Lessons

Hewlett-Packard chairperson Patricia C. Dunn has announced her resignation effective in January. Her move comes on the heels a scandal that has rocked the upper management of the company and attracted the attention of California's attorney general, the Federal Communications Commission, the Justice Department, the FBI, and a congressional subcommittee.

The whole thing started after a newspaper published details of a closed board of directors meeting. In an effort to find the source of leak, the company hired outside investigators. Eventually, the phone records of various board members and 9 outside journalists were obtained under false pretenses.

There's an important lesson in all this: Only the White House is allowed to illegally obtain phone records.