As slowdown drags on, IBM looks to governments for new growth

Samuel Palmisano has been busy. The previously low-profile chief executive of International Business Machines Corp. has crisscrossed the globe in recent months, talking to government leaders about promoting the use of technology to improve everything from roads and water systems to the environment and health care. Government spending on such programs can stimulate economic development, argues Mr. Palmisano. And it has another benefit: boosting IBM's bottom line.

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