Hewlett-Packard Company: The War Within

Krishna G. Palepu; Jay W. Lorsch; Carin-Isabel  Knoop; Eliot  Sherman

Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2006 (Revised May 2007)

Hewlett-Packard Company: The War Within

by Krishna G. Palepu, Jay W. Lorsch, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Eliot Sherman

Abstract

In September 2006 it was revealed that the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) had been carrying out an extended investigation of its own employees, board members, and journalists outside the company. The investigation was launched in response to a series of leaks to the press that could only have come from highly placed members of the company. Fully understanding the context of the events of September, however, requires knowledge of board personalities and events that began under former CEO Carly Fiorina and continued thought the successful turnaround under her successor, Mark Hurd. As such, special focus is given to the individual board personalities and their conflicts over this time in order to fully explore the environment in which the investigation would later take place.

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Employee Relationship Management; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Communication Technology; Conflict and Resolution; Newspapers; Computer Industry; Information Technology Industry;

Format: Print

35 pages

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Citation:

Palepu, Krishna G., Jay W. Lorsch, Carin-Isabel Knoop, and Eliot Sherman. "Hewlett-Packard Company: The War Within." Harvard Business School Case 107-030, November 2006. (Revised May 2007.)

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Hewlett-Packard Company: The War Within

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