ASK Computer Systems, Inc.

Sandra Kurtzig had launched ASK and it was growing rapidly. The company faced the difficult decision of whether to port its software to a key new microcomputer Hewlett-Packard had recently introduced. The company was enjoying excellent sales momentum on its current hardware platform and was cautious about the timing and risk of moving to new hardware. Compounding the challenge was a serious buyout offer that Hewlett-Packard had just made to acquire ASK.