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PROFNET WIRE: BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY: Wi-Fi Hotspots/Seasonal GivingLEADS 1. Aerospace: Airbus vs. Boeing 2. Automotive: More Tire Makers Should Acknowledge Tire Aging 3. Employee Benefits: Deadline Looms on Deferred Compensation 4. Tax Planning: Seasonal Giving Toward Katrina Relief With Tax Benefits 5. Technology: How Do Wi-Fi Hotspots Differentiate Themselves? 6. Telecom: Bringing Phone Access to Poor, Remote Areas of the World 7. Workplace: 'Soul' at Work Improves Management Decisions and Profits LEADS 1. AEROSPACE: AIRBUS VS. BOEING. AARON ALTMAN, assistant professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering at the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON: "Boeing and Airbus go back and forth as having the plane with the longest range. In the end, the aircrafts all perform reasonably similarly. It is always good to have bragging rights on the largest, longest and most efficient to help the sales hype. It has been like this since Airbus decided to challenge Boeing head-to-head on products. I believe it forces both into a risk profile higher than what they would normally accept. The consumer wins to the point where the risk is moderated and not so radical as to implement immature technology." News Contact: Shawn Robinson, [email protected] Phone: +1- 937-229-3391 (11/21/05) 3. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: DEADLINE LOOMS ON DEFERRED COMPENSATION. MICHAEL ABBOTT, attorney at GARDERE WYNNE SEWELL: "If they haven't done so by Dec. 31, 2005, and the employer permits it, employees enrolled in non-qualified deferred compensation plans may want to reconsider their participation. Doing so could help them avoid new, more stringent tax rules on deferred compensation that went into effect the first of this year. Failure to comply with the new rules may result in additional taxes and interest. Because 'non- qualified deferred compensation' is so broadly defined, and because the new rules apply to all amounts not vested before Dec. 31, 2004, many unsuspecting employees will be affected." News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, [email protected] Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (11/21/05) 4. TAX PLANNING: SEASONAL GIVING TOWARD KATRINA RELIEF WITH TAX BENEFITS. MARY WILSON, CPA and principal at ROTHSTEIN KASS-CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS: "Gulf Region disasters created a flurry of charitable giving, and now with the traditional season of giving upon us, more people will reach deep in their pockets. The IRS is encouraging employers to establish Hurricane Katrina Relief leave-donation programs that will allow employees to forgo their remaining paid vacation, sick or personal leave between now and Dec. 31, 2006, in exchange for their employer making a cash payment to a tax- exempt organization providing relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina. This could serve as a tax break for individuals and a write-off for employers, all while giving to those who need it most." News Contact: Shakira Brown, [email protected] Phone: +1-973-994-6666, ext. 2204 (11/21/05) 5. TECHNOLOGY: HOW DO WI-FI HOTSPOTS DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES? CHARLES RIBAUDO, co-founder of JAMBO NETWORKS, which provides a service that leverages Wi-Fi to discover and connect people in proximity with those they want to meet: "The ubiquity of Wi-Fi hotspots has made them a commodity. How can these hotspots differentiate or uncommoditize themselves now? What new applications or technologies can they deploy to stand out to attract users? Wi-Fi's most powerful feature is its ability to connect people together in proximity rather than just accessing the Internet. Wi-Fi hotspots need to leverage the density of Wi-Fi users nearby one another to connect them for social or business purposes." Ribaudo: [email protected] Phone: +1-214-450- 1153 (11/21/05) 6. TELECOM: BRINGING PHONE ACCESS TO POOR, REMOTE AREAS OF THE WORLD. ALEX COUNTS, president of the GRAMEEN FOUNDATION USA, can discuss the importance of microfinance institutions' support of programs that bring phone access to the very poor in remote and rural areas of the world: "In addition to the microbusinesses it creates, mobile phone access is also a critical connection to government services, doctors, markets for goods and loved ones." GFUSA's Village Phone program is currently working to bring cell phones to rural Africa. The organization and its Grameen Technology Center are also participants in the WSIS Conference in Tunis. News Contact: Michelle Tennant, [email protected] Phone: +1-828-749-3200 (11/21/05) 7. WORKPLACE: 'SOUL' AT WORK IMPROVES MANAGEMENT DECISIONS AND PROFITS. MARGARET BENEFIEL, Ph.D., professor at ANDOVER NEWTON THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL in Boston and author of the new book "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," which proves that adding nonsectarian spirituality to the workplace improves employee satisfaction, managerial decision making and, ultimately, profits: "Individuals aren't the only ones making resolutions around the holidays and the new year; businesses also use the time to rethink what they're doing and where they're heading. Soul at work leads to happier employees, better managerial decisions and higher profits." Benefiel is a management expert who consults to Fortune 500 companies on business and spirituality issues. News Contact: Fern Reiss, [email protected] Phone: +1-617-630-0945 (11/21/05) 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] SOURCE ProfNet PRNewswire -- Nov. 21 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] |