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Enron Mail |
Ken - Michael will be talking with this reporter tomorrow but he'd be
grateful if you could make 10 minutes to be our Board Voice for this important interview in the Wall Street Journal. I know you are only available today at 4:30 p.m. so i am waiting for a response. Here is the background on the interview. Let me know if you have any concerns or questions. Thank you in advance. -- Grace Trent Holman Jenkins at The Journal is working on his column "Business World" which will run next Wed on the editorial page. He would like to capture your view on why the merger is the right next step for Compaq and Compaq shareholders. Holman would like to present a Compaq rationale for the merger story and his groundrules are to run "near word for word" the business case with a working title of "Why this deal is the right next move for Compaq and Compaq shareholders." He will then weign-in as to whether he "buys into" our rationale or not. He is starting from a good/seemingly fair mindset. The reporter has a reputation for having strong personal ethics and we have no reason to believe this will be a negative story. In fact, Holman said that "he is inclined to think this was a move made for all the right reasons but for some reason the street hasn't understood." Ken - we need your help to underscore Michael's tenure, track record and ability to get the integration done; all-the-while being careful that we don't paint a picture of Compaq's future that leaves the reader with a sense of concern if the merger is unsuccessful. We know there is a risk of the headline being "the end of an era" or worse, the end of a great brand." But instead of the end, it is actually the beginning of something great -- a better, strong company -- and as Carly said in the Houston Chronicle last week, "While Compaq will not be the enterprise-wide brand for very pragmatic reasons, it does not mean the end of the Compaq brand." Holman's Takeaway: While we won't make this a point by point on the new HP Compaq vs. IBM it is likely that his takeaway is that this deal is about creating a viable alternative to IBM and why that is a good thing for the industry, the customer and our global competitiveness. Lastly, chemistry is important with Holman and this will be more of a conversation that an interview. There could be issues that come up that you'd like him to understand but won't want attributed to a Compaq spokesperson. In that case, they should feel free to let him know you'd like to share your thinking but would like to do so off-the-record. I am specifically referring to the EU and regulatory landscape which he'll have to ask about and we'll obviously want the public record to reflect a somewhat humble comment about both companies commitment to go through the entire process and address any concerns they may have. Grace Chen Trent - Executive Director Office of the Chairman & CEO Compaq Computer Corporation 20555 SH 249 - MS110802 Houston, Texas 77070-2698 281-518-9460 work 281-518-9882 fax Grace Chen Trent - Executive Director Office of the Chairman & CEO Compaq Computer Corporation 20555 SH 249 - MS110802 Houston, Texas 77070-2698 281-518-9460 work 281-518-9882 fax
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