NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing. To receive these updates by email, send a note to profnet@profnet.com with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition. 

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EXPERT ALERTS

• Analyzing a Twitter IPO
• Dow Jones Changes a Sign of the Times
• Post-QE Investing
• Businesses Moving Forward After the Great Recession
• The Face of Fraud -- Five Years After the Financial Crisis
• Word-of-Mouth Marketing
• Sapphire -- The Extreme Material

MEDIA JOBS

• Banking Reporter – Houston Business Journal (TX)
• Reporter – Law360 (CA)
• Social Media Editor – GlobalGrind.com (NY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• How to Generate Story Ideas
• Blog Notes: Schools Admin, Fitness, Communications & Music Blogs
• Upcoming Media Events

EXPERT ALERTS:

Analyzing a Twitter IPOGerard HobergAssociate Professor of FinanceUniversity of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business"Investors will want to know whether Twitter plans to use the IPO proceeds to fund major new investments we are not currently aware of. These investments would entail high risk for stock investors, but if they succeed, there will be substantial upside. Facebook offers a superb comparison. Both firms are relatively young and vibrant in the social media area. Investors will surely remember the early failures of the Facebook IPO. Yet Facebook's recent strong performance will offset these concerns. But perhaps most salient is that serious investors will be most concerned with trying to extrapolate and compare the expected growth trajectories of these two firms. In a sense, they will use Facebook, which has a known stock price, to estimate Twitter's value. Perhaps experts will even consider the extent to which these firms will ultimately become rivals."Hoberg, recently a visiting financial economist with the Securities and Exchange Commission, focuses his research on corporate finance, security issuance, payout policy, industrial organization and empirical asset pricing. His recent work in IPOs examines the role of the underwriter and the role of prospectus disclosure in IPO pricing. Bio: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/directory/gerard-hobergMedia Contact: Greg Muraski, 

Dow Jones Changes a Sign of the TimesLaura GonzalezProfessor of FinanceFordham University"We are giving consumers a chance to be optimistic. It's a sign of a change in times, but it's also a move to boost the Dow."Gonzalez is available to discuss the changes in Dow Jones, as well as: financial and economic topics in both North and South America, plus Europe and India; Obamacare (fiscal impact); financial reform; budget/debt ceiling; Syria (what it means to the markets); and monetary policy and the Fed.Bio: http://tinyurl.com/o7wpo53Media Contact: Gina Vergel, gvergel@fordham.edu

Post-QE InvestingBayard ClosserPresidentVertical Capital Markets Group"After nearly five years of 'easy money' policy, investors will need to plan for the end of quantitative easing (QE), as the impact on both stocks and bonds is likely to be significant.  There are other investments, though, whose performance has little or no correlation to the performance of stocks or bonds."Bayard is available to explain how investments that are non-correlated to the performance of the stock or bond market can play a role in reducing post-QE risk, with the potential for producing significant income.Media Contact: Dave Kowal, kowal@kowal.com

Businesses Moving Forward After the Great Recession Joel TrammellChairman/Managing PartnerAustin Technology Council/Lone Rock Technology Group"CEOs and other leaders who are always fighting the last war are doomed to substandard performance. While the Great Recession was the worst economic period for the country since the Great Depression, many businesses have since been overly cautious about investing their cash and have missed out on growth opportunities. The key in business is not to focus on the recent past but look for clues as to what might occur in the near future. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and is often the exact opposite of what is likely to happen in the future. Bad performance in one sector one year often leads to great performance the following year."From his vantage point as a serial entrepreneur, private equity investor, CEO and chairman of the Austin Technology Council, Trammell is available to discuss the implications of the 5-year anniversary of the Great Recession and how businesses should be moving forward. He also blogs at http://theamericanceo.com and is working on a book called "The CEO Tightrope," which will feature practical advice for current and aspiring CEOs. His leadership as a CEO has resulted in successful nine-figure acquisitions by two Fortune 500 companies.Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner in 2006ProfNet Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/jtrammell Website: http://www.lonerock.com Media Contact: Chandra Hosek, chandra@h2comms.com

The Face of Fraud -- Five Years After the Financial CrisisDaniel W. Draz, M.S.,CFEPrincipalFraud Solutions"Five years ago the country was rocked by a major financial crisis that significantly impacted our future. During this time period, the Dodd Frank Act was enacted joining Sarbanes Oxley, one of the toughest pieces of corporate regulation ever enacted. The major question today is: Are either of these Acts having the corporate deterrence effect and protecting consumers as intended? An examination of the last four years of FBI corporate fraud statistics (2012 has not been released yet) reveals the following: 'End of FY 2008, 545 corporate fraud cases are being pursued by FBI field offices throughout the U.S., several of which involved losses to public investors that individually exceed $1 billion; End of FY 2009, 592 corporate fraud cases were being pursued by FBI field offices throughout the United States, several of which involved losses to public investors that individually exceed $1 billion; End of FY 2011 (included 2010), 726 corporate fraud cases were being pursued by FBI field offices throughout the United States, several of which involved losses to public investors that individually exceed $1 billion.' The statistics support the fact that year over year there continue to be a rather significant number of major corporate fraud cases being investigated by the FBI. While legislative acts assisted in their bringing these types of investigations, the evidence does not support the fact that either of these acts are having the corporate deterrence impact that legislators thought they would when enacted. Furthermore, the number of active corporate fraud cases still being worked by federal law enforcement agencies also calls into question whether the acts are protecting the investing public as intended. Additionally, while these crime statistics represent cases being investigated against corporate insiders, five years after the financial crime crisis, fraud threats from global organized crime rings targeting businesses are significantly on the rise and the losses are higher than ever -- another threat to the investing public" Drazis the principal of Fraud Solutions, a global fraud consulting firm located outside Chicago. He is a recognized leader in the fraud profession, providing innovative enterprise anti-fraud risk management strategies, insightful observations, fraud training and thought leadership to clients. He has extensive corporate fraud management (prevention, detection, investigation, risk, ethics, audit, compliance and legal) experience across a number of different industry verticals and works with companies to improve their enterprise fraud risk management efforts and reduce major fraud losses. Additionally, he is a certified fraud examiner (CFE), has a master's degree in economic crime management and is an adjunct professor at four colleges where he teaches a variety of fraud, white collar crime and financial crime classes for industry professionals.Website: http://www.fraudsolutions.comExpert Contact: Daniel W. Draz, dan@fraudsolutions.com

Word-of-Mouth MarketingPaul RandPresident and CEOZocalo Group"Recommendations and word of mouth, of course, have always been important. But in the age of social media, they are now essential.  One-to-one communication has become one-to-millions. Becoming, and staying, highly recommended has become the make-or-break business imperative."Rand, an expert in word-of-mouth marketing, is available to offer strategies for businesses to make their brand the most recommended. 92 percent of consumers report that a recommendation from a friend, family member of someone they trust is *the* leading influence of their purchase behavior. Business-to-business buyers also rank recommendations at their top of their list. He is the author of the book, "Highly Recommended: Harnessing the Power of Word of Mouth and Social Media to Build Your Brand and Your Business" (September, 2013) which examines the climate which has empowered customers to share their voices and opinions for every possible purchasing decision, anywhere and about everything. This isn't simply about brand-building, but it's a larger social trend that's critical for businesses to fully grasp. C-suite leaders and managers will benefit from this expert view of a rapidly changing climate in which the customer voice acts as a brand ambassador for powerful communities and can support or slash straight through advertising chatter.Website: http://zocalogroup.com Expert Contact: prand@zocalogroup.com Media Contact: Ann Pryor, ann.pryor@mheducation.com

Sapphire -- The Extreme MaterialRaja M. ParvezPresident and CEORubicon Technology"Sapphire is an increasingly popular material for everything from LEDs and smartphones to industrial lasers and cameras. Sapphire, the second hardest material on earth after the diamond, has characteristics beyond its hardness and strength including transparency in the visible and IR spectrum, thermal conductivity, thermal shock resistance, abrasion resistance, high melting point and chemical inertness. These characteristics make sapphire attractive for a number of markets, including: sapphire substrates for LEDs; silicon-on-sapphire wafers for semiconductors in consumer electronics; and lenses and lens covers for optical applications in consumer electronics, military and industrial markets."Parvez is available to speak about sapphire, crystal growth and applications for sapphire. Rubicon applies its proprietary crystal growth technology to produce very high-quality sapphire in a form that allows for volume production of various sizes and orientations of substrates and windows. The company leads the industry in the development and production of sapphire cores and wafers, including industry-leading large diameter sapphire wafers for use in LEDs and RFICs, and sapphire components for optical applications.Media Contact: Beth Hespe, bhespe@garfieldgroup.com  

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MEDIA JOBS:

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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

• COLGATE UNIVERSITY GETS AN A+ WITH PROFNET. Congratulations to ProfNet member Matt Hames, manager of media communications at Colgate University, who was featured in Times Square as part of our Facebook promotion. Want to see your face in Times Square? Here's how: http://bit.ly/13BpZ3w
• WRITERS: ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE 'APP ECONOMY'? With all the new cellphone activity by users, marketers need new ways of reaching them, which means they need freelancers that "get it." Here are some things to keep in mind so you can adapt: http://bit.ly/1eEnAtv
• MEDIA 411: WOMEN IN MEDIA. Today many women are in positions of power at well-known and respected media outlets. Here are some great female journalists who are shaping both the industry and future of journalism, widening the doors for other women so they, too, have the opportunity to one day make a difference: http://bit.ly/19LynOH

 

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