The Good, The Bad & The PC

As competition in the technology and computer business increases, the demand for PC seems to be a specie that is almost extinct.

Companies such as Intel, Dell and Hewlett-Packard are facing a serious warnings as their expectations for future revenue are beyond disappointing. The ever-more popular tablets are the main reason why the demand for PC’s have decreased in such a dramatic way. However, there seems to be a not so promising ‘bacon of hope’; Windows 8. It’s been three years since the release of Windows 7, therefore companies in the PC industry believe that the novelty in the new operating system wil launch the industry back into the competition.

Nonetheless, despite the potential slight increase in demand for PC’s this won’t be enough to compete with their head on competition; Apple. As tablets may be included in the PC sales, this illustrates why Microsoft is no longer considered as a threat for other industry competitors as consumers have ‘flocked’ to iPad consumption. Will the PC industry ever come back into the competition?

 

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/09/24/pcs-demand-continues-to-weaken-evercore-cuts-outlook/

http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/newsbusiness/aap/8529455/intel-cuts-forecast-as-pc-demand-falls

After enlightenment, the laundry

We all do our laundry. UBC students do it, celebrities do it, but does HSBC do it as well?

HSBC’s Mexico unit was accused of being inadvertently involved in the money laundry business by allowing the bank to be used by money launderers,cartels and terrorist financiers. Senate investigators alleged that the substantial sums of cash moved by HSBC from Mexico to the US could only be explained by an involvement proceeding from illegal narcotics. The statements made by the US bank regulators claiming that HSBC is lenient and deficient with anti-money laundering policies only reinforce these constant criticisms.

So what should  John Root, HSBC’s senior manager of group compliance, do? Despite his and HSBC’s failed attempts at changing Mexican culture, corruption stills reigns in HSBC’s realm. One would imagine though that such a highly esteemed bank would be completely against corruption, however as  David Bagley, HSBC’s head of compliance since 2002, said:

 “Despite the best efforts and intentions of many dedicated professionals, HSBC has fallen short of our own expectations and the expectations of our regulators,”.

Thus leading to question: will this “pervasively polluted” culture ever stop infecting businesses? Or when will the top dogs obtain the guts to put a stop to it?

 

Sources:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/832b582a-d0f2-11e1-8a3c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz26KmBNgGT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/17/hsbc-executive-resigns-senate