A California telecommunications technology company laid off more than a dozen workers this week at its research operation in Morrisville.

The layoff at JDS Uniphase, which reduces the local staff to 46, follows a strategy announced in March to cut costs, including eliminating jobs.

The company laid off 14 people at its Communications Test and Measurement business here and a cut a "handful" of workers in other locations, said JDS spokesman Jim Monroe.

Monroe downplayed the layoffs as part of the company's business strategy.

"In the grand scheme of things, it's a pretty routine matter," Monroe said. "This is a standard tuning of our business. We're always aligning our business with growth opportunities."

Dell doesn't want to be outdone by rival Lenovo on the advertising front.

Dell plans to start an $80 million ad campaign this month, to help boost slowing sales of its personal computers, Bloomberg News reported.

Chinese PC maker Lenovo, which has a headquarters in Morrisville, started its own ad campaign last month, with an estimated cost of $100 million.

The campaigns even feature similar, dueling taglines.

Research in Motion, which has quickly expanded a research facility in Cary during the past year, plans to cut an unspecified number of jobs companywide to offset slowing sales and falling market share.

The Canadian company is best known for its BlackBerry smartphones, but is struggling amid increasing competition from Apple's iPhone and other rivals. It recently introduced a new Playbook tablet computer and is preparing to start selling a new version of its Bold phone.

But this afternoon, RIM forecast quarterly sales and profit that were weaker than analysts had expected. RIM shares fell more than $5 in late trading, after closing at $35.33 today. The stock was already down 39 percent this year.

The company didn't estimate how many jobs might be cut in its planned "headcount reduction," which is expected to begin in the current quarter.

IBM is preparing to mark its 100th birthday next week, but there's another key date for the technology giant later this summer, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

CEO Sam Palmisano turns 60 on July 29, setting off speculation that the company may soon name his successor. That's the age when IBM CEOs have traditionally tapped their replacements, the magazine reports.

The new leader will help shape IBM's future direction and strategy, decisions that will effect the 10,000 employees at the company's Research Triangle Park campus.

Cree, the LED lighting company based in Durham, will host President Barack Obama on Monday, the White House announced today.

Obama will tour the company and make remarks to workers at Cree, again. Obama made a similar stop at Cree in May 2008 when the Democratic presidential candidate was stumping for votes in North Carolina.

During his visit to the Triangle on Monday, he's also scheduled to meet with his new Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, which he appointed this winter. The council is made up of private-sector industry leaders, including General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly and Intel CEO Paul Otellini.

SciQuest has won a key contract with the state of Colorado, which could open the doors for similar deals with other states.

The deal represents a big breakthrough for Cary-based SciQuest, which sells e-procurement technology and services to universities, pharmaceutical companies and other customers. It has had a contract with Georgia, but officials have been pushing hard to add more business with other state and local governments.

Final terms of the Colorado contract are still being negotiated, but it could be worth nearly $5 million over five years. SciQuest CEO Stephen Wiehe declined to comment until all of the agreements with Colorado are signed.

The contract is a "highly visible win in the state and local market, which we believe may act as a catalyst for additional government opportunities for SciQuest," JMP Securities analyst Patrick Walravens wrote in a report to investors.

Tekelec has promoted a former Lucent Technologies executive as its new CEO.

Ron de Lange joined the Morrisville-based telecommunications technology company in 2005 and has been "the primary architect of the company's product strategy." He replaces interim CEO Krish Prabhu, who took the job in January after Frank Plastina abruptly resigned after 5 years as CEO.

De Lange, 52, takes over as Tekelec goes through a key transition. The company, which makes software and other technology used by mobile-phone carriers, has seen sales slow and is shifting its focus to the next generation of wireless networks that carry more data and video.

Red Hat, the Raleigh software company with a booming business, gave its top executives modest annual raises this week.

CEO Jim Whitehurst's base salary rose to $775,000, for example, a 3 percent increase, Red Hat reported in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing today. Chief financial officer Charlie Peters and others got similar raises.

The base salaries are just a small part of the executives' total compensation. Whitehurst also could receive a bonus of up to $775,000 if Red Hat meets various financial and other goals, plus other pay.

Last year, Whitehurst made $8.97 million, including $7.16 million in stock awards, Red Hat disclosed in a previous SEC filing. That made him one of the Triangle's highest paid CEOs.

SciQuest announced that its No. 2 executive, chief operating officer James Duke, right, plans to resign for personal reasons.

"I would like to thank Jamie for his leadership and dedication that have helped SciQuest reach the strong position we enjoy in the market today," CEO Stephen Wiehe said in a prepared statement. "We wish him the best of luck as he focuses on his personal goals after a transition period at SciQuest."

Tekelec, which laid off about 50 employees at its Morrisville headquarters this month, named a former Alcatel-Lucent executive as its new chairman.

The local layoffs were part of a broader restructuring as the telecommunications equipment company tries to cut costs and offset slower sales. The company expects to eliminate up to 15 percent of its global workforce as it focuses on next generation technology.

Hubert de Pesquidoux, who has been a Tekelec board member since 2009, has taken over as chairman. He replaces Mark Floyd, who did not seek reelection.

It's the second top executive change at the company this year.