INTRAPRENEURSHIP Case Study of Corona Data Systems Inc. -"OEM Private Label Division"

This is an introduction to the Intrapreneurial creation of the Corona Data Systems., Inc. OEM Private Label Division, marketing internationally completely "Private Label" IBM PC Compatible Desktop and Portable PC's to major international main frame Computer manufacturers.

Intrapreneurship has successfully been utilized by corporations, partnerships and non-profit firms in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa. The underlying concept and idea of intrapreneurship, or corporate entrepreneurship, had been present in corporations in the United States, and around the world, for many decades, even before the term was used in the mid 1980’s in the mainstream media.

In 1977, Howard Edw. Haller was the Co-founder, with Paul Renner, of the intrapreneurial new venture at PR1ME Computer to create and build PR1ME Leasing Division to finance the sales of the PR1ME Computer "super mini computers." This intrapreneurship venture was one of several successful Intrapreneurship businesses that Haller would create and build over the next two decades (including Anaconda-Ericsson Finance & Leasing, and Corona Data Systems OEM Private Label PC Division). Haller documented the innovative creation of the intrapreneneurial success of PR1ME Leasing operation and it’s operational and financial details from 1977 to 1980 using both qualitative and quantitative analysis for his Master's Thesis.

Back in June 1981, Howard Edw. Haller (now a Ph.D.) wrote and successfully defended his University Master’s Degree in Management thesis on the use of intrapreneurship techniques in the creation of a captive leasing division by PR1ME Computer Inc. from 1977 to 1980. In his four year case study research contained in his University Master's Thesis, Haller provides the inside detailed qualitative analysis of PR1ME’s “Intrapreneurship Success.”

Dr. Haller's Master's Thesis which was the 1982 academic case study of PR1ME (now a published book) documents the creation of PR1ME Leasing Division, within the rapidly growing public corporation that was able to grow rapidly with strong profits and invited to become listed on the New York Stock Exchange in just a few years after starting it’s very successful Intrapreneurship adventure.
The terms and basic concepts of intrapreneur or intrapreneurship have existed and been effective utilized in corporations for decades before the TIME Magazine article in February 1985, "Here come the Intrapreneurs." Steve Jobs, Apple's Chairman then and now, used the word "intrapreneurship" in a September 30, 1985 “Newsweek” article, when he shared: "The Macintosh team was what is commonly known as intrapreneurship. . . a group of people going, in essence, back to the garage, but in a large company."

In 1985, three years after Howard Edw. Haller's (now Dr. Haller)groundbreaking academic study on intrapreneurship was published in 1982, the major new media such as TIME (Feb. 1985) and Newsweek (Sept. 1985)published articles, and a 1985 book was published on Intrapreneurship by management consultant Gilford Pinchot III.

Back in 1982, Howard Edw. Haller wrote, successfully defended his Master's Thesis and was published in June 1982 as the first academic case study on intrapreneurship, specifically on the topic of the Intrapreneurship Success of PR1ME Computer Inc.

This is the brief overview of intrapreneurship success of the corporate entrepreneurial or Intrapreneurial venture within Corona Data Systems, Inc.

This article's author was a co-founder of Prime Leasing Division, within the parent corporation. Howard Edw. Haller used this successful Intrapreneurship experience and the results of his research as valuable tools after leaving PR1ME to create several other very successful Intrapreneurial ventures.

Howard Edward Haller was then the Founder and Managing Director of the very successful intrapreneurship venture, the creation of the Anaconda-Ericsson Western Hemisphere Leasing and Finance Subsidiary for the US based Anaconda-Ericsson (a Joint venture between Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) Anaconda subsidiary and the Swedish telecommunications giant LM Ericsson).

In 1983, Howard Edw. Haller (while serving as the Managing Director of Anaconda-Ericsson Western Hemisphere Leasing and Finance Subsidiary) successfully convinced Dr. Robert Harp (Corona's Chairman & CEO) and the Corona Board of Directors to allow Haller to build the "Private Label IBC PC Compatible Division" for Corona Data Systems Inc. in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Haller then focused his proven marketing talents and Intrapreneurial expertise to build the significant Private Label IBM (Compatible) PC Division Corona Data Inc to major international computer mainframe manufacturers to allow Corona Data Systems Inc to build them "Private Label IBC PC Compatible" computers, both desktop and large "portable" computers.

Corona Data Systems, Inc. and intrapreneur Howard Haller were very successful at closing major companies to buy Corona Data Systems Inc. "Private Label IBC PC Compatible" computers in large quantities because Nowhere on the "Private Label IBC PC Compatible" computers would Corona Data Systems Inc. name appear on any part or component and the Operating Manuals and Instructions would all be transparently theirs as "Private Label" computers.

Dr. Haller, as a Director of Corona Data Systems, Inc. to build their Intrapreneurial OEM Private Label Division, which successfully sold the Private Label IBM (Compatible) Personal Computers to major computer corporations in both Europe and the United States.

Haller's Corona Data Systems, Inc. OEM Data Private Label IBM (Compatible) PC Division successfully over sold $180 Million of "Private Label PC's" to major international computer firms, such as: 10,000 PC's to Olivetti S.p.A. (HQ-Italy), 10,000 PC's to Philips Electronics NV (HQ-Netherlands), 20,000 PC's to Micom (HQ-Canada), 10,000 PC's to Esselte (HQ-Sweden).

Howard Edw. Haller's crowning personal marketing and sales achievement for Corona Data Systems, Inc. was his successful selling of 43,000 Corona Data System's OEM Private Label IBM (Compatible) Personal Computers to giant US main frame computer manufacturer, Sperry-Univac (HQ-King of Prussia, PA USA). Intrapreneurship has successfully been utilized by Corona Data Systems to benefit firms in the United States, Canada and Europe.

In 1985, Howard Edw. Haller used his multiple successful Intrapreneurship (Corporate Entrepreneurship) experiences in a series of Entrepreneurial ventures including co-founding and helping build a technology firm, RETIX, which produced an operating profit every Quarter starting with it’s First Quarter after creation, and built the firm, then successfully selling RETIX to a major French Bank in just a few years for several million dollars.

From 1988 to 1991, Dr. Howard Edw. Haller was Senior Vice President of United Artist/TeleCommunications Inc., were he was Senior Vice President and Board Director of Intrapreneurial ventures such as Taurus Entertainment (the United Artists Film Distribution 50%/50% Joint Venture, and the 75% United Artists owned theater operating company- San Francisco Theatres Inc.

TeleCommunication Inc. cable interests were later sold to AT&T for $58 Billion, which made Dr. John Malone, Chairman & CEO of TCI personally a Multi-Billionaire.

Dr. Howard Edw. Haller later interviewed Dr. John Malone (now Chairman & CEO of Liberty Media Inc.) for Haller's Leadership Doctoral Dissertation.