Hershey considering $17bn bid for Cadbury

US chocolate maker Hershey is considering launching a solo bid of at least $17bn (£10bn) for British firm Cadbury, according to reports.

Under pressure from its charitable trust, Hershey has lined up funding from Bank of America and JP Morgan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

But the US company is still also considering a joint bid with Italy's Ferrero, the paper said.

Cadbury has already rejected a £9.8bn offer from food firm Kraft.

Dear santa ,please Bring cash

Show of hands: What kid doesn't like getting cash as a gift?
That's what I thought. So explain to me exactly why people would bother setting their alarm clocks so they can be in the mall parking lot at 5 a.m. the morning after Thanksgiving, when the perfect holiday gift can be had at the drive-through ATM on your way home from work Wednesday night.
Cash cacheMaybe opening an envelope to ogle a check from Grandma doesn't exactly scream "Kodak moment." But when the candy-cane holiday high wears off, a thoughtful financial present will bring smiles for many holidays to come. And, more practically, let's be honest: Licking an envelope is a lot easier than wrapping an awkwardly shaped present that no one will remember two months from now.
If forking over a few crisp $20s to Junior feels a tad gauche, read on for a few ideas to dress up that gift of green and make it multiply.

Our parents, peers, the Joneses, and others have a lot of sway over our financial decisions -- both good and bad. All these outside influences can make it hard to heed that little voice inside our head (the reasonable one, that is) telling us to shape up and declare bankruptcy, rather than going back to the fridge for a third helping of Chunky Monkey.
To kick bad money habits (or boost good ones), you've got to change the way you think about change, according to the authors of "The True Cost of Happiness." Change is not a punishment for failure; it's the process of getting you closer to what you really want.
So what exactly is it that you really want? Here's a five-step plan to help you figure it out -- and actually institute the changes that you most want to make in your financial life.
1. Identify your real goals.Don't skip right to the numbers. Start with the "" worksheet from "." Awareness isn't an automatic fix, but it helps you address your challenges.
2. Explore your behavioral influences.Reflect on the familial, social, and personal powers at play in your financial choices. Write down things that trigger unwanted actions and tap into those that serve you well instead. (For help delving into those subconscious influences, see 3. Adjust the numbers and make goals concrete.After you have a clearer picture of your current spending (use the "worksheet, also found under the " Money Goal), make a concrete plan using the "Set Spending Priorities" worksheet to redirect your money to best reflect your real desires.
4. Use visual cues to remind yourself of your goals.Keep the bad influences in check -- track your progress (post it on the fridge!), or carry a picture of your dream home in your wallet.
5. Remind yourself that change is gradual.Money mindfulness isn't instantaneous. It takes continual work to alter a lifelong way of thinking. Use setbacks as tools to identify areas in which you're still vulnerable.

Dell's profit ,stock drop on weak quarterly report

Some of the computer-industry's biggest players — such as IBM Corp., Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. — have wowed Wall Street this fall with stronger-than-expected profits.
Dell Inc. didn't join them Thursday.
The company reported a 54 percent drop in net income and a 15 percent decline in revenue in its latest quarter, both steeper than analysts had forecast.
Dell's shares fell almost 6 percent in extended trading.
The numbers show that Dell isn't fully benefiting from the industry's fledgling recovery, even though the company is seeing improvement in some areas.
"We are already seeing more client activity in the last 30 to 60 days than we have in a long time," Michael Dell, the company's CEO, said on a conference call with analysts.
Dell has been hurt more than its peers because of tightened spending by corporations and large government agencies, which make up 80 percent of Dell's revenue.
Meanwhile, rivals such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Acer Inc. have boosted their market share by exploiting their bigger presence in retail stores. That has been a big weapon because consumer interest in little laptops called "netbooks" has helped the PC industry start to pull out of its worst slump in years.
In the last quarter, Acer replaced Dell as the world's No. 2 personal computer maker. Dell has said it is willing to lose some market share rather than lower prices too much. That is a key part of Dell's strategy to improve profitability — an effort that has included a huge restructuring.
Dell's work force was trimmed by 9,300 last year to 78,900 at the end of January, the last time the company gave employment figures. It also has changed the way it makes and sells computers, leaning more on contract manufacturers and retailers instead of doing everything in house.
Dell is also trying to expand into more profitable markets through acquisitions. The most significant is Perot Systems Corp., a technology-services company that Dell is buying for $3.9 billion. The deal is a move against HP, which paid $13.9 billion for another services company, Electronic Data Systems Corp.
The changes haven't been enough to lift Dell's profit. Net income fell to $337 million, or 17 cents per share, in its latest quarter, which ended Oct. 30. That compares with $727 million, or 37 cents a share, in the same period a year ago.
Revenue fell 15 percent to $12.9 billion.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected Dell to earn 28 cents per share on $13.2 billion in revenue in the latest quarter.
Dell, which is based in Round Rock, Texas, said it expects revenue in the current period to be better than in the prior quarter, but it attributes that to the seasonal benefit of consumers buying PCs around the holidays.
Dell's restructuring hasn't won over investors. The stock has fallen more than 30 percent over the last two years. Its shares fell 92 cents to $14.95 in extended trading after the earnings report.
HP reports its quarterly numbers Monday. The company has already revealed preliminary results that topped Wall Street's expectations and raised its 2010 guidance.

Bhutan'religion

Bhutan, often referred to as the Land of Thunder Dragon, is a land where the chief state religion is Mahayana Buddhism, meaning greater wheel. The locals are seen in their traditional costumes. Short cultural trips of one week to Bhutan can be added on to your holiday in Nepal.

Robert Gates has tapped

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has tapped a former senior defense official to lead a broad Pentagon review of the circumstances surrounding the Fort Hood shootings, The Associated Press has learned.
Gates will announce Thursday that it will be a single, coordinated review, and will call for a quick, short-term report, followed by a longer, more extensive study, according to an administration official.
Components of the wide-ranging probe could include self-examinations by the Army and the military's medical community, and likely look at personnel policies and the availability of mental health services for troubled troops.
It would go well beyond the specific case of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 in the shootings at the Texas military post on Nov. 5.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because announcements have not yet been made. The identity of the former official leading the review was not revealed.
Details were still being worked out Wednesday night, but the review would mirror other department inquiries during Gates' tenure, including a probe of the Air Force's handling of nuclear materials.
President Barack Obama already has ordered a review of all intelligence related to Hasan, including his contacts with a radical Islamic cleric overseas and concerns about the major voiced by some medical

Nick Adenhart was killed

The Los Angeles Angels could have crumbled when pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident in April, overcome by waves of grief and sadness.
Mike Scioscia kept them moving forward.
"There wasn't one defining moment," he said. "I think as the season started to evolve guys found that sense of purpose to play baseball again and they played it at a very, very high level."
For his deft touch during a trying season, Scioscia won the AL Manager of the Year award on Wednesday for the second time. Jim Tracy of Colorado was selected for the NL honor.
Tracy became the second manager to win the award after taking over during the season, joining Jack McKeon for Florida in 2003. Less than an hour after the award was announced, the Rockies said Tracy had been rewarded with a three-year contract.
"What we're talking about this afternoon, it's probably as flattering an experience as I've come to realize during the course of my professional career in athletics," Tracy said. "And obviously a new contract is extremely exciting. But what is more intriguing for me is what is still out there for our ballclub."
Tracy received 29 first-place votes and two seconds for 151 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Scioscia got 15 first-place votes, 10 seconds and one third for 106 points.
The Rockies promoted Tracy from bench coach after Clint Hurdle was fired in late May and won the wild-card race. Scioscia and the Angels paid tribute to Adenhart with their fifth AL West title in six years.
"Some things, you're never prepared for," Scioscia said. "But those things really weren't about us. They were about the Adenhart family and I think as we supported them we found some peace."
Ron Gardenhire finished second in the AL voting for the second straight year and fifth time during his eight seasons as Minnesota manager. He also placed third in 2002, when Scioscia was honored for the first time, but has never won the award. Tony La Russa of the Cardinals, a four-time winner, was a distant second in the NL with 55 points.
Lou Piniella of the Cubs and Joe Maddon of the Rays were honored last year.
Colorado was 18-28 and 14 1/2 games behind NL West-leading Los Angeles when general manager Dan O'Dowd dismissed Hurdle on May 29 and offered the job to Tracy.
"I didn't immediately say yes," Tracy recalled. "I asked for 60 minutes to think about it and he told me you can have 60 but you can't have 61 because he needed somebody down in the dugout to manage that night."
Tracy was sold when O'Dowd told him he just wanted to see the team play better. He thought he could take care of that — and the Rockies responded to his steady hand. They went 74-42 the rest of the way, extending the division race to the final weekend before settling for the wild card.
There was no Rocktober this year — Colorado lost to Philadelphia in the division series — but it was still quite the turnaround for the club and Tracy, who was fired after leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 68-94 record in 2007.
The 53-year-old Tracy was out of baseball before becoming the Rockies' bench coach in November 2008.
"With as young as we are and with as much as we grew in such a short period of time, I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm looking forward to the future," he said.
Scioscia managed the Angels to their third consecutive division title during one of his most difficult seasons in the dugout. Los Angeles has earned six postseason berths in the last eight years under Scioscia, who was a catcher for the Dodgers for 13 seasons and retired in 1994.
The Angels used 14 starting pitchers and played without sluggers Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero for long stretches due to injuries. The team's biggest challenge was moving past the sorrow it felt after Adenhart's death.
"For a long time, it wasn't easy for our club," Scioscia said.
Scioscia, who turns 51 on Nov. 27, was credited for giving his players time to grieve while gently insisting on accountability as an early slump lingered. Los Angeles responded by surging to another division title and making it to the AL championship series, eliminating postseason nemesis Boston along the way.
The baseball honors continue Thursday with the NL Cy Young Award.