The third important environmental input that Palm will need to analyze and consider is the technological elements. Other than being a consumer-driven industry, this is also a technology-driven market and achieving the declared corporate strategy depends a significant deal on whether Palm can deliver new technological solutions for its users, solutions that will allow the clients to benefit more efficiently from the products that Palm offers.
Other important environmental inputs that can be considered are the socioeconomic factors, notably the way that the global economy is likely to evolve in the future. An economy that will continue its recession is likely, at an aggregate level, to diminish individual incomes as well, which will leave a lesser portion of one's total income be allocated for investment in technologies such as Palm smartphones or other mobile devices.
2. Resources. With the acquisition of Palm by HP, the resources category of the key organizational inputs has become significantly more solid than when Palm was an independent company. With the acquisition, one can assume that most of the human resource that has helped develop the Palm solutions and technology will be absorbed within HP. However, to this, one will now add the new resources that HP will be able to invest into Palm, including in developing new technologies that will help target the corporate strategy. According to different sources, before Palm's acquisition, HP benefited from $13.5 billion in cash, this in a time of economic difficulties in which credit has become more expensive. One can assume that a portion of those funds will be spent on integrating Palm into HP.
Another resource that should also be considered is the HP technology. Joint Palm and HP teams can analyze the degree to which some of the HP technology could be integrated with Palm, which would lead to new economies of scale and...
Historical. Historically, Palm had an approach that, at least in the last 20 years, favored developments both in terms of hardware (the PDA) and software (the Palm Operating System). This is likely to continue after the company was acquired by HP as well, with the notable difference that some of the Palm software may be adapted to work and benefit HP equipment as well. With the acquisition by HP, more resources are likely to be put into development of new software and hardware technologies that can help both the mobile segment of the market and other areas where the HP is active as well.
With these elements analyzed, one may conclude that there is a high congruency between the inputs that Palm has and the strategy that Palm is proposing on the market. With Palm's acquisition by HP, one can expect the company's resources to increase and more funds to be allocated for the development of new Palm technologies and products. This would mean that the overall user experience for Palm products should increase, which is the strategic objective of the company.
Bibliography
1. Palm Annual Report. May 2007. On the Internet at http://apps.shareholder.com/sec/viewerContent.aspx?companyid=PALM&docid=5310504#D10K_HTM_TX65056_1. Last retrieved on August 15, 2010
2. Ogg, Erica. April 2010. With Palm, HP reboots mobile strategy. Cnet News. On the Internet at http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20003716-260.html. Last retrieved on August 15, 2010
Palm Annual Report. May 2007. On the Internet at http://apps.shareholder.com/sec/viewerContent.aspx?companyid=PALM&docid=5310504#D10K_HTM_TX65056_1. Last retrieved on August 15, 2010
Ogg, Erica. April 2010. With Palm, HP reboots mobile strategy. Cnet News. On the Internet at http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20003716-260.html. Last retrieved on August 15, 2010
