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PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Mexican Business / Netflix Pricing / Dress Code
July 18, 2011
EXPERT ALERTS
1. Business: Growing Your Firm Through Core Values
2. Business: Mexican Businesses Expanding Despite Drug Wars
3. Business: Netflix Pricing Mistake?
4. Finance: U.S. Debt-Ceiling Debate
5. Real Estate: How to Save in a Buyer's Market
6. Technology: Federal Agencies Re-Examine Website Strategies
7. Workplace: Are Personality Tests Legal?
8. Workplace: When Does Dress-Code Enforcement Become Discrimination?
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
1. Tips for On-Camera Appearances
2. Top 10 Business Media Websites
3. Business Journalists' Social Media Use
4. Tips for Better Writing
********************
EXPERT ALERTS:
Via Expert Alerts, ProfNet members can alert reporters to experts who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please see the contact info at the end of the alert. You can also find Expert Alerts online on ProfNet Connect at http://bit.ly/pncalerts
**1. BUSINESS: GROWING YOUR FIRM THROUGH CORE VALUES. Douglas Wolford, president of the investment advisory firm Convergent Wealth Advisors, can discuss the importance of an organization's core values and how they can help create a culture of growth and innovation: "Core values should be at the foundation of every business. It's essential to understand how to get employees to embrace them and integrate them into a company's daily operations." Wolford can provide sample core values, as well as ways to implement a firm-wide campaign. He is located in Washington, D.C. News Contact: Danielle DiPirro, Danielle.DiPirro@ConvergentWealth.com Phone: +1-301-284-1144
**2. BUSINESS: MEXICAN BUSINESSES EXPANDING DESPITE DRUG WARS. Manuel Rajunov of the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight: "Despite the continual threat of drug cartel violence, jobs in Northern Mexico's manufacturing sector continue to rise, fueled in part by growth in the auto, aviation and electronics industries. Even in cities such as Monterrey, which saw a sudden escalation in violent crime in the last few years, facilities have expanded or announced plans to open. Across Mexico, we're seeing companies adapt with new security measures and restart production, even with limited foreign investment. Given how central the American economy is to its welfare, Mexico could suffer if the recovery in the United States does not pick up speed. While trade with the United States hit a record last year of nearly $395 billion, much of the job and economic growth in Mexico appears to be coming from existing businesses expanding or restarting production lines that had been waylaid by local security concerns or the global recession." News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534
**3. BUSINESS: NETFLIX PRICING MISTAKE? Mark Stiving, Ph.D., author of "Impact Pricing" (September 2011), is a respected price strategist with more than 15 years of experience helping companies implement value-based pricing strategies to increase profits. He has worked with esteemed companies such as Cisco and Procter & Gamble: "Only time will tell if yesterday's Netflix price hike is a mistake or not, but this is certainly a great learning experience. From what I've read, it seems that Netflix's goal is to get more people to move to streaming only. However, the complaints with content and quality make it unlikely that they will replace DVDs completely. They created a plan to force customers to choose quickly. I believe Netflix will be pretty badly hurt by their decision and predict Netflix will change this policy soon." Stiving can speak to price increases, bundling, segmentation and costs. He is located in San Jose, Calif. News Contact: Jillian McTigue, jmctigue@entrepreneur.com Phone +1-949-622-5274 Website: http://pragmaticpricing.com
**4. FINANCE: U.S. DEBT-CEILING DEBATE: Scott Laue, financial advisor at Savant Capital Management, can discuss the Treasury Department's concern that the debt limit must be raised by Aug. 2 or they will run out of cash to pay the government's bills: "The current debt limit is $14.3 trillion, but Congress does not want to increase the debt limit without an agreed-upon plan to reduce the $1.6 trillion annual deficit. The longer the political impasse continues, the more investors will worry and markets will get riled. Rating agencies are putting warnings out, other countries may take action and even the Fed is concerned. Everyone agrees that doing nothing about the debt ceiling is a very bad thing, and that a default should be avoided. The fact that everyone agrees, which does not happen very often, means that most likely both sides will come to their senses and get a deal done." Savant Capital Management is a fee-only wealth management firm headquartered in Rockford, Ill., that works with clients nationally. Laue is available for media interviews. News Contact: Michelle Polivka, mpolivka@pretc.net Phone: +1-815-489-3955
**5. REAL ESTATE: HOW TO SAVE IN A BUYER'S MARKET. Kelly O'Ryan, office manager of Coldwell Banker in Lexington, Mass.: "Save money with supply and demand. This buyer's market means that with a lot of comparables on the market, negotiating with the seller can be more fruitful for buyers. It's important to research all comps within a given neighborhood to be sure you are getting the fairest price. It also isn't out of the question for you to ask for pieces of furniture and appliances, within your offer. An experienced real estate agent can guide you through these negotiations, so you don't risk losing the house of your dreams during this stressful part of the process." News Contact: Lucia Scott, Lucia@exposeyourselfpr.com Phone: +1-617-797-9869
**6. TECHNOLOGY: FOUR KEY ISSUES AS FEDERAL AGENCIES RE-EXAMINE WEBSITE STRATEGIES AS PART OF OBAMA'S WASTE-CUTTING INITIATIVE. Joe Wykes, president of Percussion Software, a Web content-management-software provider, has deep experience working with federal agencies; including Health and Human Services, General Services Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: "President Obama kicked off a federal waste-cutting initiative in June that included taking a hard look at federal-government websites as an area to target. Last week, CIO Vivek Kundra revealed there are over 24,000 '.gov' sites in existence. Reducing the overall number of sites will improve public access to government sites and services, enable more efficient management of the various data assets and cut costs of federal spending on maintaining these sites." Wykes can discuss the four key technology issues government agencies must consider as they re-examine their Web strategies. Wykes is based in Boston. News Contact: Kathy Wilson, kwilson@tieronepr.com Phone: +1-781-652-0499
**7. WORKPLACE: ARE PERSONALITY TESTS LEGAL? Gavin Appleby is a shareholder at Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management. More than 80 percent of midsize and large companies use personality assessments as a pre-employment, promotion or new-employee tool. Many employers, however, do not consider whether the tests they use are legally defensible. Appleby is available to speak about this topic and provide insight about what to look for when choosing these tests: "Employers use personality tests for a number of reasons. Problematically, many employers use tests that may be considered medical examinations under the Americans with Disabilities Act; these tests are not properly validated. It is important to know what one should look for when choosing these tests, so employers are sure to avoid any legal pitfalls." News Contact: Aimee Nicholls, Nicholls@formulapr.com Phone: +1-212-219-0321
**8. WORKPLACE: WHEN DOES DRESS-CODE ENFORCEMENT BECOME DISCRIMINATION? Margaret Hart Edwards is a shareholder at Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management. Employers have the right to implement dress-code policies and standards, but there are limits to the grooming requirements they can enforce in the name of upholding a company's image. Managers should generally be prepared to make some accommodations with respect to clothing based upon religion or disability. Adjustments must be reasonable and not impose an undue hardship on the employer. Edwards is available to speak about the legal implications employers may face if they do not correctly implement dress-code policies: "Although creating and maintaining a dress code is a common employer practice, it is vital that businesses are knowledgeable of how to legally implement such rules to reduce claims of discrimination. Protocol should stress the concepts of professionalism and appropriateness to the specific business environment. This allows some latitude for discussion and the exercise of discretion by the employer." News Contact: Aimee Nicholls, Nicholls@formulapr.com Phone: +1-212-219-0321
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
**1. DEAR GRACIE: TIPS FOR HOW TO APPEAR ON CAMERA: Six communications experts share tips on making TV appearances: http://bit.ly/oZYSEl
**2. BTOB SELECTS 10 GREAT BIZ MEDIA WEBSITES: BtoB Executive Editor Sean Callahan presents the Top 10 business-related websites: http://bit.ly/nRRInD
**3. SABEW: SOCIAL MEDIA USE GROWS AMONG BIZ JOURNALISTS: SABEW Research Director Chris Roush discusses social media use in business reporting: http://bit.ly/nahRSe
**4. SEVEN TIPS FOR BETTER WRITING: ProfNet Director Maria Perez presents writing tips on Ragan's PR Daily: http://bit.ly/pCqiI9
PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit a request for experts: http://budurl.com/profnetquery To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://profnet.prnewswire.com To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on Expert Alerts: profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
/PRNewswire - July 18, 2011/
SOURCE ProfNet
ProfNet
Web Site: http://www.profnet.com
PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Mexican Business / Netflix Pricing / Dress Code
July 18, 2011
EXPERT ALERTS
1. Business: Growing Your Firm Through Core Values
2. Business: Mexican Businesses Expanding Despite Drug Wars
3. Business: Netflix Pricing Mistake?
4. Finance: U.S. Debt-Ceiling Debate
5. Real Estate: How to Save in a Buyer's Market
6. Technology: Federal Agencies Re-Examine Website Strategies
7. Workplace: Are Personality Tests Legal?
8. Workplace: When Does Dress-Code Enforcement Become Discrimination?
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
1. Tips for On-Camera Appearances
2. Top 10 Business Media Websites
3. Business Journalists' Social Media Use
4. Tips for Better Writing
********************
EXPERT ALERTS:
Via Expert Alerts, ProfNet members can alert reporters to experts who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please see the contact info at the end of the alert. You can also find Expert Alerts online on ProfNet Connect at http://bit.ly/pncalerts
**1. BUSINESS: GROWING YOUR FIRM THROUGH CORE VALUES. Douglas Wolford, president of the investment advisory firm Convergent Wealth Advisors, can discuss the importance of an organization's core values and how they can help create a culture of growth and innovation: "Core values should be at the foundation of every business. It's essential to understand how to get employees to embrace them and integrate them into a company's daily operations." Wolford can provide sample core values, as well as ways to implement a firm-wide campaign. He is located in Washington, D.C. News Contact: Danielle DiPirro, Danielle.DiPirro@ConvergentWealth.com Phone: +1-301-284-1144
**2. BUSINESS: MEXICAN BUSINESSES EXPANDING DESPITE DRUG WARS. Manuel Rajunov of the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight: "Despite the continual threat of drug cartel violence, jobs in Northern Mexico's manufacturing sector continue to rise, fueled in part by growth in the auto, aviation and electronics industries. Even in cities such as Monterrey, which saw a sudden escalation in violent crime in the last few years, facilities have expanded or announced plans to open. Across Mexico, we're seeing companies adapt with new security measures and restart production, even with limited foreign investment. Given how central the American economy is to its welfare, Mexico could suffer if the recovery in the United States does not pick up speed. While trade with the United States hit a record last year of nearly $395 billion, much of the job and economic growth in Mexico appears to be coming from existing businesses expanding or restarting production lines that had been waylaid by local security concerns or the global recession." News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534
**3. BUSINESS: NETFLIX PRICING MISTAKE? Mark Stiving, Ph.D., author of "Impact Pricing" (September 2011), is a respected price strategist with more than 15 years of experience helping companies implement value-based pricing strategies to increase profits. He has worked with esteemed companies such as Cisco and Procter & Gamble: "Only time will tell if yesterday's Netflix price hike is a mistake or not, but this is certainly a great learning experience. From what I've read, it seems that Netflix's goal is to get more people to move to streaming only. However, the complaints with content and quality make it unlikely that they will replace DVDs completely. They created a plan to force customers to choose quickly. I believe Netflix will be pretty badly hurt by their decision and predict Netflix will change this policy soon." Stiving can speak to price increases, bundling, segmentation and costs. He is located in San Jose, Calif. News Contact: Jillian McTigue, jmctigue@entrepreneur.com Phone +1-949-622-5274 Website: http://pragmaticpricing.com
**4. FINANCE: U.S. DEBT-CEILING DEBATE: Scott Laue, financial advisor at Savant Capital Management, can discuss the Treasury Department's concern that the debt limit must be raised by Aug. 2 or they will run out of cash to pay the government's bills: "The current debt limit is $14.3 trillion, but Congress does not want to increase the debt limit without an agreed-upon plan to reduce the $1.6 trillion annual deficit. The longer the political impasse continues, the more investors will worry and markets will get riled. Rating agencies are putting warnings out, other countries may take action and even the Fed is concerned. Everyone agrees that doing nothing about the debt ceiling is a very bad thing, and that a default should be avoided. The fact that everyone agrees, which does not happen very often, means that most likely both sides will come to their senses and get a deal done." Savant Capital Management is a fee-only wealth management firm headquartered in Rockford, Ill., that works with clients nationally. Laue is available for media interviews. News Contact: Michelle Polivka, mpolivka@pretc.net Phone: +1-815-489-3955
**5. REAL ESTATE: HOW TO SAVE IN A BUYER'S MARKET. Kelly O'Ryan, office manager of Coldwell Banker in Lexington, Mass.: "Save money with supply and demand. This buyer's market means that with a lot of comparables on the market, negotiating with the seller can be more fruitful for buyers. It's important to research all comps within a given neighborhood to be sure you are getting the fairest price. It also isn't out of the question for you to ask for pieces of furniture and appliances, within your offer. An experienced real estate agent can guide you through these negotiations, so you don't risk losing the house of your dreams during this stressful part of the process." News Contact: Lucia Scott, Lucia@exposeyourselfpr.com Phone: +1-617-797-9869
**6. TECHNOLOGY: FOUR KEY ISSUES AS FEDERAL AGENCIES RE-EXAMINE WEBSITE STRATEGIES AS PART OF OBAMA'S WASTE-CUTTING INITIATIVE. Joe Wykes, president of Percussion Software, a Web content-management-software provider, has deep experience working with federal agencies; including Health and Human Services, General Services Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: "President Obama kicked off a federal waste-cutting initiative in June that included taking a hard look at federal-government websites as an area to target. Last week, CIO Vivek Kundra revealed there are over 24,000 '.gov' sites in existence. Reducing the overall number of sites will improve public access to government sites and services, enable more efficient management of the various data assets and cut costs of federal spending on maintaining these sites." Wykes can discuss the four key technology issues government agencies must consider as they re-examine their Web strategies. Wykes is based in Boston. News Contact: Kathy Wilson, kwilson@tieronepr.com Phone: +1-781-652-0499
**7. WORKPLACE: ARE PERSONALITY TESTS LEGAL? Gavin Appleby is a shareholder at Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management. More than 80 percent of midsize and large companies use personality assessments as a pre-employment, promotion or new-employee tool. Many employers, however, do not consider whether the tests they use are legally defensible. Appleby is available to speak about this topic and provide insight about what to look for when choosing these tests: "Employers use personality tests for a number of reasons. Problematically, many employers use tests that may be considered medical examinations under the Americans with Disabilities Act; these tests are not properly validated. It is important to know what one should look for when choosing these tests, so employers are sure to avoid any legal pitfalls." News Contact: Aimee Nicholls, Nicholls@formulapr.com Phone: +1-212-219-0321
**8. WORKPLACE: WHEN DOES DRESS-CODE ENFORCEMENT BECOME DISCRIMINATION? Margaret Hart Edwards is a shareholder at Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management. Employers have the right to implement dress-code policies and standards, but there are limits to the grooming requirements they can enforce in the name of upholding a company's image. Managers should generally be prepared to make some accommodations with respect to clothing based upon religion or disability. Adjustments must be reasonable and not impose an undue hardship on the employer. Edwards is available to speak about the legal implications employers may face if they do not correctly implement dress-code policies: "Although creating and maintaining a dress code is a common employer practice, it is vital that businesses are knowledgeable of how to legally implement such rules to reduce claims of discrimination. Protocol should stress the concepts of professionalism and appropriateness to the specific business environment. This allows some latitude for discussion and the exercise of discretion by the employer." News Contact: Aimee Nicholls, Nicholls@formulapr.com Phone: +1-212-219-0321
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
**1. DEAR GRACIE: TIPS FOR HOW TO APPEAR ON CAMERA: Six communications experts share tips on making TV appearances: http://bit.ly/oZYSEl
**2. BTOB SELECTS 10 GREAT BIZ MEDIA WEBSITES: BtoB Executive Editor Sean Callahan presents the Top 10 business-related websites: http://bit.ly/nRRInD
**3. SABEW: SOCIAL MEDIA USE GROWS AMONG BIZ JOURNALISTS: SABEW Research Director Chris Roush discusses social media use in business reporting: http://bit.ly/nahRSe
**4. SEVEN TIPS FOR BETTER WRITING: ProfNet Director Maria Perez presents writing tips on Ragan's PR Daily: http://bit.ly/pCqiI9
PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit a request for experts: http://budurl.com/profnetquery To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://profnet.prnewswire.com To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on Expert Alerts: profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
/PRNewswire - July 18, 2011/
SOURCE ProfNet
ProfNet
Web Site: http://www.profnet.com