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PROFNET WIRE: BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY: Future of Organized Labor

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

Aug. 16, 2005 ________ ROUND-UP

Future of Organized Labor (continued, 1 expert) Bankruptcy Reform Bill (continued, 1 expert) PR Ethics (continued, 2 experts) _____ LEADS

1. Advertising: Targeting Generation Y 2. Airlines: Systematic Failure, Human Error May Have Caused Crash in Greece 3. Airlines: Airline Bankruptcies Product of Poor Planning 4. Business: Using Intellectual Property to Solve Business Problems 5. Business: Corporate Bloggers are Learning to Leverage Content 6. Business: Setting Realistic IP Entitlement Expectations 7. Employee Benefits: Employers Need to Closely Examine Paid Leave 8. Food & Beverage: Consolidation in the Beer Industry 9. Food & Beverage: Single-Cup Brewers Heat Up Luxury Coffee Trend 10. Pensions: Pensions Safe Even After Pension Guaranty Company Hit Hard 11. Personal Finance: Finding Ways to Pay This Fall's Tuition Bill 12. Retail: Prices are Up for Many Back-to-School Items 13. Retail: Specialty Retailers Are Thriving Online 14. Tax Planning: New Rules to Limit Tax Services By Auditors 15. Tax Planning: It's Not Too Late to Correct a Mistake on Your Tax Return 16. Technology: 'Back-To-School' Spam Activity Expected to Increase 17. Technology: Iptv and the Texas Legislative Ruling 18. Technology: iPod Numbers Skyrocket, Creating Further Digital Divide

ROUND-UP: Future of Organized Labor (continued)

We've added the following to items posted previously at http://profnet.prnewswire.com/organik/orbital/thewire/lst_leads.jsp?iLRTopicID =10454

**1. CHARLES S. BIRENBAUM, labor lawyer at Winston & Strawn: "A driving force behind the AFL-CIO split is the unions' decision to focus resources on organizing employers rather than on the AFL-CIO bureaucracy. Unions will not hesitate to bypass the NLRB and engage in non-traditional tactics, or 'corporate campaigns,' against nonunion companies to achieve their organizing goals. Such tactics include legislative initiatives, regulatory pressure, public relations campaigns, consumer boycotts, legal action, such as wage-and- hour lawsuits, and shareholder involvement. Businesses should be exploring their options and devising defensive strategies." News Contact: Brenda McGann, brendamcgann@sbcglobal.net Phone: +1-310-649-1450 (8/15/05)

ROUND-UP: Bankruptcy Reform Bill (continued)

We've added the following to items posted previously at http://profnet.prnewswire.com/organik/orbital/thewire/lst_leads.jsp?iLRTopicID =8904

**1. JEFFREY WARREN, founding partner at Bush Ross, P.A., is a nationally recognized expert on Chapter 11 topics. Warren was lead bankruptcy counsel to Celotex Corporation in one of the largest Chapter 11 cases ever resolved in the United States. He's a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, whose 420-some bankruptcy professionals are admitted by invitation only. News Contact: Paul Abercrombie, paber@tampabay.rr.com Phone: +1-813-258-0688 (8/15/05)

ROUND-UP: PR Ethics (continued)

We've added the following to items posted previously at http://profnet.prnewswire.com/organik/orbital/thewire/lst_leads.jsp?iLRTopicID =7985

**1. JON HUGHES, journalism director at the University of Cincinnati: "Despite the bottom line of profit-and-loss statements, media still has a responsibility to an informed society. Media's leaving readers and viewers less informed on issues than they should be. The younger generation is particularly overwhelmed. They go to the media for its entertainment value rather than its informational value. It's simply an overload of information." News Contact: Wendy Hart Beckman, beckmawh@ucmail.uc.edu Phone: +1-513-556- 1826 (8/15/05)

**2. Julian M. Wuerth, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy at the University of Cincinnati: "Overcoming obstacles to survive was often an all- consuming challenge 140 yeas ago. With the ease of making ends meet comes a new slew of temptations and a greater ease to succumb to inclinations. Spare time is the workshop of the devil, as they say. Still, media's positive benefits outweigh the negative. The Internet and technology provide new opportunities to be more enlightened. The sheer volume of information on the Internet is staggering, and technology allows us to have more free time to become enlightened. It's a great opportunity." News Contact: Wendy Hart Beckman, beckmawh@ucmail.uc.edu Phone: +1-513-556-1826 (8/15/05)

_____ LEADS

**1. ADVERTISING: TARGETING GENERATION Y. ROMAN TSUNDER, CEO of Access Retail Entertainment, a youth marketing company: "While large ad agencies push traditional advertising means, in-store television brand recall is over 60 percent Â--- nearly three times the recall of traditional media. There are four places outside of traditional advertising to reach Gen Y -Â in the home, in school, in between and 'in-store,' which means finding teens while they shop. It is important to reach teens where they are already receptive to the message our clients are trying to reach them with. It's easy for a teen to ignore a commercial when they are watching TV with their friends, but enabling clients to directly be integrated into the shopping experience gives them a leg up on their competitors." News Contact: Ronn Torossian, ronn@5wpr.com Phone: +1-212- 999-5585 Web site: http://www.accessretail.tv/ (8/15/05)

**2. AIRLINES: SYSTEMATIC FAILURE, HUMAN ERROR MAY HAVE CAUSED CRASH IN GREECE. Francis G. Fleming, veteran pilot and attorney at law firm Kreindler & Kreindler LLP in New York, specializes in aviation law and attorneys for plaintiffs in several crashes involving Boeing 737s, the aircraft that crashed near Athens, Greece, on Aug. 14: "While it is too early to determine specific cause, it seems apparent that, once again, a combination of systematic failure and human error were involved in this tragedy. The questions already raised about why the plane's likely decompression was not accommodated by needed redundancies in the safety systems and why the crew did not or could not respond demonstrate again that, industry-wide, better technology and training are both essential to ensure the safest possible flight for passengers of large aircraft." News Contact: Jay S. Winuk, jay@winukpr.com Phone: +1-845- 277-1160 (8/15/05)

**3. AIRLINES: AIRLINE BANKRUPTCIES PRODUCT OF POOR PLANNING. Stephen C. Stapleton, bankruptcy attorney at Dallas' Cowles & Thompson, P.C.: "United, Continental, TWA, Vanguard, Legend, Pan Am, Eastern -- the list of bankrupt air carriers is a lengthy mix of big and never-quite-made-it names. Now Delta, Northwest and Independence Air are reportedly close to bankruptcy as well. While some place blame on Sept. 11, current problems have more to do with an outmoded industry model and higher-than-expected costs. Airlines are saddled with wage and benefit programs that do not work in an era of low-cost carriers. And for those airlines that failed to hedge their fuel prices, fuel prices, too, have cut deeply into any hope of profits." News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@legalpr.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (8/15/05)

**4. BUSINESS: USING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TO SOLVE BUSINESS PROBLEMS. DAVID CRAWFORD, managing director of COMMERCIAL STRATEGY, a strategic advisory and consulting firm organized to support senior management at Fortune 500 companies: "It is clear that deriving greater economic and strategic value from your intellectual property is becoming a mandate at many Fortune 500 companies. However, only a few select companies actually have the knowledge, skills, tools, and organizational commitment to commercialize intellectual property successfully as a repeatable business process and solve real business problems to achieve meaningful ROI." News Contact: Jeanne Zagursky, jzagursky@commercialstrategy.com Phone: +1-877-460-2600, ext. 713 (8/15/05)

**5. BUSINESS: CORPORATE BLOGGERS ARE LEARNING TO LEVERAGE CONTENT. ROBIN HOPPER, CEO of iUpload, a corporate blogging company: "Blogging is rapidly being adopted in the corporate world. However, most of the initiatives are primarily motivated by a desire to build goodwill and establish thought leadership. While this is a good start, most corporate blogging programs fall short in their ability to leverage the vast amounts of content created. Companies are just now starting to see the power of a successful corporate blog. In the near future, companies will initiate corporate blogging strategies that address business problems in the areas of marketing, sales, customer service, and more effectively communicating with customers, partners and employees." 555 News Contact: Jennifer Gazin, jennifer@launchsquad.com Phone: +1-415-625-8555 (8/15/05)

**6. BUSINESS: SETTING REALISTIC IP ENTITLEMENT EXPECTATIONS. DONALD R. DAVIS, managing director and general counsel at COMMERCIAL STRATEGY: "Business leaders are asking what ROI ('IP entitlement') they can expect from their IP investment. Expectations are often driven by examples of questionable relevancy. IBM has about 25,000 active U.S. patents (40,000 worldwide), spends about $5 billion in research and development, and generates about $1.5 billion in licensing revenue/year. Business leaders wonder whether they can determine their IP entitlement by applying a ratio of IBM's licensing revenue to patent count or to its R&D spending. The answer is no, but it is possible to set realistic expectations for IP entitlement." News Contact: Jeanne Zagursky, jzagursky@commercialstrategy.com Phone: +1-877-460-2600, ext. 713 (8/15/05)

**7. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: EMPLOYERS NEED TO CLOSELY EXAMINE PAID LEAVE. SCOTT BROWN, CEO of HireSites and the author of the "Job Search Handbook": "Strategic thinking about paid leave may help employers to better meet workers' needs and budget more wisely for paid leave expenses. Most organizations don't know what they're spending on time off, perhaps because it's a complex situation that varies widely. Paid leave is either second to pay, or it's sometimes more important to employees than pay. This is a very valuable, almost sacred, benefit to employees, and they don't like you messing around with it." News Contact: Steven Blinn, steven@blinnpr.com Phone: +1-212- 675-4777 (8/15/05)

**8. FOOD & BEVERAGE: CONSOLIDATION IN THE BEER INDUSTRY. JOE FISCH, president and CEO of Stamford, Conn.-based United States Beverage and former president of Seagram's: "As the beer industry continues to consolidate, strong brands and low costs determines success for beer companies. In 25 years at Seagram's, I learned from the biggest and the best how to manage costs, make numbers and keep an eye on consumer tastes. The alcohol industry is currently going through something analogous to the 'Snapple effect' that shook carbonated drinks a few years back. In alcoholic beverages, players are picking up share from the big guys on the strength of better marketing, more personal branding, shifting tastes and other factors. The ongoing consolidation in our industry -- ushering in mass players with a mosaic of brands -- makes niche marketing philosophy and business model quite successful. The big companies don't want to touch brands that can't sell 20 million cases. Meanwhile, we make money on anything above half-a-million cases." News Contact: Ronn Torossian, ronn@5wpr.com Phone: +1-212-999-5585 (8/15/05)

**9. FOOD & BEVERAGE: SINGLE-CUP BREWERS HEAT UP LUXURY COFFEE TREND. JUDSON KLEINMAN, president of Corporate Essentials, a beverage service firm for professional businesses in the New York metro area: "For more than a decade, the gourmet coffee trend has been steadily climbing, with specialty coffee houses and upscale chain shops sprouting up everywhere from urban street corners to suburban strip malls, and with grocery stores selling freshly- ground exotic beans from all over the world to a swelling audience of luxury coffee lovers. The only place it seemed a coffee gourmand couldn't get a freshly brewed, custom-prepared cup of java was at work, where double burners hosting a hardly fresh pot of regular and one of decaf usually ruled the day. But that, too, has changed. There are so many trends that have converged to make luxury office coffee such a popular corporate perk, but by far, the newest and strongest of these trends is the emergence of the single-cup brewers." News Contact: Melissa Chefec, mchefec@optonline.net Phone: +1-203- 968-6625 (8/15/05)

**10. PENSIONS: PENSIONS SAFE EVEN AFTER PENSION GUARANTY COMPANY HIT HARD. SUZAN FENNER, attorney at Dallas' Gardere Wynne Sewell: "Workers are asking if their pensions are at risk after the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. was hit hard by high-profile bankruptcies in the steel and airline industries. But the vast majority of pension plans sponsored by companies today are financially sound and will pay benefits as promised. Plus, it's unlikely that Congress would let the PBGC go bankrupt. Employers are always on the lookout for ways to shore up their pension programs and control and forecast their costs, but a company cannot abandon its obligations to its pension plan and simply turn it over to the PBGC without filing for bankruptcy protection." News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@legalpr.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (8/15/05)

**11. PERSONAL FINANCE: FINDING WAYS TO PAY THIS FALL'S TUITION BILL. MARTHA HOLLER, senior director of corporate communications at Sallie Mae: "As the new school year approaches and tuition bills are in the mail, students and parents may think their time has run out to find affordable financing for this year's college costs. Many consumers wrongly assume they have to take costly measures, such as dipping into retirement savings." Holler can discuss low- cost resources still available to help families pay for this fall's tuition bill. News Contact: Erin Korsvall, erin.korsvall@slma.com Phone: +1-703-984- 5136 (8/15/05)

**12. RETAIL: PRICES ARE UP FOR MANY BACK-TO-SCHOOL ITEMS. JAY MCINTOSH, Americas director of retail and consumer products for Ernst and Young LLP: "Prices for many back-to-school items have increased since 2002, according to the Ernst & Young Back-to-School Market Basket. Today's back-to-school merchandise has more variety, encompassing apparel, electronics, tissues and school supplies, such as glue sticks. Most retailers are optimistic about the season. Overall back-to-school spending likely will rise moderately from last year. One of the most significant factors tempering sales growth is reduced spending on high-ticket electronics. College-age kids will continue to stock up on PCs, iPods and video cell phones, but parents of younger kids will spend less because there are fewer new must-have items." News Contact: Wendy Hirschhorn, wendyhi@nyc.rr.com Phone: +1-212-826-8790 (8/15/05)

**13. RETAIL: specialty RETAILERS ARE THRIVING ONLINE. WILLIAM SAGAN, CEO of rock memorabilia superstore Wolfgang's Vault: "In the midst of the sports and music collectible craze of the early 1990s, memorabilia shops popped up seemingly in strip malls across the U.S. and were out of business within months, while similar specialty retailers are now thriving in cyberspace. Specialty retailers wouldn't be able to survive if we were location- specific. By being global and on the Web, we are able to constantly reach new customers looking to make that one time purchase and don't rely on local repeat customers." News Contact: Ronn Torossian, ronn@5wpr.com Phone: +1-212-999-5585 (8/15/05)

**14. TAX PLANNING: NEW RULES TO LIMIT TAX SERVICES BY AUDITORS. SAL SALIBELLO, managing partner at Salibello & Broder LLP: "The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) voted to impose strict limits on the kinds of tax services that auditors may provide to their public company clients. These restrictions are designed to ensure that auditors' judgments about accounting aren't compromised by lucrative tax fees. If approved by the SEC, these rules would ban firms from providing personal tax services to management and their immediate family if the executive has oversight of a client's financials, entering into contingent fee arrangements and promoting aggressive tax avoidance schemes." News Contact: Lillie Balinova, lbalinova@sb-cpa.com Phone: +1-212-404-5574 (8/15/05)

**15. TAX PLANNING: IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO CORRECT A MISTAKE ON YOUR TAX RETURN. KEVIN LEVINE, CPA, senior tax manager at Salibello & Broder LLP: "Maybe you've missed a big deduction or received a late notice of income earned. Perhaps you should have itemized instead of taking the standard deduction. You probably still have plenty of time to amend your return. Generally, you have three years to amend a personal or business return. Special rules may apply if you paid your taxes late or are claiming certain business losses or carry-backs, and you may have as long as seven years if you are filing to claim a loss on a worthless security." News Contact: Lillie Balinova, lbalinova@sb-cpa.com Phone: +1-212-404-5574 (8/15/05)

**16. TECHNOLOGY: 'BACK-TO-SCHOOL' SPAM ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO INCREASE. JOEL SMITH, chief technology officer at APPRIVER, a provider of e-mail security services: "A Bagle virus variant, bagle.dldr.gen, is quickly spreading through the Net. It went from non-existent to the top of our list in 24 hours. It accounts for nearly 20 percent of all viruses recognized by our systems. We suspect it's harvesting a fresh crop of zombie computers to be used for a massive 'back-to-school' spam campaign. The Bagle variant is compressed in a .rar file containing an .exe file usually labeled 'taxes.exe.'" News Contact: Nermari Broderick nermari@thepengroup.com Phone: +1-305-529-1944 Web site: http://www.appriver.com/ (8/15/05)

**17. TECHNOLOGY: IPTV AND THE TEXAS LEGISLATIVE RULING. MAURO BONOMI, founder and CEO of Minerva Networks: "Last week's ruling by the Texas legislature allowing the statewide franchising of telephone-company video services is an important step forward for the IPTV industry. Not only did the state's government rule in favor of fair and equal 'triple-play competition,' but they showed overwhelming support for the measure. This is an important move for consumers as well. One by one, all of the hurdles preventing the widespread adoption of IPTV are being removed, and subscribers will soon enjoy television services far more powerful and flexible than those currently available." News Contact: Michael Volpatt, michael@larkinvolpatt.com Phone: +1-212-352-9583 (8/15/05)

**18. TECHNOLOGY: iPOD NUMBERS SKYROCKET, CREATING FURTHER DIGITAL DIVIDE. DR. KURT BEYER, professor of information technology at the U.S. Naval Academy and president of Riptopia, LLC: "With the release of Apple's 2Q findings of over five million iPods sold, the question remains, how does the consumer fully transition into the digital music age? Though 5 million seems high, there are still millions of people unwilling to make the digital transition. I see two key factors holding people back. First, lack of knowledge is keeping potential buyers on the sideline. Second, people 30 years and older own CD collections representing thousands of dollars of investment. A lot more units would be sold if you help this group convert the music they already own." News Contact: Ellen King, ellen@riptopia.com Phone: +1-202-236-7021 (8/15/05)

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit query by e-mail: profnet@profnet.com To consult the ProfNet Database: http://www.profnet.com/ To submit query by fax: 631-348-7906 To submit query by phone: +1-800-PROFNET To share a thought on the ProfNet Wire: leads@profnet.com

PRNewswire -- Aug. 16

ProfNet

Source: PRNewswire

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