success with the acquisition of Electronic Data Systems in 2008, 3Com in 2009, and Palm, Inc. in 2010. The future looks bright for HP as long as its management is up to the task of managing the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Global Management Creating a successful company such as HP does not come without a great deal of hard work and dedication on the part of those managing the operations. Forbes magazine ranked HP #67 on its Global 2000 list. This distinguished achievement required a great deal of commitment from all levels of management at HP. With this recognition comes a great deal of responsibility to effectively manage its nearly 350,000 employees. Operating such a large organization is no small feat and must be done carefully if it is to remain successful. A company that has purely a domestic reach will not encounter the same level of opportunities and challenges that a global firm does. There are many more considerations involved when you step outside of your home borders and enter other countries with your product offering. This is especially true with a firm such as HP. Part of this global reach struggle is illustrated in HP's move into India in 1988- this operation was under the leadership of Mr. Suresh Rajpal, and he described the process as follows: ... the making of an excellent organization consists of two very important aspects - employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Traditionally the literature has pointed out very strongly towards customer satisfaction. However in HP it has been a belief that customer satisfaction is not possible without employee satisfaction. Therefore, in order to achieve success on a global scale, you must have the proper staff in place to handle the global challenge. Your employees are going to look towards the corporate management for support and direction to guide the work being done within the organization. This is an area in which HP has been applauded as well. Developing Your Management Having the right employees in the right jobs is not something that happens by chance. It takes a considerable amount of forethought to determine how best to run an organization. When it comes to an organization the size of HP, this process is further complicated. This is precisely why it was vitally important that management at the company received the proper training, and that HP also devised a corporate direction for developing its talent within the organization. One initiative at HP to prepare for the future and insure it had the proper staff in place was the creation of the Business Excellence program. Created as a way to develop management members that HP needed to take them into the future, the program is described as follows: The curriculum evolved out of the needs of the business subgroups. Data was obtained from leadership team meetings: interviews; and complete surveys by support function financial leaders, the marketing department, HR, and employees. Course participants learn about company and business sector strategy, financial management, operational inspection, and the regional and business unit priorities. Managers also gain knowledge about how to leverage training solutions and how to deliver all constituencies of business. Through the Business Excellence program, HP could develop the staff necessary to effectively manage and grow its business in the future.

Questions

- Critically discuss the main reasons behind HPs Success?