Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Home
Business
Business Home
Economy
Technology
Media
Small Business
Legal
Deals
Earnings
Social Pulse
Business Video
The Freeland File
Aerospace & Defense
Markets
Markets Home
U.S. Markets
European Markets
Asian Markets
Global Market Data
Indices
M&A
Stocks
Bonds
Currencies
Commodities
Futures
Funds
peHUB
World
World Home
U.S.
Brazil
China
Euro Zone
Japan
Mexico
Russia
India Insight
World Video
Reuters Investigates
Decoder
Politics
Politics Home
Election 2012
Campaign Polling
Tales from the Trail
Political Punchlines
Supreme Court
Politics Video
Tech
Technology Home
MediaFile
Science
Tech Video
Tech Tonic
Social Pulse
Opinion
Opinion Home
Chrystia Freeland
John Lloyd
Felix Salmon
Jack Shafer
David Rohde
Bernd Debusmann
Nader Mousavizadeh
Lucy P. Marcus
David Cay Johnston
Bethany McLean
Anatole Kaletsky
Edward Hadas
Hugo Dixon
Ian Bremmer
Lawrence Summers
Susan Glasser
The Great Debate
Steven Brill
Jack & Suzy Welch
Frederick Kempe
Christopher Papagianis
Mark Leonard
Breakingviews
Equities
Credit
Private Equity
M&A
Macro & Markets
Politics
Breakingviews Video
Money
Money Home
Tax Break
Lipper Awards 2012
Global Investing
MuniLand
Unstructured Finance
Linda Stern
Mark Miller
John Wasik
James Saft
Analyst Research
Alerts
Watchlist
Portfolio
Stock Screener
Fund Screener
Personal Finance Video
Money Clip
Investing 201
Life
Health
Sports
Arts
Faithworld
Business Traveler
Entertainment
Oddly Enough
Lifestyle Video
Pictures
Pictures Home
Reuters Photographers
Full Focus
Video
Reuters TV
Reuters News
Article
Comments (0)
Slideshow
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Romney may name running mate early in election race
10 Jul 2012
Mali Islamists destroy tombs at famous Timbuktu mosque
10 Jul 2012
Obama expands lead on Romney, voters more optimistic
|
10 Jul 2012
Massachusetts man pleads guilty in plot to attack Pentagon, Capitol
12:12am EDT
UPDATE 2-San Bernardino becomes third California city seeking bankruptcy
1:06am EDT
Discussed
254
In California, immigration bill designed as the ”anti-Arizona”
115
Texas governor rejects two provisions of health law
104
Obama team targets Romney over taxes, Republicans cry foul
Watched
Mexican police convoy attacked
Tue, Jul 10 2012
ASEAN: regional partners arrive
Tue, Jul 10 2012
Olympic torch passes through Windsor Castle
Tue, Jul 10 2012
Pictures
Reuters Photojournalism
Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption
Srebrenica's dead
Victims of the Srebrenica Massacre will be buried on July 11, marking the 17th anniversary of the massacre. Slideshow
Running of the bulls
Highlights from the San Fermin festival. Slideshow
CEO vows to turn RIM into "lean, mean machine"
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
RIM strategic review focused on BlackBerry strengths
Tue, Jul 10 2012
Analysis & Opinion
Whack ‘em with a board!
Paradise regained: Clayton Christensen and the path to salvation
Related Topics
Tech »
Hot Stocks »
Asian Markets »
1 of 14. Research In Motion Limited (RIM) President and CEO Thorsten Heins speaks during the annual general meeting of shareholders in Waterloo July 10, 2012. Research In Motion Ltd's slate of directors was re-elected at the BlackBerry maker's annual general meeting on Tuesday, Chairwoman Barbara Stymiest said.
Credit: Reuters/Mike Cassese
By Alastair Sharp
WATERLOO, Ontario |
Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:10pm EDT
WATERLOO, Ontario (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd's new CEO vowed on Tuesday to turn around the embattled company with the new generation of BlackBerry devices coming next year, saying he would transform RIM into a "lean, mean, hunting machine."
But Thorsten Heins, presiding over his first annual meeting since taking the helm, offered little to disgruntled shareholders beyond his faith in the power of the BlackBerry 10 line to reverse RIM's fortunes. Its battered stock fell another 5 percent after he spoke.
"There was no mention of a sale of the company, no mention of a breakup of the company, and again, our big, big concern is if the BB10s are a dud," said Vic Alboini, chief executive of Jaguar Financial and a long-time RIM critic. "Where are we then?"
After a year that wiped out nearly 80 percent of RIM's value, Heins acknowledged the frustration of shareholders with his decision to delay the launch of the new phones until after the crucial holiday shopping season.
"I am not satisfied with the performance of the company over the past year," Heins told the mostly subdued audience. "Many of you are frustrated with the time it has taken us to make our way through the transition."
But Heins, who joined RIM from electronics giant Siemens AG four year ago and took over as CEO in January, expressed confidence that RIM was heading in the right direction.
"I have assembled a leadership team for RIM that's truly capable of taking us into future," he told shareholders.
RIM virtually invented mobile email with its first BlackBerry devices more than a decade ago, but its market share has evaporated as consumers flock to Apple Inc's iPhone and devices based on Google Inc's Android system.
RIM last month posted its first operating loss in eight years, and it was much deeper than expected. The company also said it was cutting 5,000 jobs, almost a third of its workforce, as it struggles win back its reputation as an industry innovator.
At the same time the company pushed back the launch of the BlackBerry 10 devices to next year from the final quarter of this year. Heins said the delay reflected RIM's determination to make sure that the devices were ready for the big time.
"We're working day and night to bring it out and prove the point that it is what we say it is," he told reporters after the meeting.
RIM plans to prune down its extensive array of BlackBerry models to focus on high-end and mid-range devices that will come with either touchscreen or physical keyboards, Heins said.
But things will probably get worse before they get better. Heins conceded that RIM would likely suffer lower average selling prices and declining service revenue this year as it pushes to sell existing BlackBerry devices.
TAME AUDIENCE
Despite the deep problems, investors who attended the meeting in a university lecture hall in RIM's hometown of Waterloo, Ontario, avoided many of the tougher questions that analysts have thrown at the BlackBerry maker.
One shareholder blasted earlier versions of the board which he said had failed to keep management accountable, while another poked around the details of the CEO's compensation package.
Throughout the session Heins was adamant that RIM's best path forward was the BlackBerry 10, even if the strategic review now underway concludes that a sale of the company makes the most sense. RIM has said it is examining all options, including partnerships, joint ventures or a break-up of the company.
RIM might be able to provide more about on the outcome of the strategic review in a few months, Heins told a handful of reporters after the meeting.
"There is a lot of action going on, looking at very different options for what the company could do," he said. "When it's time to go public with it, we'll go public with it."
KEEPING FAITH
The stock, which slipped 5 percent to $7.29 on Nasdaq, once traded as high as $148.13, and several small investors told Reuters they were confident RIM could regain at least some of its past glory in the next two or three years.
"They're in survival mode, but if they survive their business will go right back to, in my view, the levels above $60," said Ted Cross, a retired 76-year-old who bought his shares in the high $20 range. "I'm confident the company will survive and thrive."
One of the few dissenting voices in the hall came from Jaguar Financial's Alboini, who says he speaks for an informal alliance of disgruntled RIM investors. He asked what steps RIM was taking to attract more new board members with technology and financial industry experience.
Chairwoman Barbara Stymiest said the company aimed to add several new members to the board this year and hired an external firm to assess candidates. She pointed out that four of the board's 10 members have joined in the last year.
Despite RIM's recent performance, the company's slate of directors was elected at the meeting with token opposition, although preliminary results showed some shareholders withheld their votes, including 19 percent for former co-CEO Mike Lazaridis.
John Richardson had 30 percent of votes withheld, following the recommendation of proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis. It said Richardson, as lead director, had failed to properly oversee the provision of stock options to RIM employees, which were erroneously back-dated over an eight-year period.
(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Writing by Frank McGurty and Euan Rocha; Editing by Peter Galloway and Janet Guttsman)
Tech
Hot Stocks
Asian Markets
Related Quotes and News
Company
Price
Related News
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Back to top
Reuters.com
Business
Markets
World
Politics
Technology
Opinion
Money
Pictures
Videos
Site Index
Legal
Bankruptcy Law
California Legal
New York Legal
Securities Law
Support & Contact
Support
Corrections
Connect with Reuters
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
RSS
Podcast
Newsletters
Mobile
About
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
AdChoices
Copyright
Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider
An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution
A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance
Our next generation legal research platform
Our global tax workstation
Thomsonreuters.com
About Thomson Reuters
Investor Relations
Careers
Contact Us
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.