Apart from the many strategic issues that have weighed down Barnes & Noble's stock price, there's another good reason for the company to put itself up for sale: An effort to liberate itself from the manipulations of investor Ron Burkle.
Sharp is stepping into the e-book market, gearing up to offer e-reader devices and enhancing its XMDF technology platform to allow audio and video to also be seen on the devices, the electronics giant announced Tuesday.
With the stock plunging and a trial between key shareholder Ron Burkle and top company execs heading to court, signs point ever more clearly to the possibility that Barnes & Noble will go private. And that just might be the right move.
Sony sells plenty of Readers worldwide, but it years ago gave up trying to market them in Japan. Now, just as Apple is about to launch its iPad there, Sony is defending its home turf with a new joint venture designed to solve the problem that stymied its previous e-book attempts: lack of content.
Billionaire investor Ron Burkle has set his sights on Barnes & Noble. He wants a 37% share in the book retailer, but poison pill rules limit his maneuvering room. So he's fired off a letter to the board seeking a rule change.
