[May 02, 2005] PROFNET WIRE: BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY: VoIP/Online Gambling Tweet May 2, 2005 LEADS 1. Building: Do-It-Yourself Market is Booming 2. Careers: Go Back Into the Lion's Den if You Want a New Job 3. Employee Benefits: Implementing Benefits for Highly Compensated Employees 4. Gaming: Online Gambling is Illegal in U.S., But for How Much Longer? 5. Internet: Online Services Get Personal 6. IT Management: Successful Delivery of IT Applications Still a Big Issue 7. Personal Finance: Using Your Tax Refund Wisely 8. Restaurants: Are Restaurants Dressed to Impress For Mother's Day? 9. Small Business: Health Insurance Most Important to Operations 10. Small Business: Small Businesses More Confident in Economy Than General Consumers 11. Telecom: The Downside and Risks of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) 12. Workplace: Letting Employees Know They're Appreciated is Vital 13. Workplace: Guarding Against BlackBerry-Related Injuries LEADS 1. BUILDING: DO-IT-YOURSELF MARKET IS BOOMING. RICH TRIPODI, president and CEO of ROANOKE COMPANIES GROUP INC., a manufacturer of do-it-yourself products for leading retailers, including Home Depot and Lowe's, is an expert on the DIY market and can provide insights on where it's been, where it's headed and what is driving DIY product sales today: "With 62.8 percent of home repair and remodeling projects planned during the first quarter of 2005 using DIY labor, and sales of existing homes expected to reach 6.62 million in 2005, DIY home improvement is a booming business sector." News Contact: Thomas Faust, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-780-1900 (5/2/05) 2. CAREERS: GO BACK INTO THE LION'S DEN IF YOU WANT A NEW JOB. RITA OSTER, nationally known career management and transition specialist and author of "How to Recycle Your Own Career": "Want to make a smooth transition to your next job? Then go back to the person who just fired you and ask for a signed letter of recommendation on company stationery highlighting the good things you did there. You're not there to affix blame; you're there to fix the problem. With that signed letter, you're telling your old boss he won't have to field future calls about your service there." News Contact: Joanne Levine, [email protected] Phone: +1-847-327-9530 (5/2/05) 3. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: IMPLEMENTING BENEFITS FOR HIGHLY COMPENSATED EMPLOYEES. LISA VAN FLEET, leader of the BRYAN CAVE's employee benefits group: "Broad-based pension plans are subject to non-discrimination requirements that have the effect of limiting the retirement savings that can be achieved for a highly-compensated employees, like executives. As a result, they resort to non-qualified plans in order to bring them to the same or higher level of retirement savings than the rank and file. Non-qualified plans have seen the landscape change because of the Jobs Creation Act of 2004, so it's a whole new ball game with respect to planning and implementing retirement benefits for highly compensated employees." News Contact: Luis O. Mocete, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-541-1141 (5/2/05) 4. GAMING: ONLINE GAMBLING IS ILLEGAL IN U.S., BUT FOR HOW MUCH LONGER? MATT YARBROUGH, attorney at Dallas' FISH & RICHARDSON, represents one of the largest U.S. gaming companies to move its online operations offshore: "Despite a recent World Trade Organization ruling supporting the U.S. ban on Internet gambling, the sheer popularity of gambling Web sites may move the country toward legalization. Worldwide, online gaming this year will be a $10 billion industry. For Americans already playing Texas Hold 'Em, blackjack and slots, online gambling is a natural extension. As more cash-strapped states legalize gambling, pressure will rise on Congress to ease up on those hoping to get lucky on their computers." News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, [email protected] Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (5/2/05) 5. INTERNET: ONLINE SERVICES GET PERSONAL. THOMAS L. MIGHELL, attorney at Dallas' COWLES & THOMPSON, P.C.: "Hot on the heels of Google's launch of 'My Search History,' which allows users to store past searches, Yahoo! has released a similar feature. Despite the hand wringing of privacy advocates, the privacy implications aren't very dramatic. The most serious privacy concern is using these services on public computers. You have to log in to use them. If you forget to log off, the next person can see your past searches. However, there may be legal implications. What if a pedophile was visiting pornographic sites, or a cheating spouse visiting dating sites? Can their search histories be subpoenaed in litigation?" News Contact: Alan Bentrup, [email protected] Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (5/2/05) 6. IT MANAGEMENT: SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY OF IT APPLICATIONS STILL A BIG ISSUE. MURRAY WHITE, U.S. managing director of THOUGHTWORKS, can discuss a recent report by international analyst firm Forrester stating that around a third of companies are unhappy with the time taken to produce often-poor- quality custom applications. Project success is about removing risk. It's all about de-risking and breaking projects down into identifiable phases and testing continuously on a daily basis. This sounds obvious, but many companies do not do it properly and end up with lengthy and uncoordinated development cycles, resulting in project failure." News Contact: Heather Malec, [email protected] Phone: +1-312-373-8550 (5/2/05) 7. PERSONAL FINANCE: USING YOUR TAX REFUND WISELY. KEVIN LEVINE, CPA, senior tax manager at SALIBELLO & BRODER LLP: "If you're one of the lucky ones who receives a tax refund, put it to good use. Many people see this as a bonus and are tempted to go on a shopping spree. But, in the long run, you are better off if you put it toward paying off debt or saving it toward retirement or for emergency needs." Levine also suggests using it to save for the kids' college costs, doing needed household repairs or investing in upping your job skills. News Contact: Lillie Balinova, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-404- 5574 (5/2/05) 8. RESTAURANTS: ARE RESTAURANTS DRESSED TO IMPRESS FOR MOTHER'S DAY? SUZAME TONG, dining workforce expert at UNICRU INC.: "The National Restaurant Association estimates that nearly four out of 10 dine out on Mother's Day, spending $476 billion this year -- a prime opportunity to turn new customers into returning customers. But are restaurants prepared to put on their best face for this crowd to ensure their return? One of the reasons we return to restaurants is the person who greets us, seats us and sees that our cups are filled until we leave. Restaurants are severely at risk of losing a very large customer base if their employees aren't service-oriented and prompt during this critical holiday weekend." News Contact: Kim Beasley, [email protected] Phone: +1-503-596-3409 (5/2/05) 9. SMALL BUSINESS: HEALTH INSURANCE MOST IMPORTANT TO THE OPERATION. CARA KINZEY, vice president of membership at SAM'S CLUB, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.: "Operating efficiency and employee retention are vital to the success of small businesses. The issue of affordable health care affects all people, across all industries. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 43 million Americans do not have health insurance, and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has found that health insurance costs have risen 15 to 20 percent per year over the past four years, making health care affordability the top issue facing small businesses." News Contact: Sean Lashley, [email protected] Phone: +1-314-982-1746 (5/2/05) 10. SMALL BUSINESS: SMALL BUSINESSES MORE CONFIDENT IN ECONOMY THAN GENERAL CONSUMERS. RAYMOND BOYLE, director of research at SAM'S CLUB: "Research by the Small Business Confidence Index shows that while overall confidence in the economy has been dropping for the past three months (5.5 percent), confidence among small businesses still ranked higher than that of general consumers. In fact, small-business confidence in the economy has outpaced that of general consumers for the past year by an average of 3.9 percent. However, less than half (45.4 percent) of the 1,200 small-business owners and managers polled in April said they were confident/very confident about the chances for a strong economy during the next six months. That reflects a confidence level drop of almost 7 percent compared to this time last year." News Contact: Sean Lashley, [email protected] Phone: +1-314-982-1746 (5/2/05) 11. TELECOM: THE DOWNSIDE AND RISKS OF VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VoIP). YARON RAPS, solution partner at BUSINESSEDGE SOLUTIONS Inc.: "VoIP (voice over IP) is in its infancy, and providers are making a lot of noise around it, but what are the risks? There are new security issues for both the carrier and the consumer. VoIP has theft of service and quality issues that can harm the reputation of the provider. Identity theft, disruption of service, being billed for calls never made and eavesdropping are issues that consumers must be aware of. Access to 911 also remains an issue for both the consumer and the carrier." Raps can address these issues from a communications company view and what consumers need to know to protect themselves. News Contact: Patrick Mullen, [email protected] Phone: +1-732-839-3537 (5/2/05) 12. WORKPLACE: LETTING EMPLOYEES KNOW THEY'RE APPRECIATED IS VITAL. MARCIE BROGAN, managing partner of BROGAN & PARTNERS CONVERGENCE MARKETING: "Letting employees know that their hard work is appreciated is vital to the success of any business. Rewarding a dedicated employee as the 'Hero of the Month' with $50 and the right to wear a rhinestone tiara is an enjoyable and motivating way to show our gratitude." Brogan established Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing in 1984 in an effort to combine all aspects of marketing and public relations to better serve a wide range of clientele. News Contact: Patty Briguglio, [email protected] Phone: +1-919-233-6600 (5/2/05) 13. WORKPLACE: GUARDING AGAINST BLACKBERRY-RELATED INJURIES. JEFF RASANSKY, attorney at Dallas' RANSANSKY LAW FIRM: "Businesses may want to consider limiting employees' work-related use of small hand-held computers now that research shows overuse can lead to a repetitive stress injury known as 'BlackBerry Thumb.' The American Academy of Hand Therapists issued a recent alert concerning the rise in carpal tunnel and tendonitis complaints linked to BlackBerry overuse. Companies that issue mandatory BlackBerrys should inform employees about the dangers of repetitive motion injuries, and then monitor how much they're using them." News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, [email protected] Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (5/2/05) PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit query by e-mail: [email protected] To consult the ProfNet Database: http://www.prnewswire.com/profnet To submit query by fax: 631-348-7906 To submit query by phone: +1-800-PROFNET To share a thought on the ProfNet Wire: [email protected] PRNewswire -- May 2 ProfNet [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]