Hillenbrand, a casket manufacturing business, acquired K-Tron, a pneumatic equipment company, in anticipation that the death-related services industry will not see much growth in the next few years.

FORBES: When Death Doesn't Come Frequently Enough

Xyratex and Intevac shares are both trading sharply higher, in anticipation that the producers of hard-disk drive manufacturing equipment could be a beneficiary from the troubles now plaguing the drive business due to the recent devastating floods in Thailand.

FORBES: Connect

Some analysts argue that Siemens should have never gone into making handsets because it is a completely different business from its other manufacturing activities, which range from trains to medical equipment and power turbines.

ECONOMIST: Siemens