April 2008: 3Com scores over Realtek

A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California awards 3Com$45.3 million for past patent infringement by Realtek Semiconductor Corporation(TSE: 2379). 3Com’s successful lawsuit against Realtek involves several claims infour patents. The four patents relate to 3Com’s pioneering network interfacetechnology, particularly its parallel processing technology, which improves thetransfer of data between a host (such as a personal computer) and a network.

GETTING HIRED

Network at 3Com

The last massive layoffs at 3Com happened in 2001. Though the company maycontinue to make workforce cuts here or there in its wide network, jobs are alwaysavailable—for the right candidate.

Listings may be found on the company’s careers website at www.3Com.com/careersor at www.pcrecruiter.net/pcrbin/regmenu.exe?uid=odbc.3com. Applicants can jobhunt by creating a login, and searching by keyword, location and job type.Administrative, business development, chief technology office, engineering,executive, finance, HR, IT, legal, marketing, professional services, sales and supplychain positions are offered.

In addition to full-time posts, 3Com offers internship positions to both undergraduateand MBA students. Interns work on specific projects that match their academicspecialty with one of 3Com’s business needs. Contact information for studentsinterested in either internship or full-time, entry-level positions is posted at thecompany’s website. If 3Com is interested in an interview, a company representativewill contact each applicant within 10 days of his or her resume submission.

Benefits still tops

3Com has instituted a pay-for-performance compensation model that aims tocompensate all of its employees fairly according to their contributions to thecompany’s success. It offers performance-based incentives consisting of either cashor equity to reward outstanding results. In addition, 3Com employees also have twiceyearly salary reviews to ensure that pay levels are both internally equitable andcompetitive with what other companies are offering.

Present plans guarantee basic financial protection against unplanned expenses dueto illness, death or disability. 3Com does not discriminate between groups ofindividuals, and the company provides individual choice and selection in meetingspecific needs. That is to say, 3Com’s benefits program includes health plans, paidtime off, income protection and retirement plans including a 401(k) with an employer-


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matching contribution, all tailored to the needs of the location in which the employeelives and works.

The company’s stock purchase and other equity-sharing plan is an added way that3Com attempts to give its staffers a stake in the success of the business. All newemployees receive a grant of company stock upon their hiring, and workers maypurchase additional shares for 85 percent of their market value. The company’sstandard benefits package includes a choice of health plans, life, disability and dentalinsurance, matching contributions to retirement savings accounts, and access toprofessional financial planning advice. Other perks enjoyed by 3Com employeesinclude on-site fitness centers in certain locations and tuition reimbursement.

Workforce diversity

3Com talks about a diverse workforce on its website. With an international workforce,3Com emphasizes on its equal employment opportunities and affirmative action.Since it is a federal contractor, 3Com takes its personnel decisions very seriously andstates on its website that “all 3Com personnel decisions are made on the basis ofmerit, skill and ability, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin,ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status,sexual orientation or any other classification protected under applicable law. 3Com’sAffirmative Action Plans support the employment, development and promotion ofqualified women, minorities, disabled Veterans and Vietnam-Era Veterans.”

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Becoming a part of the team

The interview process with 3Com is usually comprised of several rounds, involvingmeetings with both managers and potential colleagues in groups of four to six,insiders tell us. Dpending upon the position, interviews usually last two to threehours. Although one insider says that while “some managers like to use brainteasersor riddles,” this practice seems uncommon.

Be ready for technical questions, though, even if you’re not an engineer. “As atechnology company, we are very concerned with having people who are technology-literate even in nontechnology positions, says one manager. “That does not meanthat an individual needs to have a strong technical background, simply technologyand possibly industry awareness.” Another insider adds, “Some of the [interviewers]are pretty technical, whereas others try to get a feel of your attitude more than currenttechnical ability. I believe that the ability to learn new things is more important thanwhat you already know.” “3Com really likes engineers,” says one former marketingMBA intern. “Know your technical stuff before interviewing.” And don’t try to fake it.Says one contact, “I’ve seen some people lie about their technical skills, they put


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something on the resume and when asked, they couldn’t back it up. Managers reallydrill on that.” And, adds one product manager, “learn about the product before youinterview. A little knowledge goes a long way.”

Insiders also stress that when it comes to personal traits, the company valuesteamwork highly. “There are two aspects they look at: how you deal with yourself(motivation and enthusiasm), and your interpersonal skills working in a group,” saysone. “Be sure to have examples of each, especially the working in a group part. Thebig companies usually look for team players.” Says one techie, “They mainly askedme about past jobs and experiences, different systems I have knowledge of, andabout working in a group atmosphere.” Sources tell us that 3Com is good aboutmaking employment decisions soon—interviewees usually hear in a week or so.

Uneven culture

Many surveyed note that 3Com’s company culture is difficult to define in large partbecause it has grown through acquisitions, not organically. “The acquired companyis turned into a division and tends to keep their pre-acquisition culture,” explains onerespondent.

However, 3Com’s work environment is marked by communication and teamwork.“3Com has tried to minimize the class divisions of more traditional companies.Everyone in the company, including the VPs and the CEO, has cubicles,” says onecontact. “They want to reinforce an open-door policy for all employees.Understandably, the executives’ cubicles are larger, but still without a door.” “Theenvironment is very friendly with a hearty teamwork-driven flavor,” says one contact.“Corporate culture is very open all the way to the top. I have had personalconversations with our COO and CEO about things affecting my ability to manage well,and when I was an individual contributor.” Says another, “Open communication is avery important part of our culture.” “The culture is very open and honest, andexhibits great team effort,” reports yet another insider. “The people here tend to besmart, open and happy,” says one contact at the company’s headquarters. “Friendly,fun, hardworking, real people,” sums up a Boston-based colleague.

The absence of hierarchy, which one contact describes as “fraternalistic rather thanpaternalistic,” does have its drawbacks: “You need to fend for yourself, but you willbe supported in what you are trying to do, rather than having your managerresponsible for steering your career,” says one respondent. “It is a hard-driving place,so anyone coming here should be ready to hit the ground running, and running hardand fast,” says another. “It’s a big company,” says a source. “That means you don’twork in a small, family-like environment. But you may feel a little more securecompared to small startups. Companies this size don’t go away easy.”

Says one insider of his tenure with 3Com, which spans more than a decade, “This[length of employment] is somewhat unheard-of for high tech, but 3Com is acompany that works hard to retain its employees.” However, a newer contact reports


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something of a disheartening hierarchy between old-timers and recent hires: “It ishard for the newcomers to connect at times with the inner circle that has been aroundfor a while. There seems to be some favoritism along that line, but a meritocracyreally reigns as the overall guiding principle.” Adds a colleague, “This industry has ahigher-than-normal turnover rate due to the constant opportunities at neighboringcompanies, so every employee is seen as a valued resource.”

While sources say there is “no special treatment for women or minorities, it does notmean that 3Com looks like a male WASP club. There is a great deal of diversity withinthe workforce.” “The women here seem to be very respected, employees andmanagers alike,” says one respondent. “I’ve seen representation of women in goodnumbers at all levels.” “I felt very welcome here since day one,” says one minoritycontact. “I do know many females who held high positions within our company. Myold manager was a female and the current director of my new job is also female.”Adds another, “There is a wide variety of cultures here, and, being a white male, I’malmost a minority around here.” “This is definitely a multicultural company,” saysanother. “You are quite likely to end up working with people with differentnationalities and cultures.”

Part of the reason employees may stay at 3Com is that they get to spend a lot of timeaway from the company. Every four years, staffers get an extra one-month paid“sabbatical,” which insiders say is “mandated.” This is in addition to an alreadywhopping vacation schedule that includes a “companywide shutdown betweenChristmas and New Year’s.” To encourage time off, 3Com “doesn’t let employeesaccrue more than 120 hours. If you earn more you lose it because you don’t takewhat you’ve got.”

While they’re there, 3Com employees often work quite hard. One contact says, “Youwill need to consistently put in 12 to 14 hours a day except when working onsomething ‘mission critical.’” Although many report working nine- to 10-hour days,and some complain about long hours, others remark that “unlike the unwritten ruleat many high-tech companies who really want 50 to 60+ [hours] each week, you workhard while you’re here and then go home or go play. You’re expected to work 40hours a week.” And even during the workday, many employees seem to take timeoff: “Many of us even exercise at lunch and then eat—it is assumed we areresponsible enough to get our jobs done.” As one source explains, “They want well-rounded employees who have lives outside of work.” This does not seem to be aproblem, according to another contact, who notes that, “Most people here arehardworking but are able to draw the line between work and outside activities likefamily and friends, recreation, etc.”

While 3Com may have the amenities of other Silicon Valley companies, it hasn’t gonequite as far toward casual dress days. “The dress code is generally dress casual—by this, I mean nice clothes—Dockers and maybe a button-down shirt for men,”reports one staffer. However, “On Fridays, you can wear just about anything youwant.” Engineers report casual dress; sales and marketing sources tell us they wearsuits like the rest of the world. Says one product manager, “It’s dressier than jeans,


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but less than ‘business dress.’ When we meet to do a customer briefing, I usually dothe suit thing complete with power tie.” As for pay, most respondents report receivingabove what they believe to be the industry average. “Few companies will offer more,”says one engineer.


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ADAPTEC, INC.

691 South Milpitas Boulevard

Milpitas, CA 95035

Phone: (408) 945-8600

Fax: (408) 262-2533

www.adaptec.com

LOCATIONS

Milpitas, CA (HQ)

Bangalore

Haar, Germany

Kingsgrove, Australia

Singapore

Surrey

Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Applications Engineering •

Communications • Corporate Development

• Design Engineering • Engineering •

Executive • Facilities • Finance &

Accounting • General Hardware • Human

Resources • Information Services • Legal •

Manufacturing • Marketing • Materials •

Operations • Performance Engineering •

Quality • Sales & Support • Software

Engineering • Technical Writing • Test

Engineering • Worldwide Sales

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ADPT


CEO & President: S. “Sundi” Sundaresh

2008 Employees: 391

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 167.4

2008 Income ($ mil.): -9.6

KEY COMPETITORS

Applied Micro Circuits

Areca

LSI

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

cytiva.com/cejobs/templateAdptc.asp


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THE SCOOP

Selling more than just a bunch of disks

Based in Milpitas, California, Adaptec makes hardware and software that expeditesdata storage and transfer between computers, networks and peripherals. It leads themarket for small computer system interface (SCSI) technology; pronounced “scuzzy,”this technology connects peripheral devices to computers and is used by servers andworkstations to move large files.

The company’s bandwidth management solutions increase the speed of data transfer,while its network-attached storage (NAS) and fast Ethernet networking devices helpdirect information through computer systems. The company also has several storagechip and redundant array of independent disks (RAID) lines. Adaptec’s input/outputsoftware is compatible with all of the leading processor platforms and operatingsystems. At present, Adaptec offers a full range of host-bus adapters (HBAs), RAIDcontrollers, and appliances for use with Serial ATA (SATA), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)and Parallel SCSI drives.

Adapt(ec) and expand…

Larry Boucher created the SCSI interface at Shugart Associates (later known asSeagate Technology) in the late 1970s. He formed Adaptec in 1981. The companysold its first SCSI products in 1983, and it went public three years later. SCSI was aniche hit; simply put, it controlled the flow of data through a computer’s operatingsystem, and generally made computer use quicker and easier. But Boucher wasmore of an engineer than a businessman and left a year after the company wentpublic to start up another tech firm; he has remained friendly with his first company,though, serving on the board of directors and even stepping in as interim CEO for abrief period in 1998. Big tech firms increasingly adapted to Adaptec’s SCSI offeringsinto the 1990s.

Like many successful high-tech enterprises, Adaptec grew largely by acquiring othersoftware companies. The company purchased Future Domain, which made CD-ROMconnection devices, and Trillium Research, which made Apple-compatibleconnection devices. In 1996, Adaptec bought Western Digital’s Connectivity SystemsGroup and Corel’s CD creator software. It also purchased software maker DataKinesis and Cogent Data Technologies, which made networking devices. In the Corelacquisition, Adaptec picked up the award-winning CD-recording software, Easy CDCreator Deluxe, which home PC users could utilize to record music, images andvideos onto CDs. The company also offered a similar product for Mac users calledJam for Macintosh and a DVD software application called DVD Toast. However, thecompany let go of those products after it spun off its software products group,Adaptec SPG, in 2001. In early 1998, Adaptec also tried to acquire Symbios, but


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abandoned those efforts after federal regulators opposed the deal (it would have givenAdaptec a monopoly in the SCSI market).

Shrink to save

While Adaptec received plaudits for some products in the mid-2000s, it did notcollect any of the pecuniary kind as its profits began to plummet. In 2005, it incurreda $145 million loss. The company decided it needed to streamline its businesses inorder to focus on building its SCSI market share, and sold its systems business unitin October, along with many of its NAS holdings. Adaptec returned to profitability in2007, earning more than $30 million, although the revenue figure was the lowest inat least five years. The money, however, came not so much from what the companywas producing but on what it was taking away. Indeed, it reduced its headcount from2006 to 2007 by nearly 50 percent—a staggering reduction from 1,128 to 598employees in the span of a single year. The company further restructured, loppingoff another 20 percent of its employees by the close of its 2008 fiscal year. Its presentworkforce is about 400-strong.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Reaping awards from technology publishers

Adaptec announced that it has been included in ChannelWeb’s Top 20 StrategicStorage Vendors and is Business Solutions’ Best Channel Vendor in the storagecategory.

• January 2009: Difficult times ahead

The company released financial results for the third quarter of its fiscal year 2009,which ended on December 26, 2008, with CEO Sundaresh saying: “While theseremain difficult times, Adaptec is focused on what will enable us to win in the long-term—innovating for future growth and carefully managing the business.” Netrevenue for the quarter was $28.2 million, compared with $36.1 million in the thirdquarter of fiscal 2008.

• August 2008: Picking up $41-million tab for Aristos

Adaptec announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire privately heldRAID solutions provider Aristos Logic Corporation for $41 million in cash. CEOSundaresh said acquiring the eight-year-old Aristos will enable Adaptec to moveinto high-growth RAID segments, including performance desktops, blade serversand enterprise-class external storage systems.

• July 2008: $40-million stock repurchase; Snap Server sale

The board of directors of Adaptec authorized a repurchase program of up to $40million of the company’s common stock.


Adaptec, Inc.


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The company also announced the sale of its NAS business, Snap Server, toOverland Storage Inc., for $3.6 million. CEO Sundaresh said the sale will allowAdaptec to focus on its Unified Serial RAID controller business, leverage its iSCSIassets and streamline company operations. The sale ended the Snap chapter inAdaptec’s book; Adaptec acquired Snap Appliance for $100 million in 2004.

GETTING HIRED

Connect at Adaptec

Adaptec’s careers site, www.cytiva.com/cejobs/templateAdptc.asp, gives prospectiveemployees two search options; they can search for jobs by department or location orview a complete list of openings. Candidates may click on each listing to access anonline application. The main page also has a “Submit Resume” link for generalinterest applications.

In terms of benefits, the company offers medical and dental, with co-pay, on the firstday of employment. It also offers various insurance services, a 401(k) and flexiblespending accounts. Time off includes 12 paid holidays and 12 vacation days, withan additional day for each year added per year after the second year of employment.It offers an educational assistance program, and if an employee refers someone to thecompany, Adaptec will pay a bonus of $1,000 to $2,000! The company website alsomentions on-site services, such as dry cleaning and oil changes, stating that they varyby location.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Hair on fire

The corporate culture at Adaptec seems to be strict, demanding a high employeeperformance level at all times. Says a former insider, “During my four-year tenurewith Adaptec, I saw a great deal of ‘Perception is more important than Performance’by managers that didn’t have a clue.” The corporate culture is: “Expect 120 percentat all times. ‘Hair-on-fire pace’ is the norm, never a chance to do it right the first time,but always time to do it over. In spite of all this, they did have policies in place to takecare of those that would ‘play the game.’”


Adaptec, Inc.



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ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED

345 Park Avenue

San Jose, CA 95110-2704

Phone: (408) 536-6000

Fax: (408) 537-6000

www.adobe.com

LOCATIONS

San Jose, CA (HQ)

McLean, VA • New York, NY • Newton, MA

• San Diego, CA • San Francisco, CA •

Seattle, WA

Amsterdam • Bangalore • Barcelona •

Beijing • Bucharest • Causeway Bay, Hong

Kong • Chatswood, Australia •

Copenhagen • Diegem, Belgium • Dublin •

Istanbul • Kista, Sweden • London • Mexico

City • Midrand, South Africa • Milan •

Moscow, Russia • Mumbai • Munich •

Noida, India • Osaka • Oslo • Ottawa •

Paris • Prague • São Paulo • Seoul •

Singapore • Taipei • Tokyo • Toronto •

Uxbridge, United Kingdom • Warsaw

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Business •

Development/Corporate Development •

Consulting • Engineering • Finance •

Human Resources • Information Systems •

Legal • Marketing • Operations • Product

Management • Professional Services •

Sales • Technical Support/Customer

Service

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ADBE


Co-Chairmen: Charles M. Geschke, John

E. Warnock

President & CEO: Shantanu Narayen


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 3,579.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): 871.8

KEY COMPETITORS

Apple

Microsoft

Quark

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

cooljobs.adobe.com


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THE SCOOP

The graphics software of choice

Big in publishing, famed for its free web downloads and a favorite platform amongphoto and graphics geeks everywhere, Adobe software is practically ubiquitous.Adobe offers portable document files (PDFs), which are universally readable under itsAcrobat brand; and since the acquisition of Flash in 2005, it provides quick videoapplications everywhere from the Web to the cell phone. Adobe has five main units:Knowledge Worker Solutions, creative solutions, enterprise and developer solutions,and mobile and device solutions.

Finding their calling

Adobe Co-Founders (and current Chairmen) John Warnock and Chuck Geschke firstmet at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), where they developed PostScript,a computer language that translates code into printable pages of type. After failing toconvince Xerox to market the application, the two left to start Adobe in 1982. Canoncame out with an inexpensive laser printer before they could, forcing them to altertheir path. Luckily, Steve Jobs approached them to develop PostScript technology forApple’s Macintosh. The result: the Apple LaserWriter and the desktop publishingrevolution. During the 1980s, Adobe’s ascension went hand in hand with the rise ofthe personal computer—specifically the Apple Macintosh. It was a neat partnership,as Adobe’s laser-printing technology complemented the Mac’s many innovations inthe field of computer design. By 1986, Apple accounted for 80 percent of Adobe’ssales, and Adobe released its own design and illustration software, the aptly-namedIllustrator, the following year.

Battling through the late 1990s

When Adobe’s financial health was far from secure in the late 1990s, a major problemit experienced was due to other companies copying its design. The company sufferedan $11.8 million loss in 1995, caused largely by the problematic $500 millionacquisition of software maker Frame Technology Group. Adobe’s troublescompounded over the next few years as its old friend Apple seemed to have lost itsway, its Asian customers stopped spending money during the Asian financial crisis(sales in Japan fell about 40 percent from 1997 to 1998), and it lost business toHewlett-Packard, who had designed a clone of the PostScript software. In November1998, principal rival Quark made an offer to buy the weakened company but droppedit after Adobe showed signs that it would fight any takeover attempt. Months later,Adobe introduced its page-layout program InDesign, which quickly earned the title of“Quark-killer” because its functions and features far exceeded the capabilities ofQuark Xpress and sold for less than a Quark upgrade.


Adobe Systems Incorporated



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The Chizen one and a Macro merger

Much of Adobe’s late-1990s recovery and recent success has come under theleadership of its former CEO Bruce Chizen, who held the position from 2000 toDecember 2007. He steered the firm to record revenue and profits, gobbling up amultitude of other companies along the way, including a huge 2005 merger withformer competitor Macromedia Inc., developer of Flash technology. This gave Adobefootholds in the networking and mobile markets as well as a defense against theencroachment of Microsoft programs into the electronic document managementsector. After the buyout, Adobe began packaging its own programs with Macromediaapplications in suites targeted at different niches. Macromedia’s Breeze Meetingsoftware—meeting and web conferencing software that provides virtual meeting sitesand multimedia platforms for business customers—became Adobe Acrobat ConnectProfessional. Adobe also integrated Flash technology into its ColdFusion businesspresentation software, in the form of portable documents in PDF and FlashPaperversions.

Enabling engagement

Chizen was succeeded by Shantanu Narayen, who took over on December 1, 2007.Narayen previously served as president and COO, leading the company’s day-to-dayglobal operations and setting Adobe’s long-term market strategies. Together withChizen, he spearheaded the acquisition of Macromedia in 2005, expanding Adobe’ssoftware platform and solutions, and boosting the company’s presence in keymarkets, including video, enterprise software and mobile solutions. Narayen joinedthe company in January 1998 as vice president and general manager of theengineering technology group. Prior to joining Adobe, he co-founded Pictra Inc., adigital photo-sharing software company, in 1996. He also previously served asdirector of desktop and collaboration products at Silicon Graphics Inc. and heldvarious senior positions at Apple Inc. Narayen is expected to lead Adobe toward itsgoal of helping businesses and organizations address the challenge of “enablingcustomer engagement.”

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Stocks up despite tough times

Adobe shares soared 10 percent on the company’s announcement that it expectssecond quarter earnings of between 31 cents to 38 cents on sales of $675 millionto $725 million, matching analysts’ forecasts. In a press release, CEO ShantanuNarayen says company is pleased with how it managed in a tough economicenvironment.

For the first quarter, the company’s revenue dipped 12 percent to $786.4 million,roughly in line with analysts’ estimates. Adobe has warned that revenue is likely




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to fall below previous targets because the recession has slowed sales of CreativeSuite 4, the latest version of its top-selling software package launched fall 2008.

• March 2009: Extending the platform

The company introduced Adobe® Scene 7® Template Publishing, a new servicethat extends the Adobe Scene 7-hosted media platform for retail, eCommerce,enterprise and multichannel marketing businesses. The add-on module for AdobeScene platform offers a hosted software for publishing customized print and cross-media marketing materials, allowing companies to decentralize uploading ofcorporate layouts and templates.

• March 2009: Partners with Time

Adobe and three Time Warner Companies—Turner Broadcasting System Inc., WarnerBros. Entertainment Inc. and Home Box Office, Inc.—announced their alliance todevelop next-generation video and rich media. Collaboration to speed up thedevelopment of digital rights management for the Web and desktop, metadata andaudience measurement solutions to monetize content are expected to be part of theiralliance. The partners intend to use Adobe® Flash® Platform and video solutions toprovide customized experiences for consumers of HBO, Turner Broadcasting andWarner Bros. Entertainment content across multiple distribution platforms

• January 2009: Shopping for startups

Chief Executive Officer Shantanu Narayen said Adobe is on the lookout to buy sometechnology startups, with particular interest in software that can be used on non-PCdevices like mobile phones and game consoles. “There are small technologycompanies, where you get some great technology and great people…We will continueto be aggressive at looking at them,” Narayen told Reuters at the World EconomicForum in Switzerland. “But we’re not bottom-feeders; we’re looking for interestingcompanies that are going to help drive the future.” He said in the same interview thatthe company has no plans for further layoffs.

• January 2009: Among the best companies to work for

Adobe was ranked No. 11 on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for list. It isthe 10th year that the company has been cited on the list.

• December 2008: Pink slips for 600

CEO Shatanu Narayen announced plans to cut 600 jobs, or about 8 percent of theworkforce, due to shrinking orders for design software from advertisers. Therecession blunted demands for the Creative Suite line of programs, Adobe’s mainrevenue source.

• May 2008: On BusinessWeek’s Infotech 100

BusinessWeek listed Adobe as No. 94 on its 10th annual Infotech 100. The listgathers companies whose revenue totals at least $300 million, whose shares havenot dropped by more than 75 percent and whose sales have not shrunk. The





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publication used financial data from Standard & Poor’s Compustat to come up withthe top 100 from among 20,000 publicly traded IT-related companies.

GETTING HIRED

Flash a smile at Adobe

Adobe’s careers site—www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/careeropp—is busy butthorough. The page has links for registering a user ID and profile, repeat logins,searching for jobs, uploading resumes and viewing company benefits policies. Byfollowing the “search for jobs” link, prospective employees can view a list of openingsor search by keyword, department and locale. Examples of positions offered includebusiness architect, account manager, computer scientist, director, technicalevangelist, quality assurance engineer and web engineer. Each job listing contains alink to Adobe’s online application process.

In addition to positions for experienced professionals, Adobe also lists internship andentry-level positions for college students and recent grads. Position descriptions andopenings for college-level MBA, technical and intern positions may be found atwww.adobe.com/aboutadobe/careeropp/college/index.html. Finally, all applicantsmay submit a resume to the company via a link that can be accessed on the maincareers page just below the “search for jobs” link, in (what else?) PDF form. The linkalso leads to a general employment application form that may be printed andcompleted prior to interviews.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Employee-centric culture

There is no dress code, working hours are flexible, and everyone gets a laptop atAdobe—a company that has repeatedly ranked among Fortune’s Best 100Companies to Work For. Staffers also are given virtual private network (VPN)connection, allowing them to work from home, says an insider in Adobe’s office inIndia. “The people here are very sharp-minded, high IQ,” the software engineer says.“Innovation and creativity [are] nurtured here by means of boot camps, seminars,technical talks.” The same source says Adobe is one of the very few companies inIndia that handles high-end research and development work. Patent filing is alsostrongly supported by the company.

According to Adobe sources, in general the firm is an “innovative,” “employee-friendly” place with “excellent managers.” Adobe does its best to accommodateworkers, offering flexible schedules, telecommuting and “a great many training




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classes to get up to speed with the products.” Employees also enjoy “a greatcafeteria,” access to a company gym (“they even have aerobics classes”), and freefresh-squeezed orange juice, soda, Starbucks coffee and “various other goodies”every day.

Toil well compensated

An insider says aside from above-industry basic pay, “we get perks like free lunch anddinner” and “every quarter there is a group party sponsored by the company.”Staffers also get educational reimbursements, stocks, special gifts from time to timeand are rewarded with three weeks of paid vacation after five years in the company.The source recalls going through six rounds of interviews of one hour each that werevery technical in nature. “One feels great after clearing the grilling interview rounds,”the insider says. “You are bound to be attracted by the intellectual capacity of thepeople here.”

If you work best under pressure, Adobe is the company for you—”most of the time ispressure time,” says one stressed Adobe inmate. “Our hours fluctuate between 40and six million a week,” quips an engineer, “but the marketing, sales andadministrative people have different work patterns.” Though they work a lot, engineersand other technical specialists “pretty much come in when they want if they’re workingon a long-term project,” and get to “dress how they want.” Plus, Adobe engineers’salaries are “typical of the geek scale” (that means high). Tech professionals can start“anywhere in the high 30s,” and “if you know C++, you can make up to $50 an hour!”The corporate employees who “get away with working 40 hours a week” also enjoygood salaries, but “they have to come in by 9 and dress professionally.”

Benefits are “excellent,” including “very generous” stock purchase and profit-sharingoptions, quarterly bonuses, full insurance and a 401(k) matched 50 percent. Adobeemployees also get up to five weeks of vacation, eight paid holidays and paidsick/personal days. Insiders also feel fortunate to have “access to cutting-edgecomputers and software.”

Brushes with greatness

Finally, insiders say Adobe is a “progressive,” “laid-back company” that “knows itspeople are its strongest asset.” “The level of intelligence of the people here” is alsoa big draw. “We have some incredibly artistic people working here,” says oneprogrammer, “and just being able to talk to some of the engineers who wrotePhotoshop is a perk to me.” Working at Adobe is also extremely challenging: “It’s agood place to work, and work you will,” says one insider. “We run a lean company—every single one of us has the job of at least two—but it keeps us on our toes.”

“People are their assets and they hire the best in the industry, and pay the best in theindustry,” a technical staffer says, adding that Adobe is “a good place if you wannawork with the best brains.”





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ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC.

One AMD Place

P.O. Box 3453

Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3453

Phone: (408) 749-4000

www.amd.com

LOCATIONS

Sunnyvale, CA (HQ)

Austin, TX • Bellevue, WA • Boxborough,

MA • Fort Collins, CO • Houston, TX •

Marlborough, MA • Nashua, NH • Orlando,

FL • Pittsboro, NC • Redmond, WA • San

Diego, CA • Santa Clara, CA •

Schaumburg, IL • Yardley, PA

Antwerp • Bangalore • Bangkok • Beijing •

Bromma, Sweden • Buenos Aires •

Dresden • Dubai • Espoo, Finland •

Frimley, United Kingdom • Hong Kong •

Hsinchu, Taiwan • Hyderabad • Jakarta •

Kanata, Canada • Kaohsiung, Taiwan •

Kuala Lumpur • Madrid • Markham,

Canada • Mexico City • Milan • Moscow •

Mumbai • Munich • New Delhi •

Noormarkku, Finland • North Ryde,

Australia • Penang, Malaysia • Pulau

Pinang, Malaysia • São Paulo • Schiphol-

Rijk, The Netherlands • Seoul • Shanghai •

Shenzhen • Singapore • St. Michael,

Barbados • Suzhou, China • Taipei • Tokyo

• Warsaw • Zone Orlytech, France

DEPARTMENTS

Computing Solutions Group • Design

Engineering • Field Applications Engineering

• Finance • Global Consumer Electronics

Group • Graphics Product Group • Human

resources & Talent • Information • Legal,

Corporate & Public Affairs • Manufacturing

Engineering • Supply Chain Management •

Marketing Communications • Operations &

Administrations • Process Engineering •

Procurement • Sales • Software Engineering

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: AMD

Stock Exchange: NYSE

President & CEO: Dirk Meyer


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 5,808

2008 Income ($ mil.): -3,098

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

Intel Corporation

Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

careers.amd.com


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THE SCOOP

The other chip maker

While it can claim the title of world’s second-largest chipmaker, Advanced MicroDevices (AMD) is dwarfed by its nearest competitor, which just happens to beindustry giant Intel. Small is a good quality in the chip-making world, and the firmholds its own against such esteemed competition, boasting a product line thatincludes microprocessors, motherboard chipsets, graphics processors, CPUs anddiscrete GPUs. It also offers flash memory devices and support circuitry forcommunications and networking applications. Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., thecompany is truly a global operation—it has manufacturing plants in the U.S., Europeand Asia and collects around 70 percent of its revenue from overseas markets. Thecompany vision, according to its website, is “to enable affordable, accessible Internetconnectivity and computing capabilities for 50 percent of the world’s population bythe year 2015.”

AMD beefed up its interests in graphics with the July 2006 purchase of ATITechnologies for $5.4 billion. The deal transformed the semiconductor gameovernight, extending AMD’s already formidable reach into the graphic chipsets thatpower high-end personal computer gaming, computer animation and chipsets in cellphones and PDAs. (Chipsets connect a computer’s processor to its memory andother parts.) Analysts explained that the deal put AMD on more of an equal footingwith rival Intel, and also takes AMD beyond computers and into the handheld devicemarket. ATI proved attractive to AMD for several reasons, mainly for its experiencewith making chips for new forms of TV and image processors to display video on cellphones and mobile video game players. At the time of the sale, ATI ranked No. 25in a 2005 list of chip suppliers compiled by iSuppli, with about $2 billion in revenue.

Beset by falling prices in the chip market, not to mention with the high cost of keepingup with Intel, the firm has struggled financially of late. And, like most firms, thosestruggles haven’t come alone: they’ve been accompanied by layoffs, CEO changesand a wholesale reorganization of the firm, all of which took place as the firm soughtto weather the turgid economy in 2008. As part of that, the firm spun off its chipmanufacturing unit to form a company known as The Foundry Company in February2009, meaning that AMD no longer directly owns the manufacturing units, and is freeinstead to focus on developing and selling its technology, while effectively outsourcingthe manufacturing process to The Foundry Comp any.


Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.



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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Now open for business

After getting shareholder approval in February to turn over manufacturing to TheFoundry Company, AMD unveiled the spinoff company’s corporate name andstrategy. Now known as GlobalFoundries, the factory is relatively new to thefoundry game, but it already has market leader Taiwan Semiconductor in itscrosshairs. “We see this as a game changer,” chief executive Doug Grose said.Upstart GlobalFoundries sees an advantage in having an operational fab that isn’tlocated in Asia, where Taiwan Semiconductors and other fab factories are. Someanalysts, however, take this confidence with a grain of salt now that foundries allover are suffering due to little demand for their production and are losing moneyshoring up their business. Grose is optimistic: “At some point, this is going toturn.” After all, GlobalFoundries already has a constant client in AMD, but it’slooking to supply the big players of the industry as well. The new venture isexpected to employ 2,800 workers, with 300 based in the fab operation’s New Yorkheadquarters.

• March 2009: Restructuring is always hard

In a move done with fingers crossed, AMD announced that it’s going to spend $50million to restructure the company and prevent it from bleeding out revenuethroughout the year. In a filing, AMD duly itemized how the money’s going to bespent: $23 million to keep employees and compensate those who have to be letgo, $13 million to terminate programs and contracts, while asset impairments andfacility closures cost $7 million each. Out of these expenditures, AMD hopes torecover $45 million in revenue once the belt-tightening measures areimplemented. The announcement came on the heels of AMD’s previous plans tofurther cut its workforce by 200.

• March 2009: New captain at the helm

Hector Ruiz was tapped to head The Foundry Company once the factory’soperation goes into full swing. AMD appointed board member Bruce Claflin aschairman, while Dirk Meyer stays on as president and CEO. Claflin has been anAMD board member since 2003, and once he assumes the CEO position his placein the board will be taken over by Waleed Al Mokarrab, chief operating officer ofone of AMD’s investors. Meanwhile, AMD announces that it has closed itstransaction with ATIC and the Abu Dhabi-based company responsible for fundingThe Foundry’s establishment. The factory is expected to assume the repaymentof approximately $1.1 billion in debt to the two companies.

• March 2009: Foundry approval hammered out

AMD spun off its chip manufacturing unit to form an entity known as The FoundryCompany—a move that was proposed in October 2008 and approved byshareholders in February 2009. The move—aimed at making AMD “asset-light”—sees the company effectively outsourcing the making of its chips in the future to




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its former manufacturing arm, thereby cutting the costs of owning, operating andmaintaining its factories. Under the terms of the spinoff, an Abu Dhabigovernment-owned entity—Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC)—will own a majority of The Foundry Company (65.8 percent), while AMD keepscontrol of the remaining 34.2 percent. Financially, the deal works out well forAMD. In addition to shipping some $1.1 billion of its debt onto the new company’sbalance sheets, AMD received a payment of $700 million from ATIC for shares inThe Foundry, plus a guarantee that ATIC will immediately provide $1.4 billion infunding for the new company. ATIC has also pledged up to a further $6 billion incapital to build upon the infrastructure it is purchasing from AMD in order togreatly improve The Foundry’s chip-making capabilities. ATIC and AMD will haveequal voting rights in the partnership. Meanwhile, CEO Dirk Meyer offered hisopinion that the deal “will go down as the most important transaction in the historyof AMD,” according to a Wall Street Journal article from October 2008.

• February 2009: Chipping away at the budget

AMD announced 1,100 job cuts as well as broad-based salary reductions for staffas it attempts to stay afloat in the economic downturn. The move followed some2,200 layoffs announced in 2008 as cost-cutting measures. According toCNET.com, the salary cuts will be temporary, and on a sliding scale. Both CEODirk Meyer and Executive Director Hector Ruiz cut their salaries by 20 percent, afigure that falls to 15 percent for all North American employees at vice presidentlevel or higher. Salaried and hourly workers, meanwhile, will get reductions of 10and 5 percent respectively, while 401(k) contributions will be halved.

• February 2009: Declining sales and market share

Market researcher IDC found that AMD’s share of the global PC processor marketfell significantly over the previous year, down 3.1 percent to 19.2 percent overall.Rival Intel, meanwhile, saw its share of the market rise to 80.2 percent, up 2.9percent from 2007. The one good piece of news in the IDC report, however, wasthat the global processor market grew by 10 percent in 2008, despite a fourthquarter drop in demand of over 11 percent year on year. Even that fact served tounderline the inherent problems in the processor industry, however: revenueincreased by a mere 0.9 percent over the year, and fell 22 percent year on year forthat drastic fourth quarter. Where the industry goes in 2009, meanwhile, isanyone’s guess—although it’s almost certain to contract.

• January 2009: Yukon gold

AMD launched its ultrathin notebook platform, codenamed “Yukon.” Offering acomplete PC experience at lower price points, the platform incorporates the AMDAthlon Neo processor with ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics and ATI MobilityRadeon HD3410 discrete graphics. Tech blurb aside, Yukon can be seen as anattempt to keep up with the growing trend for low-cost, portable computing.Embodied by a surge in demand for notebooks, the market has potential both indeveloped and developing markets.





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• January 2009: Phenomenal memory

AMD released the Phenom II, aimed at informed consumers who know what theywant from their computer or build their CPUs from scratch. For those, thefollowing information may be relevant and/or intelligible: The Phenom II is familiarenough with the DDR2 memory used in most CPUs, yet it’s also flexible enough toupgrade to DDR3—exactly where the industry is going to be by the middle of2010, according to some analysts. Given that reality—and the fact that thePhenom II is planned to unite seamlessly with both types of memory—one of itsmajor advantages is that it offers consumers the choice in terms of if and when toupgrade.

• January 2009: Fund-raising fire-sale

Continuing a policy of selling unprofitable or underperforming units, AMD soldsome of the assets it acquired from ATI in 2006. The $65 million sale toQUALCOMM included graphics and multimedia units, plus intellectual property,but still represented a mere fraction of the holdings for which AMD paid $5.4billion to secure. Indeed, rather than bemoan the loss of the units, AMD turnedthe situation to its advantage by agreeing to partner up with QUALCOMM andcollaborate on improving graphics capabilities in audio and video products sold bythe latter. And, to make things worse, AMD posted a net loss of $3.098 billion infiscal year 2008, which is a tad less than the $3.397 billion the company lost in2007. Like rival Intel, AMD kept mum about its Q1 2009 outlook, resorting insteadto reiterating that its “priorities remain clear and visible,” despite a depressingindustry performance.

• November 2008: Pink slips on top of pink slips

AMD announced 500 job cuts as it tried to return to profitability amidst a slumpingtech market. The cuts represent a second wave of layoffs at the firm in 2008,following the elimination of 1,650 positions announced in April 2008. That firstwave represented around 10 percent of AMD’s global workforce and was widelyseen as a response to the firm posting a yearly loss of some $3.38 billion for fiscal2007.

• July 2008: Leadership changes at AMD

Following seven straight quarters of losses, AMD’s board ousted Hector Ruiz, whohad served as the tech company’s CEO since 2002. The board replaced Ruiz withDirk Meyer, an engineer who joined AMD in 1995. Previously, Meyer served as thefirm’s president and COO. Meyer said that his immediate priority as CEO will bebringing about lasting profitability through focusing on AMD’s core technologies.Ruiz will remain at AMD as the company’s chairman. The first evidence of Meyer’sapproach became evident within a month of his taking the reins, with theannouncement in August 2008 that AMD had sold its digital television arm.Consistent with the policy of stripping away noncore assets, the sale cost buyerBroadcom Corp. some $192.8 million. It also reduced AMD’s workforce, as some530 employees made the transition to Broadcom as part of the deal.




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• June 2008: Game on

AMD launched Changing the Game during the Fifth Annual Games for ChangeFestival in New York City. Initially aimed at the teen set, this games creatorencourages young people to make games that crank up their involvement in socialchange by taking their gaming beyond entertainment and into real-world lessonsand consciousness. In January 2009, nonprofit organizations got a chance tomake their own games with social content when AMD unveiled Let the GamesBegin, a toolkit for AMD’s games creator.

• March 2008: A new chip flavor

The firm introduced a new set of chips—the 780 series—which should bring newspeed and graphic quality to lower-priced PCs. AMD also announced that it willstart making 45-nanometer microprocessors later in the year, catching up to Intel,which reached 45-nanometer production in late 2007. Because these are smallermicroprocessors than AMD had currently been capable of making, the firmfollowed up on the announcement by beginning production in November.

GETTING HIRED

Advance at AMD

Although the two merged in 2006, job listings for AMD and ATI are listed separatelyon the AMD careers site (careers.amd.com). The labyrinthine AMD site allowsprospective employees to search by region; while some regions have their own joblistings page, others, like that of the U.S., have their own search engines and differentways of creating online profiles and applications. The U.S. site also lists regular,intern and co-op positions. The ATI site, in contrast, has one search engine that filtersopenings by location, department and keyword. The site also allows applicants toregister at an online career center to submit applications and sign up for a job alertservice.

Benefits at AMD include health, dental and disability plans, life and death insurance,travel and accident plans, profit-sharing and stock purchase plans, and tuitionassistance. In addition, the chip company offers its employees tickets to movies andsporting events, and access to fitness centers.

A wide net

According to insiders, the company finds new employees through a wide variety ofchannels. “Recruiting at AMD is done through campus interviews, through job fairsconducted at AMD and elsewhere, and through resumes sent directly through theplacement office,” instructs one. AMD accepts resumes through regular mail, fax





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and email—and also through an online form available at its website. The site alsocontains job listings.

Applicants who land an interview may have difficulty figuring out what to expectahead of time. “The nature of the interview depends on various factors,” says asource, “but, in general, it is ‘medium.’ [That is], I have seen both more relaxed andmore stressful situations.” Those who interview on campus “may get invited for aninterview at our site, and that’s when you’ll be interviewed by about seven or eightpeople.” It is true that “there are many rounds and lots of technical questions if youare applying for a technical position.” On the other hand, interviewers “don’t try todeliberately stress interviewees out simply in order to gauge their reactions.”Prospects for landing a job appear bright, explains one respondent: “If you are smartand talented, we certainly want and need you.”

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Swift interviews

Ladies and gentlemen, start your spell checkers: “AMD tends to put a tremendousamount of emphasis on the resume,” notes one source.

An insider describes his experience: “The interview process was rather painless. Itwas far easier than another experience I had with a related technology company (sixdifferent interviews, lasting eight hours). I went through a 30-minute phone interview,then a two-hour, in-person interview with three people, and that was followed up withan hour phone conversation with a director. The interview questions werenormal/typical, e.g., what are your strengths, what do you enjoy doing, etc. I alsoreceived lots of questions about working on a team and being able to navigate throughdifferent teams/organizations.” His co-worker cautions that “Many AMD positions arecontract-to-hire positions. Sometimes a contract is extended for up to three yearsbefore a full employee position is offered.”

Interview approaches are rather varied—one department asks its team to interview anapplicant, possibly to check personality and work attitude compatibility. Follow-upinterviews are usual, and sometimes the applicant’s sponsor is asked to participate inthe panel. If you’re considered for a job at AMD, there are at least a couple of roundsof interviews, and probably all on the same day.

Hired already? One source reports that “HR does have tools for career advancement,and even has a very generous tuition reimbursement program.”

Mixed satisfaction reviews

Although AMD is frequently cited in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For,insider reviews are somewhat mixed overall. One contact agrees with the external




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assessment, saying “I love working at AMD and I especially enjoy my team.” On theother hand, another source says, “there have been quite a few people [who were]dissatisfied with their jobs in the last year and have left our group…One left becauseshe could not get along with a certain individual—who also left.”

Part of the reason for the varied responses is that AMD employees are subject to thevicissitudes of their work. “It’s a bit of a roller coaster financially, but that’s the natureof the industry,” according to one. “When times are good, the perks are good.” Thisup-and-down nature is especially true when it comes to work hours and intensity.“I’ve put in 17-hour days and I’ve put in five-hour days,” says one respondent.Another reports he spent most of a year working 9 to 5, but as his group approachesa target date, “sometimes I am up ‘til 1 [a.m.] or 2 [a.m.].” “There isn’t anexpectation to be at work at 9 a.m. sharp, but you are expected to work as late/longas it takes to get work done,” adds another insider. However, most say their bossesare flexible with their hours, as long as they get their work done. A source adds,“AMD values family time…For most departments, the work can get done any time ofday as long as it does get done, so AMD offers tremendous flexibility.” His gizmo-deprived co-worker adds, “getting a BlackBerry for work purposes is…difficult (theydon’t want to disturb your home life).”

A people’s company

Although a few sources describe AMD as “a little frantic,” respondents generally gavegood reviews of their work atmosphere. “It’s less stressful than many other high-techcompanies I am familiar with,” says one. “Although we are in a competitive industry,I don’t feel unduly pressured beyond what is reasonable.” Another observes that the“corporate culture is largely one of an underdog. There is immense pride but therestill is a subtle tone of second best.” Yet another says his co-workers are “notworkaholics.” The “people are very committed to the job, [but] the work environmentis very relaxed most of the time.” One insider describes a “tight community that’svery friendly.”

As far as bosses go, one AMDer says he’s “proud” to report that “upper managementreally cares what its employees think.” Another comments that, “We are viewed asindividuals, rather than cogs in a machine.” According to yet another source, “Itseems that AMD places a lot more value on people than other companies do.” Onedirector notes, “Our people [are] our first asset, this is our daily culture and we areworking hard every day.” The people-oriented atmosphere extends to the dress code,which is business casual to casual. Many report wearing jeans and T-shirts. Oneinsider points out that the “dress code is nonexistent. It’s not uncommon to seeexecutives walking around in jeans.” “We dress very casual,” says a contact.“Finance is the only department I know of (that) wear ties every day.” “Today I amwearing cowboy boots,” says another. “Yee haw!”





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Harmonious environment

The vast majority of those surveyed say AMD is a diverse company when it comes towomen and ethnic minorities. Any variations on this theme are chalked up to theways of the industry itself, not AMD. “I have noticed that most of the seniorexecutives—as with many Silicon Valley companies—are white males,” says oneinsider. “As far as treatment of women and minorities, they have taken huge stridesto address this issue. As with all companies, however, all is not perfect,” notes onefemale insider. Her co-worker in marketing adds, “I don’t think AMD can claim to bediverse. African-Americans are woefully underrepresented, [though] some womenhold high-ranking positions.” “I’ve known some folks who felt discriminated againstbut rarely, if ever, have I seen this feeling justified,” observes a manager.

Make some dough and rock out with the Stones

Our contacts report that AMD pays industry standard salaries. One engineerremarks, “I guess they could pay me more, but then I guess I could stand to win thelottery, too.” Another source cautiously notes, “I’m not sure [if] this is true, but there’sa saying around AMD [that] ‘it’s near impossible to obtain a raise unless you leave thecompany and then come back a year later, at which point your salary will double.”

Aside from the quirky wage structure, AMD has “a good profit-sharing program” and“1.5 percent match on our 401(k).” An employee stock purchase plan may turn outto be a special plus from a company “on the horizon of greatness.” Other perksinclude “discounts for amusement parks,” “free workout programs,” an on-site daycare center, computer purchase reimbursement, and “a fully paid MBA program.”The corporate headquarters in Sunnyvale “are beautiful,” and include a fitness centerwith two basketball courts. But the most popular perk is the company’s sabbaticalsystem, which offers AMD vets two extra months of paid vacation after they completeseven years.




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AFFILIATED COMPUTER SERVICES, INC.

2828 North Haskell

Dallas, TX 75204

Phone: (214) 841-6111

www.acs-inc.com

LOCATIONS

Dallas, TX (HQ)

Lexington, KY • Norcross, GA • Pittsburgh,

PA • Salt Lake City, UT

Accra, Ghana • Asnieres, France •

Bangalore • Cebu, Philippines • Glattbrugg,

Switzerland • Guatemala City • Guilherand-

Granges, France • Hermosillo, Mexico •

Juarez, Mexico • Kochi, India • Kuala

Lumpur • Manila • Mexico City • Montego

Bay • Monterrey • Santo Domingo • São

Paulo • Suva, Fiji • Tianjin, China

DEPARTMENTS

Business Process Solutions

Commercial Solutions

Corporate Development

CSG Administration

Finance & Accounting

Government & Community Solutions

Human Resource

ITO Solutions

Transportation Solutions

Vertical Market

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ACS


President & CEO: Lynn R. Blodgett


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 6,160.6

2008 Income ($ mil.): 329

KEY COMPETITORS

Accenture

Computer Sciences Corp.

EDS

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.acs-inc.com/pages_exp.aspx?id=1573

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THE SCOOP

Big-league BPO

Affiliated Computer Services is an outsourcing company with over $6 billion in annualrevenue. It offers a suite of IT-oriented services such as data center management,disaster recovery, network management, security services, storage solutions andtransition services for human resources. The brainchild of Darwin Deason—whorallied IT pros to work with clients on IT outsourcing projects and integrationservices—ACS has built quite a name for itself since its founding in 1988. In fact,ACS claims to have pioneered the concept of providing business process outsourcing(BPO) services on a grand scale.

The firm first gained clients in the financial industry, followed by several in thecommunications, education, energy, government, health care, insurance,manufacturing, retail and transportation sectors. The company has amassed a clientroster of top commercial and government organizations, and specializes in BPO, IToutsourcing and systems integration. ACS joined the ranks of the Fortune 500 in2003, maintaining a slot at No. 423. From its headquarters in Dallas, Texas, ACSemploys about 70,000 people worldwide, serving customers in 100 countries.

Kiss my ACS

Despite the bad publicity that comes with executive shake-ups and less-than-optimalfinancials, ACS continues to gather kudos as an industry leader. In 2008, the firmwas ranked No. 343 on Forbes’ Platinum 400 for the eighth year, and also gracedFortune’s Most Admired Companies and contenders list for the ninth consecutiveyear. The company has received numerous other awards for leadership in itsindustry, boosting optimism that the days of scandal and upset are largely behind it.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Renewing contracts, planning acquisitions

ACS announced at least two contract extensions. The first is a three-year, $6million contract extension with one of the United States’ largest organizations ofMedicaid managed care plans, AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies. ACS hasbeen an AmeriHealth partner since 2000, supplying document sorting andpreparation, imaging and online and offline data capture. The second is a $13million contract renewal with Brother International Corporation for the provision ofhigh-level hardware, technical and customer care support services. ACS has beenworking with Brother since 2001.


Affiliated Computer Services, inc.


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ACS also announced that in order to expand global delivery reach, it is eyeing itsCaribbean-based rival e-Services Group International, a company that hasapproximately 4,000 employees in Jamaica and St. Lucia. ACS promised thatthere will be no workforce restructuring once e-Services has been acquired, as thelatter company will still be handled by its management team and operated by itsemployees at their current facilities.

• October 2008: Moving offshore

Chief Executive Lynn Blodgett said revenue from long-term contracts helped ACSpost a higher quarterly profit despite the economic downturn. But customer belttightening has decreased the volume of some of the outsourced work it provides,so the company will need to move 4,200 jobs offshore. Blodgett said ACS wouldexpand capacity in the Philippines, Mexico, Jamaica and Guatemala, and set upnew production centers in India. The initiative is expected to incur $38 to $42million worth of expenses. He said the money ACS saves from moving jobsoffshore will be used to strengthen sales and innovation.

• November 2007: Board resignations and a failed takeover bid

The New York Times reported that ACS’s independent directors quit less than amonth after they accused Chairman Darwin Deason of “bullying” them over afailed takeover bid. The decision to quit was made public by the directors afterCerberus Capital Management and Chairman Deason ditched the $6.2 billion bidfor ACS. The directors pointed accusingly at Deason, saying that the deal wouldhave happened if he (Deason) did not hamper their efforts to find higher offers.The directors sought a declaration from the Chancery Court of Delaware that theyhad not breached fiduciary duties in how they handled the offer. ACS said thedirectors have agreed to dismiss the lawsuit.

GETTING HIRED

Seeking experienced hires

The ACS careers site (acs-inc.com/career/index.html) allows you to search openingswithin the company by title, category, division, keyword and location, including jobsat international offices. Applicants can also build a profile and post a resume online.Though the firm seeks mostly experienced hires for consulting roles, it offersinternships for undergraduate and graduate students (with a minimum 3.0 GPA) whoare working toward a degree in business, computer science, managementinformation systems or computer engineering. These internships typically run fromMay through August. Benefits include comprehensive insurance, 401(k) and a stockpurchase plan. The firm also offers benefits for its employees’ mental growth byproviding training in several areas, including project management, leadershipmanagement, interpersonal skills and client care.





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OUR SURVEY SAYS

This industry heavyweight may be on Forbes’ Platinum 400 of America’s best andbiggest companies, but employees give mixed reviews—including some really nastyones.

“Quite frankly I can only recommend to avoid this company,” one ACS director says.“If you don’t have any talent and no other options, go ahead and sign up, but if youdo have talent to offer, this is surely the wrong place to work for.” The source adds“you typically get hired for a required function, but normally end up doing somethingentirely different and, most likely, something you don’t really want to do.” “Mostpeople are stressed out or overworked, and compensation is lacking,” the sameinsider adds.

One fired respondent, who was injured in a car crash, says upon returning to workafter back and neck surgery: “I was demoted and had a major decrease in my pay.”The former insider reports being fired and losing all health benefits after missing workdue to a second back surgery. “I gave that rat hole many years of perfection,accuracy, dedication and leadership; you would think that they would be a little moreunderstanding, but no, not at ACS,” the disgruntled ex-employee says.

“All employees are paid a misery and they shall thank ACS they have a job! That isthe corporate policy,” says one manager. Other insiders say that the pay varies, with“sometimes arbitrary” rates for management posts. One vice president reportsreceiving a $170,000 base pay and a $75,000 bonus, while an informationmanagement assistant gets $19 per hour, plus eight hours of guaranteed overtime perpaycheck.

Some insiders complain of going through too many interviews, describing the processas poor and lacking in structure. But one customer representative’s interview wentvery well. “Everyone was very polite and helpful,” the representative says. “It wasactually a long wait for the interview but I think it was worth the wait because I got thejob.”

A vice president who was with the company until 2008 advises potential applicants:“ACS is focused on revenue. If you join, make sure you are in a revenue-generatingposition. Not a support position.”




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AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

5301 Stevens Creek Boulevard

Santa Clara, CA 95051

Phone: (408) 345-8886

Fax: (408) 345-8474

www.agilent.com

LOCATIONS

Santa Clara, CA (HQ)

Colorado Springs, CO • Folsom, CA • Fort

Collins, CO • Little Falls, DE • Loveland,

CO • Newport, DE • Palo Alto, CA • San

Jose, CA

Boeblingen, Germany • Hachioji, Japan •

Kobe • Penang • Shanghai • Singapore •

South Queensferry, United Kingdom •

Waldbronn, Germany

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Customer Service •

Electronic Instruments Business Unit •

Electronic Measurements Group • Finance

• Global Infrastructure • Human Resources

• Information Technology • Life Sciences &

Chemical Analysis • Manufacturing •

Marketing • Network & Digital Solutions •

Business Unit • Quality • R&D • Sales •

Support/Service • Wireless Business Unit •

Transportation Solutions • Vertical Market

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: A


President & CEO: William P. (Bill) Sullivan


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 5,774

2008 Income ($ mil.): 693

KEY COMPETITORS

National Instruments Corporation

Tektronix, Inc. (Subsidiary of Danaher

Corporation)

Teradyne, Inc.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.agilent.apply2jobs.com

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THE SCOOP

One testy company

Agilent Technologies is one Silicon Valley preteen with a distinguished family lineage,having been spun off in a $2.1-billion IPO (the largest in the Valley at the time) fromHewlett-Packard in 1999, when HP decided to concentrate solely on computerhardware and software for the consumer market. That left Agilent with three mainareas of business: test and measurement equipment, semiconductor products, andlife sciences and chemical analysis equipment.

The early 2000s were tough years for Agilent as it suffered losses and job cuts in thethousands. In 2002, the company posted a $1 billion loss. In 2003, Agilent broughtits headcount down to 29,000 from 47,000. The company continued its downwardspiral that same year with a $2 billion loss; ironically, though, it was the year Agilentwas inducted into the Fortune 500, at No. 212. Agilent climbed back to profitabilityin 2004 with a net income of $349 million as the previous year’s restructuring effortsfinally paid off.

Gene-ius

While Agilent’s test and measurement and semiconductor divisions muddled theirway through a slack economy, the company’s life sciences business quietly flourishedas the company introduced microarrays—tools that help researchers study geneexpression by looking at human (or mouse or elephant or what-have-you) genes.These tools enable scientists to study gene aberrations, such as those that result incancer.

Biodiversity

Agilent has an enormous product catalog—at least 20,000 test, measurement andmonitoring devices and chemical analysis tools. Through its electronic measurementdivision, Agilent sells equipment, such as oscilloscopes, multimeters and spectrumanalyzers, to the communications, electronics and semiconductor industries. Someof Agilent’s test and measurement customers include Verizon, Nokia, IBM and,unsurprisingly, Hewlett-Packard. Its life sciences and chemical analysis divisionmanufactures products such as DNA microarrays and “lab-on-a-chip” devices thatare used in biotech and pharmaceutical research, as well as tools for chemical andmaterials science research like gas chromatography, liquid chromatography andmass spectrometry equipment.

The company sold off most of its semiconductor sectors in December 2005. Nowleaner and focused on bioanalytic and electronic measurement, the company sellstesting gadgetry to such diverse markets as the communications industry, drug


Agilent Technologies, Inc.


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manufacturers and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Agilent is the No. 1manufacturer of test and measurement equipment, and holds many of the No. 1 slotsin the life sciences and chemical analysis industry. Its net revenue in 2008 was $5.8billion.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Restructuring of measurement, board test businesses

Agilent announced that, due to forecast revenue dips for fiscal 2009 in thecompany’s electronic measurement and semiconductor and board test segments,it will restructure these two businesses. Some 2,700 employees will be affectedby the restructuring program that has a cash cost of $160 million. The electronicmeasurement segment is forecast to decrease by 30 percent from its level for thesame period in fiscal 2008, while revenue in the semiconductor and board testbusiness is expected to be down by 50 percent. In a report to investors, Presidentand CEO William Sullivan remarked, “We have been very aggressive to date inaddressing the downturn in electronic measurement markets. However, businessremains severely depressed, and there are no prospects for a meaningful recoveryin the foreseeable future. Therefore, we have no choice but to resize our electronicmeasurement businesses for the realities of the marketplace.”

• March 2009: Groundbreaking optical modulation analyzer

The company announces that it will be rolling out in September 2009 its N4391Aoptical modulation analzyer (OMA), a test instrument that will aid the scientists andengineers who are trying to figure out ways to increase internet transmission ratesfrom the current 10 Gb/s to the 40 to 100 Gb/s level. The new analyzer is toutedas an “industry-first” since it fills a gap in the capability of current instruments toanalyze optical signals. The OMA will be priced at $195,000 for starters.

• February 2009: Revenue in Q1 fiscal 2009 down 16 percent

Agilent released financial results for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2009 (endedJanuary 31, 2009) saying that the $1.7 billion revenue for the quarter was 16percent below the level of the same period. GAAP net income for the quarter is$64 million ($0.18 per diluted share) compared with $120 million ($0.31 pershare) the previous year.

• February 2009: Electronic design awards in the bag

Agilent announced that, since December 2008, several publications andorganizations have given the company more than 20 industry awards for itselectronic design and measurement products. Among the products cited morethan once is the N5242A PNA-X nonlinear vector-network analyzer, which wasconsidered among the top products of 2008 industry media providers EDN,Electronic Products and Microwaves & RF.





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• December 2008: Going … going … Green

As a participant in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ClimateLeaders program, Agilent pledged that by 2011, it will have reduced by 10 percentits direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions in its U.S. facilities.

• October 2008: Subsidiary won $45-million contract from Uncle Sam

NetworkFab, a wholly owned Agilent subsidiary, won a five-year research contractworth $45 million from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research,Development and Engineering Center’s Intelligence and Information WarfareDirectorate. The project will entail search, identification and collection of tacticaltargets.

• June 2008: Going Nano, thinking BIG

Agilent announced that it has acquired the Nano Instruments unit of MTS SystemsCorporation to strengthen its portfolio in instrumentation for imaging,characterizing and quantifying nanomechanical material properties. TheTennessee-based Nano services academic and industrial researchers in thematerials sciences, semiconductors and life sciences fields.

GETTING HIRED

It’s an Agilent world after all

Although headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., Agilent Technologies has U.S. branchoffices in more than 50 cities. The company also has a strong overseas presence withfacilities in 30 foreign countries. Of the company’s 19,000 employees, approximately11,300 are based in the United States. Major U.S. employment centers outside ofCalifornia include Delaware, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Idahoand Colorado. The Agilent website posts all open positions—both in the United Statesand abroad—searchable by location, department and level of experience.

U of Agilent

Agilent recruits for new talent at colleges throughout the nation, including Stanford,Colorado State University, Penn State and the University of Illinois, as well as at jobfairs sponsored by professional organizations such as the National Black MBAAssociation, the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of HispanicMBAs. Internships offer another approach for students to get their foot in the door.According to Agilent’s website, “The goal of [the internship] program is to hirestudents into regular jobs after graduation.”

The 10-week program is open to students pursuing undergraduate or advanceddegrees in the following disciplines: electrical, mechanical, industrial, computer or




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chemical engineering; chemistry; biology; computer science; physics; materialsscience; IT/IS; and business. All internships are paid, and many offer relocation,housing and transportation allowances in addition to medical insurance. Internshipsare offered in research and development, manufacturing, marketing, quality control,materials, facilities, IT, finance and HR.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Mirroring a Dilbert panel?

“The description of working conditions here sounds like a Dilbert cartoon,” says oneinsider. “Upper management used to be engineering, but you can’t tell. When theydiscuss project schedules, there is never time for discovering errors and correctingthem,” the contact elaborates. Also, insiders seem to agree that Agilent offers fewopportunities for advancement. “Any career advancement requires initiative on thepart of the individual,” adds a source. “Some people are in the same job for 20 years;although they get pay raises and increased responsibilities, any change in position issmall.” Another source adds that the company has “little interest in developingpeople for advancement.”

However, on the plus side, prospective Agilent employees will enjoy good pay, flexiblehours and the chance to work with “intelligent and interesting people,” provided thatthey steer clear of those who want to climb the corporate ladder at all costs.According to one source, “Basically you can be a happy, contributing, poorly paidengineer, or you can become a politician who is paid well and contributes little ofgenuine value. In the end, most of us get satisfied.” Indeed, different strokes fordifferent folks.





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AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES

8 Cambridge Center

Cambridge, MA 02142

Phone: (877) 325-2624

Fax: (617) 444-3001

www.akamai.com

LOCATIONS

Cambridge, MA (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Bellevue, WA • Chicago, IL •

Dallas, TX • Englewood, CO • Long Beach,

CA • New York, NY • Reston, VA • San

Diego, CA • San Mateo, CA

Bangalore • Beijing • London • Madrid •

Milan • Paris • Seoul • Singapore •

Stockholm • Sydney • Tokyo •

Unterfoehring, Germany

DEPARTMENTS

Account Management • Corporate Services

• Discipline • Engineering • Finance •

Global Sales • Human Resources •

Internship • Legal • Marketing • Network

Operations • Professional Services •

Quality Assurance • Sales • Sales

Engineering • Services & Support •

Technology

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: AKAM


Chairman: George Conrades

President & CEO: Paul Sagan


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 790.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): 145.1

KEY COMPETITORS

Level 3 Communications

Limelight

Mirror Image Internet

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.akamai.com/html/careers


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THE SCOOP

All about Akamai

If you’ve downloaded a song, watched the Beijing Olympics or booked a flight overthe internet, then chances are you’ve benefited from Akamai Technologies’ offerings.This Cambridge-headquartered company “provides services for accelerating andimproving the delivery of content and applications over the internet from live and on-demand streaming videos to conventional content on web pages to tools that helppeople transact business.” In other words, Akamai helps its customers direct webtraffic so it doesn’t get jammed up; the company estimates that it delivers between 10and 20 percent of all web traffic.

Basically, the Akamai system has assembled a huge network of servers, literallyreaching around the world, and when someone requests information from anywhereon Earth, the famous Akamai algorithms kick in and route that content to the servernearest the requesting party, making for as quick and painless an info transfer aspossible. Akamai’s diverse group of clients includes Audi AG, Adobe, Fox Interactive,InterContinental Hotels Group, MySpace and Cathay Pacific. It topped Business 2.0’s2007 and 2008 lists of the 100 Fastest-Growing Tech Companies. The firm has over1,000 employees, more than half of them in Massachusetts. In 2008, Akamai’srevenue was $790.9 million, a 24 percent increase over its 2007 revenue of $636.4million. It joined the S&P 500 in July 2007.

The need for speed

“Akamai” is a Hawaiian word that means “smart” or “intelligent,” and some verysmart people were involved in Akamai’s creation. In fact, the company’s origin isdirectly tied to Dr. Tim Berners-Lee, one of the founding fathers of the World WideWeb. In 1995, Dr. Berners-Lee’s second year at the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT), he challenged his computer science colleagues to come up withimprovements on his design, specifically for the speed of transferring online content.Dr. Tom Leighton, a professor of applied mathematics, came up with a solution andrecruited the Akamai team, whose principal members were still MIT graduatestudents, including algorithm writer extraordinaire Danny Lewin, who eventuallybecame the company’s chief technology officer, and MBA student Jonathan Seelig.In 1998, the team won the annual MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition, throughwhich it obtained an exclusive license to some of MIT’s intellectual property, and itbegan the development of the company in earnest. Within a year, Akamai wasincorporated and had attracted a number of high-flying tech professionals. Amongthem were Paul Sagan (current president and CEO), former Time Inc. president, andGeorge Conrades (current chairman), former IBM senior vice president. In October1999 the MIT startup went public, enjoying one of the best IPOs ever.


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In the first decade of the 21st century, Akamai’s stock prices fluctuated wildly. At onepoint during the tech boom its price hit $327 but plummeted to less than a dollar ashare when the tech bubble burst. Other factors affecting Akamai’s stockperformance were the commoditization of the CDN market and the entry ofcompetitors, such as Limelight and Speedera. Akamai adapted to the changingmarketplace by shoring up its CDN offerings, increasingly through acquisitions. Themost dramatic example was its 2005 acquisition of rival Speedera for $142.2 millionin the middle of a nasty lawsuit. This was followed by the December 2006 purchaseof Nine Systems and its 2007 acquisition of private company Netli.

The company has maintained its commitment to innovation through the years, partlyin tribute to co-founder Lewin who was a passenger on one of the hijacked airplanesthat crashed into the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Smooth HD-streaming to customers

Akamai launched AdaptiveEdge Streaming for Microsoft Silverlight, the first servicebased on Microsoft Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7) Smooth StreamingTechnology, enabling a higher-quality video experience for all viewers. The productadapts stream quality based on a user’s connection speed, providing true high-definition (HD) video to those with high bandwidth and the best video quality attheir connection speeds for those with lower bandwidth.

• January 2009: BD Live for Blu-ray

Akamai teamed up with Ascent Media Group and Sofatronic to create anintegrated digital workflow and distribution solution for the production, hosting anddelivery of BD Live functionality for Blu-ray discs. BD Live is a highly interactiveplatform that instantly connects users to the Web and enables the creation ofpersonalized avatars, updates of subtitles and viewer-to-viewer interaction whilewatching a movie.

• November 2008: Restructuring to reduce costs

Akamai CFO J.D. Sherman announced that, while Akamai has not changed itsbusiness outlook, the company will restructure in the fourth quarter of 2008 in abid to reduce operating costs. Any savings that come out of this action will be usedto support investments in content delivery, application acceleration, advertisingindustry solutions and further international expansion.

• October 2008: Speeding up WAYN sites

Travel and lifestyle social networking site WAYN.com used Akamai’s Dynamic SiteAccelerator and reported significant improvements in the speed and performanceof its site in selected regions such as Malaysia, Canada and the U.S. West Coast.


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• June 2008: Delivering Olympic news

The NewsMarket, a platform for global brands to market and deliver video to theiraudiences, began to use Akamai’s Web Application Accelerator in its subscriberportal, www.thenewsmarket.com, to enable faster accessibility to Olympics-relatednews coming from China. The NewsMarket will also be using Akamai’s MediaDelivery solution for Adobe Flash streaming and Electronic Software Delivery toenable journalists to download video more quickly.

• May 2008: Monitoring the Web

Akamai’s State of the Internet, a quarterly report, debuts. The report culls datafrom Akamai’s global server network to track global trends in attack traffic,network outages and de-peering events. The report (available for download atwww.akamai.com/stateoftheinternet) will also provide a snapshot on broadbandconnectivity around the world.

• February 2008: Taking the Limelight

A jury in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts found that Limelight Networks,Inc. is infringing upon the content delivery patent (U.S. patent 6,108,703) issuedin the name of Akamai founders Tom Leighton and the late Danny Lewin, andawarded Akamai $45.5 million in damages, plus interest. The verdict ended athree-week trial in Boston, which stemmed from a lawsuit that Akamai had filedagainst Limelight in 2006.

GETTING HIRED

Akamize yourself

Akamai participates in college recruiting events at schools that include CarnegieMellon, MIT, McGill, Brown, Harvard, Northeastern, Stanford and UCLA. Additionally,the firm looks for new hires at several professional recruiting events, a list of whichcan be found online at www.akamai.com/html/careers/events.html.

Potential applicants can view current job openings and apply for them online atwww.akamai.com/html/careers. Recently, the company was hiring senior developersin Dearborn, Michigan; software engineers in Cambridge, Mass.; software architectsin San Diego, Calif.; JAVA developers in Washington, D.C.; and more. The firm’swebsite also features video testimonials from several current employees, including thecompany’s CEO Paul Sagan and senior software engineer Liz Borowsky.


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Committed to having fun

Akamai says the company will always work closely with customers to understand theirneeds. It also promises to conduct business ethically, deliver on its commitments tostakeholders and strive for excellence. However, another one of the firm’s governingprinciples is to “have fun.”

The extensive list of employee benefits at Akamai includes medical insurance,prescription drug coverage, vision benefits, dental insurance, a 401(k) retirement andsavings plan, life insurance, an employee stock purchase plan, a pretax commuterbenefit and an educational assistance plan. Akamai’s people also enjoy fitnessprograms and get discounts on entertainment.


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ALCATEL-LUCENT

54 rue de la Boétie

Paris, 75008

France

Phone: +33 1 40 76 10 10

www.alcatel-lucent.com

LOCATIONS

Paris, France (HQ)

Alpharetta, GA • Highlands Ranch, CO •

Mirimar, FL • Murray Hill, NJ • Overland Park,

KS • Plano, TX • San Antonio, TX • San Juan,

PR • Vienna, VA • Whippany, NJ

86 Locations internationally

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Business •

Operations/Support • Business Strategy &

Development • Communications •

Engineering Services • Environmental

Health & Safety • Facilities Management•

Finance • Human Resources • Information

Technology • Legal • Manufacturing •

Marketing • Product Development •

Professional Services • Project

Management • Sales • Sales Support •

Supply Chain Management

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ALU


CEO: Ben Verwaayen


2008 Revenue (€ mil.): 16,984

2008 Income (€ mil.): -5,173

KEY COMPETITORS

Ericsson

Motorola

Nokia

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.alcatel-lucent.com/wps/portal/careers

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THE SCOOP

A marriage made in Paris

If you think the name Alcatel-Lucent sounds odd, you’re not alone—Alcatel andLucent were competitors in the same telecommunications technology space untiltheir merger in December 2006. The firm is now significantly larger and much moreglobalized as the union of major European (Alcatel) and American (Lucent) forces.Alcatel-Lucent’s store of copyrighted ideas covers some 25,000 patents spanningfrom broadband access to advanced nanotechnology to network management. Andwith 15 percent of revenue invested each year in research and development, thecompany has a reputation for quality. It includes Bell Labs, the brains behind a hostof breakthroughs (among them MP3 technology and wireless local area networks),and provides services to telecom giants, including Verizon and AT&T. It is still,however, very much in the process of synthesizing its many new, constituent partsinto a comprehensive and efficient whole.

Headquartered in Paris, Alcatel-Lucent does business in 130 countries and employsabout 77,000, globally. The firm touts its multiculturalism, global reach and superiorfacilities as reasons for its business success, and prides itself on being able tofunction on the global stage as well as in local and regional markets. Alcatel-Lucentparticipates in 130 standardization organizations that work to create universallymarketable technology platforms.

Reformat

Following the Alcatel-Lucent merger, the new company was busy managing itsnewfound girth and setting an agenda for progress—a process more unwieldy than inmost mergers due to the size and pedigree of the parties. Of course, such a massivereconfiguration can’t happen without treading on some sensitive toes. Alcatel-Lucentset a target of trimming its costs by $3 billion through 2009, so the companyimmediately announced 9,000 job cuts to help attain its goal. Employees, particularlyParisian ones, were not pleased with the announcement of the planned downsizing.French labor unions showed their disdain for the massive cuts; one memorableprotest sign read “One marriage, 9,000 funerals.” Another restructuring challengeinvolved the product line. Alcatel-Lucent struggled to develop single, unified versionsof its overlapping technologies—what it calls “end-to-end systems,” which is fancycode for anything using IP technology.


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: More retrenchment expected

Falling demand and restructuring costs are expected to spell further losses forAlcatel-Lucent in 2009, Standard & Poor’s forecasted as it lowered the corporaterating of the world’s largest maker of telecommunications systems and equipmentby one grade to B+. Alcatel-Lucent is “likely to record another year of highlynegative free cash flow in 2009,” S&P said. Moody’s Investors Service made asimilar downgrade of Alcatel-Lucent’s rating in February, saying that the company“has not shown material signs of a turnaround in the past year,” while “cashconsumption continues at a high level.” In February 2009, the Paris-basedcompany reported an eighth-straight quarterly loss as it wrote down the value ofassets by a record €3.91 billion ($5.1 billion). That brought the company’s write-downs to about €8 billion since Alcatel SA bought Lucent Technologies, Inc. in2006.

• March 2009: Back to profitability?

Alcatel-Lucent hopes to return to net profit in the second half of 2010, the Frenchdaily Les Echos said, citing the company’s financial head, Paul Tufano, who wasquoted by the daily as saying, “We expect to return to profits during 2010, mostlikely in the second-half of the year.”

• February 2009: Patent war

A trust associated with Alcatel-Lucent sued DirectTV Group, Inc., and DishNetwork Corp, the two largest U.S. satellite-TV providers, and seven othercompanies over patented video compression technology. Multimedia Patent Trust,the patent owner, claims that the companies are infringing on five patents relatedto encoding and decoding signals from moving images. It says the companieswere informed of the need to enter into a license agreement but they refused. Theseven other companies include television and computer monitor makers PioneerCorp., Proview International Holdings, Ltd., Vizio Inc., Westinghouse DigitalElectronics LLC, Memorex brand owner Imation Corp., videoconferencing systemsmaker Polycom, Inc. and EchoStar Corp., maker of digital set-top boxes for DishNetwork. Alcatel-Lucent is a 99 percent beneficiary of the trust, with 1 percentgoing to charity, says company spokeswoman Mary Ward. MPEG LA, whichlicenses patents on the industry standard for digital television broadcasting, saysthe trust was set up two days before Alcatel purchased Lucent, in violation of anearlier Alcatel agreement to share inventions in a patent-licensing pool—anallegation that Alcatel-Lucent denies.

• December 2008: Trimming costs and more jobs

Alcatel-Lucent said it will cut €1 billion in costs in each of the next two years,including axing 1,000 more managerial jobs as it tries to end losses. The newmeasure brings job cuts to 17,500 since Alcatel bought Lucent in 2006. Thecompany says it will also eliminate 5,000 contractors.


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• December 2008: Making peace with Microsoft

Officials of Microsoft Corp., the world’s biggest software maker, and Alcatel-Lucentsaid the two companies have settled most of their patent litigation. Financial termswere not disclosed. The agreement covers six lawsuits, including one that resultedin the largest patent verdict in U.S. history—$1.52 billion—before it was thrownout by a judge. Microsoft will continue its appeal of the $368 million verdict it lostthat swelled to $511.6 million in June, officials said. The giant companies havebeen fighting since 2002 when Lucent began demanding royalties from Microsoftcustomers Gateway, Inc., and Dell, Inc., over features in the Microsoft Windowsoperating system.

• September 2008: Changes at the top

Alcatel-Lucent announced that two European executives will take the two toppositions at the company. Frenchman Philippe Camus will serve as the company’schairman starting October 1, 2008, and Ben Verwaayen will become Alcatel-Lucent’s CEO. Some analysts have speculated that there will be another round ofrestructuring at the company, which has already slashed 16,500 positions sincethe merger between Alcatel and Lucent. Verwaayen has said that the firm willfocus on creating new technologies to battle competition from lower-cost Asianrivals. In addition, the new CEO has mentioned that he wants to end frictionbetween the French and American sides of the company.

• August 2008: Losses everywhere

Alcatel-Lucent announced losses for the second quarter. Although some analystsexpected as much, nobody anticipated the red ink to feel so much like blood—thecompany lost €586 million in the period, more than twice as much as theforecasted €275 million. Before the month ended, two senior executives jumpedship: Mike Quigley, who had once been tapped as a future Alcatel CEO, and FrankD’Amelio, Lucent’s head of finance. Analysts immediately predicted furtherdefections from the executive suite, but CEO Patricia Russo described the twinresignations as an “evolution in leadership,” quite “natural” after a merger.

• September 2007: Labor deal

Labor unions finally agreed to the telecom company’s job reduction plans, puttingan end to the rallies. Under the proposal, the firm promised to pay “proper”severance and create almost 500 new jobs in France. This is but a smallconcession; by the end of 2008, Alcatel-Lucent planned to cut a total of 1,468 jobsin France, or nearly 14 percent of the company’s workforce there.

• March 2007: Setting new horizons with Verizon

Alcatel-Lucent announced a $6 billion deal in which Verizon Wireless would helpextend its wireless network in North America. The contract is the largesttelecommunications agreement in both North American and Alcatel-Lucenthistory, and reassures some investors worried about the merged company’sfinancial prospects. Many analysts remain wary, pointing out that the firm’s


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wireless services outside North America are very weak while many competitors,most notably Ericsson, are achieving successes abroad. BusinessWeek quotes ananalyst on the Verizon deal as saying, “It’s a good win, but one they should havemade. If they hadn’t, it would have meant even bleaker prospects for the merger.”

• February 2007: Labor pains

Alcatel-Lucent’s first quarterly losses prompted the company to announce anadditional 3,500 job cuts in February, on top of its original projection of 9,000layoffs. This brings the total to 12,500, nearly 10 percent of the company’s globalworkforce. Employees everywhere were unhappy about the news, but they weredownright furious at company headquarters in France. CGT—the ConfédérationGénérale du Travail, a major labor union—immediately mobilized. The groupdisrupted the company meeting in June and protested throughout the summer.

GETTING HIRED

All aboard Alcatel

Alcatel-Lucent’s careers site, at www.alcatel-lucent.com/wps/portal/Careers, offersinformation about jobs, opportunities for students and recent grads, as well as a lookat “Life@Alcatel-Lucent.” Once job seekers select one of the many companies inwhich Alcatel-Lucent has outposts, they can browse jobs by category and location.Candidates must create a profile to upload resumes and cover letters. At press time,engineering service jobs proliferated, with marketing and sales also well represented.

The company offers internships and a global exchange program through the AIESEC,the largest worldwide internship association. Alcatel-Lucent also offers classroomopportunities through its research partner program and cooperative educationprogram. Each of these coordinates class work with particular challenges faced byAlcatel-Lucent in the workplace.


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ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS, INC.

17655 Waterview Parkway

Dallas, TX 75252

Phone: (972) 348-5100

www.alliancedata.com

LOCATIONS

Dallas, TX (HQ)

Arlington, VA • Atlanta, GA • Bend, OR •

Columbus, OH • Denver, CO • Ennis, TX •

Horsham, PA • Jacksonville, TX • Johnson

City, TN • Kennesaw, GA • Lafayette, CO •

Lenexa, KS • Milford, OH • New York, NY •

Norcross, GA • Point Pleasant, NJ •

Princeton, NJ • Salt Lake City, UT • San

Antonio, TX • San Francisco, CA •

Schaumburg, IL • Scottsbluff, NE • Seattle,

WA • St. Louis, MO • Tampa, FL •

Thornton, CO • Tulsa, OK • Wakefield, MA

• West Monroe, LA • Westminster, CO

DEPARTMENTS

Account Management • Accounting/

Finance • Administration • Client Services •

Commercial/Industry Relations •

Communications • Credit Operations •

Customer Relations • Engineering Services

Epsilon Marketing Services • Human

Resources • Information Systems • Internal

Audit • Legal • Lending • Loyalty Services •

Management • Manufacturing • Marketing •

Operations • Planning • Product

Engineering • Purchasing •

Research/Development • Retail Credit

Services • Sales • Transaction Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ADS


Chairman: Mike Parks

President & CEO: Edward J. Heffernan


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,025.3

2008 Income ($ mil.): 217.4

KEY COMPETITORS

American Express

MasterCard

Visa

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.alliancedata.com/careers/webhire.html


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THE SCOOP

Loans, perks and rewards wrapped in pretty plastic

Wherever gift cards are given, wherever a gas bill is paid online and whereverconsumer loyalty is rewarded with free movie tickets, Alliance Data Systems is there.A strong believer in the purchasing power of that thin slice of plastic, Alliance DataSystems (better known as Alliance Data) handles all things transactional, includingpayment authorization, processing, underwriting, risk management and databasemarketing for more than 600 clients in the retail, utility and financial industries.

The company processes more than 3.8 billion transactions annually. Plus, pairedwith its marketing services segment—which promotes consumer loyalty throughincentives like the company’s air miles rewards program—Alliance Data delivers aone-two punch that makes it stand out in its industry. The company not only handlesall the details of customer purchases for its clients, but it also creates and managesthe little perks that will hopefully keep those same customers coming back.

Initially, a healthy chunk of Alliance Data’s business came from providing private-labelcredit card services to the company from whence it sprung, The Limited. But throughthe years, Alliance has proven itself to be a steady business, with clients ranging fromconvenience store chain 7-Eleven to specialty stores like Victoria’s Secret. AllianceData has been supplying businesses worldwide with solutions for cost-effectiveconsumer relationships.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Growth amid economic woes

Alliance Data believed that it could invest in loyalty programs and direct marketingthough the rest of the business might have to take a back seat. Alliance reportedthat revenue for the last quarter of 2008 climbed to $2 billion and profits were upto $217 million, from $164. Also, the company still sees its revenue rising to $2.1billion. Despite growth, however, the company experienced losses, with a cashflow statement reflecting a $109 million deficit and $3.8 billion outflow onborrowing repayments, about $1.7 billion more than the year before.

• February 2009: Partnership with Haband

Haband, one of the largest multichannel retailers in the United States, gaveAlliance Data the go signal to provide private-label credit card services. Thecontract also includes providing Haband with consumer service functions andmarketing services. Both companies will also work on developing a loyalty rewardscomponent, combined with the private-label credit card program, to provideincentives and reward cardholders and establish a better relationship between the


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company and its customers. Haband sells men’s and women’s clothes and homewares to consumers 50 years and older, through print catalogs and online.

• December 2008: Renewing with Hudson’s

Hudson’s Bay Company, a division of Hudson’s Bay Trading company, signed amultiyear renewal contract with Alliance Data. Hudson’s has been a sponsor of theair miles reward program since 1998 and is considered one of the top 15 clientsto support the program. The air miles program offers over 800 rewards to users,such as travel, movie passes and gift cards redeemable at Hudson’s Bay locations.Bryan Pearson, president of Alliance Data’s LoyaltyOne business, believes that thedeal reaffirms the quality of Alliance’s products, saying, “[t]his long-termrelationship, and in particular this multi-year renewal in the retail category,demonstrates the value of our loyalty program to major brands and cornerstonebusinesses in the Canadian marketplace.”

• July 2008: Repurchasing own stock

Alliance Data’s board of directors approved the new stock repurchase program,which will help the company buy $1.3 billion of its common stock throughout2009. This program will be implemented alongside the $500 million repurchaseprogram. Alliance already has in its hands outstanding shares worth $725 million,and through the new program, the company will be allowed to get back shares inthe open market and through private negotiations as well.

• April 2008: Breaking up with Blackstone

The Blackstone Group LP (Blackstone) suddenly turned cold as Alliance DataSystems (ADS) shares drop 35 percent in the market. In the previous year,Alliance Data Systems announced its privatization after agreeing on a $6.76 billionmerger with Blackstone in May 2007. But the alternative asset managementcompany continued to look the other way when asked to fulfill OCC (U.S. Office ofthe Comptroller of the Currency) requirements for the merger. On April 18,Alliance decided to break things up with Blackstone for breach of contract.

GETTING HIRED

Further your career at Alliance Data

Since Alliance Data is in the loyalty marketing business, it can be assumed that theyknow a thing or two about fostering employee loyalty as well. The company offers theusual health benefits, with reimbursement for gym membership thrown in. Workingparents will be attracted by the backup care program, which grants 80 hours ofemergency child or dependant care to all associates. Working parents looking toadopt a child will appreciate the adoption assistance program, which reimburses




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employees up to $2,500 per adoption. Other niceties include a 401(k) plan withcompany matching and a stock purchase program.

You can get the goods on opportunities at Alliance Data through its career site, atwww.alliancedata.com/careers.html. There you will find listings for all open positionsat the company, searchable by location, department, full- or part-time status and, forthe truly discriminating applicant, by desired salary. Upon applying, you will berequired to set up an account on Alliance Data’s career web page, allowing you toupload and edit your resume (you also have the option of applying without using aresume), in addition to filling out online forms regarding work experience andeducation history.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Straightaway

Hiring at ADS doesn’t deal with too many hoops; it’s as straightforward as it can get.An insider outlines, “Application submitted on site, interview about three days laterwith an offer made the next day. There were no tricks, simply a fit and personalitycheck if you had the relevant experience. During the process, I met with an HRrepresentative as well as one of the managers in the collections department.”

Mixed reactions

It seems that the corporate culture at Alliance Data leaves more to be desired. Onerespondent describes it as “very stuffy, stuck-up and highly political.” Another sourceseems to concur, “[o]verall a nice place to work, but not one where lots of growthtypically takes place.” However, he commends the company for doing “a lot of goodin the community and to really care about the employees who cared about them,”and points out that “[t]he dress code was lax, the hours weren’t bad, butcompensation was definitely not cutting edge.” According to another insider, the flipside of the coin is that in Alliance Data “diversity is very good” and “employees comefrom a multitude of backgrounds and races.”





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ALTERA CORPORATION

101 Innovation Drive

San Jose, CA 95134

Phone: (408) 544-7000

www.altera.com

LOCATIONS

San Jose, CA (HQ)

Broomfield, CO • Chelmsford, MA • Duluth,

GA • Ellicott City, MD• Kenilworth, NJ •

Minneapolis, MN • Portland, OR• Raleigh,

NC • Richardson, TX • San Diego, CA •

Schaumburg, IL • Sussex, WI • Willoughby,

OH • Bangalore • Beijing •

Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom •

Chengdu Sichuan, China • County Cork,

Ireland • Espoo, Finland • High Wycombe,

United Kingdom • Kista, Sweden •

Kowloon, Hong Kong • Osaka • Penang •

San Mauro Torinese, Italy • Seoul •

Shanghai • Shenzhen, China • Singapore •

Taipei • Tokyo • Toronto •

Unterschleissheim, Germany • Velizy,

France

DEPARTMENTS

Applications Engineering • CAD/Layout •

Facilities • Field Applications • Finance •

Human Resources • IC Design Engineering

Information Systems •

Legal • Marketing • Operations • Product

Engineering • Research & Development •

Sales • Software Engineering• Test

Engineering

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ALTR


President, CEO & Chairman: John P. Daane


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,367.2

2008 Income ($ mil.): 359.7

KEY COMPETITORS

Actel Corporation

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation

Xilinx, Inc.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.altera.com/corporate/jobs


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THE SCOOP

A leader of PLDs

If the internet relies on device manufacturers such as Lucent and Cisco Systems tosupply technological components, those companies rely upon Altera to keep thecomponents humming along. The enigmatically named Altera is one of the largestproducers of specialized computer chips used by companies in a wide range ofindustries, including networking, telecommunications and industrial machinery.

The acronym-friendly firm specializes in the manufacture of programmable logicdevices (PLDs), and systems-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPCs). Because theselogic devices are programmable, Altera’s clients can craft the chips to meet their ownneeds—using Altera software, of course. The majority of Altera’s chips are soldoverseas, increasingly in Asian markets. In 2006, Japan constituted 23 percent ofsales, while the rest of Asia Pacific represented another 27 percent. North Americaand Europe made up about a quarter of sales each.

Four-sight

Four semiconductor entrepreneurs who foresaw great things in chips founded Alterain 1983. They are Robert Hartmann, Michael Magranet, Paul Newhagen and JimSansbury. The company went public in 1988, introducing a new generation of chipsthat year, as they would again in 1991 and 1992. Altera acquired Intel’s PLD line in1994, thereby increasing its market share to 20 percent.

From there, things only got better—Altera’s sales had more than doubled in 1995,from $199 million to $402 million, and its stock price jumped from about $10 pershare to $25. In fact, 1997 proved so profitable that the company handed out $10million in profit shares and bonuses. The following year, during which the overall PLDindustry suffered, Altera still managed its sixth-straight profitable fiscal year, bringingin $654 million in revenue. In 2008, Altera achieved revenue of $1.3672 billion, andnow employs approximately 2,700 people in 19 countries.


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Daane’s worth

Though 2008 was a tough year for the semiconductor industry, Altera CEO JohnDaane may have had it comfortably well, as the Associated Press reported thatDaane’s compensation package was worth $4.1 million that year. Though theCEO’s base salary remained unchanged since 2003, his performance bonus isrelative to the company’s operating income. Altera’s 2008 sales grew by 8 percentfrom to 2007, at $1.37 billion, while income increased by 24 percent, at $359.7million. However, the company’s stock declined by 13.5 percent.

• March 2009: Shipping high density FPGAs

Altera announced the silicon availability of a high density transceiver FPGA. As thesecond member of the Altera Stratix IV GX FPGA family, the EP4SGX530 is 60percent larger than the largest transceiver FPGA on the market today. Stratix IVGX devices target numerous applications in the communications, broadcast, test,medical and military markets. Similarly, the company also announced theavailability of its Embedded Systems Development Kit, Cyclone III FPGA edition, acomprehensive platform that accelerates the prototyping and development ofFPGA-based embedded systems. Earlier this month, Altera’s 40-nm Stratix IVFPGAs received the Product of the Year award from Electronic Products Chinamagazine, whichmarked the sixth award the Stratix IV family has received since itslaunch in May, 2008.

• January 2009: Profits up, sales drop

Altera reported a fiscal fourth quarter increase in net income at $83 million, or$0.28 per diluted share, compared to $65.5 million, or $0.20 per diluted share inthe fourth quarter of 2007. However, 2008 fourth quarter sales dropped to $314.5million, 3 percent lower than 2007’s fourth quarter. CEO John Daane tookeverything with a grain of salt saying, “While we experienced the effects of a globaleconomic-driven slowdown in the fourth quarter, we increased our market sharein the programmable logic industry for the sixth year in a row.”

• January 2009: Best managed

Forbes.com named Altera the Best Managed Company in the SemiconductorsCategory among Forbes.com’s Platinum 400. Winners in each category wereselected based on each company’s “debt-to-total capital ratio, their long-termsuccess and latest performance in a five-year period,” says Forbes.com’s ScottDeCarlo. This is the fifth time Altera has been included in the list.


Altera Corporation


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GETTING HIRED

The kids are all right (with Altera)

Altera is eager to woo the fresh-from-college crowd, and on its careers website(www.altera.com/corporate/jobs) you will find a plethora of information on how newcollege grads can get in with the firm. One helpful portion of the site gives a rundownof the college majors of particular use to the company, with a summary of typical jobfunctions and responsibilities for each. From here you can also explore internshipopportunities—though these are typically limited to engineering positions. Once youfind something that piques your interest, Altera even helps you through the hiringprocess with its “Interview Tips” section, complete with a list of typical interviewquestions and a guide to proper apparel.

Experienced hires will find goodies on the careers site as well, with a jobs databasesearchable by department and location (Altera has facilities throughout NorthAmerica, Europe and Asia). Upon uploading your resume and filling out a shortapplication online, you will be considered for current and future opportunities with thecompany. An exhaustive listing of benefits—for U.S. employees only—reveals theusual spate of medical, dental and vision insurance, in addition to paid time off (10holidays plus 12 vacation days per year), child care assistance and a flexible healthcare spending account. If you want to keep your poodle out of the pet cemetery, youcan opt for the veterinary pet insurance program, one of the voluntary benefits offeredalong with a college savings plan and auto and home insurance. The company alsoprovides 100 percent education reimbursement for full-time employees and anemployee stock purchasing program.


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ANALOG DEVICES, INC.

One Technology Way

P. O. Box 9106

Norwood, MA 02062-9106

Phone: (781) 329-4700

www.analog.com

LOCATIONS

Norwood, MA (HQ)

Austin, TX • Beaverton, OR • Bellevue, WA

Casa Grande, AZ • Circle Pines, MN •

Costa Mesa, CA • Danbury, CT • Duluth,

GA • Freehold, NJ • Hanover, MD •

Hoffman Estates, IL • Melville, NY •

Pittsford, NY • Richardson, TX • San Jose,

CA • Scottsdale, AZ • Wilmington, MA •

Antony, France • Bangalore • Breda,

Netherlands • Brondby, Denmark •

Eppegem-Zemst, Belgium • Kista, Sweden

Limerick, Ireland • Milan • Munich •

Raanana, Israel • São Paulo, Brazil • Seoul

Taipei • Shanghai • Shenzhen • Singapore

Surrey, Great Britain • Taikoo Shing, Hong

Kong • Tokyo • Vienna

DEPARTMENTS

Administration

Engineering Services

Finance

Human Resources

Information Systems/Technology

Legal

Manufacturing/Operations

Marketing

Research & Development

Sales

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ADI


Chairman: Ray Stata

President, CEO & Director: Jerald G. Fishman


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,582.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): 786.3

KEY COMPETITORS

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

ST Microelectronics

Texas Instruments, Inc.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.analog.com/en/careers/job-

search/content/index.html


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THE SCOOP

Circuiting the globe

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) makes analog, mixed-signal and digital signal-processingintegrated circuits (IC). One of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, ADItechnology routinely converts “real-world phenomena” such as temperature, lightand sound into electrical signals used in a range of devices, from CAT scanners anddigital cameras to cars and radar systems. Analog Devices has a portfolio of over10,000 products and employs nearly as many people—including more than 3,000engineers at its design centers, sales offices and manufacturing facilities across theglobe. ADI was listed as one of America’s most admired companies by Fortune in2000, 2001, 2005 and 2006. It has also made eight appearances on the ForbesPlatinum 400 list—most recently in 2008 at No. 394

The year was A.D. 101

Ray Stata and Matthew Lorber met in Cambridge, Mass., as engineering students(and roommates) at MIT in the 1950s. They first went into business with each otherin 1961 founding Solid State Instruments. They subsequently sold this company butused the proceeds to launch Analog Devices in 1965. For ADI’s first product, Stataand Lorber moved into a market where they wouldn’t have to compete with thealmighty IBM—amplifiers that receive and strengthen electrical signals. Thecompany’s first product was a small, modular amplifier of this kind, called the AD101.Stata took the company public in 1967 to raise funds for the company’s expansioninto analog-to-digital (A/D) converters and ICs. In 1969, because of differences withStata over vision for the company, Lorber opted out of ADI. In 1970, ADI introducedthe AD550mDAC, its first monolithic integrated circuit, a design that would carrymuch of the company’s innovation throughout that decade. That same year, ADIbroke ground on what is today the company’s headquarters in Norwood,Massachusetts. The first Japan-based sales office also opened that same year,establishing an Asian Pacific presence for ADI. By the end of the 1970s, thecompany had joined the New York Stock Exchange and rolled out a bunch of firsts,including a high-speed operational amplifier IC, a CMOS digital-to-analog converterand its analog-to-digital counterpart.

How ADI made its first billion

Analog opened IC test and assembly plants in Japan and the Philippines in 1981.The company continued product development throughout the decade, releasingseveral industry firsts to beef up its reputation. ADI introduced 33 new ICs in 1987alone. By 1992, ADI was a Fortune 500 company (it has fallen to No. 718 as of2008), and by 1995, it had cracked the top half of Fortune’s list of the 1,000 mostvaluable companies. By 1998, sales topped $1.2 billion, and for the second year in


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a row the company was named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.That same year, ADI opened a wafer fabrication foundry in Cambridge, Mass. The1990s also brought about a change in leadership, as Ray Stata decided to step downas president of the company in order to assume the role of chairman of the board andCEO. Thus, Jerry Fishman was appointed president and COO in 1991. In 1996,Stata passed the reigns of CEO to Fishman.

Technology for the future

ADI started the 21st century with a string of acquisitions, including the NorthernIreland-based electronic components maker BCO Technologies and Chiplogic ofSanta Clara, Calif.—a developer of high-level communications processing tools. In2004, the company not only launched a new Blackfin electronic processor foreverything from cameras to car computer systems, but also introduced newperformance-leading converter technology that reinforced ADI’s leadership position inthat product category. In June 2006, ADI acquired Korean mobile communicationstechnology firm Integrant, followed in September with the purchase of AudioAsicsA/S, a Danish company specializing in microphone and audio signal technology. Thesame year also brought a key victory for ADI, through its contribution to Nintendo’spopular Wii video game console—the key component of which is ADI’s three-axisaccelerometer chip, the ADXL330. The application of the technology in consumerelectronics is opening new doors for the chipmaker. The chip has made cell phonesand remote controls more user-friendly because it allows users to simply gesture orflick their wrists instead of poring over rows of buttons. ADI intends to be at theforefront as the accelerometer realizes its full potential in everyday appliances.

Jack-of-all-Blackfins

ADI continued on its consumer electronics spree in 2007, when several of itsproducts found new applications in the latest tech must-haves. At the annual 3GSMWorld Conference in Spain, the company released its Blackfin processor, which isdesigned to power the multifunctional electronics that are increasingly vogue. TheBlackfin found its way into the Litecomputer, a low-cost PC (about $150 a pop) thatoffers internet browsing, a music and video media player, instant messaging, andinternet-based calling without a high-maintenance hard drive. The Blackfinprocessor is also used in the medical technology field; it powers the display andanalysis functions of the AfibAlert, an atrial fibrillator that allows homebound patientsto monitor their heart rates.




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IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: Falling fortune

ADI announced that as it had expected, first quarter 2009 revenue declined 22percent to $477 million from a year ago.

• February 2009: Powering power line communications

ADI acquired power line communications technology to add to its products forenergy-metering applications. Analog Devices got the PowerBUS RHINOtechnology and all related patents, hardware and software from DomosysCorporation, a privately held company based in Quebec City, Canada. Thetechnology is effective for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), a system that“provides two-way communications, allowing instructions to be sent to residencesfor multiple purposes, including ‘real-time’ pricing data, demand-response actionsor remote service disconnections.”

• November 2008: Rev it up

ADI reported revenue for 2008 rose 6 percent from 2007, to $2.6 billion. Operatingincome was $625 million or 24.2 percent of revenue, compared to $569 million,or 23.1 percent of revenue, in 2007. CEO Fishman said income was boosted bythe company’s strategy to have a refined product portfolio at the start of the yearand intensified focus on ADI’s core businesses. “While we exited the year facedwith very difficult global economic conditions, we believe this focus on our market-leading core signal processing technologies gives us a competitive advantage thatwill endure throughout and beyond the current downturn,” he added.

• November 2008: Sharpening the focus

CEO Fishman said for 2009, ADI plans to focus investments on its signalprocessing products while reducing spending in areas that offer less advantage forthe company during the global credit crunch. He added that ADI has alsoextended its analog technology portfolio by putting money in fast-growing areassuch as radio frequency, micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) and powermanagement, which have the potential to be key contributors to future growth.

• November 2008: Snipping output

ADI said the company plans to cut manufacturing output as it forecasts sharplylower earnings in the first quarter of 2009 due to weak demand and risinginventories. The chipmaker posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit but saidnext quarter earnings are likely to fall sharply below Wall Street estimates becauseof cautious consumer spending.

• May 2008: The scandal and the deal

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged ADI and its CEO for reportingfalse compensation and related financial information to investors by backdatingstock option grants to directors, officers and employees. ADI and Fishman agree





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to settle the charges against them. In a related civil action filed in the U.S. DistrictCourt for the District of Columbia, ADI consented to pay a $3 million civil penaltyand Fishman $1 million without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations.Fishman also agreed to repay $450,000, plus interest of $42,110, representingbenefit he allegedly obtained from selling backdated stock in 1998. The SEC saidduring at least 1998 through 2002, ADI and Fishman backdated three stockoption grants to price them below the market price of the stock on the date theywere actually approved, defrauding shareholders and resulting in undisclosedcompensation for Fishman, ADI executives, directors and employees. The SECmade its initial inquiry into ADI’s stock option granting practices in 2004.

• January 2008: Going, going … gone!

ADI announced completion of the sale of its cellular handset radio and basebandchipset operations to MediaTek, Inc. for $350 million. MediaTek acquired theassets related to the Othello radio transceiver and SoftFone baseband chipsetbusiness, as well as certain cellular handset baseband support operations. Thecompany said it continues to invest in the wireless handset market by focusing inareas where the audio, video, connectivity and power efficiency capabilities ofwireless media devices can be significantly enhanced through innovative analog,MEMS and programmable digital signal processing (DSP) technology.

GETTING HIRED

It’s all about the benefits

ADI considers its employees to be its greatest asset, and as such goes to great lengthsto win their favor. The company offers extensive medical, dental and visioninsurance, in addition to a slew of life insurance options. There’s also educationassistance covering 100 percent of tuition expenses (for eligible programs), aretirement plan with company match and a generous dollop of vacation time. In2005, ADI was recognized as one of the 100 Best Places to Work in the Bay Area—an especially telling honor; considering the legendary perks offered by other SiliconValley firms, the company has some tough competition in terms of attracting andkeeping employees.

ADI’s career website (www.analog.com/jobs) lists opportunities for experiencedprofessionals, new college graduates, and co-ops and interns. The page offers thestandard job search functions, allowing you to casually browse its extensive listings ornarrow your focus to specific locations and departments. Following the “EngineeringJobs: What and Where?” link will get you a handy chart letting you know what facilitiesemploy what kind of engineers. Applications engineers can forget about finding workwith ADI in the Windy City, but perhaps they could learn to love Beaverton, Oregon.Layout engineers, on the other hand, are welcome pretty much everywhere. ADI doesmuch of its business outside the U.S.—approximately 75 percent of revenue is




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earned abroad—and, accordingly, more than half of the company’s workforce islocated at facilities in Australia, Ireland, India, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and theU.K.

Soft heart for would-be engineers

The website also features a section for college job opportunities, which are found atADI locations throughout the United States. Internships and co-ops are also availableat most U.S. locations and in Ireland, the Philippines, China and India. Co-ops andinterns are assigned to work with design, applications, product/test and advanceddevelopment engineering teams and are given opportunities to interact withmanagers, engineers and fellow interns. There is an “Intern Showcase Day” at theend of their internship for students to exhibit their projects.

ADI has a history of reaching out to college engineering programs dating back to the1980s, when it established engineering chairs at MIT (its founders’ alma mater),Northeastern and Lowell University. (Stata has also been a frequent donor to MIT, atone point donating a $25 million building to the institute—then the largest such giftin the organization’s history.)

Student or not, the application and selection process is the same across the board.Should you find an opening to your liking, you will be asked to fill out some basicinformation in an online form before emailing your resume to human resources. IfADI likes what it sees, you will be contacted for a phone interview before a face-to-face meeting.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Reviews show one of America’s most admired companies is held generally in highregard by its own. Several insiders say the company provides employees a lot ofopportunity for growth, pays well and has a strong management team.

A human resources manager praises its “great stock program, great culture of nolayoffs…excellent growth management, strategic hiring, many internal trainingprograms and opportunity for advancement.”

A system engineer moving to another company attests ADI has “a people culture,”with an ethnically diverse staff, flexible hours and a casual dress code that allowsmany to work at the corporate offices in jeans, sneakers and T-shirt. “I have enjoyedmy years here…but need to grow beyond what Analog has to offer,” the engineersays. “Opportunities are abundant but in my humble opinion they seem to be morelateral.”

ADI has a “generally positive and giving environment” and there are a lot of smart andtalented co-workers to interact with, a marketing director says. “Great to receive





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mentorship and guidance, while some decisions are less clear from above,” thecontact adds.

A design engineer in India says ADI offers good perks, a good working environment,brand value and opportunity for employees to understand where they fit best. But theinsider says the company is a bit conservative in shifting to very new technologies,with “a wait till everything is all right kind of approach.” Funds for entertainment arealso low, the source adds.

A human resources representative says ADI offers a great salary as well as bonus andstock options for employees who exceed goals. “The wealth was shared a true, RayStata culture,” the staffer says.

“Overall pretty good” was how a system administrator who gets a $65,000 salarydescribes pay and perks including profit sharing, college reimbursement, medical,dental and retirement benefits. One design manager has it even better: a base payof $160,000 and a 25 percent bonus with stock options.




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APPIAN CORPORATION

8000 Towers Crescent Drive

16th Floor

Vienna, VA 22182

Phone: (703) 442-8844

Fax: (703) 442-8919

www.appian.com

LOCATIONS

Vienna, VA (HQ)

London

DEPARTMENTS

Channels

Corporate services

EMEA

Marketing

Professional Services

Sales

Software Development

Technology

THE STATS

Employer Type: Private Company

Chairman & CEO: Matthew W. Calkins

2008 Employees: 200

KEY COMPETITORS

Intalio

Lombardi Software

Savvion

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.appian.com/company/careers/openings

.jsp

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THE SCOOP

A home run

Appian offers business process management (BPM) software, which providesorganizations with increased visibility and control over their business processes. Inaddition to software, the company offers consulting and professional services in theareas of BPM, data warehousing, business intelligence, knowledge management,web services and application integration, personalization, enterprise identitymanagement and high-speed analytics. Its products include the Appian Enterprise,a tool for integrating multiple data storage, communication and infrastructuremanagement needs, and software suites that assist agencies in complying withlegislative demands, like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for financial transparency and theFreedom of Information Act for information requests. Its clients include such notablenames as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Army, the Securities andExchange Commission, Federal Express, Giorgio Armani, Macromedia, Sprint, theUniversity of Maryland and the World Bank Group.

A firm on the fast track (its growth over one three-year period exceeded 2,000percent), Appian has won contracts with clients spanning the retail, financial services,insurance, energy, telecom, health care and manufacturing industries. While thecompany’s history is not long, the same is not so for Appian’s list of accolades andawards. The company has been twice recognized by the Washington BusinessJournal (in 2004 as the D.C. area’s fastest-growing software company and the city’sthird fastest-growing company overall, and in its 2007 list of Best Places to Work) andthe Inc 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in North America. Appianhas received industry kudos, including the Digital Consulting Institute’s (DCI) 2003Best Internal Portal Award, the e-Gov 2003 Explorer Award and the Industry AdvisoryCouncil’s and Federal CIO Council’s 2004 Excellence.gov Award. Ernst & Youngnamed CEO and co-founder Matt Calkins Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004. Thecompany bowed gratefully to industry applause in 2007, when KMWorld named it toits list of 100 Companies that Matter in Knowledge Management for the third yearrunning, followed by a nod from Intelligent Enterprise, which recognized Appian as aCompany to Watch.

We pick…Appian!

Much of Appian’s success has come from teaming up with other firms. In 2004,Appian partnered with RAM Consulting, a provider of custom software for theautomation of government processes. The collaboration set Appian’s software to workin the civil construction and transportation departments of state and localgovernment, where RAM had an established presence as an engineering andautomation software provider. The company also partnered with Zynium in 2005 tointegrate Microsoft Visio software into its Appian Enterprise suite, and other alliances


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that year, with MorganFranklin and iWay Software, further augmented its offerings,propelling the company to record growth; BPM software licenses increased by atremendous 171 percent over the year before.

Appian on demand

Eager to the meet the demands of an increasingly mobile business world, Appian tookits software to the internet in February 2007. Its new suite of programs, AppianAnywhere, is accessed by users through their web browsers—no downloadingnecessary. Appian Anywhere is the first and only complete BPM Suite available ondemand, delivering all the power and functionality of Appian Enterprise via aSoftware-as-a-service (SaaS) model. Meanwhile, by offering its programs through asubscriber system, Appian reduces its own exposure to software piracy and candeploy updates more easily. In addition to cementing its virtual presence, Appianbroadened its international scope by signing a resell agreement with Lemontree, aSwedish BPM firm. Inked in March 2007, the deal takes advantage of Lemontree’sreach in Nordic markets to cull new clients for Appian.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: In the outback

The Territory Insurance Office (TIO), Australia’s only government-ownedcommercial insurance and financial services provider has deployed Appian’sEnterprise BPM Suite for use in the government’s motor accidents compensationscheme. According to the TIO, the Enterprise suite is going to assist them inreducing costs and eliminating errors—in other words, Appian’s software suite ishopefully going to streamline the process of accident claims compensation. As acourtesy to the TIO’s introduction to business process management, Appiandeployed a knowledgeable team to help the TIO get used to the process. The firstphase is on time and within budget, and it looks to be a promising venture thatdelivers strong results.

• February 2009: A company that matters

Once again, Appian has been named one of the 100 Companies That Matter inKnowledge Management by KMWorld magazine. Now in its eighth year, theannual list is compiled by the KMWorld network of knowledge managementpractitioners, theorists, analysts and end users. The magazine cites thecomprehensive Appian Enterprise BPM Suite because it unifies process andknowledge management. All of the software suite’s capabilities—data and contentmanagement, text search and collaboration tools—combined with rich analytics,save Appian customers time and money in implementation as well as in seamlessintegration of process control capabilities and effective knowledge management.


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This is the fourth time that Appian is listed in KMWorld’s 100 Companies ThatMatter in Knowledge Management yearly roster.

Besides being recognized by KMWorld for the fourth year running, Appian has alsobeen named as a leader in the new Gartner Business Process Management MagicQuadrant, 2009 report.

• January 2009: Off to a good start

Appian released a report indicating that 2008 was a good year. Fourth quarterearnings in 2008 represent the highest ever closing quarter in the company’shistory, and although its Enterprise suite is still its best seller, its newest SaaSoffering, Appian Anywhere, is creeping up the sales charts as increased demandfor the tool is seen. That year has also been the highest in terms of revenue, andits tools were able to accommodate one billion logins by users, customers andclients alike—unmatched in the industry. Two pluses can be seen in the domesticand foreign markets, with Appian’s foreign market share contributing 25 percentto total revenue, while new customers increased 175 percent over 2007. Even theindustry took note, with the company receiving awards for, among other things,innovation in its market.

• December 2008: Safety and security, the Appian way

In partnership with OASIS, a nonprofit organization working to establish globalindustry standards for information technology, the company’s Appian Anywhere,its complete business process management suite, now supports security assertionmarkup language (SAML), a tool developed by OASIS that will enable AppianAnywhere to have a single sign-on service that increases centralized efforts atprocess and security and conforms to industry standards. In other words, thismeans that Appian Anywhere is interoperable across websites, making it possiblefor a user’s identity, attributes and entitlements to travel seamlessly from one entityto another. This means that a user doesn’t need to sign-in and reverify informationthat should already be shared between affiliated secured websites. After all,streamlining the process has been one of Appian’s core tenets, and this continueswith introduced support for OASIS’s SAML.

• November 2008: Introducing Enterprise 5.7

Appian unveiled two new offerings to the market: the latest version of its industryleader Enterprise software and a community-sharing tool for Appian users andclients alike. Enterprise 5.7 builds on the path blazed by Appian’s BPM suiteseries and makes its offerings even more “process”-centric, making it easier forusers to determine what works best for their business and to combine people andsystems. On the people front, Appian ShareBase is a virtual community that is freeto use with a client’s product license. This virtual repository of information is builtfrom the ground up with Appian users’ know-how of Appian tools. It comes withpopular content that change from time to time. Also, partners and customers canuse ShareBase as their personal social-networking site, enabling them to uploadcontent and to review and discuss services. According to CEO Matthew Calkins:


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“The Appian community is a diverse global network of organizations with one thingin common: they are all using Appian to drive fundamental improvements in howthey operate. With Appian Enterprise 5.7, we are giving that community the mostpowerful, yet easy-to-use, BPM platform available. With Appian ShareBase, weare helping the members of that community learn from each other’s successes tospeed the time-to-value of their BPM initiatives.”

• October 2008: Process-centric

It was all about the government this quarter, as Appian snagged contracts with theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA). For FEMA, Appian is tasked to streamline and automate theagency’s disaster response process, ensuring that agency activities could bemonitored and progress be tracked in real time for immediate feedback. On theother hand, the FDA has entered into a three-year contract with Appian in order toimprove its information technology base. Essentially, the FDA is asking Appian toupgrade its processes for a more unified approach to agency activities, such asdetermining office productivity or determining who gets access to what files at theFDA. Both FEMA and the FDA will use Appian’s web-based application, whichmakes it easier for both agencies to streamline their processes. This should begood news for everyone involved, as Appian is expected to take in $3 million forboth software-as-a-service applications for FEMA and the FDA.

• September 2008: Appian-Mega coordination

Appian may be good at answering client needs and at being flexible about thesolutions it provides, but how could a client know if Appian’s software-as-a-servicetool is working or not? The answer to that question comes in the form of Mega, anarchitecture enterprise company that offers analysis for business processes andtheir effectiveness. The moment of discovery, that “a-ha!”, came when rental carcompany Enterprise propounded that Appian and Mega work together—both areEnterprise’s vendors and have the company as a client. After agreeing to combinetheir capabilities, Appian released its Enterprise BMP suite equipped with theMega modeling suite. Appian and Mega share five customers, and both hope thattheir combined tools might open the market to a two-in-one package deal thatmight cement both companies’ position in the BPM market.

• July 2008: Filling coffers

Like the Beatles song, Appian has raised $10 million, “with a little help from itsfriends,”venture partners Novak Biddle. Appian plans to use the funds to positionitself more strongly in the market and to widen the reach of its Enterprise BPMSuite as software-as-a-service. In return for the funding, Novak Biddle co-founderJack Biddle sits on the board of directors at Appian. Appian teaming up withNovak Biddle is no surprise, as the latter is known for supporting fledgling ITcompanies to get their businesses off and running. Also, the fact that Appian isan industry leader in the business process management market doesn’t hurt, asNovak Biddle prefers companies that have a “unique or proprietary advantage” for


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long-term relationships. This is Appian’s first entry into joint venture endeavors.Of late, Appian has received offers to buy out the company, but they have beenshown the door by CEO Matthew Calkins, who believes that the company “has notyet reached its full potential.”

• June 2008: This is SharePoint

Complementing Microsoft SharePoint, a tool that allows data and other informationto be shared across teams or offices, Appian announced that its BPM suite is nowavailable for users of the program. More like giving order to chaos, Appian’sintegrated SharePoint package supports areas that Microsoft’s programs lack:business process management and workflow. Thanks to Appian, designers cannow have more control over the process, and analysts can look at real-time dataabout workflow. What’s good about Appian’s offering is that it is all aboutsupport—both for SharePoint and the end user. It doesn’t supplant the SharePointinterface, instead working quietly in the SharePoint dashboard.

• April 2008: Clearing the clutter for apartments

Appian just had to help Archstone. Like most companies that have been aroundfor a long time, the shift to a paperless process has occurred at a snail’s pace,especially since the company’s reach is far and wide and there are a fewcommunity differences it has to consider. Fax machines were the lifeblood ofArchstone, and every form sent had the concurrent risks of getting lost along theway or getting to its destination a little too late. Appian threw its hat into the ringwhen Archstone called for vendors to show the company what they’ve got. Usinga typical Archstone business scenario as the challenge, vendors were asked topresent a solution that works well for the company. When the dust settled, Appianwas the winner. Archstone appreciated that Appian has come up with a systemthat knows its end users (read: businesspeople, not techies), and designed itaccording to their needs and specifications. In addition, having a centralizedsystem might decrease the attrition rates at the field level, since associates cannow focus on meeting customer needs rather than getting used to the company’sprocesses. Points are in order for Appian here, since its flexibility with customerneeds earned it a new client.

• March 2008: Service is just a click away

Bigger than Hertz and Avis, rental car giant Enterprise chose Appian’s web-basedbusiness process management (BPM) suite in its internal service request system.The in-house application is expected to process everything that Enterprise needswithin its company, from ordering a laptop to making arrangements to opening anew branch. Before Appian’s software suite entered the picture, Enterprise’s viewof its internal services department was skewed, with the company having to makedo with manually receiving service requests through email, generating a virtualpaper trail that sticks to the company’s foot like a used tissue. With Appian’s help,however, Enterprise has established a central processing system that can beaccessed online. Entry forms are now a thing of the past, since Appian’s web


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application is designed to streamline the process, with Enterprise employeesultimately having to just point and click their selections online. An IT managerfrom Enterprise says that the company is now able to reallocate the time saved withAppian’s application to other, more valuable processes within the company.

GETTING HIRED

Choices, choices

Aside from its Washington-area headquarters, one can also opt to work for its U.K.European headquarters or regional sales locations in nine states.

Meritocracy is the operative value in the professional, outside of the jovial part of theday’s grind. Appian is also an equal opportunity employer. There are two ways toapply for a job at Appian. First, applicants may find specific positions listed on thecompany website at www.appian.com/company/careers/openings.jsp. To apply, anapplication form can be downloaded to prepare you for an interview. Send this witha cover letter and resume to [email protected], or to the headquarters mailingaddress (Attn.: Recruiting - New Candidates). Be sure to specify the position forwhich you are applying. For the interview, download “Print Directions.”

Second, Appian recruits at a number of colleges, including Carnegie-Mellon,Dartmouth, Duke, MIT, Princeton, Rensselaer, Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico,the University of Maryland, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Virginiaand Virginia Tech. Check out www.appianjobs.com/opportunities.htm for theuniversity visits of the season and the available openings for undergraduates.Information about these college visits can be obtained by [email protected] or by visiting your career services office. Resumes and coverletters from college students should be sent to this same email address.

Work on the Love Boat?

Appian supports what it calls a “jovial, yet professional” work environment, and assuch fosters group activities—from educational sessions and softball teams to tea andSudoku parties—among its employees. There’s regular interaction with topexecutives, and “indie” time for personal projects. Adding to the glee is the free freshfruit delivered to the office twice a week, monthly gym and cell phonereimbursements, monthly happy hours, quarterly events and the annual corporateadventures conducted on cruise ships. But it’s not all tea and strawberries atAppian—employees can expect more pedestrian benefits like health, dental andvision care plans, a 401(k) program with company matching and three weeks of paidvacation per year. New hires with Appian are thoroughly shown the ropes with a four-week training program in all things technical, followed by a six-month mentoringprogram. Perhaps it’s this kind of treatment that earned the company a spot on


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Washington Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in the Greater D.C. Area list in2005 and 2007. Appian is recognized for creating a positive work environment thatattracts and retains employees though a combination of employee satisfaction,working conditions and company culture. Given this rare corporate atmosphere thatfosters friendship, the state-of-the-art equipment can only come as a bonus, alongwith the paid parking at headquarters. And, as if all that weren’t enough, Appian’swebsite boasts of the company’s “constantly looking for new, innovative benefits tooffer” its employees.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Where you may/can/will belong

“Very good group of consultants and top-notch assignments,” is how one respondentput it, although he could see room for complaining about management, noting: “Themanagement is kind of nerdy—the Doogie Howser types. Seem to be disconnectedfrom reality.” How do nerds interview job applicants? “Be ready with all numbers—your height in meters to your SAT and GRE scores.” That’s not really so bad, is it? Allthe perks just might be able to outweigh the small price to pay for getting through theinterview process.


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APPLE INC.

1 Infinite Loop

Cupertino, CA 95014

Phone: (408) 996-1010

www.apple.com

LOCATIONS

Cupertino, CA (HQ)

Alabama • Arizona • California • Colorado •

Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia

• Hawaii • Illinois • Indianapolis • Iowa •

Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine •

Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan •

Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska

• Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey •

New Mexico • New York • North Carolina •

Ohio • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Rhode

Island • South Carolina • Tennessee •

Texas • Utah • Virginia • Washington •

Wisconsin

Beijing • Belfast • Birmingham, United

Kingdom • Bristol • Calgary • Cambridge •

Chadstone, Australia • Chatswood,

Australia • Edmonton • Exeter • Fukuoka,

Japan • Geneva • Glasgow • Grays, United

Kingdom • Greenhithe, United Kingdom •

Kingston, United Kingdom • Laval, Canada

• Leicester, United Kingdom • Liverpool •

London • Manchester • Milton Keynes,

United Kingdom • Miyagi, Japan • Montreal

• Munich • Nagoya • Osaka • Rome •

Sapporo • Sheffield, United Kingdom •

Solihull, United Kingdom • Sydney • Tokyo

• Vancouver • WestQuay, United Kingdom •

Zurich

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative & Clerical • Applications •

Facilities • Finance • Hardware Engineering

• Human Resources • Information Systems

& Technology • iPhone Engineering • iPod

Engineering • Legal • Marketing & Product

Marketing • Operations • Retail Corporate •

Retail Store • Sales • Software Engineering

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: AAPL


CEO: Steven P. Jobs


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 32,479

2008 Income ($ mil.): 4,834

KEY COMPETITORS

Dell

Hewlett-Packard

Microsoft

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

jobs.apple.com/index.ajs?

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THE SCOOP

More than three decades of thinking differently

Apple has come a long way since 1976 when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak first builttheir own computer. Today, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company makes a line ofconstantly evolving laptop and desktop computers, which, equipped with the Mac OSX operating system, vlogger-friendly QuickTime and—in a first for the company—Intelprocessors running the show, have generated a zealous cult following. TheMacintosh has long been popular, especially in graphic arts and publishing. Appleranked No. 103 on the 2008 list of the Fortune 500 and second on BusinessWeek’s2008 edition of the InfoTech 100 (21 ranks ahead of competitor Microsoft, whichplaced 23rd). Also, Apple topped Fortune’s list of Most Admired Companies for thesecond year in a row in 2008.

The bulk of the company’s profit comes from its personal digital products and itscomputers. At the outset of the 2000s, Apple co-founder and CEO Jobs radicallyrevised the company’s core identity, drawing the firm’s attention to high-endelectronic and digital devices and services. Most notably, the iPod series of digitalmusic players, the iMac, the Macbook and recently the iPhone, have revolutionizedboth the music industry and the handheld device market, changing the way peoplelisten to (and record labels distribute) music and treat their mobile phones. Goingbeyond these markets, Apple creates its share of the online market with its iTunesStore and AppleTV, both offering exclusive content in partnership with record labelsand TV and film companies such as EMI music and NBC, among others.

Macintosh through rain and shine

Apple’s journey has been a roller-coaster ride, alternating between riding high on thesuccess of its products and battling accusations of illegal corporate acts and claimsof patent infringement. In the boardrooms, leadership changed hands and went backto square one, with Steve Jobs abruptly leaving the company he helped build in 1985,then coming back onboard in 1997 to guide the company through the dark tunnel ofinternal issues and the global economic downturn in the 2000s, only to take a six-month medical leave of absence in 2009 to focus on his health. Calling a truce withlongtime rival Microsoft in 1997 was seen as a savvy move, as both companiesentered into a cross-licensing pact, letting them support each other’s products andsoftware. There were raised eyebrows when the candy-colored iMacs were releasedsans a floppy disk drive. Apple reasoned that zip drives were going to be the thing ofthe future anyway, so why stick to something that’s on its way to being phased out?Prophetically, Apple is vindicated, due in part to the flexibility and capability of theInternet, online storage, flash drives and CD-ROMS.


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iPhone mania

The tech revolution that started with the iPod in 2001 culminated in the release of theiPhone in June 2007. The Apple faithful lined up outside the company’s flagshipstore on Fifth Avenue in New York City days before the phone’s release; craftyconsumers in other parts of the country scoped out less-trafficked AT&T stores for achance to grab an iPhone away from the crowds gathering at suburban mall Applestores. Other consumers have grumbled that the iPhone’s exclusive relationship withAT&T in America will deter them from buying the product, although an anonymouscomputer hacker revealed a free open-source procedure in mid-2007 to “jailbreak”the iPhone to accommodate other wireless providers. Regardless, iPhones have beenflying off the shelves. Despite investor worries that demand was sinking, the onemillionth iPhone was sold in September 2007, only three months after the gadget’sinception.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: See that movie star’s pores up close

The marriage between high definition and iTunes got going as Apple announcedthe availability of high-definition movies for sale in their iTunes store. This shouldbe good news for those who love their movies as realistically rendered as possible,whether on their iPhone, their iPod, their Mac or PC, or their AppleTV. Get ready,as recently released movie titles will soon be added to the iTunes lineup. BeforeApple’s announcement, only TV shows were available for purchase and download.

In its maturing iPod line, Apple unveiled a new Shuffle, shrunk in half but with thecapacity to play twice as many songs as the original iPod Shuffle. Unlike the oldmodel, which has no display interface to look at, the new iPod Shuffle has a voicefeature that announces songs and playlists in 14 languages. Also, all the controlsare now on the earphone cord, which makes for a more accessible listeningexperience. Sad news for customers who like the old Shuffle, though, as the newiPod Shuffle is going to be the only Shuffle on the market soon—Apple plans tophase out the older model.

• February 2009: The Safari hunt

Mozilla’s fox sniffed the air, while Microsoft’s explorer manned the area as Google’schrome glints in the sunlight. Apple entered the browser wilderness as it promotedSafari 4 Beta as the “world’s fastest.” Four times faster than its predecessor, itsinterface is similar to iTunes, with users able to browse through web page historiesas they would browse through songs or albums in their iTunes libraries. Touted as30 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and three times faster than Mozilla Firefox3 in loading JavaScript, Safari 4’s speed is credited to Nitro, an open-sourcesoftware also used in Google’s Chrome and Android browsers.


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• January 2009: Jobs goes on leave; Apple wins Papermaster from Big Blue

CEO Steve Jobs took a six-month medical leave of absence in January 2009, afterhis medical problems proved to be “more complex than [Steve] originally thought.”Although he’s expected to be back at the helm by the middle of the year, it remainsto be seen whether Apple can weather the months without its CEO, who hasbecome inextricably entwined with the company’s public image. Tim Cook,Apple’s chief operating officer, is tasked to handle the day-to-day operations of thecompany. Apple retains its plans to focus on “delivering extraordinary products,”continuing a tradition of breaking with convention and leading the revolution in thedigital age.

The SEC is examining Apple regarding the news of its CEO’s health to determine ifinvestors have been misled by the company’s disclosures. The matter is not meantto go public, so neither side is willing to comment about the affair.

Finally, Mark Papermaster, a former vice president at IBM, has been given the gosignal to head Apple’s iPod and iPhone hardware engineering teams. This shouldbe good news for the company, since it’s taken a good three months to getPapermaster over to its side. The struggle has involved litigation between the twocompanies, with IBM insisting that Papermaster take a year’s leave of absencebefore joining Apple, and Apple saying that there really shouldn’t be anything toworry about since he is going to focus on personal computers and consumerdevices, which is a long way away from IBM’s specialty of making large computerservers. A deal was reached in federal court, where Papermaster will need tocertify in July and October that he has not divulged privileged information in hiswork with Apple. Meanwhile, IBM is going to be on its toes, ready to pounce if itsees any indication that its intellectual property rights are being breached.

• October 2008: iPod not the leader of the pack in terms of 2008 Q4 sales

iPod sales only contributed 14.2 percent of Apple’s total fiscal Q4 2008 revenue,which grew at a rate of 75 percent year over year. Yet, Apple’s stock is only $4higher than it was in November 2006. Investors, the media and analysts haveconsistently overstated Apple’s dependence on the iPod for future revenue andearnings growth. In Q1 2008, Wall Street, choosing to disregard iPhone and Macrevenue as being the core of Apple’s future revenue growth, only focused on howiPod unit sales grew at a meager pace of 5 percent year over year. Wall Street alsoseemed to disregard the fact that iPod revenue growth in Q1 is still 16.6 percenthigher than it was in the same quarter the year before.

• September 2008: Taking a different tack in the Far East

Apple customers in Asia should be surprised to learn that, unlike theircounterparts in the Western hemisphere, their iPhone isn’t going to be tied to aspecific mobile carrier for a set number of years. Following the trend on this partof the planet, Apple introduced the unlocked iPhone in Hong Kong, which can beactivated with any wireless carrier. Unlike U.S. customers who initially had theiriPhone tied to an AT&T contract, most consumers in Hong Kong can partner-up


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their iPhone with any mobile carrier—a SIM card is used instead of a servicecontract. This is the start of the Asian iPhone explosion, as it’s estimated that theApple devices available on the island of Hong Kong will soon make their wayacross the Pacific and into other countries in the region.

• July 2008: No leaders, please

Ignoring the big boys and major players and going after the underdogs, Apple saidthat chips in their iPhone 3G model are coming from smaller vendors who aren’tas well known but are equally capable of delivering the specifications the companydemands for their products. Apple chose Infineon, Samsung and TriQuint as itssuppliers—all three are below industry leaders QUALCOMM and TexasInstruments. Some speculate that cost is the driving factor behind thesedecisions, but this trend has been around since Apple released its first iPhone in2007, so it’s no surprise that the company has chosen to work with smallervendors and not market leaders. The company already has a reputation for goingagainst the grain of tradition and building its own industry strategy.

• June 2008: Beyond the edge network

In the first quarter of the month, Apple ups its iPhone arsenal by releasing thesecond-generation iPhone, known as the iPhone 3G. Apple also announces plansto beef up the capabilities of its new iPhone so that the device can handle tribandconnections and be 3G-capable everywhere. This release also introduces theApps Store, where users can purchase and download software developed by thirdparties, with Apple’s blessing. The new iPhone is half the price but twice thepower, says Steve Jobs at the annual Apple development conference in SanFrancisco. Apple might be hoping the release of MobileMe, a paid storage andfull-capability (email, calendar, galleries and photo sharing) website might makeup for the iPhone 3G’s halved price tag, with the website offering 20 GB of storageat only $99 a year.

• April 2008: What do you mean you got here first?

Apple is coasting high on the waves of the iPhone and its other Mac products, butit’s about to run into an iceberg of patent infringement lawsuits filed before U.S.district courts across the country. The company has been a frequent target oflitigation, and court dockets are seeing more and more parties levying claimsagainst Apple. This month and the last saw eight claims against the company,mostly having to do with patent infringement. One particular claimant said that thecompany used his patented system for Flash memory connectivity in its iPod Nanoand iTouch. Though the lawsuit cites these two devices as infringing, the plaintiff’scounsel isn’t ruling out including the iPhone as well. “They’ve been very slow inresponding,” J. Michael Huget, attorney for the claimant, said. The lawsuit, ifallowed to go to court, seeks treble damages and an injunction against sales of theiPod Nano and the iTouch.

Apple bought PowerPC designer PA Semi for $278 million without informinginvestors or the bought-out company’s customers. Although it might be typical


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Apple fashion to acquire investments in secret, this one might be a little tricky forApple. Although PA has told its customers that its acquiring company (it didn’tname Apple as the buyer) is not interested in continuing production, someanalysts indicate that PA has broken customer trust. And that’s where thecompany hits the snag, because PA counts the U.S. Department of Defense as oneof its big customers. Within hours after the story broke, many DOD contracts werecancelled, and some customers grumbled about their future with a company nolonger able to make the products they’ve been known for. As a stopgap measure,Apple promised to support PA Semi products for a while.

• March 2008: The great iPhone jailbreak

The iPhone has wowed, wooed and amazed loyal and new Apple users alike, andpublic opinion on the tool’s adamant refusal to host third-party applications hasboth sides of the fence populated with those praising Apple for protecting itsconsumers from possibly risky programs and software on the one hand, and thoseprotesting this exclusivist mindset and toiling away on their PCs, hacking into theiPhone firmware to get it to run non-Apple programs on the other. Sweet successcame to a group that calls itself the iPhone dev team when it announced on itswebsite that its members have officially picked iPhone’s lock and can have it hostnon-Apple applications. In other words, this has become the great iPhonejailbreak, an almost yearlong effort (since the iPhone went on sale in June 2007)among different groups to stand up to what one writer has described as Apple’s“control-freak mindset” when it comes to developing software for its iPhone.

GETTING HIRED

With job openings for staid tech workers as well as recent grads in areas like hardwareengineering, software engineering, applications, finance, operations and marketing,Apple is looking for candidates with skills. Just what skills they need, exactly, areoutlined on the company’s job website (www.apple.com/jobs), which provides abreakdown of necessary abilities in its overview of each job category. When you’vedetermined the area of operations right for you, a listing of all open jobs for thatcategory is available for your perusal. Find something you like? Interested parties canset up a profile on Apple’s job page and submit their résumés online.

Apple, the next generation

For the soon-to-graduate set, Apple makes an appearance at several campus eventsthroughout the year, including pit stops at Stanford, Harvard, Duke University, theUniversity of California at Irvine and New York University (to name a few—a fullschedule can be found at www.apple.com/jobs/us/pro/college/campus_events.html).The company also offers full-time and part-time paid internships in its engineeringdivisions. While internships are occasionally offered in nontechnical areas like


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finance, marketing, or graphic design, these positions often go to candidates withsome technical experience.

Along with learning about the company and industry, interns enjoy more immediatelyrewarding perks, like discounts on Apple products, free health insurance and acasual dress code—not to mention that rarest of internship compensations: money.Internships are offered at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino and generally last forthree months during the summer, although there are a limited number of six-monthco-op positions available throughout the year.

Still want to hightail it to Cupertino? Vault sources report going through two (or more)rounds of interviews. One intern pointed out that his interviewer “asked me onequestion about my resume, then opened the rest of the time for me to ask himquestions. Coming prepared with five or six good, open-ended questions is extremelyimportant.”

Take a bite out of Apple

Apple is not only driving innovation in the tech and music industries, it also wants tolead the pack in terms of the benefits it grants its employees. Through itsFlexBenefits program, Apple-ites can choose benefits that best fit their unique lives.The company also offers a 401(k) with company match, an employee stockpurchasing program and on-site fitness centers. And you don’t have to be a born-and-raised Apple fan to fit in here; in fact, the company says it appreciates diversityin employee background, which extends to personal computer history. Takingdiversity one step further, the company also partners with several organizations toensure a non-homogeneous workforce, including National Black MBAs, the NationalSociety of Hispanic MBAs and the Society of Women Engineers.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Great place to work, with some reservations

Talk to some Apple employees and you might come away with the impression thatthere’s no better place to work than Apple. “Funny, brilliant, relaxed” co-workers and“modern, spacious, beautiful” offices “filled with comfortable couches and hugepicture windows make work time a pleasure.” “I can’t imagine any reason not to workhere,” coos one insider. “The atmosphere is extremely relaxed and open, with a veryfriendly culture,” gushes a source in the finance department. Teamwork seems to bevery important at the company, and it’s easy to work together when the people arewilling. “Most of my peers are open-minded,” shares one insider. “[They] haveappreciation for music, movies and the arts.” And one way Apple employees get toappreciate their peers is through shared iTunes libraries, something that’s seen as aperk by most everyone.


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The hours might be long, but the pay is good, according to one administrator. “Thereare many opportunities for advancement,” he adds. The dress code is in line withthe company’s relaxed atmosphere, with some employees going to work in streetclothes.

Think Apple is all fun and games like their products? Think again. Apple is prettyserious with its employee development. “There are regular training courses availablethat can give you the skills you need” to get promoted or advance in the company.

While many admit “Apple has changed over the past 10 years,” most employees stayput. “Apple believes strongly in hiring from within the company, so opportunities toadvance are plentiful. There are also numerous opportunities to shift horizontallywithin the company as well. Employees are generally very dedicated, and it’s easyto find people who have worked here for 20-plus years who are still very happy withtheir jobs,” notes another source. Comments like “absolutely no downers,” “everyoneis an essential part of the team,” and “Apple remains my dream company,” couldmake anyone want to pack their bags for California.

It’s not all sunshine and sweet dreams in Cupertino, however. “Yeah, Apple! Right?Well, maybe,” says one insider. “If you put your heart into the ‘Mac vs. Windows’jihad, it’s very frustrating to see an inferior OS getting all the attention,” says oneprogrammer. The downside of the unusually creative atmosphere is that sometimestrying to enforce a corporate strategy is like “herding cats.” One contact feels thatApple management is only “looking out for their bottom line,” saying that when thegoing gets tough, the tough make “drastic changes” that don’t really solve theproblem. The pay is “not bad, but not the best in the Bay area,” though somecontacts add, “the people make up for the pay.”

Most of our contacts say they have no plans to leave Apple anytime soon. A dresscode that is casual “with a capital C” and a uniquely Californian “work hard/playhard” culture make up for the hours toiling at the office. “Working at Apple is awonderful experience,” one source says, noting that the environment is “intellectuallychallenging, inspiring and rewarding.” “The culture is the best,” another gushes.

The main R&D campus in Cupertino is “pretty posh, with a huge lawn in the middle,a very nice cafeteria and a big indoor atrium with a cafe.” Benefits also include“same-sex domestic partner medical benefits.” And, while the company is mostlywhite and male,” Apple does look for women and minorities.” Insiders say, “Itscommon knowledge that Apple’s progressive nature is a large part of its image.”


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APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

3050 Bowers Avenue

P.O. Box 58039

Santa Clara, CA 95054-3299

Phone: (408) 727-5555

www.appliedmaterials.com

LOCATIONS


Austin, TX • Chelmsford, MA • Fairfield, CA

Phoenix, AZ • Salt Lake City, UT •

Sunnyvale, CA • Alzenau, Germany •

Bangalore • Beijing • Cheseaux,

Switzerland • Dresden, Germany •

Gyeonggi, South Korea • Hoofddorp, The

Netherlands • Hsinchu, Taiwan • Jiangsu,

China • Kiryat Gat, Israel • Kulim, Malaysia

Meylan, France • Noida, India • Ontario •

Rehovot, Israel • Sarawak, Malaysia •

Shanghai • Singapore • Suzhou, China •

Taichung, Taiwan • Tainan, Taiwan • Tamil

Nadu, India • Taoyuan, Taiwan • Tianjin,

China • Tokyo • Xi’an, China

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Corporate Affairs •

Engineering • Executive • Finance • Human

Resources • Information Systems • Legal •

Manufacturing • Marketing • Materials

Management • Mergers & Acquisitions •

Operations • Quality & Safety • Real estate

& Facilities • Sales • Technical Publications

Technical Support • Technology

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: AMAT


Chairman & CEO: Michael R. Splinter


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 8,129.2

2008 Income ($ mil.): 960.8

KEY COMPETITORS

Hitachi HT

KLA-Tencor

Lam

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.appliedmaterials.com/careers

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THE SCOOP

Time to make the chips

Applied Materials leads a large niche of the semiconductor industry. It prides itselfon being the world’s largest purveyor of nanomanufacturing technology, which meansthat it sells the machines that other companies use to make semiconductor chips,solar modules and flat panel displays. When Applied Materials first came on thescene in the late 1960s, semiconductor machines were produced by the largecompanies that made the machines themselves, such as IBM and Texas Instruments.By catering to this specific part of the market, Applied Materials has made itself aSilicon Valley mainstay, and the largest company of its kind.

Through its four business segments—silicon, applied global services, display, andenergy and environment solutions—the company strives to meet all the demands ofits wide-ranging customer base. Applied Materials’ silicon arm makes themanufacturing equipment that makes semiconductors. The fab solutionsdepartment works in tandem with both the silicon and solar businesses, providingservices to make the manufacturing process more efficient. The display segment isa bit more self-explanatory—here Applied Materials manufactures equipment used tobuild liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for televisions and computer monitors. Throughits energy and environment solutions, the company applies its display technology tosolar photovoltaic cells (which harness the awesome power of the sun to run yourblow dryer or coffee grinder) and energy-efficient glass, among other products.

Let the chips fall where they may

The Applied Materials empire increasingly stretches far beyond U.S. borders; inaddition to its corporate offices in Santa Clara, it has sales and service offices inEurope, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and China. Itsresearch, development and manufacturing centers are based in the U.S., Israel andEurope, while its technology centers are located in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.In 2008, Europe was the region that accounted for the largest chunk, 38 percent, ofthe company’s sales; followed by North America at 26 percent, Japan at 17 percent,Southeast Asia and China at 9 percent, Korea at 7 percent and Taiwan at 2 percent.Applied Materials’ biggest customers include Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, IBM,Samsung, Toshiba and Freescale Semiconductor. In 2008, Applied Materials’ salesrevenue reached $8.1292 billion.


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Among the most admired companies

Applied Materials is on Fortune’s list of World’s Most Admired Companies andCorporate Responsibility Officer Magazine’s 10th annual list of 100 Best CorporateCitizens.

• February 2009: $133 million net loss in fiscal Q1 2009

The company released financial results for its first fiscal quarter ending January2009 with net sales of $1.33 billion and a net loss of $133 million.

• February 2009: Partnering to develop 22-nm chips

Applied Materials together with IBM and the College of Nanoscale Science andEngineering (CNSE) of the State University of New York at Albany signed anagreement to jointly develop process modeling technology for manufacturing 22-nanometer (nm) logic and memory chips.

• November 2008: No longer interested in ASMI

An EE Times report stated that Applied Materials was not pursuing plans topurchase ASM International N.V. (ASMI)’s atomic layer deposition (ALD) andplasma-enhanced chemical vapor depostion (PE-CVD) operations despitereportedly tendering an offer of at least $400 million to buy the chip-makingequipment company based in the Netherlands. According to the report, AppliedMaterials, together with private equity firm Francisco Partners, even increased theoffer to $800 million but ASMI rejected the offer. The alleged motive for the offer,EE Times said, was to allow Applied Materials to gain access to Intel, ASMI’s topcustomer.

• July 2008: Breaking more ground in Taiwan

Applied Materials held a groundbreaking to expand its manufacturing facility inTainan, Taiwan, to meet increased demand for its AKT flat panel display equipmentand SunFab thin film solar manufacturing equipment. The expansion is worth $17million and will increase total production area to 14,000 square meters.

GETTING HIRED

Extensive info has been Applied online

Applied Materials has extensive hiring information on its website’s Careers sectionor www.appliedmaterials.com/careers. Job listings are sorted by region andresumes may be submitted online. For those suffering from a resume deficiency,the company even provides an online resume builder. The “job agent” functionallows you to enter and save search criteria; the company will contact you when





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open positions matching your interests come up. Applied Materials’ careers sitealso hosts a special section for exiting military personnel; recognizing the skillsgained through duty in the armed forces, the company works with local militarytransition centers to match servicemen and women with opportunities. It’s becauseof efforts like this that the company earned a spot on G.I. Jobs magazine’s 2006Top 50 Most Military-Friendly Employers list.

From the classroom to the boardroom (or at least a cubicle)

Recent grads should look into the company’s College to Corporate developmentprogram, a full-time paid opportunity to get your foot in the Applied Materials door.Designed to train and develop graduates on the ins and outs of nanomanufacturingtechnology, the program welcomes applicants with technical backgrounds (materialsscience, physics, computer science and engineering majors) as well as those withbusiness degrees in supply chain management, finance, accounting, businessadministration and the like. A graduate fellowship program and internship and co-opopportunities accommodate those who are still in school, but looking to add a littlecorporate flavor to their lives. Details for all these opportunities are listed under the“College Recruiting” portion of the careers website, while details on Applied Materials’myriad of college campus visits can be found under the “Job Fairs” link.

Nice perks

Once you’re in, Applied Materials wants to keep you happy. Some of the benefits onoffer—apart from the usual health and dental insurance—include a 401(k) withcompany matching, training and development through on-site learning centers andacademic partnerships, wellness programs and athletic facilities, profit sharing,employee stock purchase plans, credit union membership, service awards,community and volunteer giving opportunities, and tuition reimbursement.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Hero mentality?

To anyone interested in or toying with such questions in their minds, the AppliedMaterials culture does not support the hero mentality. Elaborates an insider, “Wehave our processes and mission clearly outlined. Each individual knows or shouldknow what is expected of them. The company is performance-driven by quality,production and innovation. It is so agile in running its business that, from anoutsider’s point of view, this appears to be harsh.” But you do want to be part of onethe greatest manufacturing and research companies on the planet, right?




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A real challenge

An insider who works at Applied Materials’ finance division warns, “It is one of thefiercest environments that I have ever worked in. The people that are hired are in fora real surprise, because it is no ‘walk in the park.’ You will be challengedtremendously and will be expected to put in some real hours. I’m talking about 60-to 70-hour workweeks. The senior management puts in these types of hours, so ifyou want to be successful, you better be right along side.”





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ASML HOLDING N.V.

De Run 501

Veldhoven, 5504 DR

The Netherlands

Phone: +31 40 268 3000

Fax: +31 40 268 2000

www.asml.com

LOCATIONS

Veldhoven, The Netherlands (HQ)

Albany, NY • Albuquerque, NM • Austin, TX

Bloomington, MN • Boise, ID • Colorado

Springs, CO • Hillsboro, OR • Hopewell

Junction, NY • Hudson, MA • Irvine, CA •

Manassas, VA • Pleasant Grove, UT •

Portland, OR • Richardson, TX • San Jose,

CA • Sandston, VA • Santa Clara, CA •

Tempe, AZ • Westbrook, ME • Wilton, CT •

Avezzano, Italy • Dresden • Gyunggi-Do,

Korea • Hong Kong • Hsinchu City, Taiwan

Kulim, Malaysia • Kyungki-Do, Korea •

Leixlip, Ireland • Milan • Montbonnot,

France • Qiryat-Gat, Israel • Rousset,

France • Shanghai • Singapore • Tainan,

Taiwan • Tianjin, China • Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Communications •

Customer & Support • Facility Management

Finance & Accounting • General

Management • Human Resources •

Information Technology • Legal •

Manufacturing • Marketing & Sales •

Planning & Logistics • Procurement •

Quality • Research & Development •

Training & Publications

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ASML


President, CEO & Chairman: Eric Meurice


2008 Revenue (€ mil.): 2,953.7

2008 Income (€ mil.): 322.4

KEY COMPETITORS

Canon

Nikon

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.asml.com/asml/show.do?ctx=32420#


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THE SCOOP

Wealth in wafers

When it comes to advanced lithography and semiconductor solutions, ASML is king.The firm makes and distributes photolithography and scanning products needed toprint the circuitry patterns found on silicon wafers. These machines are the heart ofthe manufacturing process to produce integrated circuits (a/k/a ICs or chips) and cancost up to €30 million apiece.

ASML is the largest chip equipment maker in Europe and a global market leader with63 percent market share, well ahead of rivals Nikon and Canon. It boasts customerssuch as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung and Intel. As aproducer of top-shelf systems, the company has relied on superior engineering, aspecialized approach and innovative business strategies, such as outsourcing, to staycompetitive.

ASML, initially known as ASM Lithography Holding, began in 1984 as a joint venturebetween Advanced Semiconductor Materials (ASMI), a global semiconductorequipment manufacturer, and Royal Philips Electronics, one of the world’s biggestelectronics firms.

ASMI, which is active in semiconductor equipment outside lithography and does notcompete with ASML, sold its 50 percent stake in the venture to Philips in 1990.ASML went public in 1995, and in following years Philips sold its entire shareholdingin the company. While the desertion of its parent companies seemed to indicate thesemiconductor field was not a growth industry, ASML’s superior engineering hasallowed it to weather periodic downturns quite well.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Pain to last longer than expected

ASML Chairman Eric Meurice said the company will be able to achieve its revenuetarget of €5 billion within two to three years after the current economic crisisbottoms out. ASML had earlier aimed to hit its revenue target in 2010, but ordersfell starting at the end of 2008. Meurice tells the ASML annual general meetingthat, despite the fall, the market for lithography systems still has substantial growthpotential. He says ASML is expected to consolidate its position after the economiccrisis by investing two to three times the amount of money of Japanese rivals,Canon Inc. and Nikon Corp., in research and development, and by maintaining aflexible business model. The company posted a fourth-quarter net loss of €88million in January, compared to a net profit of €193 million a year earlier. Salesfell 48 percent to €494 million from €955 million.


ASML Holding N.V.



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• January 2009: More bad news

ASML said its sales in 2008 fell 21.6 percent to €2.95 billion from a year earlier,due to weak orders and a virtual freeze in capital expenditure by chipmakers.Income for the year stood at €322 million or 10.9 percent of sales, down from€671 million or 17.8 percent of sales in 2007. “Net sales in the fourth quarter of2008 fell just below €500 million and net bookings were very weak, confirming themajor impact of the worldwide recession on the semiconductor equipmentindustry,” said Eric Meurice, ASML president and chief executive officer.

• December 2008: Job slashing

ASML cut its sales forecast and said it will eliminate about 1,000 jobs—more than10 percent of the total—as orders slide. Fourth quarter sales will be €450 millionto €500 million, down from an October forecast of about €530 million, thecompany says in a statement. First quarter 2009 sales will be €180 million to€250 million amid a “severe deterioration” in the order intake. ASML’s customersare ordering fewer machines and have requested to postpone deliveries as chipdemand weakens. The company said it anticipates sales in the first six months ofnext year will be “substantially lower.” Semiconductor sales will drop 16 percentnext year because of the economic slowdown and lower consumer spending, saysresearcher Gartner Inc.

• October 2008: Profits plunge

ASML said third quarter profit fell 56 percent on lower machine sales due todelayed expansion plans of chipmakers. Net income plunged to €73.3 million($99.5 million), or 17 cents a share, from €166.3 million, or 35 cents, a yearearlier, the company said in a statement. Sales fell 25 percent to €696.5 millionfor the quarter while full-year sales will drop “around’” 20 percent this year,estimates ASML.

• March 2006: Expanding East

Citing the need for Europe’s largest chipmaker to have a global profile, and nodoubt because the region was already home to its main competitors Nikon andCanon, ASML announced that it will begin expanding its research anddevelopment operations in Asia. In 2006, 83 percent of ASML’s customers werebased in Asia but, historically, its headquarters and suppliers were predominantlyEuropean. The company predicted that the formation of a research center in Asia,including training in customer support and manufacturing, will take between threeand seven years.

• December 2006: Expanding West

ASML acquired California-based Brion Technologies for $270 million. The buyoutgives ASML another holding in computerized semiconductor design and theadvanced lithography R&D sector. Brion, founded in 2002, is a leader in the area


ASML Holding N.V.


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of design and manufacturing solutions, and the company expects the acquisitionto increase profits—and ASML’s lead over Canon and Nikon—in the future.

• January 2006: Lookin’ good

The end of fiscal 2006 brought good news to ASML—it increased its market shareto 63 percent, with record sales of €3,597 million ($4,749 million), up 42 percentfrom 2005. In addition, the firm’s net income more than doubled, going from€311 million ($408 million) in 2005 to €625 million ($820 million) in 2006.However, the boom in sales worried some analysts, who predicted that, based ondecreases in cell phone, TV and computer chip sales, the semiconductor marketcould be hurt by oversupply in 2007. ASML thought otherwise: the companypredicted that sales of chip components, especially flash memory drive pieces andPC chips, would increase over the course of 2007

GETTING HIRED

Make your mark at ASML

ASML’s careers site (www.asml.com/careers) provides links to video interviews withemployees, FAQs and a virtual tour of an ASML cleanroom. The page also provideslinks to local HR personnel (“Career Contacts”), global events (“Events”), benefitsand career information (“Working at ASML”) and open positions (“Vacancies”). TheVacancies page allows prospective employees to search by region (the United States,Europe or Asia), country, functional area, and education and training background.

In order to realize growth ambitions, ASML is looking to hire hundreds of techniciansfor R&D, production and customer service. In particular, the company is looking forexperienced (more than five years) physicists, software specialists, and mechanicaland electronic engineers who will support its entrepreneurial spirit and internationalambitions and who have the skills to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams.Employees can grow into management functions, but they can also become highlyvalued fellows, with deep knowledge about specific technologies.

Functional areas (a/k/a departments) include administration, communications, facilitymanagement, finance and accounting, general management, HR, IT, legal,manufacturing, marketing and sales, planning and logistics, procurement, quality,R&D, service and maintenance, and training and publications. Each job listing pagecontains links at the bottom to email, save or apply for the position. Prospectiveinterns can visit ASML’s intern site (at www.asml.com/asmldotcom/show.do?ctx=1313) for an internship search engine and information on how to apply. Finally, ASMLhires can also submit general applications for consideration by region.


ASML Holding N.V.



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ATMEL CORPORATION

2325 Orchard Parkway

San Jose, CA 95131

Phone: (408) 441-0311

Fax: (408) 436-4314

www.atmel.com

LOCATIONS

San Jose, CA (HQ)

Addison, TX • Boynton Beach, FL •

Braintree, MA • Burnsville, MN • Colorado

Springs, CO • Corona, CA • Lake Oswego,

OR • Lakewood, CO • Lombard, IL • Novi,

MI • Raleigh, NC • Bangalore • Beijing •

Berkshire, United Kingdom • Espoo,

Finland • Fribourg, Switzerland • Glostrup,

Denmark • Hadera, Israel • Heilbronn,

Germany • Kanata, Canada • Kowloon,

Hong Kong • Milan • Montigny le

Bretonneux, France • München • Osaka •

Pretoria, South Africa • Rissne, Sweden •

Seoul • Shanghai • Shenzhen • Singapore •

Taipei • Tijuana • Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Administration Support/Clerical •

Applications • Audit • Corporate Marketing •

Design • Facilities • Finance • Firmware •

Human Resources • Information

Technology • Investor Relations • Legal •

Maintenance • Management •

Manufacturing/Operations •

Materials/Purchasing • Process • Product•

Sales/Marketing • Software

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ATML


Chairman: David Sugishita

President & CEO: Steven Laub


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,566.8

2008 Income ($ mil.): -27.2

KEY COMPETITORS

LSI Corporation

Microchip

Spansion

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.atmel.com/careers/jobs.asp


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THE SCOOP

Chips ahoy!

Atmel makes semiconductors for a wide range of uses: its products includenonvolatile memory devices such as flash and ROM chips, which are used to retainmemory when a device is turned off, application-specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic chips. Atmel’s offerings can be found in consumer electronics,wireless communication devices, and industrial and military applications. Its mainfocus is divided among four units: nonvolatile memory devices, microcontrollers,radio frequency products, programmable logic devices and application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs). Within those units, the company’s products run thegamut from industrial image sensors to digital camera and TV processors to chips forhigh-security “smart” credit cards.

Formed in a flash

George Perlegos, a former design engineer for Intel, founded Atmel in 1984. He tookthe firm public in 1991, and it has since grown into the world’s largest manufacturerof parallel and serial erasable programmable read-only memory chips (EPROMs) andEEPROMs (add “electrically” to the previous acronym). In 1993, Atmel acquiredConcurrent Logic, which makes user-programmable chips. The company opened aColorado Springs manufacturing facility in 1994 and began building a manufacturingplant near its San Jose headquarters one year later. Also in 1995, Atmel penned anagreement with Paradigm Technology to license its static random-access memory(SRAM) technology used in multimedia chips. By 1996, nonvolatile memory was inhigh demand, and Atmel’s revenue and profits soared—the top line nearly doubledto just over $1 billion—as it was one of the major suppliers of flash chips.

Clear horizons

Based in San Jose, Calif., Atmel sells its products to more than 60,000 customers inat least 60 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, and runs 39 design centersworldwide. Today, it is a global leader in the semiconductor business, and hasrecently become one of just a handful of companies capable of integrating densenonvolatile memory, logic and analog functions into a single chip. Atmel also has oneof the largest libraries of intellectual property in the industry, holding more than 1,300analog and digital patents.

In 2008, Atmel reported sales revenue amounting to $1.5668 billion. It currentlyemploys approximately 6,000 people in manufacturing facilities in the United Statesand Europe, and test and assembly facilities in the Philippines and Malaysia.


Atmel Corporation



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IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: Giving its IP library a boost

Atmel acquired all MeshNetics ZigBee Intellectual Property Rights from LuxLabsBVI. Such acquisitions included BitCloud, ZigBee PRO software and ZigBitwireless modules, making Atmel now the industry’s most complete wirelesssolution provider.

• December 2008: Extending its reach through China

Atmel opened a new location in Shanghai, China, as part of its commitment to theChinese market for the past 15 years. The facility is expected to provide design andextended sales and engineering support for the company’s dynamic market in theAsia Pacificregion In 2007, 50 percent of the company’s worldwide revenue wasgarnered from the Asian market.

• March 2008: Quantum on board

Atmel announced complete acquisition of England-based Quantum ResearchGroup Ltd., a leader in developing capacitive sensing IP and user-interfacesolutions. This purchase equips the company with an advantage in touch sensing,a fast-rising market for microcontrollers. President and CEO Steve Laub expressedexcitement in Quantum’s value-add to Atmel shareholders and customers.

• June 2007: A year worth celebrating

Atmel finally filed its annual report and announced that revenue grew 7 percent to$1.67 billion, and income crawled into the profit zone again, with the companyrecording a take of $14 million after the previous year’s loss of $33 million. Thereport was delayed due to all the hoopla the company had to face with regard tothe Perlegos controversy.

• May 2007: He said, they said

George Perlegos held a special stockholders meeting after his court appeal wasgranted and bids to replace five of the six current board members with people ofhis choosing. But Perlegos’ plan didn’t fly with shareholders, who voted in favor ofthe new management team headed by unanimously appointed new President andCEO Steve Laub, former CEO of semiconductor firm Silicon Image and a memberof Atmel’s board since February 2006. In August the previous year, Perlegos andhis executive VP, brother Gust, were fired by Atmel’s board after results of aninternal investigation showed that the brothers had charged $406,000 in planeticket bills to the company for members of the Perlegos family.


Atmel Corporation


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GETTING HIRED

At work at Atmel

Atmel welcomes resumes from potential employees at every stage of their career,from the fresh-faced college grad to the seasoned professional. To this end, thecompany’s career website (www.atmel.com/careers) divides its job pool into threesets—job openings (where you can upload your resume), entry-level openings andinternships. These are all searchable by department and location. To aid the jobseeker in narrowing down a possible work location, a directory of skill sets lets youknow what kind of work is being done at each Atmel facility.

If the folks at Atmel are interested, they’ll contact you for an interview. According toone insider, interviews are generally “relaxed and informal,” and consist of one-on-one interviews of 30 minutes to one hour in length. If you are applying for a technicalposition, “you are sure to encounter a set of technical questions,” which will varyaccording to the level of the job. “Expect to meet with the hiring manager, three orfour engineers and an HR representative.” Atmel aspirants are advised to come inwith “a basic understanding of what the company does.” In addition, the company’s“major concern when interviewing people is how well we think they will fit in to thegroup.”

What could fitting in to the group mean for you? Atmel employees enjoy a slew ofhealth benefits—including medical, dental and vision coverage along with aprescription drug plan. Financial benefits include 401(k) with company matching (upto $500 annually) and an employee stock purchase plan. Tuition reimbursement andin-house training opportunities help employees keep their edge, while paid vacation,accrued immediately upon hire, allows them to take the edge off. Other benefitsinclude life insurance, a disability plan and employee assistance.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Interviews bordering on interpersonal

Hiring at Atmel is a rigorous process. Panel interviews are the norm, but are nottechnical in nature. Questions asked deal more with interpersonal relationships. Aninsider shares, “the people who interviewed me back then were either members ofthe team who would be my colleagues or managers to whom I would report. Theinterviews were not conducted in a confrontational nature nor did they consist of‘trick’ questions.”


Atmel Corporation



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Laid-back work style

The corporate culture at Atmel seems a bit laid-back. The company has no dresscode and employees are allowed extremely flexible working hours, giving themenough time to squeeze in a second interest. Says a design engineer, “Atmel is verycasual when it comes to dress code and general work environment. Hours areflexible. Not a lot of pressure. Very flat organizational structure. Pay is not great, butnot bad either. Benefits are good.” One financial analyst even mentions that they arealso given occasional perks, such as gift cards to restaurants like Red Lobster.

Benefits package

Packages and perks given to employees vary according to position. The basicsinclude a stock plan, assistance plan, health insurance and paid time off. Adds oneinsider, “We also receive bonuses based on work performance—this, apart fromemployee referral bonuses. I could go on and on. Atmel is a very nice place to workin.”


Atmel Corporation


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ATTACHMATE CORPORATION

1500 Dexter Ave North

Seattle, WA 98109

Phone: (206) 217-7100

Fax: (206) 217-7515

www.attachmate.com

LOCATIONS

Seattle, WA (HQ)

Belmont, NC • Bonita Springs, FL •

Brighton, MI • Creve Coeur, MO • Denver,

CO • Duluth, GA • Exton, PA • Herndon, VA

• Houston, TX • Lisle, IL • Loveland, OH •

New York, NY • Pittsburgh, PA • Plano, TX

• San Francisco, CA • Scottsdale, AZ •

Silver Springs, MD • Walpole, MA

Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands •

Auckland • Bangalore • Boulogne, France •

Brasilia, Brazil • Bryanston, South Africa •

Cairo • Central, Hong Kong • Dubai •

Duebendorf, Switzerland • Ennis, Ireland •

Galway, Ireland • Istanbul • Madrid, Spain •

Manchester, United Kingdom • Markham,

Canada • Melbourne • Mexico City • New

Delhi • Ottawa • Paderno Dugnano, Italy •

Quebec • Ratingen, Germany • Rome •

São Paulo • Singapore • Staines, United

Kingdom • Stockholm • Stuttgart • Sydney •

Tokyo • Unterfohring, Germany • Vienna •

Wemmel, Belgium

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting & Finance • Clerical &

Administrative • Customer Service •

Engineering • Host Connectivity Solutions

Business Unit • Human Resources •


Management/Executive • Marketing •

Product Management • Professional

Services • Quality Engineering • Sales •

System & Security Business Unit • Technical

Support

THE STATS


Chairman, President & CEO: Jeff Hawn

KEY COMPETITORS

Hewlett-Packard

IBM

Microsoft

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

hostedjobs.openhire.com/epostings/submit.c

fm?company_id=15495&version=2

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THE SCOOP

Getting hooked

At Attachmate, connectivity is the name of the game. Providing host-accesstechnology to customers in the airline, banking, insurance, defense, retail and techindustries (to name just a few), Attachmate serves more than 40,000 clients in 60countries. From its Seattle HQ (it is the largest privately owned software company inWashington state), Attachmate helps companies connect their web and desktopfunctions to centralized mainframes through its terminal emulation and legacyintegration products, while also ensuring the sanctity of that connection throughsecurity and encryption software. Acquisitions have brought Attachmate into thesoftware management business, and the company’s WinINSTALL suite eases theprocess of updating and installing software on PCs. Attachmate’s overall aim is tohelp firms maintain access to and integrity of important data despite changing officetechnology.

Taking the mainframe to the next level

Looking to build a bridge between the old but dependable mainframe computers thatstored data for banks, corporations and government agencies, then-retired Frank Prittstarted Attachmate in 1982. His product was “terminal emulation,” or programs fordesktops that mimic mainframe monitors, thereby creating a common interface thatwould allow for the exchange of data between the mammoth mainframes and thehumbler PCs. Although the first years were a struggle, the company’s launch of thesoftware package EXTRA!—which specialized in all the extras Attachmate’scompetitors didn’t offer—gave the company the boost it needed. Sales soared from$5 million in 1986 to $31 million in 1988. Revenue continued to climb in the 1990s,along with rumors that the company would be going public. Meanwhile, in an effortto extend Attachmate’s business beyond the Fortune 500, the company bought fourproduct lines from another software firm, Novell, in May 1993. Aimed at smallercompanies with less-sophisticated technology, the new products were expected tobump up revenue 33 percent to $160 million by year’s end.

A merger and a shake-up

In January 1995, Attachmate merged with top competitor Data CommunicationsAssociates (DCA), from which Attachmate would emerge as the largest computerconnectivity firm in the world, with profits expected to exceed $450 million by the endof 1996. Meanwhile, in the following years, Pritt restructured the firm while alsostruggling to keep up with the changes in connectivity demands instigated by the riseof the Internet. Once a company that connected new with old technology, Attachmatefound itself quickly losing its foothold in the deluge of new internet capabilities andapplications. An important foray into the Web came in 1999 when Attachmate


Attachmate Corporation


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launched its e-Vantage line. Developed to assist companies using Unisys mainframes(80 percent of which already subscribed to Attachmate’s software services) to launche-business sites, the e-Vantage software and service package took Attachmate’ssignature terminal emulation know-how online and kept the company afloat throughthe rough seas ahead. By 2001, the entire tech industry was suffering from thesudden demise of its late-1990s heyday, including Attachmate, which responded withlayoffs that year. In mid-2002, the company was forced to close its Cincinnatidevelopment facility in response to flat-line revenue and an uncertain future.

“Selling out”—in a good way

In April 2005, in what Pritt called “a very strategic, but personally difficult, decision,”Attachmate sold itself to an investment group consisting of three firms—FranciscoPartners, Golden Gate Capital and Thoma Cressey Equity. This group had bought outAttachmate’s rival WRQ at the end of 2004, and would go on to merge the twocompanies into AttachmateWRQ by June 2005. Jeff Hawn, CEO of WRQ, took thesame leadership position for the newly formed giant and Pritt finally retreated into his20-years-delayed retirement. The joined companies were the second-largest host-access provider, next to IBM, with sales expected to exceed $200 million. With morethan 40,000 customers using products installed on more than 16 million desktopsworldwide, AttachmateWRQ was an infant company born into privilege, but was alsoquick to show it wasn’t born yesterday. The company used the combined power ofits two forebears to immediately begin acting on the strategies outlined by CEO Hawnin October 2005—namely, innovation and acquisition. Later that year, the companyjoined Microsoft’s Secure IT Alliance to ensure the security of private data, whileincreasing interoperability between the firms’ software. In March 2006,AttachmateWRQ acquired OnDemand Software, a developer of software installationapplications, also bringing that company’s award-winning WinINSTALL package intothe fold. That purchase brought in some big government customers, including theU.S. Department of Justice and Air Force. Just a month later, the growing companyannounced it would acquire systems management and security firm NetIQ for abouthalf a billion dollars, taking that public company into the still-private chambers ofAttachmateWRQ.

Out with the old, in with the new

In July 2006, AttachmateWRQ decided to simplify just a bit in and dropped the“WRQ,” emerging once again as Attachmate Corporation, and formed strategicbusiness alliances with other tech firms like OpenSpan (developers of desktopintegration software) and Aventail (delivering remote access technology). Thecompany was also quick to integrate with Microsoft’s new Windows Vista OS—Attachmate’s tried-and-true EXTRA! was the first software to pass Microsoft’s rigoroustesting to gain Vista certification status. In November 2006, the company announcedanother made-for-Vista program, Reflection 2007, designed to provide secureterminal emulation for Microsoft’s latest software suites. Standard & Poor’s estimated





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that the company’s revenue has been shrinking, with about $370 million for 2006despite the new moneymakers Attachmate acquired that year. The company’s corebusiness—providing desktop PCs with access to mainframe computers—is slowlydying off as new technology renders those hulking dinosaurs obsolete. Still, analystssay that the company’s cost-cutting measures throughout the years, as well as itsability to innovate to meet the industry’s latest trends, put it in a solid position to standthe test of time. Attachmate tried to innovate its way through 2007, releasing updateson its software to adapt with an increasingly mobile clientele. In March of that yearAttachmate introduced WinINSTALL 9.0. June 2007 brought about the debut ofReflection X, a revamped model of the Vista-friendly software Attachmate rolled outin 2006, with stepped-up security features.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Agreement with Proginet

Attachmate announced a strategic agreement with Proginet Corporation, acompany specializing in multiplatform file-transfer solutions. The agreementwould require Attachmate to resell Proginet’s CyberFusion Integration Suite (CFI)®managed file-transfer technology in North America to integrate CFI more broadlyinto Attachmate’s portfolio of secure file-transfer solutions.

• January 2009: A 10 percent layoff

Attachmate declared a 10 percent layoff, discharging some 120 employees, in aneffort to adjust to growing economic pains. Melissa Liton, the companyspokesperson, said that, “the reductions were necessary to ensure Attachmatemaintains a healthy financial structure during this difficult and uncertain economicclimate.”

• June 2008: Reflection for Vista

At Microsoft Tech-Ed North America 2008, Attachmate exhibited its productofferings designed and built for Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007systems. Reflection for IBM 2007 is Attachmate’s built-for-Windows Vista terminalemulation solution that, combined with the comprehensive productivity andsecurity feature sets found in Attachmate’s existing EXTRA!, will strengthenmainframe security, maximize IT flexibility and provide a set of features thatenhance user productivity.




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GETTING HIRED

Getting Attached

Through Attachmate’s careers site (www.attachmate.com/en-US/AboutUs/cooljobs.htm),aspiring Attach-mates can search job openings with the company by department orlocation. The unique charms of its three main offices (in Seattle, Cincinnati andBellingham, Washington) are highlighted in the “locations” section of the site—theSeattle headquarters overlooks Lake Union, while Bellingham’s got ping-pong andair hockey! For those ready to apply, Attachmate supplies a short application formand a text box into which you may paste your resume (cover letter optional). Aseparate link from the careers site provides job listings at the newly acquiredsystems and security management firm NetIQ.

Attachmate likes to stay competitive by attracting top personnel with a healthybanquet of benefits. New hires with the company enjoy 12 days of paid vacation ayear, which is upgraded to 16 days after three years. On top of that, employees enjoy11 paid holidays a year, two of which they can choose to take when they please. Thecompany’s 401(k) plan—with company matching—allows new hires to enroll afterjust one paycheck to get a jump start on retirement, while health insurance (includingprescription drugs, dental and vision coverage) takes care of you in the meantime.Also immediately available upon hire is the company’s tuition reimbursementprogram, which offers up to $3,500 a year for undergrad courses and $5,000 a yearfor graduate work. Miscellaneous niceties include a charitable matching programand something called “Friday Afternoon Unwinders”—which, whatever it is, soundslike fun!





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AUTODESK, INC.

111 McInnis Parkway

San Rafael, CA 94903

Phone: (415) 507-5000

Fax: (415) 507-5100

www.autodesk.com

LOCATIONS

San Rafael, CA (HQ)

Alpharetta, GA • Lake Oswego, OR •

Manchester, NH • Miami, FL • San

Francisco, CA • Waltham, MA • Athens •

Bangalore • Bangkok • Barcelona • Beijing

• Budapest • Buenos Aires • Calgary •

Cambridge • Caracas • Centurion, South

Africa • Chengdu, China • Dubai •

Goteborg, Sweden • Guangzhou •

Hampshire, England • Istanbul • Kuala

Lumpur • London • Madrid • Makati City,

Philippines • Melbourne • Mexico City •

Milan • Montreal • Mumbai • Munchen,

Germany • Neuchatel, Switzerland • Ngee

Ann City, Singapore • North Ryde, Australia

• Ontario • Osaka • Ottawa • Paco d’Arcos,

Portugal • Paris • Prague, Czech Republic•

Rome • Rotterdam • São Paulo • Seoul •

Shanghai • Singapore • Taipei • Wanchai,

Hong Kong • Warsaw • Wels, Austria •

Wuhan, China

THE STATSEmployer Type: Public Company

Stock Symbol: ADSKL;


President & CEO: Carl Bass


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,171.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): 356.2

KEY COMPETITORS

Parametric Technology Corporation

Siemens

SolidWorks Corporation

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

autodesk.recruitmax.com


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THE SCOOP

3-D glasses not required

Ever stopped to look at those ultrasharp 3-D billboards standing at the site of soon-to-be condo developments, depicting a towering high-rise replete with swankyrestaurants and beautiful residents that will soon take the place of the vacant lotbefore you? That hopeful vista is most likely brought to you by Autodesk—the firmcreates the 2-D and 3-D design software that allows architects, engineers and theirclients to fully visualize and analyze complex projects before any ground is broken.

Although Autodesk got its start in the computer drafting field, the company portfoliohas expanded in recent years to include special effects software for the entertainmentindustry, mapping software for civil engineers and product design software used inautomotive manufacturing. Out of its headquarters in San Rafael, California,Autodesk delivers its design and imaging software in over 160 countries to more thaneight million users. The company ranked No. 960 on the Fortune 1000 in 2006 andsnagged second place in the computer software industry on Fortune’s 2007America’s Most Admired Companies list. In 2009, the company raked in $2.3152billion in sales revenue.

What a CAD!

Much of Autodesk’s success came from its flagship software, AutoCAD. In its earlyyears, AutoCAD’s success was like that of Microsoft, wherein it dominated a particularfile format. While Microsoft capitalized on DOS to transform itself into an industrytitan, Autodesk’s AutoCAD saved files in a format not shared with competitors. Thus,if an architect designs a building using AutoCAD, the engineer who builds thestructure must also use AutoCAD to open and read the plans. Revising this formatslightly every time it issues a new release of the software, Autodesk prevents othercompanies from cracking the code.

A dozen engineers led by John Walker (who would become CEO) founded Autodeskin 1982. The firm succeeded early with the introduction of the first computer-aideddrafting (CAD) program—AutoCAD—written not for mainframes but for PCs. Thecompany then rode the PC boom, going public in 1985 and acquiring interiordecorating software developer Creative Imaging Technologies a year later. Walkerrelinquished his CEO position to Alvar Green in 1989, who held down the fort untilCarol Bartz was appointed chairwoman, president and CEO in 1992. In her executiverole, Bartz blazed a trail for women business leaders in the technology industry,leading Autodesk until 2006 when she passed her crown to former COO Carl Bass.


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IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Hawkins, new CFO

The company announced that Mark J. Hawkins will step in as chief financial officerand executive vice president on April 27th. Hawkins joined Autodesk fromLogitech, where he was CFO and senior vice president for finance and IT. He hadalso been on the senior management team of Dell and Hewlett-Packard.

• April 2009: AutoCAD Exchange, AutoCAD 2010 launched

Autodesk created an online resource for millions of AutoCAD users worldwide.Dubbed AutoCAD Exchange, the portal will be a source of tips, tools and onlinehelp, and will also give users an opportunity to send feedback to programdevelopers. The launch of the site coincides with the release of the 2010 productline, including AutoCAD 2010.

• March 2009: 3-D to the max

Autodesk launched its latest version of its 3-D modeling, animation and renderingproduct, the Autodesk 3ds Max 2010, which offers nearly 350 additional featuresfor managing complex scenes with greater ease and an unprecedented level ofsupport for software interoperability and pipeline integration.

Autodesk also announced its sponsorship of a unique project from Germany’sPlanetSolar to produce the world’s largest solar-powered sailboat capable ofcircumnavigating the globe. The company is supplying the digital prototypingtechnology and training that will help PlanetSolar to quickly and cost-effectivelydesign and build the sailboat.

• December 2008: iLogic technology, assets of BIMWorld acquired

Autodesk acquired iLogic desktop design automation technology from LogimetrixInc. of Canada. The technology enables manufacturers to simulate a productbefore it is built, reducing the need to construct physical models. Meanwhile,Autodesk also announced that it had acquired the assets of privately ownedBIMWorld, a company that specializes in products for building productmanufacturers.

• June 2007: Report shows profit decrease

Autodesk announced that revenue reached $1.8 billion, an increase of more than$300 million from the level in 2006. Profit decreased by $44 million, however, butthis was considered healthy at $289 million. Autodesk had been late in reportingits information to the SEC for fiscal 2007 (February 2006 through January 2007).This drew pressure from Nasdaq in the form of a noncompliance letter threateningto delist Autodesk if it didn’t file its annual report.


Autodesk, Inc.


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• February 2007: Errors delay reports

The company announced that it would have to restate past profits by $45 millionto correct errors after discovering improperly dated stock option grants threemonths earlier.

GETTING HIRED

Go ahead, be a CAD

Selected as one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in 2006,Autodesk wants to put its logo on your business card—it says so right on its careerssite (www.autodesk.com/jobs). From there you can search for your dream job atAutodesk by job type, location or industry, and also apply online; just post yourresume, please, no cover letters here. A handy on-site resume builder helps youmake the best possible impression. Upon submitting your resume you will beconsidered for not only the job at hand, but also for similar openings in the future.

Autodesk offers about 100 summer internship positions for full-time students,preferably those studying mechanical engineering, civil engineering, computerscience or similar technical majors. Openings are posted throughout the springseason and are available mostly at the company’s San Rafael headquarters, althoughopportunities do pop up elsewhere. A full listing of slots can be found by selecting“intern” from the job function search category through the company’s main jobboard.

Passing the buck

What makes a desk at Autodesk so desirable? The company offers its employeessuch niceties as a 401(k) and an employee stock purchase plan in addition to ahearty smorgasbord of health insurance coverage. There is vacation time and agenerous holiday calendar (including the week off from Christmas Eve through NewYear’s Day), and the folks at Autodesk also enjoy one paid six-week sabbatical forevery four years of full-time employment. The company’s “Autobucks” programawards cash and better-than-cash bonuses (theater tickets, dinners and the like) toreward individuals or teams.


Autodesk, Inc.



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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Flexibility is key

As the saying goes, “different strokes for different folks,” which is how respondentsseem to relate to their work at Autodesk. Says an intern at the company, “Flexibilityis what you notice at Autodesk, whether it is working hours, lunch time, dress code,etc. The mixture of employees is likewise diverse. As far as I know, there areSingaporeans, Indians, Germans and Chinese employees.”

But at the business centers, things aren’t so flexible. According to one transactionrepresentative, “The Autodesk Business Center where I work in started out as a goodplace to work, with a team spirit and environment, but it later morphed into an ‘all forone and one for all’ attitude and environment. We worked hard and long hours sincemanagement would cajole us to do so. If you don’t work overtime, you risk a badperformance review.”

While some sources in the company say that the pay is reasonable, others say thattheir pay is not commensurate to their stress level. “The salary was very low for theamount of pressure we were under, not to mention having quotas for entering orders,”explains one transaction representative.


Autodesk, Inc.


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BENCHMARK ELECTRONICS, INC.

3000 Technology Drive

Angleton, TX 77515

Phone: (979) 849-6550

www.bench.com

LOCATIONS

Angleton, TX (HQ)

Austin, TX

Beaverton, OR

Dunseith, ND

Hudson, NH

Huntsville, AL

Sunnyvale, CA

Winona, MN

Almelo, The Netherlands

Bangkok

Brasov, Romania

Campinas, Brazil

Dublin

Guadalajara

Korat, Thailand

Penang

Singapore

Suzhou, China

DEPARTMENTS

Human Resources

IPO

Operations

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: BHE


Chairman: Donald Nigbor

President: Gayla Delly

CEO: Cary T. Fu


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,590.2

2008 Income ($ mil.): -135.6

KEY COMPETITORS

Flextronics International Ltd.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.

Jabil Circuit, Inc.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.bench.com/viewer/employment.asp

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THE SCOOP

They make the parts that make the whole world run

Benchmark Electronics aims to set the standard for electronics manufacturing.Though the company keeps a low profile in the high-flying tech industry, its productsare ubiquitous; Benchmark makes the parts that make computers, medical devices,testing products and telecommunications equipment. Under the blanket term“electronics manufacturing services,” Benchmark designs and produces circuitboards for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like computer firm SunMicrosystems—which also happens to be its biggest customer, comprising 19percent of Benchmark’s revenue in 2008.

From its headquarters in Angleton, Texas, Benchmark oversees a wide-ranging globalbusiness, with 24 manufacturing facilities as far flung as the Netherlands, Brazil andThailand; it pulls in more than $1 billion in sales a year from Asia and Europe.

Ranked No. 690 on the 2008 Fortune 1000, Benchmark has also won numeroussupplier awards from its loyal customers over the past few years—includingrecognition from EMC Corporation, Guidant and Medtronic.

IN THE NEWS

• December 2008: Strategic alliances formed

Benchmark, through a joint effort with Silicon Graphics, created a computersystem for NASA, which achieves the ranking of third-fastest supercomputer in theworld. Similarly, the company forged an alliance with Cray, Inc. for the delivery ofa supercomputer system for Oak Ridge National Laboratory which sets a newworld record for computer speed. By the end of fiscal year 2008, the companywas enjoying a $2.5902 billion sales revenue.

• January 2007: Wish on a Pemstar

Benchmark acquired Minnesota-based contract electronics manufacturerPemstar for about $300 million in January 2007. The purchase brought in IBM,Applied Materials and Motorola as customers, in addition to 11 manufacturingfacilities and 3,500 employees. But it also garnered some risk; although Pemstar’srevenue has steadily risen to its 2006 peak of $871 million, the company has notbeen profitable since 2001. Benchmark also took on Pemstar’s $89 million debt.However, after bouncing back from its own slump, Benchmark may be able to cutcosts effectively and bring its new business back in the black. The company istaking on Pemstar from a relatively secure position—Benchmark’s profit in 2006rose to $111 million on revenue of $2.9 billion, an increase of 23 percent over2005’s $2.2 billion. The company has already absorbed much of the costs of itspurchase; by March 2007, it had paid back $66 million of Pemstar’s debt, and it


Benchmark Electronics, Inc.


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reported quarterly earnings in July of $25.9 million, only $1.6 million down fromthe same period in 2006. Also in July, the company announced the beginning ofa share repurchase program of up to $125 million of company stock.

GETTING HIRED

Set some benchmarks of your own

Benchmark Electronics takes a minimalist approach to job listings—what you see iswhat you get, and what you get is a list of available openings, sorted by location; thesecan be found at the company’s careers website, www.bench.com/viewer/employment.asp.Benchmark lists new positions as they open up, so aspiring employees areencouraged to check back often to catch the latest opportunities. Upon finding a roleyou’d like, you may fill out a brief application form and post your resume online.

The company prides itself in being an equal opportunity employer, and basks in theglory of being named as one of the Top 100 Companies in the Greater Houston areain 2006 by the Houston Chronicle.

Professional hiring process in place

The hiring process at Benchmark is very professional, and decisions on whether anapplicant will be hired or not doesn’t take that long. Says a senior buyer, “I started inHR then was interviewed by the department head, commodity manager and grouplead. I received an offer within 24 hours.”

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Fair place to work

The working conditions at Benchmark are generally described as good with ethicaland nondiscrimination policies in place. Working hours are usually from 8 a.m. to 5p.m., but an employee can work flexible hours when needed. The dress code iscasual. Regarding pressure, a senior business system analyst describes it as “beinga little stressful, but management is understanding.”

Adequate salary package

Salary ranges in Benchmark primarily depend on the experience of the hiree and thedifficulty of work given him. Generally, compensations are seen as adequate byemployees. Most staff members seem to be satisfied with the benefits they’regetting, which include medical coverage, 401(k) matches up to 4 percent, paidvacations and education reimbursements, to name a few.


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BLACK BOX CORPORATION

1000 Park Drive

Lawrence, PA 15055-1018

Phone: (877) 877-2269

Fax: (724) 746-0746

www.blackbox.com

LOCATIONS

Lawrence, PA (HQ)

Alabama • Arizona • California • Colorado •

Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Idaho •

Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kentucky •

Louisiana • Los Angeles • Michigan •

Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska

• New Hampshire • New Jersey • New York

• North Carolina • Ohio • Oklahoma •

Oregon • Pennsylvania • Puerto Rico •

South Carolina • Tennessee • Texas •

Virginia • Washington • West Virginia •

Wisconsin

Altendorf, Switzerland • Antrim, United

Kingdom • Basel • Bergen, Norway •

Dataran Glomac, Malaysia • Hallbergmoos,

Germany • Helsinki • Koge, Denmark •

Madrid • Milan • Munich • Paris • Pueblo,

Mexico • Reading Berkshire, United

Kingdom • Rome • Rungis Cedex, France •

Saint Jean Vedas Cedex, France • Santa

Cruz Atoyac, Mexico • Santiago • São

Paulo, Brazil • Scoresby, Victoria •

Singapore • Stockholm • Stuttgart • Taipei •

Tokyo • Toronto • Utrecht, The Netherlands

• Victoria, New Zealand • Vienna •

Zaventem, Belgium

DEPARTMENTS

ADS • Business Development • Corporate

Finance • CSST • Data Services • HD IT •

MIS • Resale Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: BBOX


President & CEO: Terry Blakemore


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,016.7

2008 Income ($ mil.): 39.2

KEY COMPETITORS

CDW

ePlus

Unisys

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.blackbox.com/about/careers.aspx


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THE SCOOP

Inside the box

The little black box that got this company on its feet is a device that connects officenetwork technology such as phones, computers and printers; it is now just one out ofa multitude of little black boxes, little blue boxes, long black cables and all manner ofmulticolored gadgets offered by the company.

The Black Box Corporation hooks up offices with all the connectivity they needthrough its data and voice services divisions. The company even goes so far as tocustom build devices when its 118,000-strong product roster doesn’t quite cover acustomer’s needs. To further woo its clients, it supports a dedicated technical hotlinethat’s available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls to the hotline are answeredwithin 20 seconds—guaranteed! It’s that dedication to customer service that keeps175,000 clients in 141 countries coming back to Black Box for all their connectivityhardware and service needs. And it’s that customer loyalty that has made Black Boxthe world’s largest dedicated network infrastructure provider.

Mail-order moguls

Eugene Yost and Dick Raub founded the company in 1976 as Expandor Inc., offeringits first catalog in 1977. The humble publication had a scant six pages, graced byonly nine products, but went on to generate $170,000 in sales. By 1982, thecompany was synonymous with its popular catalog, and “Expandor” was wiselydropped in favor of “Black Box.” Yost and Raub sold the company to Micom Systemsin 1983 for $19 million. In the 1990s, expansion followed—Black Box opened asubsidiary in Brazil in 1994, with another center to open in Mexico in mid-1995.Despite offering its catalog online and on then-vogue CD-ROM by 1996, the papercatalog remained the main sales generator for this direct marketing firm. By 1997,Black Box offered more than 7,000 products from subsidiaries in 15 countries tocustomers in more than 77 nations. Sales that year clocked in at $232 million, 47percent of which came from markets outside of North America.

Suit optional

Although Black Box’s financial future was definitely rosier, shareholders and federalinvestigators found cause for alarm in possible illegal backdating of stock options. Alawsuit launched by one upstart investor in November 2006 alleged that 14executives, including CEO Young, conspired to date employee stock options to anespecially low price in 1996, allowing them to later sell the stock for high profit. Thesuit spurred another SEC probe and an internal review in February 2007, which inturn delayed annual financial statements and put Black Box in hot water withNasdaq. Guilty or not, some industry analysts predicted that the company would luck


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out: while New York and California state prosecutors jumped on backdating scandals,the U.S. attorneys in Pennsylvania, where Black Box is headquartered, were notexpected to press charges.

The company’s fiscal 2007 statements, released in late June, confirmed the pictureof a profitable company spending too much money on internal problems. Thecompany then exceeded the $1 billion revenue mark, up from the 2006 total of $721million, but profits improved by the smallest of margins, to $37.5 million from $37.3million in 2006. Black Box then acquired the Florida firm ADS Telecom, Inc.,provider of voice and data communication services in the southeastern swath of theU.S., in February 2007, and B&C Telephone, Inc. With its diverse client list, includingcompanies of the commercial, financial, health care and governmental persuasion,ADS brought annual revenue of about $14 million into Black Box’s coffers. In 2008,Black Box acquired AT&T’s Southeast Region NEC CPE Base, UCI CommunicationsLLC and Mutual Telecom Services Inc., making it one of the world’s largestindependent providers of communications, infrastructure, and networking productsand solutions.

IN THE NEWS

• November 2008: ISO all around

Black Box Corporation received ISO 9001:2000 recertification for its U.S.-basedvoice and data services and product manufacturing locations. Its ISO 9001:2000certification enables Black Box to offer its customers the assurance that it iscommitted to providing the highest level of customer service to its clients aroundthe world. Said Intertek, the lead auditor performing the recertification audit,“Black Box’s organization uses innovative approaches to customer satisfaction forboth external customers and the organization’s internal customers.”

• October 2008: Southward expansion

Black Box Corporation announced acquisitions of Network CommunicationsTechnologies, Inc. (NCT), a North Carolina-based private company, and ACSCommunications Inc., a privately held company whose head office is in Austin,Texas. Both companies have an active customer base that includes commercial,education and various government agency accounts.

According to NCT, the acquisition will further its capability to “expand its offeringsfor existing customers and the resources to gain additional customers” byproviding additional voice, data and hotline services to meet its customers’increasing demands for multilocation support. ACS also expressed excitementabout its new ability “to make an immediate impact riding on the success of BlackBox and ACS’s own outstanding service delivery capability and broad customerbase.”




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• July 2008: De-fense!

Black Box Corporation announced another acquisition, this time of MutualTelecom Services, Inc. (MTS), a privately held company based in Needham,Mass., that services clients in the Department of Defense and other federalagencies.

Black Box stated that “MTS has built an industry-leading voice solutionsengineering and implementation capability, complemented by a global logisticaldeployment arm capable of conducting industry-leading operations in the harshestlocations, which include Iraq and Afghanistan,” and that this acquisition will “adddepth to Black Box’s voice solutions engineering resources, as well as broadenBlack Box’s worldwide implementation capabilities.”

• June 2008: And now for sports news

A company that designs, builds and maintains complicated data and voiceinfrastructure systems, Black Box Corporation, with its Black Box NetworkServices, has been chosen by the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate ofthe Oakland A’s, to deploy and maintain the ShoreTel Pure IP UnifiedCommunications solution for the front offices and Raley Field. Through thisdeployment, Black Box will provide IP Unified Communications to the 14,400-seatballpark and supporting operations of Sacramento. Black Box Network Serviceswill deploy and maintain a full suite of ShoreTel UC solutions provided by ShoreTel,a company offering Unified Communications solutions. The corporate offices,ballpark suites, concessions, security, hospitality, grounds, locker rooms, dugoutsand bullpens of Sacramento will be covered under this deployment.

• May 2008: Stockholders to receive dividends

The Black Box board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 pershare of its common stock. The dividend was declared on all outstanding sharesof Black Box’s common stock and was available to stockholders on July 14, 2008,through its transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company.

• April 2008: A BBox-UCI marriage

Black Box acquired UCI Communications LLC, a privately held company based inMobile, Ala., which has an active customer base encompassing commercial,education and various government agency accounts.

Shaler Houser, former UCI owner, commented that UCI looked forward to joiningthe Black Box family and becoming an integral part of the Voice Services SouthTeam, with Black Box’s history of superior customer service, product innovationand world-class engineering skills ensuring that UCI’s customers remain on thecutting edge of communications technologies. Black Box, meanwhile, stated that“UCI has a long and well-established history of providing excellent voice and dataservices to its customers,” and that this acquisition will enable Black Box to“continue expanding its presence in the Southeast and offer additional hotlineproducts and voice and data services to UCI’s customers.”





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GETTING HIRED

Get inside the box

The Black Box Corporation is looking for “innovative, flexible, team-orientedindividuals” to augment its 4,500-strong workforce worldwide, and these types offolks are encouraged to browse Black Box’s open positions at the company’s careerssite (www.blackbox.com/about/careers.aspx). Here, applicants can access jobopenings by department or job category, location, or through keywords. Applicantscan either submit their resumes by email or via an online form (with space providedfor applicants to post their resumes) for Black Box’s job database. Black Box’sresume builder allows applicants to create attractive and informative profiles.Applying online also sends resumes directly to the recruiter handling the hiringprocess for the open position. Applicants can simply complete the fields, copy andpaste their resumes at the bottom of the page, and click on the “Submit Resume”button.

Black Box “offers the excitement of a fast-paced environment and a competitive totalcompensation package commensurate with experience, excellent benefits and theadvancement opportunities that come from being part of a growing company.” BlackBox Network Services is also an equal opportunity employer. And, although its jobdatabase gives you an option to fill in fields with information about your race, sex orveteran status, providing this information is voluntary and “a refusal to provide suchinformation will have no effect on the company’s employment decision.” That is,applicants are considered for positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex,national origin, sexual preference, age, marital status, medical condition, disability orother legally protected statuses. They do go to great lengths to emphasize that thereason for the addition of the fields is that government agencies may require periodicreports on the sex, ethnicity, disability and veteran statuses of applicants. They goanother step further saying that this data is for analysis and affirmative action only andwill be kept in a file separate from an employee’s personal file.




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BMC SOFTWARE, INC.

2101 CityWest Boulevard

Houston, TX 77042-2827

Phone: (713) 918-8800

www.bmc.com

LOCATIONS

Houston, TX (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX • Cary, NC •

Chicago, IL • Detroit, M I• Herndon, VA •

Indianapolis, IN • Irvine, CA • King of

Prussia, PA • Kirkland, WA • Lexington, MA

McLean, VA • Minneapolis, MN • New York,

NY • Pittsburgh, PA • Plano, TX •

Pleasanton, CA • Sunnyvale, CA •

Waltham, MA • Warren, NJ

Aix-en-Provence, France • Alges,

Portugal•Athens Auckland • Ballerup,

Denmark • Bangalore Bangkok • Barcelona

• Beijing • Calgary • Capital Federal,

Argentina • Dubai • Dublin Frankfurt •

Geneva • Hamburg • Istanbul • Jakarta •

Kista, Sweden • Madrid • Markham,

Canada • Melbourne • Mexico City • Milan •

Montreal • Moscow • Munich • Paris •

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia • Pune, India • Rio

de Janeiro • Rome • Sandton, South Africa

• São Paulo, Brazil • Schiphol-Rijk,

Netherlands • Seoul • Shanghai •

Singapore • Surrey • Sydney • Taipei • Tel

Aviv • Tel Hai, Israel• Vantaa, Finland •

Vienna • Vilvoorde, Belgium • Wanchai,

Hong KongWellington • Zurich

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting • Administration • Business

Operations • Business Planning • Enterprise

Service Management • Facilities • Finance •

Human Resource Management • Information

Services & Technology • Legal • Mainframe

Service Management • Marketing • Product

Development • Professional Services •

Sales • Strategy & Corporate Development •

Worldwide Sales & Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: BMC


Chairman & CEO: Robert E. Beauchamp


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,731.6

2008 Income ($ mil.): -313.6

KEY COMPETITORS

CA, Inc.

Hewlett-Packard Company (HP)

International Business Machines

Corporation (IBM)

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_b

mc/external/search.do

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THE SCOOP

Management is their middle name

As one of the world’s largest independent software vendors, BMC Software makes itsmoney helping large corporations manage their operations and information throughapplications, databases and other types of infrastructural software. The firm’sproduct offerings are divided into four primary categories of “management” service:impact, IT service, application and IT operations, database and infrastructure.Combined, these divisions deliver a little bit of magic called “business servicemanagement,” or the implementation of day-to-day business processes throughtechnology for the greatest possible efficiency.

Texan Innovation

BMC grew out of a trio of computer programmers from the Houston area in the1970s, Scott Boulett, John Moores and Dan Cloer (the B, M and C of the company’sname, respectively). The business was incorporated in 1980, and initially focused itsenergies on developing software tools for the mainframe computers used by largecorporations. But with the rise of the PC, BMC’s business changed to incorporatedesktops into the mix (although handling massive and complex businessorganizations with mainframe mammoths in their closets has remained its forte).Under the direction of CEO Max Watson, who assumed that top role in 1987 afterfounder Moores scaled back his involvement with the company, BMC went public onNasdaq in 1988 with a selling price of $9 per share.

Acquisition and aggressive direct marketing (often of the tele-persuasion) led thecompany to grow through the 1990s. Chairman Moores fully retired in 1992, leavingthe company totally in the hands of CEO Watson (Moores went on to buy the SanDiego Padres baseball team). BMC purchased PATROL Software two years later,bringing that firm’s network surveillance software into its portfolio, which marked adeparture from its former reliance on mainframe tech. More acquisitions followed toround out its non-mainframe offerings, including DataTools in 1997, BGS Systems in1998 and New Dimension Software in 1999. Watson later turned over his seat toBMC’s current president and CEO Robert Beauchamp in 2001.

Although the company was decreasing its reliance on sales of its mainframemanagement software, it didn’t move fast enough to avoid the crippling blow sufferedacross the entire tech industry in the early years of the 21st century. BMC quicklyrecognized the need to change, and introduced a new business strategy—businessservice management—in April 2003. Perhaps a more conceptual than tangiblechange, the new shift to connecting IT resources to business management processeswas spurred by the acquisitions of service-management software companies Remedy(in November 2002) and IT Masters (in March 2003). Later acquisitions—includingthat of Marimba in 2004 and Calendra and OpenNetwork in 2005—allowed the


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company to broaden its software line from specific programs to an entire suite ofmanagement tools. With these subtle shifts in direction, BMC has downplayed itsonce-encompassing focus on mainframe technology, embracing up-and-comingtechnologies.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, BMC continues to run with the big boys, drawingits customer base mainly from Global 2000 companies—the kind that needcomprehensive database systems to connect and manage their sprawling and diverseoperations. Indeed, BMC estimates that 95 percent of the Forbes Global 100 and 80percent of Fortune 500 companies use BMC’s software to manage their enterprises.In 2008, BMC reported $1.7316 billion in sales revenue.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Delivering major breakthroughs

BMC and Cisco collaborated to deliver a major breakthrough in management forunified computing systems (UCS). This partnership promises to completelychange the math in the cost of managing IT infrastructures. According to CEOBeauchamp, embedded in the UCS is a purpose-built BMC software managementsystem that allows data center administrators to reconfigure business services andresources from a single console.

• December 2008: Partnering with USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture choose BMC to streamline its IT-relatedprocesses, including standardizing the department’s IT processes and integratingmanagement and delivery of its IT services. In a company press release, businessunit president Dev Ittycheria said the five-year agreement will deploy BMC’sRemedy ITSM v7, including the unified BMC Atrium Configuration ManagementDatabase (CMDB).

• September 2008: Expanding the VMware partnership

BMC and VMware, a global virtualization leader, announced their intent to expandtheir partnership, including a new reseller agreement and joint development ofnew integrated management solutions. The agreement will allow the integration ofVMware vCenter Lifecycle and BMC’s Remedy IT Service Management and AtriumOrchestrator to automate change and configuration management acrossdatacenters. The company press release said this partnership is a part of themove “to help BMC and VMware customers plan, control, automate and fullymanage their physical and virtual IT infrastructures in a unified, integrated way.”

• June 2008: Shopping for more

BMC reported that it has completed the acquisition of ITM Software, therebycreating “a unique, integrated solution that provides customers with a singlecomprehensive view into project and service portfolios, financials, operations,


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resources, vendors, compliance and IT demand—all the applications that an ITorganization needs to run itself as a true business unit.” BMC believes that theacquisition is very appropriate since companies demand more visibility and controlover their assets. BMC senior vice president Jim Grant said that through thecombination of both companies’ solutions, “customers will now have 100 percentvisibility into IT spending and effectiveness versus the 20 to 25 percent viewallowed by our competitors’ offerings.”

• April 2008: Buying BladeLogic

BMC announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of BladeLogic,Inc., for $800 million. With the purchase, BMC combined its Business ServiceManagement (BSM) platform with BladeLogic’s data center automation solutions.Talks of acquiring the data center automation company started in March. BMCsays “the combined solutions portfolio will allow new and existing customers togain a 90 percent improvement in IT operational efficiency in 90 days, whileaddressing the critical challenges of compliance, virtualization management andavailability.”

• June 2007: Contracts with civilian offices

BMC made headway into the government’s civilian offices following the completionof its defense obligations, winning $15 million in contracts from such groups as theEnvironmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Postal Service and rthe Center forMedicare and Medicaid Services.

• February 2007: Ask what BMC can do for your country

As BMC’s focus changed, so does its customer base. The U.S. government hasmade increasing use of its new offerings as that bulky behemoth of the peopleattempts to update its technology and streamline its operations. The Departmentof Defense contracted BMC for its management software, shelling out $8.5 millionfor BMC’s services. The company had contracted to other fingers of Uncle Sam’sstern fist in recent months, including the Missile Defense Agency, the DefenseLogistics Agency and the Military Sealift Command.

BMC also made headway into the government’s civilian offices following thecompletion of its defense obligations, winning $15 million in contracts by June2007 from such groups as the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. PostalService and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.


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GETTING HIRED

Is it in your blood?

Through BMC’s careers site (www.bmc.com/careers), you can explore just what ittakes to join the business service management team. At its website, the companyoutlines the core competencies that should already be built into the very fiber ofsuccessful applicants, including such attributes as the drive for innovation, the abilityto communicate directly and honestly, and a yen for customer advocacy. These arethe ideals that make up BMC’s company culture, and job seekers who fit the bill arewelcome to search the company’s openings. Searchable by function, location andposition type, BMC’s job database allows you to upload your resume and cover letterupon finding a position you’d like to fill.

Once you’re in the company, BMC will supply you with comprehensive healthcoverage, including a prescription drug plan and a 401(k) with company matching toget you going on that long march toward retirement. Employees may also purchasecompany stock at a discounted rate. Tuition assistance is available for those stilllooking to learn, provided your study relates to the job at hand.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Great opportunities

BMC respondents generally have only good things to say about their work place,describing the company as having a refined, critical and analytical sense ofprofessionalism. “Co-workers have the respect and abilities needed to develop agood work environment. BMC is a large company, with offices worldwide, and greatopportunities for growth are present,” according to one source.

In a good position

Asked to describe the company’s business outlook, one of BMC’s managersenthuses, “The competition is tough, but BMC is in a good position and has a solidfinancial structure. Even though the IT business has undergone some hard years,which has impacted BMC with cuts in the number of employees, I believe we areback on the right track and the employee morale is high.”


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BORLAND SOFTWARE CORPORATION

8310 North Capital of Texas

Highway Building 2, Suite 100

Austin, TX 78731

Phone: (512) 340-2200

www.borland.com

LOCATIONS

Austin, TX (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Chicago, IL • Cupertino, CA •

Reston, VA

Bangalore • Belfast • Berkshire, United

Kingdom • Canberra, Australia • Hoofddorp,

Netherlands • Langen, Germany • Linz,

Austria • Madrid • Markham, Canada •

Paris • Rome • São Paulo • Singapore •

Sydney • Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting • Advertising • Consulting •

Corporate Marketing • Facilities • Human

Resources • Legal • Marketing • Products •

Public Relations • Purchasing • Quality

Assurance • R&D • Sales • Software

Engineering • Technical Support •

Technology • Worldwide Field Operations

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: BORL


Chairman: John F. Olsen

President & CEO: Erik E. Prusch

2008 Employees: 879

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 172

2008 Income ($ mil.): -215.7

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

Microsoft Corporation

Sun Microsystems

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/

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THE SCOOP

Giving ALMs to the needy

Borland Software is a company that has seen a lot of changes in its 25 years ofexistence—going from a programming and database software firm to a systemintegrations firm, and back again (and then back again). Today, the company isfocused on open application lifecycle management (Open ALM). Through its productline, which includes such programs as Tempo, Caliber, Gauntlet and SilkCentral,Borland assists companies in managing, tracking and testing the quality of thesoftware that keeps their businesses running. ALM is a four-pronged strategy,including project and portfolio management, requirements definition andmanagement, lifecycle quality management and change management. Currentlyheadquartered in Cupertino, Calif., the company serves 80 percent of firms in theGlobal 2000, including Hewlett-Packard, Verizon Wireless, Charles Schwab and theU.S. Army.

C++ is better than average

Borland was started by Frenchman Philippe Kahn after leaving Hewlett-Packard in1982. He and his friends took off with the Turbo Pascal under the newly christenedBorland International in the market on its first month. Borland was a relatively smallcompany until the mid-1980s, when it began acquiring other software companies,increasing revenue and enlarging its product line to include database software. Soonthe company introduced the Turbo C++ programming and the popular Quattro Prospreadsheet.

Borland saw many changes throughout the years, including different CEOs,undergoing drastic changes and even changing renaming it Inprise for a short while.Borland has seen great potential in investing to support businesses through the OpenALM product strategy—which comprised 58 percent of revenue in 2006. As yet, thecompany continues to trust in the strategy, even calling itself “the Open ALMcompany.”

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: New CFO appointment

Borland announced the appointment of Thomas Wilkas as Borland’s chief financialofficer. Effective March 16th, Erik E. Prusch stepped down to give way to Wilkas,but will still be working in Borland as the company’s acting president and chiefexecutive officer.


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• February 2009: New tool to streamline coding

Borland promised that its new product, TeamInspector, will straighten codingbumps for new applications, making sure that they run in tiptop shape. Despitethe dilemma of having to differentiate this system with typical testing applications,Borland guaranteed the public in an email correspondence with techworld.comthat while it is still part of the testing process, “TeamInspector has the capability toinspect various third-party tools related to code analysis, standards compliance,test coverage and build trends; the results (risk indicators and trends) are thenrevealed to management in a single cross-project dashboard ensuring visibilityacross your entire software project portfolio.”

• January 2009: Employees laid off; CEO steps down

Borland laid off 130 employees as executive positions were reassigned and incomeexpectations lowered for the recent quarter. Despite a decrease from its earlierprediction, Borland expected a revenue jump of $38.5 million to $40 million forthe fourth quarter. Year-end results, said Borland, will be reported in late February.Borland also announced that Erick Prusch, chief financial officer, has replaced TedNielsen as acting chief executive officer of Borland.

• December 2008: Borland takes a beating

Borland suffered a $56.8 million pre-tax loss for the last quarter. Among thereasons cited by the company for the loss was that it was being affected by a pricewar among software suppliers. Borland also attributed its loss to the cost ofreducing its workforce by 15 percent and writing off the value of facilities andsoftware technology.

• May 2008: Farewell, Turbo C++ and Delphi

Embarcadero Technologies® announced its purchase of Borland’s CodeGeardivision. June 30th was the definitive date: Borland officially said goodbye to itspilot programs Turbo C++ and Delphi, IDEs (integrated development environment)initially nursed and brought up by the company. The handover is said to bebeneficial to the CodeGear division and Embarcadero Technologies®,guaranteeing $100 million in yearly revenue. Borland will still be holding $7million worth of CodeGear accounts receivable.

• April 2008: Borland’s Silk gets an upgrade

The be-all of testing products, Borland-acquired Segue Software’s Silk has finallycome out of its shell with major upgrades. This release from Borland is said to bethe product’s first overhaul in two years. Brad Johnson, director for productmarketing for Lifestyle Quality management, said, “What customers have beenasking us for is the ability to extend Silk, to make it more flexible, to support appswe don’t support. To do so meant either we abandon our old customers with a newproduct or we took more time for a new architecture. We chose a newarchitecture.” The Silk product line’s (SilkTest, SilkPerformer and SilkCentral Test




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Manager) new features include smooth program testing for various programminglanguages, such as Java, Flex code and XML, and expanded functionality.

GETTING HIRED

Borland wants employees who are in it for the long haul. With its promote-from-withinpolicy, the company sees its new hires as an investment that will more than pay off inthe future as that foundling rises through the ranks of the firm. Through its BorlandUniversity, employees are kept up-to-date on the latest technological developmentsaffecting the industry and can also become thoroughly versed in the workings of thecompany’s own product offerings. Management training is also available for thoselooking to snag a corner office.

Openings can be found through Borland’s careers site atwww.borland.com/us/company/careers/index.html. From here, potential Borlanderscan search jobs by type or location. Upon finding an opportunity you like, you mayadd it to your job cart or apply at once. For either process, you can expect to fillout a short online application before uploading your resume. Even if you don’t findthe right fit, you may fill out a “Job Agent” profile and be notified whenever aposition that matches your skills does open up.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Layoffs, a change of focus

According to one insider, Borland is “at a crossroads” in terms of changing focus forthe company. The same source adds that because Borland was “losing money,” thecompany initiated layoffs, which “affected some of the best and the brightest.”





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CA, INC.

One CA Plaza

Islandia, NY 11749

Phone: (800) 225-5224

Fax: (631) 342-6800

www.ca.com

LOCATIONS

Islandia, NY (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Bellevue, WA • Bentonville,

AR • Bloomington, MN • Boulder, CO •

Cary, NC • Charlotte, NC • Chesterfield,

MO • Chicago, IL • Columbus, OH •

Draper, UT• East Windsor, CT • Ellicot City,

MD • Englewood, CO • Ewing, NJ •

Framingham, MA • Franklin, TN • Herndon,

VA • Houston, TX • Indianapolis, IN • Irvine,

CA • Leawood, KS • Lisle, IL • Livermore,

CA • Los Angeles, CA • Mason, OH • New

York, NY • Petaluma, CA • Pittsburgh, PA •

Plano, TX • Portland, OR • Portsmouth, NH

• Redwood City, CA • San Diego, CA • San

Francisco, CA • San Juan, PR • Scottsdale,

AZ • Southfield, MI • Tampa, FL •

Washington, DC • Waukesha, WI

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Channel Sales • Child

Care • Corporate Communications •

Development • Education • Facilities •

Finance • Human Resources • Legal •

Marketing MIS/Corporate Information

Systems • Pre-sales • Procurement •

Sales–Direct • Sales–Indirect • Sales Ops •

Security • Technical Support • Technology

Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: CA


President & COO: Michael J. Christenson

CEO: John A. Swainson


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 4,277

2008 Income ($ mil.): 500

KEY COMPETITORS

BMC

EMC

IBM

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.ca.com/us/careers.aspx


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THE SCOOP

Think you can manage a billion-dollar baby?

CA (or the firm known as Computer Associates until 2006) is a supplier of systemsmanagement, information management and business management softwareproducts for hardware platforms. As one of the world’s largest software companies(with $4.277 billion revenue in fiscal year 2008 and approximately 13,700 employeesas of April 2008), CA does business all over the globe, with headquarters in theUnited States and 150 offices in more than 45 countries, as well as governmententities, educational institutions and thousands of other companies in diverseindustries worldwide. The company, which has been a major player on the softwarescene for more than three decades, ranks No. 553 on the 2008 Fortune 1000.

With market growth come corporate issues

CA has its roots in a Swiss company that appointed Queens College graduate CharlesWang to head its new branch in America in 1976. Starting with just four employeesand one product, Wang’s division had grown to such scale in the 1980s that it boughtout its Swiss partners. In the 1990s, CA expanded into the Far East, Africa and LatinAmerica. The firm promoted Sanjay Kumar, a Wang protégé, to president in 1994,and he spearheaded an acquisition philosophy away from older systems and towardnetwork software, particularly of the “enterprise storage” type. CA acquiredCheyenne Software, Inc. in 1996, sold today under the BrightStor line of products. Atthe time, the purchase made CA the only provider of end-to-end storage managementsolutions, a business approach revolutionized by Wal-Mart. In 1998, the companyfailed in its hostile takeover attempt of Computer Sciences Corp., despite offering ahefty all-cash bid of $9.8 billion. CA turned to other acquisitions instead, picking upPlatinum Technology International for $3.5 billion in May 1999. The next year, CAcontinued its aggressive pursuit of acquisitions, buying Sterling Software in 2000 fora deal worth $4 billion in stock, then the largest acquisition in software industryhistory.

Economic doldrums and internal finance issues marked the turn of the century, as CAlaid off 900 workers in 2001. Meanwhile, legal issues emerged as internalaccusations of corporate mismanagement from stockholders, allegations of antitrustby the U.S. Department of Justice and price fixing by the SEC dominated thecompany landscape in mid-2001 until the end of 2002. The ongoing criminal inquiryinto accounting practices brought about a major upheaval in corporate structure in2004. Many new faces came into the CA fold, as Lewis S. Ranieri became chairmanof the board; Jeff Clarke, former CFO of Compaq, signed on as COO and CFO; andKenneth D. Cron, a former CEO and chairman at Vivendi Universal, took over asinterim CEO, later replaced by John Swainson, a 26-year industry veteran, inNovember 2004. In June, 2007, CA announced that William E. McCracken would


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succeed Lewis S. Ranieri as chairman, the latter remaining with the company in adirectorial role.

Baby’s back

Through all the ups and downs, business did—by some miracle—continue at CA. Itreturned to its principal growth strategy, and proved that it could turn things aroundin a hurry, acquiring, among other things, Netreon Inc., in a slew of acquisitions from2003 to 2009. In October 2004, it picked up Netegrity Inc., another provider ofsecurity products, for $340 million the next month. In June 2005, it purchasedConcord Communications, a service management software firm, for $359 million,with IT management software company Niku Corporation to follow a month later for$345 million. Archiving software developer iLumin joined the party the followingOctober, to the tune of $48 million, and Wily Technology brought up the fiscal rear,coming aboard in March 2006 for $374 million. The new additions helped boostyear-end revenue by nearly $200 million, to $3.8 billion. Profit was back in black forthe second consecutive year, clocking in at $156 million.

Despite the shake-ups that marked the first few years of the millennium, CA renewedits commitment to management software, releasing The Security Command Center,which offered advanced technology to help customers manage security from a centralpoint, and a Managing On-Demand Strategy, both products helping cement itsposition as an expert in the field. In 2005, the company launched its largest productrelease ever, trucking out 85 products and 26 updates to older software lines.Perhaps tellingly, the company unveiled a new logo and slogan the same year, urgingthe industry and the public to “Believe Again.”

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: New lead strategy and business development

To maintain its standing as the world’s leading independent IT managementsoftware company, CA, Inc. named a man from Symantec—Thomas Kendra—assenior vice president for strategy and business development and general managerof its Clarity project and portfolio management business unit. He reports to AjeiGopal, executive vice president of AC’s products and technology group. “Tompossesses a keen understanding of technology trends, customer needs, and thecompetitive landscape, and a proven ability to execute,” said Gopal. Kendra’sfocus will be on product development and technology strategies that emphasizeinternal growth and communication with other vendors, including taking care ofmarket leader CA Clarity, a portfolio management system for corporations.


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• February 2009: A veteran for CA’s R&D next level

A new name is on one of the executive rungs of CA’s corporate ladder. JudyKruntorad will head up R&D at CA. What does this mean? Well, as VP of softwareengineering and Integrated Database Management System (IDMS) product linemanager, Kruntorad is to mainly oversee CA’s IDMS family of products used athundreds of high-profile organizations around the world. Developed in the 1960sand owned by CA since 1989, IDMS is the foundation of many of CA’s customers’most critical business applications and is now also being used as the back-enddatabase server for modern web applications. The key advantages of IDMS areperformance, throughput and efficient resource usage compared with competitiveofferings. IDMS uses less CPU capacity and less storage to do the same amountof work

• January 2009: Get ready for Compliance 2.0

Enron is either the boon or the bane of corporations now, thanks to its being thecatalyst for the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, legislating corporateaccountability. Compliance is the catchword of late, and CA lends companies ahelping hand with its GRC Manager, a software-as-a-service platform that ensuresseamless company governance, risk and compliance. CA’s program goes forwardwith planning compliance without the attendant timeline it takes for a company’sIT division to set it up. Mark Camm, CA’s GRC general manager, admitted thatadded legislative checks for privately held companies upped the ante for CA andother vendors to retool their software to include compliance-driven applications.This is Compliance 2.0, an IT-related issue that spans the boardrooms and officesof a company, demanding more rapid deployment of checks and balances that letsbusiness go as usual.

• December 2008: Data profiling for the masses

Sifting through lots of data and building a warehouse out of byte-sized pieces ofinformation can be a monumental task if a company relies on its legacy systemsand doesn’t have money to spare for a program to do it for them. Realizing thisgap in the middle market, CA partnered with Exeros, a company specializing indata mapping and discovery, to include one of its programs as part of the CAERwin Data Modeling Suite. Aimed at the budget-conscious business, CA’sprogram combines data modeling and profiling to provide midsized companieswith a business intelligence tool that has a lot of functionality without the heftyprice tag tacked onto it. While bigger support vendors offer data solutions in thehundred-thousand-dollar price range, CA’s ERwin suite is a sweet deal at $4,000,with the data modeling and profiling package at $8,000. It’s “data profiling for themasses,” CA says.

• November 2008: CA’s malware joins America’s Most Wanted

You’ve got Ghostbusters for malicious cartoon ghosts and spirits, but for seriousmalware, you have to call … John Walsh? That’s right. The host of America’s MostWanted, the curse of wanted criminals in the real world, is positioned to be the


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annoyance of cybercriminals everywhere. Walsh appears as the public face ofCA’s Internet Security Suite Plus 2009, the company’s newest anti-malwareprogram targeting phishing, spamming, spyware and viruses. Temporarilyeschewing a focus on business clients, CA’s move to make John Walsh the face ofits anti-malware product is a keen way to capture the individual consumer market.

• October 2008: Prevent violations before they happen

As companies tighten their belts amid the economic downturn, and as thegovernment prepares to net corporations toeing the line of the law in efforts to stayafloat, CA helps its customers pre-empt IT and legal challenges by releasing newproducts in its current line of programs for records and identity management anddata center automation. CA Records Manager, the first to receive certification fromthe U.S. Department of Defense, is a tool meant to assist public and privateagencies in complying with legal demands and government inquires. On theidentity management front, CA’s Identity Manager operates a third-party program(thanks to an acquisition of IDFocus this month) that ensures sensitive data is sentonly to those persons authorized to view them. Finally, CA’s Automation Managergives customers a comprehensive view of data sources and systems, both virtualand real. All these programs make compliance seem less like the bogeyman thatcorporations assume it to be, and more of a settling in to a new way of professionallife.

• September 2008: Clarity for Uncle Sam

CA officials announced that CA’s Clarity has added an earned value management(EVM) functionality package to help federal agencies and contractors conform tothe ANSI/EIA-748 standard for EVM, adopted by the Defense Department forapplying EVM systems to government programs and projects.

• July 2008: You can have your Coke and CA, too

CA Clarity for New Product Development? Yup, Coke wants to add life to itself bydeveloping new beverages, designing equipment such as vending machines andfountain dispensers that it leases or sells, and creating packaging concepts forboth new and already established products. How? With CA software Clarity tomanage the workflow of what’s commonly known as the stage-gate process inproduct development, chronicling the stages in each development project and the“gate” points at which decisions need to be made. Employees only need to accessthe web-based application, which runs on an Oracle database, from theirdesktops.

• June 2008: It ain’t over ‘til it’s over

Like the hero who refuses to die, CA stopped industry speculation about its curtaincall when it implemented software upgrades to its existing programs and a moreaggressive bid to get a bigger portion of the data security and managementmarkets. After becoming embroiled in accounting scandals and seeing itsexecutives booted out of office or put in prison, CA refocused the public lens on its


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products, suggesting end-to-end solutions to customer needs instead ofconveniently putting solutions into neat little boxes and leaving it at that.

Judith Hurwitz of Hurwitz & Associates said, “CA has made tremendous progressover the past few years. In the past, the technology was presented in disconnectedsilos; they didn’t seem to have a clear view of customers and the product strategywas not very well-orchestrated. CA has done well with its Wily and Netegrityacquisitions, and continues to really work to address the requirements ofmanaging and securing hardware, software, services and networks.” Moreimportantly, the company is seen as a leader in virtual data management, and itsline of products geared toward government compliance has some customerseschewing the spreadsheet for something more automated and simpler to use, onethat CA promises to deliver in its future line of programs and software suites.

GETTING HIRED

Send ‘em your resume

Applicants can use the online job search on CA’s career website(www.ca.com/careers) to track down open positions. Employment is available theworld over: in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia Pacificregion. Job seekers can create and submit a resume to the company through thesite’s online resume builder, or upload it via PDF, Microsoft Word or plain text.

Benefits for CAers include 401(k) with company matching after one year, anemployee stock purchase program and a pretax flexible expense plan. In addition tothe usual health coverage, CA sees to the health of its workers with on-site fitnesscenters and even looks out for the health of its workers’ birds, dogs, cats and such,with optional pet insurance. Parents cheer for the child development centers, wheretrained staff will turn your crayon-eating tot into a Mozart-appreciating genius whileyou work, and “baby bonds” award workers for incubating or adopting the nextgeneration of CAers.

In addition, CA offers internship opportunities to current college students in a varietyof departments. These positions can be found through the main job search page,under the “internship” job category.


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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Meritocracy

Though it tends to fight dirty on the corporate playing field, on the inside, CA is “a truemeritocracy,” where, “everyone has a chance to go as far as they want to.” One sourceon the technical side reports, “I have found my raises accurately track what I did inthe previous year,” and, “my responsibilities have increased as I have asked for themto be.” Further, the source advises that “it’s important to be very proactive.” Onerespondent criticized CA as a “very low performance culture. The bar is set so low youcan trip over it.” And one contact has it that “developers have very little say in productdirection and only have contact with customers when problems are escalated.”

Innovative but cutthroat

“CA was a very innovative company to work for,” remembers a former systemsengineer. “They truly did have a wealth of talent, and they mined it well...at least forthe period that I worked for them.” There may be agreement about this positiveimpression on the people atmosphere at CA, but some may be quick to add that, “aswith a lot of software development teams, there are quite a few people that lack socialskills.” This downside could result in unprofessional behavior, such as rude emailsor confrontational meetings that can be seen in CA, and one respondent notes that“management has made no effort to correct this problem.” The system engineer hadanother beef altogether, one with the “recurrence of reorganizations [such] that thestrategic direction of the company changed almost quarterly.” So it may be that theculture at CA is “interesting,” but only “depending on which site you were at.”

Moneymakers: in

Insiders say CA is very open to women and minorities. Fortune listed the company asone of America’s 50 Best Companies for Minorities in its July, 2001 issue. One contactadds that, “the overall attitude is positive toward advancement of anyone who cangenerate revenue.” If you can’t, however, you’re out. Some insiders—salespeople, atleast—say, “there is a medium to high turnover rate” for those who do not meet thecompany’s quotas. Some, however, feel that the situation is “very relationship-driven,bordering on incestuous. Either you’re part of the in crowd or not.”

Kicks for free

CA offers an extensive array of perks, including tuition reimbursement, select medicalbenefits and a “discretionary distribution”—where the company matches up to 8percent of your base salary in a 401(k) plan. CA maintains “first-rate” corporatefitness facilities and “fantastic” on-site child care centers in its offices all over the


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world. However, one contact notes that “Many perks have been removed. The HQgym used to be free; now employees are charged for membership.”

One insider confirms that “the perks that once made CA a good company to work forare slowly being taken away. As of this time those include: free medical and dentalbenefits, and free breakfast.” This may be due to certain budget tightening “so thatthings such as training classes [are] very difficult to come by. Expense reports arecompletely scrutinized, and don’t even think about losing a receipt.” But those maybe nothing to one who’s “part of the NYC presales/sales team,” for instance, whereeverything is “fast-paced, cutthroat and dynamic” and, though this may sound greatto many an ear, it can be cause for a heady complaint when “exposure to the Islandiaoffice and other suburbia offices proved otherwise. We often called headquarters inIslandia…the ‘country club,’ and you had to have special membership there. It wasmuch safer to hide there and survive any rifts than anywhere else.” Despite this,many still express giddy approval of the dress code in the corporate offices, saying it’spretty straightforward: “If you meet clients, you wear full business attire; if you don’t,you wear business casual.” The lucky respondents in development and tech supportoutside the New York headquarters say they wear jeans and T-shirts on a regularbasis.

Dissenting opinions

Computer Associates was formerly ranked high on “top places to work” surveys inpublications around the country. Recent surveys suggest a trend toward staffdissatisfaction. “Poor integration and communication with employees. Softwaredesigned by committees and overburdened processes that take forever, so nothinggets done,” wails one respondent. “There is a very top-heavy corporate culture thatseems to be very out of touch with the remainder of the company,” adds an engineer.It’s hardly any surprise that his co-worker adds, “Employee morale…is not very goodat all.” “Opportunities for advancement are slim,” interjects an engineer. Diversityseems also to be an issue. “Women and African-Americans are overwhelminglyunderrepresented in the company,” notes a source.

It’s not all gloom and doom, however. “There are high-quality employees in thecompany,” affirms one programmer.


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CACI INTERNATIONAL INC.

1100 North Glebe Road

Arlington, VA 22201

Phone: (703) 841-7800

Fax: (703) 841-7882

www.caci.com

DEPARTMENTSBusiness • Business Communications •

Business Development • Consultant •

Domestic, Federal & State, & Local Markets •

Engineering • Enterprise Technologies •

Executive • Facilities • Finance • Government

Business Operations • Human Resources •

Information Systems • Intelligence •

Legal/Contracts • Logistics • Marketing •

Mission Systems Business • National

Solutions Business • Network/Telecom

Program Management • Public Relations •

Science • Security • Service • Technology •

Transformation Solutions Business


Stock Symbol: CAI


Chairman: J.P. London

President & CEO: Paul M. Cofoni


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,420.5

2008 Income ($ mil.): 83.3

KEY COMPETITORSComputer Sciences Corp.

General Dynamics Information Technology

SAIC

LOCATIONSArlington, VA (HQ)

Aberdeen, MD • Albuquerque, NM • Alexandria,

VA • Annapolis, MD • Ashburn, VA • Austin, TX •

Baltimore, MD • Beavercreek, OH • Belcamp,

MD • Bellevue, NE • Bloomington, IN • Boise,

ID • Boulder City, NV • Bremerton, WA •

Chantilly, VA • Charleston, SC • Charlottesville,

VA • Chesapeake, VA • College Park, GA •

Colonial Heights, VA • Columbia, SC •

Columbus, GA • Dahlgren, VA • Dayton, OH •

Devens, MA • Eatontown, NJ • Elkridge, MD •

Fairborn, OH • Fairfax, VA • Falls Church, VA •

Fayetteville, NC • Gaithersburg, MD • Garden

Ridge, TX • Hampton, VA • Hanover, MD •

Herndon, VA • Honolulu, HI • Huntsville, AL •

Indian Head, MD • Irving, TX • Jacksonville, FL

• La Jolla, CA • Langhorne, PA • Lanham, MD •

Layton, UT • Lexington Park, MD • Louisville,

KY • Manassas, VA • Mechanicsburg, PA •

Middletown, RI • Millington, TN • Montgomery,

AL • New Church, VA • New Orleans, LA •

Norfolk, VA • Oklahoma City, OK • Olathe, KS •

Omaha, NE • Orlando, FL • Oxnard, CA •

Panama City, FL • Pawtucket, RI • Pensacola,

FL • Pittsburgh, PA • Portsmouth, NH •

Richmond, VA • Rockville, MD • Rome, NY •

San Antonio, TX • San Diego, CA • San

Francisco, CA • Scottsdale, AZ • Shalimar, FL •

Sierra Vista, AZ • Silver Spring, MD • Smyrna,

GA • Southern Pines, NC • Springfield, VA •

Stafford, VA • Swansea, IL • Tampa, FL • Valley

Lee, MD • Vienna, VA • Virginia Beach, VA •

Warner Robins, GA • Washington, DC

Heidelberg • London

EMPLOYMENT CONTACTcaci.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl?lang

=en


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THE SCOOP

Uncle Sam wants CACI

Under the guiding motto “ever vigilant,” CACI looks out for the technological well-being of the U.S. armed forces abroad, while also keeping an eye on networkmanagement for a few large corporations, primarily in the U.K. The company offersIT and communication services mostly to American government agencies, andoperates in four specific arenas: systems integration, managed network services,knowledge management and engineering services.

CACI, with a broad range of expertise in computers, is one of Uncle Sam’s primarygo-to tech firms. It works especially hard for the Department of Defense (DOD),which accounted for 73 percent of company revenue in 2006. When it’s not helpingour military wage the war on terror, CACI also enjoys gathering kudos as a leaderamong its peers, including a No. 932 ranking in the Fortune 1000, with an extra nodfrom Fortune as the seventh-largest information technology services company in theU.S. On March 17, 2009, CACI was also included among the world’s most admiredcompanies by Fortune.

The world of SIMSCRIPT, 1960s style

Originally called the California Analysis Center Incorporated, this now-gigantictechnology firm started out very small. In fact, company legend has it that foundersHarry Markowitz and Herb Karr used to do business from a park bench during thecompany’s infancy in the early 1960s.

Those are especially humble beginnings for a firm that went public and made morethan $1 million in revenue by 1968. That may sound like small potatoes now, but in1968, $1 million constituted a much larger potato, especially when served alongsidelucrative contracts with the U.S. Navy, IBM and the U.S. Commerce Department.The business that rocketed Markowitz and Karr from the park bench to the corneroffice so quickly was SIMSCRIPT, a software language the entrepreneurscommercialized and developed into their own line of simulation software, withapplications especially useful to the government. It could be used to build computermodels of complex functions ranging from airport traffic maps to tactical militaryplans.


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Fortune includes CACI among world’s most admired companies

CACI gleams as the most admired company in Virginia, and even more so, one ofthe most admired companies in the world, as declared by Fortune. CACIcontinued to rake in accolades from Fortune as it placed fifth in its Most AdmiredInformation Technology Services list. Fortune’s Most Admired list serves as a“report card on corporate reputations.” The thumbs-up from Fortune is anindicator that CACI has garnered respect from top executives and directors fromother qualified companies, and since this is the first time Fortune has combinedAmerican and international companies, being recognized in this crowd ofcompanies, as CACI’s press release states, “demonstrates the company’s growingrecognition as a Tier 1 company in the federal contracting marketplace.”

• January 2009: CACI reports Fiscal 2009 second quarter results

CACI International announced results for its second fiscal quarter and six monthsended December 31, 2008. Paul Cofoni, CACI’s president and CEO, comments,“We are extremely pleased with our strong second quarter performance. Oursecond quarter revenue was a record $673 million. We delivered another quarterof double-digit growth in operating income, net income and earnings per share,along with double-digit organic revenue growth. We have a healthy balance sheetand operating cash flow, and a balanced and integrated financial strategy for thedeployment of capital. Contract awards and contract funding orders rosesignificantly compared to the fiscal 2008 second quarter, and we are winning morethan our share of awards at the tierone level. Our recruiting remains strong as wecontinue to hire the high-quality professionals our clients need to complete theircritical missions.”

• December 2008: Providing government agencies with eDiscovery solution

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and other government agencies will bereceiving a comprehensive and leading-edge eDiscovery solution, thanks to CACI’sjoint venture with Guidance Software Inc. CACI will utilize Guidance Software’sEnCase eDiscovery to supply the agencies with electronic discovery databases.Processing services will also be provided to the DOJ, integrating litigation supportservices and forensic extraction and maximizing the operation and efficiency of theagency. The partnership also allows CACI to be a single vendor for a variety oflitigation support needs.

• September 2008: Completing stock repurchase program

CACI completed its repurchase of the company’s common stock for $20 million.The company has relied on stock repurchase as an effective strategy for growth.In the previous year, CACI made the same move, repurchasing one million sharesfor $45.5 million, delivering favorable results. According to Confoni, “CACI’s well-balanced, integrated and long-term strategy for growth positions us withconfidence and momentum for fiscal 2009 and beyond. We believe our share




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repurchase program was a wise investment of our cash. It effectivelycomplements our proactive corporate development and acquisition programaimed at strengthening CACI’s support for the nation’s highest priorities.”

• March 2008: Placing second in Fortune’s Most Admired IT Services Companies

CACI placed second in both Fortune’s Most Admired IT Services Companies listand Most Admired Companies in Virginia list, a huge jump from sixth in 2007. BillFairl, CACI president of U.S. operations, attributed the acclaim to its workforcesaying, “Our employees are the best in the industry in delivering quality ITsolutions and customer service. CACI’s new, higher ratings on Fortune’s MostAdmired Companies list reflect our continued focus on making CACI a truly greatplace for talented people to build a fulfilling career.”

GETTING HIRED

Support the company that supports our troops

Because of its close relationship with the DOD, CACI goes where the military goes.For the globe-trotter, that can mean job opportunities in the far-flung corners of theworld. For the local-yokel, that also means plenty of jobs within the U.S. proper. Allof the positions at CACI’s many locations can be found through the company’s jobssite, at www.caci.com/job/contacts.shtml. Here, open positions are searchable bytype or location. A more cerebral “concept search” allows you to post your resumeor enter keywords and find matching opportunities. Seekers are encouraged to builda profile on the employment site by entering some basic information and uploading aresume; then CACI can contact you when a position that could fit you opens up. Ifthis is all a bit too impersonal, CACI also appears at several professional career fairsthroughout the year. A full list can be found on its career site.

For those initiated into the CACI ranks, life is good. The company offers a 401(k)program with company matching, comprehensive health coverage and paid vacationand holidays. Tuition reimbursement is available through the company, as are legalservices and financial planning. For the pet lovers, CACI offers a pet care discountplan (pet rocks are, unfortunately, not covered). The company also provides trainingto keep its employees abreast of the latest technology and to promote advancementthrough the company ranks.





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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Superb corporate culture, average benefits?

The upside of working in CACI, according to one insider, is a “very open and efficient”corporate culture that “encourages employees to do their best” for the company. Foranother source, it’s an environment that’s “upbeat, fun, hardworking and fast-paced.”A contact shares that in CACI, there is “minimum red tape and politics is almostnonexistent,” something that might seem a utopia for the disillusioned corporatedrones everywhere.

No company is perfect, however, and one of the downsides of working in CACI,according to one respondent, is that “fringe benefits and health care packages areaverage.” The same contact contends that training is poor, and believes that thecompany aims to use employees “for one specific project” before “letting them go.”




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CANON INC.

30-2, Shimomaruko 3-chome

Ohta-ku, Tokyo, 146-8501

Japan

Phone: (81) 3-3758-2111

www.canon.com

LOCATIONS

Tokyo, Japan (HQ) • Burlington, NJ •

Chesapeake, VA • Conshohocken, PA •

Irvine, CA • Lake Success, NY • Miami, FL

• Mt. Laurel, NJ • Newport News, VA •

Rockville, MD • Salt Lake City, UT

70 Locations internationally.

DEPARTMENTS

Corporate Intellectual Property & Legal •

Policy & Economy Research • Optical

Products Operations • Human Resources

Management • Corporate Planning

Development • Peripheral Products

Operations • Quality Management • Device

Technology Development • Inkjet Products

Operations • Production Engineering •

Corporate Planning Development •

Information & Communication Systems •

Global Procurement

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: CAJ


President & COO: Tsuneji Uchida

Chairman & CEO: Fujio Mitarai

2008 Employees: 166,980

2008 Revenue (¥ mil.): 4,094,161

2008 Income (¥ mil.): 309,148

KEY COMPETITORS

Konica Minolta

Ricoh

Xerox

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THE SCOOP

A captivating company

As one of the world’s top producers of cameras, Canon urges you to take a picture; itwill last longer. Additionally, as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of printersand fax machines, Canon encourages you to make lots and lots of copies of thatpicture, for posterity. The company specializes in all things visual and is best knownfor its business machines (copiers, printers, fax machines, etc.) and its cameras(digital, video, LCD projectors and the like). Through its optics arm, it also makesmedical X-ray machines and the steppers and mask aligners used in semiconductorproduction. However, it now produces “nonvisual” tools, like computers, handyterminals, calculators and electronic dictionaries, as part of its business machinesproduct line.

Canon’s headquarters and much of its production facilities remain in Japan, but theCanon USA slice of the pie accounts for about a third of the parent company’s sales.And don’t let the name fool you; Canon USA is not limited to just the United States.This division of the company operates through more than 30 offices across North,South and Central America and the Caribbean, and employs more than 10,000people in North America alone. BusinessWeek ranked Canon at No. 51 on itsInfoTech 100 in 2007 (behind rival Hewlett-Packard, who came in at No. 35, butahead of Sony and Xerox, who did not make the list). However, in 2008, Canondropped out of the Infotech 100.

Global (heart)warming

Canon prides itself on corporate responsibility. At the heart of Canon’s values is theconcept of “kyosei,” most succinctly defined (by the company) as “living and workingtogether for the common good.” To this end, Canon is involved in many social welfareand humanitarian efforts, including its Canon4Kids program, which helps locatemissing children across the U.S. Canon also puts its sponsorship to good use; foreach birdie, eagle and hole-in-one Briny Baird and Michelle McGann made duringPGA golf tournament play in 2004-2005, Canon donated money to the NationalCenter for Missing and Exploited Children. Both golfers also placed photographs oflocal missing children on their golf bags during tournaments. At Yankee Stadium inNew York City, as part of Canon4Kids, parents are offered wristbands with seatinglocation information for their children to wear to assist security personnel in aiding lostchildren.

Kyosei applies to the common good of the environment as well. Through the CanonGroup’s Factor 2 initiative under its 2003 “Vision for 2010,” Canon has set specificgoals to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions in inverse proportion to company sales.Canon USA also funds a national parks scholars program to encourage doctoralresearch in support of wildlife, although the last batch of scholars were picked in


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2007 for studies and research until 2009. Canon USA also sponsors the Peabodyand 2007 Emmy award-winning public television (PBS) series, Nature. Finally, in2006, the company launched its first 100 percent recycled copier and printer paper,and also started using biodegradable plastic in its packaging materials. This indicatesthat Canon copier toner packages have since eliminated hazardous substances (forexample lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBBs and PBDEs). Thiscontributes an average of 16 percent less weight per copy in 2005 than in 1995.Canon also uses recycled paper for the production of their cardboard boxes.

IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: Center of excellence

Canon USA is a certified Center of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal.BenchmarkPortal is the custodian of the Purdue University Center for Customer-Driven Quality database of contact center metrics, the largest in the world.

• January 2009: Seeing a Prism

Canon USA and Prism Software, a leading provider of advanced electronicdocument solutions, revealed the integration of Prism’s DocRecord andDocSystem applications with Canon’s advanced MEAP-enabled imageRUNNERline of multifunction printers (MFPs). Prism’s notes that it was “very pleased toprovide the market with an easy-to-use and fully integrated method of accessingthe power of DocRecord and DocSystem directly from the control panel of Canon’simageRUNNER MFPs.” This will provide imageRUNNER MFP users “a greatly(sic) more efficient method of quickly processing their critical documents.”

• December 2008: A scanner for everyone

Canon USA introduced the Canon imageFORMULA DR-7090C UniversalProduction Scanner, which delivers “incredible flexibility, image quality andreliability at high scanning speeds by leveraging technologies from Canon’s award-winning imageFORMULA and imageRUNNER product lines.” The DR-7090Cproves to have a special appeal to the government and the education, legal andfinancial sectors due to its two-way design, fast one-pass duplex capability andeasy flatbed scanning.

• November 2008: Instant X-ray images on the flat panel screen!

Canon USA celebrates 10 years of digital radiography service through its currentline of advanced portable and general digital radiography (DR) systems andsolutions at the 2008 Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting(RSNA 2008). Tsuneo Imai, a Canon executive, notes, “Since introducing its firstindirect X-ray projection camera in Japan 68 years ago, Canon has been a worldleader in medical imaging.”


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• September 2008: Beyond tooling

To better serve photographers, and to “provide the appropriate level of service foreach professional demographic,” Canon USA will implement the new CanonProfessional Services (CPS) program beginning in early 2009. The new CPSprogram, which will require all existing members to reapply, will offer three levelsof membership—Silver, Gold and Platinum—to qualifying members, with eachlevel receiving better and more extensive service benefits. The programrecognizes “the sense of urgency among Canon professional photographers in thefield who know that a day without a camera is a day without revenue.” YuichiIshizuka, senior vice president and general manager of Canon USA’s consumerimaging group, says, “We recognize that our responsibilities to full-timeprofessional Canon photographers extend beyond providing them the tools theyneed to support their livelihood. As a company, we must also provide anexemplary service and support structure for professionals, indicative of ourcommitment to the art of photography.”

• April 2008: Lenses sell out

Canon USA announced that it has sold 40 million EF lenses, achieving a new lensmanufacturing milestone. Canon’s new EF lens lineup, catering to the ever-changing needs of users, from novice photo enthusiasts to advanced amateur andprofessional photographers, has 64 models, the most wide-ranging selection in theindustry. The company’s diverse range of EF lenses include “standard and super-telephoto zoom lenses, image stabilizer-equipped lenses, large-aperture lenses,macro lenses and TS-E lenses, which include a special tilt-shift mechanism thatpermits the manipulation of image perspective and distortion.”

GETTING HIRED

Extra points for using Canon’s printers to print your resume

Employment information can be found on Canon USA’s website atwww.usa.canon.com. Applicants can search for open positions at jobs-cusa.icims.com/jobs, using keyword, location or job type, and then apply for a spotonline by uploading their resume or by building one on the career site. There is alsoa wealth of information about the company’s American locations, its benefit programsand its diversity on the web. First, the benefits: medical, dental and vision insurancecoverage, basic life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, flexiblespending account, a 401(k) plan with company match and profit sharing, and anemployee assistance program. Canon will also reimburse those thirsting forknowledge for up to 90 percent of their tuition expenses, providing the course of studyis relevant to the company.


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Canon also offers a summer internship program for students to get “real-worldexperience prior to graduation.” “We prefer students that are just completing theirjunior year; however, all are welcome to apply,” says a Canon executive. The programruns from June to August and is a full-time, paid internship, offering experience withbusiness, marketing and technical issues, as well as the opportunity “to gain hands-on work experience by participating in significant projects.” Potential interns can alsoapply online for positions in a number of different areas, including marketing, IT,business administration, computer science, MIS, CIS, strategic planning, finance,economics, accounting, audit and compliance, environmental science and productsafety, industrial engineering, logistics, supply chain, imaging technology, web design,graphic arts, public relations, legal, corporate communications, English, statistics andothers. Canon stresses that it is looking for internship candidates with “strongcommunication skills, technical and/or computer skills, plus the ability to workindependently and as part of a team.”

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Vacation before work

“Huh?” you ask? Here’s why: “The process of getting hired at Canon is very lengthy.It could take 90 to 120 days from your first phone interview before you start theposition.” Another respondent seems to offer an explanation: “Two rounds ofinterviews with a panel, background checks and drug screens.” To a specialist,though, it wasn’t that bad. “Two interviews—HR and manager. Nothing unusual—regular interview.” Except “it took forever to make a job offer.” “Two interviews,”echoes another, with “nothing unusual about” them. But, again, “it took a fewmonths to be hired.”

Different folks

As for salary, a national account exec really wanted to share: “The total compensationpackage would be as follows: Base $85K to $100K. Commission $30K to $40K.Bonuses 8 percent paid at the end of the year.” So did an assembler: “$10.50 hour.”And a specialist: “$58K plus bonus, two weeks’ vacation.” Says the assistantmanager, “Overall—cheap! Offered much less than in the city.”

Debating on canons

To a director, “Canon is a very good company to work for with high standards forethics and conduct. Very socially responsible.” Maybe a bit “inflexible regardinghours,” but has a “reasonable dress code.” And there are “excellent opportunitiesfor advancement” albeit “over the long term.” An assistant manager confirms theinflexible hours: “9 to 5, but could be longer depending on position,” which is


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another way of saying, according to a specialist, “9 to 5 nonexempt, longer as neededfor exempt.” Another testifies thus: “We had a variety of employees buildingcomputer parts and components. We worked 10- to 12-hour days.” And as for thereasonable dress code, “we wore blue uniform tops and blue khaki pants.” Blue-collar job, get it? But “if you were a prompt and dependable employee there wasroom for promotion.” There’s the reasonable part. But explain all this to a nationalaccount executive and he’d tell you that not only is the dress code for him “businesscasual,” his is “not a 9-to-5 job.” In fact, he says, “you ‘home office’ with extensivetravel.”

Regarding advancement opportunities, the assistant manager says there are plenty ofthem in “many departments,” and one “can transfer from one to another.” But“ultimately this is a Japanese company,” he adds, which is a vague answer. Is hereferring to a Japanese patronage system? To the company’s playing favorites towardJapanese employees? What? A specialist says there’s this very corporate culture.“The manager is everything, employees are nothing (if you have any ideas onimproving things—keep them to yourself).”


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CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.

2901 Via Fortuna

Austin, TX 78746

Phone: (512) 851-4000

www.cirrus.com

LOCATIONS

Austin, TX (HQ)

Tucson, AZ

Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom • Hong

Kong • Seoul • Shanghai • Shenzhen •Singapore • Taipei • Tokyo

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: CRUS

Stock Exchange: NASDAQ

Chairman, Cofounder & Director:

Michael L. Hackworth

President & CEO: Jason Rhode

2008 Employees: 473

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 181.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): -5.8

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.3tbe.taleo.net/NA1/ats/careers/jobSea

rch.jsp?org=CIRRUS&cws=1

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative Support • Apex Precision

Power Business Unit • Applications

Engineering • Assembly/ Packaging/

Sustaining Engineering • Board Layout •

Business Operations • CAD Engineering/

Development • ChipL • Component

Engineering • Co-op • Corporate

Communications & Human Resources •

Corporate Quality • Design Engineering •

Device Engineering • DSP Business Unit•

Engineering Management • Failure Analysis

• Finance • Foundry Engineering • Industrial

Products Divisio • Information Technology •

Legal • Marketing–Marcom • Marketing–

Support • Marketing–Technical • Mask

Engineering • Mixed-Signal Audio Division •

Physical Design • Process Engineering •

Product & Test Engineering • Program

Management • Purchasing • Quality

Assurance • Sales • Sales Operations •

Software/Firmware Development •

Software/Firmware QA • Supply Chain •

Support Positions • Systems Engineering/IC

Architecture • Technical Publications •

Validation Engineering • Verification

Engineering • Web development

KEY COMPETITORS

Freescale Semiconductor

ST Micro

Texas Instruments/Burr Brown

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THE SCOOP

In your ear, there could well be a cloud

Cirrus Logic is a fabless semiconductor company—and no, that doesn’t mean thecompany is dull and boring, it just means that the firm designs and sellssemiconductor hardware while outsourcing the actual fabrication of the devices(hence, fabless) to a third party. This saves production costs and allows Cirrus torespond with greater agility to tech advances. With applications in industrial andaudio electronics, Cirrus Logic’s analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) findtheir way into products marketed by Bose, Philips, Panasonic, Sony and HarmanInternational, to name just a few of the company’s 2,500 customers.

Up in the clouds

Former MIT professor Suhas Patil developed an advanced computer chip THATimproved on the technology used to control computer hard drives, and needed anexperienced business partner to help start a company to reap his ingenuity’s benefits.He found just the man in Northern California native Mike Hackworth, then a seniorVP at Signetics. In 1984, the two men founded Cirrus Logic, a name suggested byHackworth’s daughter Lauren, after the highest clouds in the sky.

Blue skies and gathering storms

Cirrus Logic set about marketing Patil’s chip, and quickly expanded into offering otherintegrated circuitry to support computers’ peripheral functions, like audio, video anddata storage. An early win came in 1987, when Cirrus Logic beat out other firmsangling to produce chips to support IBM’s new graphics displays. This microchipgave Cirrus a leg up in the developing 2-D and 3-D graphics market, and thecompany became a major supplier of graphics-supporting chips for desktop andlaptop PCs. Two years later, the foundling firm went public, and by 1996 had earnedits name—Cirrus became the fastest Silicon Valley semiconductor firm ever to breakinto the billion-dollar-a-year club, selling $1.1 billion that year.

The company began suffering losses in 2000. In April that year, to cut costs, thecompany moved its headquarters from Fremont, Calif. to Austin, Texas. Still, revenueand profit suffered, with revenue falling to $410 million in 2002, and that year andthe next both saw annual losses of more than $200 million. These disappointingreturns, as well as a shift in focus from magnetic storage chips to consumerelectronics, resulted in at least 2,000 job cuts.


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Anywhere the wind blows

At present, Cirrus Logic focuses on providing high-value mixed-signal integratedcircuit solutions for audio and industrial markets. Given current economic conditions,president and CEO Jason Rhode says the company believes its strategic growthprograms “will help drive long-term opportunities for revenue and market-sharegrowth,” just as they did in portable audio. Cirrus Logic is working to replicate thisgrowth in other areas throughout the year as it continues to serve more than 2,500end customers globally, with more than 600 products.

IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: Net income of $2.1 million in Q3 fiscal 2009

Cirrus Logic released financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2009, whichended on December 27, 2008, showing that revenue for the quarter was $43.8million, compared to $48.9 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2008, and$53.3 million in the previous quarter. In addition, third quarter GAAP net incomewas $2.8 million, or $0.04 per share based on 65.3 million average diluted sharesoutstanding. At the same time, the firm also announced a share repurchaseprogram of up to $20 million.

• May 2008: Losses posted for Q4 fiscal 2008

The company posted a GAAP net loss of $13.7 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal2008, compared to a $4.2 million in profit during the previous quarter. Thecompany had suffered woes, including the closure of its newly acquired ICsubsidiary Caretta in China, and legal costs in relation to the Securities andExchange Commission’s investigation of backdated stock options.

• November 2008: Walk in the clouds

Cirrus Logic was named one of the Best Companies to Work for in Texas 2009. Theawards program is a project of Texas Monthly magazine, the Texas Association ofBusiness (TAB), the Texas State Council of the Society for Human ResourceManagement (TSC-SHRM) and Best Companies Group.

• May 2007: French out, Rhode in

Jason Rhode, former vice president and general manager of Cirrus Logic’s mixed-signal audio division, replaced David French as president and CEO. Frenchresigned in March at the conclusion of a six-month internal company investigationon historical stock options practices. According to a statement released by thecompany, a special committee of the board of directors concluded that Frenchknew about and participated in the selection of three stock option grant datesbetween 2000 and 2002. “We interviewed numerous external candidates for thisposition, but in the end the board of directors felt that Cirrus Logic is fortunate to


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have a number of strong leaders within the company,” said Mike Hackworth,chairman of the board, on Rhode’s appointment.

GETTING HIRED

Casting call

Cirrus Logic scours the world for fresh-from-college talent. The company offerssummer internships and co-ops at its Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colo., locations.Interns work full time, and enjoy paid holidays and time off plus health insurance.The program is open to those who have completed (at a minimum) their freshmanyear and are seeking degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, computerengineering or business. Details on applying and meeting with company reps oncampus visits are available through the careers site at www.cirrus.com/en/careers.

That site also has the lowdown for experienced hires, who will find a comprehensivejob search function that can be sifted by both location and department. Those readyto apply will fill out a short questionnaire (name, address, etc.) before uploading theirresume. Applicant information will be saved with Cirrus Logic’s job agent, making itthat much easier to apply again in the future. Getting in with this fab-u-less firmcomes with its benefits, of course, including a 401(k) with company matching, anemployee stock purchase plan, health insurance, and paid holidays and vacationtime.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Flexible and diverse

The workforce in Cirrus Logic is described as flexible and management encouragesdiversity in its staff. However, opportunities for promotion seem to be nil.“Opportunities for advancement have dried up after numerous layoffs andorganizational restructuring occurred,” shares a senior manager.


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CISCO SYSTEMS, INC.

151

170 West Tasman Drive

San Jose, CA 95134-1706

Phone: (408) 526-4000

www.cisco.com

LOCATIONS

San Jose, CA (HQ)

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas •

California • Colorado • Connecticut • Georgia •

Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa •

Kansas • Louisiana • Maryland •

Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota •

Missouri • Nebraska • Nevada • New

Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New

York • North Carolina • Ohio • Oklahoma •

Oregon • Pennsylvania • Puerto Rico • South

Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas

• Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington •

Washington, DC • West Virginia

140 International Locations

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: CSCO


Chairman & CEO: John T. Chambers


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 39,540

2008 Income ($ mil.): 8,052

KEY COMPETITORS

Alcatel-Lucent

Hewlett-Packard Company

Juniper Networks, Inc

DEPARTMENTS

Access Networking & Services • Advanced

Development • Asia Pacific • Business

Development, Consumer & Small Business •

CDO • Collaboration Software • Commerce

Transformation • Corporate Communications •

Corporate Marketing • Customer Advocacy

European Markets • Customer Advocacy U.S.

& Canada • Customer Service • Data Center,

Switching, & Services • Development

Organization Operations • Emerging East •

Emerging Markets • Emerging Technologies •

Ethernet Switching Technology Group •

European Markets • Executive • Facilities •

Finance • Global Government Solutions •

Global policy & Government Affairs • Global

Sales Operations • Global Supply Chain

Management • Human Resources • Information

Technology • Internet Business Solutions •

Legal • Manufacturing • Marketing • Media

Solutions Group • Operations, Processes &

Systems • Quality Assurance • Research &

Advanced Development • Security Technology

Group • Server Access Virtualization Business

Unit • Service Provider Group • Small Business

Technology Group • Software Group

Administration • Technical Support Services •

U.S. Commercial Sales • U.S. Public Sector

Sales • Voice Technology Group • Wireless &

Security Technology • Worldwide Operations •

Worldwide Strategy & Planning

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.cisco.apply2jobs.com

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THE SCOOP

Huge and loving it

One of the brightest stars of the 1990s tech bubble, Cisco Systems was among themost valuable companies in the world at its peak, with a market capitalizationexceeding both Microsoft and GE. Its fortunes have since slid from those loftyheights, but Cisco is not exactly a corporate charity case; in its fiscal year 2008,Cisco’s sales were almost $40 billion, and the company currently holds its own at No.71 on the Fortune 500. BusinessWeek rewarded the company’s growth as well,placing it 39th on its 2008 Infotech 100 list.

Today, Cisco is a top manufacturer of networking hardware, such as routers, switchesand hubs—all devices constituting what is often called the “backbone” of theinternet. Switches and hubs connect computers to each other, creating local areanetworks, or LANs. Routers, meanwhile, connect one network to another—forexample, from a LAN to a wide-area network (or WAN), such as the internet. Ciscoalso develops and sells the software used to manage these networks. Its primaryclient base consists of large corporations, educational institutions, governmentagencies and telecom service providers, all of which deploy large and complexnetworks. But with its acquisition of Linksys in March 2003, Cisco dove into the smallbusiness and home networking markets as well.

The company has also been one of the pioneers of voice over internet protocol (VoIP)technology. VoIP uses the same technology that enables computers to communicatewith each other, but it applies to phone calls—enabling phone calls to bypasstraditional phone lines. The company’s goal is to eliminate the need for separatevoice, data and video infrastructure, replacing these with a single multipurposenetwork.

Cisco has United States R&D facilities at its HQ in San Jose, California, as well as inMassachusetts, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. Internationally, the company hasmajor research facilities in India, China and Israel. It also looks outside its ownresearchers for innovation, having acquired over 108 companies since its inception.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: From the Middle East to Southeast

Cisco announced the opening of its new office and internet data center in Bahrainas part of the company’s agreement with Bahrain’s government to boost thekingdom’s global competitiveness in ICT. The new data center also establishesCisco’s role in developing new ICT talents to address the growing opportunities forICT skilled workers in the region.


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Additionally, Cisco collaborated with the Philippine Long DistanceTelecommunications Co. and Tata Communications to bring TelePresence to thePhilippine public. TelePresence will empower organizations and businesses withits next-generation video-based communication capabilities. This collaboration issaid to transform the way companies interact in the Southeast Asian country.

• March 2009: Putting collaboration in context

Cisco unleashed enhancements to its Unified Communications system, includingmobile access, improved video collaboration and extended interoperability acrossapplications and devices. For businesses, this means streamlined workflows,optimized collaboration and accelerated decision making. And since it’s nowmobile, customers can avail themselves of the solutions anywhere, on any deviceand any network. The enhancements are part of Cisco’s move to build itscollaboration portfolio, which includes Unified Communications, TelePresence andWeb 2.0 applications.

• March 2009: Taking the shots

Cisco announced its intent to acquire digital camcorder-maker Pure DigitalTechnologies for $590 million. The privately held San Francisco, Calif.-based PureDigital makes the colorful, pocket-sized Flip Video camcorders. The purchasewould bring Cisco to the next level “as the company develops new videocapabilities and drives the next generation of entertainment and communicationexperiences,” Cisco’s Ned Hooper, senior vice president of corporate developmentand consumer groups, said in a statement.

• February 2009: Building “intelligent” cities

Cisco launched its “Intelligent Urbanisation” project to help cities worldwidemaximize available IT and network resources to improve economic conditions andthe quality of life for citizens. In January 2009, Cisco completed its acquisition ofmiddleware technology provider Richards-Zeta Building Intelligence, Inc. Thisbuyout promises “improved efficiencies, greater energy savings and a reducedcarbon footprint” as companies are able to integrate IT applications with theirinfrastructures. “Intelligent Urbanisation” seems to be a step to fulfill that promise.By 2025, over a million cities would be built using the “Intelligent Urbanisation”blueprint.

• February 2009: Going 4G

At the 2009 GSM Association Mobile World Congress, Cisco unveiled InternetProtocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN), its 4G mobile Internet transformationstrategy that will enable consumers to experience a truly connected life through avariety of video and rich media applications and broadband services. Furtherextending mobile collaboration options, the company also made its WebEx MeetingCenter service available to BlackBerry, Nokia and Samsung 3G smartphone users,making it possible to participate in web and audio conferences, and view


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presentations and desktops via 3G or WiFi, as convenient and mobile assmartphones offer.

• February 2009: Still eyeing more

Chief Executive John Chambers said Cisco plans to continue being acquisitiveeven through the economic downturn. BusinessWeek reported that the firm iseyeing software manufacturer VMWare and its parent EMC. Virtualization isstarting to be a hot direction for technology systems and with VMWare’svirtualization capabilities, the company could be looking into a change in howorganizations warehouse and manage their data. Talks also hint that Cisco islooking to include NetApp, Sun Microsystems and eBay’s Skype under itsumbrella.

• January 2009: On a downturn?

Cisco saw a striking drop in its current fiscal quarter. The firm’s income dipped 27percent over the second fiscal quarter of 2008. Revenue also decreased by 7.5percent to $9.1 billion this year, compared to $9.8 billion in 2008. The companyis already making adjustments to reduce costs and reorganize the business giventhe downtrend in income figures. However, while Chambers announced that Ciscois not considering layoffs as part of these measures, he said that a hiring freeze ispossible.

• January 2009: “Connected community of the future”

Cisco called on university students across the U.K. and Ireland to participate inUrban 2020, a competition aimed to stimulate “debate around all aspects of urbanregeneration.” Students are to design the “connected community of the future”guided by ecological and environmental considerations, technologicaladvancements and societal changes. The winning entry gets £2,000 cash and willbe featured at the Royal Institute of British Architects for one week.

GETTING HIRED

See ya at Cisco!

The employment section of Cisco’s site, cisco.apply2jobs.com, has a database ofavailable jobs around the world, searchable by country, town, keyword and jobfunction. Employment-seekers can submit their resume for a specific position, savingtheir job profile in for future ease of application. Cisco has special listings for recentgraduates, and especially encourages those with degrees in sales, services,engineering, marketing, finance and operations to apply. Those who haven’tgraduated yet can work as an intern in the summer or during the semester as a co-op. Either way, Cisco promises a worthwhile immersion in the company environmentand—better still—it pays.


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Cisco maintains the No. 6 spot on Fortune’s 2009 list of the Top 100 Best Places toWork; the same rank it scored in 2008. Fortune cites CEO John Chambers’ focus oncollaborative efforts, giving employees a chance to spill their two cents and participatein decision making, as one of the biggest influences on the corporate culture.

Ready for your interview? One source advises that “[i]nterviews for regular employees[are] typically one-on-one sessions with department managers or directors.” Hereports going through five rounds of interviews with department staff on two separatedays, around 30 minutes each.”

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Cisco’s always on

Once hires come onboard, they get to experience the Cisco culture. The companyoffers laptops and Treos, but they come at a price. The “work-from-home lifestylemeans many Cisco employees work around the clock—we are always online,” saysone sleep-deprived insider. “The hours are flexible, with the primary criteria being toget the job done, whatever/whenever it takes,” adds a source. This, of course, leadsto days “easily much longer than standard working hours.” The good news aboutbeing constantly accessible means that the “culture is one of empowerment, withindividuals encouraged to take ownership. In general, Cisco treats its employees asmature adults,” according to another worker. “Voicemails are also a huge part of thecompany culture,” adds a respondent posted in Asia. The dress code is as relaxedas the working hours, with one contact noting that “There is no dress code. Dress isexpected to be appropriate to the situation.”

There is some turmoil in the ranks, however. “No job is secure as everyone typicallyneeds to go through interviews all over again to secure their roles during departmentalshake-up. Cisco is tight with headcounts and [it] will be difficult for contractors andtemps to get converted,” says a source. Another points out that the company has a“fairly good track record on hiring minorities at the Cisco corporate office (other thanAfrican-American), and fairly poor results with hiring and retaining women.” Anexecutive regards Cisco as a “great company for [the] fresh graduate in terms ofcorporate exposure, but not good for career advancement.” One source from sales,however, says that “opportunities for advancement [are] good if you can network andmeet the right people.”


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COMPUWARE CORPORATION

One Campus Martius

Detroit, MI 48226

Phone: (313) 227-7300

www.compuware.com

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: CPWR


President: Bob Paul

Chairman & CEO: Peter Karmanos Jr.


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,229.6

2008 Income ($ mil.): 134.4

KEY COMPETITORS

BMC Software, Inc.

CA, Inc.

IBM

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.jobs-compuware.icims.com/jobs

LOCATIONS

Detroit, MI (HQ)

Addison, TX • Appleton, WI • Atlanta, GA •

Baltimore, MD • Bellevue, WA • Beverly, MA

• Blue Bell, PA • Brentwood, TN • Charlotte,

NC • Cincinnati, OH • Columbus, OH •

Durham, NC • East Rutherford, NJ • Eden

Prairie, MN • Englewood, CO • Framingham,

MA • Grandville, MI • Houston, TX •

Independence, OH • Irvine, CA • Madison,

WI • McLean, VA • Merrimack, NH •

Milwaukee, WI • New York, NY • Okemos,

MI • Overland Park, KS • Pleasanton, CA •

San Diego, CA •

San Juan, PR • Schaumburg, IL •

Scottsdale, AZ • Tampa, FL


DEPARTMENTS

Administrative • Application Development •

Business & Systems Analyst • Database

Development & Management • Facilities •

Finance • Health Care • Human Resources •

Information Technology • Management •

Marketing • Network Administration •

Partner/Channel Development • Product

Management • Project Management •

Quality Compliance • Sales • Security •

Software Architecture • Software Product

Development • Software Quality Assurance •

Software Technical Support • Technical

Documentation • Technical Support •

Technology Project Management • Travel

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THE SCOOP

Motor City/Shmotor City

Detroit isn’t just about cars anymore. One of its largest corporate citizens,Compuware Corporation, has been providing software and information technologyservices to businesses around the globe for more than three decades. Now servingthe world's top IT companies, including more than 90 percent of the Fortune 100, thecompany is a leading example of Detroit’s role in the technology industry.Compuware typically offers IT governance and management, applicationdevelopment, quality assurance, service management and support services.

Innovation and recognition

Compuware grew through acquisition, picking up e-business service firms BlairLakeand Nomex, and combining them to form Compuware Digital Development Centers.The company put new technological advancements and product launches at itsforefront, releasing OptimalView, an enterprise portal; DevPartner Java Edition 3.0;File-AID/Data Solutions 3.3; Vantage 9, a program to improve applicationperformance; and CARS, the Compuware Application Reliability Solution.

Tough times and taking on the giant

Despite the accolades, Compuware hit a stumbling block at the turn of the centurywhen the pop heard ‘round the world—that is, the bursting of the tech bubble—dropped sales by 22 percent and eliminated 1,600 jobs from the company.

Software giant and perennial competitor IBM proved to be a particularly painful thornin the company’s side. Compuware sued the computer industry’s Goliath for softwarepiracy. IBM denied the charges (naturally), claiming it had simply used publicinformation and its own expertise to create products that lowered prices in a marketformerly dominated by Compuware. The litigation drained Compuware’s coffers forthree years, costing the firm $12 million in 2002, $34 million in 2003 and $45 millionin 2004, but paid off with a March 2005 settlement, in which IBM agreed to licenseand purchase $400 million worth of Compuware software and services over the nextfour years.

More acquisitions

In March 2006, Compuware bought a treat for its Covisint division, acquiring privatelyheld ProviderLink to support Covisint’s expansion into the health care industry. Withthe goal of spreading technology to health organizations still based on paper,Compuware married Covisint’s web-based communication applications toProviderLink’s expertise in online health care tools. Another company, SteelTrace,


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joined Compuware the following April, and beefed-up the firm’s applicationdevelopment management business.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: G’bye, Motor City

The global economic downturn claimed another victim in Ford, but companiestrying to shore up their bottom lines win a little victory in cutting their losses whenCompuware announces that it’s pulling out of its partnership with Ford Motor Co.,which started in 1998 when the two companies inked a $500 million deal.Compuware is now calling back its troops in order to shed “low-margin jobs,” andFord is one of the companies experiencing the loss. Compuware folks left behindhave the option of staying on at Ford, but in the capacity of one of Ford’s ITvendors. Although this sounds bad all around, there’s actually something good init: both companies are figuring out ways to weather the economic hurricane, andmaybe saying goodbye for now is going to help them rearrange their finances andput the money where it should be.

• December 2008: One of the best and brightest companies to work for

The Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA) honoredCompuware because of its “diversity and multiculturalism” as part of the 101 Bestand Brightest Companies to Work For award program. This is the eighth time thatthe company was included in the list. “Compuware continues to excel as a greatplace to work, supporting employees of all races and backgrounds,” said JenniferKluge, MBPA’s executive vice president. “The company’s longevity on our list andits excellence in diversity are attractive draws to both finding and keepingoutstanding talent.”

• October 2008: Going, going …

Blaming its poor performance on the economy, Compuware cut approximately 5percent of its workforce at its Detroit headquarters. The cuts came as a surpriseto analysts because Compuware didn’t say anything about letting people go acrossthe board, but it defended its actions, saying that the company wanted to let theemployees know about it first, rather than having them read it in the paper on theway to work. Asked how the company estimated the number of people it wouldhave to let go, Compuware said that the 300 layoffs were based on workload andhow many people are needed to operate the company at its most efficient, nowthat demand for Compuware products has forced company production to grind toa halt. Year after year, revenue fell by $50 million, with company stocks trading at5 cents less than it was worth the previous year.




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• July 2008: Best performance, profiling and debugging

For the sixth year running, a Compuware product bags the top honor at the VisualStudio Magazine Readers Choice Awards. VSM readers chose DevPartner StudioProfessional as their favorite “Performance, Profiling & Debugging” tool. This is anaward that should be displayed prominently at Detroit headquarters, since VSMreaders are mostly developers—people who know the ins and outs of programmingand know what they want in their applications.

• May 2008: On a high note

Despite the economic troubles and stocks not selling for what they’re worth,Compuware announced that its fourth quarter performance is laudably strong andreliable. In line with this strong showing was the launch of Compuware 2.0, arebirth of sorts for the company. All the usual attributes werew included, likecustomer focus and dynamism, but CEO Peter Karmanos Jr. wants something newand fresh. Thus, Compuware realigned its approach to the market, getting rid ofthe old and promising to deliver a different approach based on what the companyhas learned over years of existence, with emphases on measurable goals andmilestones.

• March 2008: Entering health care

Throwing its hat into the health care business, Compuware unveiled IT ServiceManagement for Healthcare, an initiative that promises to drive patient care,reduce costs and determine return of investment. This application, Compuwarehopes, is going to enable health care professionals to proactively manage theirbusinesses.

GETTING HIRED

Detroit and Compuware, sitting in a tree…

The company posts job openings online (at www.compuware.com/careers) and hasset up a search engine through which interested applicants can find opportunitiesfrom Australia to the United Kingdom and several places in between. Applicants canupload their resume to the career website and will be contacted if Compuware likeswhat it sees. The company also hosts recruiting events; a schedule of these isavailable through the website.

Detroit loves Compuware and has increasingly shown its approval of the company. In2006, Compuware was named to Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best and BrightestCompanies to Work For list, sponsored by the Michigan Business and ProfessionalAssociation; and readers of the local Hour Detroit voted it the very best place to workin the city.





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Compuware also touts its commitment to diversity in the workplace and wasrecognized for backing up that pledge in 2008. The National Black Data ProcessingAssociates cited Compuware as a top-10 company for blacks in technology, andDiversityInc named Compuware to its list of Top 50 Companies for Diversity in June2006. So what is everybody crowing about? In addition to a full run of health carebenefits, Compuware provides an employee stock purchase plan and 401(k) withcompany match. Veterinary insurance takes care of Fido and a generous vacationand sick day program allows workers to stay home while Fido recovers. Extensivetraining and certification opportunities keep employees’ minds razor-sharp, whilehealth club membership discounts keep their bodies taut.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Sell, sell, sell

Compuware is a “no-nonsense” company, according to one insider. Employeesshould be motivated to earn money and the company actively encourages people to“work your compensation plan.” One contact adds that you have to “always try to sellmore of your products at all times” to generate more commissions. The same sourceshares that sales reps who “achieve their 100 percent quota” will be invited to theannual 100 percent achievers club. Whatever that is, it sounds pretty good.

The company is also a “good learning source,” says one respondentwho adds thatthere is no dress code but when there are client meetings, employees need to wearproper business attire.

No company is perfect, however, as one source labels Compuware’s corporate cultureas “bad” and its advancement opportunities, “rare.”




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COMVERSE TECHNOLOGY, INC.

810 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 10019

Phone: (212) 739-1000

www.cmvt.com

LOCATIONS

New York, NY (HQ)

Las Vegas, NV

Wakefield, MA

Woodbury, NY

Barcelona

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting

Business Operations & Planning

Corporate Development & Strategy

Human Resources

Marketing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: CMVT

Stock Exchange: OTC BB

President & CEO: Andre Dahan

KEY COMPETITORS

Alcatel-Lucent

Nortel Networks

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THE SCOOP

A stunning Comversationalist

Rendering the wisecracking, gum-smacking, gossip-mongering madam of theswitchboard woefully ineffectual, Comverse Technology makes telecommunicationshigh tech. In its early days, the firm was known as the inventor of the voice mailbox.Today, it manufactures a variety of software and hardware components for multimediacommunications and information processing applications, including call-switchingprograms, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) equipment and information processingsoftware for both wireless and wireline systems. Much of this is done through thecompany’s flagship brand—Comverse, naturally—which is the world’s leadingprovider of telecommunications software. Beyond its namesake, the companyoperates four wholly and majority owned subsidiaries: Comverse, a provider ofsoftware and services enabling voice, messaging and mobile internet advertising;Ulticom, which manufactures Signalware software; Starhome, a mobile phoneroaming technology group; and Verint Systems, a security and surveillance softwareprovider.

Masters of the Comverse

Founded in 1984 by an entrepreneurial trio—Kobi Alexander, Yechiam Yemini, andBoaz Misholi—Comverse got its name from its mission: a fusion of “communication”and “versatility.” The product that got the company off the ground was a small boxthat was connected to a user’s telephone line and that integrated voicemail, fax andother call processing functions into one system. The company went public on theNew York Stock Exchange in 1986. Misholi, Comverse’s original president and CEO,left the company in 1988, later becoming a computer science professor at ColumbiaUniversity. Alexander then took the reins, with Yemini still alongside, and immediatelydevised a creative strategy that would enable him to survive against telecomtechnology giants such as AT&T. With well-established headquarters in the founders’native country, Israel, Comverse immediately began wooing European distributors,especially those with access to government contracts. Growing through the end ofthe 1980s, Comverse developed a relationship with the Finnish electronics firm,Nokia Group, helping the company access exclusive markets in the Soviet Bloc,giving it an edge over other firms as that region opened up to outside commerce. Bythis point, Comverse had already cultivated distribution contacts in the U.K.,Switzerland, Holland and Japan.

Comverse grew quickly through the 1990s, thanks to the popularity of its Triloguemailbox message management system and its manifold offshoots. In 1992,Comverse purchased its first subsidiary, Startel Corporation, followed by a lucrativecontract with industry giant AT&T, which offered the multilingual message systemdeveloped by Comverse. Around the same time, Comverse rolled out its new


Comverse technology, inc.


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AudioDisk product line, which enabled high-tech phone and fax surveillance forcustomers in intelligence and security fields. The company burst through the $100million revenue ceiling for the first time in 1994, and more than doubled that feat onlythree years later, when it reaped $280 million in revenue in 1997. Profit was followingthe same steep incline, rising to $43 million that same year. Late in 1997, thecompany began an acquisition spree that would carry it into the 21st century, addingformer rival Boston Technology, along with smaller firms Amarex, Inc., InTouchSystems and Loronix Information Systems to the Comverse family by mid-2000.Another spate of purchases followed in July 2001, as the company snagged Germanfirm Syborg Informationsysteme and two Israeli companies, Gaya Industries andExalink. These acquisitions marked another aggressive push at overseas business.

In April 2001, the German cellular phone company T-Mobil began using Comverse'sUnified Messaging system, which allows users to access voicemail, faxes and emailmessages from a single mailbox. Comverse then became the first foreign vendorallowed to sell voicemail and short message service programs in China in May 2001,and, at the end of that month, was chosen by Spain's Xfera consortium to provide itsmultimedia messaging and wireless instant messaging system. Comverse inkedsmaller deals in 2001 in South Africa, Singapore, Israel, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal,India and Russia. Company coffers swelled appreciatively, and year-end resultsshowed the company pulling down $1.2 billion in sales.

Stock options, hijinks and slush funds, oh my!

On the heels of its success came some surprising setbacks for Comverse. Standingat the intersection of the telecom and software industries, it felt the repercussions asboth crashed; sales slumped and, as a result, its stock price dropped from $125 inJanuary 2001 to $19 in January 2002. In April 2001, it announced it would cut 6percent of its workforce, and in December of that year it cut another 15 percent.Another 1,200 jobs, or 21 percent of the workforce, were terminated in July 2002,following the acquisition of Odigo, Inc., an instant messaging service provider. Thatyear also saw the disappointing public offering of Comverse’s subsidiary VerintSystems, in which the company continues to hold the majority of stock. After hittinga low point in 2003—sales fell to $735 million in 2003, and profit was nonexistent asthe company recorded a loss of $129 million—Comverse started on a recovery track.As the tech industry as a whole regained its footing, Comverse noticed increasingdemand in its telecommunications products. Thanks to its cost-cutting measuresand well-timed acquisitions, the company was able to show profitability for fiscal2005, albeit a modest $62,000, posting a total revenue of $959 million.

In March 2006, the company launched an internal investigation into stock optionsgranting. The following May, Alexander himself, Comverse’s co-founder, chairmanand CEO, as well as two other executives, suddenly resigned, just days before thecompany received a federal subpoena. The ensuing investigation revealed acorporate crime spree consisting of the usual backdating hijinks, but also a secretslush fund, featuring a roster of fictional employees who had gathered at least





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200,000 stock options. When the three recently departed executives were chargedby federal prosecutors in August 2006, Alexander failed to return from the vacationhe was taking in Israel at the time, sparking an international search for the fugitivefounder. In the same month, Comverse announced that it was terminating Alexanderand two other top executives, and would pursue actions against them in connectionwith the stock options controversy. Alexander was located and arrested in Namibiain September 2007, but he has so far resisted prosecutorial efforts to extradite him tothe United States to stand trial for more than 30 counts of securities fraud related tobackdating stock options.

Comverse appointed Andre Dahan to the CEO position and Mark Terrell to thechairman post following Alexander’s exit. The company and its subsidiaries madeseveral acquisitions through 2007, including IP network software firm Netcentrex inMay and billing and customer management tech firm Netonomy in September.However, the financial reports of years past will have to be restated to correct for thefinancial liberties taken by the departed executives. Delayed quarterly reportsresulted in delisting from the Nasdaq exchange in February 2007, at which point thecompany moved to the Pink Sheets exchange.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Pink slips to 8 percent the of workforce; cash down by $200 million

Comverse Technology announced the layoff of 300 workers, a third of them inIsrael, comprising 8 percent of the company’s workforce. The company alsodeclared that its cash reserves have fallen by $200 million in six months in its Form8-K (Results of Operations and Financial Condition) filing with the U.S. Securitiesand Exchange Commission (SEC). It also reported $1.3 billion in cash and cashequivalents at the end of its 2008 fiscal year, which ended in January 2009.

• February 2009: Expanding and reaping recognitions

Unitel SA, Angola’s largest mobile operator, launched the Comverse Voice HUB, asingle platform for all voice applications. Comverse’s partnership with United SAcame at the heels of the company’s recognition as the top global telecom vendor,based on a survey of 150 telecom carriers conducted by the Yankee Group. TheYankee Group report highlighted the critical role of converged prepaid andpostpaid business models for operators. Comverse also obtained the highestpossible vendor rating from industry analyst Gartner, Inc, for providing billing andcustomer management services to telecom carriers. The rating was based onGartner’s extensive evaluation of 12 business support systems (BSS) vendors.

• January 2008: An exchange of $70 million suits

Alexander sued Comverse Technology for $72 million in connection with severance pay,bonuses and fringe benefits that Alexander said the company didn’t give him. Earlier inthe month, the company had sued Alexander for $70 million in New York State Court.




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GETTING HIRED

Become Comversant

Opportunities for employment in the Comverse Technology empire in 40 countries aresearchable through its subsidiaries’ websites. On the Comverse site(www.comverse.com/working_in_comverse), interested job seekers can browselocations and job categories on the main page and then do a search for specificpositions. A listing for “Hot Jobs” is also included and provides a general jobdescription, responsibilities and general qualification guidelines.

Applicants interested in Verint jobs can check out www.verint.com/corporate/careers_list.cfm. They can click on a job opening and this links to an online applicationform. Ulticom’s hiring site is www.ulticom.com/html/about/current-positions.aspx.Starhome’s careers page is www.starhome.com/Content.aspx? Page=careers.

Employees of Comverse proper can look forward to comprehensive health coveragebeginning on the very first day of employment in addition to a 401(k) plan withcompany match. Comverse also provides extensive employee training opportunities tohelp its Comversers develop their careers and keep abreast of industry developments.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Carrier of tasks

The corporate culture at Comverse encourages hard work, strict deadlines and is veryresults-driven. “Being a multinational company, it also has a diverse population.Hours expected vary by direct supervisor and corporation division. Work hours rangefrom the standard 40 hours a week to the outrageous …,” an insider says.

“There is no respect for hours–you are expected to work until the job is done, that isboth good and bad as you are the carrier of the task. You get to see how good it is,”explains a support manager. Says an HR contact, “Comverse is a company that willwork you hard. It is a very traditional company, and is somewhat male dominated,especially in the U.S. The corporate offices in Israel are better balanced, but theycontrol much of what is decided in the U.S.” A system engineer shares the highs andlows of working for Comverse: “It is a multinational company and so you cooperatewith people from all over the world. It can happen that you work very hard for manyhours, but there are also periods that you are less busy. Sometimes you have to workat night. You get to travel a lot all over the world, but opportunities for advance insome locations are almost zero.”





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CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR CORP.

198 Champion Court

San Jose, CA 95134

Phone: (408) 943-2600

Fax: (408) 943-4730

www.cypress.com

LOCATIONS

San Jose, CA (HQ)

Beaverton, OR • Bloomington, MN • Boise,

ID • Burlington, VT • Cambridge, MA •

Colorado Springs, CO • Lexington, KY •

Lynnwood, WA • Moscow, ID • Nashua, NH

• Round Rock, TX • San Diego, CA •

Starkville, MS

Bangalore • Cavite, Philippines • Cork •

Hyderabad • Mechlin, Belgium

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Applications Engineer •

Consumer & Computation Division •

Cypress Systems • Data Communications

Division • Engineering • Finance •

Information Technology • Marketing •

Marketing & Corporate Business

Development • Mechanical Design

Engineer • Memory & Imaging Division •

New Product Development • Operations •

Product Engineer • Quality • Sales • WW

Wafer Fabs & Technology

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: CY


Chairman: Eric A. Benhamou

President & CEO: T.J. Rodgers


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 765.8

2008 Income ($ mil.): -430.3

KEY COMPETITORS

Integrated Device Technology

Standard Microsystems

Xilinx Inc

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.cypress.com/?id=1070


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THE SCOOP

Microchip master

Cypress Semiconductor is a manufacturer of microchips for consumer electronicsand communications devices. The company’s product line includes programmablesystems-on-a-chip (PSoC), programmable clocks, USB controllers, image sensorsand memories. Cypress also owned a majority stake in SunPower, a manufacturer ofsolar panels, until its spin-off on Nasdaq in September 2008.

Networking pays off

In 1979, T.J. Rodgers was looking to leave the large Silicon Valley firm AdvancedMicro Devices and start up his own semiconductor company nearby, but he couldn’twork out the financing. Conveniently, that year he met Stanley Fingerhood, a venturecapitalist who hooked him up with some friends who had money to invest. Rodgersestimated that he needed $40 million, and Fingerhood led him to Ben Rosen,chairman of Compaq at the time. Rosen, in turn, introduced Rodgers to his partner,the improbably named L.J. Seven, who, upon receiving Rodgers’ business plan(seven handwritten pages), found it worthy of investment. Seven gave Rodgers thestartup capital, and in 1982, three years after Rodgers’ first attempt, CypressSemiconductor was born.

Cypress went public in 1986, after its first year of profitability. Sales initially took offas the computer market boomed, and revenue had reached nearly $300 million by1991. But the following year, Cypress was battered by the slings and arrows of thevolatile (some might say outrageous) semiconductor industry, as competitors madeinroads into its markets, and the company found itself in the red. Thanks to a swiftrestructuring, though, it was once again turning a profit the next year.

Acquiring time!

The internet age dawned in earnest in the late 1990s, and Cypress responded byacquiring several companies. At the start of 1999, it bought IC Works, a producer ofintegrated-circuit timing equipment, for $130 million. CEO Rodgers said thepurchase would decrease Cypress’ dependence on memory chips and expand itsholdings in the wireless RF business. In July of the same year, Cyprus bought ArcusTechnology, a privately held provider of equipment data for telecommunications, for$20 million. In 2000, Cypress picked up Silicon Light Machines, designer of opticalnetworking chips, for $166 million, adding to its optical networking technology cache.Next on the list was International Microcircuits, maker of timing circuits, bought inJanuary 2001 for $125 million. The acquisition years, however, were followed bychallenges. The company posted losses in 2002, 2003 and 2005 and had to endurerestructurings as a way to return to profitability. There was some reprieve in 2006


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when the company took in revenue of just over $1 billion, a 23 percent increase over2005, and posted a profit of $39 million.

Powered by Sun

Much of Cypress’ growth during 2006 can be attributed to strong results from its solarpanel subsidiary SunPower; Cypress has owned the company since 2000, stickingwith it through years of unprofitability. Richard Swainson, an old Stanford schoolmateof Cypress founder Rodgers, had founded SunPower with an interest in engineeringefficient solar-power cells. The two chums ran into each other in a Bay area coffeeshop right as the tech bubble burst, and Swainson admitted that he would soon haveto lay off 40 people, half of his entire workforce. On an impulse, Rodgers wrote a$750,000 check, to buy his buddy’s company and subsequently spent yearsconvincing his board that buying a friend’s floundering, non-semiconductor-relatedcompany had been a wise business decision. Cypress gained with SunPoweronboard. Rodgers can be forgiven for feeling vindicated: he announced recordquarterly revenue in July 2007, citing the “continued strong growth of (Cypress’)SunPower division” as a main reason. However, the difficulties of the early 2000sseem to be very much a part of Cypress’ life. In 2008, while the company postedrevenue of $765 million, its net loss was $430 million.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Not SPAM, SRAM!

Gamers (and hospital patients) have a reason to celebrate: Cypress’s 64MbitSRAMS are here! These SRAMS guarantee extended battery life for gamingapplications, top-of-the-line point-of-sale terminals, medical devices and more.The SRAMS also boast of “3- and 6-Mbit fast asynchronous SRAMs interface with24-bit wide processors in audio processing, wireless and networking applications.”

• February 2009: Handing out pink slips

Forty Cypress employees will have to find new jobs come August as the CypressSemiconductor Design Center in Boise declared that it will close shop by then.The San Jose-based company, however, assures that a 60-day notice will beissued and severance packages given. Also, opportunities in other Cypress DesignCenters have been offered to some employees. As the company has only recentlyclosed a branch in Mississippi, a spokesperson in San Jose said thatannouncement is “another very difficult one to make.”

• September 2008: SunPower spinoff

SunPower is now an independent entity as Cypress handed over shares to itsstockholders. The stocks distribution is estimated at $3.6 billion in value,something that Cypress CEO T.J. Rodgers was proud of. Rodgers also saw the




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SunPower spin-off as an opportunity to “unlock the value of a semiconductoroperation that in recent years—led by our flagship PSoC programmable system-on-chip—has become one of the industry’s leading suppliers of high-marginproprietary and programmable solutions,” he details in a correspondence withedn.com.

• August 2008: Acquiring Simtek Corp.

It took four unidentified “suitors” before Simtek Corp. committed to CypressSemiconductors. The deal was halfheartedly closed by Simtek at $2.60 per shareon July 28th. Ahmad Chatila first made Cypress’s intentions for the semiconductorcompany known in February. The move dealt heavy blows for both companies asSimtek ended its relationship with CEO Harold Blomquist, CFO Brian Alleman andAgigA Tech head Ronald Sartore, and Cypress discovered unexpected costs fromthe transaction, including severance payments to the three.

• March 2008: Chow’s time

Cypress finally decided to tap the Asian market as it appointed Alfred Chow asregional director of marketing and Applications for Asia. Vice President for GlobalMarketing and Applications Geoff Charubin believed that Chow had the chops forthe job, “Alfred has the right background and track record of success to take ourprograms in Asia to the next level.” Chow transferred to Cypress from Xilinx, wherehe was in charge of outbound marketing strategies, collateral creation, training andmedia strategies.

GETTING HIRED

Put down some roots at Cypress

Cypress’ careers page, www.cypress.com/careers, provides information on jobopenings, benefits and student opportunities. Job postings are divided into openingsin the United States and in the Philippines, and are searchable by location, keywordand category. To apply, job seekers must first create an online profile. The companyoffers a flexible benefits package, loaded with incentives like a bonus for publishingarticles and a stock purchase plan. Students can check out Cypress’ pages directedat recent graduates, where they can view a PowerPoint slideshow concerning thecompany’s rotational program.





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OUR SURVEY SAYS

A unique corporate culture, great pay and benefits

Sources report that Cypress has a very unique corporate culture. One describes it as“a highly data-driven company where ‘the right data wins.’” His co-worker adds,“Driving towards root causes of issues is valued above all. This ethic is exercisedusing precision question and answering techniques that can seem curt, invasive andaccusatory, but…really aren’t. Usually the questioner just wants to arrive at the ‘real’answer without the hand waving and window dressing. PQ&A, as it’s called, ismandatory training for all employees.”

Not everyone at the company is fond of PQ&A, however. It “leads to a constant air oftension throughout the company,” says one source. Another sums it up: “corporateculture: combative, risk averse, tense, don’t question authority.” “Some people thrivein this environment, others do not; you will not last long at Cypress if you have a thinskin,” observes one hire. Another member of his department adds, “I wouldrecommend Cypress if you enjoy the culture outlined above,” but if it’s not your cupof tea, expect to wind up like this guy: “I can only speak for my morale:subterranean.” Some, however, say that the culture makes the company “a verystimulating place to work.”

If the culture isn’t to everyone’s taste, the compensation and benefits receive fewcomplaints. “Compensation is good,” sums up one guy. “Benefits are a ‘cafeteria’system, with some excellent choices,” adds his co-worker. “Significant bonuses forwriting technical articles and filing patents,” observes another. “The company’semployee stock purchase plan is an absolute godsend, and has made many peoplein the company very wealthy,” notes a source. If promotions are more to your tastes,one respondent adds, “The company never stands in the way of an employee’sadvancement or career goals. People are free to move around various job functions,as long as they demonstrate an aptitude for their new roles.”




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DELL INC.

One Dell Way

Round Rock, TX 78682

Phone: (512) 338-4400

www.dell.com

LOCATIONS

Round Rock, TX (HQ)

Austin, TX • Lebanon, TN • Miami, FL •

Nashville, TN • Oklahoma City, OK • Reno,

NV • Winston-Salem, NC

Athlone, Ireland • Bangalore • Bracknell,

England • Bratislava • Casablanca •

Chennai • Dalian, China • Dublin • El

Dorado Do Sul, Brazil • Gurgaon, India •

Halle, Germany • Hortolândia, Brazil •

Hyderabad • Kawasaki, Japan • Kuala

Lumpur • Limerick, Ireland • Lodz, Poland •

Mohali, India • Montpellier, France •

Panama City • Penang • Quezon City,

Philippines • Shanghai • Singapore • Taipei

• Xiamen, China

DEPARTMENTS

Departments

Consumer

Enterprise Product Management

Finance

Human Resources

Large Enterprise

Marketing

Operations & Technology

Public

Small & Medium Business

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: DELL


Chairman & CEO: Michael S. Dell


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 61,133

2008 Income ($ mil.): 2,947

KEY COMPETITORS

Hewlett-Packard (HP)

IBM

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/cor

p/careers/gateway/portal?c=us&l=en&s=corp

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THE SCOOP

You’re getting a Dell!

Dell is one of the leading providers of PCs, notebook computers and printers for theconsumer, commercial and government market. Its product line also includes LCDTVs, network switches, and servers and data storage. Dell is currently moving awayfrom its direct-to-consumer sales model into the higher-margin realm of services andoffers IT outsourcing, training and installation.

An entrepreneur is born

Some people are just born entrepreneurs. Precocious Texan Michael Dell showedstrong signs of business acumen at the tender age of 13, when his mail-order stampbusiness earned him $2,000 in a couple of months. In high school, he soldsubscriptions of the Houston Post with enough zeal and success to buy himself aBMW at 17. Then Dell famously began to sell IBM components out of his dorm roomwhile a University of Texas undergraduate in the early 1980s. Dell’s mail-orderbusiness was efficient and user-friendly, tailoring its offerings to specific customerdemands and undercutting retail prices by 10 to 15 percent. By 1984, Dell’scompany was grossing about $80,000 a month in 1984, and he dropped out ofcollege the same year to start making and selling IBM clones under the name PCsLimited. Dell Computer Corporation had 100 employees in 1985, and earned $34million during the fiscal year. Very soon, the company had gone public andinternational, with its first overseas branch in the U.K. established in 1987 and a$32.4 million public offering the following year. Michael Dell was showered withpraise, earning three consecutive Entrepreneur of the Year awards from theAssociation of Collegiate Entrepreneurs. In 1992, Dell was named by Fortune as oneof the 500-largest American companies.

Direct sales pay off

Dell became the world’s leading direct seller of computers in the 1990s, as computersmoved from being a niche product to becoming a household essential up there withthe refrigerator. Using its founder’s mail-order catalog sales philosophy, Dell tookcomputer orders from its customers and then assembled the parts, saving costs onmanufacturing and retailing into the bargain. The revolutionary “direct sales model”moved onto the internet in the 1990s, and only increased in effectiveness. Sales tookoff, nearing $32 billion in 2001. The subsequent burst of the tech bubble hardlycaused executives to bat an eye. Though profits dropped and the company laid off4 percent of its workers, the company remained in the black. In 2004, Dell anointedPresident Kevin Rollins as its new CEO, but the company’s forward progress came toa screeching halt soon after, in 2006.


Dell Inc.


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Burned computers and cooked books

Ironically, the first blow to the company’s prestige came from its good friend—theWorld Wide Web. Online footage of a Dell laptop bursting into flames began tocirculate with ever increasing popularity, and Dell announced the recall of 4.1 millionlaptop computer batteries in August—the biggest safety recall in consumerelectronics industry history. The online video was apparently accurate, as thecompany admitted that, in fact, its lithium-ion batteries (made by Sony) couldoccasionally burst into flames. Dell had documented six computers that overheatedor caught fire as a result of the defective batteries, though no injuries or deaths wereattached to any of the incidents. The batteries were installed in some 2.7 millionlaptops sold in the U.S. and another 1.4 million sold abroad—about 18 percent of thecompany’s total notebook output between April 2004 and July 2006. A New YorkTimes article questioned the numbers released by the company, though, citingpictures put out by a disgruntled former Dell employee of almost 100 melted laptopsreturned by customers between 2002 and 2004. The following month, Dell revealedthat federal prosecutors had contacted it for information in an expanding accountinginvestigation, forcing the company to cancel a meeting with analysts and postpone astock buyback strategy. As part of the federal investigation, the U.S. Attorney for theSouthern District of New York subpoenaed documents related to the company’sfinancial reporting from 2002 to 2006, preventing Dell from filing its second quarterreport. Ominously, Dell previously scrubbed a meeting in April with industry financialanalysts—not people who like to see signs of weakness.

For whom the Dell tolls

In November 2006, Dell made an official announcement of what industry insidershad suspected and investors had dreaded: the company was under investigation bythe SEC. Dell’s release revealed very little other than the existence of the inquiry, butit sent Wall Street into a tizzy. The company delayed its third quarter earnings by amonth, citing compliance with the investigators’ requests, and canceled anotheranalysts’ meeting. The company said the 3Q results would be forthcoming at the endof November 2006, but that there would be no conference Q&A call with companyexecs. The other shoe dropped in August 2007, when Dell admitted to falsifyingquarterly returns from 2003 to 2006 and said it would restate its earnings by $50million to $150 million. The New York Times wrote that many industry analysts wereactually relieved to see the investigation resolved, and called it a “turning point” forthe company.

Refocusing on competitiveness and growth

In its annual report for fiscal 2008, CEO Michael S. Dell, who had resumed the topcompany position just a little more than a year earlier, said that as the companyneared its 10th year, “Our strategy wasn’t working as well as it had previously.Moreover, as we evolved we lost focus and allowed our cost structure to become


Dell Inc.



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noncompetitive.” He said that the company had reviewed its processes and madedecisions—among them saving on operating costs by reducing its workforce—thatenabled the company to post $61 billion in revenue and regain its position as topsupplier of personal computers in the United States. Dell added that in the future,the company would focus on competitiveness and growth.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Making it to the list

Dell made it to Corporate Responsibility magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizensfor 2009. For this recognition, companies in the Russel 1000 index evaluatecompanies on seven key areas, such as environment, climate change, humanrights, philanthropy, employee relations, financial and governance.

• February 2009: Going green

Dell joined the “green” bandwagon by powering its 240,000-square-foot OklahomaCity campus with 100 percent wind energy, the latest action in its commitment tobecome the “greenest” technology company on the planet. In this endeavor on theuse of renewable energy, Dell partnered with Oklahoma Gas and Electric. Bothexpect to avoid nearly 5,100 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Dell also announcedits plan of further reducing its worldwide facilities’ greenhouse gas emissions by 40percent by 2015.

• April 2007: Dude, it’s not 1999 anymore!

Rival Hewlett-Packard beat out Dell for the No. 1 spot in the PC industry in thefourth quarter of 2006 and maintains its lead through spring 2007, promptingMichael Dell to roll out an ambitious plan to perk up business in April 2007. Dell’sfour-point plan, reported in the pages of The Wall Street Journal, involved makingthe company’s products less confusing and threatening for consumers, movinginto emerging economies like India and Brazil, flattening and revising themanagement structure of the company, and providing cost-effective consultingservices. Dell’s brand might have simply become less attractive, aslaptops/notebooks, a particular weakness of Dell’s, are increasingly in vogue—industry analysts predicted they would surpass desktops in U.S. market overallsales by 2008. Dell faltered with laptops because they are more difficult tocustomize than the traditional Dell desktop and are more expensive tomanufacture. So far, though, the company’s emphasis on international growthappears to be working, as international shipments exceeded American shipmentsin the fourth quarter of 2006—a company first. Dell also might be shifting awayfrom its trademark sales model, as it has been (gasp!) opening its own retail storesand making alliances with major outlets to feature its computers. The first stepcame in May 2007, when the company announced a deal to sell PCs through Wal-Mart, which was followed by similar deals in the U.K., Japan and Russia.


Dell Inc.


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• February 2007: Pulling the purse strings

Dell’s increased input on day-to-day operations of the company meant newconfidence for the company—and no bonuses for its workers. After a review of thecompany’s performance, Dell announced belt-tightening companywide to makeup for losses in recent years, including a suspension of bonuses for fiscal 2007.In a call for more efficiency, an internal memo declared that lack of profit isunacceptable and that employees should focus efforts on streamlining operationsto push sales. Michael Dell followed his own advice by reducing the number ofexecutives reporting to him from 22 to 12. How many of these changes werevoluntary is unclear, though, as six executives quit the company since December2006, ahead of this restructuring.

• February 2007: Tryin’ to throw arms around the world

Dell made it abundantly clear that it sees international growth as the cure to its ills.As executives leave the company in droves, the company creates new posts fortheir international affairs. Dell hired an executive (from outside the company) tooversee its supply chain operations, creating another position from scratch in theprocess. Former Solectron CEO Michael Cannon was named as the company’sfirst president of global operations. Cannon’s time at Solectron gave himexperience in manufacturing services, and the company hopes to use his supplychain expertise to improve Dell’s international component manufacturing,purchasing and distribution operations. Steve Schuckenbrock, formerly of theoutsourcing pioneer Electronic Data Systems (Ross Perot’s former company), wasfirst hired as “head of global services.” With Cannon now heading the unit,Schuckenbrock was moved to senior vice president. His responsibilities includesprucing up and expanding Dell’s IT service offerings, including outsourcing andsupply chain automation. At the time, these services were badly in need of anoverhaul, as 64 percent of Dell’s revenue came from North and South America,and lackadaisical, outsourced customer service became a persistent complaintfrom Dell’s customers. These changes have received mixed reviews, as manypundits view more outsourcing as a problem and not a solution, and suggest thatDell open more stores locally to deal with customer service issues. Michael Dellhas hinted that he agrees with these criticisms, at one point publicly wonderingwhether to shift away from the company’s standby direct sales model.

• February 2007: The difference is Dell

Dell rounded an arguably more significant turning point—Kevin B. Rollins,previously CEO and right-hand man to Michael Dell, was ousted from the big seat,and the founder went back in. The shake-up stirred much speculation, as salesat the company had slowed, and industry criticisms of poorly designed computersand disastrous customer service were getting louder and louder, not to mention thecompany’s financial issues with the SEC and the Justice Department. The boardbelieved the company is better off with Dell in the top job, although perhaps themove was a superficial one for the sake of Wall Street, as Rollins had alwaysemphasized his close working relationship with the founder. Dell, though,harkened back to his old dorm room days. As if to restore the company’s luster,


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he was quoted by The New York Times as saying, “It feels like 1984 and I amstarting over again. Only this time I have a little more capital.”

• March 2007: “Chaotic” accounting

The Feds were quite right about Dell’s financial reporting, as the company’s ownaudit committee turned up a chaotic accounting situation and evidence of fiscalimpropriety. Dell had only reported preliminary figures for the last two quarters,and the company said its 2006 annual report would be further delayed whileexecutives determined if any prior-period results were affected by this mistake. Atthe time, the U.S. Department of Justice had not yet concluded its owninvestigation of the company, and Nasdaq was even threatening to delist it.

GETTING HIRED

It’s not just a career, it’s a Dell!

The careers page on Dell’s website, www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/careers/gateway/portal?c=us&l=en&s=corp&redirect=1, provides information onpositions available at Dell the world over. The Dell careers site for the U.S. providesinformation on career paths in sales, customer service, IT, engineering,manufacturing and business. Job seekers, once they have selected their career path,can search open positions by function, location and keyword. To apply, they mustfirst fill out a profile as well as an assessment questionnaire. In order for applicationsto stand out, Dell advises job seekers to put as many keywords and abbreviations, andas much industry jargon as possible in their resumes.

In addition, Dell posts a schedule of recruiting events on its website, and potentialhires are invited to visit Dell’s representatives. The company also has an employeereferral program, so job seekers are strongly advised to work their contacts to see ifthey know anyone at Dell.

Benefits at Dell in the United States include health, vision and dental insurance,flexible spending accounts for health care or dependent care costs, and a health-improvement scheme, with programs aimed at healthy pregnancies and managingcertain conditions that reward employees with money when they reach certain goals.Dell also offers a 401(k) with company match and a discount stock purchase plan.Nice perks include adoption assistance, discounts on company merchandise,employee referral program, discounts on gym memberships and time off betweenChristmas and New Year’s.

Dell offers a wealth of opportunities for students and recent graduates at the collegeand MBA levels. Dell’s internships are offered to undergraduate students with at leastone semester remaining. Internships are offered to students pursuing a majorrelevant to the company’s business need. Dell provides interns with companyhousing (including housekeeper) reimbursement for travel to the internship site,discount on Dell products and a discount health club membership. Dell also offers


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internships to students pursuing an MBA in the areas of marketing, HR, operations,program management, strategy, IT, finance, logistics and procurement.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Dude, you’ve gotten your foot in the door!

One source in sales gives the following advice: “It’s nearly impossible to get into Dellby simply sending in your resume from the street. Dell has this sort of ‘buy and try’system worked out with a temp agency known as Spherion. [It] screens and testscandidates and then hires them on as contract workers for a set ‘per hour’ pay rate,and if you work out well and do your job, you will get a permanent job offer from Dellafter about four to six months of contracting with Spherion.”

Most interviewees report two rounds of interviews. “Both the first and second roundswere behavioral,” notes one insider. His co-worker adds that he was asked“traditional interview questions with qualitative focus. There is much less focus onproblem-solving. For some positions, such as corporate strategy, there is limited useof the case method.” “Questions revolved around stories for leadership, teamwork,dealing with ambiguity, multitasking, project management, conflict management,which other companies was I considering, why Dell, walk me through your resume,innovation, and a big portion of the time for asking questions to the interviewer,around 25 minutes,” reports an insider.

Another hire cautions, “HR is known for delays and slow turn around on hiring. Get thee-mail and/or phone contact information for the hiring manager and keep in touch.”

Getting ahead

Responses about Dell’s culture were mixed. “No matter what people say, Dell can bea great place to work,” says a staunch defender. “The culture and work/life balancehas improved in Dell IT over the past two years,” observes a member of thatdepartment. Expect, however, once hired that “Dell is your life...work from 8 a.m. to5 p.m. but if you leave at 5 p.m. people will talk; 6 p.m. is the minimum.” “Dell is avery aggressive environment. [Hundreds] of emails a day and lots of conferencecalls,” notes a respondent.

His colleague adds that “promotions and raises can be very hard to get.”“Networking is very important to progress, it matters a lot who knows you rather thanwhat you know,” adds a member of the sales team. “There are lots of social activitiesand learning opportunities but never enough time to take advantage,” says a co-worker. However, there are “diversity networking groups…which are very active andhelp you a lot in networking.” And they appear to have many members. “You canfind people from all nationalities, experience background, ethnic groups, [and]genders…in large numbers,” adds a source. Her co-worker adds, “It’s a “High-stressenvironment. Lots of lunch-and-learns to keep you up to speed.” “You will learnmore than you’d ever imagine,” notes an awestruck intern.


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DIEBOLD, INCORPORATED

5995 Mayfair Road

P.O. Box 3077

North Canton, OH 44720-8077

Phone: (330) 490-4000

www.diebold.com

LOCATIONS

North Canton, OH (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Chicago, IL • Dallas, TX •

Green, OH • Lexington, NC • Lynchburg,

VA • Princeton, NJ

Amadora, Portugal • Utrecht, The

Netherlands • Bangkok • Basingstone,

United Kingdom • Bogotá • Budapest •

Buenos Aires • Caracas • Cassis, France •

Aix en Provence, France • Cuauhtémoc,

Mexico • Erpe Mere, Belgium • Genève •

Gyal, Hungary • Hato Rey, Puerto Rico •

Johannesburg • Leeds, United Kingdom •

Lima • Madrid • Manaus, Brazil • Mapusa,

India • Meduode, Slovenia • Milan •

Mississauga, Canada • Moscow • Pozna,

Poland • Quito, Ecuador • Rome • São

Paulo • Schweiz, Switzerland • Singapore •

Strassen, Luxembourg • Taipei •

Warszawa, Poland • Wiener Neudorf,

Austria • Zellik, Belgium

DEPARTMENTS

Corporate Development & Finance •

Customer Solutions Group • Financial Self-

service Solutions • Global Development &

Services • Global Operations • Global

Security Marketing • Human Resources •

Programming & Technical • Sales & Support

• Strategic Relationship

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: DBD


President & CEO: Thomas W. Swidarski


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 3,170.1

2008 Income ($ mil.): 88.6

KEY COMPETITORS

Grg Equipment Co

NCR Corporation

Wincor-Nixdorf

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.diebold.com/careers


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THE SCOOP

Diebold to user: do it yourself

Diebold is a leading manufacturer of self-service kiosks, which range in function fromATMs to automatic check-in and checkout kiosks to electronic voting machines. Thecompany also manufactures and installs safes and security systems for banks, storesand office buildings, as well as creating custom hardware and software for itscustomers. Finally, in addition to guarding countless reams of currency in bank safes,Diebold security systems protect the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration ofIndependence.

From here to there

Charles Diebold founded his eponymous company in Ohio in 1859 as a manufacturerof sturdy safes and vaults. During the 1920s, Diebold specialized in large safes, andin 1964 it outdid itself by casting the doors for the vault of the Federal Reserve Bankin Cleveland. In 1964, just as computers were beginning to affect Diebold’s products,the company went public. After the automatic teller machine (ATM) was invented in1967, Diebold created its own version of it, releasing one in 1970, along with a high-tech (for that year) security system, whose cameras could be controlled by acomputer. Diebold was soon dueling with rival ATM manufacturers IBM and NCR fordominance in the fledgling ATM market. The company also sought out other marketsfor its self-serve kiosks beginning in 1986, such as pay-at-the-pump gas pumps andself-service ticket kiosks for theaters, movies and trains.

Diebold has embarked on foreign ventures, supplying ATMs in China and votingmachines in Brazil, and specializing in ATM distribution in Taiwan and India. On localshores, Georgia and California purchased Diebold voting machines, as did Ohio andMaryland.

Rise (and fall) of the machines

But nearly as soon as Diebold’s voting machines hit the market, people begandiscovering flaws in their design, both hardware- and software-related. The firstbatch of dysfunctional Diebold voting machines popped up in the 2002 Georgiaelection. Things only got worse for the company in 2003 when it accidentallyreleased the source code for its machines on the Internet. The problems werecompounded by the fact that Diebold machines are designed to store votes onmemory cards, which can easily be erased or overwritten. In light of these issues, in2004 California disallowed the use of Diebold voting machines in its elections.Diebold’s machines were used in each of the last two U.S. Presidential elections anda wealth of conspiracy theories abound (especially on the Internet) that link thecompany’s well-documented security struggles with specific voting machine


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performance in Florida and Ohio in 2000 and 2004, respectively. In late 2005, CEOWarren O’Dell resigned; though a company statement cited “personal reasons” for hisdeparture, O’Dell had a well-documented history as a fundraiser for the RepublicanParty. In one August 2003 fund-raising letter targeted at the party faithful, O’Dellstated he was “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to [PresidentBush].” This prompted Diebold to change its executive lineup and amend its ethicspolicy to ban all executives from any political activity except the act of voting.

If you can’t count votes, try rupees

While things might not exactly be going swimmingly for Diebold in its voting machinesdivision, the company still successfully produces ATMs, and is moving aggressivelyinto supplying India. As of 2007, the company controls about a third of the market,which is largely dominated by rival NCR. The market for ATMs is expected to growbriskly in the country, partly because a larger portion of the population is keeping itsmoney in banks, and partly because credit cards are difficult to obtain and almostprohibitively expensive there. Diebold expects that the number of ATMs in India willgrow 140 percent between 2006 and 2010.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Oops, Diebold did it again!

The California secretary of state released a report detailing how a programmingerror in Diebold machines cause 197 votes to be lost in the November 2008general elections. The report also contained several deficient “audit trail logs” inDiebold’s Global Election Management System. Those votes were a big loss. Bigenough that the California secretary of state indicated that the votes lost exceedthe maximum votes that could be lost under the Help America Vote Act of 2002.Although Diebold sent an email to California election officials before the electionsuggesting a way to prevent votes from being lost, the ’message didn’t specify whythis action should be taken. Instead, it suggested that “it is very important that[the officials] follow these instructions.” The investigation is ongoing.

• February 2009: Global leader for turnkey services

For the third year running, the International Association of OutsourcingProfessionals (IAOP) ranked Diebold as a global outsourcing leader for turnkeyself-service solutions. Based on criteria including company size and growth,management capabilities and corporate social responsibility (a first for the IAOP),Diebold is poised to take the award based on its security solution offerings tofinancial institutions to maximize their potential without compromising their level ofsecurity.




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• January 2009: The Russian heist

Diebold sent out a security update to its customers in Russia providing somedetails about criminals installing malware in their ATMs to intercept confidentialuser information and scan ATM folders for transactions handled in American,Russian and Ukrainian currency. Without going into the meat of the issue, thecompany advised customers that lost passwords, messing with the firewall and notusing the Windows program that comes with Diebold ATMs could compromise themachine’s security and performance. The malware, identified by security vendorSophos, seemed to have been the work of someone inside Diebold. “It uses quitea lot of functions that are not documented,” a Sophos virus researcher said.Unlike a virus, fortunately, this malware doesn’t spread from computer tocomputer; criminals need access to an ATM’s internal computer to access thecode. Diebold ’didn’t say in its security update how the ATMs have been tamperedwith, but promised to fix the problem.

• November 2008: Mobility and liability

In partnership with ClairMail, a company that specializes in always-on, two-waycustomer interaction through mobile communications, Diebold offered mobilebanking services as part of its outsourcing services. Taking advantage ofClairMail’s on-premise and managed service, the company offered banks andother financial institutions the ability to offer payment options and banking througha user’s mobile phone.

On the home front, Artifex Software filed a case against Diebold for violating ageneral public license by putting Ghostcript, an open-source PDF processingsoftware, into one of its commercial electronic voting machines. The open-sourcecode is distributed for free under GNU public license, and companies that wish touse it for their own proprietary ends need to purchase a license from Artifex, whoowns the copyright to the software. The case was transferred to district court.

• October 2008: A Russian connection

Following its foreign venture endeavors, Diebold offered functional solutions toMoscow-based Master Bank to transform its ATM machines into a network ofcurrency exchange. Currency exchange is one of Russia’s most popular bankingfeatures, and agreements between banks and other financial institutions prove alittle cumbersome, since banks generate little revenue and customers receivelimited service. Through Diebold’s Opteva ATM machines, customers canexchange paper and coin money from one currency to another, guaranteed to givethe exact amount back. Three currencies are planned to be provided by MasterBank’s ATMs: the dollar, the euro and the ruble. This partnership is seen to bebeneficial to Master Bank, as it transforms their list of services into amultifunctional palette of solutions for international customers.





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• August 2008: Next stop, the Amazon?

Banco de Brasil, Brazil’s largest bank, chose Diebold to provide ATMs and checkdispensers, enabling the bank to reach customers and capture a new segment ofthe market as well. Diebold’s new ATMs include skimming device technologiesand an encrypted PIN pad to prevent identity and credit card theft. For safes andlocks, Diebold promised to provide electronically accessible upper cabinet ATMdoors with safe-locking capabilities, involving a trigger that freezes the safe shutwhen the lock is tampered with. In the agreement, Banco de Brasil received closeto 10,000 units in all.

This should be consolation to Diebold, since its hometown image isn’t as squeakyclean as it likes. Complaints from a recent local election in Ohio spurred thecompany to ‘fess up to knowing about a glitch in its machines that drops votes orstops counting them after it reaches a certain point. This snag, it seems, has beenknown by the people at Diebold for 10 years, and Diebold spokesman Chris Rigallreasons that election officials should have realized that this has been happeningwhen they cross-tally the votes they count against the machine’s. Nevertheless,the company released a list of safeguards election officials could take (likereloading memory cards the day after voting to double check results, for example)to prevent dropped votes. Diebold assured the public that they are going toremedy the problem in time for the November presidential elections.

• June 2008: And the award goes to

Kudos went to Diebold for incorporating features into its Opteva ATMs at no extracharge to its clients, enabling them to save between $1,200 and $1,500 per unit.This security feature detects skimming devices to help prevent credit card fraudand financial institution loss, both of which could amount to millions of dollarsevery year. For being a trusted partner and provider of security solutions, Dieboldreceived the 2008 Retail Award for Delivery Channel Security from The BankerTechnology Awards. This award recognized excellence and innovation in thebanking technology industry.

• May 2008: Across the channel and vineyards

Diebold crossed the Atlantic and helped Peugeot roll out a centralized securitysystem that monitors sectors as diverse as Peugeot subsidiaries in Coventry, thetechnical training center of Peugeot Citroen in the U.K. and multiple sites acrossFrance, around the clock.

• April 2008: Pilot project at Providence

The U.S. Army awards Diebold Information and Security Systems (ISS), a Dieboldsubsidiary, with “excellent” ratings for two years in a row, adding up Diebold’sexcellent ratings run to five and a half years. These ratings measure customersatisfaction—in this case, the U.S. government is satisfied with Diebold’s servicesand support. Diebold ISS has earned excellent ratings in 12 of the last 13 awardperiods.




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• March 2008: Diebold [not] for sale?

United Technologies Corporation made a bid for Diebold, offering the company $3billion so it could expand its electronic security business. Although there was aglobal economic slowdown, Diebold turned down the offer, saying that thetransaction is not in the company’s best interest and that the offer is too low,undervaluing the company. This marked the second time that United has tried towoo Diebold into an acquisition—the company was rebuffed in 2006 when it madea similar offer to Diebold.

GETTING HIRED

Make yourself a career at Diebold

Diebold’s careers site, at www.diebold.com/careers, provides information on jobopenings at the company. Jobs are searchable by location, title and function. Inorder to apply to a posting, job seekers must first create a profile.

Moving on up

What can you expect at your Diebold interview? One longtime employee fills us in:“After an initial interview (or possibly two), the candidate would take a test todetermine personality fit, intellectual fit, etc. If the test is administered, and thecandidate does well, there is an offer extended. The candidate must pass abackground check and drug test before officially joining the company.”

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Morale that lasts afterhours

“Most days, working for Diebold is a good experience,” notes one source. He goeson to add that the company is “having a bit of a personality conflict right now, as [it]morphs into more of a high-tech company vs. an equipment company.” His co-worker agrees, “morale is very good.” Another chimes in, “Good localmanagement…some really smart people, and a staff that is, overall, very passionateabout doing the right thing for the customer.” “The culture is interesting,” agreesanother, “hard work, customer focus and delivering results are probably the mostrespected characteristics of anyone who works here.” Though the “dress code isusually business casual unless otherwise specified,” according to a respondent, and“hours are flexible from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.,” notes another, “there is no work/lifebalance for most of us,” says another one in concurrence. So “it is not uncommon





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to receive emails on Saturdays and Sundays, and to have work-related conversationswith people well into the evening.”

Interestingly conservative

Regarding the general business casual dress code, tell that to a senior female salesrep, who testifies to Diebold’s being “a conservative company. Our major customeris the banking industry, so we tend to dress like bankers and think like bankers.” Butfrom the same respondent, it seems a small price to pay as she notes, “everythingaside, there is a feeling that ‘we’re all in this together’ amongst the sales staff. And Ithink that’s what keeps us all here. Many employees have been with the companyfor more than 20 years. The company has a rich heritage of staff that truly care aboutthe customer. No one is demanding that we work crazy hours, we all just do, so thatour customers get the best possible experience.”

Generous with opportunities

To echo that last item, it seems that the thing that distinguishes Diebold is itsemphasis on allowing employees to move up the ranks. “Jobs are posted internally,and you have to be with the company for a year before changing positions. Internalpromotion is very good,” says another worker who’s been around a while. “[The]company believes in internal grooming and growth for associates, but also hasinterest in new and diverse talented individuals,” his associate agrees. Thatemphasis on internal growth can also translate to allowing each person to manage hisor her growth. In the sales area, for instance, “most managers leave the sales repsalone to get the job done. I have not experienced much micromanaging over theyears.” But there are disadvantages. “The pay isn’t as good as it should be, giventhe breadth and scope of all that we have to know and do. The sales representativeshave probably close to 1,000 different products and services to offer clients.”

Good provider

As for perks, “a good year will take you to about $150,000,” says a senior sales rep.Another sales rep agrees, as his base salary of $69,000 only slightly topped hiscommission, which averaged at $45,000. Another sales rep notes that based on acandidate’s experience, Diebold offers a range of $45,000 to $50,000 base, withcommissions on a sliding scale, ranging from 1 percent to 2.5 percent of sales. If thatsounds small, consider that “there are ample opportunities to make special programbonuses. A first-year sales rep can expect to make between $80K to $90K.” And“Diebold also offers a company car, laptop, cell phone, health insurance and 401(k),”says another. Oh, with “insurance, and fuel,” echoes the sales rep. And if you’retouted as a good performer, you can be like this sales rep: “My most recent salarypackage is confidential, as I left the company for a few months then returned. It’s along story, but they made me an excellent offer to return.”




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DRS TECHNOLOGIES INC.

5 Sylvan Way

Parsippany, NJ 07054

Phone: (973) 898-1500

Fax: (973) 898-4730

www.drs.com

LOCATIONS

Parsippany, NJ (HQ)

Alexandria, VA • Allentown, PA • Arlington,

VA • Bethesda, MD • Bridgeport, CT •

Buffalo, NY • Calverton, MD • Chantilly, VA

Chesapeake, VA • Cincinnati, OH •

Colorado Springs, CO • Columbia, MD •

Cypress, CA • Dallas, TX • Danbury, CT •

Dayton, OH • Dulles, VA • Elizabeth City,

NC • Fairborn, OH • Fitchburg, MA •

Florence, KY • Fort Gordon, GA • Fort

Irwin, CA • Fort Monmouth, NJ • Fort Polk,

LA • Fort Walton Beach, FL • Gaithersburg,

MD • Garden City, NY • High Ridge, MO •

Hudson, MA • Huntsville, AL • Irvine, CA •

Johnstown, PA • Largo, FL • Lorton, VA •

Melbourne, FL • Merrimack, NH •

Milwaukee, WI • Mineral Wells, TX •

Oakland, NJ • Oklahoma City, OK • Palm

Bay, FL • Polson, MT • Prescott Valley, AZ •

San Diego, CA • St. Louis, MO •

Sunnyvale, CA • Tobyhanna, PA • Troy, MI •

Vienna, VA • Washington, DC • Warner

Robins, GA • Wyndmoor, PA

Bedford, Canada • Carleton Place, Canada

• Farnham, United Kingdom • Kanata,

Canada • Stuttgart, Germany

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting & Finance

Administrative

Engineering

HR

IT

Legal

Maintenance

Programming

Quality Assurance


Systems Management

Telecommunications

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: DRS


Chairman & CEO: Mark S. Newman


2007 Revenue ($mil.): $2,821

KEY COMPETITORS

General Dynamics

Lockheed Martin

Raytheon

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.drs.com/careers/index.cfm

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THE SCOOP

DRS is spelled D-E-F-E-N-S-E

DRS Technologies provides electronic products for defense, with operations dividedinto three segments: First, the command, control, communications, computers andintelligence group provides communications and display systems for ships, powersystems and generators, intelligence and data processing equipment, and battle-proofed computers. Second, the surveillance and reconnaissance group providesweapons targeting systems, sensors, night vision and laser sighting equipment,training systems for air combat and electronic testing. Third is the sustainmentsystems and services group, which provides electronic equipment for use in industrialand battle applications, vehicle armor and IT, engineering and logistics services. Thecompany’s customers include every branch of the Department of Defense (DOD), theBritish and Israeli armed forces, other defense contractors, NASA, FEMA andmembers of NATO. DRS systems are included in a number of high-tech fightingapplications for land, sea and air, including the Abrams tank, Bradley fighting vehicle,Aegis destroyer, Virginia-class submarine, F-15 fighter and Hercules cargo aircraft.

DRS was founded by engineers Leonard Newman and David Gross in 1968. Knownuntil 1997 as Diagnostic/Retrieval Systems, DRS initially equipped Navy vessels withdevices that could detect submarines’ distinctive acoustic signatures withoutrevealing where the listening boat was located. After acquiring its first company in1984, DRS gradually expanded its products to include optical, wired and infraredmissile targeting systems, as well as specialized cameras, flight recorders,communication systems and sensors. After the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001, DRS purchased its way into the increasingly popular unmanned vehicle line ofbusiness. DRS intends to continue to expand through acquisitions, especially in theareas where the largest contractors lack expertise.

DRS Technologies in the news

• March 2009: DRS contracts for trailer welding

DRS and Detroit Tool Metal Products (DTMP) shook hands on ammunition-trailerframe-welding services. The contract with DTMP supplies the welding needs ofthe construction of DRS’s M989A1 Heavy Expanded Mobility Ammunition Trailerframes at its Missouri and Iowa Facilities.

• February 2009: $913 million richer

DRS scored another contract with the U.S. Army’s Aviation and Missile Command(AMCOM) to provide logistic support of Mast-Mounted Sights (MMS) on OH-58DKiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance helicopters in the U.S. and on the battlefield,adding another $913 million to DRS’s bank account. The agreement promised theU.S. Army spare components, depot repairs, field service, forward repair activities


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(FRAs), program management and engineering services to bolster troops in theU.S. and abroad from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2013. Thecontract, also foreseeing the possible phase-out of the MMS’s critical parts,included obsolescence removal.

• December 2008: $531 million contract ceiling extension

A $531 million Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract ceilingextension was awarded to DRS by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps(USMC). Aside from its JV5 production contract, DRS will be providing anindefinite quantity of JV-5 ultra-rugged vehicle computing and display systems tocomply with the U.S. Army's Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade and Below(FBCB2) program and Blue Force Tracking (BFT) and the USMC situationalawareness requirements through 2012. More than 40 types of U.S. Army andMarine Corps vehicles will hooked up with DRS’s JV5 systems.

• August 2008: Mehmel named DRS President

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Robert F. Mehmel replacedMark S. Newman as DRS’s new president and chief operating officer. Newmanbelieved that Mehmel is the man to do the job. “Bob (Mehmel) has continuallydemonstrated his leadership skills and strong commitment to the company'sgrowth. He has been instrumental in advancing the company's operations, mergerand acquisition activities, and strategic initiatives. I am confident that hisexperience and successful track record of achievement will continue to serve DRSas we look to the future,” Newman said.

• March 2008: Logistics support for U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force awarded a $13 million contract to DRS to reinforce Tunner 60KCargo Loader/Transporters located at U.S. military bases worldwide. For one year,DRS will be providing U.S. bases with logistics support, which includes field servicesupport, keeping the product operating smoothly at all times. The contract alsoinvolves sustaining engineering and supplying spare parts to military bases worldwide.

GETTING HIRED

Exploring careers at DRS

DRS’s careers site, at www.recruitingsite.com/csbsites/drs/index.asp, provides alisting of job opportunities in the United States, Canada and international regions(Europe, the Middle East and Southwest Asia). Open positions are searchable bylocation and keyword; to apply, job seekers must fill out a web form with contactinformation and a plain-text version of a cover letter and resume. Hopeful applicantsmust also fill out a form that evaluates their skill level and compares it that of the jobdescription.


DRS Technologies inc.



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EMC CORPORATION

176 South Street

Hopkinton, MA 01748

Phone: (508) 435-1000

www.emc.com

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: EMC


Chairman, President & CEO: Joseph M.

Tucci


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 14,876.2

2008 Income ($ mil.): 1,345.6

KEY COMPETITORS

Hewlett-Packard

IBM

Veritas Software

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

Full-time openings: www.emc.com/careers

internships & New College Hire Openings:

www.emc.com/college

LOCATIONS

Hopkinton, MA (HQ)

Alabama • Arizona • Arkansas • California •

Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia •

Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kentucky •

Louisiana • Maryland • Michigan • Minnesota

• Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire •

New Jersey • Massachusetts • New York •

North Carolina • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon

• Pennsylvania • South Carolina •

Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Virginia •

Washington • Wisconsin

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative Services & Operations •

Americas & Global Sales Programs •

Content Management & Archiving Division •

Corporate Security • Customer Service &

Support • Educational Services & Training •

EMC Cloud Infrastructure Business • EMC

cConsulting • EMC Global Services &

Resource Management Software Group •

EMC Storage Division • Engineering -

Hardware • Engineering–Other •

Engineering–Software • Finance &

Accounting • Global Facilities • Global

Marketing & Customer Quality • Global Real

Estate • Human Resources • Information


Marketing & Communications • Product

Management • Professional Services • Sales

• Technical Support • Technology Solutions

Group • The Security Division


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THE SCOOP

Information lives!

A world leader in information storage and management, EMC provides informationlifecycle management (ILM) services, as well as servers, switches and routers for datastorage. EMC’s products are based on redundant array of independent disks (RAID)arrangements which use inexpensive, easily replaceable components to store largequantities of data. These systems are used by clients as diverse as banks, internetservice providers, airlines, government entities, and schools and universities. Thecompany also provides network attached storage (NAS) servers and a line of software.

E=MC shared

Richard Egan and Roger Marino, two friends from their college days together asengineering students at Northeastern University, founded EMC in 1979 (they were theE and M in EMC). They wanted to manufacture circuit boards, but their only way intobusiness was through distributing boards of a different kind—a friend had designedparticle-board desks for computer workstations, and wanted the two to sell them onthe East Coast. The desk business provided the nascent EMC with some seed money,and in 1981, Egan used his connections at Intel, where he was a former manager, tostart selling memory for desktop computers there. In 1986, EMC went public, andadded disk drives to its product line the following year.

In 1989, the company started selling data servers based on RAID formats, whichwere less expensive, less failure-prone and far more scalable than other storagesystems then available. They proved to be a foundation for the company’s success—by 1995, EMC’s RAID systems were outselling IBM’s data storage. Five years later,EMC controlled nearly 35 percent of the data storage market. From there, thecompany looked into acquisitions to complement its core products, purchasing twocompanies in 2003 that specialized in information lifecycle management, aconcentrated approach to data storage that separates information along specific andvariable guidelines. The following year, EMC acquired a company that specialized indata backup and retrieving data from failed systems.

The acquisitions continued in 2006 for EMC. It bought up seven companies thatyear, with areas of expertise ranging from software for content management, data de-duplication, customer relationship management and data protection. The mostnotable acquisition was that of RSA in September for $2.1 billion. RSA’s informationsecurity service, including identity verification, encryption and secure transfer of data,is a useful addition to EMC’s line of offerings in the age of the Patriot Act, as securitybecomes an increasingly higher priority for businesses. Also in 2006, EMC took in$11 billion in revenue and made $1.2 billion in profits; revenue was up 15 percentover 2005.


EMC Corporation



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In 2007, EMC announced plans to expand its facilities in both India and China. InIndia, EMC is planning on investing $500 million by 2010 as demand for informationmanagement continues to grow on the subcontinent. It is doubling its timetable inChina, planning to invest $500 million by 2013 as it establishes a facility for softwaredevelopment there. EMC is in fine corporate shape now, as it has recently recoupedon its 2003 purchase of VMware shares for $635 million. EMC’s report on its financialperformance in 2008 shows a net income of $1.35 billion, a 12 percent increase yearover year. It’s the sixth consecutive year of double-digit growth for the company.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Reaping awards

Fortune magazine included EMC as the only technology company on its list of theWorld’s 10 Most Admired Companies for Product and Service Quality. Therankings were derived by the magazine from a survey of executives, directors andfinancial analysts across all industries. In the same month, EMC’s GreggAmbulous and Pete Koliopolous are named to CRN’s 2009 list of Most InfluentialChannel Executives.

• February 2009: Alliance with Microsoft to stretch to 2011

EMC CEO Joe Tucci and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced a three-yearextension of their alliance. The partnership combined EMC’s informationinfrastructure solutions and Microsoft’s data center solutions and productivityapplications to address customer requirements in virtualization, security andcontent development.

• January 2009: Six years of two-digit revenue growth

EMC released its full-year 2008 financial results, showing that the company postedtotal consolidated revenue of a record $14.88 billion, an increase of 12 percentyear over year. It was the sixth consecutive year of double-digit annual revenuegrowth for the company. GAAP net income for 2008 was $1.35 billion, or $0.64per diluted share.

• December 2008: Business intelligence competence center launched

The company announced the opening of a new engineering lab in Santa Clara,Calif., dubbed the EMC Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence/AnalyticsCompetency Center. Through the lab, EMC brings together various vendors of datawarehouse/business intelligence solutions including Greenplum, IBM, Microsoft,Netezza, Oracle, ParAccel, Sybase, Teradata and Vertica to help customers identifythe appropriate solutions for their business intelligence needs.


EMC Corporation


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• October 2008: A larger slice of the VMware pie

EMC announced that it has bought 500,000 shares of VMware Class A commonstock from Intel. The purchase brought EMC’s ownership of VMware’s totalcommon outstanding stock to 84 percent.

GETTING HIRED

Get some data for your search

EMC’s careers site, at www.emc.com/about/jobs/index.htm, provides information onentry-level and internship programs, benefits and, obviously, how to apply for jobs.Job listings are searchable by business, function, location and keyword. To apply,candidates must first fill out a profile. Job seekers must also pass a backgroundcheck and drug test as a condition of employment.

The company offers internships and co-ops for students majoring in business,marketing, finance, computer science, electrical engineering, law and allied fields ofstudy. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA or above, and will work on projects related totheir major. Interns are eligible for employee benefits like discounts, paid time off andtraining. EMC also offers two entry-level programs, a rotational program in HR,marketing, finance or engineering, designed to groom the next generation of EMCleaders, and an associates program in customer service, sales, and educational andtechnical services.

EMC offers benefits “aimed at helping you and your family maintain a healthy lifestyle,achieve a work/life balance, manage your finances, plan for retirement and live a lessstressful life.” Perks include flexible work schedules, commuter and work-at-homebenefits, on-site cafeterias and fitness centers, college admission coaching forchildren of staff and cash reimbursement for outside health club/healthequipment/sports expenses. The company also offers 529 college investment plans,disability, health and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) withcompany contribution and a discount stock purchase plan.

Another interesting feature of EMC’s website is that it provides additional informationon the company’s corporate culture. It likewise has corporate videos on the EMC dailygrind. The company even has an online magazine for employees, the EMC.now!


EMC Corporation



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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Hop on board with EMC

One programmer describes his experience: “Two rounds of interviews, one with theHR recruiter and another with the hiring manager/supervisor.” Another source pointsout that he found that the “hiring process was clumsy.”

“Anyone interested in working for EMC should definitely try to get a job there,” saysone hire. Another insider says that there is a “disdain for slow decision-making andpolitical BS. (EMC) has an exceptionally strong sales and engineering culture.” Oneless-satisfied insider observes that “there are many more VPs than necessary; far toomany management layers.”

Hours at the company verge on the lengthy. “There are no 40-hour workweeks,”wails one contact. “Fifty to 60 hours is normal at EMC,” adds one co-worker.“Absolutely no such thing as work/life balance,” moans a programmer. “Weeklyhours in the 60s,” explains another.

Sources universally praise the company's training. EMC “provides training that issecond to none,” says a respondent. “Very good training,” agrees another co-worker.Other benefits get high marks, too. “Benefits [are] great. Benefits also extended togay partners,” adds an insider. “Tuition reimbursement is good,” notes another.


EMC Corporation


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EPICOR SOFTWARE CORPORATION

18200 Von Karman Avenue

Suite 1000

Irvine, CA 92612

Phone: (949) 585-4000

Fax: (949) 585-4091

www.epicor.com

LOCATIONS

Irvine, CA (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Burlington, MA •

Charlotte, NC • Chicago, IL • Dallas, TX •

Lewis Center, OH • Louisville, KY •

Minneapolis, MN • Morristown, NJ •

Newburgh, NY • Oakland, CA • Parsippany,

NJ • Philadelphia, PA • Portland, OR • San

Diego, CA • Seattle, WA

Almaty, Kazakhstan • Ballerup, Denmark •

Bangkok Beijing • Birmingham, United

Kingdom • Bournemouth, United Kingdom •

Bracknell, United Kingdom • Bratislava,

Slovakia • Bucharest • Budapest • Dubai •

Espoo,Finland • Frankfurt • Guangzhou •

Jakarta • Kiev • Melbourne • Monterrey •

Montreal • Moscow • Nacka, Sweden •

Nicosia, Cyprus • North Sydney, Australia •

Northcliff, South Africa • Petaling Jaya,

Malaysia • Poznan, Poland • Prague •

Riga, Latvia • Rome • Seoul • Shanghai •

Singapore • St. Petersburg • Taipei •

Tallinn, Estonia • Tokyo • Tsimshatsui,

Hong Kong • Vilnius, Lithuania • Warsaw •

Westlands, Kenya

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting/Finance • Administration •

Consulting • Customer Service • Executive

Management • Human Resources •

Information Systems • Legal • Marketing •

Product Management • Project/Program

Management • Sales • Software Development

• Support • Warehousing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: EPIC


Chairman, President & CEO: L. George Klaus


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 487.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): 1

KEY COMPETITORS


Oracle Corporation

SAP AG

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

epicor73.recruitmax.com//main/careerportal

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THE SCOOP

The map is the business territory

Epicor (formerly Platinum Software) provides companies with “blueprints” of theirbusinesses with its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. The programessentially maps out how a company's data and applications fit together on a network.These data items can include anything from purchase orders and inventories tomarketing costs, customer service and foreign currency transactions.

The company was founded in 1984 by Gerald Blackie, Timothy McMullen and KevinRiegelsberger, who developed The Platinum Series, the first financial accountingsoftware for multiuser LAN-based environments. In 1992 the company, known asPlatinum, introduced an accounting application for networks, designed to run withMicrosoft products. Following a dip in revenue, the company brought in L. GeorgeKlaus as CEO in February 1996, who brought the company back to life.

In 2000, the company introduced its Enterprise Applications Interface, a softwarebundle that combined resource planning, sales force automation and payroll andhuman resource programs to allow real-time information access throughout theenterprise. Also in that year, as an early victim of the tech downturn, the companyannounced a layoff of 11 percent of its workforce and the closure of several officesworldwide. The stumble proved to be brief, as Epicor acquired other companies in2003, 2004 and 2005 in order to expand its offerings. In addition, the company wasalso named to the fastest-growing companies lists of both Fortune and Business 2.0in 2006.

In 2006, Epicor took in revenue of $384 million, an increase of 33 percent year overyear. Profits decreased, however, between 2006 and 2007 on a steeper rate oftaxation. Epicor received a number of awards in 2006. In June, it was ranked No. 5on the Business 2.0 list of the 100 fastest-growing tech companies. It also got thenod from Fortune on its own 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list—Epicor was No.57—the same year. It was still on that list in 2007, but did not make it in 2008.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: ’Cause Klaus could do it

Thanks to a strong sales team and reliable relationships with third-party vendors,CEO George Klaus was chosen as a 2009 Channel Chief by Everything Channel, amarket research group that caters specifically to IT companies. “I am honored tobe recognized as a 2009 Channel Chief—CRN’s acknowledgment of our channelteam’s continued investment in the reseller community demonstrates the value ofEpicor’s strong, collaborative sales partnerships,” said Klaus. Epicor joined thelikes of Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard as the best revenue-producing


Epicor Software Corporation


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technologies sold through IT channels. Third-party resellers of Epicor productscontributed 25 percent of the company’s revenue in 2008.

• January 2009: Launching in the Middle East

Epicor Software Corporation announced the launch of its next-generation ERPsolution, Epicor 9, in the Middle East. “Our history of innovation leveragingMicrosoft technology continues with Epicor 9,” said John Hiraoka, senior vicepresident and chief marketing officer of Epicor. “We are redefining the enterprisesoftware experience for users, with more ways for them to interact with informationresiding in their ERP system—through the 2007 Microsoft Office system (OfficeOutlook 2007, Office Word 2007 and Office Excel 2007) and more—ultimatelydriving increased efficiency as users are empowered to work smarter, faster andadd increased value for their businesses.”

• December 2008: And one product to rule them all

Customer Interaction Solutions magazine chose Epicor 9 as its Product of the Yearawardee for the product’s (and the company’s) vision and innovation in theindustry. Epicor 9 is a first for the company, since it combines all existingcapabilities across their product line and has a new service-oriented architecture.Bowing down to industry trends brought about by companies seeking productsfrom multiple vendors simultaneously, Epicor’s new product promises to offer amultitenant, software-as-a-service option, supporting Microsoft technologies toenable more customized content.

• April 2008: The choice for Challenger Technologies

In Singapore, an IT products and services company selected Epicor’s end-to-endretail management suite, from the cashier that records each transaction to the datamanager that takes note of product deliveries. This comes after almost fourmonths of talks and taking care of logistics—Challenger Technologies, the ITcorporation, chose Epicor way back in December 2007.

• March 2008: Kasian’s choice

Going international in a rather global way, Epicor was chosen by an internationalfirm to manage its global operations. Headquartered in Canada, KasianArchitecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd. chose Epicor because thecompany’s software, Epicor for Service Enterprises, gives the full menu of servicesthat construction firms need to keep their businesses going—businessmanagement, project resourcing, financial streamlining, regulatory complianceand business performance analysis.





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GETTING HIRED

Grow a career at Epicor

Epicor’s careers site, at www.epicor.com/Careers/Pages/default.aspx, providesinformation about job openings in all of the countries in which Epicor operates.Positions are searchable by location, function and keyword. In order to apply, jobseekers must send a cover letter and resume to the email address noted on the jobposting. Epicor is currently searching for people in the areas of development,support, consulting and management. Oh, and don’t forget to register once you geton the site, get a candidate profile running and join the company’s “talentpool.”

Epicor has a policy of promoting from within, so it’s probably better to start with thecompany when you are young, if you’re planning to grow a career there.




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FISERV, INC.

255 Fiserv Drive

PO Box 979

Brooklfield, WI 53008-0979

Phone: (262) 879-5000

Fax: (262) 879-5013

www.fiserv.com

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: FISV


Chairman: Donald F. Dillon

President & CEO: Jeffery W. Yabuki


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 4,739

2008 Income ($ mil.): 569

LOCATIONS

Brookfield, WI (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Bellevue, WA • Buffalo, NY •

Chicago, IL • Corvallis, OR • Dallas, TX •

Denver, CO • Des Moines, IA • Fairway, KS

• Glastonbury, CT • Houston, TX •

Indianapolis, IN • Kent, WA • King of

Prussia, PA • Lake Mary, FL • Los Angeles,

CA • Madison, WI • Melbourne, FL •

Milwaukee, WI • Moorpark, CA • Nashville,

TN • New Berlin, WI • New Hartford, NY •

Norcross, GA • Norristown, PA •

Philadelphia, PA • Phoenix, AZ • Pittsburgh,

PA • Portland, OR • Rocky Hill, CT • San

Antonio, TX • San Francisco, CA • Stafford,

TX • Valley Forge, PA • Various, GA •

Walnut, CA • Westerville, OH

Singapore

DEPARTMENTS

Card Services • Corporate Development •

Customer Centered Solutions • Depository

Iinstitution Services • Fiserv Global Services

• Human Resource • Interactive

Technologies • Internal Audit • IP

CheckAgain • IP Compute Utility

(Technology Services & Support) • IP Fiserv

Solutions–Australia • IP Northern Trust • IP

Operations • ITI CustomerFile Outsourcing

SW Region Houston • ITI CustomerFile SE

Region Bowling Green • ITI Outsourcing

Central Region Brookfield • ITI Outsourcing

Midwest Region Des Moines • ITI

Outsourcing NE Region Alastonbury • ITI

Outsourcing SE Region Atlanta • ITI

Outsourcing Western Region Los Angeles •

Lending Administration • Lending Automotive

Solutions • Lending Easylender • Lending

Elending Services • Lending Fulfillment

Services • Lending Mortgageserv •

Marketing • Precision Computer Systems •

Technology Services

KEY COMPETITORSFidelity National Information Services, Inc.

Metavante Technologies, Inc.

Open Solutions, Inc.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACTwww.fiserv.com/careers.htm

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THE SCOOP

Keeping the banking and insurance worlds going ‘round

Fiserv provides more than 16,000 banks, investment service/communications/utilitycompanies, retailers, associations/clubs, credit unions, thrifts and insurers withservices ranging from funds transfer and credit card services to services for theproviders of medical, property and life insurance. Fiserv also offers data warehousingand printing services, and specialized software for lenders. On top of all that, thecompany supports non-profits and self-insured businesses with their health benefits,with services that include everything from benefits administration to help foremployees managing chronic diseases. The company is also America’s largestindependent processor of checks. In 2006, Fiserv offered insurance services to fourmillion people and processed 18 billion financial transactions.

Growing up so fast

Success came so quickly, the company was able to go public in 1986, just two yearsafter its creation. A key component to that success has been an aggressiveacquisition strategy; between 1984 and 2006 Fiserv bought more than 140 othercompanies—the company’s $50 million acquisition of the data processing arm ofCitibank in 1991 was a notable feat. As Fiserv grew, it added related services likecredit cards, stock transaction processing and data processing for the insuranceindustry. In 2006, the company bought seven more companies, two of them addingto its stable of auxiliary financial products. Then, in 2007, Fiserv acquiredNetEconomy, the leading international anti-money laundering, anti-fraud and crimemanagement company based in The Hague.

Fiserv, take two

Fiserv’s strategy for its acquisitions was to buy up profitable, well-managedcompanies in its target industries, and then largely leave them alone, while reapingthe profits in order to buy more companies. Clearly, this strategy worked, as Fiserv’srevenue continued to increase, giving executives and shareholders reason to smile.The downside became obvious in 2006, when Fiserv had a patchwork of 77 more-or-less nonintegrated business units, all of which sourced their own supplies andsometimes competed for business.

In 2006, following his accession to CEO the previous year, Jeffery Yabuki embarkedon a plan (cleverly called “Fiserv 2.0”) to reorganize the company into a lean, meanprofit-making machine. Yabuki’s plan calls for integrating the efforts of Fiserv’s 77business units into four groups, including buying of supplies in bulk, allowingcustomers to have a single point of contact at the company and cross-selling servicesto boost revenue. Fiserv 2.0 also involves offshoring some of the company’s


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outsourcing to countries with lower labor costs. Yabuki predicts that by 2010, hisplan for Fiserv will save the company $100 million—in addition to bringing inhundreds of millions more in revenue.

In August, the company announced its intent for its largest acquisition yet,CheckFree, the nation’s leader in electronic bill payment programming. CheckFreeis the leading online bill payment system in the U.S., processing more than one billiontransactions per year.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Fiserv-ing BB&T

BB&T, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., one of the largest financial holdingcompanies in the U.S. with $152 billion in assets, partnered with Fiserv to “easilymanage workflow with compliance best practices by tracking and retaining allversions of RESPA three-day disclosures and other pre-closing documents sent toborrowers.” Fiserv’s Secure Lending solution, BB&T says, will “electronicallydeliver initial disclosures and other pre-closing documents, with an electronicsignature option, to borrowers” and will enable it to further enhance customerservice with a competitive edge by “delivering the documents immediately to theirclients and allowing them to instantly execute the documents using electronicsignatures.”

Fiserv also announced that President and CEO Jeffery Yabuki would ring the bellat Nasdaq on March 11th to open the trading session, marking Fiserv’s 25thanniversary. The company said it intends to celebrate its 25th year by once again“affirming Fiserv's commitment to its clients to lead the transformation of financialservices technology.”

• September 2008: High up there

Fiserv ranked No. 4 overall in the 2008 InformationWeek 500 and No. 1 in theBanking and Financial Services Industry category. InformationWeek magazinesaid it chose Fiserv as one of the top-five companies because of its “use ofservices-oriented architecture, as well as its innovative products, such as therecently launched MyMoney solution which pioneers a new channel for consumeraccess to financial services.” The rankings recognize the most innovative users oftechnology in the U.S.

• July 2008: Revenue up by 38 percent

Fiserv reported that total revenue for the second quarter of 2008 increased to 38percent, largely because of the CheckFree acquisition. Second-quarter revenuewas up $1.3 billion, from $939 million in 2007. The first half of 2008 yielded$2.61 billion in revenue, with the adjusted internal revenue growth at 3 percent in


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the combined financial institution services and payments, and industry productssegments.

• May 2008: Having a MacDonald

Fiserv hired Don MacDonald as its first chief marketing officer, whose main taskwill focus on “refining the company's brand and product strategies, data analyticsand client segmentation.” MacDonald was previously the vice president andgeneral manager of the sales and marketing group and director of IntelCorporation’s global marketing division, which is based in San Jose, Calif.MacDonald has also held positions in Mobile Products, Digital Home, Intel Japanand others.

GETTING HIRED

Find yourself at Fiserv

An environment where intelligence, innovation and leadership are valued andrewarded, Fiserv claims to hold true to two essential principles: that the client comesfirst, and people make a difference. Fiserv’s career options page,www.fiserv.com/careers.htm, helpfully provides a list of open positions (searchable bydepartment, category, keyword and location) as well as information about benefitsand company policies. In order to apply to a position, candidates must create aprofile. Remember, to be considered for an open position listed on its website, it isnecessary to apply online. General applications are not accepted. Job openings areupdated frequently, so check back often. Don’t worry if you have previously appliedfor jobs with Fiserv, you may log in to update your profile, apply to additional jobs andperform other actions. Fiserv is also an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.It welcomes and encourages diversity in its workforce.

Benefits offered by the company vary by business unit, but commonly consist ofhealth and dental insurance, health spending accounts (plus pretax, life/accidentaldeath/dismemberment insurance for both employees and their dependents), short-and long-term disability plans, 401(k) with company matching and profit-sharingcontribution, stock purchase plan and educational assistance. Fiserv may conductcredit and background checks as a condition of employment.


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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Kind of inconsistent

An insider working at the CheckFree contact center appreciates the diversityexhibited by the company. Race and age barriers are broken, which speaks volumesabout the company’s equal opportunity policy. However, the insider also added that“there are limited opportunities for advancement,” noting that “as an associate youronly option to progress was to a team lead then a supervisor and manager.” Despitethis, the insider says that “overall [it] was a good company to work for. [It] was verydiverse (in terms of race as well as age).”

“It does not seem to matter that you are giving the best customer service you can,”the insider adds further. “To them it is more about volume and time. They want youto help the customer or transfer them; they don't want you to wait on the line toensure they get to the correct department or that the next representative knowsexactly what they (customers) need even if they (poor customers) have beentransferred around six times. To me that's a little ridiculous since I enjoy helpingpeople. When you have a single mom crying on the phone because she keepsgetting mistransferred and she needs to stop a payment today, I find it very cold-hearted to just transfer them again and hope the next person knows what they'redoing and what the customer is asking for, all just to make our numbers look good.”


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FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.

6501 William Cannon Drive West

Austin, TX 78735

Phone: (512) 895-2000

www.freescale.com

LOCATIONS

Austin, TX (HQ)

Chandler, AZ • Lake Zurich, IL • Phoenix,

AZ • Tempe, AZ

Bangalore • Beijing • Bucharest •

Campinas, Brazil • East Kilbride, Scotland •

Guadalajara • Herzelia, Israel • Kuala

Lumpur • Munich • Noida, India • Sendai,

Japan • Shanghai • Suzhou China • Tianjin,

China • Tokyo • Toulouse, France

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting • Analog & Sensor • Corporate

Strategy • Electrical Engineering • Finance

• Human Resources • Marketing •

Networking & Multimedia • Process

Engineering • Research & Advanced

Technology • Sales • Security • Software

Engineering • Strategy & Business

Transformation • Supply Chain

Management • Technology

THE STATS


Chairman & CEO: Rich Beyer


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 5,226

2008 Income ($ mil.): -7,939

KEY COMPETITORS

National Semiconductor Corporation

STMicroelectronics

Texas Instruments Incorporated

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/overvie

w.jsp?nodeId=0678436804


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THE SCOOP

Free your mind, the rest will follow

Freescale Semiconductor is a major player in the microchip arena, providing acatalog of 14,000 chips primarily for the transportation, wireless and networkingindustries. Freescale chips can be found in products from Sony, Whirlpool, Cisco,Bose, BMW, GM and former parent company Motorola. Freescale is a key supplierof microchips to the automotive and communications industries.

Freescale existed as the microchip-making arm of Motorola for five decades. In1965, the company began to develop chips that could process radio signals (aforerunner of the chips in today’s cellular phones). Later, the division pioneeredcomputer microprocessors, supplying Apple with the chips it would use for therevolutionary Macintosh.

Free to be you and me

Freescale isn't immune to the cyclical trends that often plague microchip companies;the industry constantly weathers slumping sales and predictions of its demise. Sucha slump hit Motorola’s semiconductor division from 2000 to 2003, as revenue felleach year, resulting in losses of $4.4 billion. Apparently 50 years was long enoughfor Motorola to play the faithful spouse, and it spun the division off as a separatecompany in October 2003. Much to Motorola’s chagrin, of course, the wireless andmobile industries caught fire immediately after the sale, and the newly mintedFreescale Semiconductor went on to post gains almost as soon as it was cut loose,bringing in revenue of $6.4 billion in 2006. Its success that year didn’t come withoutsacrifices, though, as Freescale has cut 1,000 jobs since 2004.

Freescale was suddenly a hot stock and investors could only stay away from it for solong. In fall 2006, rumors started flying that Freescale was a possible candidate fora buyout. Two teams of investors, one headed up by Blackstone, the other by KKR,both considered purchasing the increasingly profitable company. In September2006, Blackstone’s bid of $17.6 billion was accepted. Freescale should have sent athank-you card to (guess who?) Motorola, whose business still accounted for over aquarter of its revenue.

In 2007, Freescale opened a facility in Noida, India. The company has nearly 1,000employees in India, and has already established a facility in Bangalore. The 250employees in Noida will be engaged in R&D and in the manufacture of systems on achip. In the same year, the company’s revenue was pegged at $5.7 billion.





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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: OEMs sent 45-nanometer comm processor samples

Freescale sent OEM companies samples of its new communications processorsbased on 45-nanometer technology. The company said these processors mayhelp reduce cost and power consumption levels for 3G and 4G broadbandinfrastructure equipment. Freescale says it is speeding up the delivery of thesenew communications processors and volume deliveries may be expected in thesecond half of 2009.

• February 2009: Next generation transmitter designs

Freescale introduced its next generation of laterally diffused metal oxidesemiconductor (LDMOS) RF power transistors to meet the growing demand forreduced power consumption in cellular transmitters. These devices are primarilyengineered for high-data rate applications such as W-CDMA, WiMAX as well asemerging standards like LTE and Multicarrier GSM.

• January 2009: No buyers for wireless IC unit

CEO Rich Beyer said that there have been no buyers for Freescale’s wirelesshandset IC unit and so the company may be forced to sell the beleaguered unitpiecemeal to several parties instead of a single buyer. The company’s cellular ICdivision had been in dire straits with fourth quarter 2008 sales skidding to $64million from $344 million in the immediately preceding quarter and from $303million in the comparable period a year ago.

• November 2008: Credit rating lowered from B+ to B

Fitch Ratings lowered Freescale’s credit rating to B from B+, forecasting a negativefree cash flow for Q4 2008 and the whole of 2009. Despite this rating, Fitch saidFreescale has enough liquidity to support its cash usage over a two-year period.

• February 2008: Freescale acquires SigmaTel

Freescale and SigmaTel jointly announced that latter’s acquisition by Freescale for$110 million. SigmaTel is a privately held provider of analog intensive, mixed-signal ICs for the digital multimedia market.

GETTING HIRED

Set your career Free

Freescale’s careers site, at www.freescale.com/careers, provides information forstudents and experienced job seekers. Jobs are searchable by department, keyword,location and type; to apply, candidates must first create a profile.




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Nice perks offered by the company include sponsorship for professional organizations(if necessary), bonuses for good performance—of the employee and the company,bonuses for patents, on-site fitness centers or subsidies for off-site gymmemberships, concierge service, and relocation assistance that includes everythingfrom finding a place to live to shipping things.

The student careers section of Freescale’s site provides a précis of the company’sinternship and rotation programs. To qualify for an internship or co-op position,students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be studying finance, accounting orengineering on a full-time basis. Internships last 12 weeks and interns receivebenefits and housing assistance. The company offers two rotation programs, one inengineering and one in sales, for recent graduates majoring in electrical engineeringor computer science with backgrounds in wafer manufacture or chips for wireless,radio frequency and mixed-signal applications, and, of course, sales.

Freescale posts online a schedule of its recruiting junket—stops on the tour occur atsuch fine institutions as Texas A&M, Rochester Institute of Technology, CarnegieMellon and Arizona State.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Insiders say that Freescale’s culture is political, wherein management is never wrong.Reflects a former product marketing engineer, “Freescale tends to throw people at aproblem rather than technology (or automation). This creates work for people that couldbe solved much easier with some good IT. This is from the company that created SixSigma, which includes “digital Six Sigma”– a method of taking people and theirtendency to make mistakes out of a process for fewer mistakes and more reliability.”

Creativity and innovation are encouraged, as long as the real work gets done and theobjective is met. However, jobs seem to be loosely defined at Freescale. “The peopleare terrific. I enjoyed working with 90 percent of the employees. However, thereseems to be a lack of accountability across the company. If something slightly out ofthe ordinary needed to get done, it was because you did it yourself or you cajoledsomeone else to provide you with the information,” says a respondent.

Freescale is very flexible for the most part, with flex-time and work/life balancepolicies. They also have more women employees than many other companies in theindustry. A former insider states, “I highly recommend Freescale as one of the betterplaces to work if you have small children or plan to have them soon. This is one ofthe main reasons why Freescale has such longtime employees, and why so many ofthem are women. The women who worked there with me were hard workers, smartand experienced.”

In general, the company’s strength is in its people. The empowerment to do one’s jobis a huge plus for employees. Some disclosed that salaries leave something to bedesired, but are still competitive.





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FUJITSU LIMITED

Shiodome City Center

1-5-2 Higashi-Shimbashi Minato-ku

Tokyo, 105-7123

Japan

Phone: +81-3-6252-2220

www.fujitsu.com

LOCATIONS

Tokyo, Japan (HQ)

Edison, NJ • Fairfield, NJ • Honolulu, HI •

New York, NY • Plymouth, MI • Richardson,

TX • San Jose, CA • Sunnyvale, CA •

Washington, DC

Abu Dhabi • Akashi-shi, Japan •

Amsterdam • Aomori, Japan • Aomori-shi,

Japan • Athens • Bad Homburg, Germany •

Bangalore • Bangkok • Batam, Indonesia •

Bedfordshire, United Kingdom • Middlesex,

United Kingdom • Milan • Mississauga,

Canada • Montreal • Moscow • Munich •

Nanjing, China • Nantong, China • Nassau

• Oslo • Osterreich, Austria • Paris • Parit

Raja, Malaysia • Pasig City, Philippines •

Pathumthani, Thailand • Port of Spain,

Trinidad and Tobago • Pozuelo de Alarcon,

Spain • Prague • Regensdorf, Switzerland •

Reynosa, Mexico • Riga, Latvia • Rivonia,

South Africa • Samutprakarn, Thailand •

São Paulo, Brazil • Scarborough, Canada •

Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia • Seoul •

Shanghai • Singapore • Skopje, Macedonia

• Sofia, Bulgaria • St. Michael, Barbados •

Sydney • Taichung, Taiwan

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Consulting • Corporate •

Industries & Distribution Solutions •

Marketing • Planning • Products Business

Group • Sales • Services • Solution

Business Support Group • Ubiquitous

Product Solutions

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: 6702

Stock Exchange: TSE

Chairman: Michiyoshi Mazuka

President: Kuniaki Nozoe

2008 Employees: 173,733

2008 Revenue (¥ mil.): 4,700,000

2008 Income (¥ mil.): -20,000

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

NEC

Toshiba

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.fujitsu.com/global/about/employment


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THE SCOOP

Everything IT

Fujitsu is one of Japan’s flagship companies, often working hand in hand with thegovernment to further the state of Japanese industry and technological advancement.A major player in many areas of the high-tech industry, it is second only to IBM incomputer manufacturing. The company’s customers include everyone fromgovernments and Global 500 companies to small businesses and consumers.Fujitsu’s offerings range from consulting and IT services (including outsourcing) tosoftware for managing online transactions and manufacturing; of course it also makesand sells computers, servers, point-of-sale systems and electronic parts such asmemory chips and capacitors.

Fujitsu’s progressive policies in regard to the environment and its employees haveearned the company a place on both the Dow Jones Sustainability Index andLondon’s FTSE 4Good index.

From Tokyo to Cyberspace

Fujitsu was founded in the 1930s as an offshoot of the Fuji Electric Company. Fujiitself began that same decade as a joint venture of the Japanese Furukawa ElectricCompany (founded 1884) and the German Siemens AG (founded 1847). Fujicreated Fujitsu in 1935 to oversee its production of telephones and automaticexchange equipment such as switchboards. In 1949, Fujitsu went public andsubsequently began to manufacture computers during the 1950s, first for thegovernment (the first was delivered in 1951) and later for industry (in 1954). IBMintroduced the first transistorized computer in 1959, and its level of advancementsent shockwaves through the computer industry.

Fujitsu moved into the Internet Age of the 1990s with a vengeance. In 1994, it cameout with InfoWeb, an Internet service for businesses, and followed with INTERTop, auser-friendly and portable way for people to access information and software on theinternet. It was also still releasing supercomputers—the latest installment arriving in1992. Fujitsu worked to expand sales abroad in the 2000s and also focused on hotnew tech areas such as flash memory, outsourcing and systems-on-a-chip.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Empowering Nagoya

Fujitsu Limited announced that it will boost Nagoya University’s InformationTechnology Center with a new supercomputer. Fujitsu will proudly be handingover a three-headed computing hybrid that consists of the SPARC Enterprise


Fujitsu Limited



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M9000 UNIX server, the HX600 technical computing server and the FX1 high-endtechnical computing server. This 60-teraflop system will serve not only NagoyaUniversity, but several other research institutions. May 2009 will be the first of twostages of operation, while the second will be in October of the same year.

• December 2008: Turning over Eudyna

Fujitsu Limited has decided to reallocate Eudyna Devices Inc. (Eudina) shares toSumitomo Electric (Sumitomo). The completion of the transfer occurred on April1, 2009, based on the basic agreement. Until then, negotiations are stillunderway. This move by Fujitsu Limited foresees Eudina’s growth as it aidsSumitomo in catering to its large customer base.

• November 2008: Buying out Siemens

Fujitsu Limited and Siemens AG reported that by April 1, 2009, Fujitsu will haveacquired Siemens’ 50 percent share in their joint venture, Fujitsu SiemensComputers (Holding) B.V. Fujitsu president Kuniaki Nozoe said the purchase is amove that strengthens their global growth strategy. Siemens CFO Joe Kesseragreed. “We continue to focus our company on the strategic sectors energy,industry and health care. We are happy that our joint-venture partner Fujitsu willacquire our stake in Fujitsu Siemens Computers and will take the company to itsnext level of success,” he said. Until April 1, 2009, Fujitsu Siemens Computersstill operated as a joint venture.

• June 2008: Making it to the Top500 List

Fujitsu’s supercomputer systems are included in the 2008 edition of the TOP500list of the world’s fastest supercomputers, announced at the InternationalSupercomputing Conference (ISC) 2008 in Dresden, Germany. Three of therecognized supercomputers were the T2K Open Supercomputer (HX600Technical Computing Server) which ranks 34 on the list, the SupercomputerSystem (PRIMERGY RX200 S3 PC Server), 172 on the list and SupercomputerSystem (PRIMEQUEST 580 Mission Critical IA Server), ranking 335 on the list.The TOP500 list proves that Fujitsu is capable of unleashing its hardware’s fullpotential through high-performance software development technologies, mixedwith superior systems integration technology.

• March 2008: New Thai Data Center

Fujitsu Systems Business (Thailand) Ltd. opened a new data center in Bang Na,Bangkok and caters to Japanese companies based in Thailand. The new datacenter boasted of its own PalmSecure palm vein biometric authentication systemand an extensive range of prevention features such as fire and water-leak detectionsystems. A UPS (uninterruptable power supply), spare power lines and a privatepower generator also make sure that computer systems operate at all times. Thedata center in Bangkok promises high-quality data center services, owing itsreputation to the technology and operational know-how gained from an expandingnetwork of 80 Fujitsu data centers found in 16 countries worldwide.


Fujitsu Limited


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GETTING HIRED

Connect with Fujitsu

Fujitsu’s global careers site at www.fujitsu.com/global/about/employment/ providesinformation about opportunities at the company’s global locations. In the section thatdeals with careers in North America, job seekers will find a list of openings at FujitsuAmerica, Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Fujitsu Computer Systems, FujitsuTransaction Solutions and Fujitsu Consulting Holdings. Positions are searchable bycategory, location, company subsidiary and keyword. To apply, candidates must firstcreate a profile.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

A diverse mix of cultures, limited career advancement

Being a multinational company, Fujitsu boasts of a diverse workforce. According toa source, the cultural diversity “provided a healthy environment.” The same contactadded that at lunches, they were given the “opportunity to taste different types offood.” However, a knock on this is that, even though the company is heterogeneousas a whole, another contact contends that the company is “too heavy on male-ledmanagement,” even as they are “attempting to promote diversity and are taking stepsto improve.”

One insider notes that, due to micromanagement and office politics, there were “fewcareer advancement opportunities.” Another that left the company due to “(career)growth reasons” seems to agree.


Fujitsu Limited



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GARMIN INTERNATIONAL, INC.

1200 E. 151st Street

Olathe, KS 66062-3426

Phone: (913) 397-8200

Fax: (913) 397-8282

www.garmin.com

LOCATIONS

Olathe, KS (HQ)

Salem, OR

Badalona, Spain • Brussels • Cacem,

Portugal • Grafelfing, Germany • Houten,

Netherlands • Seven Hills, Australia • Shijr,

Taiwan • Southampton, United Kingdom

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative

Aviation sales/Support/Training

Cartography

Communications

Customer Support/Call Center

Engineering

Executive

Facilities

Finance

Human Resources

Industrial Design

Information Technology

Legal

Manufacturing/Customer Repair

Marketing/Sales/Communications

Operations/Planning/Purchasing

Quality Assurance

Warehouse

Worldwide Sales

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: GRMN


President & COO: Clifton Pemble

Chairman & CEO: Min Kao


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 3,494.1

2008 Income ($ mil.): 732.8

KEY COMPETITORS

Magellan

MiTAC Digital Corporation

TomTom N.V.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.garmin.com/careers


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THE SCOOP

All who wander are not lost

No matter how far you go, Garmin will tell you where you are. The company is aleader in the market for aftermarket automotive GPS, but its products include GPSreceivers for work and play—for every manner of transport, from feet and cars toboats and planes. The company provides a device so consumers can equip nearlyeverything in their lives that moves—bikes, motorcycles, dogs—with its own GPSreceiver; (unfortunately, the company has yet to make one small enough for akeychain.) Garmin’s receivers come with other features, like MP3 players, fishfinders, heart rate monitors and Bluetooth connectivity.

Revenue’s right turn

In 2006, Garmin posted revenue of $1.8 billion with a profit of $514 million. Revenueincreased 72 percent over the preceding year, while profits were up 65 percent. Thecompany’s automotive division grew by 170 percent, while the fitness division broughtin year-over-year growth of 20 percent. That same year, Garmin acquiredDynastream, manufacturer of wireless monitoring equipment for athletes, for $36million. Garmin integrated Dynastream’s athletic technology into a new generation ofGPS devices for runners and bikers that can monitor distance, heart rate, caloriesburned and other useful bits of telemetry.

GPS for everybody!

Garmin will look to integrate the Nautamatic system with its existing line of nauticalGPS solutions. It scored a coup in 2007 when it inked an agreement with VanguardCar Rental, the parent company of National Car Rental and Alamo Rent-A-Car to putGPS devices in its vehicles. Rental car drivers should appreciate them, as they willusually be driving in unknown environments, and the devices will also allowconsumers to experience a Garmin system firsthand.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Good old news

Garmin maintainED its position as a global provider of GPS, according to Canalys,an IT market research firm. More people choose the product to guide them to theirdestination over any other Garmin competitor, and that’s good news for GarminCEO Cliff Pemble. “For 20 years, Garmin has been committed to bringing itscustomers industry-leading innovation, quality, value, ease-of-use and support.Despite these difficult economic times, we believe that our higher market share


Garmin International, Inc.



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validates our approach and are confident that we can continue to offer best-in-the-business products to attract more customers in the years ahead.”

• November 2008: ODA approved

The Federal Aviation Administration gave Garmin official authorization to conductactivities on the administration’s behalf. The Organization Designation Authorization(ODA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave the company authority toissue supplemental type certificates (STCs), approving installations of Garminavionics in aircraft. “Garmin has a long history of working well with the FAA,” saidGary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “The ODA designation continuesthat legacy and reflects the high standards and experienced staff at Garmin. We arevery proud to receive this ODA designation because it confirms our core principlesof innovation, performance, quality, value and service.”

• September 2008: GPS at a bargain

Garmin can’t claim to be the first to offer personal navigation devices (PNDs) at abargain, but the company’s Nuvi 205 sure is pretty nifty considering thecapabilities it packs into its little body. Meant for general consumption andappreciation, the product clocks in at $199 (minus accessories, like an adapter forthe car and windshield mount hardware). The product comes equipped with atouchscreen feature and optional services like FM radio and news from MSNDirect.

• August 2008: Acquiring distributor in Portugal

Expanding its reach in the European market, Garmin acquired SatSignal-Equipamentos de Comunicações e de Navegação, S.A., a partner distributor inPortugal. The company was renamed Garmin Portugal and continues operationsat its current headquarters located near Lisbon.

• June 2008: Cycling ‘round Garmin

One of the only two American teams competing in 2008’s Tour de France is pickedup by Garmin. Team Slipstream-Chipotle became known as Team Garmin-Chipotle, and the company’s sponsorship is seen as fortuitous by sponsors, fansand the media amidst the doping scandal that has plagued the cycling world.Even so, Garmin didn’t any chances, despite the fact that Slipstream neverguaranteed that its athletes did not do drugs (Slipstream has one of the morerigorous testing cycles around, with their athletes required to submit urine samplesevery couple of weeks)—the contract had a clause indicating that Garmin wasgoing to withdraw sponsorship if widespread doping in the team is proven.

• April 2008: Garmin goes digital

In a partnership that “presents the convergence of high performancetechnologies,” Garmin chose a French company as an internal complement to itsnavigation systems. DiBcom, a company specializing in designing chipsets for




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mobile TV reception, will have its front-end receiver incorporated into Garmin’s lineof Nuvi portable navigation systems. Thanks to DiBcom, Garmin’s customerswon’t just know where they’re headed and how to get there; now they’ll be able towatch TV shows while trying to get there!

• March 2008: Global leader in Portable Satellite Navigation

Garmin owned the personal navigation market lock, stock and barrel as it announcedthat it sold more devices in 2007 than any other manufacturer, according toindependent IT research firm Canalys. “These figures validate our associates’ hardwork and commitment to innovation, value, and satisfying our customers,” said CEOCliff Pemble. This was good news for Garmin, but what was even sweeter was thatthe count didn’t include the company’s hold in the aviation, fitness, marine andoutdoor products, which just might make Garmin sales go through the roof.

• February 2008: Going up against the biggies

Throwing its hat into the smartphone game, Garmin unveiled the Nuvifone at theMobile World Congress in Barcelona. The company’s first foray into the marketwas in partnership with AsusTek, a Taiwan-based company. The Nuvifone has twovariations, each made and designed with a specific audience in mind. However,both models have a GPS heart beating at its center, and the Nuvifone makes greatuse of Garmin’s knowledge in the personal navigation device industry. The G60model has all the reliable navigation capabilities that Garmin devices are knownfor, and a bonus for this little device is Ciao!, which is like a social networking sitetacked on the back of a truck. This application lets friends stay connected andgives users directions on how to get to a friend’s location. Although it’s probablytoo early in the game to say whether the Nuvifone will join the smartphone bigleague, the company’s focus on navigation might just change the game.

GETTING HIRED

Put your career into orbit with Garmin

Garmin’s careers site (at www8.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/employment.html)provides information about job opportunities and benefits at the company. Jobs areoffered in the areas of administration, aircraft certification, sales and marketing,engineering, corporate communications, accounting, cartography, customer repair,MIS, HR, IT, manufacturing, operations and quality assurance. Positions are listedby function at my.garmin.com/iRecruitment/joblist.htm. In order to apply, candidatesmust fill out a web-based form.

Benefits at Garmin include health and life insurance, 401(k), paid vacations andholidays, tuition reimbursements and discounts on company merchandise.Questions or comments can be sent to [email protected].





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GENERAL DYNAMICS

2941 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 100

Falls Church, VA 22042-4513

Phone: (703) 876-3000

Fax: (703) 876-3125

www.generaldynamics.com

DEPARTMENTSAccounting/Auditing • Administrative & Support

Services • Advanced Information Systems •

Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations • Airlines •

Architectural Services • Arts, Entertainment &

Media • Automotive/Motor Vehicle/Parts •

Banking • Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical •

Building & Grounds Maintenance • Computer

Services • Computers, Hardware • Computers,

Software • Construction, Mining & Trades

Consulting Services • Consumer Products

Creative/Design • Customer Service & Call

Center • Electronics • Energy/Utilities •

Engineering • Environmental Services •

Finance/Economics • Financial Services •

General Management • Government & Policy •

Health care • Human Resources/Recruiting •

Information Technology • Installation,

Maintenance, & Repair • Insurance • Internet/E-

commerce • Land Systems • Law

Enforcement/Security Services • Legal •

Manufacturing & Production • Operations

Management • Ordnance & Tactical Systems •

Personal Care & Service • Product Management

• Project/Program Management •

Publishing/Printing • Purchasing • Quality

Assurance/Safety • Real Estate/Mortgage •

Research & Development • Sales • Science •

Telecommunications • Transportation &

Warehousing • Waste Management Services

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.gdcareers.com/gdchq_jobs/main.cfm?pg=se

arch


Stock Symbol: GD


Chairman & CEO: Nicholas D. Chabraja


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 29,300

2008 Income ($ mil.): 2,459

KEY COMPETITORSBoeing Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation

LOCATIONSFalls Church, VA (HQ)

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD • Annandale, VA •

Anniston, AL • Arlington, WA • Atlantic Beach, FL •

Bath, MA • Burlington, VT • California, MD •

Chantilly, VA • Charlotte, NC • Chesapeake, VA •

Colorado Springs, CO • Columbia, MD • Eynon, PA

• Fairfax, VA • Fort Bragg, NC • Ft. Wayne, IN •

Hampton, AR • Hattiesburg, MS • Huntsville, AL •

Jericho, VT • Kings Bay, GA • Las Cruces, NM •

Lima, OH • Lincoln, NE • Linthicum, MD • Marion,

VA • McHenry, MS • Middletown, RI • Montgomery,

AL • Muskegon, MI • Needham, MA • Newton, NC

• Norfolk, VA • North Kingstown, RI • Orlando, FL •

Pascagoula, MI • Pax River, MD • Pearl Harbor, HI

• Pittsburgh, PA • Quincy, MA • Rock Falls City, NY

• Saco, ME • San Diego, CA • Savannah, GA •

Scottsdale, AZ • Sierra Vista, AZ • Spokane, WA •

Sterling Heights, MI • Tallahassee, FL • Tampa, FL

• Taunton, MA • Tempe, AZ • Warren, MI •

Washington, DC • Westminster, MD • Woodbridge,

VA

Ashchurch, United Kingdom • Calgary • Dartmouth,

Canada • Hasting, United Kingdom •

Kaiserslautern, Germany • Kanata, Canada •

London, Canada • London, United Kingdom •

Madrid • Ottawa • South Wales, United

Kingdom • Vienna


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THE SCOOP

One if by air, two if by sea

General Dynamics Corporation is a force to be reckoned with in the armamentsmarket. It started manufacturing submarines and surface ships as The Electric BoatCompany over 100 years ago, and started diversifying its business platform during theCold War. Now it is an all-purpose defense contractor. The company focuses on fourspecific business areas: aerospace, combat systems, marine systems, andinformation systems and technology. These divisions account for, respectively,business aviation, expeditionary combat systems, submarines and surface ships (stillmanufactured under the name Electric Boat), and specialized IT products for defenseand law-enforcement customers.

Engines of war

General Dynamics traces its roots back to 1899, when John Holland started TheElectric Boat Company. Electric Boat sold submarines to the adversarial partiesduring the Russo-Japanese War, but primarily devoted itself to cargo ships thereafter,despite receiving orders for submarines from England and the U.S. during World WarI. Diversification began in earnest as soon as the war ended. John Jay Hopkins, CEOat the time, purchased Canadair in 1946 and Convair in 1953, both manufacturersof business and military aircraft. The company adopted the General Dynamics brandname in 1952, to reflect its focus on contracting beyond the scope of boats andsubmarines. With David S. Lewis Jr. at the helm from 1971 to 1985, the company'srevenue quadrupled, allowing it to further diversify with the acquisition of Chrysler'scombat division in 1982.

Long war, big profits

The September 11 attacks put defense spending back into a higher gear, significantlyquickening the pace of new contracts. In October 2001, as federal authorities wereblocking GD’s bid to buy NNS, other federal authorities were beckoning for thecompany’s help. GD’s National Steel and Shipbuilding Company got a $700 millioncontract to build a new class of logistics ships; its electric boat and land systemssubsidiaries received contracts totaling $90 million for a variety of projects; and anumber of other subsidiaries landed a slew of contracts totaling $107 million.Ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have provided steady sales of GD combatsystems, such as the eight-wheeled Stryker armored vehicle. Stryker debuted at thebeginning of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and as of 2007, the company has madeabout 2,000 of them. Since the 2001 attacks, GD's combat systems unit's revenueand profits have tripled, and net sales and earnings each jumped by 18 percent from2005 to 2006.


General Dynamics



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Wireless post-war

GD is preparing for a slowdown in weapons spending, in form with the company’sbusiness model over the last 50 years. It first focused on IT as an avenue of growth in1997, and information systems has indeed become the company's fastest-growing unit—its revenue increased more than 34 percent from 2004 to 2006, to almost $9 billion.

Therefore, the April 2007 news that GD had edged out No. 1 defense contractorLockheed for the next large governmental contract was especially welcome. GD wona contract (with an estimated value of $5 billion) to provide a wireless communicationnetwork (Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP), for several governmental agencies.The project will allow 80,000 agents of the Departments of Treasury, Justice andHomeland Security to communicate securely on a common network, and the systemwill be adaptable to advances in wireless technology. VoIP technology will also beinstalled in the Pentagon as part of the PENREN (Pentagon Renovation) project, forwhich GD is a main contractor.

IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: Outstanding 2008

General Dynamics reported fourth fiscal quarter and full 2008 financial figures.Fourth quarter revenue climbs to $7.9 billion from 2007’s $7.5 billion. Earningsfrom continuing operations come in strong at $630 million, or $1.62 per share,against the previous year’s $578 million, or $1.42 per share. “For the full year of2008, all four business groups generated increased sales, operating earnings grewsignificantly faster than revenue and free cash flow from operations totaled 106percent of net earnings,” said chairman and CEO Nicholas Chabraja. Full-year2008 revenue totaled $29.3 billion, up by 7.6 percent from 2007’s $27.2 billion.

• January 2009: Axles to open doors

General Dynamics completed acquisition of AxleTech International from privateequity firm The Carlyle Group. Talks between the companies started in November2008. AxleTech manufactures and supplies axles, axle components, planetaryaxles, suspensions, breaks and aftermarket parts for military vehicles. It employs1,000 workers globally and has facilities throughout the U.S., and in France andBrazil. Mike Mulligan of General Dynamics said the purchase opens doors to amarket General Dynamics has never treaded before. “We look forward tomaintaining and strengthening the relationships that AxleTech International enjoyswith its existing customers, and collaborating to create new products and pursuenew markets together,” Mulligan said in a press release

• November 2008: Shopping for flights

General Dynamics announced complete acquisition of business-aviation servicesfirm Jet Aviation for CHF 2.45 billion (about $2.18 billion) from Dreamliner Lux


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S.a.r.l. The companies began talks about the purchase in August. GeneralDynamics chairman and CEO Nicholas Chabraja said the purchase enables thecompany to “capture additional growth opportunities in the business-aviationmarket.”

GETTING HIRED

Have a Dynamic career

General Dynamic’s employment site, at www.gdcareers.com/gdchq_jobs/main.cfm,provides job seekers with information about hiring at the company. Each of GD's fourmain business units (aerospace, combat systems, information systems andtechnology, and marine systems) operates its own independent hiring and recruitingdivision.

However, the main website does have a searchable list of jobs throughout thecompany. When Vault checked, the company was seeking accountants andengineers at Gulfstream, program managers, network technicians and financialanalysts in the IT division; and accountants, production workers, database analysts,painters and HR managers at other divisions. The website also stresses thecompany’s commitment to equal employment and diversity in the workplace.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Join the General

One hire says that his interview was “very easy. One informal conversation with HRrep over the phone. One formal interview. A brief review of where I was stationed inthe military and what jobs I held.” “Due to required security clearances through theCanadian government, it is often difficult to hire people who have just immigrated toCanada,” an insider points out.

Once in the office, contacts report that the company has “very much a militaryculture.” “Many of the employees are ex-military (Canadian, British, etc.). Manylayers of management as a result,” adds a source. “Lots and lots of red tape in thiscompany…it can take forever to get something small done,” wails an insider.“Business casual dress code. Fridays, more relaxed. Cube environment,” says a co-worker. Another points out the “flexible benefit package and the option to work acompressed workweek to get every other Friday off.” “The company is very big oncareer development, training and taking external courses,” adds a respondent.


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HARMAN INTERNATIONALINDUSTRIES, INC.

400 Atlantic Street, Suite 1500

Stamford, CT 06901

Phone: (203) 328-3500

www.harman.com

LOCATIONS

Stamford, CT (HQ)

Bedford, MA • Burbank, CA • El Paso, TX •

Elkhart, IN • Farmington Hills, MI • Franklin,

KY • Martinsville, IN • Middletown, CT •

Northridge, CA • Phoenix, AZ • Prairie du

Chien, WI • Rancho Cucamonga, CA •

Sandy, UT • Upper Saddle River, NJ •

Washington, DC • Woodbury, NY

Brussels • Chateau du Loire, France •

Chester, United Kingdom • East London,

South Africa • Groot-Ammers, Holland •

Gyeonggi-do, Korea • Hamburg •

Heilbronn, Germany • Hertfordshire, United

Kingdom • Karlsbad, Germany •

Kvistgaard, Denmark • Midrand, South

Africa • Motola, Sweden • Nagoya •

Regensdorf, Switzerland • Salzburg,

Austria • Seoul • Shenzhen, China •

Singapore • Straubing, Germany •

Szekesfehervar, Hungary • Tijuana

Vantaa, Finland • Vienna • Villingen,

Germany • Wales • Woerth-Schaidt,

Germany

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting/Finance

Business

Electronic System Integration

Engineering

Marketing

Operations Planning

Process Engineering

Product Engineering

Quality

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: HAR


President: Blake W. Augsburger

Chairman & CEO: Dinesh C. Paliwal


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 4,112.5

2008 Income ($ mil.): 107.8

KEY COMPETITORS

Bose

Boston Acoustics

Pioneer

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.harman.com/about_harman/

careers.aspx


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THE SCOOP

Turn it up!

Harman International manufactures stereo and entertainment equipment for theconsumer, the professional and the automotive industry. The company’s brandsinclude Harman-Kardon, JBL, Mark Levinson, Infinity and Revel. Cars with Harmansystems include Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Porsche. Harmanalso makes aftermarket parts for car stereos so that consumers can add features likeDVD players, navigation systems and louder speakers. Consumer products includeiPod-compatible speakers and speaker systems for travel, home and boating.Professional products include mixing equipment for recording studios, headphonesand microphones, loudspeakers and audio systems for theaters. The company’sprofessional goods are sold under the brand names JBL Professional, Crown,Soundcraft, Lexicon and Studer. Harman’s very existence owes much to itsnamesake, Dr. Sidney Harman, who brought the company back from the brink ofextinction in the late 1970s, and who served as its chairman until 2008.

Semper fidelity

Harman-Kardon made an important leap in high-fidelity marketing in the 1970s byselling its products separately. An implicit invitation for purchasers to assemble thedisparate pieces themselves, it actively encouraged customers to become aficionadosof the latest sound equipment, igniting many an amateur debate over whichequipment resulted in the best sound. The marketing gambit paid off andrevolutionized the culture of home stereos even more than the company’s work in the1950s. And it was good for business, as Harmon-Kardon was ahead of itscompetitors in offering separate and interchangeable stereo technology. By 1976, thecompany was taking in annual profits of $9.1 million.

The political animal

The next year, President Jimmy Carter appointed Sidney Harman as hisUndersecretary of Commerce, and Harman sold a controlling stake in his companyto the large Chicago corporation Beatrice Foods. Harman watched from Washingtonas his company was nearly run into the ground. As soon as he was out of office in1980, he gathered an investment of $55 million and repurchased Harman-Kardon.Henceforth, the company would be known as Harman International, but it was muchsmaller than three years before—only about 60 percent of its former operationsremained, and its continued survival was far from assured. It started to acquire small,quality-oriented companies, largely leaving them alone to manufacture their luxurystereo equipment.


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The strategy was successful in keeping the company alive and growing throughoutthe 1980s, but a recession resulted in losses of $19.8 million in 1991. Harman, then70 years old, promptly fired the president of the company and took over himself,moving to California to focus on the company (taking him across the country from hiswife, who was elected to Congress in 1992). Harman merged 21 small subsidiariesinto five main divisions and turned away from the high-end market, selling thecompany's wares in mass retail outlets such as Circuit City.

Not so perfect Harman-y?

The company’s boardroom is far from a well-oiled machine: CEO Douglas Pertzabruptly left in August 2006, only four months after being hired. (In what must besome sort of record for return on a company’s investment, Harman cut him a $3.8million severance check!) Bernard Girod, his immediate predecessor as CEO, agreedto step in until another CEO was found, and in May 2007, Harman named DineshPaliwal, former CEO of ABB North America, as its new CEO and president. In 2008,when he was about to turn 90, Harman retired from the board and recommendedthat Paliwal assume the post of chairman and CEO.

IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: New team members to Asia field office

Harman appointed several new staff members to the Harman Pro Asia team in anattempt to capitalize on their success with partners in Asia, Latin America andCanada. The Kuala Lumpur-based Harman Pro Asia office enhanced their teamwith three new additions: Eric Goh, Kit Roche and Raymond Tee. “Eric, Raymondand Kit all provide more depth to the company,” said David McKinney, seniordirector of sales (Asia). “They each bring different qualities and experience to theHarman Pro team. This will help us in our goal to offer first class support to ourdistributors and partners in Asia. We are already seeing the benefit of beinglocated in Kuala Lumpur and now, as the team expands, our distributors andcustomers will experience a stronger and more engaged Harman professionalpresence across the region.”

• September 2008: New general counsel appointed

Harman International announced that Todd A. Suko will succeed Edwin Summers,the company’s top attorney since 1998, as vice president, general counsel andsecretary. Summers remains with Harman, playing a senior legal role reporting toMr. Suko. “I am delighted to welcome Todd Suko to our senior executive team,”said Dinesh C. Paliwal, Harman's chairman and CEO. “His legal expertise is anatural fit with the company's strategy for optimizing our global footprint,expanding to new global markets, and building a best-in-class team. I am pleasedthat Ed Summers will continue his service to Harman from our location in




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Northridge, California, leveraging the contribution he has made to the companythese past 10 years.”

• May 2008: Outsourcing to Wipro Technologies

Harman signed an agreement with Wipro Technologies to transfer responsibility ofthe former’s information technology infrastructure to the latter. The deal will affectHarman information technology operations in 10 countries across the Americas,Europe and Asia. Wipro’s scope of supply includes help desk operations,administration of desktop systems, servers and networking.

GETTING HIRED

Harman calling

Harman’s careers site, located at www.harman.com/about_harman/careers.aspx,provides information for job seekers on open positions in the company. To apply, jobseekers select their country and then proceed to create a profile.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Good health care benefits

Harman seems to put great value on the health of its employees. A respondentdescribes the company as “very progressive” when it comes to helping employeesimprove health. In fact, the same contact adds that there is a full-time nurse thatattends not only to employees, but also to family members. Additionally, free flu shotsand blood screening are also thrown in.





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HARRIS CORPORATION

1025 West NASA Boulevard

Melbourne, FL 32919-0001

Phone: (321) 727-9100

www.harris.com

LOCATIONS

Melbourne, FL (HQ)

Alexandria, VA • Annapolis Junction, MD •

Atlantic City, NJ • Beavercreek, OH •

Bellevue, NE • Chantilly, VA • Chesapeake,

VA • Colorado Springs, CO • Denver, CO •

Dulles, VA • Eagan, MN • Emeryville, CA •

Golden, CO • Herndon, VA • Las Cruces,

NM • Mason, OH • Montgomery, AL •

Morrisville, NC • Nashua, NH • Norman,

OK • O'Fallon, IL • Palm Bay, FL • Reston,

VA • Rochester, NY • San Diego, CA •

Satellite Beach, FL • Sterling, VA •

Sunnyvale, CA • Tinton Falls, NJ •

Washington, DC

Calgary • Berkshire, United Kingdom •

Ottawa

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Broadcast Communications

• Civil Programs • Corporate

Communications • Corporate Development

Corporate Relations • Defense Programs •

Engineering • Finance • Financial Services

Government Communications Systems •

Government Relations • Human Resources

Information Technology Services • Internal

Audit•Investor Relations • Legal • Marketing

• National Programs • Operations • Program

Management • RF Communications • Sales

• Supply Chain Management • Technical

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: HRS


Chairman, President & CEO: Howard L.

Lance


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 5,311

2008 Income ($ mil.): 444.2

KEY COMPETITORS

Boeing

General Dynamics

Raytheon

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.employment.harris.com/joblist.html


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THE SCOOP

Can you hear me now?

Harris is provides broadcast and communications technologies for use in peace andwar. In the government arena, its customers include the Department of Defense anda wide range of government agencies—including the FAA, Census, NSA and NOAA.The company’s commercial segment customers include domestic and internationalbroadcasters and public and private telecommunications companies. In 2008,BusinessWeek ranked the company No. 72 on its InfoTech 100.

On the cutting edge of communication since 1895

Harris was founded in 1895 by two brothers in the jewelry business, Charles andAlfred Harris. When not providing baubles for the ladies of Niles, Ohio, their firstsuccessful invention was an automatic sheet feeder for printing presses in 1890. Thisdevice, which could work 10 times as fast as a human, became the foundationaltechnology for the Harris Automatic Press Company, incorporated in 1895. Harrissoon made other breakthroughs, including the first commercially viable offsetlithographic press and the first two-color offset press. The brothers’ company quicklybecame a worldwide leader in manufacturing printing equipment. In 1957, HarrisAutomatic Press merged with Intertype Corporation, a provider of hot metaltypesetting, to form Harris-Intertype. Soon, the company decided to expand its focusto types of communication beyond the printed word, to electronic means ofcommunicating.

Bound for Florida groves

By 1967, Harris had found the right partner to modernize its technology. That year,Harris-Intertype acquired Florida-based Radiation, Inc., in a deal worth $56 million,but it was more of a merger between the two companies, as Radiation’s focus inelectronics soon became the norm, and the corporate headquarters was moved toFlorida. Radiation was a very successful government contractor that providedcommunications technology for the burgeoning American space program, but it hadwanted to move into the commercial sector for some time. It was stocked with manyaccomplished engineers, and their examination of Harris’ technology soon resulted ina breakthrough—indeed, one of their initial studies of the Harris printing technologyled directly to electronic newsroom technology.

Throughout the 1970s, a number of other acquisitions led Harris ever further awayfrom its mechanical origins. It purchased General Electric’s broadcasting division in1972 and moved into data processing the same year with the purchase of UniversityComputing Corporation for $20 million. Two years later, the company changed itsname to Harris Corporation while divesting itself of the last traces of its corrugated


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paper machinery, and also purchased Datacraft Corporation, further broadening intodata processing.

I’ll process your data

The company was highly interested in data processing as an avenue of growth andgrew throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with pursuits ranging from semiconductoroperations to telephone equipment to television communications. In 1999, thecompany underwent major restructuring, and sold off its semiconductor business(then called Intersil), and its commercial fax and printer business (Lanier Worldwide).In March 2006, Harris was awarded a contract worth $595 million by the CensusBureau. The company was to provide handheld computers to enumerators, who godoor to door counting households that do not return census forms. But the projecthas been beset by repeated delays and cost overruns, and in April 2008, CommerceSecretary Carlos Gutierrez announced that the Census Bureau would no longer usethe handhelds to count households, instead reverting to traditional paper forms.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Multimillions, care of NASA

NASA awarded Harris Corporation a 14-month, multimillion-dollar contract todevelop Ka-band capable radios as part of the Communication Navigation andNetworking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT), which will be installed onboardthe International Space Station (ISS). CoNNeCT is currently scheduled to belaunched to the Space Station via a Japanese H-II launch vehicle in 2011. “Weare excited to participate in this initiative, which will define the next generation ofspace radios for use on a variety of launch and exploration vehicles, as well as inthe astronauts' space suits,” said Frank Van Rensselaer, vice president NASAPrograms at Harris Government Communications Systems. “Harris has a richhistory of SDR development dating back to 1988, and we have supported majorNASA programs since the 1960s. We are committed to helping NASA realize itsvision for the next generation of space exploration.”

• December 2008: Good enough, competent enough for the Navy

Harris Corporation announced that its SecNet 11 family of products has beencertified for use by the U.S. Navy to provide information security for classifiedwireless networks in various military applications. The Navy has approveddeploying SecNet 11 as part of the classified Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI)wireless solution at Pearl Harbor and Camp Smith, Hawaii. NMCI is one of theworld's largest internal computer networks, with nearly 700,000 users dispersedaround the world. Harris is currently providing information technology integration,infrastructure, and operations and maintenance services for NMCI through its ITServices business.


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• November 2008: Harris bags awards

Harris Corporation bagged two Outstanding Product Awards for its newestbroadcast technology solutions at the Beijing International Radio, Film andTelevision Equipment Exhibition (BIRTV) in Beijing, China. Harris won the awardsfor its Maxiva ULX series of liquid-cooled transmitters for high-power UHFapplications and the X85 enhanced all-in-one processor. “These prestigiousaward wins highlight the success of our strategy of providing next-generationproducts that support content throughout customers’ entire workflow chain,” saidTim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications.

• October 2008: Opening a couple of new facilities in D.C.

Harris Corporation moved into two new facilities in the Washington, D.C., area tohandle its ongoing expansion and to provide better proximity to its growing base ofU.S. government customers. The new Harris facility features encrypted wirelessaccess, state-of-the-art video and display conference facilities, two multimediacustomer briefing centers and a rooftop deck. “Harris is expanding its presencein the Washington, D.C., area as part of our ongoing commitment to the U.S.government departments and agencies that we serve,” said Peter Challan, vicepresident of Government Relations for Harris. “For more than 40 years, we havebeen a leading supplier of communications and information systems to the U.S.government, and today support nearly 300 diverse government programs—ranging from modernizing communications and IT systems for the U.S. CensusBureau to upgrading the FAA's communications network and providing avionicsfor the F-35 Lightning II.”

• August 2008: Increase in quarterly dividend

The board of directors of Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an internationalcommunications and information technology company, has increased thequarterly cash dividend to 20 cents per share, compared to the previous quarterlydividend of 15 cents per share. “We are very pleased to announce this substantialannual increase in our quarterly dividend,” said Howard L. Lance, chairman,president, and CEO. “We reported excellent financial results for fiscal year 2008,with strong earnings and cash flow. Our track record of improving financialperformance over the past five years has allowed Harris to provide consistentannual dividend increases. New orders and a robust pipeline of opportunities inthe markets we serve are giving us confidence that fiscal 2009 will be another yearof strong financial performance. This dividend increase further demonstrates thecompany's ongoing commitment to increasing shareholder value.”

• March 2008: Most admired according to Fortune

Harris Corporation was named one of the most admired U.S. companies in anannual survey by Fortune magazine. Harris ranked as the fourth most admiredcompany in the “Network Communications” category—up from seventh last 2007.The company was rated a 7.01 on the 2008 survey, compared with a 6.21 ratingin 2007. Harris ranked second in the industry in financial soundness, long-term


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investment and social responsibility, and third in the industry for quality ofproducts and services, quality of management, and use of corporate assets. Othercompanies in the top five for the category were Cisco Systems, Corning, JuniperNetworks and QUALCOMM.

GETTING HIRED

Communicate your interest to Harris

Harris’ careers site, at www.harris.com/harris/careers/default.asp, provides jobseekers with information about career opportunities at the company, benefits and jobopenings. The company hires people for both administrative (contracts,procurement, logistics, marketing sales) and engineering (mechanical, electrical,manufacturing, software, testing) positions. Harris allows job seekers to search forjobs based on department, level of education, job type and location. In order to apply,job seekers must first create a profile.

Benefits include medical, dental and vision insurance, health and dependentspending accounts, 401(k) with company match and some locations arrangeschedules to allow for three-day weekends. Harris offers its employees a tuitionreimbursement plan that allows them to pursue advanced degrees and access to over500 specialized courses in-house.

In addition to recruiting through its website, Harris seeks experienced hires at anumber of job fairs aimed at people with security clearances and an interest inengineering, aerospace and defense. College students shouldn’t feel left out, though,as Harris makes stops at several universities across the U.S. including University ofFlorida, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State University, Auburn University, CarnegieMellon, Cornell, Florida Institute of Technology and the Rochester Institute ofTechnology, seeking students with majors in engineering, business, finance,accounting and allied disciplines. Harris offers internships to undergrads inengineering and business related disciplines.

To make the shift from all-night study sessions and beer pong to neckties andmorning commutes as easy as possible, Harris offers a program called GRAD(GRaduate Acclimation and Development). The program gives recent graduates achance to socialize and network while attending sport events and performingcommunity service projects. The campus section of Harris’ careers site also providesinformation on career paths in engineering and finance at the company.


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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Overall, a great company to work for

Harris is a great company to work for, says one source. The environment is “laid-back” yet “very professional.” The same contact adds that there are alsoopportunities for advancement, that’s why it’s no wonder that employees “tend to beloyal” to the company. Who wouldn’t?

However, one respondent warns that the company is “not very diverse,” as themajority of engineers are “typically white males.”


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HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY

3000 Hanover Street

Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185

Phone: (650) 857-1501

Fax: (650) 857-5518

www.hp.com

LOCATIONS

Palo Alto, CA (HQ)

Houston, TX • Miami, FL • San Juan, PR


DEPARTMENTS

Administration

Business Planning

Engineering

Engineering Services

Finance

Human Resources


Learning & Development

Legal

Marketing

Operations

Personal Systems

Public Affairs & Communications

Quality

Real estate & Workplace Services

Sales

Sales Operations

Services

Supply chain & Operations

Technical

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: HPQ


Chairman, CEO & President: Mark Hurd

2008 Employees: 321,000

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 118,364

2008 Income ($ mil.): 8,329

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

Dell

Fujitsu Siemens

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

hp.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl?lan

g=en


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THE SCOOP

Colossus bestride the industry

Hewlett-Packard is the top player in the PC industry, having beaten out rival Dell in2006 in terms of market share. The company produces printers, digital cameras andservers, provides IT and consulting services, and makes networking products andsoftware to tie everything together. Its computers range from desktops and laptops tohandheld computers and calculators. Throughout the years, HP has acquired astring of smaller, startup businesses and moved into new markets such as graphicsrecorders, medical electronics and analytical instruments. The 2002 acquisition oflongtime competitor Compaq vaulted Hewlett-Packard into the upper echelon of high-tech companies, and the company also courted international customers by beginningto market itself in Canada, Japan and Europe. It founded HP Laboratories in 1966 toconduct basic research in the fields of physics, electronics and medical and chemicalinstruments. Hewlett-Packard is ranked No. 14 on the 2008 Fortune 500, andBusinessWeek recently ranked it No. 30 in the 2008 edition of InfoTech 100.

Loose lips sink ships (and computer chips)

Scandal rocked the boardrooms of HP when accusations of identity theft, pretexting(a form of identity theft that involves leaking personal information to phone companiesin exchange for phone records) and snitching surfaced in 2006. This culminated inCalifornia’s Attorney General looking into the matter and board members resigning leftand right. Ultimately, HP paid $14.5 million to settle the lawsuit brought by the stateof California. Of more pressing concern to the company, the settlement affects HP’sinternal conduct until 2011, stipulating changes such as the hiring of an expert toreview the company's investigations and board appointments.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Despite the scandal and intrigue, HP’s revenue increased and placed it as the worldleader of the technology market, surpassing IBM. Also, shareholders have impelledthe company to seek out ever larger growth opportunities. Therefore, HP is reducingits expenditures and moving into new business areas. The company began arestructuring program in late 2005 that called for the elimination of over 15,000 jobs.HP is also moving to reduce its number of data centers from 85 to six and has beenclosing or consolidating a number of other offices to reduce its real estate expenses.

The Gutenberg method

An established player in the consumer printer market, HP’s move to manufacturingprinters and copiers was a natural step. The company operates its printer division ona blade-and-razor business model, whereby printers are sold near cost, and ink





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cartridges make up the bulk of profits. In 2007, it acquired Tabblo, a company withtechnology that makes printing web pages easier, which should help sell morecanisters. The company isn’t just pinning its hopes on rivers of ink, however. Also in2007 it opened Neoview, its data warehousing service, which allows companies tokeep and analyze vast quantities of data.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Gone to Korea and back

Expanding its Korean connections, HP won a contract with the South KoreanShinhan Bank for technology solutions to help the bank manage its operations andmaximize business efficiency. The deal, priced at a hefty $50 million, has a sale-leaseback of Shinhan’s information technology assets as its centerpiece. Thebottom line is that HP will help the bank dispose of old assets in anenvironmentally friendly way by simplifying the lifecycle management process ofinformation technology.

On the home front, businesses that keep a lot of data can either forego keepingeverything or delete a portion of the data every few months or so to save space.Enter Virtual Array 6400 and 8400 from HP. Welcome to the HP revolution, wherethe company is pushing for changing how companies produce, allocate andconsume technology resources. The products are flexible enough to handle non-HP vendors, and storage capacity can be adjusted for how big (maybe a buildingfull of data?) or how small (OK, just a room) a virtual storage capacity is needed.HP hopes that these products reduce virtual waste and maximize efficiency, asaccess to and management of storage platforms can be easily achieved.

• February 2009: Coming out of the closet

After years of offering Sun operating systems on its servers, HP formallyannounced its partnership with Sun Microsystems. Going after Dell and IBM hasproved fruitful, and getting HP to formalize their relationship makes Sun's lineupof all the major server makers behind their operating system complete. HP is oneof Solaris' early supporters, and since the operating system is open source, HPcustomers who wish to run it can do so on their servers. This formalannouncement of partnership means that HP will offer support for Solaris-runsystems for a fee, and plans to improve how HP software interacts with Solaris isin the works.

• November 2008: Overtaking IBM

According to the IDC’s server report, HP dominated the market for the second yearrunning, cruising by with a comfortable 41.8 percent lead over competitor IBM’s 37.6percent market share. What’s more, it looks like HP is clinging strongly to its share ofthe market, bagging 37 percent of it based on revenue in the second quarter of 2008.




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• August 2008: Let the research begin!

There were no jabs about Dr. Frankenstein and Igor in HP's Innovation ResearchAwards from HP Labs. Researchers sifted through more than 450 proposals itreceived from universities across 28 countries to choose 41 recipients of researchgrants that could reach a maximum of $100,000, renewable for a total of threeyears. From human internet agents who could predict future events (a processcalled “prediction economy”) to quantum physics having the key to the nextgeneration of semiconductors, these 41 proposals came from a wide range ofknowledge bases and academics, with some submissions hailing from Russia andChina.

• July 2008: HP’s parting shot

Just because HP turned away from the digital camera market owing to its poorbusiness growth didn't mean that the company quit entirely. Apparently, HP stillhad an ace up its sleeve—an ace taken with a camera phone. Intellectual propertyrights to image processing algorithms have been licensed to Flextronics, acompany that makes electronic modules for cell phones. Flextronics incorporatesthe algorithm in their modules, and HP gets paid in royalties for licensing theirrights. If this venture proves successful, it might well be that HP becomessinglehandedly responsible for the push toward more realistic images taken with acamera phone. Those out in the market compromise quality for smaller lens sizeand maximum pixel ratio, but HP’s algorithm can create high-quality images out ofrelatively ordinary lens and pixels, perhaps leading the way for more products likedigital media players and gaming consoles to license HP's algorithm.

• May 2008: Breaking ground at home and abroad

HP and Foxconn, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of electronic products, formallystarted the construction of a manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg, Russia. Thefactory, a joint venture agreement to pour $50 million into Russia, is expected tochurn out up to 40,000 personal and commercial desktop PCs every month, onceit gains full working capacity. Russian demand is driving the project, according toHP, which has 10 offices in Russia and a research lab in St. Petersburg.

Back at home, HP’s first annual Photonic Interconnect Forum showed what wasbrewing in the company's R&D labs. Using silicon photonics (nanoimprintlithography) instead of metal connectors to connect blades, boards, chips andcores on the same chip is something HP has been working toward achieving. HPhopes that by 2009, it will have worked in concert with another company todevelop the first optical interconnect technology on a microchip. The invention, ifHP and its partners get around to making it, is going to be a lot more efficient thantraditional chip manufacturing. A complex microchip that usually takes 60 hoursto create could take just 30 minutes with the use of nanoimprint lithography,enabling HP to churn out more chips in its manufacturing plants in less time.





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What likely was the biggest news that quarter was HP acquiring Electronic DataSystems (EDS) for $25 per share, or $13.9 billion. This wasn’t the first time thatHP tries to snag a consulting firm; it made a bid for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in2000, but was forced to drop it due to the economy and protests from Wall Street.The acquisition might well put HP a little behind main competitor IBM in a marketyet to be entered by the company—the outsourcing and the services sector—sinceEDS already has an established presence in that industry.

• March 2008: Acquiring Tower Software

Tower, a document and records management software company based inCanberra, Australia, was in talks with HP about a prebid agreement for HP toacquire Tower. If the deal goes through, HP will add electronic recordsmanagement to its arsenal of products, which is just in time, what with the wraithof Enron still haunting corporate America and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act rules andregulations that companies must follow.

• February 2008: Waaay cooler than the Wii

Who would’ve thought that GPS had the potential to outwit the Nintendo Wii anddisplace it from wish lists everywhere? That’s what HP plans to do when it unveilsa business model for Mediascape, a platform developed by researchers workingwith their U.K. counterparts. Said senior researcher Patrick Goddi, Mediascape isgoing to transform gamers into “a mouse and a gamepad,” blurring the linebetween the physical and virtual worlds. The glue holding together the fragmentsof digital media and the real world is GPS, the user's mobile device and sensors.There’s a whole host of implications for this technology, if it graduates from theresearch lab and is manufactured for mass consumption. Blogging might be anew experience altogether, and the line “I’m in your base, pawning your dudes,”might just jump over to reality.

GETTING HIRED

Compute your options at HP

Hewlett-Packard’s careers site, located at h10055.www1.hp.com/jobsathp/content/home.asp?Lang=ENen&jumpid=hpr_R1002_USEN, provides information for newand experienced job seekers on company organization and culture, benefits and jobopenings.

HP is organized into five different groups: customer solutions (sales and customerservice), technology solutions (servers and other equipment for large businesses),personal systems (consumer goods), imaging and printing (printers and scanners),and HP Labs, the R&D arm of the company. The site also offers a fairly extensive listof common positions in the company, including sales, business development and




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engineering. Job openings are searchable by location, function and keyword; toapply, candidates must first create a profile. HP also offers opportunities for internsand recent graduates.

In the U.S., HP employees are given a budget with which to purchase benefits.Options include a 401(k) with company match, stock purchase plan and a retirementmedical savings account for medical expenses during the golden years. Employeescan also select between various health plan offerings, wellness programs, adoptionand tuition assistance and discounts on HP merchandise.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Submit your resume on an HP machine

Ready for your interview? An insider reports that “Questions are behavioral—forexample:…describe a time when you had to deal with an aggressive negotiator whowould not share necessary information with you? With follow-up questions like—would you change your approach in the future or how could you have improved thatinteraction?” “All I did was have a phone interview with the HR rep, then an in-personinterview with my direct manager and two peers,” says another source.

Chummy culture, and a lot of it

Culture at HP gets good marks, but many workers feel overwhelmed by the size of thecompany. “[We have the] ability to work from home, flexible hours, benefits uponstart date (which include matching pension, and flexible health plan, employeediscounts, etc.)…and a very teamwork-oriented culture,” sums up one respondent.“Culture is easygoing overall and the people are welcoming and friendly,” says a co-worker. “[We have] strong senior management…a keen focus on the future and[know] exactly what the competitors are doing,” boasts a sales contact. Others areless enthusiastic. One gripes about the “slow, bureaucratic processes. Of course,with a company the size of HP, bureaucracy is pervasive.” “The culture of this largeorganization results in easy anonymity...a sea of employees strolling long walkways injeans and tennis shoes on their way to places hidden by mazes of walls,” notes aformer intern.

However, size has its advantages, too. “Diversity is really good,” notes an insider.“Without question, one regularly sees employees from different cultures, ethnicities,and backgrounds,” concurs a co-worker. One contact reports that HP has a “verydiverse workforce.” Which is just as well, seeing as there are over 300,000 peopleworking for the company internationally. Another contact adds that HP pushes forsupporting differences in “gender, race and sexual orientation.”





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Hours are the source of many gripes: “60+-hour weeks are the order of the day,”notes one overworked respondent. Another co-worker agrees: “Long hours (50 to 55hours), too many meetings if you are in the business units.” Expect the daily grindto go on a while. “Opportunities for advancement are virtually nonexistent. Withconstant reorganizations, and downsizing, there is little room for career growth,” acontact points out. “No clear paths for advancement seem to exist, and so muchdepends on reorganization,” says another. “Political alliances are often the key toopportunity,” advises an insider.

There are some perks, though. “Dress code is officially business casual, although inmany offices you will likely see shorts, sneakers and T-shirts. Some habits die hard,”notes a member of the finance department. “The Houston HP campus has a greatgym with lunchtime classes and extended daytime operations. Most people, if theywanted to, can find the time for a workout in the gym and take part in the availablenutritional services and online healthy-living plans. The campus also has a three-mileenclosed, air-conditioned walkway with glass floor to ceiling walls that look out atextensive landscaping and beautiful trees. Many employees walk “the loop” duringlunch or as a break in the afternoon. Also, while local restaurants are available in allthe nearby strip malls, the campus itself has at least two cafeterias with pretty goodfood, from hand-tossed, made-to-order salads to traditional Tex-Mex and burgerentrées,” adds a source.

Rocking the boat

With the recent economic downturn though, some HP insiders are feeling the crunch.One insider reports that “gone is the everyday cheer that rules the day.” In fact, “theHP way,” a company slogan, has come to mean a place where work is no longer niceand friendly. “There is no security,” according to a contact.

Others complain about management. One respondent says “all that managementcares about is making their numbers and they treat employees like [L]egos or unitsof labor.” Promotions are apparently rare, according to one source, adding thatsometimes management doesn’t realize that they are turning quality people away withthe way they lead the team.




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HITACHI LTD.

6-6, Marunouchi 1-chome

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8280

Japan

Phone: +81-3-3258-1111

www.hitachi.com

LOCATIONS

Tokyo (HQ) • Basking Ridge, NJ •

Cupertino, CA • Dallas, TX • Farmington

Hills, MI • Harrodsburg, KY • Hillsboro, OR

• Lawrenceville, GA • Manchester, NH •

Norman, OK • Peoria, IL • Pleasanton, CA •

Roslyn Heights, NY • San Diego, CA • San

Jose, CA • Santa Clara, CA • Schaumburg,

IL • Torrance, CA • White Plains, NY •

Wixom, MI

Apodaca, Mexico • Bangalore • Calgary •

Cedex, France • Chengdu, China •

Chennai • Dalian, China • Duisburg,

Germany • Guangzhou • Hanoi • Hong

Kong • Jakarta • Kanagawa-Ken, Japan •

Kanata, Canada • Kuala Lumpur • Makati

City, Philippines • Manchester, United

Kingdom • Milan • Mississauga, Canada •

Mumbai • Munich • New Delhi • North

Ryde, Australia • Paris • Qingdao, China •

Shanghai • Shenzhen • Singapore • Xi'an

DEPARTMENTS

Approximately 97 different departments.

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: HIT


Representative Executive Officer,

Chairman, President & CEO: Takashi

Kawamura

2008 Employees: 389,752

2008 Revenue (¥ mil.): 11,226,735

2008 Income (¥ mil.): -58,125

KEY COMPETITORS

Fujitsu

Panasonic Corp.

Toshiba

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.hitachi.us/about/recruit/index.html

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THE SCOOP

Microchips and what have you

Hitachi, whose name means “rising sun,” is a major conglomerate in Japan, where itis involved in a wide variety of industries. Its interests include everything from siliconto copper wiring, cast iron and cast steel; electronics equipment and microchips;electric plants that derive power from nuclear, thermal or hydroelectric sources;elevators and escalators; and a slew of consumer products from cell phones to LCDscreens to white goods (domestic appliances). The company also provides logisticaland financial services. Sometimes called the General Electric of Japan, the companyis considered one of Japan’s five main electrical/electronics companies; the other fourare Fujitsu Limited, Toshiba Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and NECCorporation.

The dawn of Hitachi

Hitachi was founded in 1910 by Namihei Odaira as a repair shop for electricalequipment, but it soon moved to manufacturing small electric motors. A 1915 orderfor turbines provided a breakthrough for the company, and it moved from the fansthey were then making to bigger pursuits. Hitachi was incorporated in 1920 underthe name Kabushiki Kaisha Hitachi Seisakusho, and four years later it was producingelectric trains.

The company moved into the manufacture of elevators and refrigerators during the1930s, while the following decade saw an emphasis on heavier machinery, includinghydroelectric generators and construction equipment. In 1949, the company had itsIPO. In the 1950s, Hitachi added scientific pursuits to its diverse resume, turning outan award-winning electron microscope in 1958 and a computer in 1959. Thecompany built a nuclear reactor in 1961 and cars for a bullet train in 1964. Ten yearslater, the company opened a microchip manufacturing facility, and performedexperiments with nuclear fusion six years after that. In 1993, Hitachi came out witha new bullet train, with speeds topping out at 170 mph.

Lumbering giant

The 1980s and 1990s were tough on Hitachi, as the company was forced to weatheranother period of stagnant and even declining sales after the Japanese economicbubble burst in the late 1980s. Its profits dropped 71 percent from 1991 to 1994.Simply put, the company was still focused on mature industries that put a premiumon engineering and not on maximizing sales, and the Japanese economy was nothelping.


Hitachi Ltd.


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The Asian economy experienced a crisis starting in 1997 and Hitachi was eventuallyhit very hard, posting a loss of $3 billion in 1999. The company spent several of thefollowing years cutting jobs and restructuring operations in order to put the companyon a firmer financial footing. Despite these efforts, the company posted a loss againin 2002. In recent years, Hitachi has been attempting with more urgency tostreamline its operations and divest its less profitable sectors, and is pursuingopportunities in more profitable areas such as data storage, hard drives and car parts.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Hitachi to close Czech plasma TV plant

Hitachi announceD plans to close its plasma television manufacturing plant in theCzech Republic. The shutdown will cost 800 employees their jobs. Hitachi saidthat the plant did not meet promised quotas, and that orders for plasma screenshave dropped within the past six months.

• March 2009: Kawamura assumes top post

Takashi Kawamura has to bite the bullet after coming back to work as the newhead of Hitachi Ltd. as he is compelled to sell parts of a company he took part innurturing for 47 years. Along with Kawamura’s appointment, the company will alsoundergo a major shuffling of responsibilities, hoping to bounce back from a $7.1billion loss. Aside from internal restructuring, Hitachi will be a bit more pensive—as its reputation dictates—about its investors’ determination to ditch some of itspoorly performing businesses, such as its flat screen and semiconductor ventures.

• February 2009: Losses in third quarter

Hitachi reaffirmed its $7.8 billion annual loss forecast due to a reduced demandfor electronic products and its struggling chip operations. The loss was said to bethe biggest ever by a Japanese company. Hitachi’s proposed save would be lettinggo of unprofitable businesses, shutting down plants and internal restructuring,attempts that are foreseen to cut ¥200 billion in fixed costs by March 2010. “It'shard to foresee the future these days, and the only thing we can do in such timesis to cut fixed costs and try to generate cash flow,” Hitachi Senior Vice PresidentToyoaki Nakamura said.

• January 2009: Big chunks

Hitachi Ltd. declared a ¥16.2 billion budget for the acquisition of the majority ofmachine tool maker Hitachi Koki and ¥10.5 billion chip-making equipmentmanufacturer Hitachi Kokusai.


Hitachi Ltd.



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• December 2008: Entering solid-state memory business with Intel

Hitachi and U.S. chip maker, Intel will be working hand in hand to developpotential hard disk drive successors called solid-state drive (SSD) memory devices.This indicates a strategic shift by Hitachi since the company, until now, has notcommitted to SSD technology. The agreement states that the SSDs manufacturedwill be developed by both companies while Hitachi covers the marketing, with thefirst batch to be shipped in 2010. Hitachi said that the SSDs would cater tobusinesses, mainly as servers and computer storage systems and that it would notfollow Toshiba in manufacturing SSDs for laptops and consumer-basedapplications.

• September 2008: Flat TVs taking a backseat

Flat screen TVs will be taking a back seat as Hitachi decided to cut down onplasma panels and to purchase them from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., asthe company hopes to reduce losses from its flat TV production. Analysts said thatHitachi’s move to purchase plasma panels from Matsushita might be thecompany’s way of slowly withdrawing from the flat screen TV business. Thecompany has been grappling for three years from flat screen TV losses and still hasto face fierce price competition from Sony, Sharp, Samsung and LG.

• July 2008: Hard drives bring home $50 million in bacon

Hitachi’s hard drive operations raked in $53 million for the company from April toJune, compared to the $174 million loss it incurred the year before. Thecompany’s hard drive success is its third straight quarterly profit. Hitachi’s harddrives compete with Seagate Technology and Western Digital Corp.

• March 2008: Hitachi acquires financial services consulting firm

Hitachi’s consulting company, Hitachi Consulting, has acquired JMN Associates, aleading provider of consulting services to the financial services, real estate andinsurance industries. San Francisco-based JMN provides business andtechnology strategy, process improvement, organizational change, projectmanagement and regulatory compliance services to its clients. Michael Travis,president and CEO of Hitachi Consulting, believed that this move by Hitachi willplay an integral part in Hitachi’s future growth. He also added, “We feel the JMNteam brings us the critical skills, experience, and clients to enrich our offerings forthe U.S. financial services industry.”


Hitachi Ltd.


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GETTING HIRED

Add some sun to your career

Hitachi provides a directory of its subsidiaries’ careers sites atwww.hitachi.us/about/recruit/index.html. Of particular interest are Hitachi America,Ltd. (the headquarters in North America for parent Hitachi, Ltd.); Hitachi ComputerProducts America, which is involved in the production of printed circuit boards;Hitachi Software Engineering America; Renesas, a joint venture between Hitachi andMitsubishi for the production of microchips; Hitachi Data Systems; Hitachi ElectronicDevices and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.

These divisions’ careers sites provide information on job openings and benefits, whichgenerally include health insurance, paid vacation and a 401(k). Applicants cansubmit their resumes and cover letters to the indicated email address on each site.


Hitachi Ltd.



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HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.

2 Zihyou Street

Tucheng City, Taiwan 236

Taiwan

Phone: +886-2-2268-3466

www.foxconn.com.tw

LOCATIONS

Tucheng City, Taiwan (HQ)

Cypress, CA

Fullerton, CA

Harrisburg, PA

Santa Clara, CA

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: 2317

Stock Exchange: TPE

CEO: Terry Gou

2008 Employees: 200,000

KEY COMPETITORS

ASUSTeK

Flextronics

Jabil

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.foxconn.com/guide.html


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THE SCOOP

The source for outsource

Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry is the major player in consumer electronicscontract manufacturing sector; out-earning most of its closest competitors (andcustomers) by several billion dollars annually. The company makes parts forcomputers and communications devices (mainly cell phones) and other consumerelectronics. Its areas of expertise include heat transfer and wireless technology.Currently, the company is exploring options in nanotechnology and environmentallyfriendly manufacturing. Its customers include Apple, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard,Nokia and Sony. In 2008, Hon Hai Precision Industry ranked 17th onBusinessWeek's InfoTech 100 list, and Terry Gou (with a net worth of $6 billion) wasranked third by Forbes magazine's Taiwan's 40 Richest.

Knobs and buttons

Hon Hai Plastics Corporation was born to make television parts in Taiwan in 1974,although it shortly thereafter changed its name to Hon Hai Precision Industry. In1981, the company’s founder Terry Gou (a/k/a Kuo Tai-ming) shifted the company’sfocus to computers and adopted the trade name Foxconn (although Hon HaiPrecision Industry is the company's legal name; adding to the confusion, the firm hastwo publicly traded subsidiaries, Foxconn International and Foxconn Technology Co.).The rechristened company’s first order of business was to begin making plasticconnectors for the rapidly growing PC industry. In 1982, the company startedfabricating wires to go between its connectors. Hon Hai went public in 1991; fiveyears later, it moved into the manufacture of computer cases for such clients as HPand IBM. Although the company attracted criticism for its secrecy and lack offinancial transparency, within another five years it was Taiwan’s leading private sectorcomputer company.

Inside the iPhone

In early 2007, Apple announced the impending arrival of the iPhone, its all-singing,all-dancing, wireless-internet enabled cell-phone/iPod combo. The device, whichwent on sale in June 2007, engendered demented levels of anticipation among Applefans. Hon Hai Precision industry has the inside line on all this—literally; itmanufactures the electronic guts of the iPhone, and has ramped up its productionlines.





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IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: A better outlook for 2009?

Hon Hai expects a profitable year in 2009, despite the constant drop in sales dueto the global economic downturn. “We definitely won't lose money this year,”Chairman Terry Gou tells the press. “We need to look at the longer term ratherthan quarter by quarter.” However, he did not specify if his outlook applied to theTaiwan-listed Hon Hai Precision Industry, or its parent, the unlisted Hon HaiGroup.

• January 2009: Increasing its capital

Hon Hai Precision revealed its plans to increase capital by issuing up to $650million in global depositary receipts (GDRs). According to an announcement tothe Taiwan Stock Exchange, the company said it plans to issue no more than 370million ordinary shares for a GDR offering. Hon Hai's shares dropped moresharply than the broader market, as the company endures increasing costs inChina.

• December 2008: Cutting down

Hon Hai said it has plans to cut its global workforce by 3 to 5 percent as theeconomic slowdown worsens more than expected. “The worst has not come yet,”Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou said in a statement. Hon Hai employs more than400,000 worldwide.

• October 2008: A weaker third quarter

Hon Hai reported a drop in net profit for the third quarter compared to a year ago.The company posts a net profit of T$17.82 billion ($540 million), against T$19.87billion of third quarter 2007. The company is silent about the reasons for the fall.On the other hand, a Reuters article says Hon Hai’s third quarter result was stillhigher than the expected T$16.74 billion profit, based on analyst surveys.

• June 2008: EU gives the go signal

The European Commission gave the green light to Hon Hai Precision to buyelectronics company Sanmina-SCI Corp.’s Szekesfehervar, Hungary andGuadalajara, Mexico, plants. The $80 million to $90 million deal involves EMS,including the design and testing of electronic parts and assemblies for largecomputer makers, as well as handling returns and repair services. Thecommission said the purchase “would not change significantly the position ofFoxconn on the EMS market.”




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GETTING HIRED

Looking for a Fox Hole?

Prepared to realize your Foxconnian ambitions? The company’s careers site providesa list of job opportunities searchable by location. At press time, Hon Hai PrecisionIndustries seemed to be searching for managers (in the fields of R&D, qualitymanagement, production and planning, operations, purchasing, supply chain,marketing and human resources) who are fluent in Chinese and are willing to work inand around China. Interested candidates can email their resume, stating the desiredposition, to [email protected].





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IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS, INC.

70 Valley Stream Parkway

Malvern, PA 19355-0989

Phone: (610) 296-8000

www.ikon.com

LOCATIONS

Malvern, PA (HQ)

Gadsden, AL • Hoover, AL• Huntsville, AL •

Mobile, AL • Montgomery, AL

Aarhus N., Denmark • Aberdeen •

Amsterdam • Barcelona • Barrie, Canada •

Bellshill, United Kingdom • Bristol, United

Kingdom • Brockville, Canada • Burnaby,

Canada • Calgary, Canada • Cardiff •

Coulsdon, United Kingdom • Dartmouth

(Halifax), Canada • Dublin • Düsseldorf •

Edmonton • Enfield, United Kingdom •

Exeter, United Kingdom • Fort McMurray,

Canada • Fort St. John, Canada • Frankfurt

• Gateshead, United Kingdom • Geneva •

Grande Prairie, Canada • Hagen, Germany

• Hamburg • Hannover, Germany •

Inverness, United Kingdom • Kelowna,

Canada • Kitchener, Canada • Koblenz,

Germany • Laval, Canada • Leeds Leipzig,

Germany • Lethbridge, Canada •

Lloydminster, Canada • London, Canada •

London, United Kingdom • Maidstone,

United Kingdom•Manchester, United

Kingdom•Mannheim •Mexico City •Milan

•Mississauga, Canada•Moncton,

Canada•Montreal •Munich •Munster,

Germany

DEPARTMENTS

lAdministration

Customer Service/Support

Executive Management

Finance

Global Strategy & Communications

Human Resources


Legal

Operations

Sales/Marketing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: IKN


President & COO: Jeffrey W. Hickling

Chairman & CEO: Matthew J. Espe


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 4,166.6

2008 Income ($ mil.): 91.3

KEY COMPETITORS

Canon

HP

Ricoh

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.ikonrecruiting.com/ikon/jobboard/searc

hjobs.aspx


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THE SCOOP

Princes of print

IKON Office Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ricoh Americas Corp., is theworld’s largest independent distributor of copier and printer technologies andservices. IKON offers systems from its mother company, leading manufacturers likeCanon and HP, as well as the industry’s broadest portfolio of document managementservices. The company has a worldwide team of service professionals who offerassistance with everything from on-site copy and mailroom management to off-siteoutsourcing of document services.

IKON was originally the office supplies distribution division of a conglomerate knownas Alco Standard; the division was spun off in 1997 and renamed IKON OfficeSolutions. Shortly before the spin-off, IKON began an aggressive acquisition spree in1996 to expand its position in the IT and high-end office technology markets. By1998, IKON had swallowed up roughly 200 companies and gained an enviablemarket position with 1,100 copier and office technology sales centers in NorthAmerica and Europe. IKON had the second-largest network of its kind, behind Xerox.

Although it had many profitable enterprises by the summer of 1998, IKON wassaddled with debt and many of its distributors were performing poorly. To compoundthe company’s financial problems, its investors filed a lawsuit claiming that IKONallegedly manipulated its books to finance its acquisition spree. IKON chose to settlewith its investors for $111 million rather than go to court.

In 2006, IKON reported revenue of $4.2 billion, with a profit of $106 million. Thesefinancial results were mostly the product of prudent cost-cutting measures. Revenueactually decreased 3 percent, or by $15 million, year-by-year, while profit increasedby $46 million. It seemed that IKON was heading towards financial solvency whenthe merger with Ricoh was finalized in October 2008.

IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: Enter world-class firms

IKON has been selected by leading international law firm Fried, Frank, Harris,Shriver & Jacobson LLP to deliver a comprehensive enterprise managementsolution for the firm’s New York and Washington, D.C., offices. IKON will leverageits portfolio of comprehensive document management technologies and on-sitemanaged services, including IKON Service ExcellenceSM and the IKON TRACSolutionSM.


IKON Office Solutions, Inc.



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• December 2008: Introducing RICOH Pro C900

IKON announced the addition of the RICOH Pro C900 digital color printer to itsproduction portfolio. The RICOH Pro C900 redefines industry standards in theproduction print marketplace, with consistent 1200 dpi color output coupled with90ppm speed, along with extensive workflow solutions and finishing options at anaffordable price.

• October 2008: Ricoh completes acquisition of IKON

Ricoh Co., Ltd., completed the acquisition of IKON for $1.6 billion. Thetransaction was done through Ricoh’s wholly owned U.S. distribution subsidiary,Ricoh Americas Corp. Pursuant to the merger agreement, former shareholders ofIKON will receive $17.25 in cash for each share of IKON common stock.

• September 2008: Going legal

IKON forms IKON Legal Enterprise Solutions, a strategic group that will leveragethe company’s full portfolio of document management technologies, on-site andoff-site managed services, and a comprehensive set of litigation support servicesto best meet the needs of law firms and corporate counsel.

• May 2008: Redeeming its worth

IKON announced that it will redeem for cash the remaining $100 million inaggregate principal amount of its Senior Unsecured Floating Rate Notes due 2012.The redemption price will be 100 percent of the principal amount, plus accruedand unpaid interest up to, but not including, the redemption date of June 30,2008. As a result of this redemption and the redemption of $50 million on May 7,2008, the company will incur an approximate $5.7 million loss from the earlyextinguishment of debt in the third quarter of fiscal 2008, ending June 30, 2008.

• May 2008: For service excellence and more

VHA Inc., a national health care alliance, awarded its 2008 Leadership Award forService Excellence to IKON. The company, along with four others, was recognizedfor its outstanding contributions, support and commitment in helping VHAmembers achieve their supply chain goals. Candidates for the 2008 VHALeadership Award for Service Excellence are recommended and selected based onsales interactions with VHA members, overall customer satisfaction, andresponsiveness to VHA staff and members.

• May 2008: Best in Canada

The STAPLES Business Depot in Canada presented IKON with its Best CategoryManagement for Business Services award at the Staples Global Conference.STAPLES Business Depot honored IKON with the award for the IKON WebPrint, aweb-based print ordering and workflow solution that provides the backbone ofSTAPLES Business Depot’s online print procurement system.




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• March 2008: Efficiency is key

The company launched the IKON WebPrint, an ASP web-to-print solution forcopy/print center operators. The solution is designed to make print order anddelivery more efficient and cost-effective. Because the IKON WebPrint is hostedby IKON and accessed via a web browser, there is no hardware to buy and nosoftware upgrades are needed.

IKON WebPrint allows print operators to see order summaries and track jobs, anda production audit trail helps to measure and manage performance. Customerscan modify or cancel orders at the click of a button, saving time and potentialconfusion, and can check a project’s status online, thereby reducing phone callsand interruptions to the print center and further improving productivity.

• November 2007: Payback time

IKON announced that its board of directors has approved the repurchase of $500million of its common stock. IKON intends to repurchase up to $295 million of itscommon stock through a modified “Dutch Auction” self-tender offer at a price ofnot less than $13 per share or more than $15 per share. The minimum tenderprice represents a premium of approximately 21 percent over IKON’s closing stockprice of $10.77.

• September 2007: E&I-KON partnership

IKON entered an agreement with E&I Cooperative Purchasing, the United States’largest buying cooperative for higher education, to provide document managementsolutions and services to its members—more than 1,500 tax-exempt colleges,universities, prep schools, hospitals, medical research institutions and hospitalpurchasing organizations.

Because of the agreement, E&I members in the United States can now haveaccess to contracted pricing on IKON document management solutions andservices, including IKON’s full portfolio of Canon products, which includes copiers,printers, color systems, scanners and fax machines. In addition, E&I memberscan now utilize IKON’s Professional Services “to assess their document workflowand provide a blueprint for improving efficiency and managing costs.”

GETTING HIRED

Have a career at an industry IKON

IKON-ic hopefuls can click their way over to IKON’s careers page, located atwww.ikon.com/careers/default.asp. There, they will find information about benefits,training, diversity and, naturally, job openings. Open positions are searchable bykeyword, part- or full-time schedule, category and location. To apply for a position,candidates must first fill out a web-based form.





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IKON’s benefits include health, dental and life insurance, flexible spending accountsfor medical expenses and day care, a retirement savings plan with companymatching, an employee stock purchase program and tuition reimbursement.

IKON has been hailed as one of America’s Most Admired Companies by Fortunemagazine and was included as one of the 50 Best Companies To Sell For by SellingPower magazine. IKON’s training programs are also highly regarded, as it was namedto Training Magazine’s Top 100 for the fourth year in a row in 2006. The company isalso committed to supporting diversity and was named to DiversityInc’s Top 50Companies for Diversity in 2006 in recognition of its efforts in this arena.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Interviews left and right

IKON’s recruiting process usually consists of a phone interview by the company’s HRpersonnel, an interview with the potential boss and an interview with a potential co-worker. An insider relates, “My interview process involved a telephone interview as ascreening call. This interview pretty much focused on my general background–education, experience, why I wanted to change jobs, etc. The next interview was withmy direct supervisor and one of my future co-workers.”

There are indicators, however, that the hiring process most often depends on thedepartment and manager involved. An exasperated source who was interviewed fora supervisor position, for example, went through several rounds of interviews. Thesource reported, “I had one telephone interview with the recruiter. I also had toanswer a list of questions via email. Then, I had a face-to-face interview with therecruiter. Next I had an interview with two managers. After that, I had to come backfor another interview with a different manager. The interviews consisted of the usualbehavioral questions–nothing out of the ordinary. It just seemed a bit much to haveto interview so many times for the position.”

Another source had a much easier experience, “I applied for the role. Interviewedapproximately 15 days later via telephone. I was offered the job about two days laterand started about seven days later.”

Flat-lining professional growth

The general attitude among IKON-ic respondents is dismay. Most insiders like thecasual atmosphere in the workplace, but this is negated by perceived inadequatecompensation, unfairness, wrong business processes and zero chance forprofessional growth.




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A recruiting specialist in the company states, “The work culture is pretty laid-back.The idea is that you manage your business. This can easily be done from thecomforts of your own home.”

A supervisor, meanwhile, complains about the discrepancy of workload betweendepartments, “The company seems to focus their work/life balance efforts on hourlyemployees and upper management. Hourly employees enjoy flexible schedules,including four-day workweeks. Upper management has the option to work fromhome occasionally. Supervisors, instead, are expected to work long hours in the officeand take their laptops home with them to work even more.”

The supervisor adds, “Opportunities for advancement are better in some departmentsthan others. However, in other departments, people remain in the same position foryears before advancing (if ever). There is not a clear, consistent path foradvancement.”

A CSR answers, “It’s a good firm to work for if you don’t have a higher degree ofeducation. You do scanning, printing, faxing. People are friendly and treat you fairly.Population is very diversified–people from different countries, with disabilities,different ages. There is some advancement available, but due to the limited numberof jobs done by the company, there is not much space to grow. You can move fromfaxes to scanning, which is considered advancement, but from there–basicallynowhere.”

A key accounts representative griped, “The dress code, hours and diversity wasawesome! My colleagues were beautiful. Everything else was terrible. Managementhas no concern for the atmosphere or morale of the employees. Promotions arebased upon who you get in good with or how much kissing up you do.”

Salary and incentives

The annual pay increase in IKON in recent years is 2.5 to 3 percent according to thesurvey. A financial support analyst says, “The base salary was $56,650 which reflectsa 3 percent increase over last year’s salary. The position was a pay grade 10, whichstandardizes the year-end bonus. The bonus for grade 10 is up to 12 percent,dependent on company performance. In 2008, the bonus was 90 percent of 12percent or 10.8 percent of the 2008 salary. Vacation time for employees less thanfive years in service is two weeks. A third week comes at the five-year mark. Thecompany offers tuition reimbursement based on grades.”

A supervisor explains that, even before the U.S. economy fell in 2008, “IKON is doingOK in terms of staying afloat during these tough economic times. To stay afloat, thecompany has delayed merit increases, decreased bonuses for senior leaders, cutback on travel, and laid off employees. The company will weather this economicstorm, but may do so by slimming down expenses and human capital.”





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An insider reports, months after the acquisition, “The company was acquired byRicoh in November 2008. The company is restructuring to become more efficientand there will be some jobs cut due to the realignment. People on the corporate levelare still wrestling with multiple taskings due to the restructuring so there is someapprehension about what the end result is going to be. Ricoh is solidly positioned tosucceed in the industry if the economy recovers in the next year, but this may be arough year for profits if the economy stays down for long.”




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INGRAM MICRO INC.

251

1600 E. St. Andrew Place

P.O. Box 25125

Santa Ana, CA 92799-5125

Phone: (714) 566-1000

www.ingrammicro.com

LOCATIONS

Santa Ana, CA (HQ)

Buffalo, NY • Carol Stream, IL • Dallas, TX

• Harrisburg, PA • Jonestown, PA •

Memphis, TN • Miami, FL • Millington, TN •

Mira Loma, CA • Williamsville, NY

Adelaide, Australia • Anahuac, Mexico •

Barcelona • Birkerod, Denmark • Budapest

• Cham, Switzerland • Christchurch •

Eastwood, Australia • Heerlen, Netherlands

• Kista, Sweden • Kowloon, Hong Kong •

Matraville, Australia • Melbourne • Milton

Keynes, United Kingdom • Montreal •

Mumbai • Munich • North Shore City, New

Zealand • Osborne Park, Australia • Oslo •

Perth • Rosebery, Australia • São Paulo,

Brazil • Settala, Italy • Shatin, Hong Kong •

Singapore • Toowong, Australia • Toronto •

Vancouver • Vantaa, Finland • Vienna •

Vilvoorde, Belgium • Wellington, New

Zealand • Wiri, New Zealand

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

phx.corporate-

ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=98566&p=irol-

aboutIMCareers

DEPARTMENTS

Business Development • Channel Marketing

• Corporate Communications • Corporate

Strategy • Data capture & Point-of-Sale

Division • Finance & Accounting •

Government & Education Sales • Human

Resources • Information Technology & e-

Commerce • Investor Relations • Legal

Affairs • Marketing • Marketing

Communications • Media & Community

Relations • Sales & Vendor Management

Services • Strategic Divisions • Strategy &

Communications

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: IM


President & COO: Alain Monié

CEO: Gregory M. Spierkel


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 34,362.2

2008 Income ($ mil.): -394.9

KEY COMPETITORS

Arrow

Synnex Corporation

Tech Data

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THE SCOOP

IT products for the whole family

Ingram Micro Inc. is the world’s largest technology distributor and a leadingtechnology sales, marketing and logistics company. As a vital link in the technologyvalue chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors andresellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics services, technicalsupport, financial services and product distribution. It ranked No. 69 on the 2008Fortune 500 list.

Since its beginnings, Ingram Micro has connected technology solution providers withvendors worldwide, identifying markets and technologies that shape the IT industry.In 1979, the husband-and-wife team of Geza Czige and Lorraine Mecca foundedMicro D. Ingram Industries became a majority stockholder of Micro D in February1986 when it acquired all common stock held by the company’s founders and thenall remaining Micro D shares in March 1989. The combined company, which isbased in Santa Ana, Calif., was renamed Ingram Micro at that point.

Micro-expansion

By 1993, Ingram Micro had expanded to Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asiathrough a series of acquisitions, and it became a publicly traded company three yearslater, listing its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2005, the company madeits foray into the world of consumer electronics by acquiring AVAD, a privately heldalliance of 12 companies distributing high-tech home goods like LCD TVs andcomputers for media and gaming. In 2006, the company acquired SymTech Nordic,a provider of AIDC and RFID equipment, as part of its global strategy to expand intoadjacent technologies.

In 2007, Ingram Micro expanded further in the consumer electronics sphere with itsacquisition of DBL Distributing for $96 million. DBL Distributing is a $300 million-per-year company specializing in the fast-growing market for consumer electronics.It primarily distributes about 17,000 products to independent retailers, and givesIngram a leg up in the consumer market.

At present, Ingram Micro provides customizable services for order management andfulfillment, contract manufacturing, contract warehousing, product procurement,product pack out and cartonization, reverse logistics, transportation management,customer care, credit and collection management services, and other value chainservices. The company serves 150 countries and is the only global IT distributor withoperations in Asia.


Ingram Micro Inc.


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Restructuring of Nordic operations

Ingram Micro announced that it will restructure operations in the Nordic countriesto position the company for greater profitability. Through the restructuringprogram, the supplier will focus its broad-based distribution operations on theSwedish market while further developing its data capture/point-of-sale (DC/POS)business in four Nordic countries. The restructuring will entail the sale of IngramMicro's broad-based distribution business in Denmark, and the closure of thecompany's broad-based distribution businesses in Finland and Norway.

• March 2009: POS portfolio expanded

The company expanded its business relationship with IT leader Elo TouchSystems,a business of Tyco Electronics Corp., to include North America. Under the termsof the new distribution agreement, the Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS Divisionwill support, market and resell the complete line of Elo TouchSystems touchmonitor products including LCD touch monitors, touch computers and customsolutions to channel partners throughout North America.

• February 2009: Company bags distinguished IBM Tivoli VAD

Ingram Micro earned the IBM Tivoli VAD for overall contribution as a value-addeddistribution partner (VAD). The award, which recognized Ingram Micro U.S. for itsrevenue growth and ongoing commitment to teaming and business partnership,was presented to Ingram Micro during IBM's Pulse 2009 conference.

At the same time, the company announced that Ingram Micro’s Digital SignageDivision has expanded its alliance with BroadSign International Inc., a leadingworldwide provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for managing digital signagenetworks, to deliver the IT channel's first digital signage deployment kits supportedby ongoing managed services.

• December 2008: Micro portal for mobile solutions launched

IGNITION, an online activation portal designed exclusively for IT solution providerswho sell wireless activations as part of their mobile solutions, was launched byIngram Micro. IGNITION is free to Ingram Micro channel partners. The new portalmakes it easier for IT solution providers to manage commissions and activatewireless carrier services from the industry's major carriers including AT&T andSprint. Support for Verizon Wireless is underway.

• August 2008: Giving back to Mother Earth

Ingram Micro launched a service to help resellers easily identify "green" electronicproducts. EPEAT=(Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool), managedby the nonprofit Green Electronics Council, is an environmental rating system thatevaluates desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on 51 environmentalperformance criteria. Ingram Micro North America's product database now


Ingram Micro Inc.



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includes EPEAT ratings information—rankings of Bronze, Silver or Gold—alongwith other product data to enable resellers to easily identify environmentallypreferable computer products.

GETTING HIRED

Catalog your options at Ingram Micro

Aspiring employees can point their browsers to phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=98566&p=irol-aboutIMCareers, the online home of IngramMicro careers. The site provides information about careers in the 39 countries inwhich the company keeps offices. Available positions can be sorted by function,location and keyword. To apply to a posting, candidates must first create a profile.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Sources say that Ingram Micro is tops when it comes to pay, incentives and in-housetraining opportunities. “Salary was very good and more than I probably would havemade in a similar role at another company. The annual bonuses are also very good.Benefits, perks and PTO were also very good. No complaints about thesalary/benefits package,” says an insider. “There are a variety of developmentalopportunities for employees if you want to pursue them. They offer Six Sigmatraining, management training, other in-house training classes that are very good—that is definitely a strength of the company,” says another contact.

However, the culture can be “very cutthroat” and only highly competitive types mayfit in well. “Overall, I would describe the corporate culture (at least in the Buffalooffice) as being very conservative, uptight and competitive. While a lot of people werenice, there was definitely an ‘air’ of competition amongst colleagues, particularly atthe management level,” says an insider assigned to human resources. “For someonewho is very competitive and likes a cutthroat culture, this would be a good fit,” thesource adds.


Ingram Micro Inc.


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INTEGRAL SYSTEMS, INC.

5000 Philadelphia Way

Lanham, MD 20706-4417

Phone: (301) 731-4233

Fax: (301) 731-9606

www.integ.com

LOCATIONS

Lanham, MD (HQ)

Chantilly, VA

Colorado Springs, CO

El Segundo, CA

Toulouse, France

DEPARTMENTS

Commercial Division

Government Division

Human Resources

New Business Development & Technology

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ISYS


Chairman: John M. Albertine

CEO & Director: John B. Higginbotham

2008 Employees: 569

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 160.2

2008 Income ($ mil.): 18.2

KEY COMPETITORS

General Dynamics Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.integ.com/careers

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THE SCOOP

Keep your eyes on the sky

While they may be hundreds of miles from Earth, satellites are never far from the“mind” of Integral Systems Incorporated. The company provides software andhardware that allows satellites to send data to ground-based systems, includingtelemetry and automatically generated information about the statuses of onboardsystems. The technology isn’t a one-way street, either, as it lets satellites receivecommands about orbit adjustments from down below as well. Integral Systems’ aceup its sleeve is its flexible software, which can talk to a variety of satellites, as opposedto other satellite-control software, which must be built from scratch for each device.The majority of Integral’s business, about 82 percent in 2008, came from the U.S.government.

1982: A space odyssey

The company was founded in 1982 and went public in 1988. Integral developed itsone-size-fits-all approach to satellite control during the early 1990s, and its businesstook off. The company opened a European office in Toulouse, France, in 2001, andacquired a number of companies involved in its industry in the following years. In2002, Integral picked up a software company specializing in data processing andanother involved in satellite communications, and it purchased satellite-related assetsfrom Jackson & Tull the next year. The company has supported more than 205different satellite missions for communications, science, meteorological and Earthresource applications. It was the first company to offer an integrated suite ofcommercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software products for satellite command and control:the EPOCH integrated product suite (IPS).

Integral had $116 million revenue in 2006. The company continued to perform welland had more than $160 million revenue in 2008 despite constant changes in theCEO position. It was one of Forbes’ Top 200 Small Companies in America in 2008.

Integral is now under the helm of John B. Higginbotham, who joined the company inJuly 2008. Previously, he was the founder and former managing general partner ofSpaceVest Capital (now Redshift Ventures). He was formerly chairman, now directoremeritus, of the Space Foundation, a premier nonprofit organization supporting spaceactivities, space professionals and education.


Integral Systems, Inc.


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Mitsubishi selects EPOCH

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. selected Integral Systems' EPOCH Integrated ProductSuite (IPS) to support its DS2000 satellite platform, including all required telemetryand command processing, memory management and orbit analysis. Uponcompletion of the effort, Integral Systems' EPOCH IPS will provide a highly precise,integrated environment for DS2000 satellite operations and mission analysis.

In its government dealings, Integral was awarded a $1.1 million contract option tocomplete the modernization of the Polar Acquisition and Control Subsystem(PACS) command, control and communications ground system for the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). PACS, originally built anddelivered by Integral, has provided automated control of NOAA's polar satellite fleetfor over 15 years.

• February 2009: Buying satID IP

Integral purchased intellectual property and other assets relating to the satIDproduct line from U.K.-based QinetiQ Group PLC. Satellite operators around theworld use satID to geolocate the source of satellite interferers, jammers andunauthorized users to ensure quality of satellite service. Integral Systems utilizesthe satID capability in the RAIDRS program for the U.S. Air Force and otherIntegral Systems offerings. The satID product line and services will become a partof Integral Systems' Space Communications group.

• November 2008: Ground support

A European subsidiary of the company inked a yearly renewable deal to supportthe Polar Mission Control System (MCS) over the next 15 years with the EuropeanOrganisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), anintergovernmental organization with 21 member countries. Integral alsoannounced a contract with the French National Space Agency to provide telemetryand communications support for the Venus satellite. In concert with NewpointTechnologies, another Integral subsidiary, the company plans to manage andmonitor satellite flight, and handle communications between the ground stationand the satellite.

• May 2008: Canada calling

In partnership with Telesat, Canada’s national satellite communications company,Integral completed the initial phase of support activities for satellite fleetoperations. Satellites from Loral Skynet were added to Telesat’s count: 11satellites operated for Telesat and 14 satellites were run for other parties, makingTelesat the fourth-largest commercial fixed satellite services provider in the world.





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GETTING HIRED

Take your career higher

Integral’s bare-bones careers pages, at www.integ.com/employment.html, provide alist of open positions with accompanying job descriptions. Job seekers may chooseto send their resumes to [email protected] or apply online by creating an onlineprofile. At the time Vault visited the site, there were a number of open positions inengineering, systems administration, accounting and the legal department.




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INTEL CORPORATION

2200 Mission College Boulevard


Phone: (408) 765-8080

www.intel.com

LOCATIONS


Acton, MA • Albuquerque, NM • Aloha, OR

• Annapolis Junction, MD • Austin, TX •

Beaverton, OR • Bellevue, WA • Berkeley,

CA • Bloomington, MN • Blue Bell, PA •

Boca Raton, FL • Cambridge, MA • Cary,

NC • Champaign, IL • Chandler, AZ •

Chantilly, VA • Colorado Springs, CO •

Columbia, SC • Dallas, TX • Danbury, CT •

Dupont, WA • El Segundo, CA •

Farmington Hills, MI • Folsom, CA • Fort

Collins, CO • Fremont, CA • Herndon, VA •

Hillsboro, OR • Houston, TX • Hudson, MA

• Indianapolis, IN • Irvine, CA • Lafayette,

CO • Lakewood, CO • Milpitas, CA •

Nashua, NH • New York, NY • Norcross,

GA • Oakbrook Terrace, IL • Phoenix, AZ •

Pittsburgh, PA • Raleigh, NC • Rio Rancho,

NM • Riverton, UT • Rockton, IL • San

Diego, CA • Santa Ana, CA • Schaumburg,

IL • Scottsdale, AZ • Seattle, WA •

Washington, DC • Wexford, PA •

Woodbridge, NJ

119 International Locations.

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Engineering Facilities & Site

Services • Enterprise Services •


Technology • Legal • Manufacturing &

Supply Chain • Marketing •

Materials/Planning/Purchasing •

Professional Services • Public Affairs • Sales

• Security/Safety

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: INTC


Chairman: Craig R. Barrett

President & CEO: Paul S. Otellini


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 37,586

2008 Income ($ mil.): 5,292

KEY COMPETITORS

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Sony Corporation

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.intel.com/jobs

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THE SCOOP

The best chips you’ll never taste

Not only is Intel the world’s leading manufacturer of semiconductors, it has alsobecome one of the world’s best recognized high-tech brands. For a company thatsells the vast majority of its products to other businesses, rather than to consumers,such widespread name recognition is unusual. But the company’s marketing effortshave paid off, causing consumers to actively seek out products that advertise theirIntel insides.

Intel was founded in 1968 by three legendary electrical engineers: Robert Noyce,Gordon Moore and Andy Grove, all former employees of Fairchild Semiconductor.The company’s first products were dynamic random access memory (DRAM) anderasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) memory chips. It unveiled theworld’s first microprocessor, the 4004, in 1971 to run Busicom scientific calculators.By the 1980s, Intel’s processor chips had become powerful enough to spawn thepersonal computer (PC) industry. IBM chose the company’s 8088 chip to power itsfirst PC in 1981.

The 286 processor developed by Intel in 1982 was the first that was backwardcompatible with software written for older chips. This compatibility, along with Intel’sdecision to license the design to other semiconductor manufacturers, helped makethe x86 architecture an industry standard. In 1991, the company began to stress theimportance of its chips for computer performance, and introduced the “Intel inside”logo.

Leap years ahead

Intel started varying its offerings beyond PCs in 1999. It unveiled prototype versionsof its 64-bit Itanium processor, designed for enterprise-class, high-end servers.However, the product was beset with manufacturing problems, and the full-scaleItanium rollout did not occur until 2001. Intel also began offering consumerelectronics such as toys, digital cameras and Internet radios, but the line of productswere discontinued in 2001. Company revenue continued to grow steadily through the2000s—reaching a high of $38.8 billion in 2005—but profits were dwindling. In2006, the profit of Intel fell to $5 billion, from a high of $10 billion in 2000.

In spring 2006, Intel named Paul Otellini its new CEO—the first non-PhD and non-engineer to run the company. He embarked upon the revision of Intel’s businessmodel. His efforts have included an overhaul of the company’s logo—which hadn’tappreciably changed in three decades—and a new motto, “leap ahead,” whichreplaced “Intel inside.” He also hired Eric B. Kim, the man responsible for buildingup Samsung’s brand name. Needless to say, Otellini’s moves were met withskepticism by many Intel personnel.


Intel Corporation


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Otellini, however, remained steadfast with a vision for Intel to explore untraditionalmarkets. Amidst layoffs of close to 10 percent of its workforce, Intel has churned outthe Viiv and Centrino processors designed for home entertainment and mobile PCs,respectively. Otellini has also gone to lengths to cultivate a friendship with Steve Jobs,and was rewarded when Jobs decreed that future Macs would use Intel’s chips.

Intel has also invested about $2.5 billion in China and will open a factory there in2010. (AMAN: This sentence seems out of the blue, and unexplained. Maybe afurther line about it would clarify it.)

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Intel warns AMD of patent deal violations

Micro Devices (AMD) might be headed for the chopping block as Intel warned thecompany that it might have violated a 2001 patent cross-license agreement.Though Global Foundries spawned from the AMD shareholders pen, Intel says thatit is not considered a subsidiary under terms of contract, which is beyond the 2001patent cross-license agreement. Intel also claims that the meat of the agreementbetween AMD and ATIC invades a confidential portion of the Intel-AMD deal. Thebreach entitles Intel’s forfeit of AMD’s rights and licenses with the company.

• January 2009: Shutdown in Malaysia, Philippines

Intel announced the shutdown of two of its assembly test facilities, one in Penang,Malaysia, and another in Cavite, Philippines, to restructure some of the company’smanufacturing operations and ensure that its manufacturing capacity is still at parwith current market conditions. The restructuring will also affect the 200mm waferfabrication facility in Oregon and wafer production operations at the D2 facility inSanta Clara, Calif.

• November 2008: Power up!

Intel launcheds what it touts as the world’s fastest processor for the desktop PCever: the Core i7 processor family. The processor boasts unique features withnames seemingly taken from Japanese super sentai series (think Power Rangers)like turbo boost technology and Intel hyper-threading technology. But wait, there’smore! Desktop PCs can have that much power in an eight-core chip, meaningthere are already eight threads for 16 separate engines to tackle anybody’s dirtiest,nastiest computing chores (yes, that includes homework). The turbo boosttechnology assures users that they can always go overdrive with their PCs withouthaving to worry about overheating.


Intel Corporation



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• October 2008: Intel gets a boost

Intel acquired NetEffect for $8 million. Tom Swinford, the general manager forIntel’s LAN access division said that the acquisition will give Intel its needed boostto the company’s current Ethernet efforts. Swinford added that the combinedpower of the two companies’ Ethernet technologies will “address our customers'most important 10 Gigabit Ethernet needs, including server virtualization,convergence of network and storage traffic, and server compute clusters."NetEffect was a company that specialized in Ethernet technology, providingsolutions like iWARP, an Ethernet substitute for InfiniBand, and high-performanceNetwork Interface Card products.

• March 2008: The new size that matters

Imagine playing WoW on your cell phone—well, maybe not, but think of having thesame capacity as the PC you’ve installed WoW with in the palm of your hand.Intel’s Core 2 Duo now comes in pocket sizes with Intel Atom and Intel CentrinoAtom (previously christened Silverthorne and Diamondville). These miniscule,low-powered processors are specifically designed for MIDs (mobile internetdevices) and a new breed of internet-centric computers coming in late 2008,equipping them with the best internet experience consumers can—literally—pocket. Intel’s vice president and chief sales and marketing officer, Sean Maloney,believed that these tiny crackerjacks will be “unleashing new innovation across theindustry.”

GETTING HIRED

Inside, leap ahead into a career

Intel’s careers site, located at www.intel.com/jobs/index.htm?iid=ftr+jobs, providesinformation about job openings, student opportunities and benefits. Open positionscan be searched by function, location and keyword. To apply for a job, candidatesmust first create a profile. There are also explanations of an assortment of careerpaths at the company.

Opportunities at Intel for students include internships and entry-level positions inengineering, finance and marketing. Intel recruits at a number of colleges throughoutthe United States, and seeks hires at diversity fairs like the Society of HispanicEngineers (SHPE), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the NationalBlack MBA Association (NBMBAA) and Women in Technology International (WITI).Intel also holds virtual recruiting events on its website; to participate, candidates mustfirst submit their resumes to the company. Intel generally screens applicants byphone before they are invited to an office location for a face-to-face interview.

Intel’s benefits for U.S.-based hires include stock for new hires and recently promotedworkers, an employee stock purchase plan, bonuses, choice of health and dental


Intel Corporation


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plans, 401(k) with company contribution, on-site exercise facilities and flexibleschedules. The company also offers tuition reimbursement for career-related coursesand internal training. After seven years of employment, employees are eligible for aneight-week paid sabbatical.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Changing company culture, a sign of the times?

For 40 years, Intel has been, and still is, one of the most desirable corporations towork for. Longtime and new employees, and even former ones, praise the company’srelaxed, but challenging and nurturing environment.

A former insider, who started working for Intel when he was 16, notes, “It was anamazing opportunity and I finished high school and college while working there. I feelfortunate to have learned so much on the job and having real world experiences whilealso having Intel pay for my education.”

A source, who has been with Intel for close to 20 years, said, “The corporate cultureis relaxed but not entirely informal. Some individuals dress in jeans, but most are insemiformal attire. Hours are generally 8 to 5, but as you work up the ranks it can bemore flexible.”

A recent hire from the design team apparently dreamed of entering Intel, “For manyengineers, working at Intel is a dream job, and you won’t be disappointed after joiningIntel. The dress code is informal, so I can wear my traditional outfit. Intel is not strictabout hours, and offers work-from-home option, which saves [a] lot of gas.”

However, employee morale has noticeably dropped in recent years. This coincideswith necessary layoffs and other cost-cutting measures that present CEO Otellinioversaw. Disgruntled workers, especially those who have been with Intel for a longtime, can’t help but compare the chip giant’s halcyon years (late 1980s to early2000s) to the company’s current situation. “It used to be a fun and challengingplace. I believe it to still be that way, however, in different ways. The challenges noware around politics. The one thing I can say is that the ranking and rating process isa complete joke. If you end up in a situation where you have a bad manager, you arepretty much out of luck,” an insider says.

Another source adds that the company is suffering from plummeting morale and poorleadership. These are compounded by a seeming lack of professional advancementopportunities in the United States as more and more work is outsourced to overseasaffiliates.


Intel Corporation



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INTERMEC, INC.

6001 36th Avenue West

Everett, WA 98203-1264

Phone: (425) 348-2600

Fax: (425) 267-2983

www.intermec.com

LOCATIONS

Everett, WA (HQ) • Arlington, VA •

Charlotte, NC • Fairfield, OH • Sunrise, FL

Bangkok • Barcelona • Beijing • Brisbane •

Chatou Cedex, France • Milan • Danderyd,

Sweden • Dubai • Düsseldorf, Germany •

Itajuba, Brazil • Kuala Lumpur • Lorenskog,

Norway • Madrid • Melbourne • Mexico City

• Montreal • Nijmegen, The Netherlands •

Oslo • Reading, England • São Paulo,

Brazil • Seoul • Shanghai • Shenzhen •

Singapore • Sydney • Toronto • Wanchai,

Hong Kong

DEPARTMENTS

Corporate Strategy • Finance • G&A •

Human Resources • IT • Marketing • Mobile

Solutions Business Unit • OPS • R&D •

Sales • Service • Global Supply Chain

Operations

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: IN


Chairman: Allen J. Lauer

President & CEO: Patrick J. Byrne


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 890.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): 35.7

KEY COMPETITORS

Hand Held Products, (acquired by

Honeywell Corporation)

Motorola, Inc.

Zebra Technologies Corporation

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.intermec.com/about_us/careers/jobs


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THE SCOOP

A vital link in the supply chain

Intermec helps companies get the right stuff to the right people at the right time. Thecompany’s name is a shortened version of its original moniker, Interface Mechanisms.Intermec’s technology is used to organize everything from doughnuts to retirementplans and its clients include Krispy Kreme, NASA, the New York City Department ofSanitation and the Social Security Administration. Its products are portablecomputers, automatic identification and data collection (AIDC) labels and readers,and radio frequency identification (RFID) products.

Intermec was established in 1966 as Interface Mechanisms, and soon begancontributing to bar code technology and other interface products. By 1972, thecompany had invented the first computerized cash register. In 1991, Navy contractorLitton Industries acquired Intermec. Three years later, Litton spun off Western Atlasto work on more commercial applications. In the restructuring, Intermec was amongthose tapped to comprise Western Atlas. In 1997, Western Atlas spun off Intermec,which had been renamed Unova, as a separate company. Unova became IntermecInc. in 2006.

Keeping track of business

Intermec built NASA’s wireless local area network (WLAN), the world’s largest.Through the WLAN, NASA can easily locate any piece of its ground supportequipment (GSE) in seconds anywhere within its vast 47-square-mile facility.Intermec is also collaborating with NASA in researching and developing newautomatic identification tracking (AIT) system technologies that can have practicalapplications in space.

The Intermec board of directors elected Patrick Byrne as its new president and CEOin July 2007, only four months after former CEO Larry Brady announced hisretirement. Byrne has a background in engineering, having worked for 24 years withHewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, and he sits on the board of AuburnUniversity’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The board also used the occasionto name a new chairman, selecting Allen Laurer, a director with the company since2004.

IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: Saudi Post awards contract to Intermec

Saudi Arabia’s leader in mail and parcel delivery, Saudi Post, awarded Intermec acontract to enable its postal delivery team with CN3 mobile computers and add-on


Intermec, Inc.



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IP30 handheld RFID readers. The contract is a core component of the strategicpartnership between the two organizations, and reflects Saudi Post’s commitmentto implement the most advanced technology available to improve deliveryefficiency and provide enhanced services for its customers.

• February 2009: Strong 2008 closing

Intermec released its fourth quarter and full 2008 financial results. Fiscal 2008revenue climbed to $891 million, compared to $849 million the previous year. Netearnings also rose to $35.5 million, or $0.58 per share, compared to 2007’s $24.3million, at $0.40 per share. “Our fourth quarter completed a strong year forIntermec, delivering record revenue, strong earnings and cash flow. Goingforward, we are focused on our customer's priorities of improving the productivityof the mobile worker and the performance of their global supply chains,” saysIntermec President and CEO Patrick Byrne in a press release.

• December 2008: Driessnack sits as new CFO

Intermec named Robert Driessnack senior vice president and CFO. Driessnack isexpected to bring in his financial expertise and experience in global electronicsmanufacturing to Intermec’s business. Dreissnack officially assumed the positionin January 2009. Meanwhile, a press release said former CFO Lanny Michael leftto pursue other opportunities.

• October 2008: Additions in the family

Jeanne Lyon joined Intermec as the company’s new vice president for humanresources. Lyons previously served in the HR units of Roche’s Palo Alto Researchand Development Center, KLA-Tencor and Cisco. Another addition to Intermec isUnitrin, Inc.’s executive vice president and CFO Eric Draut, who is elected intoIntermec’s board of directors. Draut has served Duchossois Industries, AMInternational and Coopers & Lybrand. Aside from his responsibilities at Intermec,Draut also serves as chairman of the board of nonprofit Lutheran Social Servicesof Illinois.

• July 2008: Making ends meet

Intermec cut 260 jobs, about 11 percent of its workforce, and lowered its secondquarter forecast due to declining shares. The company expected a $216 millionto $218 million range of revenue, instead of the previously forecasted $227 millionto $232 million. The layoffs were part of the company’s move to consolidateservice depots to streamline its production line.


Intermec, Inc.


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GETTING HIRED

Integrate your career with Intermec

Intermec’s careers site, at www.intermec.com/about_us/careers/index.aspx, providesinformation on company ethics and job openings. The page has links to four subjectsthat may interest a potential job applicant: Intermec culture, employee testimonials,career opportunities, and co-op and internship program.

Openings in the company are located under the career opportunities and co-op andInternship Program links. Jobs are searchable by location and keyword. To apply,interested parties must fill out a web-based form and upload their resume.


Intermec, Inc.



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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSMACHINES CORP.

1 New Orchard Road

Armonk, NY 10504-1722

Phone: (914) 499-1900

www.ibm.com

DEPARTMENTSConsulting & Services • Development &

Manufacturing • Engineering • Finance &

Accounting • Global Business Services •

Global Sales & Distribution • Global

Services • Global Technology Services •

Human Resources • IT &

Telecommunications • Legal • Legal &

Regulatory Affairs • Manufacturing •

Marketing & Communications • Operations

Research • Sales • Software Development

• Systems & Technology Group


Stock Symbol: IBM


Chairman, President & CEO: Samuel J.

Palmisano

2008 Employees: 398,455

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 103,630

2008 Income ($ mil.): 12,334

KEY COMPETITORSAccenture • Hewlett-Packard Company

(HP) • Microsoft Corporation

EMPLOYMENT CONTACTwww.ibm.com/employment/no_flash.html

LOCATIONS

New York, NY (HQ)

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire • Abu Dhabi • Algiers •

Almaty, Kazakhstan • Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Andar C., Macau • Bangalore • Bangkok •

Beijing • Belgrade • Bogota • Boigny-sur-

Bionne, France • Bratislava, Slovakia •

Brussels • Bucharest • Budapest • Buenos

Aires • Caracas • Casablanca • Guatemala City

• Colombo, Sri Lanka • Curacao, Netherlands

Antilles • Dakar, Senegal • Djibouti, Djibouti •

Douala, Cameroon • Dubai • Dublin • Fort de

France, France • Giza • Halandri, Greece •

Hamilton, Bermuda • Hampshire, United

Kingdom • Hanoi • Helsinki • Herrenberg,

Germany • Hesperange, Luxembourg • Ho Chi

Minh City • Istanbul • Jakarta • Johannesburg •

Karachi, Pakistan • Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark •

Kiev • Kingston • Kinshasa, Democratic

Republic of Congo • Kolbotn, Norway • La

Molina, Peru • Libreville, Gabon • Lisbon •

Ljubljana, Slovenia • Madrid • Managua,

Nicaragua • Mexico City • Montevideo, Uruguay

• Moscow • Nairobi • Nassau • New Caledonia,

France • New South Wales • Nicosia, Cyprus •

Ontario • Oranjestad, Aruba • Panama City •

Papeete, Tahiti • Paramaribo, Suriname •

Petach-Tikva, Israel • Port-Louis, Mauritius •

Prague • Quarry Bay, Hong Kong • Quezon

City, Philippines • Quito, Ecuador • Ramallah,

West Bank/Gaza • Riga, Latvia • Saint Denis

Cedex, France • Saint Jean de Braye, France •

San Jose, Costa Rica • San Pedro Sula,

Honduras • San Salvador • Sandton, South

Africa • Santiago • Santo Domingo • São Paulo,

Brazil • Segrate, Italy • Selangor Darul Ehsan,

Brunei • Seoul • Serbia, Macedonia • Singapore

• Sofia, Bulgaria • St. Michael, Barbados •

Stockholm • Taipei • Tallinn, Estonia • Tashkent,

Uzbekistan • Tegucigalpa, Honduras • Tokyo •

Trinidad • Tunis, Tunisia • Victoria Island–

Lagos, Nigeria • Vienna • Vilnius, Lithuania •

Vimercate, Italy • Warsaw • Wellington •

Windhoek, Namibia • Yaounde, Cameroon •

Zagreb, Croatia • Zurich


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THE SCOOP

Big Blue

IBM is a dominant player in the tech industry. For many years, it provided computerhardware, but as that market has become increasingly low margin, IBM has movedinto the more lucrative areas of offering IT services, business consulting and businesssoftware under the Lotus, Tivoli, DB2 Rational and WebSphere names. It is alsoexpanding into video game chip design and nanotechnology. It also supplies servers,supercomputers and outsourcing. A most prolific patent filer, its efforts wererewarded with 3,621 patents in 2006 alone, the most awarded to any company, adistinction it has maintained continuously since 1992. In July 2006, IBM announcedits software division’s revenue had grown 13 percent from the previous quarter, to$4.8 billion. The now-impressive returns on its services offerings earned thecompany a No. 13 rank on BusinessWeek’s 2008 edition of the InfoTech 100.IBMalso continues to make its computer engineering forefathers proud, as it recentlyannounced a dramatic new advance in manufacturing microchips. In February2007, the company touched off alarm bells at Intel when it announced thedevelopment of the fastest computer memory in history. At 10 times the performancelevel of current PCs, the breakthrough is loaded with potential for the computerindustry, and raises the ante for Intel to develop equally fast technology. Apparently,the old master still has chops.

On to India

In 2006, IBM committed itself to an almost $6 billion investment in its Indianoperations over the next three years; it plans to employ some 60,000 people in Indiaby the end of in 2007. The company even went so far as to hold its annual investorconference in Bangalore in June 2006. It sees India as not just a source ofinexpensive labor, but part of what CEO Samuel Palmisano calls a "globally integratedenterprise" where sophisticated functions, such as product design, will be dispersedworldwide (i.e., in India, China, Brazil, Russia and other growth markets).

Look out, MySpace

IBM made a splash in the social networking sector with the January 2007announcement of its Lotus Connections software. The program, intended for thebusiness world, is designed to afford corporate clients the kind of virtual world thatother services (like MySpace and Facebook) have heretofore provided.

Lotus Connections is more than a blog, though; it's an entire social networking systemset up to encourage intra-office relationships (former CEO Louis Gerstner, whostressed this sort of collaboration, would be proud). Its components, in addition to ablog, include activities, notes pages (called "dogears"), individual profiles andcommunity pages. Moreover, the connections software, like Lotus Notes, will


International Business Machines Corp.



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compete with Microsoft, which is releasing its own social networking system soon,Microsoft Exchange. Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s current chief software architect (and oneof the heirs apparent to Bill Gates), should be familiar with Lotus Notes; he did createthe technology, after all. It should be interesting to see the architect tackle his oldcreation.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Falling out

Talks to acquire Sun Microsystems Inc. collapsed as Sun rejected IBM’s $7 billionbid. A Reuters report said the halt in negotiations would hurt Sun as the buyoutwas supposed to be a means of survival for its falling market value. "If IBM gotunder the covers and didn't like what they saw, then what does that mean for otherpotential buyers?" said Revolution Partners technology banker Peter Falvey, asquoted in the report.

• April 2009: Building a smart city

IBM partnered with the city of Parma, Italy, to “create a Smart City.” Parma, amodern city, has around 200,000 residents and is famous for its unique culture.The initiative allows the creation of an “Innovation Board,” on which IBM will serve.“This board has the mission of finding innovative citizen services solutionsleveraging new technologies: from info-mobility to security, to social services,”Parma Mayor Pietro Vignali said. Parma’s goal is parallel to IBM’s Smarter Planetvision, which aims to better the quality of life by “infusing intelligence into theworld's systems, processes and infrastructure.”

• March 2009: "Cloud computing"

IBM, in what would be its biggest effort to sell software as a service, completed adeal involving a package of web-based collaboration software for businesses,which includes contact management, instant messaging and file-sharingprograms. IBM says it will cost companies some $10 to $45 per user per monthfor its software suite, which it will host at its own data centers and deliver via theWeb. "What you are seeing are the beginnings of the whole IBM company movingtoward cloud computing," IBM Vice President Sean Poulley said. "Cloudcomputing," which is one of the latest innovations in Silicon Valley, refers to “avariety of ways in which technology companies offer computing services over theWeb from remote data centers, seemingly from the cloud of the internet.”

• January 2009: Layoffs and fuming workers

IBM cut jobs at several units. Lee Conrad, national coordinator of IBM employeeassociation Alliance@IBM/CWA Local 1701 reported that the company has laid off2,800 employees from its software, sales and distribution units and 1,200 morefrom its systems and technology group worldwide. There were also several layoffs




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from various IBM research groups, Conrad added. IBM has been silent about itsintentions, which has increased employee anger within the Big Blue.

• January 2009: Patents all around

In another record-setting performance, IBM became the first-ever company to top4,000 patents in the U.S. in a single year, earning 4,186 in 2008, far from second-place Samsung, which was issued 3,515 patents. The company also nearly tripledthe patent total of rival Hewlett-Packard, and exceeded the combined patents ofHP, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, EMC, Google and Accenture. This also marked the16th consecutive year that IBM has led the field in U.S. patents. In a move tomake inventions freely available to others, IBM said it plans to increase thenumber of technical inventions that it publishes to about 50 percent, or more than3,000, yearly.

• November 2008: Nine straight

IBM’s “Roadrunner project” supercomputer placed No. 1 in the rankings of theworld’s most powerful supercomputers for a record ninth-straight time. Thesupercomputer, located at the Los Alamos National Lab, remains the world speedchampion and was the first in the world to operate at more than one quadrillioncalculations per second while using roughly half the electricity as the second placemachine. IBM also had more than 20 other systems in the top 50, and more than30 in the top 100. The semiannual ranking is released by the World's TOP500Supercomputer Sites. The organization noted that the top-20 most energy-efficient supercomputers were those from IBM.

• March 2008: An acquisition towards better authentication technology

IBM acquired Encentuate Inc., a California company based in Redwood City thatprovides “identity and access management software focused on single sign-on andstrong authentication technology.” Encentuate will become part of IBM SoftwareGroup’s Tivoli division, which seeks to capitalize on the former’s ability to “trackand facilitate identity usage while helping to increase user productivity.” IBM alsosaid it will take full advantage of Encentuate’s audit and reporting capabilities thathelp in documenting efforts to meet governance and compliance requirements.

GETTING HIRED

Dive into the Blue

During a typical year, IBM hires more than 15,000 new employees in everything fromaccounting and data warehousing to Internet applications and software development.Hopeful IBM-ers should consult IBM’s careers page (at www.ibm.com/employment),which provides information on job openings, career development and benefits. Notsurprisingly, IBM scans the resumes it receives, and submissions should be in plain





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text format. Job openings are searchable by location, necessary degree, level andtype. To apply, candidates must fill out a web-based form and upload a resume.

Benefits include a bonus program, choice of fully paid health and dental plans,flexible schedules, generous vacation, 401(k) and discount stock purchase plan,educational leave of absence and tuition reimbursement, and highly regardedmanagement training programs.

IBM maintains a database of employee functions, locations and costs that allows it toassemble teams to serve clients quickly. For example, the database was used tolocate employees in the Southern U.S. who could be swiftly sent to help rebuildsoftware systems after Hurricane Katrina.

For college students interested in joining IBM, the company provides opportunities forco-ops and interns pursing bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees. IBM seeksstudents studying business, accounting, computer science, engineering and allieddisciplines. MBAs and students of software development are welcome to apply to theExtreme Blue program, a hotbed of IBM innovation.

IBM has entry-level positions in accounting, consulting, finance, marketing, IT, HR,electrical engineering and logistics departments (though other opportunitiessometimes open up as well). IBM recruits at the College of William and Mary, Cornell,NYU and the University of Pittsburgh, among other well-known institutions. IBM alsosponsors Project View and Project Able, programs that recruit diverse and disabledhires, respectively.

Living up to its name

For managers, IBM has an international development program that lives up to thecompany’s name (International Business Machines). IBM’s “Corporate ServiceCorps” program, which launched in 2008, allows executives to apply for trips tooverseas locations (the “international” part), where they will work on specifictechnology solutions for local companies (the “business machines” part).

And rather than standard corporate philanthropy, the Corps’ work is very nuts andbolts—one project involves IBM employees helping entrepreneurs in Turkey seek outmicroloans, and another entails the ground-up creation of IT training programs for aVietnamese tech firm.




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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Diverse backgrounds, mixed feelings

A developer in IBM’s Toronto lab criticizes the company’s attempt to try to be “fun”(via themed “oasis areas”) because the fun “gets sucked” out of the work sinceemployees follow “tight and strict” guidelines. The same contact adds that althoughworking at IBM is somewhat “prestigious,” the thought “clearly wears out” whenemployees are faced with really tight deadlines.

One delivery manager in Bangalore says that the corporate culture at their India officeis “still evolving.” The respondent also adds that since the firm is still growing inIndia, the “opportunities for advancement” are huge “in terms of additionalresponsibilities.” The same insider contends that in terms of “designatedpromotions,” employees have to hold the position for several years before beingconsidered for promotion.





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INTUIT INCORPORATED

2632 Marine Way

Mountain View, CA 94043

Phone: (650) 944-6000

Fax: (650) 944-5656

www.intuit.com

LOCATIONS

Mountain View, CA (HQ) • Calabasas, CA

• Cleveland, OH • Clifton, NJ •

Fredericksburg, VA • Menlo Park, CA •

Norcross, GA • Orem, UT • Plano, TX •

Reno, NV • San Diego, CA • San

Francisco, CA • Tucson, AZ • Waltham, MA

• Washington, DC • Westlake Village, CA •

Woodland Hills, CA

Bangalore • Calgary • Edmonton •

Maidenhead, United Kingdom •

Mississauga, Canada • North Sydney •

Singapore • Sundridge, United Kingdom •

Tokyo • Wanchai, Hong Kong

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Business Development •

Consulting • Contact Center • Customer

Service • Documentation • Engineering •

Executive • Facilities • Finance &

Accounting • Government Affairs • Human

Resources • Information Technology •

Legal • Marketing/Web Marketing •

Operations • Process Excellence • Product

Management • Program Management •

Quality Assurance • Sales • Training &

Development • User Experience/Web

Technology

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: INTU


Chairman: Bill Campbell

President & CEO: Brad Smith


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 3,100

2008 Income ($ mil.): 477

KEY COMPETITORS

H&R Block

Microsoft Dynamics

Sage Group

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

about.intuit.com/careers


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THE SCOOP

‘Cause I’m the taxman

Intuit is one of the largest makers of accounting, personal finance and tax software inthe U.S. In addition to Quicken, its marquee personal finance product, thecompany’s offerings also include accounting software package QuickBooks andTurboTax, a tax preparation application.

Two young entrepreneurs, Scott Cook and Tom Proulx, founded Intuit in 1983. Cookwas 23 at the time, and Proulx was even younger, still a computer engineeringundergraduate at Stanford University. The next year, the company released Quicken,its flagship accounting program. In 1991, Intuit launched QuickPay, a program forhandling salaries in small businesses. The following year, Intuit went public, and alsoacquired a company with a method for filing taxes online—thus TurboTax was born.

Quickens the pulse

Intuit’s 1994 acquisition of the National Payment Clearinghouse made the companya presence in the electronic banking industry, and it spread its wings in the second-largest PC market in the world with the 1995 purchase of Milky Way, a Japanesesoftware company. In February 1998, Intuit agreed to supply America Online withcontent for its personal finance channel and also announced a deal with Apple toprepare a new Mac version of its Quicken software. The company’s acquisition ofRock Financial in late 1999 added mortgage-writing capabilities to itsQuickenMortgage site—but Intuit sold off its mortgage loans business in 2002, as itfocused on its core accounting products; thereafter, the company primarily expandedinto software for companies involved in construction.

Intuit’s small business software took a step up in September 2006 when it acquiredStepUp , a company that directs online shoppers to brick-and-mortar stores, for $60million. Then, Intuit acquired Digital Insight for $1.4 billion later that year.

By early 2007, Intuit had rolled out Personal FinanceWorks, a program based onDigital Insight’s offerings that allows users to pay all their bills within one program, aswell as view pending checks and payments. The 2007 tax season proved to be aneventful one for Intuit. As the filing deadline approached, Intuit’s servers wereslammed with an unusually large number of returns—the company estimated that amillion people used TurboTax to do their taxes that year—and its servers were unableto cope, resulting in delays and late filings. Intuit apologized and, in a rare stroke ofmunificence, the IRS extended its deadline for TurboTax filers. Although thecompany has noted declining sales of TurboTax and QuickBooks, Intuit has managedto stay out of the red zone. It posted revenue of $477 million in 2008.


Intuit Incorporated



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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: 10 percent growth in TurboTax units

Intuit released the second of three updates for its fiscal year 2009 consumer taxproducts. Through March 14th, total TurboTax federal units increased 10 percentover the same period last year. "Tax season is progressing as expected," said DanMaurer, senior vice president and general manager of Intuit's consumer tax group."Online growth continues to accelerate, and we believe our continued focus onease to help taxpayers get the biggest refund they deserve will result in anothersolid tax season,” he adds.

• February 2009: Profit plummets but beats market expectations

Reuters reported that Intuit posted a lower quarterly profit on declining sales of itsTurboTax tax preparation software and QuickBooks accounting software, but theearnings beat market expectations. Intuit, whose shares were up 0.5 percent inafter-hours trading, reported a profit excluding items of 34 cents per share for itsfiscal second quarter ended January 31st. Reuters’ analysts, on average, hadforecast earnings of 27 cents per share. Revenue fell 5 percent from a year earlierto $791 million, short of the average forecast of $794 million. Net income was $85million, or 26 cents per share, compared with $115 million, or 34 cents, a yearearlier. Shares of the Mountain View, California-based company were quoted at$21.38 in extended trade, up from their Nasdaq close of $21.27.

• December 2008: Aligning organization to strengthen small businesses

Brad Smith, Intuit president and CEO, announced that the company hadformalized the structure of its small business ecosystem by aligning three businessunits under one new division. Kiran Patel, general manager of Intuit’s consumertax group, was promoted to executive vice president and will lead Intuit’s smallbusiness ecosystem division. The division includes QuickBooks-related productsand services, Intuit Payroll and Intuit’s payments business. Dan Maurer, Intuit’schief marketing officer and the head of marketing for Intuit’s consumer taxbusiness, replaced Patel as the consumer tax group’s general manager. “Thethree business units that comprise Intuit’s small business ecosystem have alwaysworked closely with each other. This change, and Kiran’s leadership, willstrengthen its power and will help us deliver even more value to our small businesscustomers,” said Smith. “At the same time, Dan is a strong leader to head up ourconsumer tax group. His leadership will provide continuity and sustainedmomentum in our growing tax business.”

• November 2008: A more modest outlook

CEO Smith released financial reports showing that Intuit posted a quarterly lossand lowered its full-year outlook, saying there aren’t many new QuickBook usersas small businesses are being unusually cautious. The company cut its fiscal2009 forecasts for sales for QuickBooks accounting software and for revenue frompayroll and bill payment processing services, as its small business customers get


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squeezed by the deepening recession. The software maker noticed there hasn'tbeen an inflow of new QuickBooks users, which normally occurs during periods ofeconomic downturn, and its payroll and bill payment processing service was hit bylower merchant transaction volume, said Smith. "Today's environment is certainlydifferent than what we anticipated," Smith said on a conference call with analysts.

• August 2008: Revenue growth of 15 percent

Intuit announced fourth-quarter revenue of $478 million, an 11 percent increaseover the year-ago quarter. Revenue for fiscal year 2008, which ended July 31st,was $3.1 billion, a 15 percent increase over the prior year. "We had anothersuccessful tax season and a solid finish in small business," said CEO Smith. "Withour focus on innovation and on solving customer problems with connectedservices, we are looking forward to another strong year in fiscal 2009," he added.

• March 2008: Touting strong future for small businesses

Barriers to starting a small business will shatter and their success rates willimprove over the next decade, according to study results that Intuit Inc. shared inbriefings with members of Congress and small business industry leaders. Themeetings focused on the importance of small businesses and their future impacton the U.S. economy. Intuit Senior Vice President Rick Jensen met with membersof the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and theHouse Committee on Small Business. The leader of Intuit's small business group,which serves more than seven million small businesses employing 17 millionworkers, also met with representatives from 12 small business associations,including the Small Business Administration, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, theAssociation of Women's Business Centers and the Association of Small BusinessDevelopment Centers.

• February 2008: Falling profit amid rising ad spending

Intuit posted lower quarterly profit as it boosted advertising spending for itsTurboTax tax preparation software and unit sales of its QuickBooks accountingsoftware lagged its own forecasts. Its shares fell 3.5 percent in after-hours tradingfollowing the earnings report. Intuit reported net income of $115.2 million, or 34cents a share, for the second fiscal quarter ended January 31st, compared withnet income of $145.4 million, or 40 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 11 percentto $835 million. Intuit reported QuickBooks revenue of $175 million, up 5 percentfrom a year earlier, but Chief Executive Brad Smith said unit sales missed companytargets. "It is really hard to put your finger on exactly what is going on in the smallbusiness category," Smith said in an interview. "Clearly macroeconomic conditionsout there are challenging for small businesses today."


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GETTING HIRED

Getting into it

Intuit’s jobs page, found at about.intuit.com/careers/, lists open positions across thecompany. Jobs are divided into customer service positions and everything else.Customer service hopefuls have a number of hoops to jump through, beginning withfilling out a web-based form, a multiple-choice test, Windows navigation test, role-playinterviews and finally an actual interview. Those who aspire to hold another positionwith the company must create a profile to apply.

Students interested in positions at Intuit can read up on programs for interns as wellas entry-level programs for college graduates and MBAs. Intuit recruits at MIT,Stanford, the University of California and the University of Wisconsin. Intuit also visitsSan Jose State, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Boston University, Georgia Tech andIndiana University among others. An updated schedule of recruiting events is postedon its careers site. Internships are offered in the engineering, marketing, user-centered design, process excellence and finance divisions. Entry-level programs forrecent graduates include a selection of rotational programs focusing on smallbusinesses, finance and engineering. Intuit hires MBAs in the product management,brand management, finance and operations departments.

As far as benefits are concerned, the company has a full range of stock option andstock purchasing plans, as well as a 401(k) program with company matching and achoice of health, dental and life insurance plans; it even provides domestic partnerbenefits. The stock purchase plan allows employees working 20 or more hours aweek to buy Intuit common stock at 85 percent of market value. The company offersgym subsidies, commuting alternatives such as bike parking and van pools (only atheadquarters), and matching employee donations to charities.

In 2008, Intuit was named America's Most Admired Software Company and has beenlisted in the 100 Best Companies to Work For eight years in a row by Fortunemagazine.


Intuit Incorporated


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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Balance your work and life at Intuit

Intuit promotes a culture of “high performance and accountability,” one insider says.However, it’s not all work as the company also emphasizes fun and teamwork, andsources remark that, aside from a laid-back office atmosphere, potlucks, charityevents and team parties are “de rigueur.” There is also no dress code and arespondent describes the office attire as ranging from “professional” (usually thoseoccupying senior leadership posts) all the way to “shorts and flip-flops” (mostly thosewho are at the front-line agent level).

The work hard, play hard motto notwithstanding, there are some who have beendisillusioned by the company. One source points out that, because Intuit had a “dropin stock price,” management decided to eliminate certain positions. One contact alsoshares that, even though Intuit tries hard to promote within the company, leadershipdevelopment programs are “conspicuously absent.” The same respondent contendsthat even though Intuit offers a tuition reimbursement program to help employees gettheir MBA, this does not “guarantee new opportunities” nor will it necessarily “catchthe attention of leaders and recruiters” within the company.


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JABIL CIRCUIT, INC.

10560 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street

North

St. Petersburg, FL 33716

Phone: (727) 577-9749

Fax: (727) 579-8529

www.jabil.com

LOCATIONS

St. Petersburg, FL (HQ)

Auburn Hills, MI • Billerica, MA • Louisville,

KY • McAllen, TX • Memphis, TN •

Nashville, TN • Poway, CA • Round Rock,

TX • San Jose, CA • Tempe, AZ

Amsterdam • Ayr, Scotland • Beijing • Belo

Hoizonte, Brazil • Bergamo, Italy • Brest,

France • Bydgoszcz, Poland • Chennai •

Chihuahua • Coventry, United Kingdom •

Dublin • Eindhoven, The Netherlands •

Gotemba-City, Japan • Guadalajara •

Guangdong • Hasselt, Belgium • Hsinchu,

Taiwan • Huangpu, China • Jena, Germany

• Kedah, Malaysia • Kwidzyn, Poland •

Livingston, Scotland • Manaus, Brazil •

Marcianise, Italy • Meung-sur-Loire, France

• Nanjing, China • Penang • Pune •

Reynosa, Mexico • São Paulo • Shanghai •

Singapore • Suzhou Industrial Park, China

• Szombathely, Hungary • Taichung, Taiwan

• Tianjin • Tiszaujvaros, Hungary • Tokyo •

Uzhgorod, Ukraine • Vienna • Wuxi, China

• Yantai, China

DEPARTMENTS

After-market Services • Business

Development • Engineering • Finance •

Human Resources • Information Systems &

Services • Logistics • Operations

Management • Quality Assurance • Repair &

Warranty • Supply Chain Management

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: JBL


Chairman: William D. Morean

President & CEO: Timothy L. Main


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 12,780

2008 Income ($ mil.): 231

KEY COMPETITORS

Flextronics

Hon Hai

Sanmina-SCI

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.jabil.com/jabilcareers


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THE SCOOP

The source for outsource

Jabil Circuit (the name is a portmanteau of its founders’ first names, James and Bill),is a contract manufacturer of electronics. Jabil’s customers include companies in avariety of industries, from mobile phone manufacturers to aerospace companies,including Nokia, Hewlett-Packard and IBM. For these companies, Jabil provides aroster of outsourcing services—it sources parts and designs circuits, manufactureselectronic products and encloses them in plastic cases, and finally ships them todistributors. Jabil also offers repair services.

Bill and Jay’s adventure

James Golden and Bill Morean founded Jabil in 1966 when they were contracted tobuild circuit boards by hand for a computer mainframe manufacturer near Detroit.Given the company’s proximity to the car industry, it would inevitably be working onsome project related to automobiles. Indeed, General Motors called upon Jabil tosource, design and build circuit boards in 1976.

Due to the growth of the consumer market for computers during the 1980s, Jabil gota contract working for the PC division of IBM in 1982, and developed in-housedesigns for motherboards seven years later. The company had its first IPO in 1993,and by 2001 had become part of the S&P 500. Jabil then expanded its business bypurchasing two electronics manufacturing businesses: it snapped up PhilipsContract Manufacturing Services in 2002, and bought Varian’s electronicsmanufacturing arm in 2005.

Geography of cost

In 2006, Jabil Circuit acquired Celetronix, an Indian electronics manufacturer withlocations on the subcontinent in Chennai, Pondicherry and Mumbai. The companysaid it would, in a $250 million restructuring effort, be cutting an unspecified numberof jobs as it moved its production facilities to countries with lower labor costs. Tofurther this end, Jabil Circuit constructed a production facility in Zarkappatya,Ukraine, to provide electronic parts to local and European markets. That same year,Jabil Circuit reported revenue of over $10.3 billion, up 36 percent over the previousyear, which came in at $7.5 billion.

Diversifying to beat the gloom

Despite the gloomy economic conditions in 2008, Jabil saw the year as a year ofopportunities. The company diversified to cater to multiple end-markets. The moveentailed a restructuring that saw Jabil, in early 2008, with three main divisions to


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accommodate 10 varying business sectors. It seems that Jabil was served well by itsnew organizational structure and its moves for diversification, as it closed fiscal 2008with improving figures, ranking No. 212 in the 2009 list of the Fortune 500. Jabilanticipates the challenges of the current economic patterns, but recognizes thegrowth potentials of its sectors as well. After all, it has survived five recessions overthe past 42 years. The company has also been looking into making “clean technologyproducts” as an avenue for growth.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Bottom-line loss

Jabil Circuit is restructuring, amidst announcements that it will reduce itsworkforce worldwide by 3,000 people to save on operating costs. As of February,the company was reported to have lost $42.1 million, or 20 cents per share, ascompared to last year’s losses of $24 million, or 12 cents per share, during thesame period. Despite this bleak atmosphere, stocks still rose after the company’sexecutives expressed hope in seeing stability in its top business markets.

• November 2008: Inevitable lay-offs

Due to a decline in customer orders tied to the global economic slowdown, JabilCircuit was forced to lay off 150 workers from its St. Petersburg manufacturingplant. This came in light of a court dismissal of a shareholder suit against thecompany in April, which accused Jabil Circuit’s current and former executives offraudulently backdating grant dates of stock options.

• October 2007: Good morning, Vietnam!

Jabil Circuit opened a new factory in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, which will churnout technology for Western markets. The company chose the location due to itscost-effective workforce and proximity to its other Asian facilities. The new facilitysignificantly boosts Jabil Circuit’s size, bringing approximately 10,000 newemployees into the fold.

GETTING HIRED

Electrify your career at Jabil

Jabil’s jobs site, at www.jabil.com/JabilCareers, provides information and a number ofvideo clips for job seekers. The company is flexible about letting its workers chooseto travel or remain in one location. The site does not specify where Jabil recruits,college-wise; however, it does mention that it is primarily interested in candidates withbusiness and engineering degrees. Benefits vary by location, and internships areavailable.


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KLA-TENCOR CORPORATION

One Technology Drive

Milpitas, CA 95035

Phone: (408) 875-3000

Fax: (408) 875-4144

www.kla-tencor.com

LOCATIONS

Milpitas, CA (HQ)

Approximately 73 locations worldwide.

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Applications •

Development/Field Applications •

Customer/Technical Support • Electrical

Engineering • Engineering Support

Services • Facilities • Finance • HR • IT &

Services • Legal • Manufacturing &

Engineering • Manufacturing, Production &

Operations • Marketing & Sales •

Mechanical Engineering • Optical

Engineering • Product Development •

Program Management • Research Scientist

• Software Engineering & Development •

Systems Engineering • Testing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: KLAC


President & CEO: Richard P. Wallace


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,500

2008 Income ($ mil.): 359

KEY COMPETITORS

Applied Materials

Hitachi High-Technologies

Veeco Instruments

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

ktcareers.kla-tencor.com/ps/welcome.html

Email: [email protected]

[email protected]

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THE SCOOP

Toward a more perfect microchip

A union of two longtime leaders in the semiconductor equipment industry, KLAInstruments and Tencor Instruments (each with over 20 years of experience), KLA-Tencor Corporation is the world's leading supplier of process control and yieldmanagement solutions for the semiconductor and related microelectronics industries.The merger, formed in 1997, provides chip manufacturers with a comprehensiveportfolio of products, software, analysis, services and expertise designed to help ICmanufacturers manage yield throughout the entire wafer fabrication process—fromR&D to final yield analysis.

KLA-Tencor offers solutions such as software and devices with which to inspect chipsduring the manufacturing process, so as to reduce the number of flawed chips andincrease chipmakers’ revenue. Customers turn to KLA-Tencor for in-line wafer defectmonitoring; reticle and photomask defect inspection; CD SEM metrology; waferoverlay; film and surface measurement; and overall yield and fab-wide data analysis.The company also offers a line of testing products to manufacturers of hard drives.

Chips to bet with

Ranked among the world's top-10 semiconductor equipment manufacturers and No.95 on BusinessWeek’s InfoTech 100 in 2007, KLA-Tencor is up for the challenge tomeet the microelectronics industry's need for extremely sophisticated and expertlyimplemented process control and yield management solutions. KLA-Tencorcontinues to aggressively invest in new technologies that will address the yieldmanagement by continuously monitoring its development of technologies, platforms,software and support strategies to ensure that they comply with the SemiconductorIndustry Association's (SIA) current and future technologies roadmaps.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Inspector PVI-6

KLA-Tencor launched the newest addition to its ICOS division’s photovoltaic (PV)portfolio, the PVI-6, its latest inspection product designed for optical in-line dual-sided inspection of PV wafers and cells. The PVI-6 provides customers with thecapability to inspect solar wafers and cells at the highest speed and accuracy forall stages of the production process, enabling solar manufacturers to achievesubstantial yield improvements and more accurate product classification.


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• January 2009: A small triumph

Despite posting a second quarter loss, shares of the company enjoyed a $1.01(or5.3 percent) climb, finishing at $20.04. Although the company has been able tominimize losses, this increase is insignificant, however, considering KLA-Tencor’s38 percent fall from $635.8 million to $396.6 million a year ago.

• January 2009: KLA-Tencor sales down

"Business conditions in our markets have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks,"said KLA-Tencor Chief Executive Officer Rick Wallace. This grim statement wasbolstered by the microchip manufacturing equipment maker’s dismal salesperformance for the fiscal second quarter. Shares drop to $21.13.

• November 2008: Layoffs on the horizon

The company announced it will cut about 15 percent of its workforce by the endof June 2009 because of current market conditions. Employing about 6,000people, the company expects to save about $165 million to $170 million by theend of fiscal year 2009 from the cuts, with a $15 million to $20 million charge inseverance costs.

• July 2007: In cooperation with SEC

The company settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Thesettlement dovetailed nicely with the June release of the company’s financial resultsfor 2007, wherein the company seemed to recover from its legal troubles; revenueand profits were both up significantly, at $2.7 billion and $528 million, respectively.

• May 2007: Catching a wave

KLA-Tencor completed purchase of Therma-Wave, which manufactures devicesthat measure the effectiveness of the various steps in the manufacture ofsemiconductors, for $73 million. This addition boosted KLA-Tencor’smeasurement division to address more process control needs.

GETTING HIRED

Test the waters at KLA-Tencor

KLA-Tencor’s careers site, at https://ktcareers.kla-tencor.com/ps/welcome.html,provides information about job opportunities and benefits for students, recentgraduates and experienced professionals. The company typically conducts at leasttwo rounds of interviews with a candidate (on-site or by phone), and may take two tothree weeks to reply to a resume submission. Once selected for an interview,candidates gain access to the site’s Candidate Resource Center, an area with variousforms and directions to company office locations. The minute the applicant getshired, he or she is given access to the New Hire Resource Center page of the site



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wherein the new employee can download required forms, find out what to expect onday one, get local information and more.

Benefits at KLA-Tencor include health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) withcompany matching and a profit-sharing plan. Perks at HQ include on-site sandvolleyball and gym, pet insurance, commuter assistance, car detailing and a dentist’soffice (so that all employees can be equipped with two shiny grills). Priding itself asa promoter of “Knowledge Management,” the company offers training anddevelopment programs for its employees for career advancement and growth.

Interns are accepted, whether they’re pursuing a BS, MS or PhD; applicants musthave at least a 3.0 GPA, and they will receive medical insurance and housing. Thecollege careers site contains a “crystal ball” feature, so that students with degrees inphysics, mechanical, chemical or electrical engineering, computer science or mathcan see what the future may hold for them at KLA-Tencor.

The HR department at KLA-Tencor can be reached via email at [email protected] (for experienced hires) or [email protected] (for university relations).

OUR SURVEY SAYS

If you wanna move up, pay the price

KLA-Tencor provides good opportunities for advancement since the company is“always looking for ways to cut cost by outsourcing,” says an insider. However,moving up the ladder comes with a price. “If you're smart and willing to give up yourlife outside of work, this may be the place for you. If you're looking for life outside ofwork, look elsewhere,” the insider continues.

The company used to have “a very friendly, laid-back type of environment.” Butrecently, things turned around as people are becoming “very unfriendly, everyone'salways stressed out, working 13-hour workdays, required to be on support for 14 hoursdaily; it's become a very depressing and nonmotivating place to work,” a source said.

Missing the old days

Most sources look back on their “good old days” with KLA-Tencor. “KLA-Tencor (KT)was the company you wanted to work for back in 2000 … the culture was all aboutteamwork and helping the customers to maximize their profits,” a senior trainershares. “Over the past three years, though, the corporate culture has completelytransformed into one of we are so big that if we cannot beat you, we will just buy youup,” the source continues.

Moreover, one insider cites the company’s only strength as “their diversity in thebusiness market.” But his colleague rebuts and gives credit to the company: “Veryaggressive and intelligent to identify the best person from candidates.”



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KOFAX PLC (FORMERLY DICOM)

16245 Laguna Canyon Road

Irvine, CA 92618-3603

Phone: (949) 727-1733

Fax: (949) 727-3144

www.kofax.com

LOCATIONS

Irvine, CA (HQ) • Chicago, IL

Barcelona • Beijing • Brondby, Denmark •

Budapest • Buje, Croatia • Cambridge •

Dubai • Freiburg, Germany • Hanoi •

Hampshire, United Kingdom • Helsinki •

Hong Kong • Houten, Netherlands •

Jakarta • Kuala Lumpur • Kungsbacka,

Sweden • Mechlin, Belgium • Melbourne •

Mexico City • Orsay, France • Perugia •

Prague • Rotkreuz, Switzerland • São

Paulo, Brazil • Singapore • Sydney •

Vienna • Warsaw

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting & Finance • Acquisition &

Integration • Advertising, Marketing & PR •

Clerical & Administrative • Customer

Service • Field Operations • Human

Resources • Legal • Manufacturing &

Operations • Products • Sales • Technology

& Computer-related • Transportation &

Logistics

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: KFX

Stock Exchange: LSE

CEO & Director: Reynolds C. Bish


2008 Revenue (£ mil.): 169.9

2008 Income (£ mil.): 16.8

KEY COMPETITORS

CA

IBM Software

Imation

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

hostedjobs.openhire.com/epostings/submit.c

fm?company_id=15973

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THE SCOOP

Transforming the dead-tree into digital

Kofax (formerly DICOM) is a company focused on the very specific field of electronicdata capture, but has unquestionably established dominance over this niche of thetech industry. Its products form the critical link between paper products and digitalstorage; its software takes all manner of communications—text messages, emails,paper forms and faxes—and turns them into data that can be archived and searched.More technically, the company’s scanners and software use optical characterrecognition (OCR) and intelligent character recognition (ICR) to turn paper into sleek,searchable, taggable ones and zeroes. Kofax handles scanning and digitizingdocuments, and using digitized documents for business process automation (BPA).Major Kofax customers include both the Swiss and Italian post offices, JapanTelecom, the Société du Cheval Français and Volkswagen.

Going paperless

Kofax has its roots in DICOM, which was founded in 1991 by Otto Schmid inRotkreuz, Switzerland, and functioned largely as a distributor of hardware andsoftware in the field of electronic data management. Demand for its products grewswiftly, and, by 1996, DICOM offered its stock for the first time in London. By 1999,the company had opened offices in London, Poland and Spain, as well as a numberof other European countries. Also that year, DICOM acquired U.S.-based Kofax,whose scanners have become an industry standard, to become a division of DICOM.In 2004, the company purchased Topcall, another information-capture company.

Rounding up the bytes

In 2006, DICOM took in revenue of about $409 million, an increase of 16 percentover the year before. Sales were bumped up slightly by the company’s $7.5 millionacquisition of Learning Computers International, a German firm specializing instatistical analysis of text and machine data capture. But DICOM’s revenue hasincreased every year since 2004, as companies generate increasing amounts of datathat must be digitized for processing and storage.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has also been good news for DICOM, as it encourages firmsto keep data for longer periods and to make vital documents easier to find in the eventof legal action. According to a report compiled by Harvey Spencer Associates, a NewYork-based market research firm, the market for digital data capture increased 18percent in 2006. The report also declared DICOM as the undisputed leader indocument scanning, covering as much as 42 percent of the total market. In March,DICOM welcomed a new CEO in Robert Klatell, former VP of Arrow Electronics, a U.S.computer equipment distributor.


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Bringing in a relief pitcher for Kofax

To continue to expand its market share, DICOM embarked on a fairly intensiverebranding of its Kofax division’s offerings in 2007. Until DICOM embarked on thisventure, potential Kofax customers were assaulted by a welter of branded offerings—Mohomime, Capio, Xtrata—which didn’t help at all with cross-selling the company’sofferings. In 2007, Kofax launched an effort to rename its products. Instead of theopaque brand names above, all of the company’s products will be named accordingto what they do; for instance, Ascent Capure will be renamed Kofax Capture,ImageControls will be renamed Kofax Imaging, and so on. The brands were alsoorganized into three groups, with offerings tailored to businesses of varying sizes andfunctions. The renaming of the company’s products was to be a gradual process,until 2009. But, to be less confusing, DICOM renamed the whole company Kofax plcin early 2008.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Introducing KTM 4.0

Kofax announced a new release of Kofax Transformation Modules (KTM), whichautomate the classification, sorting and separation of paper and electronicdocuments, and then extract and validate the accuracy of the information that theycontain.

One of the key benefits of KTM 4.0 is its “learn-by-example” technology,automating the classification and extraction of information from any form(structured and unstructured) or document type. Through feeding sample formsor documents into the system, customers can make the software recognize theform or document type and the specific location of critical business informationthat it contains, resulting in “greater cost savings, accelerated deployments andless costly maintenance and provides more cost-effective applications with shorterROIs.”

• February 2009: Census tags Kofax

Kofax was tapped by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide solutions for digitallycapturing and processing more than 17 million pages of employment applicationsand related information per year. After a rigorous evaluation process, Kofax wasselected to provide a solution to “digitize, match and categorize millions of pagesof employment forms and background materials,” enabling the Bureau to “reducetime-consuming manual tasks, automate paper-intensive activities and processvital data more efficiently, accurately and cost-effectively.”



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• January 2009: Also famous internationally

The city of Lausanne—Switzerland’s fifth-largest municipality—joins numerousothers in ordering Kofax Express, the company’s newest scan-to-archive solutionfor batch scanning applications, which will enable the city to “digitize an averageof 70,000 pages per month of new resident registration documents at 30 differentcustomer service locations.” The implementation of Kofax Express will enable thecity to process application forms, visas, passports and other legal documents withcontent in multiple formats and languages.

• November 2008: Capturing not just documents, but awards too

At the 2008 Document Manager Awards event in London, England, Kofax earnedthe Capture Product of the Year award for Kofax Capture 8.0, the world’s leadingcapture software. Sponsored by Document Manager magazine, the award“recognizes the document management industry’s most outstanding products,suppliers and projects of the year based on readers’ voting.” Along with the award,the company also received recognition in the overall Product of the Year categoryfor Kofax Transformation Modules 3.5, which combines with Kofax Capture toprovide world-class automating processes instead of what would otherwise bemanually intensive, error-prone and time-consuming data entry tasks.

• September 2008: Helping the children

Kofax was awarded a contract with the Hawaii Child Support Enforcement Agency,a division within the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, to provide adistributed capture solution to digitize more than 6,000,000 pages contained inover 110,000 existing child support case files. Kofax will enable the agency toprocess and digitize its case files, amounting to more than 200 different types ofdocuments, such as court orders, judgments, payment data and other informationrelated to child support cases. The new system will electronically capture the filecontent and make it accessible throughout the organization in a secure imagedatabase.

• June 2008: A piece of the pizza

In yet another high-profile requisition, Kofax was asked by Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’slargest bank and one of Europe’s leading financial institutions, for a distributedcapture solution to automate the processing of more than 30 million documentsannually that originate in 14 of the bank’s branches in Italy.



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GETTING HIRED

Kofax’s careers site (at www.kofax.com/careers) provides information about some ofthe company’s benefits and hiring processes. The company lists open positions onits site. To apply, candidates must submit a cover letter and resume via email.General inquiries may be addressed to [email protected].

Didn’t find the position you were aiming for? Sign up to create your own “Job Agent”to search the company’s job postings and identify potential matches based on yourskill set. All you need to do is enter your name and email address, upload yourresume, select how close of a match you’d like and how often you’d like to be notified.Do this once and you’ll be notified when job postings meet your criteria.

Benefits at Kofax U.S. include medical, dental and vision plan options, short-term andlong-term disability plans, life and AD&D insurance, supplemental and universal lifeinsurance, flexible spending accounts, vacations, holidays, an educationalreimbursement program, professional development and a 401(k) savings plan. Perksinclude an employee assistance program, a cancer (insurance) policy, 529 collegesavings plan, jury/witness duty, credit union membership, a company store, freebeverages, company-sponsored league sports teams, an interest-free computerpurchase program, an open-house once a month, on-site fitness centers andbasketball courts.



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LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION

4650 Cushing Parkway

Fremont, CA 94538

Phone: (510) 572-0200

Fax: (510) 572-2935

www.lamrc.com

LOCATIONS

Fremont, CA (HQ) • Austin, TX • Boise, ID

• Fishkill, NY • Lehi, UT • Manassas, VA •

Phoenix, AZ • Richardson, TX • South

Portland, ME • Tempe, AZ • Vancouver, WA

Agrate Brianza, Italy • Beijing • Bratislava •

Chungchungbuk-Do, Korea • Corbeil-

Essonnes, France • Dresden, Germany •

Dublin • Fukushima, Japan • Hiroshima •

Hsinchu, Taiwan • Hyogo, Japan • Jiangsu,

China • Kanagawa, Japan • Kedah,

Malaysia • Kumamoto, Japan • Kyungki-

Do, Korea • Mlakarjeva, Slovenia • Meylan,

France • Mie, Japan • Munich • Nagasaki,

Japan • Neuchatel, Switzerland • Nijmegen,

The Netherlands • Oita, Japan • Ramat

Gan, Israel • Rousset, France • Shanghai •

Singapore • Taichung, Taiwan • Tainan,

Taiwan • Taoyuan, Taiwan • Toyama, Japan

• Villach, Austria • Wuhan City, China

DEPARTMENTS

Corporate Administration • Corporate

Communications • Corporate Legal •

Corporate Marketing • Customer Service

Business Group Corporate Operations •

Customer Service Business Group Regional

Operations • Finance • Global Field

Operations • Global Human Resources •

Global Information Systems • Global

Operations • Global Products • Investor

Relations • North America Field Operations •

Product & Strategic Marketing • Sales Asia •

Sales Europe

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: LRCX


Chairman: James W. Bagley

President & CEO: Stephen G. Newberry


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,900

2008 Income ($ mil.): 509

KEY COMPETITORS

Applied Materials

Dainippon Screen

Tokyo Electron

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.lamrc.com/careers_1.cfm

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THE SCOOP

Etch-a-sketch

Lam Research, founded in 1980, has been a major supplier of wafer fabricationequipment and services to the worldwide semiconductor industry for the past 30years. The company provides semiconductor manufacturers with machines that useplasma (a state of matter in which electrons have become disassociated from theiratomic nuclei) in order to etch the design of circuits onto silicon wafers during themanufacture of microchips. In order to prevent the entire surface of the wafer frombeing evenly removed by the plasma during the etching process, it is coated withresin, a material that protects the underlying wafer. Etching is performed severaltimes on successive layers of the chip during the manufacturing process. Lam’s otherproducts include devices to remove the resist used during photolithography andmechanical chemical cleaning machines that clean and level the surface of wafersfollowing etching.

On the Lam

From its inception, Lam Research enjoyed a profitable ascent as one of the leadingwafer manufacturers. Within three years, the company was profitable; within four, ithad gone public. Lam did not just devote itself to increasing sales, but also toextensive research and development. The company’s major breakthrough was therelease of its first product with its new transformer coupled plasma (TCP) technology,which allowed for more efficient, consistent and high-quality chip production. Thenew technology quickly produced for the company $33 million in sales in 1993 alone.The year 1994 saw revenue rising 86 percent to $493 million and sales doubled. Thecompany was growing, and added 400 new workers and four new facilities that year,in addition to expanding on its current locations.

However, by the mid-1990s, the semiconductor industry suffered a sharp decline inPC sales, affecting companies like Lam, which eventually forced the company to layoff over 500 employees in August 1996. Even the merger with OnTrak Systems, afirm specializing in a chemical microchip cleaning process, was not successful,posting a $33.7 million loss, and a slew of job cuts. Lam cut 14 percent of itsworkforce in February 1998, 20 percent of the remainder in June and 500 moreemployees in November; it also closed two of its plants and consolidated other offices.Losses were even greater that year, totaling $145 million. At that point, the companywas still the fourth-largest maker of technology for chip-manufacturing worldwide,and remained optimistic amidst mixed financial results.


Lam Research Corporation

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More than wafer thin growth

It was not until 2006 that the company managed to get back on track, postingrevenue of $1.6 billion (an increase of $100 million over the year before) and profitsof over $300 million. At the end of 2006, Lam began acquiring facilities for itsexpansion and growth, notably, Bullen Ultrasonics for $175 million. These facilities,located in China and Ohio, are a source of the pure, flat silicon wafers that are theraw materials from which microchips are made. An increased demand formicrochips and solar panels (which also require pure silicon) has heated up themarket for these wafers, meaning that the division should provide good returns in thenear future for the company.

Industry analysts have noticed the company’s recovery: in 2007, Lam moved up 14places on Business 2.0’s list of the fastest-growing technology companies to No. 7. Itposted a three-year revenue growth of 36 percent, and ranked in the top 10 forearnings growth. The company might not be out of the woods yet, though—itannounced an internal inquiry into suspicious activity related to employee stockoptions grants in July 2007.

IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: Revenue down

Lam Research declared revenue of $283.4 million for the quarter of December2008, a far cry from the $440.4 million of the September 2008 quarter. Thecompany also experienced a $24.2 million loss during the last quarter of 2008.Company CEO Steve Newberry recognized that “[t]he global semiconductorindustry has entered one of the most difficult periods in its history, one that ispresenting severe challenges to our customers and thus severely limitinginvestment in wafer fab equipment.” He remained upbeat, though, saying that“[w]hile this environment will persist near-term, we remain optimistic about ourlong-term technology roadmap in etch, clean and other new markets. During thepause in customer spending we are strategically targeting our capital resources tonew penetration opportunities, qualifying our next-generation tools and deliveringcost-effective technology solutions aimed at reducing our customers' productioncosts.”

• August 2008: Advancing Taiwan

Lam opened a new global training center in Hsinchu, Taiwan, with the support ofthe Taiwan government. The facility, which encompasses over 3,600 square feet,is equipped with 2300 and Alliance-based systems to handle 200 mm and 300mm hands-on training. The training programs to be held at the center aims to helpcustomers “speed the ramp to production on new Lam Research process toolsand enhance the productivity of their existing Lam Research systems.”



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• March 2008: Get SEZ!

Lam announced the acquisition of the SEZ Group and about 95 percent of itsoutstanding shares. The purchase allows Lam Research to offer its clients “a fullarray of wafer cleaning and decontamination solutions, with products incorporatingSEZ's proprietary Spin-Process single-wafer technology, and single-wafer bevel andlinear wet clean applications.” Steve Newberry, president and CEO of Lam, noted,"With the addition of SEZ, we have increased our capability to provide single-waferclean solutions to meet the increasing technology needs of our customers. SEZ isbringing not only top-quality operational and engineering capabilities to Lam, but alsoa talented group of employees and an excellent management team." Talks betweenLam and SEZ started in December 2007.

GETTING HIRED

Leave your mark at Lam

Lam’s career site, at www.lamresearch.com/careers_1.cfm, provides informationabout openings for experienced candidates, college graduates and undergraduates.Jobs are searchable by function, keyword and location. To apply, job seekers mustfirst create a profile. Benefits at Lam include a choice of health care plans, dentalinsurance, flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care, life insurance,sabbaticals, 401(k) plans and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.

Undergraduates and recent graduates are invited to apply for internships and entry-level positions, respectively. Internships are available for students pursuing abachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD. Interns may participate in poster andessay contests, and are given ample opportunity to network with executives and otherinterns. Recent graduates are also invited to apply to positions in engineering, HR,finance, marketing, and R&D and software development, among other departments.



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LENOVO GROUP LIMITED

1009 Think Place

Morrisville, NC 27560

Phone: (866) 968-4465

Fax: (877) 411-1329

www.lenovo.com

LOCATIONS

Morrisville, NC (HQ)

Offices in 94 locations worldwide

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting/Finance • Administrative •

Communications • Customer Service •

Engineering • Fulfillment • Human


Legal • Manufacturing • Marketing •

Procurement • Project Management •

Public Relations • Research &

Development • Sales • Sales – Inside

Sales • Sales Support • Security • Strategy

& Operations • Supply Chain

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: 0992

Stock Exchange: Hong Kong

Chairman: Chuanzhi Liu

CEO: Yuanqing Yang


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 16,352

2008 Income ($ mil.): 484

KEY COMPETITORS

Acer

Dell

Hewlett-Packard

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.lenovo.com/jobs/us/en/index.html

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THE SCOOP

New thinking for a new world

Lenovo is a Chinese manufacturer of desktop and notebook computers, servers,printers, monitors and peripherals. Its products also include cell phones and MP3players. Lenovo is the top-selling PC manufacturer in China and is now the fourth-largest PC manufacturer in the world, after acquiring IBM's personal computingdivision in 2005. It has 7.5 percent share of the overall PC market share in 2008,according to research from iSuppli, trailing Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Acer.

The Legend continues

Lenovo was founded in 1984 as the Beijing Legend Computer Group by 10colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The company's first product,launched in 1987, was a Chinese character card and its first personal computerdebuted in 1990. Four years later, the company offered its shares on the Hong Kongexchange, and it soon added laser printers to its product line in 1997.

In 2000, sales of the company's products had taken off to the point where it wasincluded in the Hang Seng index, a list of the highest-capitalized stocks traded on theHong Kong exchange. In 2003, Legend changed its name to Lenovo, and thefollowing year rolled out a line of computers for low-income customers, a significantarea of growth.

What a great Idea

Lenovo and Microsoft teamed up in 2007 to develop a research center and alsointroduce FlexGo pay-as-you-go computing. The research center is located inLenovo’s Beijing research institute and will focus on portable computing technologies.FlexGo aims to bring computers to low-income families and provide internet accessfor people who could not otherwise afford computers. In 2008, Lenovo invaded theglobal consumer PC market with its Idea line (IdeaPad notebooks and IdeaCentredesktops). The products first hit the market in the United States, France, Russia,South Africa, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand,China, the Philippines and Singapore.

Lenovo maintains rotating global headquarters throughout North America, Europeand Asia-Pacific, with two executive hubs located in Raleigh, North Carolina, andBeijing. Lenovo operates in 69 countries around the world. The company nowemploys more than 23,000 people worldwide, including 1,700 designers, scientistsand engineers.


Lenovo Group Limited

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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Optimized for Communicator

Lenovo announced that it is the first laptop manufacturer to offer productsoptimized for Microsoft Communicator 2007. The products, which offer high-quality audio and video ideal for multimedia and Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) applications, are ThinkPad X301, T400 and T500 laptop PCs.

• February 2009: Leadership changes

Lenovo changed its executive team. Yang Yuanqing became the CEO, ceasing tobe executive chairman of the board but continuing as an executive director. RoryRead is appointed as president and COO. Resigned President and CEO William J.Amelio was then appointed to be a special advisor to the company until September30, 2009. Liu Chuanzhi was appointed as a nonexecutive chairman of the board.

• January 2009: Switchbox acquisition

Lenovo considers its innovations the lifeblood of the company and acquiredSeattle-based Switchbox Labs, Inc. to reaffirm its commitment to investing in newstrategies and technologies. Switchbox Labs focuses on developing newconsumer technologies, which are expected to become part of Lenovo’s productsin the future. Switchbox co-founders Michael Sievert, Robert Dickinson and BlakeRamsdell also joined Lenovo. Sievert was named senior vice president companyand will report directly to CEO Amelio.

• January 2009: Job cuts in Q1 2009 to affect 2,500 workers

Lenovo announced a “resource redeployment plan” to remain competitive andefficient in the midst of the economic downturn. The company expected to lay off2,500 employees worldwide during the first quarter of 2009, approximately 11percent of its total workforce. The affected jobs include management andexecutive positions. The company also reduces operating costs in support andstaff functions, and plans to reduce executive compensation by 30 to 50 percent.

As part of the restructuring plan, Lenovo is consolidating its China and Asia Pacificorganizations into a single business unit to be called Asia Pacific and Russia(APR). The new unit is expected to help the company reduce its operatingexpenses and eliminate work redundancy. “The actions we are taking today arenot easy, and we will act with compassion and respect for the individuals in ourcompany who are most affected,” said CEO Amelio.

• December 2008: Teaming up with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

In order to build up its brand equity and attract customers, Lenovo and VodafoneMcLaren Mercedes announced a partnership ahead of the 2009 Formula 1season. Under this agreement, Lenovo notebook and desktop PCs will provide theteam’s mission-critical computing solutions, both at the race track and at theteam’s headquarters.



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• November 2008: PC shipments grow in Q2

During the second quarter, Lenovo's worldwide PC shipments grew 7.4 percentbut were still heavily affected by the current global economic crisis. As a result,Lenovo’s performance in the second quarter did meet management expectations.

• October 2008: Going broadband

AT&T, Lenovo and Ericsson entered into an agreement covering the option toaccess broadband-speed internet via the ThinkPad notebook PCs. This alliancerequires AT&T’s 3G service to be available on a full range of Lenovo ThinkPadnotebooks, which come factory-equipped with Ericsson built-in mobile broadbandmodules enabled for AT&T LaptopConnect.

• September 2008: Lenovo joins Climate Group

Lenovo joined international nonprofit organization The Climate Group, and, as partof that membership, has introduced a program that rewards consumers forrecycling end-of-life devices, and offers them incentives to power new computerswith renewable energy. The company also set a goal to avoid 33 million to 66million metric tons of carbon dioxide caused by older shipping methods and up to200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions per year by 2012.

• May 2008: Shipments grow 22 percent; sales up by 17 percent

Lenovo released full-year financial results for fiscal 2007-2008 (ending March 31,2008) with growth figures better than the industry average. Excluding its mobilehandset business, which it sold in March, Lenovo achieved consolidated salesfrom continuing operations amounting to $16.4 billion, a 17 percent increase yearover year. The company’s PC shipments also increased to 22 percent year overyear, better than the industry average, estimated at 16 percent.

The company also reported that the complete sale of its mobile handsets unitbrought in a profit of $36 million and $20 million in the fiscal fourth quarter andfull year, respectively. Lenovo’s PC shipments worldwide also increased by 21percent. Lenovo’s notebook line continued to be the largest contributor to totalsales, with shipments in the fourth fiscal quarter up by 38 percent year over year,and consolidated sales grew 22 percent to $2.3 billion or 61 percent of total salesfor the quarter.



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GETTING HIRED

Grow with Lenovo

Lenovo’s career site, at www.lenovo.com/jobs/us/en/index.html, provides informationabout job openings and benefits. Open positions are searchable by location, type andfunctional area. When Vault investigated the site, there were a handful of positionslisted, primarily in accounting/finance, customer service, marketing, IT andmanufacturing. Benefits include a selection of medical plans, savings schemes forretirement, employee assistance programs, life insurance, disability benefits, tuitionreimbursement and financial planning services. Lenovo is an affirmative action—equal opportunity employer.



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301

LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC.

740 West New Circle Road

Lexington, KY 40550

Phone: (859) 232-2000

Fax: (859) 232-2403

www.lexmark.com

LOCATIONS

Lexington, KY (HQ)

Boulder, CO • Coral Gables, FL

Casablanca • Geneva • Ontario •

Singapore

DEPARTMENTS

Customer Services • Finance • Human

Resources • Information Technology &

Web • Legal • Manufacturing • Marketing •

Purchasing & Vendor Management •

Research & Development • Sales • Sales

Operations • Service Delivery • Site

Operations • Supply Chain

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: LXK


Chairman & CEO: Paul J. Curlander


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 4,528.4

2008 Income ($ mil.): 240.2

KEY COMPETITORS

Canon

Epson

Hewlett-Packard

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.lexmark.com/lexmark/sequentialem/home/0,6

959,204816596_1295219516_0_en,00.html

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THE SCOOP

The future of print

As one of the leading manufacturers of inkjet and laser printers and accessories,Lexmark bridges the gap between the "old" world of paper products and the new onefocused on all things electronic. It produces laser, inkjet and dot matrix printers,multifunction machines (which also copy, fax and scan documents) and relatedsupplies such as cartridges and imaging products for office and residentialcustomers.

The past isn’t so sad

Called by one analyst the "Rodney Dangerfield of printing companies" (since itseemed to get no respect), Lexmark used to be one of IBM's tiny divisions. WhenIBM decided to divest its hardware assets in 1991, the division was one of the firstones to get the boot, with IBM saying that the division didn't fit in with its corebusinesses. Despite that setback, Lexmark was formed out of that leveraged buyoutbetween IBM and an investment firm. Being thrust into the printing spotlight forcedLexmark to do a lot of growing up—it designed a framework that included units andteams previously handled for Lexmark by IBM, and it let go of half of its workforce—but it grew up well adjusted to the market. Six years after being told that it just didn'tfit in, Lexmark shot to the number two spot in the worldwide laser printing business,and as a bonus it was able to pare down its billion-dollar debt (an unfortunate part ofthe buyout) to just a little over the $100 million range. Not too shabby for a companythat was forced to find its own way in the world.

The present doesn’t look too bad either

The company owns much of the technology used in its products (through itsinvestment in research) and also works in intangibles, offering technical support andcustom business solutions for small and midsized businesses, government agenciesand educational resources. Lest all of this sound incredibly pedestrian, the Lexmarkname does carry some cachet: 75 percent of the world’s leading banks, retailers andpharmacies use Lexmark, and according to research from the Gartner Group, a literof Lexmark printer ink is pricier than the same amount of first-rate whiskey or ChanelNo. 5 perfume.

Its newest line of color and monochrome laser printers and multifunction products(MFPs) announced in October 2008 received nearly 70 industry awards and broadrecognition from leading technology publications and testing houses. One thing onthe horizon that may help the company gain some strength is wireless printing for thetech-savvy home consumer. Notebook and wireless router sales are growing at anestimated 20 percent per year, and research firm IDC projects that by 2010,


Lexmark International, Inc.

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approximately 93.6 million households will have access to a wireless network, up 70percent from current totals.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Increasing capability for product innovation

Lexmark introduced Accessibility Solution, a new application designed to providepeople with visual impairments easier access to Lexmark multifunction product(MFP) technology. This enables visually impaired users to set up copy, fax, email,FTP and scan jobs directly from their workstation rather than requiring use of theMFP touch screen display.

• January 2009: Printing perspectives

To continuously become more competitive in the technological market arena,Lexmark entered a long-term multiyear agreement with Dell for printingtechnology. This agreement involves both companies pursuing development ofbroader printer models and related aftermarket cartridges manufactured byLexmark and sold to customers under the Dell brand. This is one of the marketingstrategies used by Lexmark to expand its market penetration.

• January 2009: Survival amidst economic downturn

Lexmark announced the negative impact of the current economic turmoil andcurrency rate volatility of its 2008 revenue and operating income. Revenue is$4.53 billion, down 9 percent compared to 2007’s posted revenue of $4.97 billion.To address the present economic weakness, CEO Paul J. Curlander said that“Lexmark continues to take actions that will reduce our fixed infrastructure andbusiness support costs, which are projected to generate savings of over $100million in 2009.” The company foresees that the 2009 restructuring plan willaffect about 375 positions and is expected to be substantially completed by theend of 2009. It further expects a total annualized cost savings of $50 million whencompleted, with approximately $40 million in savings in 2009.

• October 2008: Yes, Lexmark can

Lexmark proved that it’s concerned with employee and customer satisfaction whenthe company was named a winner of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Award for BusinessExcellence in Workplace Flexibility. According to the company, its flexible work/lifeprogram aims to achieve a balance between work and family, giving its employeesan enriched quality of life, with the company benefitting through enhancedoperational efficiency and achieved business goals.



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• September 2008: Going green for the environment

SmartWay, a collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency andthe freight industry, has a new member in Lexmark. The group aims to increaseenergy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases. Lexmark pledged to “go green”and to consider its products’ impact on global ecology as part of its commitmentto social responsibility.

• June 2008: Uniting with the United Nations

Lexmark joined the United Nations (U.N.) Global Compact, the world's largestvoluntary global corporate citizenship initiative. The Global Compact providesguidelines to businesses to ensure that their operations do not violate the tenets ofhuman rights, labor, the environment and governance.

GETTING HIRED

Looking for Lex-elent employees

Openings at Lexmark's Kentucky headquarters and U.S. offices can be accessedthrough the company's website. International opportunities are accessible througheach division’s web page available through a drop down menu on the main Lexmarkwebsite.

The company also offers opportunities for students seeking a Lexmark career duringcollege. Interested parties can work as an AYPT (academic year part time), co-op(alternating periods of work and study), or an intern (summer only) student. Programparticipants must have a GPA of 3.0, be eligible to work in the United States on apermanent basis and attend an accredited college or university on a full-time basis.All student positions are paid. Other benefits include free housing (fully furnishedapartments) for individuals who live more than 50 miles away, paid holidays andpersonal days, company discounts, on-the-job training, and access to a "wide rangeof social and sporting events."

If its finances haven’t been the healthiest of late, at least Lexmark promotes the well-being of its employees. Besides life, health, dental, vision and disability coverage,Lexmark gives its staff the opportunity to purchase stock and contribute to a 401(k)plan with a generous company matching plan. It further encourages employees'character growth by granting three paid vacation days in exchange for volunteer work,and offers technical training and funding for continuing education. Lexmark offersleadership training and participation development programs, such as Six Sigma BlackBelt. Workers at the Lexington campus have access to convenient medical andbanking services on site.



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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Traditional interview process

Several insiders note that they underwent two interviews and that the interviewprocess is something a job seeker would normally expect. The first interview involvesgoing over the applicant’s resume, references and prior experience in the positionapplied for. The second interview usually deals with how to meet the jobresponsibilities, if hired. As one source notes, the interviews are not stressful butrather easy.

Perks abound

Almost all of the respondents mention the no-dress-code policy of Lexmark. Apartfrom this, one source mentioned that the company is comprised of employees fromdifferent cultural backgrounds.

One source notes, though, that there is no career advancement, while anothercontact counters by saying that there is career opportunity as the company expandsits market territory.

Besides the paid sick leave and holidays , Lexmark also sponsors holiday parties, atleast in its company headquarters in Kentucky. In 2008, employees were giventickets to the Kentucky Derby as a year-end gift.



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LSI LOGIC CORPORATION

1621 Barber Lane

Milpitas, CA 95035

Phone: (408) 954-3108

Fax: (408) 954-3220

www.lsilogic.com

LOCATIONS

Milpitas, CA (HQ) • Allentown, PA •

Andover, MA • Austin, TX • Beaverton, OR

• Boulder, CO • Colorado Springs, CO •

Englewood, CO • Fort Collins, CO •

Fremont, CA • Golden, CO • Gresham, OR

• Irvine, CA • Longmont, CO • Los Angeles,

CA • Mendota Heights, MN • Minneapolis,

MN • Norcross, GA • Oxnard, CA •

Rochester, MN • Roseville, CA • San

Diego, CA • Waltham, MA • Westborough,

MA • Westlake Village, CA • Wichita, KS

Bangalore • Beijing • Bracknell, United

Kingdom • Cork, Ireland • Haifa • HsinChu,

Taiwan • Kista, Sweden • Madrid •

Meudon-la-Foret, France • Milan • Munich •

Pathumthani, Thailand • Seoul • Singapore

• Taipei • Tokyo • Vienna

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative/Clerical • Customer Service

• Engineering • Finance • IT • Legal •

Manufacturing • Marketing • Operations •

Sales • Technical Writing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: LSI


President & CEO: Abhi Talwalkar


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,700

2008 Income ($ mil.): 283

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM Microelectronics

NXP

Texas Instruments

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.lsi.com/about_lsi/careers/index.html

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THE SCOOP

Large-scale integration for small-scale devices

LSI Logic Corp. (the LSI stands for “large-scale integration”) manufacturessemiconductors for the digital audio and video, communications, networking andstorage markets. LSI’s storage chips are designed to allow computers tocommunicate with storage devices, such as tape drives and data storage servers.The company also offers custom-designed “systems-on-a-chip” (SOC) for theconsumer market. LSI does not have its own fabs, but rather designs chips and thencontracts with foundries for their production.

ASICs—not just snazzy shoes

Wilfred Corrigan, a British chemical engineer whose father had worked on the docksin Liverpool, founded LSI in 1981 after working for 20 years in the semiconductorindustry, including a failed attempt as the CEO of Fairchild Semiconductor from 1974to 1980 to diversify the offerings of the industry giant. When Schlumberger Ltd.purchased Fairchild in 1979 (only two years after Corrigan had started chairing thecompany’s board meetings, in addition to serving as president and chief executive),Corrigan was shortly out the door.

He picked himself up by the boot straps and founded LSI Logic the next year.However, for his new company he headed in the opposite direction from the old one,aiming small and specialized, where Fairchild had been large and general. LSI’sinitial product would be ASICs (application-specific integrated circuit).

Going abroad early

LSI went public in 1983, and Corrigan took the company international almostimmediately, recognizing that strong support from overseas investors would be crucialto the company’s survival. Japanese investors, perhaps remembering LSI’s recentpartnership with Toshiba, had acquired much of the company’s stock in the IPO, andCorrigan quickly appealed for their support with the 1984 formation of Nihon LSILogic, a private Japanese offshoot of his company. Nihon’s private offering raised $20million, and left 28 Japanese investors with a 33 percent stake in the new venture.Months later, Corrigan tried the same thing with LSI Logic Ltd. in the U.K., raising $20million there as well.

The future of memory

In May 2005, Corrigan introduced his successor as president and CEO, AbhiTalwalkar, a former executive in Intel’s enterprise and storage division. Corrigan hassince stayed involved with the company as the non-executive chairman of its board.


LSI Logic Corporation

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Talwalkar has received mixed reviews so far, as investors and analysts closely watchhis ambitious plan to overhaul the now venerable LSI.

At present, LSI Logic employs 6,193 personnel and maintains operations worldwide.The company’s sales revenue for 2008 was reported at $2.7 billion.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: LSI is part of DoD’s $40 million modernization program

LSI Logic announced that its Engenio 7900 HPC storage technology is part of a$40 million-dollar U.S. Department of Defense project to modernize its datastorage system under the Technology Insertion (TI-09) High PerformanceComputing Modernization Program. LSI Logic’s storage system will help increasethe DOD’s data storage capacity to 2.4 petabytes.

• February 2009: Certified tree- (and people-) huggers

Green thumbs up for LSI Logic as its Wichita, Kan., facility was certified by the ISO(International Organization for Standardization) and the OHSAS (OccupationalHealth and Safety Assessment Series) as Earth- and people-friendly. Thecertification guarantees LSI Wichita to be a safe and healthy workplace andenvironmentally friendly.

• November 2008: Welcome to the club

Retired IBM executive Susan Whitney was officially welcomed by the LSI board ofdirectors on November 12th, a timely replacement for board member Timothy Y.Chen, who resigned on the same date. Whitney’s experience, as LSI CEO AbhiTalwalkar put it, “… will be invaluable to us as we continue to focus on increasingour worldwide opportunities in the storage and networking areas.”

• September 2008: Still ahead of the pack

Banking on the benefits of new read channel and physical (PHY) technologies, LSILogic released its SOC components for hard disk drives. The new 65-nanometerLSI TrueStore RC8900 iterative decoding read channel offers data transfer rates upto 4GHz and is compatible with 6GB/s SAS and SATA, as well as 4.25G FibreChannel (FC-PI-2) protocols. This innovation propels the company ahead of thetransition curve as storage industry participants shift usage from 3Gb/s SAS to6Gb/s SAS interfaces in 2009.

• 2007: On a shopping spree

Talwalkar backed up his talk with a bold move—the $4 billion takeover of Agere, asemiconductor manufacturer that specializes in chips for storage, mobile devicesand networking. The deal more than doubles the size of LSI Logic (from 4,010employees in 2006 to 9,100), and gives it a robust clutch of patents—10,000 ofthem, to be exact—which can be licensed to other manufacturers. Cost savings



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associated with the acquisition are estimated at $125 million for 2008. But theyhave came at a cost—LSI Logic posted second quarter losses of $378 million inJuly 2007, $340 million of which were attributed to charges from the Agere deal.

In August, the company announced worldwide layoffs of 2,100 people, whichmight be unrelated, as they amount to the sort of manufacturing facilities Talwalkarplanned on trimming before the merger. LSI Logic continued divesting its chip-making resources that same month, selling off its phone and satellite-radio chipbusiness to Infineon for about $450 million.

LSI Logic acquired Tarari, Inc. for approximately $85 million in September. Withnumerous awards to boot, Tarari makes silicon and software that provides contentand application awareness in packet and message processing. With Tarari’sacquisition, LSI Logic now adds a new class of advanced security and networkcontrol for service providers and enterprise networks.

In November, LSI Logic acquired Metta Technology, a private company in Pune,India, which develops multimedia SOC technology and related software forconsumer electronic products. This acquisition costs the company $7 million.

GETTING HIRED

Add some Logic to your career

LSI’s careers site, at www.lsi.com/careers, provides a wealth of information for jobseekers about LSI company culture, opportunities for training and advancement andbenefits. Jobs are searchable by type, location and function. To apply, job seekersmust first create an account.

LSI offers its employees ample opportunities for training, 360-degree reviews andeven has a tuition assistance program. Benefits include 401(k) with companymatching, quarterly profit sharing, a stock purchase plan and credit union services.Medical benefits are comprised of a health plan and insurance.



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MANTECH INTERNATIONALCORPORATION

12015 Lee Jackson Highway

Fairfax, VA 22033

Phone: (703) 218-6000

Fax: (703) 218-8296

www.mantech.com

LOCATIONS

Fairfax, VA (HQ)

Alexandria, VA • Aiea, HI • Arlington, VA •

Bethesda, MD • Burlington, MA • Chantilly,

VA • Colorado Springs, CO • Dahlgren, VA

• El Segundo, CA • Ellicott City, MD •

Fairmont, WV • Falls Church, VA • Glen

Burnie, MD • Herndon, VA • Hinton, WV •

Johnstown, PA • Lexington Park, MD •

Miami, FL • New York, NY • Norfolk, VA •

North Charleston, SC • Prince George, VA

• San Antonio, TX • San Diego, CA •

Sarasota, FL • Sierra Vista, AZ •

Springfield, VA • Tampa, FL • Vienna, VA •

Voorhees, NJ • Wallops Island, VA •

Washington, DC

Additional locations in 42 countries

worldwide.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.mantech.com/careers

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative Programs & Operations •

Administrative Services • Consulting

Services • Contracts, Purchasing, Legal &

Proposal Services • Customer Service &

Technical Training • Engineering & Support

Services • Engineers/Scientists • Facilities •

Finance/Accounting • Human Resources •

Information Technology • Intelligence •

Investor Relations • Legal • Logistics

Support Services • Marketing, Sales &

Business Development • Multimedia Support

• Networks & Telecommunication Services •

Programs & Operations • Publications &

Graphic Arts • Research •

Scientific/Analytical • Security • Systems

Development • Technical Analysis •

Technical Assistance & Support

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: MANT


Chairman & CEO: George J. Pedersen


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,870.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): 90.3

KEY COMPETITORS

BAE Systems

Computer Sciences Corp.

Northrop Grumman

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THE SCOOP

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s ManTech!

ManTech has a long history of providing its country with high-tech manpower (and,name notwithstanding, womanpower). The company provides informationtechnology (IT) services to the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense(DoD), Department of Justice (DoJ), the Navy and NASA. ManTech’s nationalsecurity offerings include intelligence analysis, information security andcommunications system support. On the IT side, the company offers networksecurity, computational forensics and code analysis. ManTech also providesengineering test services to NASA and the Navy. The overwhelming majority ofManTech’s revenue comes from the U.S. government; about 1 percent comes fromNATO countries. In 2008, ManTech reported sales revenue amounting to $1.87billion.

From the Cold War …

Staten Islander George Pedersen and mathematician Franc Wertheimer foundedManTech in 1968 as a two-person operation; at the time, they had a single navalcontract to provide war-gaming technology for submarines. Pedersen has remainedwith the company to the present day, and has steered the company into persistentgrowth by cannily focusing on acquisitions to “leapfrog forward into new areas” (hisphrase), while remaining mindful of overreliance on federal contracts, diversifying itsplatform just before the end of the Cold War.

The company’s first acquisition came in 1971, when it bought a company that held aNavy Air Systems command contract; it had 18 employees, but it portended greaterthings. By the time of its IPO in 2002, ManTech had acquired 36 other companies.After going public, the company bought two companies every year, most notably GrayHawk Systems for $90 million in 2005, a company with 500 employees, many ofwhom possess the security clearances necessary for highly classified contractopportunities. From its humble beginnings with submarines, ManTech has longangled to break into the intelligence field; its first foray came in the early 1980s, whenit bought a small, intelligence-based interest from Raytheon Corp. for $1.25 million.And the hard work has paid off: in 2006, ManTech reported classified contractsworth $200 million.

… to the war on terror

ManTech went public in 2002, a move that several analysts attributed to the “War onTerror” in the aftermath of the attacks on September 11th, but chairman and CEOGeorge Pedersen insisted that he had taken 71 of his key executives to a companypowwow the year before to discuss the trajectory of the business, deciding to focus


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away from commercial pursuits to government contracting once more. Pedersensubsequently hired Quarterdeck Equity Partners, a mergers and acquisitionsconsultancy, who suggested the company go public. “To be honest, I didn’t reallywant to do that,” Pedersen has said, “but the logic was overwhelming. And it reallywas the right decision.”

It was the right place and the right time: company revenue skyrocketed from $431million in 2002, to $1 billion in 2006. Pedersen is thrilled, saying he expects it tosomeday reach $5 billion in sales. He also isn’t leaving the company he started morethan 30 years ago, and worked nights and weekends to bring to this point. “I willremain chairman of the board until the day I die,” he says, “I love this business. Ilove what we do every day.”

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Get (cyber) smart

ManTech announced that it closed the purchase of cyber intelligence firm DDKTechnology Group, Inc. The Lanham, Md.-based DDK provides cyber security tothe U.S. Department of Defense, focusing on Naval Criminal Investigative Service(NCIS). “This acquisition continues ManTech’s focus on the high-end intelligencearena and expands our footprint in cyber security to NCIS,” said ManTechChairman and CEO George J. Pedersen.

• February 2009: Highly optimistic

ManTech reported fourth quarter financial results with a 15 percent increase inprofit, hitting Wall Street’s targets. The company’s net income totaled $24.6million, 69 cents per share, climbing from $21.4 million, 61 cents per share, infourth fiscal quarter 2007. ManTech also releaseed its forecasts for 2009, withfigures above the Street’s expectations. The company forecasted earnings of$2.91, at $3.05 a share, and revenue of $2.10 to $2.20 billion. According to aReuters article, analysts, on the other hand, eye for “earnings of $2.93 a share,before special items, on revenue of $2.12 billion.”

• December 2008: Shopping for growth

ManTech announced the complete acquisition of IT provider EWA Services, Inc.EWA Services was a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates,Inc., and provides threat analysis and test and evaluation for agencies under theDepartment of Defense. In August, ManTech had already acquired cyber securityprovider Emerging Technologies Group, which also serves the DOD. Thesepurchases are expected to contribute to ManTech’s sales growth in 2009.



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• December 2008: Best software and services company

Forbes.com released its America’s Best Big Companies list and named ManTechbest in its Software and Services category. The list was based on “sales andearnings growth, debt to total capital, earnings outlook and stock market returns.”This was the second time ManTech made it on the list.

• August 2008: Modernizing global networks

ManTech was award a $124 million contract by the U.S. State Department tosupport the latter’s Bureau of Information Resource Management ProgramManagement and Analysis Directorate during its Global IT Modernization (GITM)programme.

• May 2008: Among the best tech companies

ManTech ranked No. 77 in BusinessWeek’s InfoTech 100 list. The ranking wasbased on “on shareholder return, return on equity, total revenue and revenuegrowth.” A company press release said ManTech was “was ranked overall at 77,was rated 16th best in shareholder return on equity and 33rd highest in revenuegrowth.”

• May 2008: Quality OK!

ManTech received International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001:2000certification for its quality management system supporting the U.S. Army RegionalSupport Centers. The certification was awarded to organizations able toconsistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatorystandards. In a press release in light of the certification, the company reaffirmedits commitment to provide world-class service and solutions to the Army.

GETTING HIRED

Work for the Man

ManTech’s careers page, at www.mantech.com/careers/careers.asp, allowscandidates to search for jobs by location and function. The site also has informationabout career fairs at which the company recruits, including job fairs aimed at helpingpeople in the military transition to civilian careers. Benefits at the company includehealth, dental and vision insurance, tuition assistance, 401(k) and employee stockplan, life, accident and disability insurance, employee assistance program, petinsurance, auto and home insurance and retail discounts. The company also offersa wide range of professional development learning opportunities for employeesthrough the ManTech University.



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MAXIM INTEGRATED PRODUCTS, INC.

120 San Gabriel Drive

Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Phone: (408) 737-7600

Fax: (408) 737-7194

www.maxim-ic.com

LOCATIONSSunnyvale, CA (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Bannockburn, IL • Beaverton, OR •

Boston, MA • Champaign, IL • Colorado Springs,

CO • Dallas, TX • Fort Collins, CO • Hillsboro, OR

• Houston, TX • Irvine, CA • Indianapolis, IN •

Melbourne, FL • Milwaukee, WI • North Palm

Beach, FL • Phoenix, AZ • Providence, RI •

Raleigh, NC • San Antonio, TX • San Diego, CA •

San Jose, CA • Tucson, AZ

Alborg, Denmark • Amsterdam • Bangalore •

Batangas, Philippines • Beijing • Catania, Italy •

Cavite, Philippines • Chengdu, China • Chonburi,

Thailand • Daegu, Korea • Dresden •

Gandhinagar, India • Graz, Austria • Grenoble,

France • Hannover, Germany • Hong Kong •

Istanbul • Kawasaki, Japan • Lund, Sweden •

Madrid • Marseille, France • Milan • Moscow •

Munich • Newbury, United Kingdom • Osaka •

Paris • Pavia, Italy • Reading, United Kingdom •


Stockholm • Taipei, • Tel Aviv • Tokyo • Wuhan,

China • Zurich


Stock Symbol: MXIM


President & CEO: Tunç Doluca


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,052.8

2008 Income ($ mil.): 317.7

EMPLOYMENT CONTACTwww.maxim-ic.com/company/careers

DEPARTMENTSAccounting/Auditing • Administrative & Support

Services • Advertising, Marketing & PR •

Analog/Mixed Signal Design • Architectural

Services • Arts, Entertainment & Media •

Automotive/Motor Vehicle/Parts • Building &

Grounds Maintenance • Bulk Storage & Delivery •

Chemical Engineering • Circuit Design • Consulting

Services • Consumer Products • Customer Service

& Call Center • DC-DC Switching Converters

Design • Data Acquisition • Digital Design •

Education, Training & Library • Electronics •

Embedded Microcontroller Design • Engineering •

Facilities • Failure Analysis • Finance/Economics •

Financial Services • Full-custom Digital Circuit

Design • Gas Distribution • General Managements

• High-frequency RF Circuit Design •

HR/Recruiting • IC Characterization • IC Design •

Industrial Engineering • IT • Installation,

Maintenance & Repair • Insurance • Internet/e-

Commerce • Internship • Law Enforcement &

Security • Layout • Legal • Logistics • Low-offset

Amplifiers & Comparators • Low-power Analog

Circuitry • Manufacturing & Production •

Mechanical Engineering • Microcontrollers •

Military • Non-volatile Memory Circuit Design •

Parametric Test • PCB Design • PCB Layout •

Precision Analog Circuitry • Process Integration •

Process Module • Production Control • Production

Planning • Publishing/Printing • Purchasing •

Quality/Reliability • Radio Frequency • Real Estate

• Retail/Wholesale • Sales • Semiconductor •

Shipping & Receiving • Supply Chain/Logistics •

Systems Engineer • Tax accounting •

Telecommunications • Technology & Design •

Transportation & Warehousing • Voltage

References • Yield Enhancement

KEY COMPETITORSAnalog Devices

National Semiconductor

Texas Instruments

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THE SCOOP

Analog has not yet left the building

Maxim Integrated Products is a manufacturer of analog and mixed-signalsemiconductors. Analog chips, while not as fast at crunching numbers as the digitalvariety, have their place in measuring quantities that vary continuously, liketemperature and pressure, converting audio to digital signals (and vice versa) andpower management. Maxim’s chips are used in the automotive, industrial, medical,communications and consumer products industries. A number of former GeneralElectric employees founded Maxim in 1983, betting that analog circuits, which hadbeen largely discarded in favor of their faster, snazzier digital cousins, might stillconstitute a viable segment of the semiconductor market. Indeed, demand for analogchips grew during the decade, largely for use in new technologies such as cell phonesand portable electronics. The company posted its first profit on a year’s sales in1988, and immediately had its initial IPO.

Despite fluctuations in the health of the industry through the 1990s, Maxim played itsanalog chips to its advantage—they don’t become obsolete as quickly as digital chips,and they can be made for much less money in older factories, thus insulating thecompany from the slings and arrows of the industry’s outrageous fortunes. Also, Maximwas one of the few companies that hadn’t switched to digital chips, and benefited bypicking up the effective leftovers in the market. It was a strategy geared toward the longterm, and the company invested in its employees and its R&D in the meantime, quicklyearning recognition as an excellent place to work and a well-run, small, tech firm.

Survival of the fittest

While many of its semiconductor peers suffered through cycles of boom and bust,Maxim hummed along, seemingly immune. By 2006, Fortune noted that Maxim hadthe highest profits of any semiconductor company in the Fortune 1000. Suddenly,Maxim wasn’t so small anymore, and it was soon encountering the sort of troublebefitting a large tech firm.

In 2006, Maxim was investigated by the SEC for questionable options practices. Theaudit of the options practices delayed the filing of several forms with the SEC, whichcaused the governing body of Nasdaq to threaten to delist the company’s shares fromthe exchange. That same year, CEO and leading co-founder Jack Gifford elected tostep down from his post for health reasons, in favor of a consulting role. He wasreplaced by veteran Tunc Doluca. (Gifford passed away in January 2009.)

In 2007, Maxim bought a factory manufacturing eight-inch wafers in Irving, Texas, for$38 million. The factory is capable of forming 20,000 silicon wafers, upon whichmicrochips are created, per month. The factory, on 39 acres, has plenty of room to


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expand, and can max out at a capacity of 30,000 wafers per month. In 2008, thecompany reported revenue amounting to $2.05 billion.

IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: Zilog products acquired

Maxim announced the acquisition of the wireless control and secured transactionproduct lines from Zilog Inc. The purchase of Zilog’s wireless control business was donejointly with Universal Electronics Inc. Maxim is looking at combining Zilog’s wirelessmicrocontroller product line with its ultra-low power infrared microcontroller line.

• January 2009: Weak across the board

With a very cautious view of the global economy, Maxim continued to endure Q2losses of $38.8 million, or 12 cents per share, as compared to net earnings duringthe same period in 2008 of about $107 million, or 33 cents per share. However,CEO Tunc Doluca is confident that the company will be able to manage itsexpenses prudently, and is banking on its wafer fab consolidation project to boostMaxim’s manufacturing efficiency. The company expects $290 million to $330million in revenue in Q3.

EE Times reported that Maxim is pursuing cost-reduction measures, includingreducing its headcount by 140 and pursuing unpaid time off to see some $25million of quarterly operating expenses savings through June. The firm may alsoclose down its facility in Dallas, in June, for additional savings of $10 million.

GETTING HIRED

Take your career to the Max

Maxim’s careers site, at www.maxim-ic.com/company/careers, provides informationabout job openings, culture, benefits, internships and entry-level programs. Jobs canbe searched by keyword, function and location. It also has a “Job Search Agent” thatdoes the job searching and automatically emails jobs that match.

The company culture is distinguished by an emphasis on clear, efficientcommunication and continuous improvement of job functions. Benefits for Maximemployees include a choice of medical and dental plans, subsidized gymmembership, 401(k) and stock purchase plan, life insurance and educationalassistance. The company only acknowledges two holidays per year, but employeesaccumulate 12 floating holidays in addition to their annual allotment of vacation time.Hopeful interns and aspiring college graduates are invited to submit their resumes toMaxim’s database. College graduates may apply to positions in engineering, IT,finance, legal, accounting, customer service and purchasing.


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317

MCAFEE INCORPORATED

3965 Freedom Circle


Phone: (408) 988-3832

Fax: (408) 970-9727

www.mcafee.com

LOCATIONS


Miami, FL • Plano, TX

Amsterdam • Athens • Auckland •

Bangalore • Bangkok • Beijing • Bryanston,

South Africa • Copenhagen • Cork, Ireland

• Diegem, Belgium • Dubai • Guangzhou •

Guatemala City • Hamburg • Helsinki •

Hong Kong • Istanbul • Kfar Sava, Israel •

Kuala Lumpur • Lisbon • Madrid • Makati

City, Philippines • Melbourne • Mexico City

• Moscow • Mumbai • Munich • Ontario •

Panama City • Paris La Defense, France •

Polanco, Mexico • Prague • San Donato

Milanese, Italy • San Jose, Costa Rica •

Santiago • São Paulo • Seoul • Shanghai •

Singapore • Slough, United Kingdom •

Solna, Denmark • Stockholm • Sydney •

Taipei • Tokyo • Unterschleissheim,

Germany • Vienna • Warsaw • Zurich

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative • Art • Business Development

• Communications • Customer Service •

Computer Services • Engineering • Finance

• Human Resources • Information Systems •

Internet • Legal & Governmental Affairs •

Manufacturing • Marketing • Network

Administration • Planning • Production

Management • Production • Public Relations

• Quality Assurance • Sales • Technical

Support

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: MFE


Chairman: Chuck Robel

President & CEO: Dave DeWalt


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,600

2008 Income ($ mil.): 172.2

KEY COMPETITORS

Microsoft

Symantec

Trend Micro

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.mcafeecareers.com

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THE SCOOP

Network defender

McAfee is a security technology company that provides software that fends off allmanner of digital threats, like spam, spyware, phishing, identity theft and unwantedguests snooping about the network. McAfee began in 1987, when a Lockheedengineer named John McAfee started distributing his home-brewed antivirus softwarefor free via an online bulletin board. News of his product spread by word of mouth,and soon satisfied users were convincing their bosses to pay to license the productfor company computers. McAfee founded McAfee Associates in 1989, and leftLockheed in January of the next year, quickly turning a profit. Two years later, thecompany had its first stock offering. McAfee left the company shortly thereafter topursue other interests, including Tribal Voice in 1997—considered the first socialnetworking site—and yoga instruction.

Aggressive tactics

McAfee found a new CEO in Bill Larson, a computer veteran from Sun and Apple—and the acquisitions began! Larson immediately started growing the companybeyond viral software, and targeted network management software as its bestopportunity for expansion. Larson soon earned a reputation for playing hardball withhis acquisitions—and acquisition targets. In late 1995, McAfee attempted a $1billion takeover of Cheyenne Software, who felt strongly against it. Cheyenne suedMcAfee to prevent the takeover, alleging securities fraud, and McAfee gave up theattempt. Larson next developed a rivalry with Symantec’s then-CEO, GordonEubanks. The two companies sued each other, with McAfee seeking $1 billion indamages for defamation. Larson capped the activity with his issuance of a pressrelease calling Eubanks “an accused felon for trade-secret violations.” But McAfee’sthirst for acquisitions was unabated by Larson’s ugly dustups with other tech firms—it merged with Network General in 1997 for $1.3 billion, its biggest deal yet. The newcompany was known as Network Associates until 2004—after the tech bust, thecompany unloaded a number of ancillary businesses, and thereafter changed itsname back to McAfee.

Where there’s smoke …

While revenue at McAfee was rising, the company was weathering a number offinancial scandals, dating back to CEO Bill Larson’s tenure. Larson, along withPresident Peter Watkins and CFO Prabhat Goyal, abruptly resigned in 2001, whenfourth quarter revenue was $120 million below expectations. The next year, the SECfiled suit against Goyal and a number of other McAfee executives (but not Larson),alleging that the company inflated its sales figures by $622 million between 1998 and2000. George Samenuk, an old IBM hand, succeeded Larson as CEO and managed


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to settle the matter for the relatively small amount of $50 million in January 2006. Butin June of the same year, the SEC started another investigation of McAfee, this timelooking at its stock options policies. The commission eventually found that illegalsecurities enhancements had been going on since 1997. In the brouhaha, thegeneral counsel was sacked, and CEO Samenuk expediently decided to retire.

McAfee’s 2006 revenue rose 16 percent over 2005 numbers, bringing in more than$1.1 billion for the year. Profits, however, were down by 1 percent year-over-year(they came in at $137 million). Four more acquisitions—SiteAdvisor, Preventsys,Citadel and Onigma—in 2006 helped McAfee boost its offerings in online security.

Rumors abounded about McAfee’s impending acquisition, but in 2007 Dave DeWaltwas made its new CEO and tasked to turn the company around. In 2008, thecompany enjoyed a total revenue of $1.6 billion, making it to the S&P 500 index.Most of the company’s revenue come from its North American markets, and mostlyfrom clients in the business sector.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: HP to resell McAfee line worldwide

McAfee entered into a global reseller agreement with Hewlett-Packard for the latterto resell its line of enterprise security products worldwide.

• March 2009: Crusade against cybercrime

The company awarded grants amounting to $110,000 in line with the company’sinitiative to fight cybercrime. The fund will be used in programs to train lawenforcement, prosecutors and judges on cybercrime. The first recipients of thegrants were the Council of Europe and the National District Attorneys Association.

• February 2009: Expansion of SaaS business unit

Dave DeWalt, McAfee president and CEO, announced that the company hasexpanded its software-as-a-service (SaaS) business unit to include cloud-basedservices.

• December 2008: McAfee makes it to S&P 500

McAfee announced at close of trading December 22, 2008 that it has been addedto the S&P 500.

• July 2008: Acquisition of Reconnex in the works

McAfee announced a definitive agreement to acquire Reconnex, a privately helddata loss prevention solutions provider, for $46 million in cash.


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GETTING HIRED

Secure a job at McAfee

McAfee’s jobs site, at www.mcafeecareers.com, provides information about jobopportunities, training and benefits at the company. Job listings are searchable bylocation, category and keyword. To apply, candidates must upload a resume andprovide contact information via a web form. The HR department can be contactedwith any questions or comments at [email protected].

McAfee’s benefits vary by office location and job title, but the site assures candidatesthat flexible working conditions and emphasis on work/life balance are priorities forthe company. McAfee also offers tuition assistance for job-related classes, as well astraining in sales, technical skills, and management and leadership.


McAfee Incorporated

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321

MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, INC.

501 Pearl Drive

St. Peters, MO 63376

Phone: (636) 474-5000

Fax: (636) 474-5158

www.memc.com

LOCATIONS

St. Peters, MO (HQ)

Hillsboro, OR • Pasadena, TX • Sherman,

TX

Chonan, South Korea • Hsinchu, Taiwan •

Kuala Lumpur • Merano, Italy • Munich •

Novara, Italy • Paris • Seoul • Shanghai •

Singapore • Tokyo • Utsunomiya, Japan

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting/Finance • Corporate

Development • Customer Service • Human

Resources • IT • Legal • Logistics •

Manufacturing • Marketing • New Products

• Quality • R&D • Sales & Marketing •

Subcontractor Operations • Treasury

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: WFR


Chairman: John Marren

President & CEO: Ahmad Chatila


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,004.5

2008 Income ($ mil.): 387.4

KEY COMPETITORS

Shin-Etsu Handotai

Siltronic

SUMCO

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.memc.com/jobs-splash.asp

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THE SCOOP

Silicon jockeys

MEMC is a global leader in the manufacture and sale of wafers and relatedintermediate products to the semiconductor and solar industries. MEMC has been apioneer in the design and development of wafer technologies over the past fourdecades. With R&D and manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe andAsia, MEMC enables the next generation of high-performance semiconductor devicesand solar cells.

MEMC is a major provider of silicon wafers, which are used by both the microchipand solar panel industries. Wafers are slices of pure silicon crystals that have beengrown from melted sand and are the raw material from which microchips aremanufactured. MEMC’s customers include foundries where microchips are made.

Mr. Sandman, grow me a dream

The “M” in MEMC stands for Monsanto, which is also the name of a Midwesternagricultural company, founded in 1901. By the 1950s, the company wasexperimenting with chemicals, which dovetailed with Cold War era advancements inelectronics. In 1959, it established the Monsanto Electronic Materials Company(MEMC) for the manufacturing and development of silicon wafer technology. Aswafer technology advanced and demand for microchips increased during the 1970s,MEMC was the first to move into selling wafers with a diameter of 100 mm, in 1975.Four years later, it was able to produce wafers with a diameter of 125 mm. Thecompany had upped the ante to 150 mm diameters by 1981, and 300 mm a decadelater.

Short and not so sweet Motech fling

In 2006, MEMC hashed out an eight-year, $1.6 billion deal to provide silicon wafersfor solar panels to Taiwan’s Motech, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of solarpanels. To sweeten the deal, Motech threw in partial ownership of itself and theoption to purchase a solar panel manufacturing facility.

However, things got rocky because the two companies were “unable to reachmutually acceptable definitive agreements within the prescribed timeframe.” In July2006, MEMC ended its partnership with Motech. As a result, MEMC is nowpartnering with China’s Suntech, a Motech rival, for a 10-year period.


MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.

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Growth Proposition

In spring 2007, MEMC’s stock got a modest bump due to higher-than-forecastedearnings from the green energy sector. In May 2007, Standard & Poor’s movedMEMC shares from the S&P MidCap 400 to the S&P 500 index.

For fiscal 2008, MEMC reported sales revenue of $2.01 billion—crossing the $2billion mark for the first time. With 4,900 employees, MEMC enters 2009 focusingon “continued cost, yield, and efficiency improvements,” and with a new CEO,Ahmad Chatila.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Letting go of 200

MEMC’s SEC regulatory filing revealed it cut 200 jobs in its manufacturing facilitiesin St. Peters, Mo., and Sherman, Texas. The move was reported to be part of cost-cutting. The filing also revealed that MEMC’s Japanese subsidiary, MEMC JapanLtd., let go about 100 employees in February.

• February 2009: Chatila as CEO

Ahmad Chatila was appointed president and CEO of MEMC. Chatila previouslyserved as the executive vice president of Cypress Semiconductor’s Memory andImaging Division before joining MEMC. He is now also the head of globalmanufacturing.

• July 2008: Beyond the MEMC borders

MEMC entered into an agreement with Tainergy in Taiwan for the supply of solarwafers to the latter over a period of 10 years. This definitive agreement ensuresMEMC’s stronghold in the solar market.

GETTING HIRED

Chip in at MEMC

MEMC’s careers page, conveniently located at www.memc.com/jobs-splash.asp,provides information on job openings by location. Candidates can apply by emailingtheir resume and cover letter to the indicated address.

MEMC’s benefit package includes stock options, quarterly incentives, a retirementsavings plan, medical and dental coverage (including prescription drugs), lifeinsurance and education reimbursements.



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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Intensive interviews

Interviews at MEMC are usually intensive, consisting of five rounds of interviews. Saysa process engineer, “(I had) five rounds of interviews with manufacturing managers,the engineering manager and supervisor, HR and peers.” According to the survey,process engineers are normally paid around $55,000.

Good … but with reservations?

Work culture is good, according to an insider. The work hours are flexible, and thedress code is decent. However, opportunities for advancement and pay hikes seemto be limited. A source points out that the company’s strength is in the demand fromits market, but its weakness is the threat of “losing out to sister sites in Asia.”



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325

MÉTIER, LTD.

2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 1200

Arlington, VA 22201

Phone: (703) 465-9500

Fax: (703) 465-9502

www.metier.com

LOCATION

Arlington, VA (HQ)

DEPARTMENTS

Business Development

Consulting Services

Knowledge Management

Marketing

Portfolio Management Office Services

Product Delivery

Professional Development


THE STATS


Chairman: Gerald McNichols

CEO: Douglas D. Clark

2008 Employees: 55

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 3.8

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

Oracle

SAP

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

tbe.taleo.net/NA8/ats/careers/jobSearch.jsp?

org=METIER&cws=1


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THE SCOOP

Taskmasters for hire

Métier Ltd, a leader in predictive project management software and services,derives its name from the French word “métier” meaning “specialty.” The firmcovers four main industries—commercial enterprise, systemsengineering/consulting, government and defense—and provides services to high-profile clients, including BMW, IBM Global Services and Lockheed Martin, inaddition to the FBI, U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Agriculture andDepartment of Energy.

Métier was founded in 1998 by then-newly married couple Douglas Clark and SandraRichardson—on the way back from their honeymoon, no less. If the firm could besaid to have a key software, it is WorkLenz—a predictive project managementsoftware designed by Clark, which syncs with Microsoft’s Outlook email applicationand helps managers track ongoing (or future) projects. Métier delivers its technologyto private and public sector clients through partnerships with systems integrators andconsultants. In 2005, the company collaborated with Lockheed Martin to create asystem for handling the data from the 2010 census, which will be the first that allowspeople to fill out census forms online.

Inc. magazine has recognized it for the last four years as one the fastest-growingprivately held companies on its Inc. 5000 list, and Métier proudly boasts somestaggering statistics to back up the claim. Métier reported revenue of $3.8 million in2008. Business growth seems on the uptrend.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Nomination for employee development

Métier was named a finalist in the 2009 Helios HR Apollo Awards, which givesrecognition to Washington-area organizations that promote employeedevelopment. The company was one of only nine finalists in the small businesscategory.

• May 2008: Finalist in business Oscars

Métier was a finalist in three categories of the 2008 American Business Awards.These categories were: Best Overall Company, Best Management Team and BestNew Product or Service. Dubbed as the “business world’s own Oscars,” theAmerican Business Awards is the only national awards program that honors greatperformance in business in the United States.


Métier, Ltd.

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• 2007: Educational experience

Métier announced that it scored a deal to manage 200 investments for theDepartment of Education using its WorkLenz software. The deal with the DOE isstructured so that the department doesn’t have to invest in new computers, IT guysor bandwidth, paying Métier for the use of its IT resources instead.

GETTING HIRED

Find your Métier here

Métier lists current job openings, and descriptions of those openings, on its careerssite, at tbe.taleo.net/NA8/ats/careers/jobSearch.jsp?org=METIER&cws=1. (Or just goto the “About us” link from metier.com and select “Careers.”) To apply for a position,candidates can submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected]. Métierprovides information about the company via its Métier Recruiting Video, which isavailable online.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Métier employees consider the interview process difficult. Recalls a senior projectanalyst, “It normally requires one to two phone and personal interviews. Theinterview with the COO/CFO is the most challenging.” Some technical questions arealso asked during the interview, so better be prepared.

Salaries are usually between average and slightly below average, depending on yourlocation. The salary of a project analyst is usually around $47,000. “Bonuses arealso uncommon and small. Shares have little or no value at all,” shares an insider.

“Métier is a unique company to work for,” according to an analyst. “It has a lot ofpotential for growth, thus, it is a good place to start one’s career. However, it is notsuited for experienced professionals who are skilled enough to do most things on theirown.”


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MICRON TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED

8000 S. Federal Way

P.O. Box 6

Boise, ID 83707-0006

Phone: (208) 368-4000

Fax: (208) 368-4435

www.micron.com

LOCATIONS

Boise, ID (HQ)

Aguadilla, PR • Allen, TX • Boca Raton, FL

• Carlsbad, CA • Corvallis, OR • Duluth, GA

• Durham, NC • Hopewell Junction, NY •

Houston, TX • Lehi, UT • Libertyville, IL •

Lincolnshire, IL • Manassas, VA •

Melbourne, FL • Meridian, ID • Middlesex,

NJ • Minneapolis, MN • Nampa, ID •

Nashua, NH • Portland, OR • Round Rock,

TX • San Jose, CA • Wynantskill, NY

Avezzano, Italy • Bangalore • Beijing •

Bracknell, United Kingdom • East Kilbride,

United Kingdom • Erd, Hungary •

Giesshuebl, Austria • Ismaning, Germany •

Kanata, Canada • Les Ulis, France •

Nishiwaki, Japan • Osaka • Seoul •

Shanghai • Shenzhen • Singapore •

Stockholm • Taipei • Tokyo • Tsukuba,

Japan • Vantaa, Finland • Virginia, Ireland •

Xiamen • Xi'an

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: MU


Chairman & CEO: Steve R. Appleton

President & COO: D. Mark Durcan


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 5,800

2008 Income ($ mil.): -1,619

KEY COMPETITORS

Hynix

Qimonda

Samsung Electronics

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.micron.com/jobs

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting/Finance • Administration •

Business Development • Communications •

Engineering • Facilities/Site Services •


Legal • Materials/Purchasing/Logistics •

Production • Sales & Marketing •

Technicians

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THE SCOOP

Small chips, big business

Micron Technology is a major manufacturer of semiconductors for the consumerelectronics, medical and automotive industries, including memory chips forcomputers, mobile phones, digital assistants, digital cameras and MP3 players, aswell as image-sensing chips for cameras and medical equipment. Its subsidiariesinclude Crucial Technologies, which sells memory upgrades to the end-user market,and Lexar, which sells USB Flash drives, memory cards and card readers. Micronwas ranked No. 427 on the 2008 Fortune 500.

Chip set

In 1978, a group of engineers incorporated Micron Technology in Idaho. At first, thecompany operated out of the basement of a dentist’s office, but by 1981, the newcompany had established its first fab for building semiconductors in Boise. Threeyears later, Micron had its first IPO. The company weathered a drop in the price ofmemory that drove several competitors out of the market in 1985, and continued toexpand its operations through the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its business got a bigboost in 1998, when it acquired Texas Instruments’ memory arm, and in 2001, whenit picked up a stake in a Japanese semiconductor manufacturer. Following the burstof the tech bubble, the company was in the red for 2002 and 2003, but returned toprofitability in 2004.

Braced for the plunge

In 2006, Micron acquired Lexar, a manufacturer of USB drives, flash memory cardsand memory card readers for photography, industrial and communicationscustomers, in a stock-for-stock merger. Micron’s revenue that year was $5.2 billion,with profits of $400 million. The good times did not last, though, as a number of flashmemory companies struggled with falling prices early in 2007. Micron started to poolits resources with major competitors, who were also struggling with the marketdownturn: in February it announced a joint venture with Intel, whereby eachcompany’s Singapore-based flash production operations would work together.

Inside the “Treasure Valley”

At present, Micron has 22,800 employees. Micron is the largest nongovernmentalemployer in Idaho, and watched closely by the state—its Boise outpost is evenreferred to as “Treasure Valley.” Micron is in “survival mode,” as some employeesterm it. Despite threats coming from lower overseas manufacturing costs and lowerprices for memory products, the company is still optimistic about business prospects,and is restructuring its IT and outsourcing a good part of the manufacturing process.


Micron Technology Incorporated

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Overseas locations are being explored, including Italy, Singapore, Japan, Scotlandand China. In 2008 alone, the company had sales revenue amounting to $5.841billion.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Waiting on the bench

Micron cut its capital spending and says it will not join in on the new DRAMventure in Taiwan as of the moment. The company said it doesn’t see anything“compelling” yet for it to participate. ''I would just say that we're still in discussionswith the Taiwan government,'' Micron Chairman and CEO Steve Appleton said in aconference call with analysts.

• April 2009: Missing the target

Micron posted a “wider-than-expected” quarterly loss. For its second fiscalquarter, the company’s net loss narrowed to $751 million, or 97 cents per share,compared to $777 million, or $1.01 per share, in the second quarter of theprevious year. Revenue dropped 27 percent to $993 million, below Wall Street’sforecast of $1.15 billion for the company. According to a Reuters report, Micronand other memory manufacturers have been suffering a two-year decline in prices.However, the company’s executives said that DRAM and flash memory prices“seem to be recovering.”

• March 2009: Cited for innovation

Micron’s 32 GB, 34 nm NAND flash and 1 GB, 50nm DRAM was recognized bySemiconductor Insights (SI) for innovations in NAND Flash and DRAM technology.According to SI, the 32 GB, 34 nm chip is by far the highest density monolithicmulti-level cell (MLC) NAND flash chip the industry has ever seen to date. Thechip was jointly developed by Intel and Micron.

• February 2009: Tired of waiting for the sun

Micron announced today that it will phase out the 200 mm wafer manufacturingoperations at its Boise facility. The move is due to the decreased demand for 200mm specialty DRAM products and the worsening economic conditions. Thecompany said it had been hopeful that demand would pick up for the products,but is, unfortunately, not likely to happen in the near term. The move will also costapproximately 500 to 2,000 jobs cut by the end of the fiscal year.

• February 2009: Patent suit

Honorable Judge Ronald M. Whyte of the U.S. District Court for the NorthernDistrict of California issued a stay order for the patent infringement case filed byRambus Inc. against Micron. Judge Whyte declared the case had to be stayed



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indefinitely after recognizing an earlier ruling of the U.S. District Court of Delaware,holding that the patents were unenforceable under Micron.

GETTING HIRED

Chip in at Micron

Micron’s employment information is listed at www.micron.com/jobs, wherein jobopenings are classified according to location. There is information on open positionsat the company—searchable by function and keyword—benefits, college recruitingand internships.

Benefits include health, life, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) with companymatching, bonus programs, stock purchase plan, generous vacation allowance, a freeon-site fitness center in Idaho (with trainers and classes offered throughout the day)and an on-site health clinic at HQ, for physicals, ergonomic consultations and anyother health issues that may crop up during the workday.

The college recruiting section allows recent graduates to submit a resume, in additionto checking out potential positions at the company in information systems,engineering, technical jobs, production and operations management. Majors soughtby the company include chemical engineering, computer engineering, computerscience, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturingengineering/technology, mechanical engineering, microelectronics, physics, andproduction operations/management and allied areas of study. There is a helpful tableat www.micron.com/jobs/northamerica/college/majors that correlates major areas ofstudy with job opportunities at the company. There are also helpful pieces of advicefor composing a resume and acing the interview. The company recruits at its officesin Allen, Texas, Boise, Idaho, Manassas, Va., and San Jose, Calif.

To be an intern at Micron, you must be enrolled in a course of study to attain abachelor’s, master’s or PhD, and have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Previous work andmanufacturing experience are both pluses. Internships are offered at the offices inAllen, Texas, Boise, Idaho, Manassas, Va., and San Jose, Calif., in engineering,technical, ops management and information systems.



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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Get a little work at Micron

The defining characteristic of interviews at Micron seems to be efficiency. Oneengineer reports, “The hiring process was very transparent and open. There was oneHR interview and five to six technical interviews on ONE day. The interviews werevery friendly,” he adds. “They let me stay over the weekend to check out the city andreal estate/apartment [options], which was nice,” says an engineer. Once hired,insiders have mixed reviews. “Micron is a very fast-paced company, though it's oftenwithout a well-defined direction,” sighs one worker. “Corporate culture is laid-back,”observes another. Just how laid-back is a matter of dispute. “You are monitored dailyon when you leave and come in, it doesn't matter if you were up until 4 a.m. on asupport call, you better be at your desk at 8 a.m.,” explains one source. “ExtremelyBig Brother-like,” agrees her colleague. An early bird disagrees. “Hours [are] veryfavorable, other than strict arrival at or before 9 a.m.”

As befits a company named for an itty-bitty unit of measure, moving up in the rankscan be incremental at times. “Advancement is limited when trying to advance past‘middle-management,’ you are really waiting for someone to die,” notes a morbidcontact. However, the company makes the journey worthwhile with good benefits:“401(k) matching funds, medical, dental, and vision insurance, stock purchase plan.Vacation time is given very generously,” rattles off one manager.

Dress code, naturally, varies by function. “Dress code can be casual to strictdepending on where you work in the company. IT professionals working in satellitelocations are allowed to wear shorts and sandals using discretion, while all main sitesand manufacturing areas require long pants and close-toed shoes.”



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333

MICROSOFT CORPORATION

One Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052-7329

Phone: (425) 882-8080

Fax: (425) 936-7329

www.microsoft.com

LOCATIONSRedmond, WA (HQ)

Addison, TX • Anchorage, AK • Atlanta, GA •

Austin, TX • Baltimore, MD • Baton Rouge, LA •

Bellevue, WA • Bentonville, AR • Beverly, MA •

Birmingham, AL • Bloomington, IL • Bloomington,

MN • Boise, ID • Boston, MA • Bothell, WA •

Boulder, CO • Charlotte, NC • Chicago, IL •

Cincinnati, OH • Cleveland, OH • Columbus, OH •

Costa Mesa, CA • Dallas, TX • Denver, CO • Des

Moines, IA • Detroit, MI • Downers Grove, IL •

Edison, NJ • Fargo, ND • Farmington, CT •

Farmington, MN • Findlay, OH • Ft. Lauderdale,

FL • Ft. Lee, NJ • Grand Rapids, MI • Greenville,

SC • Guaynabo, PR • Hartford, CT • Honolulu, HI

• Houston, TX • Indianapolis, IN • Irvine, CA •

Iselin, NJ • Issaquah, WA • Jacksonville, FL •

Kansas City, MO • Lebanon, NH • Los Angeles,

CA • Louisville, KY • Madison, WI • Malvern, PA •

Manchester, NH • Memphis, TN • Miami, FL •

Milwaukee, WI • Minneapolis, MN • Mountain

View, CA • Nashville, TN • New Orleans, LA •

New York, NY • Oakbrook Terrace, IL • Oklahoma

City, OK • Omaha, NE • Orlando, FL • Palo Alto,

CA • Philadelphia, PA • Phoenix, AZ • Pittsburgh,

PA • Plainsboro, NJ • Portland, OR • Raleigh, NC

• Redmond, WA • Reno, NV • Reston, VA •

Richmond, VA • Ridgewood, WA • Rochester, NY

• Sacramento, CA • Salt Lake City, UT • San

Antonio, TX • San Diego, CA • San Francisco, CA

• San Jose, CA • Santa Clara, CA • Santa

Monica, CA • Seattle, WA • Southfield, MI • St.

Louis, MO • Sunnyvale, CA • Tallahassee, FL •

Tampa, FL • Tucson, AZ • Tulsa, OK • Waltham,

MA • Washington, DC • Watertown, SD •

Waukesha, WI • Wilmington, DE


DEPARTMENTSAccount Management • Administrative Services •

Business Development • Channel Marketing •

Compensation & Benefits • Consulting • Content

Publishing • Corporate Operations • Customer

Research • Customer Service • Enterprise Sales •

Enterprise Support • Finance • Game Design •

Government & Community Affairs • Hardware

Engineering • Human Resources • Information

Security • IT Operations • Leadership &

Management Development • Legal & Corporate

Affairs • Localization • Marketing • Operations •

Paralegal & Legal Support • Product Design •

Product Management • Product Support • Program

Management • Project Management • Sales •

Small & Medium Business Sales • Software

Development • Staffing • Strategic Consulting •

Supply Chain • Tax & Audit • Technical • Treasury •

Usability • User Assistance & Education • Wireless

& Telecom Marketing • Worldwide Operations


Stock Symbol: MSFT


Chairman: Bill Gates

CEO: Steve Ballmer


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 60,420

2008 Income ($ mil.): 17,681

KEY COMPETITORSApple • Google • IBM • Oracle

EMPLOYMENT CONTACTwww.microsoft.com/careers

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THE SCOOP

Colossus of the computer world

Microsoft is the world’s largest software company and an undeniable force in thecomputing world. Its products are seemingly more ubiquitous than oxygen, and ittakes some effort to avoid using them. It is the parent company of the Windowsoperating system, Explorer browser, the Office suite of programs (which include Word,Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Access), the Xbox game system and the Zune musicplayer. The company was ranked at No. 44 in the Fortune 500 in 2008 with revenueof $60.42 billion and a global workforce of 95,000. At present, the company hasexhibited agility in responding to market conditions, and has been managinginnovations well.

First-generation computer geeks

Microsoft traces its origins back to an unusual starting point for a market-leadingcorporation with a global presence—a high school classroom. The seeds of thecompany that came to rule the worldwide software market were planted at Seattle’sLakeside School in 1968, when a group of forward-thinking mommies bought acomputer for the students. Tenth-grader Paul Allen and eighth-grader Bill Gatesbecame friends while using the intriguing machine, and the two soon startedaccumulating massive computer-service bills. Their passion for computing quicklyoutstripped their economical resources as high school students, and the two boysbegan venturing downtown to a commercial computer center where they could usethe hardware for free as long as they discovered and reported bugs in the center’ssystem. After a great deal of bright-eyed pestering, they managed to learn the innerworkings of the computers from the center’s professional programmers.

BASIC beginnings

High schoolers Allen and Gates set up their first company, Traf-O-Data, in 1971. Theplan was to use Intel 8008 chips to build computers to analyze traffic volume formunicipal traffic departments. The company “wasn’t a roaring success,” as Allenlater admitted, but it gave the friends invaluable experience with microprocessors andsoftware development. Allen and Gates had written a version of BASIC (Beginner’sAll-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), for their Traf-O-Data machine. The programwas written well enough to serve as the language for the Altair 8800, the firstcommercial microcomputer that was made by Albuquerque, N.M.-based MITS(Micro Instrumentation Telenet Systems). The duo sold Altair BASIC to MITS in 1975and Microsoft was born. It was only in 1976, however, that Microsoft as a trade namewas registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico. It was alsoduring that year that Microsoft leased its first office space and hired its first full-time



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employee. By the time Microsoft relocated to Seattle in 1979, the company had 12staffers.

Red-hot growth in the 1980s

This decade saw Microsoft in ascendance. In 1980 (the year future rival Apple wentpublic and the year future CEO Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft), the companyreleased MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) for IBM’s new PC. Microsoft’sgrowth was assured because the new PC quickly became the industry standard andIBM had to pay royalties to Microsoft for every single PC that sold. Three years later,Microsoft introduced its computer mouse (which it had codenamed the “Dove soapbar”) and the first version of Word. In 1985, it introduced Windows, its first operatingsystem with a GUI (graphical user interface). Then, in March of the following year,Microsoft went public on Nasdaq, with an initial offering of 3.095 million sharespriced $21 per share at opening. The growing company was embroiled incontroversy in 1988, however, when Apple filed one of the most famous andcontroversial copyright lawsuits in tech industry history against Microsoft. In itscomplaint, Apple revealed that it had entered into a secret pact with Microsoft in 1985so that both companies could use the GUI pioneered by the Macintosh. WhenMicrosoft released Windows version 2.03, however, Apple considered it too “Mac-like” and filed suit.

Everybody v. Microsoft

In 1994, both lower and appellate courts found in favor of Microsoft in decisions stilldebated to this day. However, Microsoft emerged triumphant from the lawsuit only toput out another fire. Netscape Communications Corp. had released its “Navigator”the same year, a technology that soon became known as a web browser. A year later,Microsoft released its own web browser, Internet Explorer, along with the web portalMSN, to establish its own internet presence. The company also launched its owncable news channel the same year, a joint venture with NBC called MSNBC. In 1997,Microsoft finally resolved the litigation with Apple, agreeing to invest in $150 millionworth of nonvoting Apple stock, and license Internet Explorer and MS Office to ApplePCs. Microsoft soon started packaging Internet Explorer into its Windows operatingsystem, a practice that attracted the attention of lawmakers. The U.S. Department ofJustice and a coalition of 20 state attorneys general charged Microsoft in May 1998with violating antitrust laws by engaging in monopoly business practices. The suitclaimed that Microsoft’s incorporation of Internet Explorer into Windows unfairlylimited competition. In 1999, a judge ruled against the company, which settled withthe 20 states between 2001 and 2004. Another antitrust case against the companywas filed in Europe in 2003, where courts also ruled against Microsoft and orderedthe company to pay a fine of $643 million, and release a version of its operatingsystem without Windows Media Player.



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Positioning for the 21st century and beyond the Gates era

Somewhere in the first decade of the new millennium, Microsoft’s hegemony overcomputing services, both online and off, ceased to be absolute. The success of twovery different companies—Google (who paired a highly effective algorithm for onlinesearches with online advertising) and Apple (with its iPod personal music player andiTunes online music store)—suggested that Microsoft could be lacking in imagination.It was a notion that Apple reinforced with a famous ad campaign that personified itsMacintosh as a hip young dude and the Microsoft PC as a square businessman whohates being out of the office. By the mid-2000s, Microsoft moved to address itstendency of falling behind the waves of changing technology by beefing up its talentpool. Ray Ozzie, developer of Lotus Notes, was hired as chief technical officer in2005; Craig Mundie came on board as chief research and strategy officer in 2006 tokeep track of emerging technologies and prevent Microsoft from falling behind as itdid with the Mac, Netscape, Google and the iPod; and the company reorganized itsmanagement structure and established strategic partnerships, such as the 2006 jointventure with Nortel in what the two companies called “unified communications,” acombination of email, voice communications, conferencing, instant messaging, videoand data transfer.

Later in the decade, Microsoft released a slew of products, some of which were betterreceived than others. It offered Zune, its long-rumored alternative to the iPod, inSeptember 2006. In 2007, it released the new operating system Windows Vista,Office 2007 and the programmable web browser plug-in Silverlight. In September ofthe same year, with a new entertainment division chief in the person of Electronic Artsalumnus Don Mattrick, Microsoft released its gaming console Xbox 360 with Halo 3,the latest version of the highly acclaimed videogame. In 2008, the company releasedWindows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, Vista Service Pack 1 and Surface, aninteractive 30-inch table-like display that enables users to manipulate digital contentwith physical gestures. The year 2008 was also marked by the departure of Bill Gatesfrom his day-to-day job at Microsoft to concentrate on philanthropic work. Post-Gates, Microsoft seems to be positioning for further growth, acquiring companies thatcould give it an advantage in areas that include online advertising, mobile computingand virtualization. In a May 2009 speech at Stanford University, CEO Ballmer said,“These are tough economic times, but these are times that I think are rich inopportunity.” As such, Microsoft is investing $9 billion in R&D because, as Ballmerwould have it, “In our business, you’ve got to be inventing new things.”

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Settling with TomTom

In less than a month, Microsoft and TomTom seemed to have found a way to settletheir differences, with the latter agreeing to pay Microsoft for coverage under theinvolved TomTom products. Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and



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deputy general counsel of intellectual property and licensing of Microsoft said that“[w]e are pleased TomTom has chosen to resolve the litigation amicably byentering into a patent agreement.” In February, Microsoft filed a patentinfringement lawsuit against navigation device maker TomTom N.V. for allegedlyinfringing on a handful of Microsoft’s patents, which relate to car computingsystems and navigation. Microsoft also included in its suit several Linux-basedTomTom products, marking the first time that Microsoft has directly targeted Linuxwith patent litigation.

• February 2009: Battling Conficker

Microsoft announced its collaboration with tech industry leaders to fight theConficker worm. Also known as Downadup, Conficker targets the MicrosoftWindows operating system and uses it to spread through the Internet. Thecompany moves to disable domains targeted by the worm and even offers a rewardof $250,000 for any information that would lead to the conviction of thoseresponsible for Conficker’s release on the Internet.

• January 2009: Home appliances to the next level

Microsoft partnered with Fugoo to make home appliances “smarter and moreuseful.” Fugoo is a neo-diginet (digital Internet) device development platform thatreinvents home appliances by connecting them to the internet. This partnership“opens up almost limitless possibilities for transforming ordinary household items,”said Steve Guggenheimer, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of the originalequipment manufacturer division.

• August 2008: Xbox rocks the elections

Microsoft and political advocacy group Rock the Vote announced a collaborationthat will enable Xbox 360 owners to “register to vote, participate in presidentialpolls and voice their opinions to the presidential candidates” through Xbox LIVE;the first-of-its-kind agreement aimed to reach voters below 30. Heather Smith,Rock the Vote’s executive director, said the partnership seemed natural. “Torealize our goal of registering two million young Americans by this fall, we need togo where young Americans are, and there’s no doubt in our minds that many areon Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE,” she adds.

• May 2008: Turning its back on Yahoo!

Microsoft withdrew its bid to purchase Yahoo! CEO Steve Ballmer said in astatement that the company had already tried its best efforts (raising the offer to awhooping $5 billion), yet Yahoo! resisted the tempting offer and even looked outfor allies to avoid being bought. As a final word, Ballmer said: “After carefulconsideration, we believe the economics demanded by Yahoo! do not make sensefor us, and it is in the best interests of Microsoft stockholders, employees, andother stakeholders to withdraw our proposal.” Microsoft had submitted a proposalto acquire Yahoo! in February 2008.



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• April 2008: The Web is the future

Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie announced in a memo that the PC erahas ended and that the Web is now “at the center of our experiences.” The memocoincided with the release of Web synchronization system Live Mesh. Ozzie notedthat Microsoft is now making necessary adjustments toward shifting the focus fromPC to the Web.

• April 2008: Uplifting Latin America

Microsoft announced collaborations with both their local and regional partners tofurther efforts to provide educational opportunities to marginalized people inEcuador, El Salvador, Peru, Brazil and Mexico. Chairman Bill Gates said Microsoftis “committed to helping transform education worldwide in order to bring socialand economic opportunity to underserved communities around the world.” Thecompany and the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) from the Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank (IDB) are pushing through with their joint effort in supportingPartnership in Opportunities for Employment through Technology in the Americas(POETA), a program seeking to help people with disabilities and underprivilegedchildren in Latin America. Through a $4 million joint fund, Microsoft and itspartners will help “increase the involvement of the private sector and improve jobplacement rates for people with disabilities in Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico andPeru for three years.”

• March 2008: Not so fast

Sony and Blu-ray may have pushed too far; Microsoft denied having talks withSony and the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray technology into the Xbox 360system. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that it had agreed to developsoftware that will support Sony’s Blu-ray HD format integration into the Windowsoperating system. But Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at the Mix ‘08 conferencethat they will only support Blu-ray “in ways that are important.”

GETTING HIRED

The basics

Microsoft’s careers page, at www.microsoft.com/careers/, provides information aboutjob openings in the United States and abroad, career trajectories and benefits. Jobsare searchable by location, title and category; in order to apply, applicants mustcreate a profile. Career paths include operations, human resources, marketing,support, financial, legal and sales.

For recent graduates who might wish to work for Gates, the company providesinformation on internships and entry-level opportunities for graduates with bachelor’sand MBA degrees. Internships are offered in core technical, software design,



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finance, HR, IT, marketing, user assistance and publishing. Interns get subsidizedhousing and assistance in purchasing a car or bicycle, subsidized health clubmembership, discounts on software, parties and bus passes.

Heaps of praise

The company landed in the No. 86 spot on the 2008 Fortune list of the Top 100 BestPlaces to Work. (Internationally, it’s also been recognized as one of the best placesto work in Canada, Greece, Sweden, Spain, Ireland and the entire continent of Europeoverall.) The company has some heavily pampered employees—perks offered by thecompany include generous health benefits—and, at its Redmond campus,employees can take advantage of valet parking and on-site dry-cleaning.

Recently, new HR Chief (and former product manager) Lisa Brummel, dubbed the“consigliore of happiness,” has implemented a number of changes to the company’sbenefits, human resources and internal communications policies to improveemployee morale and retention rate (turnover hovered at 10 percent in 2005; it hassince dropped to a more comfortable 8.3 percent in 2007). The grocery deliveryservice—which very few employees utilized—is gone, and in its place is Brummel’snewest program, Mobil Medicine, which dispatches doctors to pay house calls to sickemployees. Brummel also spearheaded an overhaul of the employee performancereview process, revamped the recruiting center’s décor (to be more hip and inviting,of course!) and is looking into opening satellite offices and implementing atelecommuting policy.

On campus

The Microsoft campus, in Redmond, Wash., is like a small city unto itself. Fromlawns and a quad to “a really good cafeteria that has everything from junk food togourmet” (not to mention a 20-foot-tall chunk of the Berlin Wall and a manmadestream climaxing in a waterfall), Gates spared no expense to make his 30-buildingheadquarters breathtaking. It features 4,000 pieces of artwork, 25 cafeterias, acompany store and facilities for running and hiking, basketball, soccer, baseball andvolleyball.

Aside from the great corporate campus, the company offers its U.S.-based employeesa choice of medical plans, dental and vision coverage, 401(k) with company match,discount stock purchase program, discounts to health clubs in some areas, discountson merchandise, and event tickets and free beverages, including Starbucks coffee.

To compete with Google’s benefits, Microsoft recently started offering employeesdiscounts toward the purchase of hybrid vehicles. The cafeteria, often noted as sadlyinstitutional and subpar to Google’s, is now colonized by popular area restaurantsdishing up their specialties. Microsoft also has plans to offer a shuttle bus likeGoogle’s, complete with Wi-Fi.



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One unique culture-with-a-capital-C feature of life at Microsoft: the company is hometo a 60-piece employee orchestra that holds six free concerts a year (on the Microsoftcampus and at other venues around Seattle) and rehearses on Monday nights. Itdoes not, however, count its trombone-playing chairman among its ranks.

Students, take note

Undergraduates interested in technical positions should pursue degrees in computerscience or a related discipline, as well as be highly proficient in C/C++. Anyinternships or work experience in programming is useful, though not necessary. “Fora college grad,” says one insider, “if you haven’t done any intern work at Microsoft,the only thing they’ll have to go by is your GPA and the college you attended. Unlessyou can whiz-bang the interview, most likely you’ll start in quality assurance (QA) asa developer.” Microsoft’s policy of hiring the brightest people it can possibly findmeans certain sacrifices; the company’s bias is “toward intelligence or smartnessover anything else, even, in many cases, experience.”

For MBAs

Degrees from highly competitive schools are a must for the MBA who wants to workat Microsoft, though real experience, such as “work on web sites and internships atsoftware companies” will get you far. Even for those applying to business-orienteddepartments, “technical skills are very well received,” since “there’s a glut of peopleapplying who look very similar on paper.” We hear that the company avoids hiringemployees who cannot follow the technical side of the business. This does not meanthat every marketing whiz is expected to know how to write sharp code, though;Ballmer knew little or nothing about computers when he joined up. “Passion fortechnology” is extremely important, but applicants need “not necessarily [have] abackground” in it. “Problem-solving skills and intellectual horsepower” are moreprized assets.

The war for talent

Insiders say Microsoft likes to confirm what you claim on your resume. Therefore, beready to demonstrate any skills you have included in it. “If you said that you can writeC/C++ or Basic code, your interviewer may sit you down at a terminal and ask you todo it,” say insiders. We also hear that interviewees up for software engineeringpositions are also sometimes called to write code on whiteboards. If you listedrelevant course work, the interviewer may ask you problems related to those classes,so brush up on all your old subject matter.

Still, Microsoft is perpetually locked in battle with other leading firms, in technologyand finance, for access to top candidates. This is particularly true when it comes tominorities, as Microsoft strives to maintain a diverse group of employees. By mostaccounts the firm is fairly successful, although with some exceptions. One recruiter



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admits, “In recruiting outstanding MBAs of color, we have the same problem as othercompanies—the pool is not that big.”

The battle with rival firms has grown more heated in recent years as new CEO SteveBallmer is responding to the Google threat by bringing in more executives fromoutside, a departure from the company’s tradition of grooming homegrown talent.Brian McAndrews, who ran Microsoft’s online advertising department in 2007,insisted on some engineering oversight in addition to his other responsibilities.

Not for the faint of heart

The Microsoft interview is difficult to prepare for; its interviews are known for being asquirky as Google’s, with the company asking abstract questions to see howinterviewees think. The process even spawned a book, How Would You Move MountFuji? about the questions interviewers ask. Wild stories abound in which unfortunateapplicants are confounded with questions that are confusing, or even unsolvable.The best way to prepare for these out-of-left-field queries is to expect them, and notto be rattled when one pops up. The interviewer wants to learn how you think.

According to one insider who made it through the process, “They are pretty harsh atinterviews. However, they aren’t necessarily looking for the correct answers to theirquestions, but to see how you handle the question, and your thought process to comeup with an answer.” Microsoft wants employees who can brainstorm numerouspossible ways to solve the knottiest problems, and then work through the possibilitiesrationally to find the best one.

For the more traditional interview questions, learn as much as you can about thecompany. Familiarize yourself with all of its products, so that if the interviewers askyou to analyze a Microsoft business issue in a “case interview” (as they often do), youwon’t be stuck asking them to explain what the product you’re supposed to improveor sell is.

One insider reports that Microsoft interviewers like to throw curveballs at job seekersby asking them to come up with repeated examples to questions like, “Tell me abouta time you came up with a creative solution.” “They’ll ask you that, and then go, ‘Tellme about another time...and another...and another.’ They want to make sure thatyou’re not just spewing out canned answers.”

One easy part is the dress code, however: The company advises candidates to dresscasually for interviews, rather than break out their Sunday best.

The MBA Interview

For newly minted MBA grads, who rate the company as one of the top-10postgraduation destinations according to a 2007 survey conducted by Fortune,Microsoft “targets the top 15 or so [schools],” and conducts “early recruiting in



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November.” Applicants go through “an on-campus interview first with two people. Ifyou pass that, they fly you to Redmond.” For the second round, candidates“interview with four to six people in one day. Three peers, one to two people in thelead position and one group manager, who is always last.” Each meeting lasts forabout an hour and applicants may interview with members of two different groups.The process is “very intense,” but somewhat disorganized, we hear. The interviewersdo not agree ahead of time on which areas each will probe. As a result, the sessionentails “a lot of overlapping questions.”

Most of these are “questions about software. They are not too lofty. They are [just]looking for enthusiasm for software.” The occasional real-world case question maysneak its way in somewhere during the day.

The last hurdle

Insiders warn that “the interviewers email each other” to find out candidates’strengths and weaknesses during the session. While the meetings are “very muchimprovised,” those conducting the later interviews may try to tailor them according tothe information they glean from their colleagues. The last interview is a goodindication of where you stand: “If you don’t see the group manager, [they havedecided] you’re not worth it.” Either way, candidates do not have to wait very long tofind out their fate. “The decision is made at the end of the day, based on thefeedback of the recruiter and all the people who met with [the candidate]. There’sno mulling it over, though it may take a couple of days” before the lucky phone callcomes, adds one source.

One last thing

When entering into pay negotiations, several sources warn that the company lowballsacceptable candidates with below-average salaries that are supposedly boosted bythe company’s stock packages and benefits. One insider points out, however, that“Microsoft no longer gives options, it’s all stock grants that vest over five years.”

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Results-oriented

“The culture here is focused around doing great work, but it is also a very fun placeto be,” said one insider. The atmosphere is far from stuffy, leaning if anything towardsophomoric: “We have a basketball hoop in our hall, which is a great way to blow offsteam in the evenings or the middle of the day.”

While average citizens probably would like to write off software programmers as lonelyand uncommunicative, Microsoft employees usually disagree. As one designer says,



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“The atmosphere is very social—a good-sized chunk of my day is spent in otherpeople’s offices or with other people in my office discussing how to accomplish sometask or the latest industry news.” Unlike at Hewlett-Packard or Intel, where cubiclesdominate, Microsoft’s full-time employees work in real offices, “which is so muchnicer than rows of cubes and zero privacy.”

And while the company has swiftly grown into a multibillion-dollar monster, insiderssay they “don’t feel lost.” One respondent says that “we work together in smallfeature teams, so even though this is a large company, you always feel like animportant part of a team.”

Lovin’ it

Job satisfaction runs extremely high at Microsoft, and insiders generally agree that “itis a pretty great place to work.” While one might expect a somewhat mercenaryattitude, focusing on dreams of stock-fueled fortunes, sources more often cite theimportance of their work. “It’s been very exciting to be a part of shaping the future ofcomputing,” says one respondent. Despite an uptick in turnover in recent years, andcomplaints about job advancement (“vertical and horizontal movement is unusualand most won’t see more than a couple of promotions in a five year period,” claimsone source), Microsoft has managed to hold onto many employees for the long run.“I plan to stay here as long as I can because I enjoy the work and the people I workwith,” says one 10-year veteran.

A lot like being in college

A bunch of people in jeans and T-shirts banging away on computers late into thenight? Shaky hands from heavy-duty caffeine buzzes, with empty soda cans litteringthe desks? Throw in a few togas and you know exactly what we’re talking about.Microsoft is late adolescence extended, and proud of it. “From music groups tojugglers to various team sports, there’s always something going on in the buildings oraround the campus,” says one Microsoft insider. “In many ways, it’s so much likebeing in college.” Although there are “lots of group activities,” the number of peoplewho participate is “actually pretty small,” which is also not dissimilar to college life.And the attitude? “How can people be so intense yet so laid back at the same time?”asks one respondent.

Home? This is my home.

Microsoft employees had better appreciate their lovely Redmond campus; theycertainly spend enough time there. “Programmers work about 80 hours a week,” wehear. But this doesn’t mean that there is a consistent grind, week in, week out—schedules at Microsoft often resemble college as well. “Work hours vary based onwhere we are in a project cycle—it is a lot like being in school—you slack off afterfinals and at the beginning of the semester and work extra hard right before finals.”



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Insiders cite the flexible hours as a plus, but with a wink and a laugh: “There’s a jokearound here that goes, ‘There are no set hours at Microsoft, you can work any 12hours of the day you want,’” one insider tells us. Such long hours are “notmandatory,” we hear, “but, generally, this is what you’ll have to do, not only to get yourjob done but also time you’ll need to obtain additional skills to advance your career.”While most employees work at Microsoft because they genuinely enjoy doing theirjobs, the long hours can affect them. “You have to actively manage your time to makesure you keep a good balance in your life,” remarks a respondent. Another says,“Make sure you get your downtime.”

Diversity issues

In October 2000, a handful of employees filed a $5 billion discrimination suit againstMicrosoft, alleging inferior treatment of salaried black and female employees. On thewhole, though, Microsoft’s track record with women and minorities is good, probablybecause “people are valued based upon their contribution to the company ratherthan some superficial quality. Sex and race are not a factor at all.” Employee groups,including Blacks at Microsoft (BAM), are visible on campus, hosting career days forstudents of color. These factors weighed on a U.S. district court’s decision to preventthe plaintiffs from bringing a class-action suit. Nonetheless, minority representationis skewed toward “Indians and East Asians. Most of the blacks are not American butare from the Caribbean, South America or Africa.” In what is a fairly progressivemove, the company included sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination policy andhas received recognition for its inclusion policies for transgender individuals.

While the company is responsive to women on the whole, there may be a glass ceilingin effect. Of the top-20 executives, two are female—but they represent HR andmarketing. And only 17 of the 125 top executives are women (14 percent), butfemale employees, “don’t feel uncomfortable around the office.” For a companyfounded in 1975 (with no holdover executives and partners from the days of feweropportunities), this is still a surprisingly weak showing. One female respondent insiststhat it depends a lot on which department one is in: “I’m in marketing and I work withabout 80 percent women.”



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345

NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORP.

2900 Semiconductor Drive

P.O. Box 58090


Phone: (408) 721-5000

Fax: (408) 739-9803

www.national.com

LOCATIONS


Arlington, TX • Calabasas, CA • Chandler,

AZ • Federal Way, WA • Fort Collins, CO •

Grass Valley, CA • Indianapolis, IN •

Longmont, CO • Norcross, GA • Phoenix,

AZ • Rochester, NY • Salem, NH • San

Diego, CA • South Portland, ME • Tucson,

AZ

Bangalore • Delft, Netherlands •

Furstenfeldbruck, Germany • Greenock,

Scotland • Hangzhou, China • Hong Kong •

Kemi, Finland • Melaka, Malaysia • Osaka •

Oulu, Finland • Suzhou, China • Tallinn,

Estonia • Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative Services • Business

Planning & Materials • Engineering •

Executive • Finance & Accounting •

General • HR • IT • Marketing & Sales •

Operator • Production/Manufacturing

Support • Standard • Technician

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: NSM


Chairman & CEO: Brian L. Halla

2008 No. of Employees: 7,300

2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,890

2008 Income ($ mil.): 332.3

KEY COMPETITORS

Analog Devices

STMicroelectronics

Texas Instruments

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.national.com/analog/careers

Phone: (800) 672-4448

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THE SCOOP

Analog chips for the digital age

National Semiconductor Corporation manufactures analog and mixed-signal chips forthe medical, wireless communications, LCD, automotive and industrial markets.National Semiconductor divides its business into several segments: chips for powermanagement, that direct the right number of volts to the appropriate part of thedevice; chips for LCD; Bluetooth chips; analog chips that turn data (pressure,temperature, sound) into digital data that can be handled by a computer, as well asdata (pictures, sound); and high-reliability chips for military and aerospace devices.Major clients include Nokia, Sony, Apple, Motorola and Toshiba.

Electronics to chips

The company has its roots in 1959, when Dr. Bernard Rothlein, an employee ofSperry Semiconductor—the engineering offshoot of an old electronics company thattraces its roots back to 1910—took seven other engineers from the company andfounded National Semiconductor in Danbury, Conn., just 20 miles north of Sperry’sheadquarters in Norwalk. The company initially produced integrated circuits, a newtechnology that had been invented the same year as the company’s creation, andsales were slow to pick up—only $5.3 million by 1965. National Semiconductor wasstruggling, and its founder’s old company, Sperry Semiconductor, prevailed in apatent infringement in the 1960s, leaving National Semiconductor on the ropes.

Let’s chip ‘em at Silicon Valley

At this low ebb, the East Coast financier Peter Sprague (whose family had been in theelectrics business since the 19th century) swooped in and bought the company in1966. He recruited Charles Sporck, head of Fairchild Semiconductor at the time, tobe National Semiconductor’s new CEO and president. (Sprague and Sporck presidedover the company together until 1991.) Under its new leadership, the companymoved its operations (and headquarters) to the hub of the Silicon Valley in 1967:Santa Clara, Calif. As semiconductors became increasingly prevalent in consumerelectronics during the 1970s, National Semiconductor started to focus on providingchips for consumer goods, and had grown by 1971 to become the fourth-largestsemiconductor company in the United States. During the mid-1970s, NationalSemiconductor began making inroads under Sporck into the cheap and productiveAsian market. The company opened factories in Asia, one of the first semiconductorfirms to do so. Sales figures reflected the correctness of Sporck’s management:revenue was $42 million in 1970 and $365 million in 1976.


National Semiconductor Corp.

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Even stronger

Of course, National Semiconductor’s pursuit of low margins left it vulnerable as theAsian semiconductor industry matured. Into the 1980s, the company attempted toproduce consumer products, such as digital watches and video games, and even itsown computers, but they could neither match the low costs of Asian competitors northe high-end wares of its American ones. Sporck was impelled by this spate of Asiancompetition to become an active agitator for federal trade protections. In fact, he wasone of the main forces behind the 1986 “Semiconductor Trade Agreement” betweenJapan and America, which sought (in the name of “fair trading practices”) to openthe Asian market to American competition and restrict the dumping of extra-cheapAsian products on the American one. But National Semiconductor was still one ofthe giants in the field, purchasing Fairchild Semiconductor in 1987 (which must havemade Sporck smile) and further strengthening its position in the market, although thecompany was to be divested a decade later.

Chips spread to wireless networks and revenue reaches billions

When networking was all the rage, National Semiconductor started making networkcontrollers. The company left the microprocessor market in 1999, where it could notcompete with Intel and AMD, and focused on providing chips for communicationsand wireless applications. In 2001, the company shifted its focus to creatingproducts for expanding wireless internet access and remote control of home heat andair conditioning. Two years later, it renewed its focus on analog and developed anenergy-efficient chip that increased the running time for handheld electronics (likephones and music players) running off of battery charges, increasing chip activitytimes by as much as 400 percent. In 2007, National Semiconductor reported arevenue decrease from the previous year, from $2.16 billion to $1.93 billion as itfurther divested its digital businesses. In 2008, the company reported sales revenueof $1.89 billion.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Going solar

National Semiconductor acquired Act Solar, Inc., a private company that is intopower optimization solutions for commercial and utility-scale solar installation.This move widens the company’s portfolio of power optimization technologies,which now includes new diagnostics and panel monitoring capabilities for solararrays. A month earlier, National Semiconductor’s WEBENCH Sensor Designertool received the 2008 Product of the Year Award from Electronic ProductsMagazine.



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• March 2009: Q3 sales down, 850 jobs cut

The company released financials for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 (which endedMarch 1, 2009) saying sales in the quarter summed up to $292 million, a 31percent decrease from the second quarter and 36 percent down compared withthe same period in 2008. As a result of this performance, the company said it hasto immediately eliminate 850 jobs and close down its assembly and test plant inSuzhou as well as its wafer-fab in Arlington, Texas.

• February 2009: Teaming with Altera, Arrow

The company announced that it has joined forces with Altera Corp. and ArrowElectronics on MotionFire, a new field-programmable gate array (FPGA) motorcontrol platform that links fieldbuses to industrial Ethernet. The trio is targeting theplatform at industrial, automotive, medical and consumer electronics applications.

GETTING HIRED

I have one word for you: semiconductors

National Semiconductor’s careers page at www.national.com/careers provides asearchable list of jobs at the company. In order to submit resumes for consideration,applicants must first create a profile.

In addition to its openings for experienced hires, the company offers internships andco-ops, opportunities to gain academic credit while working. Opportunities for collegegraduates also exist in engineering, manufacturing, marketing, finance, HR andinformation services. Entry-level employees attend college club events, like baseballgames, happy hours and movie nights, and can take classes at NationalSemiconductor University, which cover subjects from technical writing to speed-reading.

Benefits offered by the company include a generous stock purchase plan, 401(k)with lavish company matching, health and dental insurance, on-site dry cleaning, anda gym and cafeteria at several sites.



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349

NCR CORPORATION

1700 South Patterson Boulevard

Dayton, Ohio 45479

Phone: (937) 445-1936

Fax: (937) 445-5541

www.ncr.com

LOCATIONS

Dayton, OH (HQ)

Agana, GU • Albany, NY • Anderson AFB,

GU • Atlanta, GA • Baltimore, MD •

Bentonville, AR • Boston, MA • Charlotte,

NC • Chicago, IL • Cincinnati, OH •

Columbia, SC • Dallas, TX • Detroit, MI •

Duluth, GA • El Segundo, CA •

Germantown, MD • Houston, TX •

Las Vegas, NV • Los Angeles, CA •

Morristown, TN • New York, NY •

Peachtree City, GA • Raleigh, NC •

Richmond, VA • San Diego, CA • San

Francisco, CA • Suwanee, GA • Viroqua,

WI


THE STATS


Stock Symbol: MSFT


Chairman: Bill Gates

CEO: Steve Ballmer


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 60,420

2008 Income ($ mil.): 17,681

KEY COMPETITORS

Diebold

IBM

Wincor Nixdorf

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.ncr.com/about_ncr/careers/index.jsp

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative/Office Professional • Cross-

functional Management • Customer Care

Center • Customer Engineering • Customer

Service Delivery • Customer Services/

Support Services • Customer/Sales

Operations • Engineering • Finance • Human

Resources • Learning • Legal • Management

Information Services • Manufacturing •

Marketing • Product Management •

Professional Services • Public

Relations/Communication • Quality • Real

Estate • Sales • Security • Strategy • Supply

Chain Management

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THE SCOOP

It’s all about the cash…registers

NCR Corp. is a major provider of cash registers, ATMs, point-of-sale scanners, barcode readers, paper and other consumables. It also makes all manner of self-servekiosks, from hospital and hotel check-ins and merchandise checkout, to event ticketsand ordering at fast-food restaurants. The company also provides data warehousingservices under its Teradata division, which spun off as an independent firm in October2007.

The company was founded in 1882 when former coal salesman and retail shop ownerJohn H. Patterson bought a cash register manufacturer in 1882 and founded theNational Cash Register Company two years later. The first office, with 13 employees,was located in Dayton, Ohio. In 1906, Patterson commissioned inventor CharlesKettering to design the first cash register powered by an electric motor. Within a fewyears, Kettering had developed NCR’s Class 1000 register, which remained inproduction for four decades, as well as the O.K. Telephone Credit AuthorizationSystem, for verifying credit in department stores. Just five years later, the companyhad sold one million electric cash registers. In 1921, NCR introduced the Class 2000accounting machine, which proved to be an important moneymaker: models of itwere marketed up to 1973, making the 2000 the longest-lived of any NCR product.

In 2008, NCR recorded sales revenue of $5.32 billion. The Dayton, Ohio-headquartered company employs a staff of 23,200.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Entering the physician market

NCR and Greatwater Software collaborated “to provide physician practices with apatient check-in solution that automates the registration process, minimizesrepetitive data entry and delivers targeted health information at the point of care.”Florida-based Greatwater Software is a health care IT solutions company that willprovide NCR with hardware and software for its patient registration kiosks and willextend the company’s self-service platform to include additional physician-specificapplications.

• March 2009: Changes in Dundee

NCR announced proposed restructuring in Dundee that includes the cease ofmanufacturing and reduction of 252 jobs. In a statement, NCR said it hasinformed its people regarding the proposal and is beginning a 90-day consultationprocess with union and employee representatives.


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• February 2009: Introducing APTRATM

NCR launched NCR APTRA Consumer Passport, a new software that enablesconsumers to “deposit checks into their checking or savings accounts withoutleaving their homes and without purchasing any new hardware.” The softwareworks with any financial institution’s online banking site and processes checksthrough a TWAIN-based scanner.

• January 2009: We are the “Champion”

Global technology research firm Aberdeen Group named NCR a “Champion” in itsAberdeen AXIS Report for Retail Point of Sale (POS) Systems. As a globalevaluation tool, Aberdeen AXIS assesses retailers based on “market readiness andbest value delivered to customers.” “NCR has performed above par. Our datashows that NCR provides 50 percent higher value to its customers when comparedto the norm. According to our data and qualitative interviews with NCR customers,the main advantage of NCR POS software is the ease of integration, flexibility andscalability when combined with NCR hardware,” said Sahir Anand, Aberdeensenior research analyst, quoted in a company press release.

• November 2008: Winning design

NCR’s SelfServ 25 ATM won the computer and business products category of the2008 China’s Most Successful Designs awards sponsored by Fortune Chinamagazine and China Bridge International. Aside from its “unique design andinnovative product development,” SelfServ 25 “wowed” the judges in meeting andexceeding customer needs.

• August 2008: Buying NCI

NCR announced its purchase of NCI Ltd., a U.K.-based provider of tellerconnectivity software popular among financial institutions. NCR chairman andCEO Bill Nuti said this acquisition will ease the introduction of branch automationthat will change branch productivity as well as user experience. “Bringing NCI’sexpertise to NCR demonstrates our commitment to the teller automation marketand underlines our intention to enhance NCR’s total solution offer as we grow ourassisted- and self-service business,” Nuti said in a company statement.

• May 2008: Reaping awards

NCR was included in the 2008 Global Outsourcing 100 by the InternationalAssociation of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP). This award is given to companieswho excel in the retail and consumer goods outsourcing arena.


NCR Corporation

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GETTING HIRED

Ring up your career at NCR

NCR’s careers page, at www.ncr.com/about_ncr/careers, provides information forboth experienced and newly graduated candidates. Openings are searchable byregion, function and keyword; in order to apply, job seekers must first create a profile.NCR has diversity groups for women, Hispanic, African-American, Asian, disabledand GLBT employees. Benefits include health insurance and a 401(k) plan.

NCR also offers internships and entry-level positions for students and recentgraduates in the United States and abroad. Interns must be pursuing a line of studyrelated to one of the following business areas: IT, accounting and finance,procurement, engineering, professional services or marketing. Questions can bedirected to [email protected].


NCR Corporation

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NETWORK APPLIANCEINCORPORATED

353

495 East Java Drive

Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Phone: (408) 822-6000

Fax: (408) 822-4501

www.netapp.com

LOCATIONS

Sunnyvale, CA (HQ)

84 locations worldwide

DEPARTMENTS

Business Operations • Customer Support •

Engineering • Facilities • Finance • General

& Administration • Hardware Engineering •



Marketing • NetApp University/Training •

Professional Services • Sales • Software

Engineering • Systems Engineering

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: NTAP


Chairman & CEO: Dan Warmenhoven


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 3,300

2008 Income ($ mil.): 309.7

KEY COMPETITORS

EMC

Hewlett-Packard

IBM

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.netapp.com/us/company/careers

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THE SCOOP

No, they don’t sell USB-enabled fridges

Network Appliance (or NetApp) provides specialized data storage devices tocompanies involved in pharmaceutical and biotech research, computer animation,telecoms and manufacturing. Its customers include Yahoo!, Boston University,Chevron, BMW, Industrial Light & Magic, AGFA, the U.S. Army Command and theSwiss Federal Government. NetApp’s products are sold in 120 countries, and itsstock is listed on the S&P 500.

The company was founded by Michael Malcolm, David Hitz and James Lau, whowere working for Auspex Corp., a file server manufacturer. They were all computerengineers, although, before his career in the computer industry, Hitz worked as acowboy (yes, cowboy). NetApp started in 1992, when Malcolm, Hitz and Lau jotteddown their business plan onto restaurant napkins, but they didn’t get a product readyfor retail until the following year. The young company went through the usual startupstruggles; they posted losses their first few years in business and were having troublefinding investors. By 1994, it became clear that investors were growing wary ofMalcolm, the co-founder who was then serving as CEO. Hitz and Lau brought inDaniel Warmenhoven, a 13-year veteran at IBM, as its new CEO in October of thesame year, and he immediately set about convincing wary consumers of the benefitsof NetApp’s unconventional new product.

This product, the brainchild of Hitz, Lau and the departed Malcolm, was a wholly newand different type of technology, which is probably why it struggled out of the startinggate. Where data storage had historically been encumbered by specific networkrequirements and limitations, NetApp had pursued a quicker and easier approach.CEO Warmenhoven grew fond of using a “refrigerator” metaphor to describe it: “Theissues around data management were complex,” Warmenhoven has said, “but theyneedn’t be. We built a data refrigerator. Open the door. Take something out. Closethe door. It’s a simple, dedicated, data appliance.” As demand for its productsincreased, they found their way into the offices of Walt Disney, Boeing and Citicorp by1998. The company hit a rough patch in the early 2000s, as the tech bubble’sbursting caused tech spending to fall off, and it posted a loss in 2002. But NetApppicked itself up and restructured, returning to profitability the following year. It iscurrently in good financial health, as revenue and profits have increased in recentyears, clocking in for 2008 at $3.3 billion in revenue and $309.7 million in profits.

Virtual storage

Contrary to what many people believe, magnetic tape data storage—which dates fromthe era of UNIVAC-type mainframe computers—is still a viable technology and usedby many companies to keep their records on hand. And it has proven less expensiveand more spatially efficient than storing data on discs until only recently—it isn’t used


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for much beyond infrequently accessed archives, however, since it can be very slow.NetApp, having conquered much of the frequently accessed archives, has turned itssights on these poor, slow systems; it wants to unstick these companies from tape.As such, in 2006, NetApp introduced its Virtual Tape Library (VTL), a device whereinbackup software functions like a tape library while actually storing the data on discs.The data on the discs can also be compressed to allow for more efficient use of thespace contained on the device, and it should save any IT department a bundle incosts.

NetApp has consistently ranked as one of the best companies to work for accordingto Fortune magazine. The company currently employs 7,999 personnel.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: VMware partner status

NetApp announced that it is now a VMware Authorized Consultant (VAC) partner,meaning it can help users optimize their VMware environments. It also announcedthat it has developed new storage and data management upgrades for VMwareView that help deploy and operate virtual desktops faster.

• March 2009: Top vendor

NetApp was named 2009 CRN Channel Champion for the Network Storagecategory. The largest technology integrator market study in the industry, theCRNChannel Champions measures the overall perceptions of vendor products andthe services of solution providers.

• 2007: Need some A-SIS-tance?

NetApp introduced the Advanced Single Instance Storage (A-SIS) a deduplicatingprogram that reduces duplicate data entries, reducing the volume of data in adatabase by a factor of 20. By trimming the number of gigabytes a company hasto mind, this program reduces the number of servers it must invest in and buypower for. The program is intended for companies that maintain large quantitiesof data, like telephone directories and medical records, or companies that needbackup or store old electronic documents for legal purposes.





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GETTING HIRED

Store your career with Network Appliance

The NetApp careers site, at www.netapp.com/jobs, provides information about jobopenings and benefits for prospective hires. To apply for a position, applicants mustcreate a job account with the company. NetApp is welcoming applications; althoughthe data storage sector is going through hard times recently, NetApp actuallyincreased its headcount by over 1,000 employees last year.

In 2007, Network Appliance was named No. 6 on Forbes magazine’s 100 BestCompanies to Work For list. It was praised for its accommodation of parents withspecial-needs children and widespread use of flex schedules. The company’s stellarbenefits include health, dental and vision insurance, a generous vacation plan, stockoptions for new hires as well as established employees and a 401(k) with companymatching.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Phone interviews are common in NetApp. “I had three rounds of interviews withdifferent managers. The interview was pretty standard, nothing to throw you offcourse,” a contact notes.

Interns normally get about $18 per hour, depending on the department one isassigned to and the position. Another insider says, “I think the class standing alsohas some impact on the compensation. The interns also get free lunches about oncea week, which was really nice.”




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NOVELL INCORPORATED

404 Wyman Street, Suite 500

Waltham, MA 02451

Phone: (801) 861-7000

www.novell.com

LOCATIONS

Waltham, MA (HQ) • Atlanta, GA •

Bentonville, AK • Cambridge, MA •

Chicago, IL • Vienna, VA

Bangalore • Barcelona • Beijing •

Bertrange, Luxembourg • Bogotà •

Bracknell, United Kingdom • Brisbane •

Brussels • Budapest • Buenos Aires •

Kolkata, India • Canberra City, Australia •

Caracas • Champagne-au-mont-d'or,

France • Chennai • Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

• Dubai • Dublin • Düsseldorf • Edinburgh •

Espoo, Finland • Frankfurt • Guangzhou •

Hong Kong • Horsholm, Denmark • Istanbul

• Kfar Saba, Israel • Lisbon • Madrid •

Melbourne • Mexico City • Milan •

Monterrey, Mexico • Montreal • Moscow •

Mumbai • New Delhi • Nuremberg • Oslo •

Paris • Prague • Rome • Rotterdam • São

Paulo • Shanghai • Singapore • Kiev •

Riga, Latvia • Stockholm • Sydney • Taipei

• Tokyo • Toronto • Warsaw • Wellington •

Zurich

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative Support • Business

Management • Consulting Services •

Customer Services • Education • Finance •


Marketing/Product Marketing •

Operations/Facilities • Product Management

• Sales • Sales/Systems Engineering •

Software Development • Software

Development Management • Software

Test/Quality • Technical Support

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: NOVL


Chairman: Thomas G. Plaskett

President & CEO: Ronald W. Hovsepian


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 956

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

Microsoft

Red Hat

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

careers.novell.com/psp/css89prd/EMPLOYE

E/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL

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THE SCOOP

It’s all about networking

Novell has long been best known for network technology, but it is also making moveson the desktop environment. Its flagship NetWare network operating systemconnects desktops to corporate networks, integrating directories, storage systems,printers, servers and databases. Still the world’s largest networking softwarecompany, with more than 80 million users around the globe, its offerings includeemail (GroupWise), secure identity management (Novell Nsure), web applicationdevelopment (Novell exteNd) and cross-platform networking services (NovellNterprise), all of which are supported by consulting and professional services (NovellNgage). The company also distributes and supports SUSE Linux.

Novel-l engineers

The big name in Novell’s early history is Ray Noorda, who served as the company’sCEO and guiding light for over a decade after its founding, but was not present at itsbirth. That distinction belongs to Dennis Fairclough, who was a computer engineerin the late 1970s, working at the Eyring Research Institute. ERI was a laboratory inUtah which contracted in computer research with the government, often hand-in-hand with Brigham Young University’s computer science department. Fairclough wasalso student at BYU while working at ERI, as were his fellow ERI engineers DrewMajor, Kyle Powell and Dale Neibauer; they joined Fairclough at the inception ofNovell Data Systems in 1979. Major, Powell and Neibauer left to found SuperSetSoftware in 1981, whose technology derived, naturally, from work they were doing atBYU and ERI.

At present, Novell has a staff of 4,000 employees and had revenue of $956.5 millionduring fiscal year 2008.

IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: Confident despite first quarter drop

Novell released its first fiscal quarter 2009 financial results. Revenue totaled $215million, a drop compared to $231 million for first quarter of 2008. Net incometotaled $11 million, or $0.03 per share, against $17 million, or $0.05 per share, offirst quarter 2008. Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian is confident about the months tocome. “While our invoicing was below our expectations in this weak economy, wecontinued to take actions to carefully manage our operating margin,” he said in astatement.


Novell Incorporated


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• January 2009: Expanding data portfolio

With the aim of boosting its data portfolio, Novell recently launched the myCMDB,which is the only web-based application that taps social networking to enhance theusability, accessibility and accuracy of the enterprise configuration managementdatabase (CMDB). Novell also launched other projects such as the iFolder, anopen-source initiative for client software such as Linux, Mac OS X and Linux, andthe Mono project, which offers the Mono and MonoDevelop for greater scalabilityand productivity for independent software vendors (ISVSs).

• December 2008: Delaying the bad news?

Novell reported a narrower quarterly loss due to cost-cutting measures that actedto offset zero revenue growth. The company revealed a loss of $16.3 million, or 5cents per share, in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008, compared to a $17.9 million,or 5 cents per share, the previous year.

• October 2008: Taking over Managed Objects

Novell announced an agreement to acquire Managed Objects, a business servicemanagement software provider. The acquisition would result in an expanded datacenter solutions portfolio that would give IT and business managers a better viewof how their information systems work. “The Managed Objects products are verycomplementary to our existing management and virtualization capabilities. Byadding the Managed Objects toolset to the Novell(R) portfolio of data centersolutions, we are unique in providing technology-agnostic and proven cross-platform solutions that span both the physical and virtual worlds—all in one unifiedview,” Joe Wagner, Novell’s senior vice president of systems and resourcemanagement, said in a press release.

GETTING HIRED

Networking will serve your career well

Novell’s careers site, at www.novell.com/job_search/servlet/eJobSearch, provides alist of open positions by location and function. Jobs are searchable by keyword anda user name and password is required. In order to apply for a position, interestedparties must fill out a web-based form after registering in the database. Internshippositions are also available. Novell’s benefits include health, dental and lifeinsurance, 401(k) with company match and tuition reimbursement.

Novell may be headquartered in Massachusetts, with offices in over 30 countries, butalmost half of its employees (approximately 3,000) work at the company’s Provo,Utah, campus—the company has been operating out of Utah Valley for almost twodecades.


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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Try a Novell option

“The corporate culture is open and honest,” says one insider. His colleague, on theother hand, disagrees. “The one constant at Novell is change,” says employeerespondent, quoting from the latest management best seller. “Cost-cutting andexpense minimization create an atmosphere of stress and fear, as well asdegeneration of morale.” “Novell is trying to reinvent itself, so there is a good deal ofculture change right now,” says a more diplomatic co-worker. The constant changesmean that “opportunities for advancement are slim.”

Despite the atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and doubt, life at the company goes on.“Dress code is casual, except for the executive level, which is business casual ordress,” says one source. “Hours are fairly flexible.” “Diversity is as diverse asworking in Provo, Utah, can be,” says another associate.


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NVIDIA CORPORATION

2701 San Tomas Expressway


Phone: (408) 486-2000

Fax: (408) 486-2200

www.nvidia.com

LOCATIONS


Austin, TX • Beaverton, OR • Bedford, MA •

Bellevue, WA • Bothell, WA • Boulder, CO •

Durham, NC • Fort Collins, CO • Houston,

TX • Madison, AL • Salt Lake City, UT • St.

Louis, MO

Bangalore • Beijing • Helsinki • Hong Kong

• HsinChu, Taiwan • Hyderabad • Moscow •

Mumbai • Munich • Paris • Pune, India •

Reading, United Kingdom • Seoul •

Shanghai • Shenzhen • Singapore • Taipei

• Tokyo • Wurselen, Germany • Zurich

DEPARTMENTS

Architecture • Hardware • HR • IT •

Software • Systems & Applications •

Technical Marketing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: NVDA


President & CEO: Jen-Hsun Huang


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 4,097.9

2008 Income ($mil.): 797.6

KEY COMPETITORS

AMD

Creative Technology

Intel Corp.

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

careers.nvidia.com


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THE SCOOP

You can see everything from here

NVIDIA makes graphics processors, computer chips and circuit boards. Thecompany’s chips, which offer both two- and three-dimensional graphics, are used inpersonal computers and in motherboards built by other companies. NVIDIA chipsare used in products made by some of the biggest names in the computer industry,including Dell, IBM and Sony. Its circuit boards find application in mobile phones,games and industrial design applications.

Founded in 1993, NVIDIA is the widely recognized inventor of the GPU, or graphicsprocessing unit, which generates modern, interactive graphics for today’s personalcomputers, mobile devices, and gaming consoles. The company offers its GeForceproducts, which are aimed towards the entertainment and consumer markets, and itsQuadro products, aimed towards professional design and visualization. NVIDIA alsoserves the high-performance computing market through its Tesla line.

Community service

The company also provides community-empowering initiatives through The NVIDIAFoundation, an employee-led program that seeks to help marginalized people by way ofeducational partnerships, medical missions and anti-hunger and antipoverty activities.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Fighting back

NVIDIA formally filed a countersuit seeking to end Intel’s license on its patentportfolio. In February, NVIDIA responded to the court case filed by Intel, whichstated that the four-year-old chipset license agreement entered into by the twocompanies does not extend to Intel’s future-generation CPUs that contain“integrated memory controllers.”

Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA, said that the company had nochoice but to defend itself and “the rights we negotiated for when we provided Intelaccess to our valuable patents.” He further told the press that “NVIDIA did notinitiate this legal dispute,” and that “Intel's actions are intended to block us frommaking use of the very license rights that they agreed to provide.”

• September 2008: Addition by subtraction?

NVIDIA announced that it will lay off 6.5 percent of its workforce, or about 360employees, by October 26th, in a move to recover from lost market share and cut


NVIDIA Corporation


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prices on some chips brought about by competition from rival Advanced MicroDevices.

GETTING HIRED

Visualize yourself at NVIDIA

NVIDIA’s careers page, atcareers.nvidia.com/pljb/nvidia/nvidiaemployment/applicant/index.jsp, providesinformation on job openings, benefits and college recruiting. To apply, interestedparties must first create a profile and apply online or send their resumes via emailto [email protected]. Prospective employees must also undergo a background checkbefore an offer of employment is made.

Benefits include a choice of health care plans, dental and vision insurance, 401(k),stock purchase plan, college savings plans, flexible spending accounts for health careand dependent care expenses and a generous vacation policy. Employees can alsoreceive chair massages, on-site haircuts, laundry and dry-cleaning pickup anddelivery services, a subsidized café and a health club allowance.

NVIDIA recruits students for internships, co-ops and entry-level positions. Internsand co-ops can join the software, hardware, architecture, systems and applications,technical marketing or IT departments. Interns’ tenures are heavily subsidized, fromtransportation and food at the café to assistance in shipping things hither and yon.To apply, submit a resume to [email protected].

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Interviews at NVIDIA revolve around projects done while still studying, at least forengineers. Says one process engineer, “After asking company-related questions,they started asking questions related to projects I did during my studies. They alsoasked questions that were aimed to test my people skills.” Adds a hardware engineer,“I was invited for a full day to be interviewed by five to six people, who were mostlyengineers. The process was quite prompt. I got my offer in a week’s time.”

Interns, on the other hand, are recruited via school visits and face-to-face interviews.The company has recruitment programs with selected universities. Interviews arebasically comprised of technical questions. “I think they’re just looking to see if youare what is represented in your resume. They want to know if you can communicatewell and be a good team player,” recalls an intern.

Salaries depend on the position and job description. Says an insider, “Salary isaround $30,000 to $60,000 for engineers. As a starting engineer, the average low-range salary is around $40,000; median salary is around $60,000, and top salaries


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are around $70,000. With less than a year of experience, the actual salary is around$50,000 a year.” For interns, the salary is about $4,000 a month. Benefits includehousing for the first two weeks and car rental for the duration of the internship. Airfare is paid for.

Dress code is casual and work hours are flexible, such that people generally workbetween 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. At night and on weekends, only a handful of people willbe working, according to sources.

In general, NVIDIA respondents have this to say with regard to company culture:“The work culture here is great, very client-focused and performance-driven. I amhappy to be part of this organization,” says an insider. His colleague, on the otherhand, takes a more realistic view of things, “the environment is like consulting, whereyou will definitely have opportunities to have engagements of different types. It isgood to be able to try different things, but one gets a feeling of being very disposable,given that anyone could be asked to do your job. The organization is pretty flat, thusopportunities for advancement [are] limited.”


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ON SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION

5005 East McDowell Road

Phoenix, AZ 85008

Phone: (602) 244-6600

Fax: (602) 244-6609

www.onsemi.com

LOCATIONS

Phoenix, AZ (HQ)

Austin, TX • American Fork, UT •

Bozeman, MT • Chandler, AZ • Colorado

Springs, CO • East Greenwich, RI •

Gresham, OR • Longmont, CO • Lower

Gwynedd, PA • Plano, TX • Pocatello, ID •

Portland, OR • San Jose, CA • Santa

Clara, CA • Sunnyvale, CA • Twain Harte,

CA • Aizu, Japan • Bangkok • Bratislava •

Brno, Czech Republic • Bucharest • Hong

Kong • Hsinchu City, Taiwan • Laguna,

Philippines • Leshan, China • Oudenaarde,

Belgium • Piestany, Slovakia • Roznov,

Czech Republic • Seremban, Malaysia •

Shanghai • Sofia, Bulgaria • Vilvoorde,

Belgium

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting • Engineering • Facilities •

Financial • General Management • Human


Legal • Manufacturing • Operations •

Quality • Sales & Marketing • Security •

Supply Chain/Logistics • Support &

Administration • Technical Writing •

Technicians • Technology & Development

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ONNN


Chairman: J. Daniel McCranie

President & CEO: Keith Jackson


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,054.8

2008 Income ($ mil.): -393

KEY COMPETITORS

Fairchild Semiconductor

Infineon

National Semiconductor

STMicroelectronics

Texas Instruments

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.onsemi.com/PowerSolutions/content.d

o?id=1035

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THE SCOOP

They’re always ON

ON Semiconductor is a leading provider of integrated circuits and standardcomponents that control the flow of power and data through everything from cars tocomputers, televisions to game consoles and communications servers to MP3 playersand mobile phones. With a catalog of more than 28,000 parts, the company’sdevices are used in electronics made by Intel, Continental, Siemens, Sony, Samsung,Motorola and Philips, to name a few. The company derives its name from its integralnature—without its tiny chips, one simply cannot turn many machines “on.”

ON with the energy

Motorola sold off its semiconductor products division to a private equity firm in 1999,which then became ON Semiconductor. The following year, ON Semiconductoracquired Cherry Semiconductor, which provides power control chips to the carindustry, for a quarter of a billion dollars. Also in 2000, the company raised $500million in its IPO, which it used to pay down debt. ON Semiconductor introduced itsGreenPoint power supply reference designs for desktop computers, LCD and CRTtelevisions and 60-, 90- and 200-watt power supplies for other devices, like printers.These operate at an efficiency of 83 percent—12 percent more efficiently than a non-power-saving chip—and consume 300 fewer milliwatts when turned off. The 80 Plusand EnergyStar programs have recognized the chips for their efficiency.

Green as in cash

The GreenPoint chips seem to be bringing in green of a more financial sort, too: in2006, ON’s yearly revenue was $1.5 billion, up 22 percent over the year before.Profits also came in at a record-setting $272 million. That same year, the companypurchased a factory in Gresham, Ore., from LSI Logic, a semiconductor vet seekingto slim down and go fab-less.

At press time, ON Semiconductor has 14,172 employees. The company reported salesrevenue amounting to $2.05 billion in fiscal 2008 but it registered a net loss of $393 million.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Settlement with Samsung

ON Semiconductor announced a settlement with Samsung resolving theoutstanding patent infringement actions on DRAM products filed against thecompany by the latter. At present, both companies have agreed to cross-licensetheir respective patent portfolios for several years.


ON Semiconductor Corporation


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• February 2008: Net loss reaches $393 million

The company announced that total revenue in 2008 reached $2.05 billion, anincrease of 31 percent from $1.56 billion in 2007. However, the GAAP net loss for2008 was $393 million, a big slide from 2007, during which the companyreported GAAP net income of $242.2 million.

ON Semiconductor also announced its decision to close down its remainingPhoenix wafer-fab facility by the end of the first quarter 2010 and transferproduction to another site within the company’s manufacturing infrastructure.

• October 2008: Acquiring a Catalyst

The company completed its acquisition of Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc. in a stock-for-stock merger. Keith Jackson, ON Semiconductor president and CEO said, “Themerger represents another step in the transformation of ON Semiconductor. Withthe combination of ON Semiconductor's global footprint, effective channels ofdistribution, and top-tier customer relationships, we expect to be able to support abroader and deeper penetration of Catalyst's overall product portfolio. This shouldenable us to accelerate their revenue growth and increase market share.”

• March 2008: Merging with mon AMIS

In a stock-for-stock transaction estimated at $613 million, ON Semiconductorcompleted its acquisition of AMIS Holdings, Inc. in a bid to enhance ON’s analogand power leadership. Under the merger agreement, stockholders of AMISreceived 1.5 shares of ON common stock for each share of AMIS they own. AMISstockholders now have a 26 percent stake in ON.

GETTING HIRED

Turn your career ON

ON Semiconductor’s careers page, at www.onsemi.com/PowerSolutions/content.do?id=1035, provides information on careers in the United States, Asia andEurope. Jobs are searchable by function and location; to apply, hopeful ON-ers mustfirst create a profile.

Internships and opportunities for recent college graduates are also available at ON.The former are available to rising sophomores studying electrical, chemical orcomputer engineering, computer information systems, business, marketing, finance,supply chain management or allied fields. Most of the company’s internships arebased in Phoenix, Arizona, though some are in Rhode Island or another office.During their tenure, interns are eligible for paid holidays and additional compensationfor time worked in excess of a 40-hour week.


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ORACLE CORPORATION

500 Oracle Parkway

Redwood City, CA 94065

Phone: (650) 506-7000

Fax: (650) 506-7200

www.oracle.com

DEPARTMENTS

Business Operations • Computing •

Consulting • Facilities • Finance • General

Administrative/Secretarial • Human


Legal • Marketing • Manufacturing &

Distribution • Pre-sales • Product

Development •Sales • Support • Training

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ORCL


Chairman: Jeffrey O. Henley

CEO: Lawrence J. Ellison


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 22,430

2008 Income ($mil.): 5,521

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

Microsoft

SAP

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.oracle.com/corporate/employment/ind

ex.html

LOCATIONS

Redwood City, CA (HQ)

Albany, NY • Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX • Bala

Cynwyd, PA • Bellevue, WA • Bentonville,

AR • Berwyn, PA • Bloomington, MN • Blue

Ash, OH • Boston, MA • Boulder, CO •

Bridgewater, NJ • Brookfield, WI •

Burlington, MA • Cambridge, MA • Charlotte,

NC • Chesapeake, VA • Chester, PA •

Chicago, IL • Cleveland, OH • Colorado

Springs, CO • Columbia, MD • Columbus,

OH • Costa Mesa, CA • Denver, CO • Eden

Prairie, MN • El Segundo, CA • Encino, CA •

Fairborn, OH • Farmington, CT • Glen Allen,

VA • Grand Rapids, MI • Harrisburg, PA •

Honolulu, HI • Houston, TX • Independence,

OH • Indianapolis, IN • Irving, TX • King of

Prussia, PA • Knoxville, TN • Lexington, KY •

Liberty Corner, NJ • Memphis, TN • Miami,

FL • Minneapolis, MN • Moon Township, PA •

Mt. Laurel, NJ • Nashua, NH • Nashville, TN

• New York, NY • Northborough, MA •

Novato, CA • Omaha, NE • Onalaska, WI •

Orlando, FL • Overland Park, KS • Phoenix,

AZ • Plano, TX • Pleasanton, CA • Portland,

OR • Providence, RI • Raleigh, NC • Reston,

VA • Rochester, NY • Rocklin, CA • San

Antonio, TX • San Diego, CA • San

Francisco, CA • Sandy, UT • Santa Clara,

CA • St. Louis, MO • Stamford, CT •

Tallahassee, FL • Tampa, FL • Tarrytown, NY

• Teaneck, NJ • Trenton, NJ • Troy, MI •

Washington, DC • Westchester, IL •

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THE SCOOP

Making the business world go ‘round

Oracle is the world’s No. 2 business software company (behind Microsoft) and aleading provider of databases and programs for web development, enterpriseperformance assessment, supply chain, customer relationship and HR management.In 2008, BusinessWeek ranked the company No. 22 on its InfoTech 100 (its businesssoftware competitor, Microsoft, ranked ninth).

Spreading its roots

In 1977, Larry Ellison, a computer programmer at Ampex Corp., entered into apartnership with his current boss, Robert Miner. Ellison’s intention was to form acompany that would capitalize on technology first developed by IBM. He put up$2,000 of his own money and called the firm Software Development Laboratories.The company was renamed Relational Software Inc. in 1979 and finally becameknown as Oracle in 1983, after its flagship database product. The Oracle databasewas prophetically designed. As it was especially adapted to work with IBM’sstructured query language (SQL), a computer language that relayed information onhow to store and retrieve information on databases, use of Oracle became widespreadwhen the SQL language became an industry standard. Throughout the 1980s, Oracleproduced several types of databases, each varied to suit different customers’ needs.In 1986, the company had marketing subsidiaries in 17 countries outside the UnitedStates and clients in 39 total countries; that year, it also issued shares for the firsttime. By the next year, Oracle was the world’s largest database management softwarecompany, with 4,500 clients in 55 countries. It was listed on the S&P 500 as a techsector representative of the economy in 1989.

A behemoth of startups called Oracle

After teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, acquiring startups and changing its focusfrom selling mainframe storage solutions to data consulting services, Oracle has comea long way as a major player in the industry. In 2005 and 2006, the companysnapped up 26 startups with complementary product lines to its own. Its biggestacquisition, however, was the purchase of Siebel—a supplier of customer relationshipmanagement (CRM) software, a growing software area that’s expected to reach $10billion in 2009—for $5.8 billion in September 2005. The deal made Oracle the No.1 supplier of CRM software, which is a blow to main competitor SAP.

Oracle will be a force to reckon with for a very long time. As of fiscal 2008, thecompany achieved revenue of $22.43 billion. With headquarters in Redwood,California, it has a staff of about 84,233 employees.


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IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: The Sun is ours

After rejecting IBM’s offer, Sun Microsystems agreed to merge with Oracle,creating a monster of a rival for IBM. While the deal is still being fine-tuned, atpress time, analysts cheered the news. Oracle dished out approximately $7 billionor $9.50 per share for Sun.

• March 2009: Exceeding expectations

Oracle went over Wall Street forecasts and posted a strong performance in theshares and revenue arenas. The company performed better than expected,earning 3 cents per share more than what analysts expected. Revenue in the thirdfiscal period (Oracle’s fiscal year ends in the middle of the year, unlike somecompanies that follow the calendar year) was higher than the previous year’s, withOracle raking in $5.45 billion, which was 2 percent more than $5.35 billion in2007.

• November 2008: Purchasing Primavera

Oracle acquired Primavera, a leading provider of Project Portfolio Management(PPM) solutions, to accelerate its delivery of mission-critical operationalapplications. The Oracle Education Foundation (OEF) and DKI Jakarta’sEducation Office also signed an agreement for the rollout of OEF’s ThinkQuestplatform to government schools across the region. ThinkQuest is a protected,online learning platform that enables teachers to integrate learning projects intotheir classroom curriculum.

• September 2008: The Oracle train keeps chew-chewing

Eager to beef up its list of acquired companies, Oracle bought out ClearApp, aplayer in the service-oriented architecture (where software products are evaluatedagainst each other, performance-wise). Although no amount has been disclosed,this acquisition is nothing new to Oracle, a company that’s been termed the“Oracle Acquisition Machine” by a columnist in The New York Times. In 2007, thecompany bought 11 companies.

• September 2008: Counting the Beehive in

Oracle unveiled Beehive, a communication suite intended to rival softwarepackage players like Microsoft, Google and IBM. Collaboration software letsemployees communicate and work together via a single software set. Oracle’spackage contains applications for email, voicemail, instant message, sharedcalendar, web conferencing and shared documents. This package is compatiblewith Microsoft’s Exchange and Outlook.

• September 2008: I saw Oracle standing there

Like the high school prom where the jock chose someone besides the cheerleaderto be his date, Oracle entered the hardware part of the data warehousing market


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hand in hand with Hewlett Packard. A couple of jaws dropped, specifically Sun’s,since the two companies have been business allies for quite a while, with their CEOscounting each other as a personal friend. It was the economy, really, that drove awedge between these longtime partners. Sun’s figures were on the decline, whileHP is only starting to flex its data management muscle. Things will be strictly thesame, with Oracle’s strong sales force wooing customers. Only this time, HP isgoing to make, deliver and service the gear. Technically, it seemed that Oraclebecame the bridge between HP and its potential pool of clients. But Oracle is alsogoing to plant its database on HP servers. Since they are known for their vastamounts of storage, Oracle boosts its software’s performance—there is already adirect connection between the information requested and the person requesting it.

• August 2008: Changing of the guards. Again.

Making him the fourth chief financial officer (CFO) in the four years since longtimeCFO Jeff Henley retired, Jeffrey Epstein replaced Safra Catz as the company’s chiefbean counter. Catz returned to her title as co-president, a role she left when then-CFO Greg Maffei resigned after a measly four months on the job. As part of hisduties, Epstein handles finance, finance operations, tax, treasury, real estate,investor relations, audit and customer leasing.

• August 2008: The best-paid CEO

According to the Associated Press, Oracle’s CEO is the highest-paid chiefexecutive in the United States, receiving a package worth $84.6 million. Ellison iscurrently worth $25 billion. AP’s calculation includes salary, bonus, incentives,perks and the estimated value of stock options in a fiscal year. Ellison raked in$544 million when he exercised his option to cash in on 36 million stock optionsin Oracle’s 2007 fiscal year.

• June 2008: Winded but there’s windfall

Considering the economy and its volatility, Oracle managed to impress analystswhen it posted a 24 percent growth in revenue in the fourth quarter. Sales of newsoftware licenses rise to $3.1 billion from $2.5 billion. "We are aware of the broadereconomic environment in which we operate, and we can’t predict the economyfrom one quarter to the next," Oracle’s then-Chief Financial Officer Safra Catz said,and that’s partly why the company gave a conservative prediction about its revenuegeneration for the year. But Oracle’s strong fourth-quarter showing boosted thecompany’s confidence, leading one analyst to observe that Oracle’s sales cultureand diversified product lineup are thriving in the currently grim economy.

• January 2008: Yes, but no, but yes

Trying to jump back on the acquisition bandwagon, Oracle smoothly realigned itsoffer to buy BEA Systems after its original unsolicited bid was rejected. Threemonths after this firm refusal, with BEA saying that no, thank you, it can wellmanage on its own, Oracle acquired the company for a cool $8.5 billion, which was14 percent more than its original share price bid offer. With the acquisition of BEA,


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Oracle holds the market for middleware business software (so-called since it’sbetween a company’s database and payroll, human resources and inventorysystems) since the acquired company is touted as a pioneer in middleware. AfterBEA rejected Oracle’s initial bid offer, no other buyer emerged.

GETTING HIRED

See your future at Oracle

Oracle’s careers page, at www.oracle.com/corporate/employment/index.html, providesinformation on job openings, college recruiting and benefits at the company. Jobs aresearchable by function and location; to apply, interested parties must create a profile.

The company encourages its employees to transfer between jobs after a year or two,and also provides ample training sessions on technical and nontechnical subjects, aswell as tuition reimbursement.

Oracle offers its staff a flexible benefits plan. Each employee is given a certainnumber of benefits credits; unused credits can be added to a flexible spending planor 401(k) program, or taken as income. Benefits for purchase include health, dentaland vision insurance; life, disability and flexible spending accounts. Oracle also offerssome cushy employee perks, including discounts on auto and home insurance,computers, cars, amusements park admissions and more. Other benefits include theaforementioned 401(k), discount stock purchase plan, generous vacation time andflexible working hours.

College students interested in joining Oracle can check outwww.oracle.com/corporate/employment/college/index.html, which provides a wealthof information about the hiring process and life at the company. There is a page ofadvice for students attending campus interviews (don’t dress up, ask questions) anda virtual tour of Oracle’s campus in California. Resumes can be directed to LarryLynn, Director of Recruiting, at [email protected]; any questions can be sentto [email protected]. Students who are still a few years away from theirgraduation day can apply for internships by sending a resume [email protected]; internships are available for computer science majors inproduct development. Oracle provides housing and transportation for interns.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Imagining situations

Planning to jump on the Oracle bandwagon? Some respondents report that they wentthrough two to four rounds of interviews, with questions being asked of them mostly


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situational. But an insider comments that on the last interview, the questions “werestrictly technical, except the last that had a sprinkle of behavioral questions.” Oneformer applicant, who is now with the company, says that Oracle uses a“computerized talent sourcing pool” called iRecruitment, an Oracle product that italso sells.

Apparently, the company is really looking for “the right ‘personality’” and “fits with theright kind of experience.” One respondent sums that up by saying that these peopleshould be “good workers…and who will have good attitudes and not rock the boat.”After all, one contact says that “if they really want you, they will hire you right awayfor a permanent position.”

If you like IT

Oracle’s working environment is pretty good for someone who’s into computers andsoftware. One insider reports, “Working in Oracle is great in terms of technology.”Also, there’s plenty of room for advancement. The company’s “work culture is liberaland flexible,” reports an overseas contact. Although the environment is prettycompetitive, there’s also the belief that employees are up against “equally competentand driven colleagues,” the insider continues. Another contact says that, due to theglobal reach of Oracle, “the work culture here is very client-focused andperformance-driven.”

The company also has a relaxed policy when it comes to the dress code. “Dress codeis business casual, except on your first day at a client site,” one respondent reports.

The current salary for consultants is about $77,000. Quarterly performance bonusesare dependent on utilization and corporate performance. Vacation time for the firstthree years—13 days—is strictly accrued. Oracle also takes care of work permits.

Oracle also gives its employees opportunities to grow. Reports one contact, “Youreceive great training opportunities, which I have not seen anywhere else.”

Great times ahead

Some respondents report that Oracle’s business outlook is “very healthy.” It helpsthat the company has acquired a lot of startups in other key areas of the informationtechnology industry, making it a formidable player who can’t be discouraged by thecurrent economic downturn. “I believe Oracle is gonna (sic) be the future of theprogramming area,” predicts one insider. “As an insider, I believe in Oracle and ithas got a long way to go.” One contact observes, “Oracle is in a high-growth period,”further adding that it’s a great opportunity to work in a company that’s presentlyexpanding its reach in the industry, since it offers a lot of room for career growth.


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PALM INCORPORATED

950 West Maude Avenue

Sunnyvale, CA 94085

Phone: (408) 617-7000

Fax: (408) 617-0100

www.palm.com

LOCATIONS

Sunnyvale, CA (HQ)

Auckland, New Zealand • Bangalore •

Bangkok • Beijing • Bogota • Breda,

Netherlands • Caracas • Hong Kong •

Lima, Peru • Madrid • Manila • Mexico City

• Milan • Munich • Ontario • Santiago • São

Paulo • Singapore • Sydney • Windsor,

United Kingdom

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Business Development •

Customer Services • eCommerce Sales •

Engineering • Facilities • Finance • Human


Legal • Manufacturing • Marketing •

Operations • Product Marketing •

Professional Services • Sales

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: PALM


Chairman: Jon Rubinstein

President & CEO: Edward T. Colligan


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,318

2008 Income ($ mil): -105.4

KEY COMPETITORS

Apple

Nokia

Research in Motion

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.palm.com/us/company/careers.html


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THE SCOOP

The power is in your hand

Palm Incorporated, which manufactures popular personal digital assistants (PDAs),has distinguished itself as a tech powerhouse and as a successful startup in a fieldrich with failures. Over the course of its development, the Palm has evolved from adevice that kept phone numbers and to-do lists to an all-purpose address book,phone and email device. It isn’t just for salesmen and executives anymore, either.Stanley Access Solutions is using the device to calibrate and repair automatic slidingdoors, and doctors employ it to carry instantly updated medical records for theirpatients.

The company’s first handheld device, the Palm 1000, appeared in 1996, and in2001, the first phone-equipped Palm hit the market, followed by the first phone andemail Palm the following year.

The One isn’t number one

In 2003, Palm acquired rival Handspring, and PalmOne, the company’s official nameafter the merger, was born. In 2005, “One” was dropped from the name and thecompany officially became Palm. That’s not the only thing that dropped in themarket, though. In 2006, customers were spending twice as much on smartphonesas they did on handheld computers, the latter being Palm’s bread and butter sincethe introduction of its PDA a decade ago. As any tech-obsessed teenager can attestto, smartphones are all the rage in the market, with plenty of extras like cameras,music players, text messaging and calendar applications. This proliferation of extrafunctions has silenced a big rumble in Palm’s thunder, and the company was forcedto reconsider its position in the handheld device market.

Also looming over the playing field is the fact that the mobile device landscape isalready saturated with full-featured devices, such as Research in Motion’s BlackBerryand Apple’s iPhone. Palm’s got to do some quick and smart thinking if it wants toregain its share of the market that’s been gobbled up by its competitors.

Revamping the Palm

At an investor conference, Palm’s CEO Ed Colligan revealed that Palm was revampingits production process in 2007, reducing the cost of parts by a third by standardizingthe base on which its devices are built. This streamlining will also enable Palm to sellsmartphones inexpensively, expanding the market for these gadgets. In June 2007,Palm agreed to sell about a quarter of its outstanding shares to Elevation Partners for$325 million to inject some capital into the company. Palm also hired Jon Rubinstein,the man who had spearheaded Apple’s design and production of the iPod; he will


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attempt to bring in the same sort of consumer-pleasing brilliance into Palm’s productline as he did into Apple’s.

Shucking off old skin, CEO Ed Colligan announced in December 2008 that thecompany was going to stop development of handheld PDAs, the landmark device thatwas the company’s daily bread for most of its lifetime. Although these products areplanned to roll out as long as there’s demand, Palm plans to stop production by 2009.That doesn’t mean the company doesn’t have an ace up its sleeve, though. Themobile phone market is looking pretty tempting to the company, and it’s droppedhints that it’s rearing to take on major companies like Apple and BlackBerry for a shotat major cell phone market share. Looks like going in another direction just mighttake Palm to a new and pleasing destination.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Get a turn of luck already

For the seventh straight quarter, Palm posted a loss of sales revenue, reporting analmost 60 percent drop in share price from 89 cents to 53 cents in the samequarter from last year. A lot’s riding on Pre’s performance now, which Palmpromises to launch in July, and the company hopes that taking a share of thehandheld market, dominated by the iPhone and BlackBerry, turns its luck aroundand gives it much-needed revenue. Palm reveals that its poor sales performanceis due to a decline in demand for its older handheld models.

• January 2009: Get ready for a rebound

During the International Consumer Electronics Show, Palm showed off its Pre: asmartphone that uses Palm’s new operating system. A lot is riding on thissmartphone, and Palm knows that it’s got to get the right people on its side to getat least a share of the smartphone market. Jon Rubinstein, Palm’s executivechairman, admitted that the game’s all up to application developers. The goodthing is the company’s got a good relationship going with the developers they haveonboard. The bad thing is, with a whole lot of people out there developingprograms for Apple or Microsoft, some companies, including Palm, are hard-putto court developers for their team. What’s important, Rubinstein said, is to“reinvigorate those developers,” but he remained mum on what the company’sdoing to woo these people. Nevertheless, Palm’s focused on rolling out the Pre inthe first half of the year. The product has already been demonstrated at a recentdevelopers’ conference in January, and web bloggers are abuzz about the Pre andwhether it can bump Apple off the top spot, or if it even leaves a dent in Apple’shold on the market.


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• December 2008: Elevating Palm

U2 frontman Bono’s company, Elevation Partners, in concert with other investors,pumped a $100 million lifeline into Palm to help it launch its new operatingsystem, codenamed Nova, that the company planned to launch at theInternational Consumer Electronics Show in January. This came as good news tothe embattled company, whose smartphone revenue fell 39 percent in its secondquarter. Thanks to Elevation Partners’ help, Palm’s going to “put addedmomentum behind the new product introductions ... and will provide [Palm] withenhanced stability in unsettled economic times,” chief executive Ed Colligan saidin a statement.

• November 2008: Saying goodbye is never easy

Like most companies in trying times, Palm laid off an undisclosed number ofemployees in its U.S. and overseas operations “to better position the company forachieving profitability and long-term growth,” according to a company statement.Although the one-year old Centro is still going strong, Palm still depends on itsWindows Mobile-based Treo to shore up its sales.

• August 2008: Signs of life

The Palm Centro sold two million devices, making it a lonely jewel in Palm’s recenthistory for helping the company get more market share, raising its portion from 7.9percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 to 13.4 percent in the first quarter of 2008.The big question, it seems, is who’s buying a Centro when there’s the iPhone, theBlackBerry and the Android? The question is the answer it seems, according toPalm: 75 percent of smartphone buyers are buying it for the first time, andconsumers are looking for a phone that’s new but familiar to their old handheldmodels, one that’s internet- and user-friendly without alienating consumers with agazillion capabilities and tools. Whatever this means, Palm hopes that itsr Centrofloats its sales boat for a while, at least before it officially makes its entry into thesmartphone market.

• June 2008: Going strong, almost

Despite strong sales figures thrown in by Palm’s Centro, the company continued topost a fourth-quarter loss due to the Centro’s strong showing being offset andovershadowed by weakening demand for Palm’s older models like the Treo andPilot. Not counting stock compensation and charges, Palm lost 22 cents a share.

• April 2008: A write-down to the ego

What appeared to be a trickle of loss turned into a puddle when Palm revised itsnet loss for the third quarter from $31.5 million to $57 million. This was seen as aresult of the global economic downturn, one that has left companies, cities andstudent loan organizations suffering loss of confidence in auction-rate securitiesdue to their performance.


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• January 2008: Closing Palm

Seven of eight Palm retail stores, along with 26 Airport Wireless stores, are to beclosed before the end of the third quarter so the company can save on resources.Another thorn that’s surely going to hurt the company is that it has indicated thatits sales quarter will fall to $310 million from $320 million, despite analystsexpecting $357 million in sales.

GETTING HIRED

Give your career a hand

Palm’s careers site, at www.palm.com/us/company/careers.html, has a search formfor those seeking jobs; it can be sorted by location or function. Operations, marketingand information technology had several open positions recently, as well as somelistings for internships. To apply, interested parties must upload their resumes andcover letters on a web-based form. Benefits at Palm include sabbaticals and 401(k)plans with matching contributions. What’s more, employees get the option topurchase Palm stock at a discount. There’s also identity theft insurance (to pay forthose legal expenses and fees) and life insurance. Lastly, there’s a fitness centerthat’s free to all employees and contractors. However, these benefits are for U.S.employees only.


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QLOGIC CORPORATION

26650 Aliso Viejo Parkway

Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

Phone: (949) 389-6000

Fax: (949) 389-6126

www.qlogic.com

LOCATIONS

Aliso Viejo, CA (HQ)

Austin, TX • King of Prussia, PA• Mountain

View, CA• Roseville, CA• Shakopee, MN

Beijing • Camberley, United Kingdom •

Dublin • Munich • Pune, India • Taipei •

Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Customer Care & Support

Engineering • Facilities • Finance &

Accounting • Human Resources •


Management • Marketing/Product

Marketing • Operations • Program

Management • Safety • Sales • Systems

Simulation • Systems/Sales Engineering •

Technical Writing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: QLGC


Chairman & CEO: H.K. Desai

2009 Employees: 900

2008 Revenue ($mil.): 597.9

2008 Income ($mil.): 96.2

KEY COMPETITORS

Broadcom

Brocade Communications

Emulex

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.qlogic.com/CompanyInfo/CareersHome

.aspx

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THE SCOOP

Peripherals are central here

In beautiful Costa Mesa, Calif., QLogic’s cyber gurus are hard at work on thedecidedly unglamorous—but profitable—side of high-tech products. QLogic suppliesa range of clients (including Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and IBM) with the integratedcircuits and adapter cards used to connect peripheral storage devices to computernetworks. QLogic provides components and adapters for storage area networks(SANs) and blade servers (servers made up of several interconnected computingblades, which consist of processors and memory). Its products include the SANboxswitch and SAN Express, a line of switches and busses for low-cost storage optionsfor small and medium-sized businesses. The company’s stock is included in the S&P500 index and was on the Forbes list of the 200 Best Small Companies for the eighthtime in 2006, dropping off in 2007 but going back at No. 168 in 2008.

From the render farm to the Barnyard

In 2006, QLogic’s switches were used to create the supercomputer that rendered thecharacters for Nickelodeon’s computer-animated film Barnyard. The work involvedanimating dancing cows and rendering a variety of textures, such as scales, feathersand fur. The movie required the creation of a computer system with 80 terabytes ofstorage and 1,200 servers—just the connectivity job for QLogic.

Also that year, QLogic acquired SilverStorm Technologies, another manufacturer ofcomputer networking equipment, for $60 million. SilverStorm provides networkingequipment to some of the world’s fastest and most powerful supercomputers atNASA, Sun Microsystems, Toyota and the Department of Defense, and helped QLogicearn revenue of $494 million and profits of $283 million in the year of its acquisition.The acquisition of SilverStorm beefs up QLogic’s numbers, as it had already acquiredfour companies since it was offered as a publicly held corporation in 1994.

Any port in a storm

In early 2007, QLogic passed an important milestone when it became the world’smost prolific vendor of fiber channel ports, with 2.9 million of the devices merrilysending data to and fro in customers’ networks. (The runner-up only shipped 2.74million.) This translates into a market share of just under 50 percent, an increase of7 percent over the previous year.


QLogic Corporation


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Got dibs on the first run

QLogic unveiled new chips and cards for the Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)standard, and it’s a first for the company and for the industry. The FCoE standardis a nifty way of transferring massive amounts of data without getting tangled up ina million cables and switches and without servers screaming uncle and losing theircool, overheating. These new products should up sales from a measly 2,000 unitsto two million by 2013, according to a market watcher, since QLogic’s productintroduction should make insiders and consumers curious about this newtechnology.

• October 2008: Oh no you don’t

Despite the global recession, everything remained sunny at QLogic as it posted a22 percent increase in revenue and a 20 percent increase in income. Almost allproducts contribute to the sales growth, with host products generating almost$120 million in sales. QLogic’s switch products do very well, too, rising 36 percentin sales. The company is pleased with its performance despite “significantchallenges as a result of the current macroeconomic environment,” CEO H.K.Desai said in a statement.

• June 2008: Going head to head

Mellanox might own the field, but QLogic hoped to get a portion of it as it rolled outa new product aiming to take consumers away from what has been their onlysupplier of the 20 Gbit Infiniband adapter card. The card is seen as integral tohigh-performance clusters and the demand for this product is comfortably in the$120 million range in sales. Not to be seen as a bit player, QLogic touts that itscard is on par with Mellanox’s product, saying that it performs equally withMellanox in terms of bandwidth and latency, while in others it surpasses it, suchas the ability to carry more clustering messages per second. QLogic’s rolling outof the 20 Gbit adapter card is a result of the company acquiring Pathscale, astartup that manufactures 2.5 Gbit/Inifiniband cards.

• March 2008: It’s an honor

The Technology Council of Southern California named QLogic Company of theYear. The council, which aims to help information technology companies succeedin the industry, bestows the award on Southern California-based IT companies thathave made great contributions to the industry in the past year.


QLogic Corporation



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GETTING HIRED

Link your career to QLogic

QLogic’s careers pages, at www.qlogic.com/CompanyInfo/CareersHome.aspx, provideinformation on job opportunities and benefits. Openings can be searched by locationand function; operations, finance and accounting and sales were some departmentsseeking hires at press time. In order to apply, interested parties must fill out a web-based form with their contact information and work history. There’s also an option tocreate a job agent that personalizes the search and emails job openings when theyarise.

Benefits, for which employees are eligible from the first day of work, include a choiceof health plans, dental and vision insurance, tuition assistance, stock purchase plan,incentives if the company does well, 401(k) with company matching, a wellnessprogram with subsidized gym memberships, referral bonuses and 11 paid holidaysper year, including a shutdown for December holidays.


QLogic Corporation


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QUALCOMM INCORPORATED

5775 Morehouse Drive

San Diego, CA 92121

Phone: (858) 587-1121

Fax: (858) 658-2100

www.qualcomm.com

LOCATIONS

San Diego, CA (HQ)

Allen, TX • Atlanta, GA• Austin, TX •

Boulder, CO • Bridgewater, NJ • Cary, NC •

Champaign, IL • Chandler, AZ • Chicago, IL

• Clemmons, NC • Concord, MA • Kansas

City, MO • King of Prussia, PA • Las Vegas,

NV • Los Altos Hills, CA • Miami, FL • New

York, NY • Portland, OR • San Francisco,

CA • San Jose, CA • Santa Clara, CA •

Seattle, WA • Washington, DC

Albogatan, Sweden • Bangalore • Bangkok

• Beijing • Brasilia, Brazil • Breukelen,

Netherlands • Cambridge • Dubai • Dublin •

Espoo, Finland • Farnborough, United

Kingdom • Gyungsangbuk-Do, South

Korea • Haifa • Ho Chi Minh City • Hong

Kong • Hsinchu City, Taiwan • Hyderabad •

Jakarta • Johannesburg • Kanata, Canada

• London • Madrid • Markham, Canada •

Melbourne • Mexico City • Milan • Moscow,

Russia • Mumbai • Munich • Munster,

Germany • New Delhi • Noormarkku,

Finland • Nuremberg • Osaka • Paris •

Poole, United Kingdom • Rome • São

Paulo • Seoul • Shanghai • Singapore •

Stockholm • Sulzbach, Germany • Sydney •

Taipei • Tijuana • Tokyo • Waalre,

Netherlands

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative • Business Development •

Engineering • Facilities • Finance •

Government Relations • Human Resource •

Information Technology • Legal • Library &

Information Services • Manufacturing •

Marketing • Procurement • Project/Product

Management • Public Relations • Sales •

Technical Support

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: QCOM


Chairman & CEO: Dr. Paul E. Jacobs

President: Steven R. Altman


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 11,142

2008 Income ($ mil.): 3,160

KEY COMPETITORS

Broadcom

Nokia

Texas Instruments

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.qualcomm.com/careers/index.html

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THE SCOOP

Today, CDMA, tomorrow, the world!

QUALCOMM MANUFACTURES of software and microchips for cellular phones. Acommunications pioneer, the company invented the CDMA (code-division multipleaccess) code, which is a method of transmitting data over cellular networks, in 1989.It currently controls around 4,500 patents—four out of five are related to CDMA—andissues licenses to other companies that allow them to use its technology. CDMAenables the transmission of a much greater quantity of data over cellular networksthan is possible with other technologies and currently stands as the world’s secondmost widely used wireless tech standard, used by about a fifth of all cell phonenetworks.

Adding a piece of flair

In 2006, QUALCOMM perked up its offerings with the $800 million acquisition ofFlarion, a company whose most compelling feature is its intellectual property relatedto OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), a method of sending largefiles—such as music and video—over wireless networks. While QUALCOMM’s latest-generation CDMA also works for sending large files, OFDM can be used when thepotential for radio interference is particularly high.

A bitter breakup

But things aren’t all wine and roses for QUALCOMM. It became embroiled in a bitterlegal battle between client Nokia and competitor Broadcom. In 2005, Nokia andBroadcom each filed lawsuits against QUALCOMM. A San Diego judge presiding overthe patent case found for Broadcom, reasoning that QUALCOMM had “deliberatelyconcealed” the patents in question from its competitor—a shady practice at best.After the litigation dust settled, Nokia announced that it was now partnering withBroadcom, a large ouch for QUALCOMM’s bruised ego.

But hey, there’s the world to conquer! QUALCOMM still supplies about 95 percent ofthe chips for CDMA phones worldwide, collecting a royalty on each one. The firm ispart of the S&P 500, has the No. 297 spot on the 2008 Fortune 500 and was No. 67on BusinessWeek’s 2008 edition of the InfoTech 100.


QUALCOMM Incorporated


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: It’s not over yet

In an issue that has dragged on for years, a court dismissed Broadcom’s latestcomplaint against QUALCOMM claiming that Broadcom was entitled to declaratoryrelief and double royalties due to a misuse of patents. Although an appeals courtaffirmed Broadcom’s assertion to the patents in September 2008, the court ruledin QUALCOMM’s favor in one of the three patents at issue. Though bothcompanies’ shares are down after the decision, a market analyst said that thepending litigation is not important to performance. It doesn’t change the playingfield; what QUALCOMM has done is seen as a swipe at Broadcom and nothingmore. But investigations into the company’s dealings in Korea continue, with theKorean Fair Trade Commission submitting a case examiner’s report setting forthallegations about the lawfulness of the company’s business practices in thecountry. In this case, QUALCOMM asserted that the company has done nothingwrong and plans to file answers to the allegations.

These cases came in the aftermath of the resignation of Irwin Jacobs, QUALCOMMchairman and co-founder. His son, Paul Jacobs, succeeded him as chairman, amove similar to his assuming the CEO position when the elder Jacobs steppeddown in 2005.

• September 2008: The biggest dessert is a big deal

After scoring a deal with Dell to use its Gobi broadband wireless access technology,QUALCOMM scored another win when it inked a deal with Panasonic to use Gobiin the latter’s Toughbook notebooks, with an option to add WiMax (a systemallowing the transfer of data wirelessly further than the Wi-Fi) support systems inthe future. This was the first time that Panasonic used a single chip to supportmultiple networks in its notebooks, and previous Panasonic suppliers were seennot as competitors by QUALCOMM, but as potential clients who might beinterested in incorporating the Gobi system into their communication modules.

In the mobile handset arena, QUALCOMM’s hands are busy. The company wasthe first to introduce the Android mobile phone, a Google-backed operating systembased on the open-source Linux system, but it is not alone. A few other companiesare rearing to release Android-powered handsets, thanks to the Open HandsetAlliance, a group of companies that aim to develop and promote the Androidsystem over proprietary operating systems for mobile devices. The group includesBroadcom and Texas Instruments, along with QUALCOMM. The first Androidresulted from Google and QUALCOMM working on the operating system for acouple of years, but even QUALCOMM is quick to say that the relationship is notexactly exclusive, so the company expects (and Google hopes) that QUALCOMMisn’t going to be the only supplier of Android headsets in the future.





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• July 2008: No war please

Averting Mobile War III (after the brouhaha with Nokia and then Broadcom),QUALCOMM signed a deal with Nokia essentially allowing the latter to use theformer’s assets in return for paying a settlement and ongoing royalties. This cameas a surprise to industry analysts who had been crossing their fingers and hopingfor a peaceful end to the patent wars. Consumers are going to clap though, tocelebrate their luck, since this begrudging union means that new QUALCOMM-powered Nokia phones are going to sprout new designs to pine for.

• March 2008: Another feather in the cap

QUALCOMM went north in search of a pioneer in content-targeting services. XiamTechnologies, which provides wireless solutions, was bought by QUALCOMM for$32 million. The acquisition is expected to expand the company’s offering in thetargeted services portfolio.

GETTING HIRED

Opportunities for the chipper

QUALCOMM’s careers site, located at www.qualcomm.com/careers, provides plentyof intel for the aspiring employee. The site is elaborately customized, with particularinformation for interns, graduates and experienced hires. To apply for a position, jobseekers must first create a profile with a resume and contact information. In additionto accepting resumes through its website, the company recruits at the NSBE(National Society of Black Engineers) Convention and at the NSHMBA (NationalSociety of Hispanic MBAs) Conference. If you get an interview with the company,note that interviewers will probably ask behavioral questions. The whole ordeal lastsabout 45 minutes, and interviewees will meet with about five employees from variouslevels.

In 2009, Fortune named QUALCOMM to its list of the 100 Best Places to Work,landing in the top 20 at No. 16. According to the magazine, QUALCOMM allows anyemployee to make suggestions for new products (by cell phone, obviously) and aunique internship program that recruits 750 interns a year from 38 countries! Otherperks include generous health benefits, job sharing, an on-site gym and dinner foremployees working late. Other benefits for U.S.-based employees include a 401(k)with company matching, a discount stock purchase plan, medical and dentalinsurance, an honor system for sick leave, tuition assistance, scholarships forchildren of employees, flexible spending accounts for health care expenses and acharitable donation matching program. Benefits vary by office location, however.




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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Don’t phone it in at Qualcomm

Want to get your foot in the door at QUALCOMM? One source reveals, “I interviewedwith four different people within the finance function, three out of the four I now workwith closely, and one from the HR/recruiting function. The finance questions focusedon my background and my working style; the HR questions focused on benefits andsalary expectations.” Others found the process quite amenable. “Interviews were notstodgy or too formal … the process was not painful—in fact, it was moreconversational,” says one hire. “Interview was much more technical than any I’vehad before,” warns an engineer. “Don’t expect easy questions from QUALCOMM,”advises another colleague. One insider offers, “The interviewers try to gauge yourknowledge and your thinking process,” so questions are usually outside theapplicant’s comfort zone and situational. “They want to gauge your thought processtoward getting the solution,” the insider adds.

If you don’t hear anything from the company for a while, don’t despair. “QUALCOMMcan and does take up to a month to get back to you if they are interested in you,” saysa source. Phone interviews, on the other hand, can be nerve-wracking, reports aninsider. “Worse still, they were group interviews…I was on speakerphone and theywould take turns asking me questions,” the insider adds. Most report that interviewquestions are typical behavioral questions concerning strengths and weaknesses orone’s ability to multitask.

Cheer thy name QUALCOMM

Hires at QUALCOMM give their working environment high marks. The philosophy atQUALCOMM is “work hard, play hard,” according to a contact. “Good workingenvironment and active team players,” says one entry-level staffer. “The work cultureis excellent,” another co-worker gushes. “Questions are encouraged and teamworkis a must,” adds a newbie. “Employee feedback is encouraged and frequentlygathered,” offers another contact. “Working at QUALCOMM is like coming to auniversity to study. Every day you get to learn something new,” adds an engineer.“They’re big on meetings...so big that they often entice your attendance with food anddrinks!” says one enthusiastic hire. If there’s a downside, the employees aren’t lettingon, except for this insider: “QUALCOMM is a[n] email-based giant corporation,” hesighs. “QUALCOMM is hiring clever and competent yet laid-back guys,” says anengineer. But don’t despair, ladies! There’s “loads of diversity.” And QUALCOMM’sall about equality, with one contact saying that female managers “accounted forroughly 40 percent of my division,” adding that “the number of female engineers wasroughly representative of the ratio of female engineering students.”





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Aye to shorts and jeans

Hours at QUALCOMM are long. “I have to stay at my office [late] in the evening,”says one insider. “The hours are…flexible,” says a colleague. Engineeringdepartments could start late, but those working for international teams or customersare expected to stay late for conference calls. The hours are flexible, and so is thedress. “The dress code seems to vary by employee and by group. Within my group,we are business casual Monday through Thursday with the option to wear jeans onFriday,” says one hire. Another contact reveals, “most dress [in] business casual witha few who wear shorts on a regular basis.”

The only way is up

Opportunities for advancement are plentiful as well. “Pretty much once you’re in theonly way left is up,” observes an insider in San Diego. One programmer notes thathe has access to the company’s “library, online courses, [and] technical training.”What’s more, business outlook seems good, according to one insider, despite“pending litigation and the current economy,” adding that QUALCOMM weathers thestorm because it’s “the leader in its industry and is also successful due to highemployee morale.”




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RED HAT, INC.

1801 Varsity Drive

Raleigh, NC 27606

Phone: (919) 754-3700

Fax: (919) 754-3701

www.redhat.com

LOCATIONS

Raleigh, NC (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX • Chicago, IL •

Dallas, TX • Denver, CO • Huntsville, AL •

Marlton, NJ • McLean, VA • Minneapolis,

MN • Mountain View, CA • New York, NY •

St. Louis, MO • Tullahoma, TN • Westford,

MA

Amersfoort, Netherlands • Bangalore •

Beijing • Brisbane • Brno, Czech Republic •

Buenos Aires • Chennai • Cork, Ireland •

Dubai • Espoo, Finland • Farnborough,

United Kingdom • Hong Kong • Kista,

Sweden • Kolkata, India • Kuala Lumpur •

London • Madrid • Melbourne • Mexico City

Milan • Montreal • Mumbai • Munich • New

Delhi • Paris • Pune, India • Rome •

Sandton, South Africa • São Paulo • Seoul

Singapore • Stuttgart, Germany • Sydney •

Taipei • Tokyo • Toronto

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting • Administrative • Business

Development • Channel Sales • Consulting •

Documentations • Engineering • Engineering

Services • Executive • Facilities • Finance •

Human Resources • IS • IT• Inside sales •

International • Investor Relations • Legal •

Marketing • Product Management • Project

Management • Quality Assurance • RH

University • Sales • Sales Engineering •

Software Engineering • Support • Training

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: RHT


President & CEO: Jim Whitehurst


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 523

2008 Net income ($mil.): 77

KEY COMPETITORS

Microsoft

Oracle

Sun

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.redhat.com/about/careers


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THE SCOOP

Hats off to Linux

Red Hat makes a living by causing the big guys to squirm: it helped pioneer the useof Linux, the open-source computer operating system that has become a chief rivalto Microsoft’s Windows and Sun’s UNIX. The term “open source” refers to a set ofpractices and principles that encourages access to the design and production ofgoods and knowledge. Most typically, the expression is applied to the source code ofsoftware. Through lenient or nonexistent intellectual property restrictions, the generalpublic can access the source code. As a result, users can create software contentthrough collaboration.

The company’s open-source software solutions include Red Hat Enterprise Linux andthe JBoss Enterprise Middleware Suite. Red Hat also runs a global training programthat operates in more than 60 locations.

More adorn Red Hat

During the 2008 fiscal year, the company’s revenue reached $523 million. Thisrepresented a nearly 25 percent increase from FY 2007, when Red Hat’s revenue wasabout $400 million. The company has also hired lots of new employees: in 2008more than 2,200 people worked for Red Hat.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Rumors, jumps, pushes

Shares of Red Hat were up in the market after rumors went around that industrygiant Oracle planned to make a bid for the open-source company. The buzz hasbeen heard for years, with backroom talks and other whispers, but one industryanalyst said that the timing isn’t right, since a possible IBM takeover of SunMicrosystems might affect Red Hat’s outlook and performance in the quarter—both companies are Red Hat customers.

Meanwhile, Cisco allied with Red Hat as it sells its data centers and moves intoservers. Red Hat’s Enterprise Linux software is reported to be compatible withCisco’s Unified Computing System, and the move is seen to be beneficial to bothcompanies on the financial and operational sides.

• February 2009: Uniting against a common competitor

Red Hat and Microsoft might be on different sides of the fence, but mentionVMware and these two companies unite forces faster than an analyst can utter“What?” Both companies believe that virtualization is part of the operating system,


Red Hat, Inc.


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but virtualization market leader VMware thinks otherwise, preferring instead tothink of it as separate from the operating system. To take back a portion ofVMware’s lead, Microsoft and Red Hat joined forces, with the former agreeing tosupport the latter’s Linux system under Windows Server 2008. In return, Red Hatagreed to support Windows Server 2000 in its Linux system. Will this alliancemake it? It depends, really, on whether the two can work beyond just exchangingtests that confirm whether their operating systems will run on a different andaltogether new chip structure, which is partly what the deal is all about.

• March 2008: What recession?

Red Hat seemed impervious to the economic downturn as it posted a 27 percentincrease in quarterly sales and earnings, exceeding analyst expectations aboutcompany performance. Confidently, it touted a rosy outlook for the fiscal year,predicting a growth of 30 percent across the board. Red Hat primarily servescorporate clients who use their own version of the open-source Linux operatingsystem. The company provides training and technical support. Add it all up andRed Hat said it expected sales to balloon to $680 million, which was way morethan what Wall Street predicted for the company. Pretty confident for a companythat started the open-source system, but it believes that its “Switzerland status”—remaining neutral and not being extra chummy to one specific provider—helpsexpand its clientele to customers who’d otherwise be competitors in their ownindustries.

GETTING HIRED

Top Hat

In 2009, CIO Insight Magazine named Red Hat its Most Valued Vendor for the fifthyear in a row. The magazine also recognized the firm as the No. 1 IT vendor doingbusiness with companies in Japan.

Although Red Hat is a large global enterprise, the firm said it has retained its “small-company spirit.” In the United States, full-time employees receive benefits thatinclude medical, dental, vision, disability and basic life insurance. These perks kickin the first day of employment. If Red Hat “associates” (the company doesn’t callthem “employees”) are at least 21 years old, they are eligible to enroll in thecompany’s 401(k) plan on the first of the month following their hire date. Otherbenefits include paid time off and holidays, as well as an employee referral plan. Inaddition, the company offers tuition assistance for job-related courses.


Red Hat, Inc.



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How to hang your hat at Red Hat

Departments at Red Hat range from accounting to training. Recently, the firm washiring for hundreds of positions including a help desk engineer in China, an officemanager in Brazil, software engineers in Canada and a sales manager in Minnesota.The company also has an internship program for students, which allows interns towork in“professional environment learning from Red Hat’s experienced managementteam.” The firm says it looks for interns who are motivated, smart and industrious.Interns should be able to work well in high-pressure settings.

Red Hat recruits at college career fairs. In addition, potential applicants can findmore information about careers at Red Hat and apply for jobs online atwww.redhat.com/about/careers. Applicants can search for openings by location,division (Red Hat or JBoss) or job category. The company keeps resumes in itsdatabase for six months. If you have trouble applying for jobs through the website,you should email the company at [email protected].


Red Hat, Inc.


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RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED

295 Phillip Street

Waterloo, Ontario

Canada N2L 3W8

Phone: (519) 888-7465

Fax: (519) 888-7884

www.rim.com

LOCATIONS

Waterloo, Ontario (HQ)

Irving, TX

Mississauga, Canada

Ottawa

Slough, United Kingdom

DEPARTMENTS

Corporate

Executive

Hardware

IT

Manufacturing

Marketing

Operations

Sales

Software

Technical Support

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: RIMM


Chairman: John Richardson

Co-CEO: Jim Balsillie

President & Co-CEO: Mike Lazaridis


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 6,009.4

2008 Net Income ($mil.): 1,293.9

KEY COMPETITORS

Microsoft

Nokia

Apple

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.rim.com/careers/index.shtml

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THE SCOOP

Email in motion

Research in Motion (RIM) is best known to legions of on-the-go workers as thecompany that manufactures the BlackBerry, that pocket-sized tether to the office thatprovides instant access to email, text messages and phone calls. The company alsomanufactures radio modems for wireless phones and smart card readers to controlaccess to its devices. RIM’s revenue and profits both increased dramatically from2006 to 2008—its revenue from $2 billion to $6 billion, and its profits from $382million to $1.29 billion. In 2008, BusinessWeek ranked it just outside the top 10 ofits InfoTech 100—it held steady at No. 11, which it occupied the year before.

Pager to BlackBerry and “CrackBerry”

Research in Motion did not emerge as a result of Japanese efficiency or U.S.innovation, but of Canadian fortitude. Michael Lazaridis (current co-CEO) andDouglas Fregin (former VP of operations who retired from the company in 2007)founded the company in 1984, on the cusp of the digital age. Early on, the companycontracted in software development, electronic engineering and radiocommunications. RIM started with pagers, but the launch of the BlackBerrycatapulted the company into the major mobile communications league. Subsequentincarnations of the BlackBerry have made some people “CrackBerry” addicts (a nodto its addictive potential). In 2006, RIM rolled out the device in Trinidad and Tobago,Greece, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Korea and 13 Latin Americancountries including Panama, Venezuela, Peru and Argentina. RIM also introducednew features courtesy of tech company-of-the-moment Google, including Google Talkand Google Local, enabling BlackBerry users to instant-message each other and touse Google’s handy maps.

Lawsuits galore

Although things aren’t going well for RIM at the moment—co-CEO Jim Balsillie hasbeen asked to step down by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and thecompany is fighting patent infringement lawsuits left and right—the company isfighting back by toughing up its share of the mobile communications market. Theintroduction of the iPhone in June 2007 might have made iPod users into iPhoneusers (alas, not CrackBerry addicts), and Palm might have an ace in its Pre (which islaunching sometime in 2009), but RIM is confident that the year is going toBlackBerry and its new smartphone models.


Research in Motion Limited


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IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: The BlackBerry president

It looks like U.S. President Barack Obama will get to keep a BlackBerry while inoffice after all. The BlackBerry 8830, to be used by the president, is in the finalstages of development and the U.S. National Security Administration will sooncheck whether or not the encryption software on the presidential personal digitalassistant meets national security standards. SecureVoice, the encryption softwareon the device, was developed by Genesis Key, Inc. President Obama will be ableto text, email and call a group of selected individuals who will be given the samesecure BlackBerry 8830s. Among these are the president’s top aides and FirstLady Michelle Obama.

President Obama was previously forced to give up his BlackBerry after hisinauguration into office in January, amid cybersecurity concerns. Obama and hisBlackBerry are inseparable, but since presidents are subject to the PresidentialRecords Act (according to which a president’s records could be subpoenaed, andthat could include email), it was unclear whether Obama would be able to hold onto his BlackBerry after taking up shop at the White House.

• April 2009: The app world is a BlackBerry world

RIM launched BlackBerry App World, its challenge to iTunes’ hold on theapplications market in the handheld device industry. Like iTunes, BlackBerry AppWorld is catering exclusively to CrackBerries, and it showcases applications madeexclusively for the BlackBerry. But there are system specifications before a usercan access the store. For one, the service is not available outside the Westernhemisphere. This means that non-U.S., Canadian and U.K. residents are justgoing to have to wait for BlackBerry App World, the international edition. Also, thedevice software is geared for 4.2 or higher; no old ‘Berries there, folks. Althoughthe least expensive application comes in at $2.99, it could be a small price to payfor BlackBerry owners desperate to get their hands on some applications quite likethose on offer from other (ahem) mobile phone providers.

• March 2009: RIM’s line on the horizon

Apple must be feeling the vertigo by now, since U2 announced that Research inMotion would sponsor the band’s Live Nation U2 360 world tour. The news cameas a surprise to those who understood that the band has ties with RIM competitorsApple—a U2-branded iPod came out in 2005 when the band released their album“How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”—and Palm—Bono is a partner in anorganization that is actively hyping up the launch of the Pre. According to U2manager Paul McGuinness, the tour “marks the first stage of a relationship andshared vision between RIM and U2.”





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• February 2009: Lesson learned

After almost a decade of talks and negotiation, the CEOs and other executives ofResearch in Motion agreed to pay penalties imposed by the Ontario SecuritiesCommission for illegal gains from options backdating. CEOs James Balsillie andMichael Lazaridis, along with other directors of the company, paid CAN$77 milliondollars, or about $6.25 million. The company made a similar offer to the U.S.Securities and Exchange Commission, which is also investigating their actions.

• January 2009: Think again

An Ontario court effectively halted Research in Motion’s hostile takeover ofCerticom when it ruled that the company violated nondisclosure agreements whenit used information Certicom asked to be kept confidential in its bid. RIM said that“conditions of its offer can no longer be satisfied.” The company has had Certicomin its sights for quite a while, along with other companies who license Certicomtechnology in their devices. However, some analysts still think that Certicom willeventually end up with RIM. The only question remaining is when it’s going tohappen.

• October 2008: GPL no-no for RIM

At a BlackBerry developers’ conference in California, RIM engineers showcasedsome features of the BlackBerry Storm, one of three BlackBerry models thecompany planned to unveil toward the end of the year and in 2009. TheBlackBerry Storm also is the first BlackBerry to feature a touchscreen, doing awaywith the trackball that’s been synonymous with BlackBerries since their launch.Asked by some developers whether the device’s source code is going to be openedto third parties, RIM responded that it’s something it is looking into, but that it’s “apretty big leap” for the company to take.

In other news, the BlackBerry Partners Fund—a RIM initiative that plans to investin tech startups—announced that it has made its first three investments: a mobilecity guide, shopping guide, and trip manager and planner. Unlike the iFund, theBlackBerry fund is non-exclusivist—it aims to help small companies that aredeveloping applications not just for the BlackBerry, but for other phone models aswell.

• September 2008: A closet BlackBerry for the hidden BlackBerry in you

RIM unveiled a new kind of BlackBerry, boasting the same features andcapabilities as its previous models, but with a twist—or a flip. The Pearl Flip 8220is not at all like its older BlackBerry siblings, since it looks like a standard-issue flipphone that’s been a staple of mobile phone providers like Nokia and Motorola.Approximating the BlackBerry’s keyboard is SureType technology, which, like anumerical keypad on a mobile phone, has multiple letters assigned to each keypadnumber. Other than that, the Pearl has the standard features of olderBlackBerries, such as RIM’s signature trackball.




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• June 2008: Giving it back to the community

CEO Mike Lazaridis uppeds his contribution to his hometown to $150 million byadding $50 million to benefit the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics inWaterloo, Ontario. Lazaridis founded the institute in 2000, and it has done workand research on quantum information and quantum gravity.

• May 2008: The “most influential.” Or one of them

Aberdeen Group, a market consultancy firm, released its list of 100 mostinfluential technology vendors for 2008, and RIM came in at No. 12. Accordingto snapshot surveys taken by the group over five years of research, organizationslook at the total cost of ownership, the functionality of the company’s products, itsstability, experience and reputation.

• February 2008: It’s déjà vu

RIM should have learned its lesson when it settled a protracted legal battle againstNTP in 2006 after letting the case drag on for four years, but it looks like this latestlegal debacle against Motorola is going to share the same fate. After failing tonegotiate satisfactory cross-licensing terms when the licenses expired in 2003,Motorola and RIM decided to take their battle in front of a judge, and this monththey traded lawsuits, with allegations ranging from patent infringement (of course)and charging excessive royalties for its own patents. This lawsuit, which has takenlonger than the NTP case, has many implications. Besides the obvious effect ofMotorola and RIM focusing on case filing arguments and not on productdevelopment, there’s an industry-wide implication should RIM successfully argueits side on Wi-Fi dual-mode devices. For one, RIM doesn’t hold the patent for this,an Australian science agency does. And it looks like this science agency iskeeping mum about what it plans to do to vendors of its patented technology.

GETTING HIRED

Add some Motion to your career

RIM’s careers site, at www.rim.com/careers/index.shtml, provides information on thecompany’s hiring process, benefits and job openings. Jobs are searchable by regionand then by function. Interested parties may fill out a web-based form to apply.

Students are welcome to apply to RIM as well. The company hires 300 to 400 internsevery four months, in the areas of R&D, marketing, tech support, manufacturing,finance, legal, HR, sales and IT. Students pursuing any major are welcome to apply.Jobs are posted in September, January and May. RIM recruits at colleges anduniversities in the U.S. and Canada, including the University of Seattle and theUniversity of Saskatchewan. In addition to its internship opportunities, the companyalso offers summer jobs in administration and manufacturing.





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RIM usually conducts initial screenings over the phone (your phone need not be aBlackBerry). Once applicants have successfully vaulted over that hurdle, they aretaken to a RIM office for subsequent interviews; the company will help with any travelarrangements. Interview questions are generally behavioral. RIM’s offers ofemployment are provisional until the candidate passes reference and backgroundchecks, and the company does not recommend that job seekers end their previousemployment until the checks are complete.

RIM’s benefits include salary and incentives, employee assistance plan and travelinsurance, summer and holiday parties, and contests and giveaways. The companyalso subsidizes gym memberships and sports clubs, and provides an on-site clinicwith massages, health education, ergonomic assessments and health fairs. And, ofcourse, all employees get a free BlackBerry.




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RICOH COMPANY LIMITED

350 Campus Drive

Marlborough, MA 01752-3064

Phone: (508) 323-1000

Fax: (508) 323-1111

www.3com.com


Stock Symbol: RICOY

Stock Exchange: Tokyo

Chairman: Masamitsu Sakurai

President & CEO: Shiro Kondo


2008 Revenue (¥ mil.): 2,219.9

2008 Net Income (¥ mil.): 106.46

DEPARTMENTSAdministration • Development •

Engineering • HR • Marketing/Engineering

Support • Sales • Service & Support

KEY COMPETITORSCanon • Hewlett-Packard • Xerox

EMPLOYMENT CONTACTwww.ricoh-usa.com/careers

LOCATIONSTokyo, Japan (Corporate HQ)

West Caldwell, NJ (US HQ)

Addison, IL • Albany, GA • Albuquerque,

NM • Alexandria, LA • Amarillo, TX •

Appleton, WI • Arlington Heights, IL •

Arlington, VA • Asheville, NC • Atlanta, GA •

Audubon, PA • Augusta, GA • Austin, TX •

Baton Rouge, LA • Birmingham, AL • Boca

Raton, FL • Boston, MA • Brentwood, TN •

Bridgeville, PA • Brisbane, CA • Brockton,

MA • Brookfield, WI • Brooklyn, NY • Camp

Hill, PA • Carpinteria, CA • Cerritos, CA •

Charleston, WV • Charlotte, NC • Chicago,

IL • Clearwater, FL • Colorado Springs, CO •

Columbia, SC • Columbus, GA • Coppell, TX

• Cordova, TN • Daytona Beach, FL •

Duluth, GA • Englewood, CO • Fairfax, VA •

Fairfield, NJ • Florence, SC • Fort Myers, FL

• Gainesville, FL • Glastonbury, CT •

Greenbelt, MD • Greenville, SC • Gulfport,

MS • Hamilton Square, NJ • Hampton, VA •

High Point, NC • Hilo, HI • Houma, LA •

Houston, TX • Huntington Beach, CA •

Huntsville, AL • Indianapolis, IN • Irvine, CA •

Iselin, NJ • Jackson, MS • Jacksonville, FL •

Johnson City, TN • Kailua Kona, HI •

Knoxville, TN • Lafayette, LA • Lake Charles,

LA • Lakeland, FL • Lenexa, KS • Lihue, HI •

Little Rock, AR • Livonia, MI • Los Angeles,

CA • Lubbock, TX • Macon, GA • Madison,

WI • Maitland, FL • Mandeville, LA • Marlton,

NJ • Mendota Heights, MN • Metairie, LA •

Miami Lakes, FL • Miami, FL • Mililani, HI •

Mobile, AL • Monterey, CA • Montgomery, AL

• New York, NY • North Charleston, SC •

Oak Brook, IL • Oklahoma City, OK •

Ontario, CA • Owings Mills, MD • Palm

Desert, CA • Pensacola, FL • Philadelphia,

PA • Plano, TX • Richmond, VA • Riverview,

FL • Roanoke, VA • Rochelle Park, NJ •

Rochester Hills, MI • Rockville, MD •

Rohnert Park, CA • San Antonio, TX • San

Diego, CA • San Francisco, CA • San Jose,

CA • San Ramon, CA • Santa Fe Springs,

CA • Sarasota, FL • Savannah, GA •

Shelton, CT • Shreveport, LA • Tallahassee,

FL • Tempe, AZ • Tinley Park, IL • Tucson,

AZ • Tustin, CA • Valdosta, GA • Wailuku, HI

• Waltham, MA • West Melbourne, FL •

Westborough, MA • Westbury, NY • White

Plains, NY • Wilmington, DE • Winston-

Salem, NC • Woodland Hills, CA

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THE SCOOP

Company of many colors

Though best known as a manufacturer of printers, copiers and fax machines, theRicoh Company also has interests in semiconductors, PCs and networkingequipment, measuring devices, heat-sensitive paper for fax machines and receiptprinters, and optical sensors. Other arms of the business also handle leasing andcredit for the customers of its office equipment division. Ricoh’s products are sold in130 countries. In 2006, Ricoh took in $16 billion in revenue.

You can print in any color you want, as long as it’s green

Ricoh is committed to making its effects on the planet as benign as possible. In2006, the Japanese government awarded the company its Ecology Design Prize for adesign for packaging toner for copiers and printers—the toner’s box was created topack efficiently into a small space, the toner package is designed to be used multipletimes and it is easy to clean and refill.

Ricoh is also experimenting with manufacturing its printers and copiers out of plasticsderived from plants. In 2006, the company was testing copiers made of 50 percentplant material in Japan. If the green plastics can stand up to the rigors of the officecopier environment, Ricoh plans to take them global. Ricoh credits its founder,Kiyoshi Ichimura, for its environmental awareness; the company website proclaimsthat “[Ichimura] developed a sense of corporate social responsibility that is talkedabout a great deal today, but was almost unheard of 50 years ago,” and that “hemade an early and genuine commitment to social and environmental sustainability inever[y] aspect of Ricoh’s business activities.”

Golden opportunity

In early 2007, the company announced that it had restructured its Americanoperations as Ricoh Americas. Lanier, an office products distributor acquired in2001, would be folded into an arm of the organization called Ricoh BusinessSolutions. By the end of fiscal 2008, Ricoh had taken in revenue of $22 billion.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Going greener for the world

Although Ricoh has been paving the way to environmentally friendly productsthrough its own initiatives and in concert with its suppliers, it went one step furtherby joining the Eco-Patent Commons, an organization composed of businessespromising to transfer environmentally friendly patents to the public domain.


Ricoh Company Limited


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Ricoh’s patent contributions included technologies that recycle removablecartridges responsibly and one that improves water quality.

• August 2008: Another notch in its belt

Ricoh acquired IKON Office Solutions, an American office equipment distributor,for a hefty $1.62 billion to beef up its overseas business. The deal was approvedby the board but it still needed final approval from federal regulators in the UnitedStates. By the end of 2008, Ricoh finally owned IKON.

GETTING HIRED

Picture yourself at Ricoh

Ricoh’s U.S. careers page, at www.ricoh-usa.com/careers, provides information aboutbenefits, recruiting and job openings. Ricoh’s benefits include dental, medical,flexible spending accounts, 401(k) with company matching, a wellness program andtuition assistance. Dress at the company is business casual. Open positions arelisted at www.ricoh-usa.com/careers/listing.pl?all, and are searchable by location ortype. To apply, interested parties may submit their resumes online or email them toa recruiter.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Got the guts for Ricoh?

The interview process at Ricoh can be quite involved, reveals one contact: “Theywant you to be aggressive during the process,” adding that the applicant issometimes expected to make the first move when it comes to asking about the statusof his application. One applicant is interviewed for a couple of days, with the secondday being “in the field,” where a tour of the company and an employee-buddy areinvolved. One contact offers tips on this “field” trip, though: “You should be veryactive during the day by bombarding the employee with questions about the job.”

When it comes to company outlook, one participant is realistic but optimistic. “[They]are having some trouble right now working Lanier [a company acquired in 2005] andRicoh into one company.” But this contact says that Ricoh is “still the No. 1 companyin their product sales.” Although another insider cautions, that “shareholders arelosing money.”


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THE SAGE GROUP PLC

North Park

Newcastle Upon Tyne

NE13 9AA

United Kingdom

Phone: +44-191-2943000

Fax: +44-191-2940002

www.sage.com

Sage North America

56 Technology Drive

Irvine, CA 92618-2301

USA

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting • Customer Service • Customer

Support • Finance • General &

Administrative • Human Resources •

Information Services • Legal •

Marketing/Public Relations • Product

Management • Product Marketing •

Production • Quality Assurance • Research

& Development • Sales • Training &

Education

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SGE

Stock Exchange: London Stock Exchange

Chairman: Tony Hobson

CEO: Paul Walker


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 986.8

KEY COMPETITORS

Oracle Corporation

SAP AG

Intuit

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.sage.com/ourbusiness/people

LOCATIONS

Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK (HQ)

Irvine, CA USA (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX • Beaverton, OR •

Dallas, TX • Eugene, OR • Herndon, VA •

Mayfield Heights, OH • Pleasanton, CA •

Rocklin, CA • Scottsdale, AZ • St.

Petersburg, FL • Williamsburg, VI

Alicante, Spain • Bahrain, Saudi Arabia •

Bangalore • Bangkok • Barcelona • Beijing •

Bilbao, Spain • Bloemfontein, South Africa •

Cape Town • Chatswood, Australia • Coruna,

Spain • Deurle, Belgium • Dubai • Dublin •

Durban, South Africa • Frankfurt • Gaborone,

Botswana • Gent, Belgium • Guangzhou •

Johannesburg • Klagenfurt, Austria • Liege,

Belgium • Lisbon • Madrid • Malaga, Spain •

Manama, Bahrain • Manchester, United

Kingdom • Markham, Canada • Matosinhos,

Portugal • Mississauga, Canada •

Monchengladbach, Germany • Mumbai •

New Delhi • Palma de Mallorca, Spain •

Paris • Perth • Port Elizabeth, South Africa •

Porto, Portugal • Pretoria, South Africa •

Richmond, Canada • Riyadh • Santa Cruz

de Tenerife, Spain • Seville, Spain •

Shanghai • Singapore • Sydney • Valencia,

Spain • Valladolid, Spain • Villingen-

Schwenningen, Germany • Warsaw •

Windhoek, Namibia • Winnersh, United

Kingdom • Zaventem, Belgium


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THE SCOOP

Words for the wise

For decades, the U.K.-based Sage Group has evolved from a one-solution businessto the region’s largest software firm and the FTSE 100’s only technology stock. That’sall the more remarkable since it markets its business-to-business products (formattedfor PC/servers and internet access) chiefly to small- and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) of up to 500 employees. Of course, a whole lot of companies fit into thatcategory—which goes a long way toward explaining Sage’s elephantine customerbase of 5.8 million companies spread over 26 countries. It also has a globalworkforce of 14,500.

The Sage Group offers both out-of-the-box software and custom solutions, whichmeet client needs in accounting/financial, HR and payroll, customer relationshipmanagement and payment processing. Its branded programs include Peachtree inthe U.S., Simply Accounting (Canada), Ciel (France), SP PymePlus (Spain), SoftlinePastel (South Africa) and Sage 50 in the U.K. A somewhat newer area for the firmpresents industry-specific solutions, which in various geographic regions includehealth care, food distribution, transportation, manufacturing, real estate,construction, retail and not-for-profit agencies. The company also provides supportservices to 1.7 million of its clients, and its call-in customer service centers respondto 36,000 calls each day.

Sage strategies

The key to Sage’s success so far has been its organizational model. Each of its fourregional businesses (North America, U.K. and Ireland, Europe and Asia, and SouthAfrica and Australia) operates with relative autonomy, determining its own localstrategies, acquisition possibilities and product line. Not only that, Sage tailors eachoffices’ products—mainly the ones focused on accounting, payroll and humanresources—to meet local requirements for tax structures, legal notification and otherfiscal necessities. Sage is therefore considerably more flexible and responsive thanits competitors, whose main products are mostly standardized and depend oncompany-specific upgrades

About 50 percent of Sage’s business is derived from its accounting and financialproducts, and human resource and payroll options make up another 11 percent.Industry-specific applications such as health care, manufacturing and constructionmake up another 28 percent. However, in the next few years, the company expectsto see increased revenue for the higher-margin support segment (which carries an 80percent customer renewal rate) as companies more frequently request the bundlingof custom solutions and support.


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Corporately conscientious

The organization’s social responsibility policy is quite extensive, with chapters thattouch upon employment, the marketplace, the local community and the environment.Besides stressing the importance of diversity in the workplace, Sage looks to developthe entrepreneurial spirit and sense of teamwork among its staff and provide socialand intellectual growth. It calls itself an “integral part of the communities” in whichit’s based and encourages its employees to volunteer locally and donate to worthycauses. Moreover, Sage has taken a great many steps to reducing the operation’senvironmental impact by using recycled water for landscaping, minimizing the use ofprinted materials and packaging wherever possible and advocating limiting powerusage in its offices in the U.K. and Europe. Sage prides itself on encouraging andsupporting the development of its employees, with strong internal promotionstrategies and reportedly low staff turnover.

IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: New CTO in the house

Sage North America announced the appointment of Motasim Najeeb as thecompany’s new chief technology officer. Najeeb, a 20-year Sage veteran, hasrecently served as the CTO and executive vice president of the engineering andoperations division at TradeBeam, a global trade management software andservice company. Najeeb’s new role in Sage will allow him to work more directlywith research and development teams as well as other business leaders in thecompany. He is also expected to create some fruitful collaborations with Sage’stechnology personnel on a global level. Najeeb will report directly to Sage NorthAmerica President and CEO Sue Swenson, who said that “Motasim brings animpressive track record of strong technical leadership that’s focused on the needsof customers. As CTO he will play a critical role in leveraging our technology assetsacross North America so we deliver competitive and innovative products thatenable our customers to better manage their business processes.”

• December 2008: Somewhat steady

The Sage Group declared a 7 percent increase in revenues for the year endingSeptember 2008. The company’s revenue increased to £1.3 billion, relativelyhigher than the £1.2 billion of 2007. Sage also revealed earnings before interest,tax and amortization of intangible fixed assets (EBITA) margin of 23 percent, whichis an indication of recent business acquisitions and future investments. PaulWalker, CEO, noted that, “[t]he strength and flexibility of our business model hashelped us achieve solid results in difficult market conditions. As marketsweakened in the U.K. and North America, we were rapidly able to adapt to thechanging markets and proactively refocus our businesses in these regions. Ourbusinesses in mainland Europe and [the] rest of [the] world recorded strong


The Sage Group plc


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results through a combination of favorable market conditions and goodcommercial execution.”

• October 2008: A couple more personnel changes

The Sage Group announced that Marc Loupé, a CPA who has held numerousfinance positions in reputable companies, was appointed as the new chief financialofficer (CFO) of Sage North America. The company also affirmed GregHammermaster as president of Sage’s Payment Solutions Division. Loupe, nowresponsible for all finance-related activities across the company, began his careerat Deloitte & Touche, where he obtained his CPA license. He also spent 18 yearswith Sun Microsystems, Inc., where he was senior vice president of finance for thecompany’s technology products. He was recently the senior vice president offinance of XOJET, Inc, a leading provider of global business aviation services.

Hammermaster, meanwhile, will be tasked to look over all of Sage’s paymentsolutions division transactions, including its credit card operations based inVirginia and its check operations based in Florida.

GETTING HIRED

Work, wisely

In keeping with its decentralized structure, Sage doesn’t keep a listing of allinternational vacancies (although its website states that one is in the works). Thecompany’s online presence (at www.sage.com) does, however, include links to thecountry-specific Sage websites in America and Canada, the U.K., Ireland, France,Germany, Switzerland, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Belgium.(Note that some are not in English.) As might be expected, openings are generallyconcentrated in the areas of sales, customer support, and software design anddevelopment.

Sage employs about 1,400 at its Newcastle, U.K., headquarters, and another 3,000in various U.S. locations. Each office shapes its own culture, with “social events inall regions to promote and embed” corporate principles. The company is said to bestrong on training and recognition programs; in addition, some regions provide healthawareness programs, and office workers in mainland Europe can take advantage ofEnglish lessons.


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SAMSUNG GROUP

Samsung Main Building

250, Taepyeongno 2-ga, Jung-gu

Seoul 100-742 Korea

Phone: +82-2-751-7114

Fax: +82-2-727-7892

www.samsung.com

Samsung America, Inc. (HQ)

105 Challenger Road

Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660

Phone: (201) 229-5000

Fax: (201) 229-5080

www.samsungamerica.com

LOCATIONS

Ridgefield Park, NJ (US HQ)

Houston, TX • La Mirada, CA • Los

Angeles, CA • New York, NY • San Jose,

CA • Secaucus, NJ

Bogota • Mexico City

Panama City • Santiago • São Paulo •

Schiphol, Netherlands

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting & Financial • Administrative •

Business Development • Chemical •

Human Resource • Legal • Petrochemical •

Semiconductor

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SMSD

Stock Exchange: KRX

Vice Chairman & CEO: Yoon-Woo Lee

2007 Employees: 263,000

2007 Revenue ($mil): 105,206

2007 Income ($ mil.): 5,375

KEY COMPETITORS

LG Group

SK Group

Sony

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/career

s/welcome/Careers_Welcome.html


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THE SCOOP

Korean clout

The Samsung Group boils down to far more than flat-screen TVs and cell phones. AsSouth Korea’s largest conglomerate, it is best known for its electronics, but itproduces a number of other services and products as well. This is especially true inSouth Korea, where on any given day you could attend a Samsung Lions game (thegroup’s Korean professional baseball team), tour the Samsung Museum of Art, ride aroller coaster at Samsung Everland, the largest amusement park in the country, or goon a shopping spree for men’s wear, women’s wear, sportswear and accessoriesmade by Samsung’s Cheil Industries, Inc.

Consumers can grab a room at The Shilla Seoul (owned by Samsung affiliate, TheShilla Hotels & Resorts) and charge it to Korea’s largest independent credit cardissuer, Samsung Card Co. Ltd. If in need of medical attention, head over to theSamsung Medical Center. You can even apply for a life insurance policy at Samsung’sLife Insurance Co., Ltd. The diverse company also sells chemicals and electronicchemical materials.

These are just a few of Samsung’s 32 affiliates, although the number is significantlydown from the 61 Samsung boasted before the Korean economic crisis of the late1990s. While the group’s largest holding, Samsung Electronics, had a record year in2004, a host of worrying issues remain ahead of the company, including Korea’sshaky economic future. Whether Samsung can weather the storm remains to beseen.

$10 billion baby

The efforts paid off with Samsung Electronics’ entrance into the exclusive (andelusive) “$10 billion club” in 2004, when the company achieved eye-popping netearnings of just over $10 billion for the year (roughly double those for 2003). It wasjust short of repeating the feat in 2005, when it pulled in $9.4 billion.

Cell phones were a large part of the success, keying the transformation of Samsung’sreputation from a retailer of dodgy, second-rate VCRs to a peddler of premium-tech,premium-price cell phones. A July 2004 Forbes article noted that “The cell phone isto Samsung what the Walkman was to Sony—a slick growth engine and an icon ofinnovation. Suddenly Samsung is No. 2 worldwide, and it aims to supplant Nokia by2010.” The company may well be on that track, as it grabbed 22.4 percent of thecell phone market in the U.S. in 2008.


Samsung Group



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IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: Reorganization

Due to continued losses in memory profits, Samsung declared that it isreorganizing its management ranks to “boost its sagging bottom line and createfewer conflicts within its chip unit.” The company had earlier announced areshuffling in its executive personnel, with the appointment of Chang-Soo Choi asthe president and CEO of Samsung’s U.S. arm, Samsung Electronics America.Other key personnel appointments were Tim Baxter and Young Hoon Eom as co-presidents of the company’s consumer electronics division and Y.B. Koh aspresident of Samsung Austin Semiconductor.

The shake-up not only included people, but also company divisions. Four majordivisions—semiconductor, LCD, mobile phone and television—were shrunk downto two. The reorganization was made “to jumpstart demand.”

• October 2008: Hard times

Samsung Electronics announced a profit of 1.22 trillion won, or $856.3 million, inthe October quarter of 2008, a whopping 43 percent less than that of the previousquarter and 44 percent less than that of 2007. The company also declared a 6percent loss in memory sales; however, Samsung insisted it is still profitable in thememory business. The future does not at all look good though: the company isexpected to experience a “severe downturn” in both flash memory and DRAMmemory, which is the current trend with all memory manufacturers. The declinewas also predicted to be consistent for the remainder of 2008 and even 2009.

In a major business move, Samsung also revealed that it is withdrawing its bid toacquire major flash memory player SanDisk Corp., an endeavor that was madepublic in September 2008. Samsung executives said that the company is backingdown from its initial proposal after SanDisk rejected the bid. The latter has alsobeen in progressive talks with NAND partner Toshiba, which meant there was littleor no room at all for Samsung to strike a deal.

GETTING HIRED

A city unto itself

A truly global empire, Samsung Group has a workforce the size of a small city—roughly 263,000 employees—operating globally. The career section allows interestedjob seekers to click on openings by global region, and search by each specificSamsung company in the region. Register to submit to positions quickly online andreceive email notification of matching positions.


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Programs for MBAs

MBAs should check out the site for a description of Samsung Electronics’ intensive10-week MBA internship, offered to first- and second-year students from top MBAprograms in the areas of R&D, strategy development, product marketing, salesoperations and corporate planning in the digital consumer electronics, semiconductorand telecommunications industries.

Lending a hand

The group also prides itself on its strong philanthropic focus. Samsung spent over $1billion on community outreach in 2001 alone and encourages employees to becomepersonally involved through the Samsung Community Service Team. In 2008,Samsung, together with Microsoft, DirecTV and teen star Jordan Pruitt, awardedsome $2 million worth of cash grants and software, technology and educationaltelevision programming packages to 31 schools across the U.S. through Samsung’sHope for Education program. According to the website, about 80,000 employees arecurrently involved in volunteer activities, around 70 percent of them have participatedin these endeavors at some point and outstanding volunteers are recognized withawards. Check out the “Community Activities” page for more details on variousprograms.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Want it the Samsung Way? You might want to think it over

“Samsung is a tough ride,” one insider declares. It’s a “very demanding place towork,” “Samsung can be a very difficult environment,” other respondents chime in.“I was very surprised that teamwork was not a priority,” observes one contact. Thecompany has a “Korean military structure. No questions, no chitchat—just followyour orders and get your work done quickly.” Not surprisingly, “Turnover is extremelyhigh. I would guesstimate that 80 percent of non-Korean-born employees leavewithin a year,” speculates one source. “Even Koreans who lived and worked abroadfind it hard to adjust to strongly hierarchical structure, or complete lack of formal rulesand procedures,” adds a colleague.

No merit for hard work

Though some agree that working at the company is generally a “great experience”and that it is “full of learning, travel and managing challenging deadlines,” insidersrecommend not working at Samsung if you think very highly of your work and if youexpect to be rewarded for it. “The work environment is hostile and the Korean culture


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does not reward merit, hard work or results,” and, “[Y]our work will not beacknowledged nor recognized,” asserts a source.

What’s work/life balance?

Want to take a break from this office? Not a chance. “The phrase ‘work/life balance’evinces a sour expression from all … Samsung lifers, and this is a non-expectationfor employees,” says an insider. “Working hours can be long, and taking holiday isregarded by Koreans (including many bosses) as inappropriate,” agrees a co-worker.“If you left one night at 10 p.m. and got in the next morning 10 a.m. (rather than therigidly enforced 9 a.m.) you would be sent a warning letter by the president! Noconsideration would be given to the fact that you had gone above and beyond the callof duty the previous night,” says a third. “The dress code was strongly enforced andit was part of my unenviable job to ‘tell off’ those who wore jeans on Fridays,” recallsanother insider.

Are you male?

“Diversity was limited—white and Korean and then very, very few Korean women andeven fewer female managers. The hours were long due to the presenteeism culture.The opportunities for advancement were fine as long as you were male,” adds onehire. Is it all so bleak? “Benefits were very good depending upon your level: gymsubsidy, life insurance, long-term disability cover, 25 days holiday, staff canteen,”says an insider

His colleague cautions, “Heretics beware.”


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SANDISK CORPORATION

601 McCarthy Boulevard

Milpitas, CA 95035

Phone: (408) 801-1000

Fax: (408) 801-8657

www.sandisk.com

LOCATIONS

Milpitas, CA (HQ)

Beijing • Dublin • Gordon, Australia •

Haryana, India • Kfar Saba, Israel • Madrid

• Migdal Tefen, Israel • Montgeron, France

• Omer, Israel • Sauerlach, Germany •


Taby, Sweden • Taipei • Tokyo • Yokohama,

Japan • Wanchai, Hong Kong

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Engineering • Facilities •


Technology • Legal • Marketing •

Operations • Safety • Sales • Sales

Operations • Security

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SNDK


Chairman & CEO: Dr. Eli Harari

President & COO: Sanjay Mehrotra


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 3,351

2008 Income ($ mil): -1,851.6

KEY COMPETITORS

Lexar

Micron Technology

Samsung Electronics

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.sandisk.com/Corporate/Careers


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THE SCOOP

No flash in the pan

SanDisk is a top purveyor of flash memory, the solid-state drive on a chip that allowsa gigabyte of storage to fit on a fingertip’s worth of space. The company’s productsinclude USB drives, removable data storage cards for cameras, video recorders, cellphones and PDAs, embedded chips for long-term memory in computers and memoryfor MP3 players. SanDisk also makes the Sansa, the second-most purchased MP3player (behind guess what fruit-named firm’s device), with a market share of 11percent.

SanDisk released its first flash memory chip in 1991, but the company’s bigbreakthrough came in 1996 when it debuted a way to double the capacity of a flashchip. In 2000, the company formed a joint venture with Toshiba, called FlashVision,for the production of advanced flash memory. By 2002, all of the company’s flashmanufacturing was consolidated into Toshiba’s facilities in Yokkaichi, Japan. The twocompanies teamed up to increase manufacturing capacity even further in 2004, withthe creation of Flash Partners. The next year, SanDisk demonstrated its commitmentto new kinds of chip technology with the $300 million purchase of MatrixSemiconductor.

Mnemonic expansion

In 2006, SanDisk acquired Israel-based M-Systems, another manufacturer of flashproducts, for $1.5 billion. The new acquisition increased SanDisk’s control of themarket for flash memory to about a third, and complements its product line quite well,since M-systems was in the business of manufacturing flash drives for sale under thenames of other companies, while SanDisk primarily sells memory under its own name.

Price elasticity

Despite its previous ability to stay one step ahead of the cyclical drop in prices formemory chips, SanDisk proved susceptible to the recent freefall in memory chip pricesthat gripped the entire sector. In late 2008, the company announced that it would becutting as much as 15 percent of its global workforce, or about 450 jobs, in the faceof a bigger dip than anticipated in the price of its products. Industry analysts suspectthat the drop in price is a sign that there is a glut of memory chips in the marketplace.

Resilient

Despite its job cuts, SanDisk charged ahead in September 2007 with the opening ofa new $170 million microchip plant in Shanghai. The plant bodes well for Chineseengineers, as it is located close to both Jiaotong and Huadong Universities, and will


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employ an initial number of 700 employees. China, of course, is the world’s largestmarket for cell phones, which are powered by SanDisk’s No. 1 product—flashmemory chips. CEO Harari said that the new plant will install the company close toits customer base and hopes that it will serve as SanDisk’s strategic base of Asianoperations in years to come.

IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: On the decline?

SanDisk declared an $864 million fourth quarter revenue for 2008, whichincreased 5 percent from the previous quarter, but was down a dismal 31 percentfrom last year. Total revenue for fiscal year 2008 is $3.35 billion, down 14 percentfrom the previous year. Chairman and CEO Eli Harari said that “we are verydisappointed with our fourth quarter bottom line results, which included significantasset impairment and inventory related charges. We are focused on managing ourbusiness through the difficult global economic climate and limited visibility in2009.” Harari also mentioned that the company is “taking significant steps tocurtail our captive output, conserve cash, and reduce capital and operatingexpenditures,” and that it “believes that drastic industry-wide capital expenditurecuts announced for 2009 will contribute to a better balance between supply anddemand and an improved pricing environment in our markets later in 2009 andinto 2010.”

• January 2009: An industry first

SanDisk announced that it has released a new innovation in its roster of flashdrives. The company is introducing the SanDisk Ultra Backup USB, the world’sfirst USB drive with a one-button backup function. The USB drive, which hascapacities of up to 64 gigabytes, is designed to “protect computer users’ photos,music, videos, personal and business documents, and other types of digital files,with the simple touch of a button,” and without the hassle of software installation.It also “protects onboard digital content with a dual layer of security, includingpassword-protected access control and ultra-secure AES hardware-basedencryption.”

• September 2008: Thanks, but no thanks

The SanDisk board of directors confirmed it refused an “unsolicited, nonbindingproposal” from rival Samsung Electronics to acquire the former for about $26 pershare in cash.

After several meetings with Samsung since its original expression of interest in anacquisition deal, SanDisk’s board of directors, with advice from its financial andlegal advisors, concluded that the proposal was “inadequate in multiple respects,and not in the best interests of SanDisk’s stockholders.” SanDisk execs also saidthat the proposed deal “significantly undervalues SanDisk given the long-term


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prospects of its business,” and was an “opportunistic attempt to take advantage ofSanDisk’s current stock price, which is significantly depressed given industrycyclicality, the uncertainty resulting from the unresolved patent cross licenseagreement renewal with Samsung, and general equity market conditions.”

GETTING HIRED

Get a flash-y career

SanDisk’s careers page (www.sandisk.com/Corporate/Careers) provides informationon job openings at the company, both for graduates and experienced hires, as wellas benefits on offer for employees. Recently, most of the openings seemed to be inengineering or finance. To apply, job seekers must first create a profile. SanDisk doesnot provide much information on what its college graduate career program entails,but recent grads are invited to submit their resumes to [email protected].

Benefits (which may vary by location) include health, dental, vision and employeeassistance, health and dependent care, spending accounts, stock options, stockpurchase plan and 401(k), discount tickets to amusement parks, free gymmembership, events such as book fairs, picnics and holiday parties, and discountson SanDisk merchandise.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Getting lucky

An intern from Austin, Texas, notes that in SanDisk, “[t]he employee coordination isvery good. We have get-togethers almost every week.” The insider added that “the[salary] package is decent. It goes well with experience.” However, the intern alsoreveals that “[t]here are no real benefits in the company. There are a short numberof paid holidays, around 20 per annum.” Nevertheless, employees will experienceenjoyment and satisfaction, especially “those who are interested in [the] area ofsystems and networking.”

Another intern also discloses the company’s interview process. “An interview roundhas some behavioral questions,” he says. “They asked me to design a card-shufflingalgorithm. I answered it and after that we discussed a lot about parallel programmingconcepts in that algorithm. I already tried for this position in spring January 2007 andgot a reject. I don’t know why they rejected me. [The] next time, they asked [the]same questions and I answered the same answers. Now I was selected. It is luck.”

One positive thing about the company, he adds, is that there are relatively few layoffs,even in bad economic climates.


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415


xxxSANMINA-SCI CORPORATION

2700 North First Street

San Jose, CA 95134

Phone: (408) 964-3555

Fax: (408) 964-3636

www.sanmina-sci.com

LOCATIONS

San Jose, CA (HQ)

Allen, TX • Austin, TX • Durham, NC •

Foothill Ranch, CA • Fremont, CA •

Huntsville, AL • Kenosha, WI • Laredo, TX •

Livermore, CA • Manchester, NH • Newark,

CA • Oswego, NY • Rapid City, SD • Salt

Lake City, UT • Turtle Lake, WI

Apodaca, Mexico • Batam, Indonesia •

Calgary • Campinas, Brazil • Fermoy,

Ireland • Guadalajara • Gunzenhausen,

Germany • Haukipudas, Finland • Kanata,

Canada • Kuching, Malaysia • Kunshan,

China • Lod, Israel • Ma'alot, Israel •

Miskolc, Hungary • Monterrey • Montreal •

Ornskoldsvik, Sweden • Pathum Thani,

Thailand • Penang, Malaysia • Port

Glasgow, United Kingdom • Salo, Finland •

Shenzhen • Singapore • Suzhou, China •

Tatabanya, Hungary • Toronto • Wuxi,

China • Yasu, Japan

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative Support • Defense &

Aerospace • Engineering • Facilities •

Finance/Accounting • HR • IT • Legal •

Logistics/Transportation/Exporting/Importing

• Manufacturing/Operations • Marketing •

Materials/Planning/Procurement/SCM •

Program Management/Customer Service •

Quality • Sales/Business

Development/Mergers & Acquisitions •

Technicians

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SANM


Chairman & CEO: Jure Sola

President & COO: Hari Pillai


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 7,202

KEY COMPETITORS

Flextronics

Hon Hai

Jabil

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.sanmina-sci.com/Info/HR/

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THE SCOOP

Leading the circuit board business

Sanmina-SCI is a leading contract manufacturer of electronics, whose services andgoods can carry an electronics manufacturer from the drawing board to finishedproduct. In addition to making circuit boards, cables and all manner of electronicviscera, the company offers precision machining and system assembly and testing.The company is also the world’s largest manufacturer of backplanes—circuit boardsthat are connected to create a complete computer system.

Its factories are located in 19 countries on five continents, with a workforce of morethan 45,000. The company’s customers include such tech industry heavyweights asLenovo, Alcatel, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Nokia and Ericsson.Sanmina’s circuit boards find their way into all manner of electronic devices, from thetiny to the not at all tiny, from cell phones and computers to cars, and even airplanes.

Because of the generally regarded fact that the electronics industry loses billionsevery year as a result of electrostatic damage, a great deal of thought in the circuitboard industry has gone into preventing the damage caused by electrostaticdischarge, or ESD. In 2006, Sanmina signed an agreement with ShockingTechnologies, a company that develops Voltage Switchable Dielectric (VSD) materials,to find measures to incorporate protections against ESD into the circuit board itself,instead of relying on devices on the board surface or separate grounds, which imposelimitations on chip design and performance. ESD protection in the chip substrateallows all the circuits on the board to be protected, yet removes obstacles to chipconfiguration and performance imposed by traditional methods. Sanmina hopes thatthis new technology will give it a leg up over its competitors in the increasinglycommoditized circuit board industry.

IN THE NEWS

• October 2008: Hari Pillai promoted

Sanmina-SCI promoted 14-year veteran Hari Pillai to president and chief operatingofficer. Pillai, who has held several senior management positions in the company,is an integral part of the company’s entry into the electronics manufacturingservices (EMS) market. A graduate of the University of Dublin, Trinity College, HariPillai was also one of the pioneers in the company’s strategic planning andimplementation, leading to the company’s “diversification and market leadershipin various end markets such as medical and defense and aerospace.”


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• January 2008: A comeback on the horizon?

Sanmina-SCI announced a slightly positive gain in profits for the January quarter,reassuring worried investors with the expectation that the company is on the righttrack toward its long-overdue comeback. Sanmina-SCI’s shares finished strong inmid-January after posting a dismal $1.19 during the first few days of the month,down 70 percent from last year. The company reported that first-quarter earningsper share for fiscal 2008, before charges, would “meet or exceed [the] Wall Streetconsensus” estimate.

GETTING HIRED

Sign me up for Sanmina

On Samina-SCI’s careers website (www.sanmina-sci.com/Info/HR/career_op.html)there is a database of available jobs, searchable by location and category, which caninclude administrative, defense and aerospace, engineering, facilities, finance, HR,IT, legal, logistics, manufacturing, marketing, materials, mergers and acquisitions,program management/customer service, quality and sales. To apply, job seekers canfill out an email form online.

Sanmina-SCI’s careers site (www.sanmina-sci.com/Info/HR/career_op.html) providesinformation about all the benefits of life at the company, which include the standardmedical, vision, dental and drug prescription coverage, life insurance and AD&Dinsurance. Personal benefits include paid vacation leave credits and holidays,personal leaves, sick leaves, bereavement leaves and jury duty leaves. Employeesalso have access to a discount stock purchase plan, 401(k) with company matching,tuition reimbursement, a work/life balance program and a credit union.


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SAP AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

Dietmar-Hopp-Allee 16

69190 Walldorf

Germany

Phone: +49-6227-7-47474

Fax: +49-6227-7-57575

www.sap.com

SAP America, Inc.

3999 West Chester Pike

Newtown Square, PA 19073

Phone: (610) 661-1000

Fax: (610) 661-1896

LOCATIONS

Walldorf, Germany (Corporate HQ)

Newtown Square, PA (US HQ)

Alpharetta, GA • Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX •

Bellevue, WA • Bloomington, MN • Bristol,

PA • Burlington, MA • Cambridge, MA •

Carlsbad, CA • Cincinnati, OH • Downers

Grove, IL • Edison, NJ • Exton, PA •

Greenwood Village, CO • Houston, TX •

Independence, OH • Irvine, CA • Irving, TX

• La Crosse, WI • Lake Mary, FL • Los

Angeles, CA • McLean, VA • Miami, FL •

Morristown, NJ • New Haven, CT • New

York, NY • Palo Alto, CA • Pleasanton, CA •

Portland, OR • San Diego, CA • San

Francisco, CA • Scottsdale, AZ • Southfield,

MI • St. Louis, MO • Stamford, CT •

Washington, DC


DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Business Consulting •

Consulting • Controlling/Finance • Facility

Management • Human Resources • IT/Data

Processing • Information Development •

Legal • Marketing • Pre-sales • Product

Management • Production • Public Relations

• Purchasing/Logistics • Quality

Management • Research/Development •

Sales • Service & Support • Software

Development • Training • Translation •

UI design • Value Engineering • Vocational

training

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SAP


Chairman: Dr. Hasso Plattner

Co-CEO: Henning Kagermann

Co-CEO: Leo Apotheker


2008 Revenue (€ mil.): 11,565

2008 Income (€ mil.): 1,868

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

Microsoft

Oracle

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.sap.com/careers/index.epx


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THE SCOOP

Systems for business

Germany’s SAP provides software for businesses. (The firm’s name used to be thedelightfully agglutinative SAP Aktiengesellschaft Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte inder Datenverarbeitung, which in English translates to “Corporations Systems, Usesand Products in Data Processing.”) SAP’s software, scaled for large, midsized andsmall businesses, has a facet for nearly every line of business under the sun. Itmanages customer and supplier relations, product lifecycle, human capital, supplychain and manufacturing—it even makes sure that accounting stays on the right sideof Basel II and Sarbanes-Oxley.

SAP’s software is tailored for nearly 25 industries, including banking, insurance,defense, health care, research, postal services, media, retail, utilities, railways, miningand consumer products. The company rounds out its suite of offerings with training,support and consulting services. As of 2008, SAP is the world’s No. 3 independentsoftware vendor and has 2,400 partner companies and more than 82,000 customersin over 120 nations—everyone from the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team toMicrosoft runs SAP.

Waning sales, stiff competition and troubled U.S. operations had prompted SAP intosome major restructuring. The development division was drastically overhauled, asdevelopment was linked to marketing strategies and attacking e-business markets.SAP also broke with its in-house development tradition and its tendency to developwithout the aid of alliances and acquisitions, partnering with companies includingSun, Commerce One and Nortel. In an aggressive move in 2005, SAP bought astartup called TomorrowNow, which provides cut-rate tech support for the users ofOracle products, in the hopes that it can convince those users to migrate to SAP.

Are the numbers good enough?

SAP posted respectable numbers for fiscal year 2008. Revenue from software andsoftware-related services was up 20 percent over 2007’s totals as the company savedabout €220 million in costs in the final quarter of 2008. Not immune from theeconomic crunch though, SAP announced it will be cutting its global workforce by3,000 by the end of 2009.

IN THE NEWS

• February 2008: Business Objects owned

After executing its much-publicized takeover bid of French company BusinessObjects, SAP and its French arm, SAP France, announced that they will acquire


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the rest of the Business Objects securities through a “squeeze-out” procedure.Once the deal is done, SAP France will have gainedmore than 2.8 million BusinessObjects shares, eventually owning 100 percent of the latter.

Talks of the acquisition were well under way in 2007 and, in October of that year,SAP made it known that it had reached an agreement with the Paris-basedBusiness Objects, one of the last independent business intelligence softwarecompanies, in a deal valued at some €5 billion. The announcement was seenearlier as a direct response to Oracle’s acquisition of Hyperion, another smallcompetitor in the business intelligence market. In previous years, SAP hadavoided making big acquisitions, but the temptation of Business Objects (its clientbase overlaps with SAP’s by 40 percent) was too great to pass up. The Frenchfirm will remain an independent subsidiary of SAP after the acquisition.

GETTING HIRED

Don’t be a sap; join SAP!

SAP’s careers site, at www.sap.com/careers/index.epx, provides hiring information forthe 50 or so countries and regions in which the company operates. SAP has also laidout a new recruiting page in the United States, where wannabe employees can createpages for themselves in the company’s talent registry and keep apprised of any newqualifications, degrees or long-term plans. However, as it stands at press time, SAP’sjob search page is fairly standard. There are separate search pages for thoseinterested in working at SAP and at its development office based in Silicon Valley, SAPLabs. The HR department can be contacted at [email protected] with any questionsor comments.

Benefits offered by SAP include medical, dental, vision, tuition reimbursement,flexible spending accounts, a stock purchase plan and 401(k) with companymatching. Career development plans in place at the company include successionplanning, a career performance measurement tool and company-sponsored trainingfrom SAP University.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Striving for excellence? This is the right place for you

An intern noted that “SAP in general offers a culture of personal responsibility,appreciation and excellence.” The insider also said that employees are evaluatedaccording to their individual performance and their performance in a group.“Projects on strategy and structure of the enterprise comprehend interns in their



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teams, who strive for excellence and deliver good results.” Another good trait of thecompany, according to the intern, is that even mid- or underperformers areappreciated, but they “do not receive the same amount of responsibility andappreciation.”

Another contact hints at the number of hours an employee is required to put in.“Office hours depend on position and in my case as an intern, were between 40 and50 a week. Forty was the exception, not the rule.”

“Career development and advancement are a little tricky in this part of theorganization,” says another intern, “the overall part is small in comparison with thewhole organization …” and “career moves are more frequently out of SAP ManagedServices into SAP AG, or vice versa.” The respondent concludes by saying, “I wouldlike to stress the high degree of inside information and trust an intern may beconfronted with … even major strategic adjustments are a possible part of your day-to-day information.”



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SAS INSTITUTE INC.

100 SAS Campus Drive

Cary, NC 27513-2414

Phone: (919) 677-8000

Fax: (919) 677-4444

www.sas.com

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative • Consulting • Design •

Executive • Finance • Health & Wellness •


Legal/Contracts • Marketing • Procurement

• Sales • Software Research &

Development • Technical Documentation •

Technical Support • Training

THE STATS


CEO: Jim Goodnight


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 2,260

KEY COMPETITORS

Business Objects

Cognos

Oracle

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.sas.com/jobs

LOCATIONS

Cary, NC (HQ)

Arlington, VA • Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX •

Beaverton, OR • Bedminster, NJ • Boston,

MA • Cambridge, MA • Charlotte, NC •

Chicago, IL • Dallas, TX • Denver, CO •

Detroit, MI • Hartford, CT • Irvine, CA •

Kansas City, KS • Miami, FL • Middleton, MA

• Minneapolis, MN • New York, NY •

Philadelphia, PA • Phoenix, AZ • Pittsburgh,

PA • Rockville, MD • San Diego, CA • San

Francisco, CA • Seattle, WA

Athens • Auckland • Bandariya, Saudi Arabia

• Bangalore • Bangkok • Beijing • Belgrade •

Bogota • Brasilia, Brazil • Bratislava •

Bucharest • Budapest • Buenos Aires • Cape

Town • Caracas • Copenhagen • Dubai •

Dublin • Espoo, Finland • Glasgow •

Guangzhou • Herzeliya, Israel • Hong Kong

• Huizen, Netherlands • Istanbul • Jakarta •

Johannesburg • Kiev • Kuala Lumpur •

Lahore, Pakistan • Lane Cove, Australia •

Lima • Lisbon • Ljubljana, Slovenia • London

• Macedonia, Albania • Madrid • Makati City,

Philippines • Manchester, United Kingdom •

Marlow, United Kingdom • Mexico City •

Milan • Moscow • Mumbai • New Delhi •

Osaka • Oslo • Paris • Prague • Pretoria,

South Africa • Pune, India • Riga, Latvia •

Rio de Janeiro • Santiago • São Paulo •

Seoul • Shanghai • Singapore •

Skanderborg, Denmark • Solna, Sweden •

Strassen, Luxembourg • Taipei • Tallinn,

Estonia • Tervuren, Belgium • Tokyo •

Vienna • Vilnius, Lithuania • Wangen-

Bruttisellen, Switzerland • Warsaw • Zagreb,

Croatia

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THE SCOOP

A very SAS-y company

SAS is one of the world’s largest privately held software companies and is also theleader in business intelligence and analytical software and services. SAS software isused by 91 of the top-100 companies on the 2008 Fortune Global 500 list, hasanalyzed data provided by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Census, hasmanaged customer loyalty programs at Marriott Hotels and Air France, monitors storeperformance for Subway and Williams-Sonoma and aids Merck and Pfizer in thedevelopment of new drugs. More than 45,000 customer sites in business andacademia in over 100 countries use SAS software.

SAS’ multitudinous offerings include data warehousing and software for data mining,product line management, customer relations management, software that detectsmoney laundering and insurance fraud and programs that ensure companies arekeeping on the right side of banking and accounting reform regulations like Basel IIand Sarbanes-Oxley. In 2008, the company enjoyed impressive revenue totals of$2.26 billion.

SAS also gives back to the community by preparing students to become highlyproductive citizens in the future. Through educational programs such as The NorthCarolina 1:1 Learning Technology Initiative, which seeks to create “future-ready”schools in North Carolina, SAS focuses on helping the United States maintain itsglobal competitiveness. The company also supports numerous outreach programs,institutions and associations around North Carolina state in their respectivecommunity-building endeavors.

IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: One of the elite

For the 12th-straight year, SAS was included in Fortune magazine’s list of 100 BestCompanies to Work For, rising to No. 20 in 2009, from No. 29 in 2008. Thecompany is recognized for its health care, child care and work/life balanceprograms. Jenn Mann, vice president of human resources, said, “At SAS, wefoster an environment that encourages creativity and innovation while allowingemployees to balance work and life. Creating a good work environment isimportant because it drives employee satisfaction which in turn contributes toworld-class products and close relationships with our customers.”

SAS also has one of the lowest turnover rates. Each year, the company loses only4 percent of its employees, which is remarkable considering the industry norm isa high 22 percent. SAS executives say this stems from building long-term


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relationships with their employees, creating a stimulating work atmosphere andrewarding employees for their competence and loyalty.

• February 2008: Nowhere to go but up

SAS announced that it exceeded target revenue, ending 2007 with a whopping$2.15 billion, its 32nd-straight year of growth. Revenue for 2007 was up 15percent, caused by an “intense demand for analytics-powered businessintelligence.” “With structured and unstructured data growing faster every day, it’sa great time to be SAS,” said CEO Jim Goodnight. “While the dust settles from theBI market consolidation, we’re free to focus on what organizations want—raw dataassets transformed into useful, trustworthy, timely information for fact-baseddecisions.”

• January 2008: Intelligence is key

SAS was named among the top-12 most influential companies in businessintelligence by Intelligent Enterprise magazine. The ranking, called The Dozen, isa list of companies that have been the most successful in providing technologicalbusiness solutions and exhibiting “exceptional vision, technology innovation andcustomer leadership in attaining strategic objectives.”

GETTING HIRED

Have an analyzed career

SAS posts its current job openings on its careers site, at www.sas.com/jobs/index.html. To apply, interested parties must first create a profile. Jobs are listedby region and then by country. While SAS’s emphasis on research and developmentrequires a continuous supply of technically proficient workers, the company also hasopportunities in sales, marketing and finance. When applying, be sure to include thejob posting number indicated on the web page. SAS also posts a list of recruitingevents, which are held at North Carolina state schools and Georgia Tech.

Beneficial treatment

Competition is stiff for career opportunities at SAS, mainly due to the gobs of perksand on-site facilities available to its employees. Keeping its staff happy is one of thecompany’s secrets of success—the pampered employees save the company about$75 million per year in charges associated with finding and training new employees.The employee turnover rate (4 percent) is well below the industry’s average (20percent), and people want to stay for a reason.

At the company’s world headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, the swimming pool,fitness center, track, child care facilities, medical facilities and various other amenities


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encourage long-term careers and commitment while maintaining a high-qualityworkload and work ethic. In 2009, for the 12th consecutive year, SAS was granted aspot on Fortune’s Best Companies to Work for list at No. 20, and its generous healthbenefits received special mention.

Mr. Holland’s HR

Music lovers seeking employment with SAS might be impressed by this extra perk:the company uses daily performances of live music to keep employees at its Carylocation relaxed. Daily during lunch, a food service employee or a member of the SASchoir (another company-sponsored extracurricular) takes a turn as pianist. SAS alsoruns a summer camp, Camp Awesome Adventure, at the headquarter site for itsemployees’ children.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Good, but could be better

“Working at SAS is…very interesting,” says an insider, “It is a family-friendly place towork.” However, the insider adds that as much as working for the company bringsabout a good professional experience, SAS would not be the company that aprofessional can build a solid career on. Another informant agrees, saying that“People stay here so long the chances of a newcomer getting a promotion or awindow office are zero.” Raises and bonuses, according to the insider, are“traditionally meager or nonexistent.”

Nonetheless, SAS uses its culture to attract potential employees. “Culture is verydifferent from other software companies in the area,” a contact says, adding that“there are several onsite cafes, recreational facilities including a pool, basketballcourts, soccer fields, etc.” Another insider notes that the “dress code is very slackand hours are very flexible.” However, the SAS culture also has its shortcomings.“Administration is like that of a much smaller company, with a very amateurish HRdepartment and lots of ‘unwritten’ laws that can get you fired. There is no assistancefor education.” The company is also made up of “a lot of baby boomers” who havebeen in the company for a significant amount of time, which “limits upward mobility,”says the contact.

Despite this, other coworkers insist that “overall, if you have to work somewhere, thisis a good place,” noting that “the hours are good and the benefits are some of thebest around.” They suggest, though, that “the company leadership needs furtherdevelopment” to make SAS a company to truly reckon with.


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SCANSOURCE INCORPORATED

6 Logue Court

Greenville, SC 29615

Phone: (864) 288-2432

Fax: (864) 288-1165

www.scansourceinc.com

LOCATIONS

Greenville, SC (HQ) • Bellingham, WA •

Buffalo, NY • Lenexa, KS • Mendota

Heights, MN • Miami, FL • Norcross, GA •

Southaven, MS • Tempe, AZ • Williamsville,

NY

Bad Homburg, Germany • Brussels •

Crawley, United Kingdom • Eindhoven,

Netherlands • Etobicoke, Canada • Hessle,

United Kingdom • Mexico City • Olivet,

France • Richmond, Canada • Toronto •

Vancouver

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting & Finance • Administration •

Corporate Operations • Credit • Customer

Service • HR • Legal • Mailroom •

Marketing • Merchandising • Partner

Services • Payroll • Sales • Technical

Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SCSC


Chairman: James G. Foody

CEO: Michael L. Baur


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 2,175

2008 Company Income ($mil.): 55.6

KEY COMPETITORS

Ingram Micro

PEAK Technologies

Tech Data

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.scansourceinc.com/careers.aspx

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THE SCOOP

Your source for all things scan-related

ScanSource is a distributor of electronic equipment, including bar code readers andother automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) devices, which are mostlyused to control inventory in warehouses and stores. It also distributes electronicsecurity products, voice, video and data equipment, and videoconferencing products.ScanSource also provides services like training, education, and pre- and post-salesupport to its customers. The company is named as one of Fortune’s Most AdmiredCompanies in 2009.

Some code walks into a bar …

ScanSource was founded in 1992 to provide bar code readers and other AIDC itemsto resellers. Despite the company’s oddly fatalistic (and sort of non-sequitur) motto,“What’s supposed to happen, happens,” it has confidently ridden the wave ofincreasing demand for its products.

In 1997, ScanSource moved into Canada and added telecommunications products toits lineup under the Catalyst Telecom division. Catalyst got a boost in 1998 with theacquisition of another telecom products distributor, and ScanSource started to offerlogistics services under the ChannelMax name. It opened an office in Mexico in2001, and got all the waffles it could eat in 2002 when it opened a Europeanheadquarter in Liege, Belgium. In 2004, keeping up with the pace of technology, thecompany started carrying RFID products (a fancy kind of neo-bar code that picks upradio frequency, hence the name: radio frequency identification). It also startedoffering security equipment.

Listage

In January 2007, ScanSource was named to the 131-spot on Forbes’ Platinum 400list of the best big companies for the third straight year, ranking behind five othertechnology concerns. The companies on the list are evaluated on several criteria,including the amount of debt the company carries and growth in sales and profits. InApril 2008, Fortune named the company No. 901 on the Fortune 1000, a leap fromits No. 956 ranking in 2007.


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Admirable

ScanSource was included in Fortune’s Most Admired Companies list. This year,Fortune included companies outside North America. ScanSource was one of onlytwo companies recognized from South Carolina. Mike Baur, ScanSource’s CEO,believed that the company’s strong relationship with manufacturers and thesupport it gets from its customers and investors were what help it stay ahead of thegame. Baur added, “To be considered one of the world’s most admiredcompanies demonstrates the commitment and high quality of service and supportthat our employees provide to our reseller and vendor partners every day.”

• April 2008: Steadily crawling up

ScanSource ranked No. 901 in Fortune’s 1000 list, a not so huge, but verysignificant climb from No. 956 in the previous year. ScanSource was one of onlyfour companies from South Carolina included in the list. Mike Baur, ScanSourceCEO, said he is glad that ScanSource has moved up the Fortune 1000 ladder. Healso adds that the climb is “a testament to our strong business plan and theexecution of our employees.” Baur attributed the company’s success to its strongrelationship with its vendor and reseller partners.

• January 2008: Predicting the future

The second quarter ended with a 17 percent net sales increase, about $553.3million compared to last year’s $473.7 million. CEO Mike Baur attributed thecompany’s success to the fact that “excellent execution by our sales and supportteams worldwide allowed us to gain market share and achieve our financial goals,”adding, “We are also very pleased with the record quarterly sales growth of ournewly formed ScanSource Communications business unit.” After announcing thefinancial results for the second quarter, ScanSource was eager to face anotheryear. The company expected March 2008 revenue to hit between $550 millionand $570 million.

• June 2007: This time it’s right

After a hiccup with the SEC about ScanSource’s 1994 to 1996 budget in 2006,ScanSource assured that it has complied with NASDAQ rules. CEO Mike Bauradded that the company will focus more on developing its business’s growthmarkets.



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GETTING HIRED

Let ScanSource be your career’s security system

ScanSource’s careers page, at www.scansource.com/employment.asp, provideseverything you’ll need to know to become part of the company’s workforce. Jobopenings are listed at www.prohire.com/candidates/default.cfm?szWID=11115&szCID=50019, and candidates will have to create a profile to apply. Some of thebenefits of working at corporate HQ include an on-site café and gym with personaltrainer (for working off all of those snacks), health, vision and dental insurance,401(k) and stock purchase plan, a generous vacation package, tuition assistance,flexible spending accounts for child care and internships for employees’ children.

The site also provides information about headquarters’ hometown Greenville, SouthCarolina, which is apparently located on “a prime spot on the planet.” This primeslice of planetary real estate boasts a temperate climate, proximity to the Blue RidgeMountains, the bustling cities of Atlanta and Charlotte, and some mighty finebarbecue.



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SCIENCE APPLICATIONSINTERNATIONAL CORPORATION (SAIC)

10260 Campus Point Drive

San Diego, CA 92121

Phone: (858) 826-6000

Fax: (858) 826-6800

www.saic.com

LOCATIONS

Alabama • Alaska • Arkansas • Arizona •

California • Colorado • Connecticut •

Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii •

Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas •

Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland •

Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota •

Missouri • Mississippi • Montana •

Nebraska • Nevada • New Jersey • New

Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North

Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon •

Pennsylvania • Puerto Rico • Rhode Island

• South Carolina • Tennessee • Texas •

Utah • Virginia • Washington, DC • West

Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming • Utah


KEY COMPETITORS

Booz Allen Hamilton

Computer Sciences

Lockheed Martin

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.saic.com/career

DEPARTMENTS

Biopharm Manufacturing/Development •

Business Development/Marketing •

Clinical/Regulatory • Commercial/Industry

Relations • Communications • Consulting

Employee • Contracts/Pricing •

Defense/Intelligence/Geopolitical •

Engineering • Environmental • Executive

Management • Facilities/Physical Security •

Finance/Accounting/Business Management •

General Office • Health Services • Human

Resources • Internal Audit •

IT/Telecommunications • Legal • Lending •

Logistics • Management • Manufacturing •

Medical Research • Operations • Planning •

Procurement • Product Engineering •

Project/Program Management •

Proposal/Publications • Research &

Development • Skilled Trades/Technical •

Training

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SAI


Chairman & CEO: K.C. Dahlberg


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 8,900

2008 Income ($ mil.): 415

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THE SCOOP

Science for a safer world

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has built its business onfulfilling various scientific and engineering contracts with the Department of Defenseand other government agencies, including the CIA, the National SecurityAdministration and the U.S. Army. It also sometimes works with major U.S. andforeign corporations, but government contracts currently account for 90 percent of itsbusiness, more than half of them directly related to matters of national security.

The firm’s areas of expertise range widely—from communications and computernetworking to geologic exploration, from logistics to border security systems. Itscurrent services include software and computer system development, plus integrationand tech support for both. SAIC has played a role in high-profile projects like thecleanup of Three Mile Island to the construction of the Hubble Space Telescope andAmerica’s Cup racing boats. On the 2008 Fortune 500, the company was ranked No.289.

Employee-owned and -operated

At the end of the 1960s, Bob Beyster left a research position at General Atomics tostart his own company, intending to perform contract research in nuclear physics.With the help of his longtime friend (and entrepreneur in his own right) Myron Eichen,Beyster began interviewing prospective employees in February 1969, using theconcept of employee ownership as a focal point. Soon, SAIC had a home base in asmall office in La Jolla, Calif., and by 1970, it had 20 employees, all of whom ownedparts of the company. SAIC’s employees would own the company (which could betraded on an internal exchange) until the corporation offered some stock to the widerworld in 2006.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: There is only one way …

... and that is up. SAIC profits were up 21 percent despite the global economicslump. Last year’s sales, according to Washington Business Journal, reached $10billion, a first in SAIC’s history. The company associates sales growth to itslogistics, information collection and security, and defense IT sectors, which makeup for the weakness of its commercial businesses.


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• July 2008: All smiles

Thanks to the company’s employees, SAIC enjoyed a 15 percent increase inrevenue. SAIC Chairman Ken Dahlberg strongly believes in the company’s talentpool saying, “Our employees’ dedicated work is delivering excellent contractexecution and critical support to our customers. Our growing labor base andimproving business discipline gives us increasing confidence that we can achieveour financial goals for fiscal year 2009.” The company also has to credit thefinancial boost to recent acquisitions and contract demands that were met.

• January 2008: A bug-free Albania

SAIC completed a project for the U.S. Department of State, helping extract 2,900tons of “obsolete and dangerous surplus munitions in the Republic of Albania.“The removal and disposal of these old and dangerous munitions,” SAIC ProgramManager Steve Rader says, “… has made Albania a safer country.” He also statedthat getting hold of the munitions prevents them from falling into the wrong hands.“These munitions are no longer available to be acquired illegally and used byterrorist groups,” he adds.

• July 2007: Logistics shuffle

SAIC and Northrop Grumman Newport News’ (Northrop) joint venture, AMSECLLC (AMSEC) will be experiencing a reshuffling of responsibilities. The twocompanies decided to distribute ship engineering and logistics businesses toAMSEC while aviation, combat systems and strike force integration servicesbusiness will be transferred to SAIC. Deborah Alderson, SAIC’s Defense SolutionsGroup’s president, said that restructuring will help SAIC focus on its “core businessareas of command, control and communications, and enterprise solutions, andproviding more depth in our solution offerings to our customers through therealignment of EMA and SSI into SAIC.” The restructuring is officially completedon July 16th.

• 2007: Yes they did! Oh no, they didn’t!

Vanity Fair released a controversial article on SAIC’s participation in the Iraq war,saying that the contractor supplied the war with “brainpower” and “expertise.”SAIC offered no response to the report.

GETTING HIRED

Apply yourself to a new career

SAIC’s careers page, at www.saic.com/career, has a searchable list of job openings,as well as a wealth of information about the company. To apply for a job, potentialemployees must first create a profile. SAIC offers many opportunities for training,including discounted admission to colleges near company locations and on-site



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graduate degrees in business and systems engineering. Benefits at SAIC includehealth, vision, dental and life insurance, paid vacation and nine holidays, tuitionassistance, retirement plans with company matching, and shuttle buses and flexiblehours for commuters.

SAIC also provides information for college students who might be interested ininternships or co-ops. Majors in engineering, computer science, finance, accounting,political science, security and intelligence studies, and similar areas, with GPAs of 3.2or higher, are all welcome to apply. Interested students can either contact SAIC’srecruiters by phone at (610) 336-4316 for East Coast opportunities, or at (858) 826-7624 for West Coast ones; by email form at www.saic.com/career/college.asp; or at acareer fair. The career fair schedule is posted at www.saic.com/career/schedule.aspand stops include Texas A&M, Louisiana State University, UC San Diego and BrandeisUniversity.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Have a career in the applied sciences

Sources report a straightforward interview process at SAIC. “I had one round ofinterviews with the company that consisted of … five separate interviews in one day,”says one hire. “I had three interviews in total,” says another. He reports being askedquestions like “Why do you want to work [here]?” and “What do you bring to thetable?”

“The office I work in has a diverse mix of people, mostly well-educated academictypes who get along well,” says an insider. “There is no training or support at all.Most new hires leave within two years,” says one member of the finance department.“The work and atmosphere for on-site government contractors matters much moreon the government client than on SAIC corporate culture or interaction,” notes onerespondent.

“The hours are flexible. As long as you get 80 hours in, most managers don’t carewhen you do it … That said, certain positions will require a lot of hours,” warns amember of the finance department. “The workplace isn’t bad. The hours are good,but there is little to no opportunity for advancement at the current location,” says onesource at a satellite office. SAIC offers its employees “a lot of opportunity, especiallyfor ex-government personnel with security clearances. If you have a top secretclearance, you are golden,” says an insider.



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SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.

920 Disc Drive

Scotts Valley, CA 95066

Phone: (831) 438-6550

Fax: (831) 429-6356

www.seagate.com

LOCATIONS

Scotts Valley, CA (HQ) • Bloomington, MN

• Fremont, CA • Longmont, CO • Milpitas,

CA • Minneapolis, MN • Miramar, FL •

Oklahoma City, OK • Pittsburgh, PA •

Shakopee, MN • Shrewsbury, MA

Beijing • Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

• Haarlem, Netherlands • Hong Kong •

Marlow, United Kingdom • Munich • New

Delhi • Paris • São Paulo • Shanghai •

Shenzhen • Sydney • Taipei • Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative • Consumer Solution •

Customer Service • Engineering •

Engineering Services • Finance/Accounting

• General Management • Human Resource

• Information Technology • Legal •

Manufacturing • Marketing • Materials •

Operations Support • PR/Communications

• Product & Process Development • Quality

• Sales & Product Line • Strategic Planning

& Corporate Development • Technical

Support

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: STX


Chairman, President & CEO: Stephen J.

Luczo


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 12,708

2008 Income ($ mil.): 1,262

KEY COMPETITORS

Fujitsu

Hitachi Global Storage

Western Digital

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.seagate.com/www/en-

us/about/jobs_at_seagate

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THE SCOOP

Save me, Seagate

Seagate is a major manufacturer of computer hard disk drives, controlling around athird of the market for the devices in 2007. It sells them to OEM manufacturers ofPCs and servers such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM, along with DVR andconsumer product manufacturers; through the distribution channel to systembuilders, resellers and distributors; and at retail, under the Seagate name, toconsumers who wish to pump up their drive capacity independently.

Seagate hard disks come in a variety of sizes and capacities, from 1.8-inch drives foruse in smaller consumer applications, to 2.5- and 3.5-inch drives for use incomputers, on-demand television systems and data storage servers.

Seagate’s got your back

As the largest independent manufacturer of disc drives, and the share leader in mostmarket segments, Seagate has exhibited strong financial and operationalperformance over the years. In 2007, sales were up nearly 25 percent over 2006, to$11.4 billion, and profit topped $900 million.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: A cooler way to preserve tradition

Years of China’s cultural heritage will be stored into Seagate’s FreeAgent® desktopfamily, the Beijing Opera Theatre announces at its 30th anniversary at the ChangAn Grand Theater. FreeAgent will be backing up over 1,400 works, some of whichwere performed 70 years ago. Wang Yuzhen, president of The Beijing PekingOpera hopes that digitally preserving tradition will help the next generation andpeople from other cultures appreciate the beauty of the Peking Opera. “With itslong history and countless classic works, we need a great deal of digital storage tohelp us preserve these beautiful classics. Unfortunately, some classic works …have been totally destroyed due to improper storage … We are working withSeagate to prevent this type of loss,” he adds.

• March 2009: The knight in not so shining armor

Small businesses need not worry about storing needed data. Seagate released anew family of storage solutions specifically aimed at small businesses’ data storageneeds. The BlackArmor can power up a small business with up to 50 employeesand can provide two to eight terabytes of memory.


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Seagate, together with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), has also given gamers andbandwidth-hungry computers a reason to raise their swords (or gamepads) andshout “Ahu!” 300-style after both companies offered a public demonstration ofSerial ATA (SATA) 6Gigabit/second—the next-generation of high-speed datatransfer. “The increasing reliance of consumers and businesses worldwide ondigital information is giving rise to gaming, digital video and audio, streaming video,graphics and other applications that require even more bandwidth, drivingdemand for PC interfaces that can carry even more digital content,” said JoanMotsinger, vice president of Seagate’s Personal System’s marketing strategy. Shealso believes that the SATA 6Gigabit/second is capable of meeting higher-bandwidth demands.

• January 2009: The dawn of a new headache

Stephen Luzco’s return as Seagate’s CEO isn’t exactly triumphant as he facestowers of paperwork, all marked “please fix.” Luzco announced that the companywill be braving a major revamp after a $496 million loss, a slump blamed on thefocus on hard disk drive production. Before Luzco’s re-ascent to the seat, Seagatesaw former CEO Bill Watkins and COO Dave Wickersham’s resignations, as well aspink slips for 6 percent of its employees. The remaining employees could onlyshake their heads at the salary cuts instituted the same month. Luzco, on theother hand, believes there is still hope for the future, though laden with countlessobstacles.

• December 2008: Full access

Unhook the velvet rope. Seagate now has VIP access after being given a FullAuthorized Economic Operator (AEOF) certificate by the European Union (EU).The certification allows Seagate to breeze through the 27 EU members’ customsnitty-gritty, plus a skip-the-line at customs in United States and Asia.

Seagate also made a bold move by relying on wind technology to power itsNorthern Ireland plant in Springtown. This green shift by Seagate is aided byIreland’s leading renewable energy company, Airtricity. John Spanger, vicepresident at the Springtown facility, also left other companies a chunk of wisdomto chew on: “We are not a heavy or conventionally ‘dirty’ industry and we have nosmokestacks to shut down, but we do not view that as a warrant for complacency.”

• November 2008: They are not biodegradable…

… but Seagate promises that the Savvio 15K.2 Hard Disk Drive is still the greenestand the fastest drive in the world. Savvio will not only still be performing at itsSeagate best, but will also work at record-low power consumption. If that still isn’timpressive, it may not be the smallest (probably breaking this hard drive’s recordnumber of -ests appended) but it is 70 percent smaller than the usual hard drive.But that’s not all! It also boasts of a self-encrypting drive option and a servercapacity of 146 GB. Yes, it really would be nice to find the Savvio 15K.2 HDDbiodegradable … then again … why think about burying your files underground?



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• September 2008: Mash up!

Seagate’s EVault, MetaLINCS and Seagate recovery services were collectivelybranded with a name that sounds a bit like a robot from Star Wars: i365. Thiscompany will be aiding smaller to midsized enterprises by providing them with itssoftware, software-as-a-service (SaaS) and managed service solutions. Themoniker came from a very cute but insightful mission: to provide protection tobusinesses’ critical information 365 days a year. The i365 will be building on its22,000 customer base and expanding in North America and Europe.

Seagate also set up shop in its new hub, the NASDAQ Stock Market, a move fromthe New York Stock Exchange. CEO Bill Watkins believed that the company’sinvestors will enjoy “fast, high-quality trades in a more cost-effective structure forSeagate.” Watkins also announced that speculations about Seagate’s bid formicrochip expert SanDisk are false.

• April 2008: Retirement plans?

Charles Pope may be retiring from his role as CFO, but he plans to keep himselfbusy by focusing on Segate’s Services group. Pope’s seat will be taken by PatrickO’Malley, Seagate’s finance treasury senior vice president. Seagate CEO BillWatkins believes that the role swap is a very good transition for the company. “PatO’Malley has been a valued senior executive during some of Seagate’s mostdramatic years of change, and I have every confidence that he will serve us wellas our new CFO,” he says.

GETTING HIRED

Drive your career at Seagate

Seagate’s careers site, at www.seagate.com/www/en-us/about/jobs_at_seagate/,provides a searchable list of jobs and information on Seagate’s culture, benefits andhiring events. The benefits include several health insurance options, dentalinsurance, medical and dependent care spending accounts, 401(k) with companymatching, profit-sharing, discount stock-purchase plan, tuition reimbursement,adoption assistance and work/life balance assistance. Recruiting events are postedon the site as well (though there were none listed at press time). However, severalinternship positions were listed in the searchable jobs database. To apply, job seekersmust first create a profile on the site.



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OUR SURVEY SAYS

A hard day’s night

It seems Seagate has evolved into a dreary and cutthroat workplace. An insidernoticed: “[W]hat used to be a fun environment, aims to cut your bonus orcommissions at every avenue. They are currently trying to hire people who will domore for less. I am now expected to do more for less, though I did very well and wentway over my quota, this turned into me having hundreds of accounts taken awaymaking the achievement of my quota impossible.” The same respondent, a clientservices representative, says that his base salary is $40,000 and that he had theopportunity to increase his salary to $50,000 if he met quota. “I would have madeeven more with the new bonus structure if they hadn't taken all my accounts awaythat I could renew,” he adds.



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439

STMICROELECTRONICS N.V.

STMicroelectronics N.V.

39, Chemin du Champ des Filles

C. P. 21, CH 1228 Plan-Les-Ouates

Geneva, Switzerland

Phone: +41-22-929-29-29

Fax: +41-22-929-29-88

www.st.com

LOCATIONS

Geneva, Switzerland (HQ)

Aliso Viejo, CA • Austin, TX • Bensalem, PA

Carrollton, TX • Cary, NC • Edina, MN •

Houston, TX • Huntsville, AL • Indianapolis,

IN • Kansas City, MO • Kokomo, IN • La

Jolla, CA • Lake Oswego, OR •

Lawrenceville, GA • Lexington, MA •

Livonia, MI • Longmont, CO • Parsippany,

NJ • Phoenix, AZ • Portland, OR •

Quakertown, PA • Redmond, WA • San

Jose, CA • Schaumburg, IL • Voorhees, NJ

Bangalore • Bangkok • Barcelona • Beijing

Budapes • Casablanca • Chennai •

Grasbrunn, Germany • Grenoble, France •

Hanoi • Hong Kong • Istanbul • Izmir,

Turkey • Johannesburg • Joinville, Brazil •

Kista, Sweden • Kuala Lumpur • Lahore,

Pakistan • Madrid • Manaus, Brazil •

Marlow, United Kingdom • Mexico City •

Milan • Moscow • Mumbai • Nagoya City,

Japan • Nasr City, Egypt • Noida, India •

Nummela, Finland • Osaka • Ottawa • Paris

Pasig City, Philippines • Penang • Prague •

Pune, India • Rome • São Paulo • Seoul •

Shanghai • Shenzhen, China Singapore •

South Netanya, Israel • Stuttgart, Germany

• Taegu, Korea • Taipei • Tokyo • Toronto •

Veldhoven, The Netherlands • Warsaw •

Zaventem, Belgium

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Business Planning &

Development • Communications • Design &

Application Development • Design Support

EH&S, Sustainable Excellence • Executives

& Cross-function Management • Finance,

Control & Audit • Human Resources •

Information Technologies • Legal • Logistics

& Warehousing • Marketing • Operations

Support • Planning • Process & Product

Engineering • Production • Product & Test

Engineering • Purchasing • Quality • R&D

Sales • Site Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SMSD

Stock Exchange: KRX

Vice Chairman & CEO: Yoon-Woo Lee

2007 Employees: 263,000

2007 Revenue ($mil): 105,206

2007 Income ($ mil.): 5,375

KEY COMPETITORS

Infineon Technologies

NXP

Texas Instruments

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

jobs.st.com

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THE SCOOP

It’s a small world, after all

STMicroelectronics (ST) is among Europe’s top chip manufacturers, and is one of thefirms nudging the world toward smaller and smarter gadgets. As consumers demandmore secure credit and ID cards, smaller cell phones, cars that can operate morereliably, give directions, entertain occupants and play movies, ST is stepping up tobat. The company makes semiconductors and microchips for the automotive,communications, consumer, industrial and computer industries, in addition to beinga leading manufacturer of smart cards (those nifty plastic cards with a microchipinside that store and process information).

Its major customers include Cisco, Delphi, Ericsson, Nokia, Maxtor and Siemens—inother words, all of the big-name consumer and OEM (original equipmentmanufacturer) companies. ST manufactures the motion-sensing chips that helpenable Nintendo’s popular Wii video game system, as well as some of the RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips that control Wal-Mart’s respected logistics chain andthe chips that deliver the video and sound in several recognized cellular handsets. In2007, ST developed a “lab on a chip” with the ability to test for the presence of avianinfluenza.

From failing chips to merged behemoth

ST traces its roots back to 1987, when the French and Italian governments decidedto merge their semipublic semiconductor endeavors. One of the merger partners,Italian SGS Microelettronica, was headed by Pasquale Pistorio, who in the early1980s had turned the company into a lean, mean profit-making machine. BeforePistorio arrived, SGS Microelettronica had been an unprofitable behemoth, churningout commodity chips on outdated equipment and rapidly losing share to Japaneseand American competitors; Pistorio transformed it into a firm with efficient facilitiesputting out specialized microprocessors. The other merger partner, Thomson-CSF,was also outdated, debt-ridden and unprofitable, not to mention partly owned by theFrench government. Undaunted, Pistorio worked his management magic on thenewly merged entity, now known as SGS Thomson. Needless to say, the merger putthe combined companies’ balance sheets way out of whack.

Profiting through the tech bubble

In 1994, the company had a stock offering in both New York and Paris. In the late1990s, the company took its IPO proceeds and invested them heavily in new factoriesin Europe, China and Singapore. In 1998, it changed the company name toSTMicroelectronics and floated an offering on the Italian stock exchange. ST’s highly



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diversified product mix allowed it to weather the tech bubble’s burst in 2000 withaplomb, posting profits when other companies in the sector were faring poorly.

Flashing the Flash

In 2002, ST acquired two semiconductor companies, cementing its position high inthe global pecking order of chip manufacturers. In 2005, Pistorio, architect of ST’srise to prominence, rode off into the sunset, replaced by longtime ST executive CarloBozotti. The following year, in early 2006, ST announced it was seeking a buyer forits flash memory division. ST fully reconfigured the flash division by January 2007,and in May, announced a joint venture with Intel, which also had an unprofitable flashdepartment they were looking to fix. The two firms then pooled their flash memorydivisions into a new business called Numonyx. In July 2007, it announced a pactwith IBM to collaborate on (big surprise) chip manufacturing. The next month, itrevealed that Nokia would be transferring its cell phone chip design team to ST(comprising about 200 employees), and that the two firms were now even betterbuddies, trumpeting “deeper ties” for future exploits.

The broad vision

ST aims to be a “broad-range” semiconductor supplier. Its vision, as stated on itswebsite, is to become “the undisputed leader in multimedia convergence and powerapplications, dedicating significant resources to product innovation and increasinglybecoming a solution provider.” In 2008, it had sales offices in 36 countries worldwideand posted revenue of $9 billion. In terms of percentage of sales, Europe accountsfor the highest percentage of ST’s sales at 29 percent, followed by Greater China at25 percent, North America at 12 percent, Asia Pacific at 22 percent and Japan at 5percent. The remaining 7 percent is accounted for by emerging markets that includeIndia, Russia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: More than 4,000 pink slips

ST announced that it would lay off 4,500 employees—about 9 percent of the Swissmicrochip company—worldwide after posting a fourth quarter net loss. But thedepressing news isn’t over; despite a foreseen $700 million save this year, CEOCarlo Bozotti predicts there will be more losses saying that the market will drop“more than 20 percent.”

• July 2008: Volting in as ST-NXP Wireless

ST and Philips-founded semiconductor company NXP announced that they willstart tackling the impending change in the wireless industry together beginningAugust 2nd. This new amalgamation of key wireless operations is called ST-NXP



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Wireless, a venture whose seeds were planted on April 10, 2008. ST has an 80percent stake in the joint venture. Armed with a gamut of communication andmultimedia patents, ST-NXP is capable of dealing with UMTS (Universal MobileTransmission System) for the TD-SCDMA standard and other cellular, multimediaand connectivity capabilities—things more commonly known as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,GPS, FM radio, USB and Ultra-Wideband (UWB).

• January 2008: Re-Genesis

The company shook the dust off its hands after completing requirements and isnow ready to take over Genesis Microchip Inc. Through Genesis, ST will finally beable to tap into “one of the fastest-growing segments in consumer semiconductors,”the digital TV market. Corporate Vice President and General Manager of ST’s HomeEntertainment & Displays Group Philippe Lambinet assured customers that with themerger, ST’s already capable technologies would be bolstered by Genesis’ expertiseto answer their bellowing calls for integrated DTV solutions.

ST also has new people to look up to. Carlo Bozotti now sits as president and CEO,together with a new batch of executives. Bozotti replaced Pasquale Pistorio whohas served ST since 1980. Orio Bellezza, assistant general manager of the front-end technology and manufacturing department now takes his seat as the unit’snew executive vice president and general manager.

• November 2007: Scratching each other’s backs

ST and Nokia closed a deal to bond together on the licensing and supply ofintegrated circuit designs and modern technologies for 3G and what it could be inthe future. As part of the agreement, 185 highly skilled Nokia engineers will berelocated to ST in Geneva. The contract also allows ST to produce 3G chipsetsbased on Nokia’s modem technologies. As a capper to the agreement, Nokiaawarded ST with a design win of an advanced 3G high-speed packet access(HSPA) chipset—ST’s first in the 3G line. The ST-Nokia agreement was firstannounced on August 8, 2007.

GETTING HIRED

Put some ST in your career

Interested in joining ST? Walk your fingers over to jobs.st.com, where the companyprovides information on the organization of the company, diversity, career paths andtraining through its unique ST University. Benefits vary by location. The companyhires about 6,000 people per year in 140 different jobs in such fields as engineering,logistics, marketing, quality and R&D. Internship opportunities are also available forundergrads in France, Tunisia and Morocco. To apply, candidates must first create aprofile online.



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443

STRATUS TECHNOLOGIES

111 Powdermill Road

Maynard, MA 01754-3409

Phone: (978) 461-7000

Fax: (978) 461-3670

www.stratus.com

LOCATIONS

Maynard, MA (HQ) • Allen, TX • Aquadilla,

PR • Atlanta, GA • Bloomington, MN •

Edmonds, WA • Nashville, TN • New York,

NY • Phoenix, AZ • San Francisco, CA •

Tampa, FL

Ashford, United Kingdom • Athens •

Badhoevedorp, The Netherlands • Ballerup,

Denmark • Bangkok • Beijing • Beirut •

Bogotà • Bratislava • Bryanston, South

Africa • Bucharest • Buenos Aires •

Budapest • Cairo • Caracas • Chatswood,

Australia • Dubai • Dublin • Ecublens,

Switzerland • Eschborn, Germany •

Istanbul • Jakarta • Kanagawa, Japan •

Kowloon, Hong Kong • Kuala Lumpur •

Lahore, Pakistan • Lima • Lisbon •

Ljubljana, Slovenia • Madrid • Makati City,

Philippines • Manila • Melbourne • Mexico

City • Montevideo, Uruguay • Moscow •

Msida, Malta • Nanterre, France • Nowy

Sacz, Poland • Oslo • Ostrava, Czech

Republic • Prague • Riyadh • Rozzano,

Italy • Safat, Kuwait • San Jose, Cost Rica

• Santiago • São Paulo • Seoul • Singapore

• Stafa, Switzerland • Tokyo • Woodbridge,

Canada • Zagreb, Croatia

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting/Finance • Administrative •

Customer Service • Engineering—Software •

Manufacturing/Logistics • Marketing • Sales

• Tech Support

THE STATS


Chairman, President & CEO: David C.

Laurello

2006 Employees: 70

2005 Revenue ($ mil.): $272

KEY COMPETITORS

Hewlett-Packard

IBM

Sun Microsystems

Dell

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.stratus.com/careers/index.htm

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THE SCOOP

Heavenly performance

As befits a company named for a variety of cloud, Stratus Technologies does notbelieve in “down.” The company makes servers for use in industries like publicsafety, finance, transport, pharmaceutical manufacturing and government—allarenas in which servers play a crucial role in delivering essential services, and anoffline machine is even more of a crisis than it would otherwise be. Stratus’ serversare down, on average, for just over five minutes per year—and they don’t even haveto be taken offline for maintenance.

Stratus’ servers are designed so that each part of the machine—CPU, memory, powersupply—comes in duplicate. If one power supply stalls, it automatically switches tothe other, so that it won’t bring down, say, the system that controls the planes aroundNew York City’s JFK airport. The unique layout of the company’s computers is onlycompatible with the limited number of operating systems capable of coping with sucha setup—options are limited to Microsoft’s Windows Server, Red Hat’s Linux orHewlett-Packard’s flavor of UNIX. Stratus customers include the Shanghai StockExchange, AT&T, the FAA, the distribution arm of CVS and Purdue Pharmaceutical.Stratus controls 15 percent of the market for these specialized servers.

Rollercoaster of a decade

The 2000s have been a roller-coaster ride for Stratus, with minor dips and turns anda lot of firsts and yelps of exhilaration. The only low point in the company’s recenthistory was when it was forced to cut 20 percent of headcount in 2005 due to a lossin profit. But it’s been smooth cruising before that and since then. In 2002, thecompany introduced the Uptime Meter, designed to keep track of the percentage oftime that its servers are up and running—last time Vault checked, Stratus has theirservers running at 99.99 percent. Catering to companies on a budget, Stratusunveiled the Solutions Services Group in 2005, a provider of software, hardware andknow-how for corporations that want to set up their own servers out of pocket. Finally,in 2007 Stratus snagged the Kansas City Terminal Railway Company as a client, andStratus is responsible for directing rail traffic, which isn’t peanuts, especially if areliable server could spell the difference between arriving on time, or even arriving atall.

IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: Xcellent

Stratus swam in a sea of thumbs-up from its peers at the XChange SolutionProvider 2009 event. Stratus’ Avance earned an Innovative Technology Solution


Stratus Technologies

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XCellence Award for its potential to generate new revenue streams, strong marketopportunity and the audience’s willingness to represent the product. AllanJennings, general manager of Stratus’ Avance business group, said that thecompany’s goal was always to provide its customers with the best possiblesolutions. “It is great to see our Avance software recognized for innovation by thesolution provider community,” he said.

• December 2008: Namaste, India!

Stratus pushed through to Middle Asia for expansion despite the economicdepression. Stratus’ ftServers will be travelling to India to provide fault-tolerantserver assistance to three new services: a nationwide Windows-based paymentinfrastructure by PRIZMS Payments, the nation’s first online tea auction by TheTea Board of India and a nationwide online trading expansion by MCX. “India iscertainly among the leading nations to aggressively invest in electronic trading andfinancial services, and has been for more than a decade. It shows no signs ofslowing down.” Stratus vice president for the Asia/Pacific Region, Freeman Nungsaid. “India is a rapidly developing economy because it sees its future clearly andhas the conviction to do what is needed today to realize that vision.”

• January 2008: Happy new year

Stratus had more reasons to pop the cork and celebrate than just ushering in anew year. Stratus’ products have been recognized by several institutions.InfoWorld magazine has awarded the year’s Best Fault Tolerant Award. PaulVenezia, an InfoWorld reviewer, applauds the ftServer 4400’s bulletproof resistanceno matter how heavy the load. Stratus also ranked No. 72 in American Banker’sFin Tech 100 list. Denny Lane, director of product marketing and management,was grateful for the audience’s recognition of the company’s efforts. “Theseorganizations did extensive surveying and testing to arrive at their conclusions, andwe’re honored to be among the companies they singled out for distinction.”

• March 2007: A step towards virtualization

Stratus and NEC released their first quad-core fault-tolerant server, the ftServer6200. CRN.com explained that this joint venture by Stratus and NEC consists of“two completely redundant servers.” The server is equipped with one or two IntelXeon processors, 24 GB of memory, up to three SAS or SATA hard drives andLockStep technology, which allows the two servers to process the same data andapplications. This technology allows one server to seamlessly get the job donewhen the other server gets bogged down with too much data or processes. Theproject is a result of the two-year joint venture by Stratus and NEC, and isscheduled for shipping in mid-July.



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GETTING HIRED

Have a stable career

Stratus’ careers page, at www.stratus.com/careers, provides information about jobopportunities and benefits. To apply for a position, job seekers must first create aprofile. Stratus also offers opportunities for co-ops and interns. The company’sbenefits are generous, with the standard health, dental, long-term care and lifeinsurance, as well as a flexible spending account for dependent or medical expenses,401(k) with company matching, tuition reimbursement and a company fitness centerat Stratus’ headquarters.



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447

SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC.

4150 Network Circle


Phone: (650) 960-1300

Fax: (408) 276-3804

www.sun.com

LOCATIONS

Santa Clara, CA (HQ) • Austin, TX •

Beaverton, OR • Boston, MA • Broomfield,

CO • Burlington, MA • Chicago, IL • College

Park, MD • Denver, CO • Ft. Lauderdale,

FL • Hillsboro, OR • McLean, VA • Menlo

Park, CA • Pittsburgh, PA • Plano, TX • San

Diego, CA

86 locations throughout Europe, Asia,

Australia, South America, Canada and

Mexico.

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Corporate Information

Systems • Customer Service/Field Service

• Software Engineering • Hardware

Engineering • Human Resources • Legal

Manufacturing • Marketing • Sales •

Technical Consulting

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: JAVA


Chairman: Scott McNealy

President & CEO: Jonathan Schwartz


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 13,880

2008 Income ($ mil.): -403

KEY COMPETITORS

Hewlett-Packard

IBM

Microsoft

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.sun.com/corp_emp

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THE SCOOP

Let the Sun shine in

Need something computer-related? Sun can provide it, as there are few things in thecomputing universe that are not dreamt of in its philosophy. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company manufactures all manner of products, including software, servers,data storage centers, workstations, computer chips (Sun’s line of chips is known asSPARC) and an operating system (Solaris), as well as networking and securityhardware. Sun also offers consulting and support services.

The company is the leading maker of UNIX-based servers and it also developed Java,a popular programming language that can run software on everything from desktopcomputers to cell phones and smart cards. The company has embraced open sourceformatting of UNIX, Solaris and Java, letting computer programmers around the worldaccess them for free, with Sun charging for updates and services. Sun can be foundin tech hotspots like the Silicon Valley area and up-and-coming, tech-friendly areaslike Kazakhstan and Poland.

Around the world in four years

Sun was founded in 1982 with all of four employees, including former CEO ScottMcNealy. International expansion swiftly followed, with a location in Europe in 1983,Canada in 1985 and Asian and Australian outposts the next year. Sun’s big breakwas its introduction of NFS technology in 1984, which became the standard fornetwork file sharing operations. The company expanded its NFS technology to PCsin 1986, the same year it first offered its stock to the public. Sun partnered with AT&Tin 1987 to develop the UNIX operating system, and it had annual revenue of over $1billion by the next year. It reached a major milestone in 1993, when it was added tothe S&P 500. The company introduced Java, the any-platform programminglanguage, in 1995, the same year that the first full-length computer animated movie,Toy Story, was partly created on Sun computers. The company agreed to license Javato all hardware and software manufacturers in 1996, and Java soon found its wayonto the 1997 Mars mission.

Sun burst by the tech bubble

The 2000s were marked by Sun acquiring a number of companies to broadenexpertise in networking and data storage. The early part of the decade was marred,however, by a protracted legal battle with Microsoft over the inclusion of Java inInternet Explorer, and by the bursting of the dot-com bubble, which hit Sun especiallyhard. Microsoft settled for $1.6 billion in 2004, but Sun had suffered through twostraight unprofitable years by then. The company scrambled to cut costs, firing 9percent of its workers in 2004.


Sun Microsystems, Inc.

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Return to Sunshine

In 2005, following its belief that open-source formats are the key to future success,Sun released more than 1,500 patents into the public domain, among them thesource code for Solaris, Sun’s offering for the UNIX operating system. It released theJava source code for free in November 2006. In the same year, the companyannounced Sun Grid, a system whereby companies can upload data in order to becrunched or stored by Sun’s computers as a way for IT departments to keep a lid oncosts. Sun posted its fourth consecutive year of losses since 2002. In fiscal 2007(the year ending June 30, 2007), the company returned to profitability with netincome of $473 million as compared with a net loss of $864 million for fiscal 2006.Sun landed on the 184th spot of the Fortune 500 in 2008 with revenue of $13.8billion. However, it posted a net loss of $403 million. It has figured in recent mergertalks with IBM.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Sun accepts Oracle’s offer; turns down IBM

Sun Microsystems will merge with Oracle. After rejecting IBM’s $7 billion offer, anoffer lower than its original offer of $10 to $11 per share, Sun will now merge withOracle for almost the same amount, or $9.50 per share. While the deal still has tobe finalized, analysts are already cheering the merger.

• April 2009: Sun helps Uncle Sam build national health info network

Bill Vass, president and COO of Sun Microsystems Federal, announced that open-source technologies from Sun will help build the National Health InformationNetwork (NHIN) that will enable the secure exchange of health information amongmultiple agencies in the United States.

• January 2009: Net loss of $209 million in Q2 fiscal 2009

Sun released financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 (which endedDecember 28, 2008), showing $3.2 billion in revenue, a decrease of 10.9 percentcompared with the same quarter in fiscal 2008, but an increase of 7.7 percentcompared with $2.9 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. On a GAAP basis,net loss for Q2 2009 was $209 million, however.

• November 2008: Restructuring launched to reduce costs by $700 million

Sun’s board of directors announced a restructuring program to align the businesswith the global economic climate. The plan includes job cuts numbering 5,000 to6,000, or between 15 and 18 percent of the company’s workforce and areorganization into three new business groups called application platform software,systems platforms and cloud computing and developer platforms. CEO JonathanSchwartz said Sun expects to reduce costs by $700 million to $800 million due to



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the restructuring, but the benefits will only be felt by the third quarter of fiscal2010.

• August 2008: Share repurchase up to $1 billion

The company’s board authorized a repurchase of Sun Microsystems’ commonstock worth up to $1 billion. This repurchase came on the heels of a $3 billionrepurchase plan announced by the board in fourth quarter 2007. CEO Schwartzsaid the repurchase will allow the company to pursue its strategic growth plans.

GETTING HIRED

Your time to shine

Sun’s careers site, at www.sun.com/corp_emp, tells you everything you’ll need toknow in order to find your own place in Sun. Sunny hopefuls can check out jobopportunities hither and yon at www.sun.com/corp_emp/zone/index.html. Sun islooking for students with degrees in business, marketing, CS or computer engineeringand allied disciplines. Sun recruits at a large number of schools, including BrighamYoung, Boston University, Syracuse, Carnegie Mellon, MIT and Yale. It also gladlyaccepts resumes from students attending schools outside its recruiting circuit.Engineering students are encouraged to acquaint themselves with the SEED program,Sun Engineering Enrichment & Development, for young engineers. The SEEDprogram is one of Sun’s largest mentoring programs and pairs promising collegerecruits (as well as established employees) with distinguished engineers, Sun fellows,VPs and directors who have volunteered to be mentors. Sun also offers internshipopportunities for college and MBA undergraduates pursuing certain areas of study.Interns are paid (they even get overtime!) and have access to the fitness facilitieswhere they work as well as the opportunity to attend networking events withexecutives.

Depending on the position, the interviews may take several rounds. There are acouple of rounds, for example, for relative junior engineer positions. The applicantgets to meet with a few senior engineers and a couple of managers. For more senior-level applicants such as a manager, the interview can be a real challenge, as it maytake more sessions, including interviews with prospective employees to unit vicepresidents. A Vault source who interviewed for the position of lead developmentmanager went through nine rounds.

Candidates can also get the latest on benefits, culture and student recruiting.Benefits include a choice of health plans, dental, life and disability insurance, 401(k),fitness centers, adoption assistance, emergency child care and discounts oneverything from company stock to recreational outings to Sun products—you canstart your own server farm!



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With a program unique to Sun called Open Work, employees have the ability to workanytime, anywhere, using any device. More than 55 percent of the workforcecurrently participates in the program. Sun promotes a healthy work/life balance byallowing its employees the work flexibility they need in order to maintain a family,hobbies and other work-unrelated responsibilities. As long as high-quality work isbeing produced, it doesn’t matter when or where Sun employees do it.

Company culture, as befits a California company, is laid-back. Sun is willing to beflexible about hours and telecommuting, and the dress code is casual. Thecompany’s employees also have a tradition of pulling pranks on April Fool’s Day. Oneyear, the VP of research found his Ferrari floating in a pond, while the next year,several executives’ offices were joined to accommodate a par four golf course. Othernotable pranks have involved peacocks, sharks and a 60-foot wooden arrow. Sincethe company’s early days, on Friday afternoons employees have been invited to havepretzels and beer with the executives. Sun embodies a culture of transparency,encouraging its employees to voice their opinions, air complaints and makesuggestions for a better work environment. Much like a professor hosting officehours, Sun’s top execs have adopted an “open-door policy,” where all employees areinvited to interface with Sun’s “top dogs.” Have a new idea? Share it with the CEO!

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Growing in the Sun

Sun Microsystems is described by insiders as “a great place to learn technology,” “agreat engineering company,” and a place that gives its team members enoughflexibility “to get creative.” The work culture varies across departments, with somemore laid-back than others.

“Sun is a great place to learn technology, and to practice engineering. One gets toknow great engineers in Sun, and can learn quite a bit from them. If you are a collegegrad or have an innovative mind, you can benefit from it,” says a contact working inSun’s Sunnyvale, Calif., location.

A lead development manager based in Boise, Idaho, says, “Working at Sun is excitingand flexible. I am able to manage and operate my team with little corporate influence.My team works out of a small satellite office where we are allowed to work anddevelop as we need. The flexibility allows us to get creative and increase sales withoutany major red tape.”

“Working with Sun is a great experience … Sun is a much bigger organization thanany other, with deep customer relationships, which is a real advantage to me,” saysan insider from Sun’s base in Denver.



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There are some negatives, however. “It is hierarchical, seniority-based, slow intransition, and work is not distributed evenly among individuals in the same group oramong different groups,” says a contact. “These characteristics have negativeimplications and cost [the] company quite a bit. Since its hierarchical, upper-levelmanagement knows little about a layer down. An engineer can stay invisible despitecontributions. Seniority values more time of stay versus merit. The more one gets toknow environment, knows more about tricks, politics, resources, and will get morestability or even more vacation … Some people are really working hard andinterestingly not rewarded. And some have adapted to play organizational games tosurvive,” the source adds.

In the salary area, an insider says, “Sun pays well in the upper 75 percent of themarket.” However, salaries have not been increasing that much recently.



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SYBASE INCORPORATED

453

One Sybase Drive

Dublin, CA 94568

Phone: (925) 236-5000

Fax: (925) 236-4321

www.sybase.com

DEPARTMENTS

Business Operations •

Consulting/Professional Services •

Corporate Development • Customer

Service & Support • Engineering • Finance

• Human Resources • iAnywhere •


Manufacturing & Logistics • Marketing •

Purchasing • Real Estate & Facilities •

Sales • Senior Management • Sybase 365

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SY


Chairman, President & CEO: John S.

Chen


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,131.9

2008 Income ($ mil.): 138.6

KEY COMPETITORS

IBM

Microsoft

Oracle

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.sybase.com/about_sybase/careers

LOCATIONS

Dublin, CA (HQ)

Albany, NY • Alpharetta, GA • American

Fork, UT • Bellevue, WA • Bethesda, MD •

Boise, ID • Boulder, CO • Charlotte, NC •

Chicago, IL • Concord, MA • Concord, NH •

Corvallis, OR • Dallas, TX • Doylestown, PA

• Englewood, CO • Houston, TX • Irvine, CA

• New York, NY • Novi, MI • Orem, UT •

Parsippany, NJ • Philadelphia, PA • Phoenix,

AZ • Reston, VA • San Diego, CA • Tampa,

FL

Abu Dhabi • Ankara • Athens • Bangalore •

Bangkok • Beijing • Belgrade • Bogota •

Brasilia, Brazil • Bratislava • Bristol, United

Kingdom • Bucharest • Budapest • Buenos

Aires • Cairo • Cape Town • Caracas •

Carnaxide, Portugal • Casablanca •

Chengdu, China • Chennai • Copenhagen •

Dubai • Dublin • Düsseldorf • Frankfurt •

Guangzhou • Guatemala City • Hamburg •

Helsinki • Herrenberg, Germany • Istanbul •

Jakarta • Johannesburg • Karachi, Pakistan

• Kiev • Kista, Sweden • Kuala Lumpur •

Lima • London • Madrid • Maidenhead,

United Kingdom • Mexico City • Milan •

Mississauga, Canada • Moscow • Mumbai •

New Delhi • North Sydney • Osaka • Oslo •

Ottawa • Panama City • Paris • Pasig City,

Philippines • Pokfulam, Hong Kong • Prague

• Pune, India • Quito, Ecuador • Riga, Latvia

• Riyadh • Rome • San Jose, Costa Rica •

San Salvador • Santiago • São Paulo •


Sofia, Bulgaria • Colombo •

Taipei • Tallinn, Estonia • Tel Aviv • Tokyo •

Toronto • Utrecht • Vienna • Vilnius,

Lithuania • Warsaw • Waterloo • Wellington •

Xi’an • Zagreb, Croatia • Zaventem, Belgium

• Zurich

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THE SCOOP

Make information work for you (wherever you are)

Sybase, once a leader in software for database applications, is reinventing itself as aprovider of software for mobile communications. Currently, the company issomewhere in the midst of these two areas. Its database unit specializes in serversand software for handling and analyzing large amounts of data in a short amount oftime, principally for companies in the financial, government and health care sectors.In addition to Sybase’s traditional information management business, the companyhas two major mobility-focused subsidiaries, Sybase iAnywhere and Sybase 365. Itsclientele includes 91 companies in the Fortune 100.

The iAnywhere business unit develops mobile middleware software that allowswireless devices to communicate seamlessly with each other, for instance, allowinglaptops to talk to BlackBerry devices, and vice versa. On the other hand, Sybase 365is one of Sybase’s newer subsidiaries, focused on mobile services, messagingtechnology and applications (SMS and MMS) and m-commerce (that’s mobilecommerce—or purchasing via cell phone. This subsidiary processes more than sixbillion messages a month for more than 2.2 billion mobile device users worldwide—about 77 percent of the world’s subscribers.

System Database forms Sybase

Sybase was formed in 1984 when tech whizzes Mark Hoffman and Robert Epsteincame together with the goal of marketing a relational database management system(RDBMS), calling their new venture Sybase (short for “System Database”). When theproduct was released in 1987, its use was limited to IBM and a handful of otherhardware platforms. In 1988, Sybase formed an alliance with Microsoft, which hadpreviously licensed Sybase technologies, to co-develop and sell versions of Sybase’sRDBMS with its operating systems. In 1990, the company began pursuing anaggressive growth strategy, purchasing SQL Solutions, a database consultingcompany, then going public in 1991, and buying multimedia application tool designerGain Technology in 1993. By emphasizing service, pushing international growth,providing quick delivery and specializing in databases for UNIX systems, Sybase hadbecome the second-largest supplier of software for relational databases by that time,trailing only Oracle.

System 10 fails; cofounder ousted

Then, the company introduced the ill-fated System 10 in 1993, which simply provedtoo slow. The flop provided rivals Oracle and Informix with a golden opportunity to eatinto the company’s market share. Cofounder Hoffman attempted to right the ship in1996, removing David Peterschmidt as CFO and eliminating the COO position, but


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the Sybase board ousted him later in the year. (Hoffman would go on to foundCommerce One.) Later that year, Sybase bought another company and got a newCEO in one fell swoop, when it purchased Powersoft for $950 million and installed itscofounder, Mitchell Kertzmann, as Hoffman’s replacement. Kertzmann quicklybegan to streamline operations by laying off staff and selling non-core businesses, butleft in the middle of the process to head an Oracle spin-off in 1997. Sybase presidentJohn Chen immediately took the vacant position, and has served as chairman, CEO,and president ever since.

Rebound from fourth place

In the 2000s, Sybase bought Home Financial Network (internet financial services) for$130 million and software integration specialist New Era of Networks, for $373million, in 2001. Sybase then poured some money into advertisements to spreadsome brand recognition and catch up with Oracle, Microsoft and IBM. It was to noavail, as Sybase’s database software sales stagnated to 3 percent growth by 2006,and the company found itself entrenched in fourth place in the market. But Chen’sreorganizing would soon start to bear fruit; in 2003, Chen selected the mobility sectoras Sybase’s next great area of growth, and began looking for acquisition possibilities.He selected iAnywhere Solutions as Sybase’s flagship line for mobile products, andsoon started beefing up the mobility initiative with acquisitions: AvantGo in 2003,Dejima in 2004, Solonde and iFoundry in 2006. Then, Sybase made a successful$425 million bid for Mobile 365, now Sybase 365, the company’s flagship messagingand mobile services unit. Sybase’s revenue and profits have increased in recentyears. In terms of revenue, the level in 2006 was $876 million, followed by more than$1 billion in 2007 and then by 10 percent growth in 2008. In its 2008 annual report,Sybase reported $640 million in cash.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: New version of iAnywhere Mobile Office launched

Sybase released a new version of its iAnywhere Mobile Office solution offeringemail, calendar, tasks and contacts and corporate directory lookup. The newversion will also be available on the iPhone and can be downloaded directly fromApple’s App Store.

• March 2009: Sybase enters complex event processing business

The company introduced Sybase CEP (complex event processing) which will beembedded initially in RAP-The Trading Edition capital markets platform. CEP is anemerging technology for building management information systems withapplications in such areas as business activity monitoring, business processmanagement, enterprise application integration and network- and business-levelsecurity.


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• February 2009: iAnywhere, Marvell collaboration on telematics

Sybase iAnywhere announced that it will work with Marvell Semiconductor todevelop next-generation Bluetooth technology, codenamed “Seattle” that willenable the simultaneous use of handsfree operation, data (phone book)synchronization, in-car audio streaming and in-car video streaming by multipleusers in one vehicle. Other expected applications of the new technology areautomated toll payments and traffic management systems.

• January 2009: Best quarter, year in company history

Sybase released financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2008, sayingthe figures make the quarter and year the best yet in the company’s history. Totalrevenue in the quarter was $305.1 million and $1.13 billion for the full year. Thisshowed a 10 percent revenue increase year over year. John Chen, Sybasechairman, president and CEO, says this is the first time that the companyregistered revenue of more than $300 million.

GETTING HIRED

Relate yourself to Sybase

Job seekers can check out the Employment section of Sybase’s website, atwww.sybase.com/about_sybase/careers, to either upload a resume or search currentjob openings by category, location or keyword. Sybase offers a competitive benefitsplan featuring medical, dental, vision and life insurance, employee stock purchaseplan and stock awards, 401(k) plan, education assistance program, adoptionassistance program and even on-site child care and fitness centers at some locations.The company prides itself on its lack of gratuitous layers of management and its manyflexible career paths; there are ample opportunities for career development throughSybase University.

College students can join the Sybase family, at least until their classes start. Thecompany offers internships and co-ops at various locations. Interns get paid holidays,access to fitness facilities (if available) and training on any software they may utilizeat work.


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SYMANTEC CORPORATION

20330 Stevens Creek Boulevard

Cupertino, CA 95014

Phone: (408) 517-8000

Fax: (408) 517-8186

www.symantec.com

LOCATIONS

Cupertino, CA (HQ)

Atlanta, GA • Boston, MA • Cary, NC •

Charlotte, NC • Chicago, IL • Columbia,

MD • Columbus, OH • Culver City, CA •

Dallas, TX • Denver, CO • Edison, NJ • Ft.

Lauderdale, FL • Glastonbury, CT •

Houston, TX • Kansas City, KS • King of

Prussia, PA • Las Vegas, NV • Minneapolis,

MN • New York, NY • Omaha, NE •

Orlando, FL • Phoenix, AZ • Sacramento,

CA • San Diego, CA • San Francisco, CA •

San Jose, CA • San Juan, PR • Seattle,

WA • St. Louis, MO • Washington, DC

Aschheim, Germany • Auckland • Baerum,

Norway • Bangalore • Beijing • Budapest •

Calgary • Copenhagen • Dublin •

Edmonton • Guangzhou • Helsinki • Hong

Kong • Istanbul • Johannesburg • Kista,

Sweden • Lausanne • Madrid • Maroussi,

Greece • Melbourne • Milan • Montreal •

Moscow • Mumbai • North Ryde, Australia •

Ottawa • Paris • Petaling Jaya, Malaysia •

Prague • Reading, United Kingdom •

Regina, Canada • Sandton, South Africa •

Seoul • Shanghai • Singapore • Starnberg,

Germany • Sydney • Taipei • Tokyo •

Toronto • Vancouver • Vienna • Warsaw •

Wemmel, Belgium • Zaltbommel,

Netherlands • Zurich

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Brand Management &

Communication • Business Development •

Consulting • Consumer Business •

Contingent Worker • Corporate Security •

Development • Executive Office • Finance &

Accounting • Fixed Term Employee • Global

Services & Support • Human Resources •

Information Systems • Information


Marketing • Operations • Purchasing • Sales

• Services & Support • Technology • Training

• Web

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SYMC


Chairman & CEO: John W. Thompson


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 5,874

2008 Income ($mil.): 1,127

KEY COMPETITORS

McAfee

Microsoft

Trend Micro

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.symantec.com/about/careers/index.jsp

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THE SCOOP

Safety for data

If the Web is the Wild West, Symantec is the sheriff. In addition to its Norton Antivirusline of PC protection, the Cupertino, Calif.-based software company has made itsname developing utility programs, which manage and protect files from computercrashes and viruses. It also produces fax software including the pcANYWHERE,WinFax and ACT! lines. Symantec produces internet development tools in the Cafeproduct lines. It also releases the ominously named Internet Security Threat Report,a biannual analysis that summarizes the changing nature of malicious activity on theinternet, as well as the Internet Threat Meter, which uses the same color-codedadvisory system as the Department of Homeland Security, adapted for the internet.Symantec operates in 40 countries and counts 475 of the Fortune 500 as users ofthe company’s solutions.

Hendrix rocks Stanford! The tech one, that is ...

Unlike most other Silicon Valley startups, Symantec didn’t get its financing by maxingout its founders’ credit cards. The company started out in 1982 with brainpower fromStanford and a grant from the National Science Foundation. The fledgling company’sfirst product didn’t ship until 1985. The company built on founder Gary Hendrix’sexpertise in natural language processing, releasing as its first product a simpledatabase program that could manipulate data using commands in the form of Englishsentences instead of formulas. This functionality earned the program the name Q&A.But despite a nifty user interface, it never really caught on to the extent that similarprograms, like Lotus 1-2-3, did.

Buying up the competition

In 1987, the company embarked on a series of acquisitions that powered it along forover a decade. Symantec went public in 1989 to further finance its acquisitionstrategy and snapped up Peter Norton’s eponymous company hot on the heels of itsIPO. At the time, Norton was known for its data-protection and crash-recoverysoftware, and its name lives on in Symantec’s modern versions of the same products.Symantec’s purchasing spree slowed somewhat after the company incurred a $40million loss as a result of its 1995 acquisition of Delrina.

Belt-tightening after the shopping spree

In the early 2000s, however, business rebounded, largely on the strength of thecompany’s Norton utility and antivirus programs—especially as viruses matured intoever more annoying forms, such as the notorious Melissa virus. Symantec beefed upits backup in 2005 with its $10 billion-plus purchase of Veritas, a software provider


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for backing up data. The company snapped up eight more companies in early 2007,including outfits specializing in security for instant messaging, anti-file-piracyprograms, networks and server monitoring. A few months later, Symantec was backto its usual ways with the purchase of Altiris, a provider of network and devicesecurity, for $830 million. Despite the brisk pace of acquisitions or perhaps becauseof them, Symantec scaled back its earnings forecast by about 25 percent in early2007.

Geared up for souped-up viruses

Symantec’s security software is well placed for future profits as computer viruses groweven more serious. The malefactors of the internet have progressed from the relativepranks of viruses like Mydoom and Slammer into serious identity theft propositions,which target banks and consumers for data such as credit card numbers and bankaccount numbers.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Salem takes on CEO role

Symantec announced the appointment of Enrique Salem as CEO. Salem has beenwith Symantec for 16 years. The new CEO is a computer science graduate ofDartmouth College and had been named as 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year byErnst & Young.

• March 2009: Online backup service launched

The company launches Norton Online Backup, an online consumer data backupservice. Up to 25 gigabytes of online storage is made available for up to fivehousehold computers per account. The retail price for the service is $49.99 andadditional storage may be purchased in 10-, 25-, 50- and 100-GB increments.

• February 2009: The return of Norton Utilities

Symantec reintroduced the classic Norton Utilities to provide users with tools to“give your PC an instant tune-up and get it running like new again,” as RowanTrollope, senior vice president of Symantec’s consumer business unit, would haveit. The product will retail in the United States for $49.99.

• January 2009: “Solid” fiscal third quarter results

The company released financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 (whichended January 2, 2009), saying the figures indicate better than expectedperformance. GAAP revenue was $1.51 billion in the quarter. However, GAAP netloss was $6.81 billion, compared with $132 million net income in the same quarterlast year. According to CEO Salem: “Effective sales execution and our team’sability to successfully highlight the near-term ROI benefits of our solutions enabledus to deliver stronger than expected revenue against the backdrop of a challenging





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global economy ... We are well positioned to continue our success and emergefrom this economic downturn as a stronger company.”

• January 2007: $200 million savings target

Symantec announced that it plans to cut costs by $200 million as a way to keepcosts aligned with expected revenue. To achieve the savings target, the companywill curtail spending on consultants and air travel, lay off 800 employees andintroduce a hiring freeze.

GETTING HIRED

Find a secure career

Symantec’s careers site, at www.symantec.com/about/careers/index.jsp, providesinformation on the company’s benefits and culture. The culture at this company,which was among Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Companies in 2008, is markedby the company’s four principal values—trust, innovation, value and customer-driven.Benefits include health, dental and vision, as well as 401(k), stock purchase, paidpregnancy and disability leave, generous vacation allowance and kits for parents ofchildren of all ages. The company also offers employee- and management-nominated bonus programs.

Internships are available for college students in the divisions of finance, informationtechnology, product management, product marketing and software architecture.College recruits are also put to work in those areas. To qualify for these positions,students must major in a relevant field. For graduate students, Symantec funds agraduate research fellowship.

In order to apply, point your browser to www.symantec.com/about/careers/search.jsp.There were a handful of jobs posted on the site when Vault visited, including softwareengineer positions in Beijing, China, as well as manager and engineer slots in Georgiaand California. To apply, candidates must create a profile on a page offering a securesign-in.




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SYNNEX CORPORATION

44201 Nobel Drive

Fremont, CA 94538

Phone: (510) 656-3333

Fax: (510) 668-3777

www.synnex.com

LOCATIONS

Fremont, CA (HQ) • Beaverton, OR •

Carson, CA • Chantilly, VA • Fremont, CA •

Glendale Heights, IL • Greenville, SC •

Grove City, OH • Keasbey, NJ • Las Vegas,

NV • Los Angeles, CA • Miami, FL •

Norcross, GA • Olive Branch, MS •

Richardson, TX

Beijing • Calgary • Chengdu, China •

Guangzhou • Guelph, Canada • Halifax •

Mexico City • Montreal • Shanghai •

Telford, United Kingdom • Toronto •

Vancouver • Winnipeg, Canada

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting/Finance • Corporate • Credit &

Customer Service • Customer Advocacy •

Financial Operations • Legal • HR • IT •

Logistics • Marketing • Product

Management • Purchasing •

Sales/Technical Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: SNX


Chairman: Robert Huang

President & CEO: Kevin Murai


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 7,770

2008 Income ($ mil): 83.8

KEY COMPETITORS

Bell Microproducts

Ingram Micro

Tech Data

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.synnex.com/careers/careers.html


[email protected]

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THE SCOOP

They’re IT

Synnex describes itself as a business process services company servicing resellersand original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) all over the world. Synnex offersdistribution, assembly and marketing services of products from about 100 IT OEMsuppliers to more than 15,000 retailers and resellers of computer equipmentthroughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Among its key suppliers areHewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft and Seagate.

Founded in 1980 by current Chairman Robert Huang, the company was known asCompac Microelectronics until 1994, when it changed its name to SynnexInformation Technologies, Inc. Motivated by the desire to simplify the distribution ofits products, Taiwanese circuit board manufacturer MiTAC bought a majority of thecompany in 1992. Six years later, Synnex won contracts with HP and IBM toassemble computers and servers.

The company expanded into Mexico and China by 2002, and started selling its stockon NYSE for the first time in 2003. MiTAC maintains a majority stake in the company,and Matthew Miau currently serves as chairman for the boards of both MiTAC andSynnex.

Synnex branched out beyond its sales of computer parts in September 2006 when itcreated a new consumer electronics division, NEXCE. It hopes to provide consumerelectronics retailers with all the latest gadgets, from flat-screen TVs to GPS devices todigital cameras.

Synnex acquired five companies in 2006 and 2007 to expand its offerings. In April2006, it purchased Telpar, a distributor of point-of-sale equipment and equipment forauto-ID technology like bar code scanners and RFID, for $5 million. It bought aCanadian supplier of ink for printers and copiers for $17 million the following month.In September, Synnex acquired Concentrix, a marketing services firm. In 2007, thecompany acquired the Redmond Group of Companies and the computer wholesaledivision of Insight for more consumer electronics offerings. Synnex also obtained thetech support firm Link2Support, and a controlling interest in HiChina Inc., a well-respected Chinese e-commerce company. In 2008, Synnex’s consolidated revenuewas $7.8 billion, the same year it landed the 350th spot on the Fortune 500.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: EPS of 59 cents in Q1 2009 results

Synnex said that its revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2009 (which ended onFebruary 28, 2009) amounted to $1.73 billion, a 1.13 percent decrease from the


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same quarter in fiscal 2008. However, net income for the first quarter was $19.5million, translating to earnings of 59 cents per diluted share, compared with $16.8million or 51 cents per diluted share in the first quarter of fiscal 2008. Thecompany says the EPS level for first quarter 2009 exceeded even the Wall Streetestimate of 52 cents. Kevin Murai, Synnex president and CEO, is pleased with theresult, saying: “I am very pleased with the Synnex team’s ability to produce strongbottom line results and solid returns, especially in a challenging demandenvironment. We increased our market share, while at the same time deliveringgood gross margins and effectively managing our costs.”

• November 2008: Chairman Huang, President Murai

The company’s board of directors elected Robert T. Huang as chairman of theSynnex board and appoints Kevin Murai president and CEO.

• April 2008: Climbing up to No. 350 on the Fortune 500 ladder

Fortune magazine named Synnex as No. 350 on its ranking of 500-largestcompanies based on revenue for the fiscal year 2008 (ended on November 30,2007). It was 10 notches up for Synnex from its 360th place in 2007. Thecompany is one of seven IT distribution companies on the Fortune 500.

GETTING HIRED

Assemble your career at Synnex

Synnex’s careers page, at synnex.com/careers/careers.html, provides informationabout job openings, benefits, training and how to apply at Synnex. Jobs are onlysearchable by location; to apply, resumes and cover letters may be submitted viaemail to the specified address, or by fax or snail mail, using the information on the“How to Apply” page (at www.synnex.com/careers/how_to_apply.html).

The company’s benefits include medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k),discount stock purchase, tuition reimbursement for approved courses, a generousemployee referral program—and discounts on merchandise and gym membershipsfor employees and their families. (There is even pet insurance.) New sales hires areoffered three weeks of training. There’s also the Synnex Knowledge Transfer Team foremployees’ knowledge transfer needs. The company also has information about twoselected locations—lovely downtown Fremont, Calif., where the company HQ islocated, and Greenville, South Carolina.


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TECH DATA CORPORATION

5350 Tech Data Drive

Clearwater, FL 33760

Phone: (727) 539-7429

Fax: (727) 538-7803

www.techdata.com

LOCATIONS

Clearwater, FL (HQ)

Fontana, CA • Fort Worth, TX • Miami, FL •

South Bend, IN • Suwanee, GA •

Swedesboro, NJ

Aalst, Belgium • Alfragide, Portugal •

Barcelona • Basingstoke, United Kingdom •

Birkerod, Denmark • Dublin • Gland,

Switzerland • Helsinki • Mexico City • Milan

• Mississauga, Canada • Montreal • Munich

• Oslo • Paris • Prague • Richmond,

Canada • Rotkreuz, Switzerland •

StockholmTernat, Belgium • Utrecht •

Vienna • Warsaw

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting/Finance • Corporate •

Corporate Accounting • Credit & Customer

Service • Finance/Legal • Finance/Tax &

Treasury • HR • IT • Latin America Sales •

Logistics & Integration Services • Loss

Prevention • Marketing • Purchasing • Real

Estate/Corp Services • Sales/Technical

Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: TECD


Chairman: Steven A. Raymund

CEO: Robert M. Dutkowsky


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 23,423

2008 Company Income ($ mil.): 108.3

KEY COMPETITORS

Ingram Micro Inc.

SYNNEX Corp.

Westcon

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.techdata.com/content/visitor/abouttd/ta

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THE SCOOP

Technical definition

Tech Data sells the tech to store your data, among other things. The company is awholesale distributor of computer equipment with a catalogue ranging from Adobe toXerox that it sells to retailers and value-added resellers (that is, companies thatassemble your computer for you, like Dell). It also offers some technical supportservices to its customers as well. Tech Data’s customers include 100,000 IT solutionsproviders in 100 countries. The company is No. 105 on the Fortune 500 with netsales of $23.4 billion in net sales as of the end of fiscal 2008.

Tech Data dates back to the days when data was stored on magnetic tape rather thanthumb drives. The company got its start in 1974, selling such computer essentialsas magnetic tape and disc packs to the users of mainframe computers in Florida. Atthe time, though, another revolution was brewing—that of the personal computer.The company moved into supplying the personal computer market in the 1980s, andrevenue increased in step with growth in that sector. The company had its first stockoffering in 1986. Three years later, the company expanded into Canada, its first stepsin a strategy of expansion that would take it through the 1990s. In 1994, Tech Dataentered Europe through its acquisition of Paris-based Softmart International. Itstarted serving Latin America in 1997 with a facility in São Paolo, Brazil. In 2003, thecompany purchased another European distributor in order to grab more market shareoverseas.

In 2006, Tech Data announced a new CEO. The new guy in the big chair is RobertM. Dutkowsky, formerly CEO of Egenera, a server management company, and beforethat, of IBM. He succeeded Steven A. Raymund, who had served the company asCEO for two decades. In 2008, Tech Data posted sales of $23.4 billion, the highestin the company’s history.

Tech Data is in the Fortune 500 Hall of Fame for being among only a handful ofcompanies that have risen more than 250 slots on the list within the last 10 years.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Tech Data becomes exclusive U.S. distributor of Pelco

Tech Data announced that it secured an exclusive distributorship of Pelco videosurveillance and security equipment in the United States. Tech Data’s physicalsecurity specialized business unit will be tasked with reselling Pelco’s securityproduct line, which includes IP surveillance cameras, video recorders anddisplays, as well as surveillance camera accessories such as lenses, enclosuresand mounts.


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• December 2008: Partnership with Vizioncore

The company said that it entered into partnership with Vizioncore, a leadingprovider of software solutions for virtual and physical server management, to makethe latter’s products accessible to value-added resellers.

• April 2008: Record-high sales land Tech Data on Fortune 500’s 105th slot

Net sales of $23.4 billion in fiscal 2008 (ended on January 31, 2008)—TechData’s highest sales ever—enabled Tech Data to climb four slots to land at No. 105on the Fortune 500.

GETTING HIRED

Tune up your career

Tech Data’s careers site, atwww.techdata.com/content/visitor/abouttd/tampabay.aspx, provides informationabout benefits, job openings, and working in Tampa Bay. Benefits include basic lifeinsurance up to $50,000; medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) withcompany match and discount stock purchase plan and tuition reimbursement.Nice perks include a subsidy for day care for young children, pet insurance,discount laser eye surgery, and a fitness center and library at one location. In orderto apply to a position, candidates must first create a profile. While the company isone of the largest employers in Florida, it has some trouble attracting applicantsbecause it lacks name recognition outside of the tech sector.

The company’s location in sunny Tampa Bay might also be considered a perk of thejob. Temperatures are mild, with a January average of 60 degrees, and there areplenty of activities to suit all types in the area, ranging from sailing and fishing to theGasparilla Pirate Festival to football, the Salvador Dali museum and the orchestra.


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TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON

Torshamnsgatan 23, Kista

Stockholm, 164 83

Sweden

Phone: +46 10 719 00 00

www.ericsson.com

LOCATIONS

Stockholm, Sweden (HQ)

New York, NY

Plano, TX

Research Triangle Park, NC

Vienna, VA

Washington, DC


DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Business Unit Global

Services • Business Unit Multimedia •

Business Unit Networks • Communications

• Engineering/R&D • Engineering/Services

• Facilities & Security • Finance • Human

Resources & Organization • Legal • Legal

Affairs • Management • Manufacturing •

Operational Development • Product Life

Cycle Management • Project Management

Sales & Marketing • Sales Support •

Sourcing • Supply • Technical Sales •

Technology

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ERIC


President, CEO & Member of the Board:

Carl-Henric Svanberg


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 208,930

2008 Income ($ mil.): 11,667

KEY COMPETITORS

Alcatel/Lucent

Huawei

Nokia/Siemens

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.ericsson.com/ericsson/careers

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THE SCOOP

Backbone of the wireless world

Ericsson is a giant in the field of communications, providing both wireless and wirednetworks and products that include base stations, switches, land-line networks, andcopper and fiber optic cables. Among its more specialized offerings are pico cells(small devices which improve cell phone reception within buildings or other enclosedspaces). Its services include network design and maintenance, support andconsulting. Ericsson is a leader in the global system for mobile (GSM)communication networks, and is responsible for about a third of them worldwide. Inaddition, some 40 percent of all mobile phone calls go through its networks each day.Ericsson also manufactures mobile phones through a joint venture with Sony.

Dits into bytes

Ericsson was founded in 1876 by Lars Magnus Ericsson. The company started outrepairing telegraph equipment, but Ericsson saw the potential in the telephone whenit arrived in Sweden the following year—talk about foresight! By 1886, Stockholm hadthe world’s largest number of phones per capita. The company expanded abroadduring the turn of the century and by 1900, 90 percent of its revenue came fromcountries as far away as Egypt and Australia. Thanks to this global presence,Ericsson profited during World War I, manufacturing switches for trains and electricitymeters. The global conflict brought not only a spike in business for the company, butalso things like political revolutions—and the company’s fortunes were (adversely)affected when its Russian factories were taken over by the Bolsheviks in 1918.Alleviating the setback somewhat was Ericsson’s merger the same year with SAT, theSwedish telephone service provider.

Ericsson’s fortunes didn’t pick up during the Depression, as the company narrowlyescaped being taken over by an American competitor in 1932. Profits started toimprove in the 1940s as the company was called upon to manufacture arms andcommunication devices for World War II (although Sweden was technically neutral atthe time, their companies traded with the Axis powers). About this time, Ericssonbegan to specialize in crossbar switches, which were used to direct telephone calls.At the time, a crossbar switch was the smallest device that could handle a largenumber of calls, and by 1955 the company had installed them in Finland, theNetherlands, Brazil, Australia and Mexico. Ericsson introduced a digital switch in1976, which was both smaller than the crossbar model and could accommodatemore calls.


Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson


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Cellphones for everyone?

The early years of the 21st century have seen Ericsson experiencing diminishingreturns which the company hopes can be offset by the enormous growth potential ofmarkets in the developing world. Countries in Southeast Asia, for example, havemobile phone market penetration of 40 percent. However, subscribers are signing upin droves and that area is projected to account for 100 million new mobile phoneusers within the next four years. These new subscribers will live in areas whereservices like electricity are spotty—and will need phones that can cope with theconditions. In addition, though these consumers may be willing to pay for mobilephones and related services, their funds are weak. Ericsson will have to figure out away to make an affordable phone for someone who earns the equivalent of a fewdollars per day.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Gaining ground

Ericsson’s HSPA Evolution, the latest high-speed broadband access technology,enhanced Mobilkom Austria’s mobile broadband services, boosting the latter’snetwork capacity and enabling peak data rates of up to 21Mbps. This confirmedEricsson’s leadership in the mobile broadband technology industry in Europealone. Furthermore, Ericsson decided to give Ascom a piece of the action when itentered into agreement with the company to divest its TEMS-branded productsbusiness, which consisted of tools for air interface monitoring and radio networkplanning. This move by the company will enable it to refine its business portfolioand focus more on the service business. At the same time, Ericsson was selectedby China Unicom to supply WCDMA networks and services for 15 Chineseprovinces. The networks will enable millions of subscribers in China to enjoy high-speed 3G mobile communications. Ericsson likewise inked an agreement withTelkomsel for the supply, deployment and integration of GSM/EDGE andWCDMA/HSPA radio access networks (RAN) in Indonesia.

• 2007: Mobile phones everywhere

The entire Ericsson family is moving forward with its global goals for mobile phoneservice. Sony Ericsson and the French company Safran SA announced a plan tomanufacture inexpensive phones using Safran’s technology. Also, the Ericssonparent company joined the fun, announcing the start of work with an Indian mobilephone provider to establish cell stations in the power-deprived Indian countryside.In an environmentally friendly flourish befitting its status as a grande dame amongEuropean companies, the plan involves the use of plant-derived diesel fuel topower the cell towers.





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• January 2007: Expanding networks

Ericsson moves to keep abreast of networking trends in the developed world as itcompletes its $2.1 billion acquisition of Redback Networks, a provider of routersthat connect to internet, telephone and cable TV systems. These devices arebecoming increasingly popular with the convergence of different communicationmedia and as consumers keep demanding higher bandwidth and higher-qualitytransmissions.

• January 2006: Some Marconi for company

Ericsson grew in fits and starts, with expensive acquisitions, falling phone pricesand record revenue. Ericsson finalized its $2 billion purchase of the MarconiCompany. A telecommunications firm with roots in the 19th century, Marconi hadrecently fallen on hard times, having lost a record $9 billion in 2002. After thepurchase, Ericsson spent nearly $300 million in restructuring costs and cuts 1,600jobs. By October, the company claimed to be breaking even. In the meantime,Ericsson saw average phone prices falling, further cutting into profits.

• 2006: Gripen-ing revenues

Ericsson posted revenue of $25 billion, a figure bumped up by the $500 millionsale of its defense technology division, which manufactures communicationsequipment for the Gripen fighter jet. Ericsson ranked No. 55 on the BusinessWeek InfoTech 100, ahead of its rivals Motorola and Nortel, but behind Nokia,which is ranked No. 17.

GETTING HIRED

Make networking your career

Ericsson’s careers site, at www.ericsson.com/ericsson/careers, provides informationfor students and experienced hires about working at Ericsson. Jobs are listed bylocation and function. In order to apply, candidates must first create a profile.Ericsson also accepts resumes for general inquiry. Positions at Ericsson’s R&Dfacilities are listed separately. Any questions can be directed [email protected].

Benefits at Ericsson vary by country, but generally include a bonus based on teamand company performance and a stock purchase plan. The company also offersnumerous avenues for training and sharing expertise, as well as moving about in theorganization.

Ericsson also offers internships for college students. Benefits offered to internsinclude relocation assistance, salary and paid vacation. The company posts aschedule of college visits.




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OUR SURVEY SAYS

Grueling screening process

Applicants have an edge if they graduated from premier universities or institutes. Anengineer trainee from India says candidates from premier institutes are beingshortlisted, and then there is a round of tests on core subjects. “Based on the test,candidates are again short-listed for the interview,” says the same contact. Aresearch engineer from Canada affirms to have undergone “two rounds of interviews”and comments “the atmosphere was very pleasant. Apart from my professionalprofile, expertise and career goals, I especially appreciated the discussion about mypersonal interests and hobbies.”

Role playing can also be part of the hiring process, recalls a project manager fromSweden. “Ericsson has a demanding evaluation process consisting of both personalinterviews and role plays, which [in effect] made me confident about the situation Iwould encounter as employee. [It also gave management an idea] of how I wouldreact in these situations.”





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TERADYNE INCORPORATED

600 Riverpark Drive

North Reading, MA 01864

Phone: (978) 370-2700

Fax: (978) 370-2910

www.teradyne.com

LOCATIONS

North Reading, MA (HQ) • Allentown, PA •

Austin, TX • Boise, ID • Chandler, AZ •

Essex Junction, VT • Folsom, CA • Irvine,

CA • Richardson, TX • San Jose, CA

Bangkok • Bayan Lepas, Malaysia • Beijing

• Bracknell, United Kingdom • Hong Kong •

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan • Kumamoto,

Japan • Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines •

Meylan, France • Milan • Mississauga,

Canada • Muar, Malaysia • Muntinlupa City,

Philippines • Munich • Rousset, France •

Saint Denis, France • São Paolo •

Selangor, Malaysia • Seoul • Shanghai •

Shenzhen • Singapore • Stockport, United

Kingdom • Suzhou, China • Taoyuan,

Taiwan • Tianjin, China • Tokyo • Zhubei

City, Taiwan

KEY COMPETITORS

Advantest Corporation

LTX-Credence Corporation

Verigy

DEPARTMENTS

Applications • Business Group • Business

Unit • Call Center Tech Support • Corporate

Compensation • Documentation/Training •

Engineering • Environment/Health/Safety •

Facilities • Field Application • Field

Operations • Field Service • Finance •

Human Resources • Import/Export •

Information Technology • Manufacturing •

Manufacturing Engineering • Manufacturing

Management • Marketing Communication •

Material Handling • Material Planning •

Operations • Order Management • Payroll •

Product Marketing • Product Support •

Production • Purchasing • Sales • Security

Test Development • Traffic/Transportation

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: TER


Chairman: Patricia S. Wolpert

President & CEO: Michael A. Bradley


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,107

2008 Income ($ mil.): -397.8

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.teradyne.com/hr


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THE SCOOP

Testing, testing

Teradyne, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of automated test equipment(ATE), used to analyze semiconductor chips and circuit boards. These bits ofelectronics, once vetted by Teradyne, wind up in everything from aerospaceequipment, automobiles, computers and defense electronics to telephone and datasystems. Notable consumers include Boeing and the U.S. government.

Teradyne was founded in 1960 by MIT graduates Nicholas DeWolf and Alexanderd’Arbeloff, who headquartered the company in a downtown Boston loft overlooking ahot dog stand and was a location that the founders could both walk to from theirhomes. DeWolf and d’Arbeloff’s idea was to take high-tech test equipment out of thelab and put it on the production line, increasing the speed and accuracy of the testsperformed on newly manufactured electronics. The company initially producedtesters for integrated circuits, resistors, transistors and diodes. But when Teradynebegan using computers to speed up the testing process in the late 1960s, it createdthe ATE industry of which it is one of the current leaders. The company startedTeradyne Components (later Teradyne Connection Systems) in 1968 to produceelectronics connection assemblies, and the firm went public in 1970. In 1972,Teradyne began developing a telephone system testing device called 4Tel.

Expanding...and going to China

The company formed its computer-aided engineering (CAE) group in the 1980s bypurchasing and combining Aida Corporation and Case Technologies. Decreasedmilitary spending in the early 1990s hurt sales, but a $63 million contract from theGerman national telephone system put Teradyne back on top in 1993. The companystarted its software and systems test unit in 1994. As demand for PCs grew in 1995,so did sales of the company’s semiconductor testing equipment, lifting Teradyne tothe $1 billion sales mark for the first time. In late 1999, the company announced thatit would spin off this software division. The following year, the company acquired twocompetitors, and opened its first location in China in 2003.

Moving

In 2006, Teradyne announced it would be moving its headquarters from Boston toNorth Reading, a town in Massachusetts about a half-hour north of the city. Thecompany posted revenue of $1.38 billion (a slight dip from a 2004 peak of $1.4billion), with a profit of $198 million the same year. Shortly thereafter, in 2007, theyacquired ATE assets for $17 million from Mosaid, an Ottawa-based semiconductorcompany, in a bid to bolster Teradyne’s R&D for memory testing. Teradyne postedsales of $1.1 billion in 2008 and employs 3,600 worldwide. It is recognized as theleader in system-on-a-chip (SOC) testing.


Teradyne Incorporated



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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Cost reductions in 2009 to reach $190 million

Teradyne revised its financial projections for the first quarter of 2009 (ending April5, 2009) saying a continued deterioration in the semiconductor equipment marketis forcing the company to further reduce costs. The company’s revised projectionsfor the quarter include sales between $115 million and $120 million and net lossper share between 42 cents and 40 cents on a non-GAAP basis. The forecastsare lower than those provided earlier by the company, which were $125 million to$145 million in sales for the first quarter of 2009 with a loss per share between 38cents and 31 cents on a non-GAAP basis. President and CEO Mike Bradley saidthe company will be forced to further cut costs by $50 million, bringing thecompany’s planned reductions in 2009 to $190 million.

• January 2009: Fiscal 2008 ends in a loss

The company released a report on financial performance for fiscal 2008 saying itposted sales of $1.1 billion, but that the preliminary GAAP loss from continuingoperations was $65.3 million. To reduce costs by some $140 million, Teradynealso announced that it will cut its workforce worldwide by 14 percent andimplement a 10 percent temporary pay cut.

• November 2008: The Eagle has been landed

The company announced that it completed its acquisition of Nasdaq-listed EagleTest Systems Inc. (ETS). With the acquisition, ETS’s common stock will no longertrade on Nasdaq. CEO Bradley says Eagle Test’s “solid franchise” in powermanagement and analog test applications will complement Teradyne’s SOC testapplicants.

• May 2008: Celebrating 35 years in Japan

Teradyne announced that it has moved its Japan headquarters from its firstlocation in Kumamoto, Kyushu Island, to Yokohama as the company marks 35years of operation in the country. The Japan unit manufactures the IP750 line ofimage test sensor systems which tests image sensors in digital cameras andrecorders worldwide.

GETTING HIRED

Test your limits

Teradyne’s careers pages, at www.teradyne.com/hr/, provide information on benefitsand job openings, as well as diversity at the company and its involvement in thecommunity. Benefits include getting a share of 10 percent of the company’s pre-taxprofit twice a year (in February and August); a 401(k) plan; a savings match-up from




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the company of up to the first 5 percent of your pay; health insurance for you, yourspouse of whatever gender, and your children as well as tuition reimbursement andcompany-sponsored classes. In order to apply to a position, job seekers must firstcreate a login. Job search options include directly applying online, leaving a CV andsetting up a search agent for automatic email alerts.

If you’re of the student persuasion, Teradyne offers everything from interview tips tointernships. Student opportunities are available through the career center oncampus. Interviews are initially given on campus; subsequent rounds happen atTeradyne locations. Internship opportunities are also distributed through collegecareer centers.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Exceptional talent pool, good environment

Insiders give Teradyne a thumbs-up as a company that employs talented people andmaintains a good working environment. It seems that those who manage to land jobsget so stoked on Teradyne that they stay for the long haul. They like the relaxed dresscode, flexible hours, the company’s “high integrity” and professionalism. “Check outthe longevity of employees at Teradyne as an indicator of the good workingenvironment,” says a systems engineer in the company’s Agoura Hills, Calif. location.

“Until I came to Teradyne in 1997, I had never met such a group of diverseemployees in my life, including both work and personal interests. The camaraderiewas very satisfying and I never witnessed anyone stealing credit on team projects. Myjob encompassed many different activities from the mundane to the very challengingand fun. In my opinion, in terms of standards and professionalism, Teradyne sets thehighest bar,” says an administrative assistant.

A systems engineer says: “Teradyne is a company with high integrity, alwaysconcerned about the customer first. Employees are considered the most importantresource in the company. We are given authority and responsibility over our jobs, arekept well-equipped and supported in all aspect of our jobs. Opportunities aboundwithin the context of the company’s products. Teradyne works at the ‘bleeding edge’of the electronics world given the task of developing test systems two to three yearsin advance of market need. The culture is one of respect for each other’s experience,training and capabilities.”

Our contacts say that the salary and benefits are competitive, with a survey done eachyear to ensure that the package is in line. Increases are based on reviews ofindividual work plans. “I had been given very generous salary increases over the lastfour years. Teradyne does annual salary reviews based upon individual goal plansand how employees did against those plans. When I began, I was making $31,000,”says an administrative assistant who was making $49,000 plus overtime in 2008.





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TEXAS INSTRUMENTSINCORPORATED

P.O. Box 660199

Dallas, TX 75266-0199

Phone: (972) 995-2011

Fax: (972) 927-6377

www.ti.com

LOCATIONS

Dallas, TX (HQ)

Alpharetta, GA • Attleboro, MA • Austin, TX

• Baltimore, MD • Boston, MA • Burlington,

MA • Chicago, IL • Detroit, MI • Duluth, GA

• Fishkill, NY • Ft. Lauderdale, FL •

Germantown, MD • Houston, TX •

Huntsville, AL • Indianapolis, IN • Irvine, CA

• Jackson, MS • Kokomo, IN • Laurence

Harbor, NJ • Longmont, CO • Manchester,

NH • Mansfield, MA • Milwaukee, WI •

Minneapolis, MN • Palo Alto, CA •

Philadelphia, PA • Pittsburgh, PA • Plano,

TX • Portland, OR • Raleigh, NC •

Rochester, MN • Rochester, NY • San

Diego, CA • San Jose, CA • Santa Barbara,

CA • Seattle, WA • Sherman, TX • St.

Louis, MO • St. Petersburg, FL •

Sunnyvale, CA • Tempe, AZ • Tucson, AZ •

Warren, NJ • Warrenville, IL • Warwick, RI •

Woodland Hills, CA

Alborg, Denmark • Espoo, Finland •

Freising, Germany • Herzliya, Israel • Kisa,

Sweden • Lund, Sweden • Northampton,

United Kingdom • Oslo • Ottawa, Canada •

Oulu, Finland • Ra’anana, Israel • Toronto •

Vancouver • Villeneuve-Loubet, France

DEPARTMENTS

Application Specific Integrated Circuit

(ASIC) • Broadband • Digital Consumer

Applications • Digital Control Applications •

Digital Signal Processing (DSP) • DLP

Technology • Educational & Productivity

Solutions (E&PS) • Engineering • Facility

Services • High-performance Analog •

Human Resources • Logic • Management •

Marketing • Quality • Radio Frequency

Identification • Technology & Manufacturing

Group • Wired Digital Media • Wireless •

Wireless Infrastructure • Wireless

Networking

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: TXN


Chairman, President & CEO: Richard K.

Templeton


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 12,501

2008 Income ($ mil.): 1,920

KEY COMPETITORS

Freescale Semiconductor

QUALCOMM

STMicroelectronics

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

focus.ti.com/careers/docs/careersportal.tsp?

sectionId=150


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THE SCOOP

Smaller, faster, better

The company that brought you the handheld calculator (in 1967) is now helping tomake computers and cell phones even smaller and faster. Texas Instruments (TI)manufactures analog technologies, digital signal processors (DSP) andmicrocontroller unit (MCU) semiconductors. In 2008, the company was the fourth-largest chipmaker in the world, according to market research firm iSuppli; it was No.185 on the Fortune 500 list; and No. 1 among semiconductor companies in Fortune’sMost Admired Companies for the fifth consecutive year. TI’s revenue in 2008 was$12.5 billion.

Oil to Electronics

TI was initially founded as an oil prospecting venture in 1930 called GeophysicalService, Inc. (GSI) whose high-tech method of reflection seismography to discover oiland gas deposits set it a class above its Texas peers. In 1941, GSI divested its oilprospecting division to the oil company that would become Amoco. Thetechnological branch of GSI changed its name to Texas Instruments Incorporated adecade later to reflect its focus on electronics. In 1952, the company bought alicense that allowed them to manufacture germanium transistors and began its nowhistorical work in the semiconductor industry. The company created the firstpracticable silicon transistors in 1954, and a pocket transistor radio later that year. In1958, engineer Jack Kilby created the first microchip on a strip of germanium in a TIlaboratory (he was awarded a Nobel Prize for his efforts in 2000). The companydeveloped the single-chip microprocessor and the single-chip microcomputer in the1970s.

No More Oil!

In the mid-1990s, chip prices fell, and TI refocused itself in the face of industry-wideinstability by completely divesting GSI in 1991. TI then concentrated on what it doesbest—its calculators, which had begun to set new sales records, and its microchipsfor all kinds of electrical devices, notably cell phones. Nevertheless, a collapse inmemory chip prices hurt the company in 1998; TI sold its memory business andfocused more intently on producing DSPs.

By the end of the 1990s, the company seemed to have weathered the industry-widedrop in sales quite well. Revenue had increased, due in part to a rise in demand forcell phones. As a step into the burgeoning Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market,TI formed an agreement with Clarent Corporation in 2000 to develop new VoIPsolutions. The market didn’t look up for long, though, as a slumping chip market





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forced the company to lay off some 2,500 employees in 2001. TI eventually turneditself around, with help from a reviving market for semiconductors, in 2002 and 2003.

Onto Chips...

In January 2005, the company announced it had integrated most of the computingfunctions that power wireless phones onto a single chip. These chips, which initiallybecame available in mid-2006, can incorporate features like an MP3 player andringtones, an FM radio receiver, color display and are even more efficient with powerthan phones built with multiple chips. TI believes in the “cell phone revolution,” andsees many possibilities for internet communications moving from laptops anddesktops to pocket-sized devices that can handle music, video, email, web browsingand video games. Wherever cell phone technology goes, TI and its chips plan to bealong for the ride.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: TI sues Citigroup, two other banks over $524 million securities

Texas Instruments sued Citigroup Inc., Morgan Stanley and Bank of New YorkMellon Corp., accusing the banks of misleading it into buying $524 million ofauction-rate securities that have become “illiquid” and cannot be easily convertedto cash. In a complaint filed before a Texas state court in Dallas County, TI saidthe banks falsely marketed the securities, which were backed by student loans, asa low-risk, liquid alternative to other short-term investments.

• March 2009: Ranges for Q1 2009 revenue, EPS narrowed

TI announced an update to its first quarter 2009 revenue and earnings per share(EPS) forecast. The expected financial reports were: revenue range between $1.79million and $2.05 billion (previously forecast at $1.62 to $2.12 billion) and EPS atbetween $0.08 loss and $0.00 breakeven (previously $0.11 loss and $0.03 profit).

• March 2009: In the company of best corporate citizens

Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine cited TI as No. 59 in its 10th annualBest Corporate Citizens list. It was the seventh such citation for TI in nine years.The list was based on publicly available information and ranked Russell 1000companies on their performance in environment, climate change, human rights,philanthropy, employee relations, financials and governance.

• January 2009: TI canceled plans to sell wireless baseband unit

The company said it changed its mind on its plan to sell its wireless merchant basestation IC division because it cannot find buyers willing to pay what the unit isworth. Instead, TI said it will slowly wind down the business and continue plansto concentrate its remaining wireless IC investments in its OMAP applicationsprocessors which power higher-end cellular handsets or “smart phones”.




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• January 2009: Net income dipped 86 percent, 12 percent of workforce let go

TI announced that it will shed 3,400 workers (about 12 percent of its workforce)as it restructures operations following one of the worst sequential and year-over-year quarterly performances in the history of the company. TI expects the job cutsto result in $700 million in annual savings when combined with the benefits fromearlier reorganization plans.

• July 2008: Analog business reorganized, power management unit added

TI reorganized its analog business, adding a power management unit andappointing a senior executive to lead the new division as the company pushes fora closer relationship with OEM customers seeking improvement in powerconsumption. The new unit is to be led by Steve Anderson, a 19-yearsemiconductor industry veteran.

• October 2007: Fastest DSP launched

The company released a faster version of its TMS320C6455 DSP. The processor’sspeed increased from 1 GHz to 1.2 GHz, giving it the fastest single-core DSP onthe market. Despite the speed increase, the price of the chip remains unchangedat $245, so the extra speed is essentially “free,” TI said.

GETTING HIRED

Instrumental careers

TI’s informative careers site(focus.ti.com/careers/docs/careersportal.tsp?sectionId=150) has information for jobseekers of every age and experience level. The site has nifty facts about thecompany, as well as lists of benefits and job opportunities in 10 regions includingNorth America, Europe and the Middle East, China, India, Japan, Korea and thePhilippines. Jobs in the United States can be accessed through the “CareerFinder”tab. After deciding on a prospective job location, applicants are advised to use thesite’s Fit Check tool with two tabs—one named “education and experience check,”the other “workplace and values check”—to determine whether they fit the TI bill.If it’s still a go, an applicant must get a CV ready and an RTF document ispreferred. In order to qualify for a job at TI, employees must pass a drug test.

High achievers wanted

TI offers co-op and paid internship programs that require a commitment of twoacademic terms. Setting the bar high, TI requires that students have a 3.0 GPA andpreferably be pursuing a degree in engineering, science or finance. The companyoffers paid relocation, relocation assistance and employee benefits. MBA internshipsare available as well.





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Recent graduates can find out about job opportunities on the site, too. TI posts acollege recruiting schedule (forthcoming at time of publication). Positions areavailable for graduates with engineering and finance degrees, and for those in doubt,there’s the Fit Check tool.

Once you’ve jumped through all the hoops in the TI hiring process, the companyamply rewards employees with generous benefits, like stock purchase plans, 401(k)s,bonus programs, customized health benefits, flexible work options, and perks like acorporate concierge, childcare resources, parenting programs, on-site cafeterias andfitness facilities. For TI’s efforts in this area, it’s been included in Fortune’s list of theTop 100 Best Places to Work. The company has also received accolades for itsdiversity program, as well as its employee retention.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Add a little Texas to your resume

Insiders report that “TI is surprisingly conservative for a high-tech company.” Itsconservatism is surprising, considering that it is “a youth-oriented company, not thebest place for people over 40,” according to one hire. “Work hours are long with 50to 60 per week being the norm. Frequent weekend [and] holiday work,” notes aninsider. “The company talks about work/life balance, but that’s all talk. You areexpected to work very long hours; something a lot of the company’s working momsstruggle with,” agrees a colleague.

“Pay and opportunities for advancement are open to all and based primarily on showinggood results,” adds a source. A software engineer in Dallas says, “TI has a technicalladder so you can advance in the company without going into management.” A Freising,Germany-based DSP test application engineer simply “loves working” with TI: “Theenvironment is great, you get a guide which helps you getting started, the people arefriendly, work hours are flexible, you do good you get promoted soon.”

Insiders say that while new hires get average pay, increases are based on performanceappraisals which get rave reviews from a contact: “I always thought the review processat TI was excellent. It was not a popularity contest since several people were involved.”“Because of TI’s review process and their salary curve, I was able to advance quickly andget very high raises due to my good performance,” says an engineer.

An application engineers notes that hires with less than a year of experience may startat $50,000 a year. “If you got a masters degree and want to join TI as a projectengineer, you will get something around $70,000 to $80,000. PhDs usually getaround $90,000 to $100,000. Sure, the pay and perks are great. But they all meanbusiness. The harder you work, you get paid more.”




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TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES, INC. (TSYS)

1600 First Avenue

Columbus, GA 31901

Phone: (706) 649-2310

Fax: (706) 644-8065

www.tsys.com

LOCATIONS

Columbus, GA (HQ) • Atlanta, GA • Boise,

ID • Golden, CO • Jacksonville, FL •

Norcross, GA • Roswell, GA • Tempe, AZ

London • Shanghai • St. Catharines,

Canada • Tokyo • Toluca, Mexico • York,

United Kingdom

DEPARTMENTS

Assessment & Consulting • Business

Continuity Management • Card Services-

Personalization • Client Acceptance • Client

Relations-PCS • Conversion Project

Management • DBS Support • Dialer

Support • DTS Quality Assurance • DTS

Technology • FCS Implementation Services

• Finance • Hosting • Implementation Team

• Information Security • Internal Audit • IT

Card Applications • IT Statements/TS2

Correspondence • IT-Project Office

Marketing • Platform Development • Press

Room • Product Support • QA • Risk

Management • SS - Statement Production •

Strategic Planning • System Development •

Systems Management • TLP Group• TSYS

Analytics • TSYS Business Support

Services • TSYS Prepaid Services

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: TSS


Chairman & CEO: Philip W. Tomlinson

President & COO: M. Troy Woods


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,939

2008 Income ($ mil.): 250.1

KEY COMPETITORS

BA Merchant Services

Elavon

First Data

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.tsys.com/careers

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THE SCOOP

Pay up

Total System Services, Inc., better known to its closer friends as TSYS, is one of theworld’s largest credit card payment processors—serving banks and private-label cardissuers the world over. The company offers its clients credit authorization, paymentprocessing, merchant acquiring, account management, e-commerce services, cardissuance, call-center operations, customer loyalty programs, prepaid programs andfraud monitoring.

Charging ahead

The credit card system was in its infancy in 1959 when The Columbus Bank andTrust Company (now part of Synovus Financial Corp.) became the second bank inGeorgia to issue cards to its customers. Within five years, the bank’s card holdersincreased by more than ten times, and CB&T installed a computer to processtransactions in 1966. With time, the bank became increasingly interested in creatinga computer system to further automate the work. By 1969, it had written credit-processing software, which would become known as the Total System in 1973.Among its achievements, the Total System became the first of its kind to processcards from Visa and MasterCard (then known as BankAmericard and MasterCharge,respectively). The division’s revenue was $6 million in 1980. Two years later, whenCB&T decided to spin it off into a subsidiary known as Total System Services (forobvious reasons), revenue stood at $10 million. TSYS, as it would soon be popularlyknown, was then processing over one million accounts for 60 banks in 28 states.

Plans for world domination

In 1992, TSYS added mass mailing capabilities to its transaction processing servicesfor billing and marketing purposes. Three years later, the company inked a deal withMexican bank Controladora Prosa, expanding abroad under the name TSYS deMexico. Geographic expansion continued in 2006 for TSYS; the company acquiredCard Tech, a U.K.-based company, and made further inroads into Asia with a deal tohandle transactions for the credit arm of Toyota. Shortly thereafter, the companyannounced a joint venture with Merchants, a South African subsidiary of the IT firmDimension Data, which would incorporate call centers and payment processing forcard issuers in Europe and the Middle East. Growth overseas proved to be lucrativefor the company, as revenue from international transactions increased by nearly 25percent between 2005 and 2006.


Total System Services, Inc. (TSYS)

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Hey, big spender

In October 2006, Bank of America—which accounted for nearly a quarter of TSYS’total revenue that year—opted to move its credit card processing over to MBNA’ssystem, following the merger of the two companies. TSYS didn’t predict that losingbusiness with Bank of America would cost a 25 percent decline in revenue for 2007,though, forecasting only a decrease of between 3 and 5 percent for the fiscal year.The company was vindicated when it posted total revenue of $1.806 billion in 2007,a 1 percent increase from $1.722 billion in 2006, counting the Bank of Americatermination fee.

Breaking free

In October 2007, Synovus agreed to distribute its TSYS shares to Synovusshareholders, making TSYS a fully independent company. In his 2007 letter tostockholders, chairman and CEO Philip Tomlinson saw the spin-off as an opportunityfor TSYS to fulfill its potential of a broader investor base and better position in itsindustry. The following year, the company did enjoy its newfound freedom,establishing itself in Austria and Turkey, and bagging new deals in Germany and theUnited Kingdom.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Caring for health care

TSYS announced partnerships with mPay GatewayT and Nova Libra to meet theneeds of health care professionals and patients by offering point-of-sale paymentsolutions. With this collaboration, medical providers are now able to “calculate thepatient portion of the service fees before a patient leaves the doctors’ office,beginning the collection process immediately.” This solution also providesinstitutions and professionals with a seamless collection process and patients witha better understanding of their fees.

• March 2009: Swiping the Indian market

TSYS appointed a managing director for its units in India and South Asia as partof the company’s initiatives to strengthen the financial card market in the region.Amit Sethi, a global payments industry veteran, will sit as TSYS India and SouthAsia’s managing director, responsible for business development and outsourcingactivities in the region.



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• January 2009: Happy at the figures

TSYS reported its fourth quarter and 2008 financial results, highlighting a 7.4percent to $1,939 million revenue growth compared to 2007. “The formidablechallenges resulting from the current worldwide financial crisis exceed anythingthat we have ever seen in our history. We are extremely proud of the way our teamhas met these challenges … We expect 2009 net income to be in the range ofslightly down to flat, which reflects our commitment to successfully managing ourbusiness in these difficult times,” said TSYS chairman and CEO Philip W.Tomlinson.

• November 2008: Going beyond plastic

TSYS acquired Silicon Valley-based payments technology firm Infonox. With thisaddition, TSYS looks into expanding “global payment capabilities” throughInfonox’s “plug-and-play” platforms that will enable new payment channels, suchas mobile phones.

GETTING HIRED

Charge your career at TSYS

TSYS provides a wealth of career-related information on its website, located atwww.tsys.com/careers. There is a searchable list of job openings (as usual, interestedcandidates must create a profile in order to apply). The company accepts unsolicitedresumes. There’s also information on the wealth of benefits offered by the company,which include career development opportunities, including tuition reimbursement, acafeteria-style benefits plan with health, dental and vision options, 401(k), discountstock purchase and profit sharing plans, and work/life balance programs, includingtime off to volunteer at a child’s school. The company also offers a generous “wealth-building and retirement savings program” and awards up to 21 percent of anemployee’s gross salary for wealth-building “through a combination of establishedprograms.”

Up close and personal

Among the reasons to work for TSYS is the close relationship between managers andtheir employees. TSYS also offers “extensive orientation sessions” and training fornew hires. Not all insiders have nice things to say about the management. Onesource grumbles about the “incompetence at the managerial levels,” adding thatTSYS “has a serious excess of layers of middle-level managers.” The company saysthat “senior executives maintain monthly or quarterly ‘cultural trust committees’ tocollect firsthand feedback from team members about morale and the company’sculture.”



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Chattahoochee choo-choo

TSYS helps employees balance work and life in other ways, as well. The company’scampus, conveniently located on the beautiful Chattahoochee River, offers suchsumptuous amenities as a café for lunch or takeaway dinner, a 15-mile park forrunning or biking, an on-site gym, a cozy library and child care facilities. There’s alsoa full-service bank, mini-mall with a dry cleaner’s, florist and beauty salon. And don’tforget the wonderful attractions of Columbus, Georgia, just 100 miles south of Atlanta.



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TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED

935 Stewart Drive

Sunnyvale, CA 94085

Phone: (408) 481-8000

Fax: (408) 481-7781

www.trimble.com

LOCATIONS

Sunnyvale, CA (HQ) • Alpharetta, GA •

Chantilly, VA • Corvallis, OR • Dayton, OH •

Deerfield Beach, FL • Folsom, CA •

Fremont, CA • Huntsville, AL • Long Beach,

CA • Plano, TX • Santa Clara, CA • Tempe,

AZ • Waltham, MA • Westminster, CO

Bangkok • Beijing • Chennai • Christchurch

• Danderyd, Sweden • Dubai • Eersel,

Netherlands • Fortitude Valley, Australia •

Hohenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, Germany •

Hook, United Kingdom • Ipswich, United

Kingdom • Jena, Germany • Kaiserslautern,

Germany • Madrid • Melbourne • Moscow •

New Delhi • Paris • Raunheim, Germany •

Richmond Hill, Canada • Seoul • Shanghai

• Singapore • Stuttgart, Germany • Sydney

• Tokyo • Toronto • Vancouver • Vimercate,

Italy • Wunstorf, Germany

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting & Finance • Administration •

Business Development • Engineering • HR

• IT • Manufacturing & Production •

Operations • Sales & Marketing • Service,

Support & Training

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: TRMB


Chairman: Ulf J. Johansson, PhD

President & CEO: Steven W. Berglund


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,329.2

2008 Income ($ mil.): 141.5

KEY COMPETITORS

Leica Geosystems

Magellan Navigation

Topcon

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.trimble.com/employment.shtml

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THE SCOOP

Wherever you go, there you are

Trimble is in the business of marrying GPS, laser and wireless technology so that itscustomers never feel out of place. The company’s products are used in agricultureto level fields and guide tractors; in construction and mining to guide heavymachinery for earthmoving operations, keep track of trucks and aid in surveying; andin automobile navigation systems. The company also provides products for precisetiming in cellular networks, wireless ticketing for law enforcement agencies and themanagement of mobile workers.

Location, location, location

Trimble has been the guiding light to the lost—or rather, the guiding electromagneticradiation—since 1978, when Charlie Trimble and some of his associates fromHewlett-Packard set up shop in California. Trimble began by working with navigationdevices that used the LORAN (Long Range Navigation) system, powered by terrestrialradio stations. But when GPS hit the scene in 1982, Trimble made good use of thenew technology in products for surveyors, mapmakers and geologists. The companyexpanded into marine navigation in 1984, and purchased a business to begindeveloping differential GPS (DGPS) technology to provide increased accuracy for thefleet management market. In 1990, the company was publicly listed on the Nasdaq.

During the 1990s, Trimble worked to combine communications and GPS technologyinto the same device and in 1995 developed a GPS device that could be plugged intolaptops and PDAs. In the early 2000s, the company continued to expand its productofferings through research and development, and via acquisitions; Trimble formed apartnership in 2002 with construction and mining vehicle manufacturer Caterpillar, toinstall positioning technologies in its wares.

Acquisition position

Trimble seems to have a simple company-building strategy: buy and hold. Since thestart of 2006, the firm has purchased nine companies involved in GPS, fleetmanagement and related industries. A highlights reel of its acquisitions that yearwould include a shot of Trimble cementing a deal to acquire the intellectual propertyof XYZs of GPS, a company that specializes in devices for GPS measurements ofvolcanoes and oilfields; Trimble purchasing Quantm, a company which works toidentify the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly routes for roads,pipelines and canals; as well as the purchase of retail goods tracking firm ElevenTechnology. Trimble kept the acquisitions ball rolling with its purchase of BitWyse, adeveloper of software for engineers, in May of that year, while the final months of


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2006 saw the company purchase concerns in the law enforcement, constructionproject workflow software and mobile mapping fields.

IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Going green

Trimble unleasheD new versions of the Vehicle Diagnostic Service and theGeoManager at the National Cable Show in Washington, D.C. The GPS-basedVehicle Diagnostics offers reduced fuel cost and CO2 emissions by controllingengine idle time and allowing managers to view fuel consumption while driving oridling. GeoManager 9.0, on the other hand, “features Microsoft Virtual Earthsatellite and bird’s-eye view mapping” and real-time traffic. Combined, these twosolutions are meant to save fuel, fleet and environmental costs dramatically.

• March 2009: Building its name in construction

Trimble announced its purchase of software provider QuickPen International.Based in Englewood, Colo., QuickPen provides state-of-the-art 3D CAD softwarefor detailed HVAC ductwork and piping models. “The QuickPen software willenable Trimble to provide complete and compelling solutions for our buildingconstruction customers in the HVAC, mechanical and plumbing industries,” saidPat Bohle of Trimble’s building construction division.

• February 2009: Gloomy outlook?

Trimble reported its 2008 financial results with revenue of $1.33 billion, 9 percenthigher than 2007’s results. However, 2008’s fourth quarter compared to 2007’sshows 14 percent decline in revenue, 73 percent decrease in operating incomeand 48 percent decrease in net income. “We currently expect the first quarter toreflect the confusion of the fourth quarter,” said Chief Executive Steven Berglundin a statement. A Reuters report on Trimble’s results also says the company wouldcut 10 percent of its workforce.

• October 2008: Partnering for the utilities market

Trimble partnered with PC manufacturer Panasonic Computer Solutions Companyto provide bundled utilities solutions specifically for utility field workers. Thepartnership combines Panasonic’s Toughbook notebooks and Trimble’s GPSPathfinder ProXT and ProXH GPS receivers to provide the ideal mapping,geographic information system (GIS) and CAD applications solutions.



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• October 2008: Acquiring for agriculture

Trimble announced its purchase of privately held Tru Count, Inc. The Ames, Iowa-based Tru Count manufactures and distributes air and electric clutches thatautomate planter row shut-off. The move is expected to expand Trimble’s reach inthe agriculture market. “We are well positioned to support the flow control andapplication market and Tru Count offers affordable, industry-leading solutions thatwork with virtually any planter. Most importantly, the interoperability of theirproducts supports Trimble’s strategy to provide universal brand compatibility whileoffering an affordable, total solution for farmers to manage input costs and savemoney,” Erik Arvesen, general manager of Trimble’s agriculture division, said in astatement.

• January 2008: Workman questioned

Trimble releases a statement to respond to inquiries on CTO Dennis Workman’sacademic credentials. Word spread about Workman’s credentials, questioningwhether he indeed held a PhD from MIT. Trimble checked with MIT andconfirmed that Workman completed 72 units of course work but lacks records andeven his master’s thesis does not have a grade. MIT indicated that Workman mayneed to re-enroll, but Workman does not intend to do so. President StevenBerglund of Trimble does not seem to be bothered by this. “From years of directpersonal experience, I know that Dennis is a person of the highest integrity. If anymistakes were made here, I am confident that they were honest mistakes, and weconsider this matter resolved,” Berglund said in a statement.

GETTING HIRED

Find your place at Trimble

Trimble’s careers site (www.trimble.com/employment.shtml) provides up-to-date andcomprehensive job information worldwide for experienced hires, recent graduatesand college students seeking internships. The site also allows job seekers to createprofiles enabling them to be automatically alerted to future new jobs in their area ofinterest. Trimble is particularly interested in graduates (of any degree level) whospecialized in accounting, computer science, IT, marketing, and agricultural, civil,electrical and mechanical engineering, among other majors. Internships are availablefor qualified students. To apply, send your resume as a text document (no fancyformatting, please) to [email protected]. To submit your resume forconsideration for a specific position, you must first create a profile on Trimble’s site.



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UNISYS CORPORATION

Unisys Way

Blue Bell, PA 19424

Phone: (215) 986-4011

Fax: (215) 986-2312

www.unisys.com

LOCATIONS

Blue Bell, PA (HQ)

Albany, NY • Allentown, PA • Anchorage,

AK • Augusta, ME • Baton Rouge, LA •

Bellevue, WA • Bismarck, ND • Boca

Raton, FL • Boise, ID • Brisbane, CA •

Brookfield, WI • Burlingame, CA •

Carlstadt, NJ • Centennial, CO •

Charleston, WV • Charlotte, NC •

Chesapeake, VA • Chicago, IL • City of

Industry, CA • Concord, CA • Coraopolis,

PA • Culpeper, VA • Eagan, MN • Glen

Allen, VA • Grand Rapids, MI • Greenwood

Village, CO • Hampton, VA • Hato Rey, PR

• Holland, OH • Houston, TX • Irving, TX •

Madison, WI • Malvern, PA • Miami, FL •

Mission Viejo, CA • Montgomery, AL • New

York, NY • Norcross, GA • Okemos, MI •

Overland Park, KS • Pennsauken, NJ •

Phoenix, AZ • Plymouth, MI • Portland, OR

• Raleigh, NC • Reston, VA • Rochester,

NY • Roseville, MN • Salt Lake City, UT •

Sharon Hill, PA • Shelton, CT • St. Louis,

MO • Tallahassee, FL • Trenton, NJ •

Tualatin, OR • Tukwila, WA • Virginia

Beach, VA • West Des Moines, IA • White

Plains, NY


DEPARTMENTSAccounting/Finance •

Administrative/Secretarial • Communications

• Distribution/Logistics/Procurement •

Engineering—Hardware • Engineering—

Software • Facilities • General Management

• Human Resources • Information Systems

Consulting • Legal • Manufacturing •

Marketing • Medical • Network

Management/Architecture •

Programming/Development • Project

Management • Quality Assurance/Test •

Sales • Systems Architecture • Technical

Support/Help Desk Services • Technical

Writing/Documentation •

Telecommunications/Ttelephony • Training •

Web Design/Graphics/Content • Web

Development

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: UIS


Chairman & CEO: J. Edward Coleman


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 5,233

2008 Income ($ mil.): -130.1

KEY COMPETITORS

EDS

Hewlett-Packard

IBM

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.unisys.com/about__unisys/careers/index.htm

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THE SCOOP

The Unisys universe

Unisys provides technology services—everything from servers to outsourcing toconsultants—intended to transform an average company into a lean, mean, profit-generating machine. The company offers a full menu of services, including softwaredevelopment, support and administrative functions, IT infrastructure, businesssecurity consulting and the company’s flagship product, the 3D visible enterprise,which allows management to see the consequences of a business decision before it’sput into motion—kind of like a business “flight simulator” for CEOs.

Unisys works with clients in the financial services, communications andtransportation sectors, among other industries. It counts among its clients the U.S.Army, the government of Malaysia and the Irish Times, for whom it set up an RFIDcargo-tracking system, created a national ID card system, and helped bring into thedigital age, respectively. Unisys systems are used at 22 of the top 25 banksworldwide, and half of all checks written each day are cleared by the company.Unisys’ security consultants help in keeping passengers and cargo secure at 600 ofthe world’s airports by tracking luggage and cargo, and the firm processes nearly 200million health insurance claims each year for Medicaid.

Opening up for the future

Unisys has recently taken a page from other struggling computer firms and turned toopen source formatting (or, the use of software for which manufacturers charge nolicensing fee) as a way to offer its IT services cheaply and efficiently to its clients. InAugust 2007, the company demonstrated its utilization of disparate open sourcetechnologies at the LinuxWorld Conference & Expo. The Open Solutions Alliance, atech firms’ organization devoted to open source formatting, sponsored the event.Unisys is a founding member of the OSA and was the first IT company of its type tojoin the organization, so it is deeply invested in open sources as a way forward.

Media res

In March 2007, Unisys sold its media holdings to Atex, a U.K.-based softwarecompany, for an undisclosed sum. Unisys’ media division provided its customerswith editorial, advertising and multimedia content for the internet. A few months later,in June, Unisys inked a deal to provide the Department of Defense with $28 millionin parts and support for its RFID supply chain.


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IN THE NEWS

• April 2009: Going federal

Unisys was awarded another government contract, this time, at the federal level.The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) tapped Unisys to compete for taskorders under Alliant, the largest single IT contract the federal government has everissued. “This award will allow us to continue to provide innovative solutions to ourfederal government clients in areas ranging from desktop management andenterprise outsourcing to converged security and applications modernizationthrough a convenient and versatile contract,” Ted Davies, president of Unisys’federal services division said in a press release.

• March 2009: Modernizing law enforcement

Unisys was awarded a contract by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania tomodernize the state’s law enforcement communication system. The 18-monthcontract involves upgrading the Commonwealth Law Enforcement AssistanceNetwork (CLEAN) by allowing state troopers to communicate directly with otherlocal, state and federal law enforcement units through a high-capacity, high-availability network.

• October 2008: Enter Coleman

Unisys named its new chairman and CEO: J. Edward Coleman. Coleman waselected by the company’s board, recognizing his leadership in “driving corporatetransformations and turnarounds” in the IT industry. Previously, he has workedwith Gateway, CompuCom and Arrow Electronics Enterprise Computing SolutionsGroup. Coleman was “thrilled” to join Unisys saying the company has“tremendous assets to work with” and expects to work with its people “to createan exciting new future”.

• December 2008: Cost- and job-cutting

Unisys announced its plan to cut 1,300 jobs, or more than 4 percent of itsworkforce, worldwide. The company will also suspend matching contributions toits 401(k) plan as it intends to cut $225 million in costs. Unisys suffered this yearwith shares dropping around 88 percent and its name taken out of the S&P 500index (replaced by People’s United). In addition to the layoffs and the 401(k) paysuspension, Unisys also plans to forgo salary increases and consolidate its facilitiesin 2009.

• April 2008: Securing L.A.

Unisys was tapped by the Port Authority of Los Angeles to design and manage abiometric system to control employee access to restricted areas in the port. Thisproject is part of the federal Transportation Worker Identification Credentials(TWIC) program, which aims to enhance security in maritime transport andmanage threats in U.S. ports. Unisys has already integrated several other large-scale identity programs, including Australia’s passport system using biometrics;


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Malaysia’s smart card program, MyKad; and the Port of Halifax’s biometric accesscontrol system.

GETTING HIRED

Unite yourself with Unisys

Unisys’ jobs site, at www.unisys.com/about__unisys/careers/index.htm, givesinformation on the company’s benefits and job openings. Benefits include optionssuch as health, 401(k), dental and flexible spending accounts. The company alsohas the Unisys University, to foster everyone’s budding managerial talent, at fiveglobal campuses. Nice perks include a generous slate of work/life programs,including compressed workweeks, job sharing, telecommuting and part-timeemployment. At some facilities, there are nurses’ stations, gym facilities and aerobicsclasses to keep employees in tip-top shape, as well as nifty services like photodeveloping, dry cleaning and car washes, plus employee discounts on things likeflowers, museum admission, restaurants and cars. Job openings are divided byregion. In order to apply, candidates must first create a profile.

Unisys has plenty of internship and co-op opportunities for people who haven’tofficially entered the working world. The company partners with INROADS to provideinternships and co-op opportunities to minority students, and offers internships toforeign exchange students. Internship positions are listed under the “Job Openings”link.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

They should call it Multisys

One source praises the company’s “hardworking and skilled professionals,” while aco-worker notes that “many basic internal business processes simply did not work,”and that he had “occasional contentious battles with the internal bureaucracy.” Themanagement ranks are “made up of professionals from all over the map—eachbringing their own methodology,” observes one longtime insider. An engineer agrees:“At least one department used matrix management.”

Sources report “flexible hours (come and leave any time you want)” but that they“can be very long—most of the higher-level executives work 70 to 80 hours a week.”There is a “flexible dress code (mainly jeans and business casual although on a rareoccasion I think I saw someone wearing shorts),” according to a member of theengineering department, while in the upper ranks, “Dress was always suit and tie.”


Unisys Corporation

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VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENTASSOCIATES, INCORPORATED

35 Dory Road

Gloucester, MA 01930

Phone: (978) 282-2000

Fax: (978) 283-5391

www.vsea.com

LOCATIONS

Gloucester, MA (HQ)

Beaverton, OR

Mesa, AZ

Newark, CA

Newburyport, MA

Plano, TX

Chu Pei City, Taiwan

Dresden

Houten, The Netherlands

Kanagawa, Japan

Meylan, France

Pyungtaek City, Korea

Shanghai

Singapore

DEPARTMENTS

Administrative

Buying

Customer Service

Electrical Engineering

Finance & Accounting

HR

IT

Legal

Manufacturing

Mechanical Engineering

Quality

Systems Engineering

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: VSEA


Chairman: Richard A. Aurelio

CEO: Gary E. Dickerson


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 834.1

2008 Income ($mil.): 98.4

KEY COMPETITORS

Axcelis Technologies

Nissin Electric

Sumitomo Heavy Industries

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.vsea.com/hr.nsf/docs/work-vsea

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THE SCOOP

Isn’t it ionic?

Varian is one of the leading manufacturers of semiconductor production equipment.The company’s machines implant semiconductor substrates, like silicon orgermanium, with ions (or charged particles) in order to produce transistors with thespecific properties required by the circuit in which it will be used. These ionimplantation devices work by accelerating ions to sufficient energies such that theylodge in the crystal structure of the silicon. (The process is also known as doping.)Ions of arsenic, phosphorous and boron are most commonly implanted insemiconductors manufactured in large quantities. Each wafer of semiconductivematerial is individually implanted with ions, so it is critical that the machines beconsistent.

Varian’s equipment can fit 50 billion identical transistors on a 300mm (about a footlong) piece of silicon. The pieces of machinery that Varian makes aren’t like ray gunsout of Star Wars, though—they’re about the size of a garage and can weigh 50,000pounds. Varian’s equipment falls into the categories of high current (for injecting ionsdeep into silicon pieces), medium current and high energy. Because it makesequipment for semiconductor manufacture it is at the mercy of the volatile chipindustry. In order to stay ahead of the competition, the company spent over $90million on R&D in 2006.

Coming up roses

In fiscal 2006, Varian pulled down $730 million in revenue, its highest to date, withprofits of $94 million, up 30 percent over the previous year. The good newscontinued into 2007 when Varian’s market share, which is calculated by someanalysts to be nearly 40 percent, got a bump when rival Applied Materials announcedthat it would be closing one of its plants in England. Analysts expect Varian to pickup some of the slack when the factory closes in late 2007.

Major windfall

Varian was awarded a $30 million contract to provide several of its ion implanters toa semiconductor manufacturer. The deals also include service for the devices. Thecontract represents the largest deal in Varian history.


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IN THE NEWS

• January 2009: Below expectations

Varian released its first quarter financial results with drops in year-ago periodcomparisons. Revenue totaled $107.4 million, against $254.1 million for firstquarter 2008. The result also falls below the company’s forecasted range of $115million to $125 million. Varian is doing what it can to adjust to the presentconditions. CEO Gary Dickenson says, “We have implemented significant costreductions across the company to make sure that we continue to remain in astrong financial position regardless of the length of this downturn. We alsocontinue to invest in product and applications development initiatives to drivefuture growth and margin expansion, and continue to be optimistic that ourproduct and technology roadmaps will give us leverage in the recovery.”

• October 2008: Down the slope?

Varian reported fourth quarter and fiscal 2008 financial results with figures slidingdown compared to the previous year. The company posted $834.1 million inrevenue for 2008 against 2007’s $1.1 billion. Fiscal 2008 net income declines to$98.4 million, or $1.32 per diluted share, compared to $142.2 million, or $1.73per diluted share, in 2007. “We are continuing to invest in new products andapplications to grow market share and the total available market for ionimplantation equipment. We believe that we will exit this downturn a strongercompany that is optimally prepared to capitalize on the next upturn,” CEO GaryDickenson said in a press release.

• July 2008: Best supplier

VLSI Research’s annual survey of large semiconductor equipment makersrevealed that Varian tops the list as best large supplier of chip making equipment.The list was based on 4,565 surveys from chip manufacturers, evaluating eachcompany on 13 criteria that includes equipment performance and customerservice.

• May 2008: Among the best in Massachusetts

Varian moved up three spots to No. 10 in The Boston Globe’s annual list of the 100best performing companies in Massachusetts. The ranks were based on “acomposite score of annual sales, sales growth, profit-margin growth, and return onequity,” according to The Boston Globe 100 website. Varian has been included inthe list for six consecutive years; in 2007, it was ranked No. 13. “Varian set anumber of records in 2007. We grew our sales to over $1 billion and achieved a64.5 percent overall worldwide market share for our products. We are very proudto be a contributor to the Massachusetts economy,” said Varian CEO GaryDickerson in a statement.



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GETTING HIRED

Cozy up to a semiconductor

Varian’s careers page (www.vsea.com/careers) provides information on benefits andjob openings at the company. Candidates may have to undergo a background checkbefore they are hired. Benefits of working for the company include tuitionreimbursement, stock purchase plan, 401(k), health and dental insurance, and, forthose who work at HQ, life in the quaint seaside town of Gloucester, Mass. Thecareers site has a list of open positions for which job seekers can apply online, and acollege recruiting schedule. It also accepts resumes for general inquiry.



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VERISIGN INCORPORATED

487 East Middlefield Road

Mountain View, CA 94043

Phone: (650) 961-7500

Fax: (650) 961-7300

www.verisign.com

LOCATIONS

Mountain View, CA (HQ)

Dallas, TX • Dulles, VA • Dallas, TX •

Dulles, VA • Olympia, WA • Overland Park,

KS • Providence, RI • Tampa, FL •

Washington, DC • Watertown, MA

Ballerup, Denmark • Bangalore • Beijing •

Berlin • Biot, France • Cape Town •

Fribourg, Switzerland • Geneva • Gurgaon,

India • London • Madrid • Malmo, Sweden •

São Paulo • Singapore • Sydney • Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Administration

Facilities

Finance

HR

IT

Legal

Marketing

Public Relations

Purchasing

Quality


Sales

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: VRSN


Chairman & Interim CEO: D. James Bidzos

President & COO: Mark McLaughlin


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): $961.7

KEY COMPETITORS

Entrust Technologies

RSA Security

Symantec

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.verisign.com/verisign-inc/careers/index.html

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THE SCOOP

For your security

VeriSign is striving to become the de facto standard for internet security. Thecompany’s main product is the SSL certificate, which provides security fortransactions that happen over the internet. The technology is used for email, accesscontrol for corporate intranets, virtual private networks (VPNs) and online retail. Thecompany’s digital identification products and verification services are recognized bynational authorities all over the world—even the FBI uses them.

VeriSign is involved in the cutting-edge areas of VoIP and RFID supply-chainmanagement, and offers its customers internet consulting and help in meshingdifferent network standards together. In addition, VeriSign is the go-to authority forregistering all .com, .net and .tv domain names, which it wholesales to retailers, andit manages part of the system that allows computers to look up domain names on theinternet. The company’s products secure 700,000 servers and assist in finding 21billion websites and emails to keep the internet running smoothly.

The company’s success depends on the wide acceptance of its brand, since itstechnology doesn’t work unless users on both ends of a transaction support it. Oneof the biggest challenges VeriSign has faced is convincing consumers that SSLcertificates are a necessity. The company has worked toward that goal by gettingonline vendors to require these digital IDs for online transactions. This level ofsecurity is becoming increasingly important to the average consumer, who has nodesire to see his or her credit card number fall into the wrong hands. The IDs arerecognized worldwide and deemed as legally binding signatures in a number ofcountries. To ensure its place in the market, the company has partnered with high-tech heavies like Microsoft, Apple and IBM.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Selling to TNS

VeriSign announced the sale of its communication services group to TNS, Inc. for$230 million. The transaction is expected to be complete in a month, after settlingcustomary regulatory approvals. “The sale of the communications services groupis another important step toward our divestiture goals as we continue ourcommitment and focus on our core business in Internet infrastructure,” said JimBidzos, interim Chairman and CEO of VeriSign.

• February 2009: Solid year after all

VeriSign posted its fourth fiscal quarter and full 2008 financial results. For thefourth quarter, the company reported revenue of $247 million on a GAAP basis.Full 2008 figures showed revenue of $962 million on a GAAP basis, achieving a 20


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percent core annual revenue growth. “We believe our growth and financialperformance reflect that our strategy … is the right one,” said interim Chairmanand CEO Jim Bidzos.

• January 2009: Buying cryptography

VeriSign and cryptography firm Certicom announced their agreement allowingVeriSign to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Certicom for C$2.10per share (about US$1.67 per share). The purchase gave VeriSign a leadershippost in Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) technology, a generally recognized formof public key encryption.

• January 2009: Naming a president

VeriSign named Mark McLaughlin as new president and chief operating officer.Founder Jim Bidzos relinquished the president post but continued to serve asexecutive chairman of the board and CEO on an interim basis. McLaughlin hasheld several key posts in the company from 2000 to 2007.

• November 2008: Solid third quarter

VeriSign reported third quarter financial results with revenue of $246 million,noting a year-over-year growth of up to 18 percent. “We are very pleased with ouroperating results this quarter, especially in light of the current market conditions,”said Executive Chairman, President and CEO Jim Bidzos.

• October 2008: The minority sale

VeriSign and News Corp. announced the sale of VeriSign’s minority shares in thetwo companies’ mobile entertainment venture to News Corp. News Corp.established the joint venture in 2007 when it gained controlling interest inVeriSign’s Jamba subsidiary. The minority shares were sold for about $200 million.VeriSign CEO Bidzos said the sale is important for VeriSign to be able to focus onits core business in Internet infrastructure.

• July 2008: Founder, now chair and CEO

VeriSign announced that its board of directors appointed founder Jim Bidzos asexecutive chairman, president and CEO on an interim basis. Bidzos replacedWilliam Roper, who resigned from the president and CEO post in June. “… I nowlook forward to capitalizing on the company’s growth opportunities within its corebusinesses and new opportunities that align with the company’s corecompetencies,” Bidzos said in a statement.



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GETTING HIRED

You have the key

VeriSign has a career site at www.verisign.com/careers, with information on collegerecruiting, benefits and (of course) open positions. The college visit bandwagonmakes stops at Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown and the University of Rhode Island.The company offers such benefits as health club and tuition reimbursement, stockoptions and a full suite of retirement and health plans. Jobs are searchable bylocation and keyword. To apply, job seekers must fill out an online form.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

The fun never stops!

It seems that the internet security firm knows how to secure its workforce as well. Asource reveals that VeriSign has a “fun corporate culture, with minimal dress codedepending on the position, and fun events at least once a quarter.” Now how far doesthe fun go? The same source says they “have a Las Vegas trip every year to help buildmorale.”

For some, the fun may start at the interview stage. An insider says generally, theinterviews are “casual with the marketing person, but more formal with themanagers.” Another interviewee seems to appreciate the technical side of theinterviews. “VeriSign wants to ensure they hire very proficient technicians.” Where’sthe fun in that? Well, the second-round, on-site interview includes a “tour, lunch, andopen QA.”

How long will the fun last? Well, one manager says the company “is great, but verydisparate… They have the infrastructure of a large telecom provider, but still [have]some small firm start-up culture. Employees are not encouraged to help one another;you are expected to work out many issues on your own. Support is limited.”

However, another manager says one of the perks is “growing into a more diversegroup, and [having] great opportunity to work across products, as the company hassuch a portfolio of products.” There is “room for advancement as the teams expand,my responsibilities have increased giving me more choices in what my path might bedown the road.” So it all depends on how you see the “Sign.”



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VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY, INC.

63 Lancaster Avenue

Malvern, PA 19355-2143

Phone: (610) 644-1300

Fax: (610) 889-9429

www.vishay.com

LOCATIONS

Malvern, PA (HQ)

City of Industry, CA • Huntsville, AL • Irving,

TX • Lake Mary, FL • Norwood, MA •

Raleigh, NC • Shelton, CT • Wendell, NC

Bangalore • Basingstoke, United Kingdom •

Beijing • Budapest • Chartres, France •

Eindhoven, Netherlands • Eschborn,

Germany • Guangzhou • Heilbronn,

Germany • Hong Kong • Jalisco, Mexico •

Juarez, Mexico • Karlskoga, Sweden •

Landshut, Germany • Le Pecq, France •

Lviv, Ukraine • Madrid • Milan • Moscow •

Netanya, Israel • New Delhi • Nice • Norfolk

• Osaka • Paris • Penang • Pune, India •

Sao Paulo • Shanghai • Shenzhen •

Singapore • Skaerholmen, Sweden • St.

Laurent, Canada • Taipei • Tianjin, China •

Tokyo • Toronto • Voecklabruck, Austria

DEPARTMENTS

Administration • Audit • Engineering •

Facilities • Finance • Human Resources •

Information Technology • Legal • Logistics •

Manufacturing • Marketing • Outsource

Management • Project Management •

Public Affairs & Communications •

Purchasing • Quality • Research &

Development • Sales

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: VSH


Chairman: Dr. Felix Zandman

President & CEO: Dr. Gerald Paul


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 2,822

2008 Income ($mil): -1,731

KEY COMPETITORS

EPCOS

Fairchild Semiconductor

Murata Manufacturing

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

hr.vishay.com/search.aspx?s=1

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THE SCOOP

Behind the electronic scene

Vishay makes the bits that handle the bytes—all those little electrical parts likediodes, transducers, transistors and rectifiers that are integral parts of the computers,cell phones, cars, satellites and other gadgetry that makes the modern world go‘round. The company makes its components in places such as the Czech Republic,China and the Philippines.

Enter Zandman

In 1956, Dr. Felix Zandman came to Philadelphia armed with a nifty new inventioncalled “Photostress,” which visually assessed the stresses on metal objects, such asa bridge or an airplane wing, and eventually revolutionized the way engineers wouldtest for adequate construction on such projects. He also came up with a new kind ofresistor that could conduct and regulate electrical currents without falling susceptibleto temperature. Zandman was working under The Budd Co., which was notinterested in either of Zandman’s inventions, so he went into business himself in 1962with his cousin, Alfred P. Slaner, to found Vishay Technology, naming it from theirancestral village in Lithuania to honor those who perished in the Holocaust.

The company started manufacturing resistors primarily for the military and aerospacemarkets, and had its first stock offering in 1972. In the 1980s and 1990s, to diversifyits offerings to continue its pace of rapid growth, Vishay acquired a number of othercompanies, thereby expanding its product line beyond resistors to capacitors andsemiconductors. The exponential growth of the market for electronic goods duringthe 1980s and 1990s powered the company along—proving Zandman’s strategycorrect—and invited a number of competitors to the party. Hiccups in the marketsparked spates of restructuring for the company in the mid-1990s and again in 2003.

Happy days are here again

It seems, though, that Vishay’s days of restructuring are behind it, as are its daysunder the direct supervision of Dr. Zandman. Effective January 2005, Zandmanhanded over the CEO position to then-COO Dr. Gerald Paul, who has been with thecompany since 1978. Zandman remains as chairman of the company’s board andhas ascended to two newly created positions—chief technology officer and chiefbusiness development officer.

Already, Paul has brought the company to new heights: 2006 revenue was record-setting, at $2.58 billion, having jumped 12 percent over the previous year’s sales.Also, profits doubled over 2005’s take, to $139.7 million. Paul further strengthened


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Vishay’s position in the semiconductor market that year, acquiring the power controlsystems division of International Rectifier for $290 million.

IN THE NEWS

• February 2009: Loss and layoffs

Vishay reported fourth quarter financial results, which showed a decline in thecompany’s shares attributed, among others, to “the after-tax impact of a non-cashgoodwill impairment charge.” In a Reuters’ article, Vishay said it is thinking ofadditional plant shutdowns and more layoffs to adjust to the decline in thecompany’s shares, which happens to be “their lowest in over 18 years.” InJanuary, Vishay already cut 700 jobs following an earlier 9 percent reduction of itsworkforce in the fourth quarter of 2008. Facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium andBrazil were also closed in 2008. This time, Vishay is planning on closing downfacilities in Monroe, Conn., and Westbury, N.Y.

• January 2009: Industry firsts

Vishay launched IHLW-5050CE-01, the industry’s first winged low-profile, high-current inductor, and Si8422DB, the industry’s first TrenchFET power MOSFET ina MICRO FOOT package with backside insulation. The new inductor, IHLW-5050CE-01, offers 1.2 mm profile for both sides of the PCB, enabling designers ahigh-current solution with minimal space. Si8422DB, aimed for portable devices,among others, offers a two-mil backside coating that serves as insulation for theMICRO FOOT package against electrical shorts.

• October 2008: Lowering expectations

Vishay lowered its third quarter forecasts from a $750 million to $770 millionrevenue range to $736 million to $742 million. Gross margins fell from anexpected 23.2 percent to 21.4 to 21.8 percent. Vishay said the decline in revenuefor the third quarter is attributed to the worsening worldwide end-marketconditions. The company also said its additional impairment charges may have asignificant effect on the figures.

• October 2008: IR rejects

California-based International Rectifier Corp. (IR) reported that its board re-electedthree board members over nominees backed by Vishay. In September, Vishayboosted its offer to $1.7 billion to acquire IR after earlier rejections from IR’s board.The two companies have since been unfriendly with each other, engaging in aproxy war.



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• September 2008: Capacitor shopping

Vishay purchased a specialty capacitor line from Kemet Corp. for $35.2 millionwith other considerations. The company’s executive chairman, Felix Zandman,and president and CEO, Gerald Paul, stated, “With this acquisition we broaden ourproduct portfolio in specialty capacitors used in military, aerospace and medicalapplications.” This purchase was made amid Vishay’s pursuance to acquiresemiconductor manufacturer International Rectifier Corp.

GETTING HIRED

Work in the “ohm” office

Vishay lists open positions at hr.vishay.com/search.aspx. There are opportunities forexperienced hires as well as interns, at locations both in North America and the restof the world. In order to apply for a job, applicants must first create a profile. Otherthan that, not much information is extant on the site.



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VMWARE, INC.

3401 Hillview Avenue

Palo Alto, CA 94304

Phone: (650) 475-5000

Fax: (650) 427-5001

www.vmware.com

LOCATIONS

Palo Alto, CA (HQ) • Austin, TX • Basking

Ridge, NJ • Broomfield, CO • Cambridge,

MA • Dallas, TX • Houston, TX • Lisle, IL •

Reston, VA • San Francisco, CA

Auckland, New Zaland • Bangalore •

Barcelona • Beijing • Budapest • Burlington,

Canada • Chennai • Copenhagen • Cork,

Ireland • Dubai • Helsinki • Herzliya, Israel •

Hong Kong • Johannesburg • Kuala

Lumpur • Lausanne • Madrid • Mexico City

• Milan • Miraflores, Portugal • Moscow •

Mumbai • New Delhi • Nieuwegein, The

Netherlands • Oslo • Paris • Prague •

Pune, India • São Paulo • Seoul •

Singapore • Sofia, Bulgaria • Solna,

Sweden • Surrey, United Kingdom •

Sydney • Taipei • Tokyo •

Unterschlessheim, Germany • Vienna •

Warsaw • Wellington • Zagreb, Croatia •

Zaventem, Belgium • Zurich

DEPARTMENTS

Facilities • Finance/Accounting • Human

Resources • HW Alliances • ISV Alliances •

IT Development • IT Ops • Legal • Marketing

• Operations • Professional Services •

Quality Assurance • R&D • Sales Support •

SI Alliance • Technical Support

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: VMW


Chairman: Joseph M. Tucci

President & CEO: Paul Maritz


2008 Revenue ($ mil.): 1,900

KEY COMPETITORS

Citrix Systems

Microsoft

Parallels

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.vmware.com/company/jobs

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THE SCOOP

Virtual reality

Making a name for yourself in the IT community isn’t easy but VMware has managedto do it with the creation of a virtualization software that can control and distributeunused processor cycles or memory space from idle computers. The company wasformed in 1998 by Diane Green, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and computer scientist,her husband Mendel Rosenblum, a Stanford professor, and three of their friends.They improved upon the virtualization software that IBM built in the 1970s for itsmainframe servers and produced a simpler system that can work on office-basedservers. The software they developed allowed a single computer to act as a serverthat can perform various operating systems simultaneously, cutting down onhardware and energy costs which translated into lower costs for clients. What Green,and company developed became so successful that they caught the attention ofindustry players and eventually became the virtual software provider of choice tocompanies in the Fortune 500.

Millions to billions

Starting out with $3 million in venture capital, the company has grown into a lucrativecompany with 2008 revenue reaching $1.9 billion. From 80 employees in 2000,VMware employed 6,700 people as of December 2008, in over 40 locations aroundthe globe. Credit for this success is due in part to VMware’s merger with storage giantEMC, which bought into the company in the neighborhood of $650 million in 2004.EMC, in turn, spun off 10 percent of VMware stocks in a hugely successful IPO in2007, allowing the company to raise $1 billion for new product and technologicaldevelopments.

Join the open source bandwagon

In 2006, VMware increased its market share by releasing vital source codes tonumerous VMware subscribers, including major tech players Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Red Hat and Intel. By leaping on the open source bandwagon,VMware was allowing these firms to tweak its software to work better on their systems,hopefully bringing them into the fold as VMware clients. This strategy worked andthey were able to keep ahead of their competitors who have seriously started to rampup R&D on virtualization software. Today, VMware holds 85 percent of the largeindustries market.

Sun is shining…

The future looks bright for this young company. VMware has taken an aggressivestance on wooing the best and the brightest talent to continue the development and


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innovation of its core system. Despite the looming threat of Microsoft’s touted Hyper-V application, VMware has years of developing virtual servers behind it, and theneeded market clout. In addition, they have announced plans to start developmenton cloud computing, another innovation on the virtual server that can use the internetas its platform.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: VMware is 2009 CRN Channel champion

In awards ceremonies held by CRN Channel in New Orleans, VMware wasrecognized as the 2009 champion in the category of Server/ApplicationVirtualization as well as the three subcategories of Support Criteria Winner,Financial Criteria Winner and Technical Criteria Winner. VMware was chosen bysolution providers from among more than 100 vendors and vied for honors in 20categories. This recognition was especially important because it measured overallperceptions of vendor products and services by end-users, retailers and industryprofessionals.

• March 2009: Best platform to run Microsoft Exchange

A growing number of companies have started running their systems on MicrosoftExchange with VMware Infrastructure 3, citing savings in operating costs and aneasy-to-use (and tweak) virtual server that allows them to maximize computingresources. These companies—Interfaith Medical Center of New York City, medicaldevice manufacturer NuVasive, Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, the University ofPlymouth in the U.K., Marvell Technology Group Ltd. and the Rochester GeneralHospital system—have all come to depend on VMware’s reliability in virtualsystems.

• February 2009: Cloud seeding

CEO Paul Maritz announced plans to integrate internally pooled system resources,created by the virtualization of a company’s computers, with external cloudcomputing providers from sites such as Amazon, Verizon and SunGard. This movesignificantly increased a business’s ability to run applications as it permitsdevelopers to move within different virtual environments, paving the way forVMware to become the “operating backbone of virtual data centers.”

• January 2009: VMware reports full quarter and full year 2008 results

A difficult second half of the year did not stop VMware from delivering a solidfinancial performance during the fourth quarter, capping 2008’s year-end resultswith a 42 percent increase in revenue from 2007. CEO Paul Maritz attributed thisgrowth to clients who “continue to make VMware a strategic priority.” Maritzfurther added that VMware is fully prepared to face the coming year, stating thatthe company is pursuing virtualization leadership in the datacenter, cloudcomputing and virtualization for the desktop.


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• January 2009: Good product, uncertain times

Running VMware has its benefits: lower energy costs and fewer hardware needs,and corporate savings in the long run. However, as the United States braces itselffor a longer period of economic uncertainty, the company suddenly found itselfwondering if other companies would take the risk of buying VMware software evenif it can help them save them money. Compounding this is the entry of Microsoftin the virtualization software market, forcing VMware to lower its prices, and thecompany’s transition period after the sudden departure of founder Diane Greenein July 2007. Industry experts were looking to see whether there would be furtheruncertainty in the company when it announced its 2008 year-end earnings inJanuary 26th.

• September 2008: Next trick

VMware stock prices continued to take the plunge as competitors are starting toloom on the horizon and could threaten to steal VMware’s thunder as the marketleader in virtualization systems. Company co-founder Diane Greene’s departurealso triggered an exodus of VMware executives. The new CEO, Paul Maritz, hopedto counteract this negativity with the announcement that the company will gobeyond virtualization software and venture into cloud computing. Industry experts,however, felt that VMware should not go full-bore into cloud computing just yetbecause only web-based applications can fully benefit from this. Rather, VMwareshould concentrate on redefining its brand and identify what value they can giveto customers.

• July 2008: Clouds darken at VMware

Diane Greene, VMware co-founder, was immediately replaced by former Microsoftexecutive Paul Maritz. It has been reported that the business relationship betweenGreene and EMC was not exactly cordial and EMC opted not to renew Greene’scontract when it expired in July. News of Greene’s departure, and plans to initiatecloud computing, triggered a sale of VMware stocks, dragging the company’s stockprices to an all-time low of $36.51.

• June 2008: Microsoft’s attack

Microsoft launched Hyper-V, a virtualization software similar to VMware’s products.Hyper-V, which has been in beta since February, was officially shipped out thismonth and is included free in purchases of Windows Server 2008. Retailing at$28, it is definitely a more economic solution than VMware’s hypervisor. However,experts felt that it will take a couple of years before Microsoft even starts to chipaway at VMware’s market lead.


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• November 2007: VMware soars on software release

A strong financial performance in the third quarter, and the announcement of therelease of new software, drove VMware stock prices upwards. The impendingentry of competitors in the market did not faze investors eager to capitalize on thecompany’s technology and its lead over other virtualization software developers.

GETTING HIRED

Have a real career in virtual software

VMware’s careers site, at www.vmware.com/company/jobs, provides job seekerswith all the details on landing a job at VMware. College students are invited to sendresumes to the campus relations department for an internship, or chat with arecruiter on a campus visit—the company makes stops at Columbia, BostonUniversity, MIT, Stanford and the University of Wisconsin, among other places. In afurther bid to attract graduating talent, VMware has launched webcasts that give anoverview of the company and the type of people it’s looking for. Applicants mayvisit www.vmware.com/company/jobs/campus/events/virtual-events.html to viewschedules and instructions on joining and additional options if the applicant wouldlike to join either through phone conferencing or iPhone. Experienced hires-to-becan search job openings or submit a resume.

Benefits at the company include annual performance bonuses, plenty of time off,health insurance, life insurance, commuter benefits and 401(k), for which employeesare eligible from their date of hire. The company also boasts eco-friendly officespaces, open doors, shared offices, comfortable gathering spaces, game andrelaxation rooms, wellness and community programs, free healthy snacks and drinks,Friday afternoon social gatherings and quarterly all-hands meetings. Hopeful hiresmight also want to check out what VMware executives have to say on their blog,located at blogs.vmware.com/console and employee feedback within the jobs page.


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511

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION

20511 Lake Forest Drive

Lake Forest, CA 92630-7741

Phone: (949) 672-7000

Fax: (949) 672-5408

www.westerndigital.com

LOCATIONS

Lake Forest, CA (HQ) • Austin, TX •

Belleair, FL • Bellevue, NE • Boca Raton,

FL • Cleveland, OH • Dallas, TX • Fremont,

CA • Houston, TX • North Sioux City, SD •

Pasadena, MD • Reading, MA • San Jose,

CA

Beijing • Cape Town • Dubai • Durban,

South Africa • Green Acres, South Africa •

Hong Kong • Johannesburg • Moscow •

Munich • Pathumthani, Thailand • Petaling

Jaya, Malaysia • Port Elizabeth, South

Africa • Prague • Seoul • Shanghai •

Singapore • Sungei Way, Malaysia •

Surrey, United Kingdom • Taipei • Tokyo

DEPARTMENTS

Accounting, Auditing & Finance • Customer

Care & Quality Assurance • Engineering •

Facilities Maintenance, Installation &

Repair • HR & Staffing • IT & Support

Services • Manufacturing, Operations &

Assembly • Marketing, Advertising & Public

Relations • Project/Program Management •

Purchasing • Sales & Sales Operations •

Supply Chain/Logistics

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: WDC


Chairman: Thomas E. Pardun

President and CEO: John F. Coyne


2008 Revenue ($mil.): $8,074

2008 Income ($mil.): $867

KEY COMPETITORS

Fujitsu

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Seagate Technology

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.westerndigital.com/en/company/employ

ment

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THE SCOOP

Got data?

Western Digital has made a name for itself by making hard drives for everything fromservers, laptops and PCs to multimedia entertainment systems. And it serviceseverybody, from big corporations and software vendors to the average consumer whojust wants the extra room to store his music, videos, games and pictures.

WD, started by former Motorola veteran Alvin Philips as a semiconductor company inthe 1970s, made the switch when it rode on the growing popularity of PCs in the1980s. From semiconductors, it ventured into data storage devices in 1988 whichproved to be the turning point of its success. The company soon found itself joiningthe ranks of the Fortune 500, but overproduction of hard drive units, and thesubsequent price drop, slowed down the company’s growth a decade later. Itsurvived by staying true to the company’s commitment to quality, eventually gettingan ISO 9001 certification in 2004, making it the only multinational Americancompany to receive this distinction.

The (Western) Digital wave

WD rode a wave of high revenue and consecutive yearly declines in the 1990s, butas the tech market recovered in the 2000s, WD’s revenue began to grow. In 2008,revenue hit $8 billion, showing a steady growth from 2005’s revenue of $3.6 Billion.WD maintained its lead in the market by designing innovative storage devices thatappealed to consumers, such as the Raptor X 150 GB hard drive, which allowedusers to watch data being written and retrieved through the device’s clear top. WDhas also dedicated itself to the further development and manufacture of storagedevices by installing separate design and technical facilities in America and Asia.

The future may see big changes in store for WD. Fujitsu has seen its storage devicesdivision steadily weakening over the years and has been in talks with WD for itsacquisition. People are stocking up on content, such as movies and TV shows, andthey need the hardware to store it in; WD is well at the forefront to service theseneeds. However, recent economic woes forced the company to reduce its workforceby 2,500 employees and restructure the organization.


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IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Small drives may pay off big

Netbooks could prove to be a lifesaver for Western Digital as a depressed economyforced the company to restructure and downsize its workforce. The emergence ofthe cheaper, smaller netbooks that are popular with consumers highlighted WD’sdominance in the 2.5-inch notebook drives category. The increasing popularity ofnotebooks may prove to be a boon for WD if discussions with Fujitsu for thetakeover of its hard-drive operations fall through.

• March 2009: My Book in a two-terabyte slim, single-drive system

The advent of downloadable high-definition formats from sellers such as iTunesand Amazon has dramatically increased the file sizes of movies and shows, with atypical one-hour video requiring 8 GB of file space. WD’s newest addition to theMy Book line can give home consumers the option to store all related media in oneexternal hard drive.

• October 2008: Getting to know Fujitsu

WD and Fujitsu reportedly started talks for the acquisition of the latter’s hard-driveoperations, including manufacturing plants in Japan, Thailand and thePhilippines. Although reports were unconfirmed, Fujitsu share prices rose in thewake of the planned takeover.

GETTING HIRED

Go Western, young man (or woman)

Western Digital’s careers site, at www.westerndigital.com/en/company/employment,has information for both college graduates and more seasoned hires. WD seekscollege grads with degrees in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computerscience and mechanical engineering; but graduates with degrees infinance/accounting, business and human resources are also encouraged to apply.Company benefits include medical, health and dental plans, reimbursements forhealth and dependent care, an educational reimbursements program and aretirement savings and profit-sharing plan. Interested candidates may also applyonline at www.westerndigital.apply2jobs.com or submit their resumes atwww.westerndigital.com/careers.

Western Digital also has full-time and internship opportunities in a variety ofspecialties including engineering, advanced manufacturing, customer support,program management, media, branded products and magnetic head operations.


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XEROX CORPORATION

45 Glover Avenue

Norwalk, CT 06856-4505

Phone: (203) 968-3000

Fax: (503) 682-2980

www.xerox.com

LOCATIONS

Alabama • Arkansas • California • Colorado

• Connecticut • Delaware • Florida •

Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana

• Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana •

Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts •

Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi •

Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New

Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North

Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oregon •

Pennsylvania • South Carolina • Tennessee

• Texas • Utah • Virginia • Washington, DC

• West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming


DEPARTMENTS

Customer Service & Support • Document

Services • Finance • General Management

• Hardware/Software/Other Engineering •



Research • Sales & Marketing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: XRX


Chairman & CEO: Anne M. Mulcahy


2008 Revenue ($mil.): 17,600

2008 Income ($mil.): 230

KEY COMPETITORS

Canon

Hewlett-Packard

Ricoh

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.xeroxcareers.com

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The original copy cats

Any discussion of Xerox must, of course, begin with photocopiers—and that’s worthsaying again; the name is synonymous with the process of making duplicates. Initiallyknown as the Haloid Company, Xerox got its start in 1906 in Rochester, N.Y., andused to manufacture photo paper. Xerox comes from xerography—after the Greekwords for “dry” and “writing”—and Haloid trademarked the truncated work “Xerox”to describe the process in 1948. The company officially became known as the XeroxCorporation in 1961.

Red Ink(ed)

Missed opportunities during the 1990s to branch out and diversify its offeringsdespite its capabilities made Xerox focus on its core document business and it settledinto its role as a copying and printing company. Instead of vigorously expanding itsofferings, Xerox chose to consolidate its products by buying out companies in theUnited States and Europe. But, however attractive these gains looked, by the fourthquarter of 2000 the company posted losses of $198 million and its debts were $2.6billion, forcing the company to take out a $7 billion line of credit. In the boardrooms,shareholders file a lawsuit against the company for wasting its surplus. Eventually theSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC) got involved, conducted an investigationand concluded that the company overstated its revenue. This was settled in 2002,when Xerox paid the SEC $10 million and restated its earnings from 1997 to 2001.

The Mulcahy Miracle

Things didn’t seem to be going so well for Xerox, but a miracle came in the form ofAnne Mulcahy, a 24-year veteran of the company. After her appointment as CEO in2001, she steadily helped the company creep back in the black and earn profit.

Not just about copies

Xerox isn’t just copies, though—the company offers a number of other graphics-related products, like printers for everything from an 8-and-a-half-by-11-inch black-and-white resume, to five-foot-tall, full-color posters and digital printing presses foron-demand printing of everything from marketing materials to textbooks (letGutenberg get a look at that!). Xerox also offers business services like taskmanagement software, IT consulting and outsourcing. The Palo Alto ResearchCompany, a Xerox subsidiary, focuses on developing products and also does contractresearch for other companies. Xerox’s focus on research and success in developingbreakthrough technology was recognized in July 2007, when President George W.Bush presented Xerox the National Medal of Technology. More importantly, Xerox hasbeen making headway into environmental sustainability, designing products thatproduce little or no waste and investing in technologies that reduce its carbon


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footprint. For a company that’s associated with paper (and lots of it), this is a majorpioneering step.

In 2008, the company drew in revenue of nearly $17.6 billion and was ranked No.144 on the Fortune 500.

Xerox in the news

• March 2009: Red badge of honor

For the second year running, Xerox made the top five of Fortune magazine’sreputation survey in the computer industry. This year, things were a little different,since Xerox made the top spot, effectively making it the most admired company ofthe year, according to Fortune. The survey, compiled by the Hay Group, involvedexecutives from 1,400 companies rating their peers on criteria such as innovation,investment value and global competitiveness. Thanks to Xerox’s leading the wayto sustainability, their social responsibility earns them high marks in the survey.“This ringing endorsement of our reputation from the business community is apoint of great pride for us and reflects our rich heritage of quality service, world-class technology, and commitment to our people and to the communities wherethey work and live,” said CEO Anne Mulcahy about this distinction. “As important,this recognition as a most admired company in our industry raises the bar for howwe’ll continue to deliver value for all our stakeholders,” she added.

• February 2009: Beyond the usual

With “sustainability” being the new catchword, companies that formerly pushedtheir clients to “buy, buy, buy” more office equipment are now urging them tocentralize their office machine use and consolidate their operations, to reducepaper use. Xerox used to lure clients into buying a lot of printers and supplyingthem with expensive ink and toner, but they’ve changed their tune in support of agreen environment. Called the “managed-print” service, it’s all about centralizingthe use of office machines by reducing the number of standalone printers andtracking the ink and paper consumption of an office to find ways to reduce use.Xerox is currently No. 1 in this market, followed by Hewlett-Packard, according toGartner. The services that Xerox offers earned $3.5 billion in revenue for thecompany, contributing a fifth to Xerox’s total profits for the year. In addition totracking paper and ink consumption, companies can save space, maintenancecosts and electricity.

• January 2009: Profit in minutiae

Due to the global economic downturn and rising costs of raw materials, Xeroxposted a net income of $1 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. Profits fromdeveloping markets are 3 percent less than the first three quarters of the year, andXerox credited this to the weak Russian market, which has usually been a sourceof demand for the company. This just reflects “weakening economic conditionsaround the world,” Xerox said.


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• July 2008: Oh, so that’s what restructuring means

In an effort to cut back on its first quarter losses, Xerox slashed 1,000 employeesfrom its workforce, but its market performance was well in line with Wall Streetexpectations. Earnings posted for the second quarter came in at $215 million, abig number that’s comparably less than 2007’s second quarter performance at$266 million, but is still in the ballpark where analyst estimates were concerned.This would’ve been higher, too, were it not for the overhaul charges brought aboutby the settlement payment Xerox agreed to give to the SEC to save time and moneyon shareholder litigation started in 2000.

• April 2008: Almost lost profits there, buddy

After receiving approval to settle a lawsuit instigated by the SEC over falselyreporting profits, Xerox took a $491 million charge related to the settlement,leaving it with a loss of $241 million in the first quarter. In order to cut back itslosses, Xerox announced that it will implement cost-cutting measures during thesecond half of the year. Nevertheless, Wall Street expectations of the company’sperformance were strictly in line with reality. Revenue rose to 13 percent morethan it was a prior, at $4.34 billion, which is a tad more than Wall Street’sprediction of $4.24 billion.

• May 2008: Green research

In partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Xerox invested $2million into research and development of sustainable business practices andtechnologies. The institute has a longstanding relationship with Xerox—thecompany founded the institute’s College of Computing and Information Sciences,and more than a thousand alumni work for Xerox. The money pegged for researchwent to RIT’s Galisano Institute, which has also developed reusable printer andcopier cartridges for Xerox.

At the Palo Alto Research Center, Xerox showed off what’s been brewing in its labs,giving people a glimpse of the future, according to the company. The researchersat PARC, working in concert with the Scripps Research Institute, have found a wayto detect rare cells (such as cancer cells) in the bloodstream 1,000 times fasterthan digital microscopy. The speed wais amazing enough, but what probablybowled people over is the fact that laser printing technology is used. It’s not justfor paper anymore! What’s more, the researchers at PARC also demonstrate theirreusable paper, which, granted, has been around for quite a while. What’sdifferent is how much less energy is consumed in printing this recycled, reusablepaper—less than half of what’s normally required for one sheet of paper madefrom virgin pulp. That saves a lot of trees, and that’s one goal Xerox is willing towork toward in the future. Other demonstrations show how Xerox is adapting tothe world of virtualization, showcasing transition programs that could help lawfirms upload their offline content on the Web, and “customization taken to theextreme,” where something as complicated as multiple folds and cutting (usually


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for a book project or a lovingly prepared birthday card) is easily visualized andaccomplished.

• January 2008: The [un]copier logo

People still associate Xerox with copiers; frankly, Xerox is tired of this outdatedassociation with the company. In an effort to spruce up its image, and get awayfrom the photocopying machines of old, Xerox introduced its new logo, the “mostsweeping transformation of its corporate identity” since it became officially knownas the Xerox Corporation (after dropping “Haloid”) in 1961. Working inpartnership with Interbrand, a brand consultancy group, Xerox went around theworld in 18 months, interviewing people about their associations with Xerox.Xerox’s new logo consists of the company name in lowercase letters (it’s friendlierthan CAPITALS, isn’t it?), with a red ball that has an etched X on its surface. Thecompany feels the ball suggests forward movement and “a holistic company.”Also, red bodes well for Xerox’s Asian ventures, as the color signifies luck andprosperity in Chinese culture.

GETTING HIRED

More than making copies

Xerox employs roughly 57,100 people, with 28,400 based in the U.S. While thecompany is headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., it retains a major presence in itsoriginal hometown of Rochester, N.Y. Positions are available in one of 12departments: customer service and support, hardware engineering, softwareengineering, other engineering, document services, IT, finance, legal, generalmanagement, sales and marketing, research and manufacturing. To apply for a job,click on “Careers” on the Xerox website home page, and then click on “Search jobsand apply” on the careers page. Careers are divided into those within the UnitedStates, in Canada and for college graduates or internship programs. Job seekers cansubmit a resume or search jobs by various criteria; in order to apply, they must firstcreate a profile.

Campus crusaders

Xerox recruits enthusiastically from the ranks of college students. The company hasthe Xerox College Experiential Learning Programs (XCEL), which are work/studyand/or internship programs for graduates and undergraduates in universities andcolleges. Eligible candidates could stay with the company for up to a year. The bestpart? Besides getting the Xerox experience firsthand, interns are paid for their labors.For students who believe that the company is perfect for them, Xerox conducts on-campus recruiting visits at schools including Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, MIT, ClarksonUniversity and the University of Michigan. At these events, students have the


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opportunity to meet and interview with company officials for internships, co-oppositions and postgraduation employment. The Xerox careers website outlines thevarious internship programs and posts a schedule of upcoming recruiting events.Lastly, Xerox offers a scholarship for members of minority groups who are currentlytaking a course in chemistry, material science, laser optics and other related fields.

Giving ‘em the benefits

Xerox’s standard benefits package includes a full slate of company-paid insurance.Employees are given a choice of medical plans as well as dental, vision, life, accidentand disability coverage. For retirement benefits, Xerox provides matching funds for a401(k) account. Other perks include “lifecycle assistance” funds—for child careexpenses or mortgage assistance—an adoption reimbursement program, tuitionassistance and access to the company’s federal credit union. The company also has4,000 online courses for employees to spruce up their skills or gain new ones.

Xerox is not just “the document company”; it’s also become a pretty nifty place towork. CEO Mulcahy, under whose tenure stock prices have recovered much of theirformer health, emphasizes communication and finding the best person for the job.Mulcahy is serious about communications—even officers with a “C” in their titlesspend time dealing with customers.

The company is consistently recognized for its commitment to workplace equality andopportunity. In 2007 alone, Xerox has been ranked as among the best companies byBlack Enterprise, LATINA Style, Hispanic Business and DiversityInc magazines,among others. The National Association for Female Executives lauded Xerox forbeing a great place for women to work, with a spot on the Top 30 Companies forFemale Executives. The Families and Work Institute also recognized the firm with itsWork Life Legacy Award in 2006.

Letting ‘em give back

Xerox encourages its employees to give back to the community through a programthat encourages them to take paid leaves of absence of six to 12 months to help outa charity. Projects undertaken by Xerox employees in 2008 included joining a NewYork food bank and improving its process to maximize its efficiency, working at aChicago support center for children and adults with developmental disabilities andworking with minority students in Indianapolis to help them break into engineeringand information technology.

In addition, Xerox employees pitch in by getting involved in robotics competitions atlocal schools, as well as teaching science classes. Because Xerox believes that asuccessful corporation must be an active participant in society, the company hascreated a variety of opportunities to give back to the communities from which it drawsits employees.


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The Xerox Foundation supports employees’ philanthropic interests and endeavorsthrough four primary programs. The Xerox Social Service Leave Program providesemployees with fully paid corporate sabbaticals (with full benefits, too) to invest theirtime and talent full time to support the work of a nonprofit agency in the community.Other employees choose to invest their time outside of work through the XeroxCommunity Involvement Program. XCIP provides employees with seed money andmanagement-supported opportunities to volunteer their time and energy to better thecommunity.

For those employees who prefer to share their treasure, Xerox’s employee matchinggifts program and the Xerox Employee United Way Program provide suchopportunities. The matching gift program matches employees’ contributions toinstitutions of higher education up to a maximum of $1,000. Alternatively, employeescan make a contribution to benefit the United Way programs and services.

Xerox also operates two special educational programs. Xerox researchers andscientists receive paid time to participate in the Xerox Science Consultant Program (inits 41st year in 2009), which provides hands-on science instruction by Xeroxemployees for students in grades three to six. Also, Xerox partners with high schoolswithin its communities on U.S. FIRST, an international robotics competition whereteams of students build robots with the assistance of their technical sponsors.

The Xerox Foundation also offers financial grants in such areas aseducation/workforce preparedness; science/technology; employee/communityaffairs; cultural affairs and national affairs.

OUR SURVEY SAYS

Mixed signals

For a company that has gone through a lot of ups and downs, employees seemambivalent about Xerox. One insider in Hawaii notes that the “initial workingexperience with Xerox was positive.” This respondent likes that most everyoneseemed friendly and that Xerox’s training modules are pretty helpful and targetedabout things that new hires need to learn. But it seems that the company needs toimprove on its people skills, especially with the relationship management has with itsteammates: “Management is at times very hypocritical in what they say versus whatthey do.” A sales representative seems to agree with this assessment, adding, “Thecompany is only concerned about shareholder value.” Our contact notes thatworking at Xerox is like “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”


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Blessing in disguise

Despite the criticism, Xerox sources admire the diversity that the company strives toachieve. One contact says that the company has a “very diverse environment …minority and woman preferred business contracts had internal organizations for everytype of person (race, sexual preference, outside involvement, etc.” Also, the trainingcourse for new hires in Xerox’s sales department is quite rigorous, but in a good way.Training starts with a four-week online course, after which classroom-type training fortwo weeks follows. Lastly, there is a two-week training on accounting and negotiationskills, which is given to new hires regardless of previous experience in sales. Thecompany’s sales training is “very good and worthwhile,” shares one insider. It seemsthat Xerox knows what to do to beef up its sales muscle, but it looks like it still has along way to go to completely satisfy its employees. In Xerox’s annual report toshareholders, however, a 2008 survey of employees showed that 71 percent aresatisfied with working at Xerox. That should be some well-earned consolation from acompany that has risen from the ashes of near-bankruptcy to become one of theblazing pioneers of its industry.


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ZOOM TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED

207 South Street

Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 423-1072

Fax: (617) 423-3923

www.zoom.com

LOCATIONS

Boston, MA (HQ)

Boca Raton, FL

Fleet, United Kingdom

DEPARTMENTS

Finance

HR

Legal

Manufacturing

Sales & marketing

THE STATS


Stock Symbol: ZOOM


Chairman, President & CEO: Frank B.

Manning

2007 Employees: 69

2007 Revenues ($mil.): 18.5

KEY COMPETITORS

3Com

Motorola, Inc.

USRobotics

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.zoom.com/about/careers.html

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THE SCOOP

Equipment for the modem age

Remember the modem? They were those boxes that sat next to the computer andmade odd little noises, and prevented anyone from using the phone while you werebrowsing the internet? Well, they’re still with us, only now, they are quieter and faster.Zoom Technologies manufactures cable and DSL modems, in both wired and wirelessconfigurations, under the names Zoom, Hayes and Global Village. More recently,Zoom has diversified beyond modems; it makes Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP,equipment, as well as the iHiFi (say that five times fast!), a nifty device that allows anMP3 player to wirelessly connect to the speakers of a stereo. However, Zoom stillrelies on modem sales for the lion’s share of its revenue and is desperately hopingthat a successful transition to its new business model occurs soon.

A Baud-y story

Zoom first got online in 1977, the brain child of two MIT PhDs, Frank B. Manning andhis roommate Peter R. Kramer. The company’s first product, ominously dubbed theSilencer, was an item that attached to a phone to keep it from ringing—clearly, thesewere the days before you could just turn off the ringer on the cell phone. While theSilencer was a hit, particularly among those who didn’t want their romantic eveningsinterrupted, the next product, the Demon Dialer, introduced in 1980, really put thecompany on the map.

Among other features, the Demon Dialer stored several numbers that could berecalled by code name, and had an automatic redial function. Despite the successof the Demon Dialer—its sales drove revenue to $6 million in 1984—changes intelephone technology quickly rendered it obsolete. The next year, Zoom looked tomodems as the future of telephonic technology. In 1990, the company was listed onthe Nasdaq, and the following year the company reported revenue of $25 million. By1995, Zoom products were being sold at major outlets such as Wal-Mart, Circuit City,Best Buy and Staples—and its modems were crucial to the burgeoning era of thehome PC, providing many novice web surfers in the 1990s with their first experienceof logging on to the Internet.

Hate to burst your bubble there, but ...

The party didn’t last, however: Zoom was totally blindsided by the bursting of the techbubble. In 2000, CEO and co-founder Manning contended that “dial-up modems willbe the most popular way of accessing the internet through 2010 and beyond.” Butit was not to be—broadband modems quickly became the cause célèbre, and Zoom’srevenue from broadband modems surpassed those from dial-up models only in 2005.In fact, the company’s sales have decreased every year since they reached $100


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million in 1996 (compared with $18 million from 2006). In January 2007, CEOManning admitted the company probably had two years left to turn things around,before it ran out of money.

Changes in real estate

In July 2006, Zoom announced that it would be relocating its factories from Bostonto sunny Tijuana, Mexico. As a result, the company had to lay off 40 workers inBoston; but the move was expected to save the company about $2 million per year.It sold its Boston headquarters, located in the chic Leather District, to a condodeveloper for $8 million, but it won’t be zipping off anywhere, though—the companyhas agreed to rent space in the building from the developer for a few more years.Zoom’s results for the end of 2006 were buoyed by the sale of its headquarters; thatwindfall aside, the company only posted $10 million (of its $18 million total) in 2006revenue from product sales, as the rest came from the real estate transaction (itearned a $1 million profit for the year). In 2007, Zoom revved up its product linewith the introduction of the Fast Lane feature. This feature allows modems to processdata-intensive downloads—like VoIP calls or peer-to-peer data transfers—withoutslowing web browsing.

IN THE NEWS

• March 2009: Package deal

Hoping to leave a mark in the DSL market, Zoom unveiled its X6v, a wireless devicethat combines a modem, router, VoIP adapter and firewall security, all in a singleproduct. As a bonus, it has a quality of service (QoS) to ensure that voice qualityis maintained and that both parties hear each other loud and clear. The device isavailable to both consumers and network providers, with consumers receiving theoption to partner up with a phone service for complete VoIP solution. Zoom’s X6vcomes with Entanet, a service that offers free calls between Entanet users andprepaid credits for non-Entanet users.

• January 2009: Entering the dragon

Zoom announced that it is definitely buying TCB Digital, a Chinese company thatmakes mobile phones and other electronic products. TCG Digital’s chairman andmajority shareholder stays on as CEO of the company, and the board has FrankManning as its only Zoom member. The agreement both companies entered intodetails an initial 51 percent stock ownership for Zoom, with that number climbingup to 80 percent after 29 percent of TCB shares are traded for 2.4 million Zoomshares. TCB was given a license to use the “Zoom” and “Hayes” trademarks,while Zoom has the option of purchasing more companies owned by Leo Gu,depending on price negotiations or that company’s net income. This should be



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good news for Zoom, who was forced to sell 750,000 shares of its common stockin Nasdaq in order to get some cash at hand for its operations.

• December 2008: Zooming? Not so …

With the economic downturn still going strong, Zoom posted a fourth quarter lossof $1.4 million, which is a lot more than the previous year’s loss of $800,000 in thesame quarter. Operation costs echoed the same loss, but not as loud—fourthquarter losses are at $889,000, which is a little more than $50,000 more than2007 in the same period.

• October 2008: Call me Skype. Zoom Skype.

Selling their units through Wal-Mart, Zoom announced the Model 5900 phoneadaptor, made especially for Skype. Unlike the usual tethered setup that Skypeusers have to contend with—after all, a user connects his headset to his PC,effectively gluing him in front of the monitor and leaving him unable to do otherthings, like order pizza, for example, if the phone’s in the kitchen—Zoom’s adaptorfor Skype lets a user take a Skype call wherever he is, as long as he’s near thephone. Cell phone users could also call their Skype account to make internationalcalls. As an added feature, emergency calls can be made even during a powerfailure, and three-way calls can be made between a Skype user, someone using aphone with the 5900 phone adaptor and someone calling the adaptor’s landline.

• August 2008: That’s a close one

The Nasdaq Hearing Panel decided to continue Zoom’s listing on the Nasdaqstock market, after the company executed a reverse stock split, because it wastraded above $1 for 10 consecutive days. CEO Manning was pleased, since thestrategy has the intended effect of raising Zoom’s stock price.

• May 2008: We made them there, and we’ll sell them there

Zoom hoped to continue its days as a strong dial-up modem provider (in today’sbroadband and DSL world, that’s a tough one) by entering the Chinese market andselling their products there. CEO Manning realized that to get a foot in the doormeans connections and networking; that’s why he entered into talks with aChinese investment banker. There has been speculation that this could lead to aChinese buyout or an alliance with a Chinese retailer that has a relationship withthe little electronics stores that are all across China. While venturing out of itscomfort zone doesn’t seem to be one of Zoom’s strengths, it’s hoping that itsproducts will help China log onto the internet (much like what happened here inthe 1990s when Zoom was big and dial-up modem was THE way to go online).Although Zoom tries to keep up with the competition, selling broadband and DSLmodems at Best Buy or Staples, its biggest problem is diversifying, if not companyfavoritism. Broadband providers buy in bulk from certain suppliers, and thesecompanies distribute these modems to their subscribers. That alone intimidatesZoom, since the company’s up against competitors who are involved in end-to-endsolutions, from the gears that prop up the Web to the modems that users use to



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connect to it. Zoom’s hoping that demand in the Chinese market matches theirsupplies, at least when they do enter the market.

GETTING HIRED

Broadband for your career

Zoom Technologies’ careers site (at www.zoom.com/about/careers.html) lists benefitsand job openings at the company. Benefits include health, dental and life insurance,401(k) and stock purchase plan, tuition reimbursement, passes for public transit, 10paid holidays and merchandise discounts. At the time Vault checked, there were noopen positions listed.



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About the EditorAman Singh Das is the Corporate Responsibility Editor at Vault.com. She is a NewYork University alum and formerly served at The Wall Street Journal. Her area of workincludes corporate diversity practices and sustainability, and how they translate intorecruitment and strategic development at Fortune 1000 companies.

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Vault Guide to Top Tech Employers (2009)

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