ProfNet Experts Available on Workplace Retaliation, Customer Service, More

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2014 /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.

If you are in need of additional experts, you can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network. You can filter your request by institution type and geographic location to get the most targeted responses. The best part? It's free! Just fill out the query form to get started.

If you have any questions or need assistance with any aspect of ProfNet, please drop us a note at [email protected].

EDITOR'S NOTE

• How Do You Use Mobile in Your Reporting? PR Newswire for Journalists Survey

EXPERT ALERTS

• Workplace Retaliation Claims on the Rise
• The Evolution of Traditional Customer Service
• Oil Price Collapse Leads to Skittish Lenders
• Power Outage Spotlights Importance of Perception
• Bridging the Health Divide Using Mobile Technologies

MEDIA JOBS

• Writer – Boston Magazine (MA)
• Reporter – Roanoke Times (VA)
• Reporter – Central Kentucky News-Journal (KY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Must-Have iPhone Apps for Authors & Writers
• Words of Wisdom From Successful Women in Communications
• Blog Profiles: Blogs to Help You With Your Blogging

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Mobile has transformed the way news is reported, distributed and consumed. Not only are journalists and bloggers using cellphones to take photographs and capture audio and video, some are exclusively using mobile in place of an office desktop.

To better understand how members of the media use mobile devices (phones or tablets) to produce stories, PR Newswire for Journalists is asking users to participate in a quick, eight-question survey. The survey will remain open until Nov. 30: http://svy.mk/1AslSZE

EXPERT ALERTS:

Workplace Retaliation Claims on the Rise
Mark Shank
Attorney
Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail Shank LLP in Dallas
A record number of U.S. workers accused their employers of unlawful retaliation last year. A total of 38,539 claims were reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces workplace antidiscrimination laws. Those numbers reflect a long-term trend of court rulings that have expanded the breadth and lowered the standards of such claims, coupled with a shift in attitudes. Says Shank: "The behaviors that may have been tolerated or ignored in the past increasingly lead to employee complaints, setting the stage for some type of retaliation claim. Rather than the uphill battle of proving a charge of racial or gender bias, jurors are more willing to accept a common-sense claim that a manager retaliated when faced with allegations of discrimination or harassment."
News Contact: Barry Pound, [email protected] 

The Evolution of Traditional Customer Service
Jason Levesque
CEO, Founder
Argo Marketing Group, Lewiston, Maine
"Traditional customer service must evolve to meet the growing needs of today's consumers. Today's consumers demand instant gratification and they want to engage customer service on the contact channel of their choice: traditional phone support, live chat, email, social media, text, etc. It's imperative that customer engagement centers meet these needs."
Levesque is CEO and founder of Argo Marketing Group, one of the largest privately owned customer engagement centers. He is available to discuss customer service, multichannel customer service, and political campaigns.
Website: http://www.ArgoMarketingGroup.com
Media Contact: Katelyn Ludwig, [email protected] 

Oil Price Collapse Leads to Skittish Lenders
Ken Anderson
Energy Financing Attorney
Sidley Austin in Houston
The collapse in global oil prices spells caution for banks and private equity funds that have been eager to lend to energy companies. Says Anderson: "Now, with the price of oil falling, some financings with risk that had been marginally acceptable just won't get done. For example, one financing that was close to being committed on Friday fell apart by Monday. The fall in oil prices was the last straw, and the proposed lender, the credit arm of a private equity fund, elected not to go forward." Anderson also thinks it is possible there will be less acquisition-related financing activity: "Falling commodity prices often result in slowing M&A activity as buyers are looking for bargains, and sellers aren't willing to sell at bargain prices unless they get in trouble and have no choice."
Media Contact: Kit Frieden, [email protected] 

Power Outage Spotlights Importance of Perception
Frances A. Smith
Bankruptcy Attorney
Shackelford, Melton, McKinley & Norton LLP in Dallas
"Recent speculation that Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC diverted profits to its parent company, Energy Future Holdings, at the expense of Texas' electric grid is a reminder of the delicate balancing act faced by all reorganizing companies that own profitable ventures. The media reported that Texas Public Utility Commissioner Kenneth W. Anderson Jr. cited data that showed Oncor's spending on power line maintenance fell more than 20 percent between 2005 and 2013, despite two utility rate increases. When October windstorms interrupted power to more than half a million North Texas customers, officials started asking whether Oncor was feeding excessive profits to EFH at the expense of the electric grid. Companies in reorganization, such as EFH, must take great pains to avoid even the appearance of impeding the operations of their subsidiaries during bankruptcies."
News Contact: Dave Moore, [email protected] 

Bridging the Health Divide Using Mobile Technologies
Dr. Garth Graham
President
Aetna Foundation
"Disparities in health care and limited access to preventive services are an unfortunate reality impacting the most vulnerable populations in our country today. However, we believe that digital health technology can serve as a powerful equalizer for improving health education and access to care among minority and low-income communities by reaching people where they are spending time -- at school, at church, in their neighborhoods and on-the-go with real-time solutions that easily fit into their daily lives."
Dr. Graham previously served as deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he also led the Office of Minority Health. In that capacity, he introduced new federal grants programs to address inequities in health care and health outcomes among the nation's minority and vulnerable communities. His numerous achievements include implementing key health equity provisions of the Affordable Care Act, guiding the development of the first federal action plan to eliminate health disparities under the Obama administration, and driving the effort that for the first time closed the gap in flu vaccination rates among children of color. Immediately prior to joining the Aetna Foundation, Dr. Graham was the assistant dean for health policy and chief of health services research at the University of Florida School of Medicine in Gainesville. There he was the principal investigator on a number of grants related to improving health outcomes in underserved populations. Dr. Graham is a widely recognized researcher, writer and editor on health disparities. He has authored articles that have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Health Affairs and Circulation. His book, "The Role of Decentralization in Strengthening Equity in Healthcare," was published in 2009. He has served on the faculty of the University of Florida School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. He has also served on a number of boards, including the North America Thrombosis Forum, World Health Organization Scientific Group on Equity Analysis and Research, Board of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights and he was appointed to the Federal Coordinating Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research. He was also named the Distinguished Millennium Visiting Scholar at Columbia University.
Dr. Graham is available to discuss health disparities in the U.S. and how the Aetna Foundation is working to bridge the health divide using mobile technologies. He is also a cardiologist and can speak to chronic disease, obesity, etc.
Website: http://www.aetna-foundation.org/foundation/index.html
Media Contact: Emily Simpkins, [email protected]

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Writer – Boston magazine (MA)
• Reporter – Roanoke Times (VA)
• Reporter – Central Kentucky News-Journal (KY)

See more listings here.

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 [email protected]

• MUST-HAVE IPHONE APPS FOR AUTHORS AND WRITERS. As a modern-day writer, you've learned when and where you write best. Rarely does inspiration strike when you're seated at your desk in front of your computer at 9 a.m. More likely, you're inspired while you're out and about. Check out some apps that will help you research, brainstorm, write and even publish your work whether you're at home, at the office, or in the middle of daily errands: http://prn.to/1uGbgnc 
• WORDS OF WISDOM FROM SUCCESSFUL WOMEN IN COMMUNICATIONS. On Oct. 28, New York Women in Communications presented their annual WiCi Awards, honoring nine extraordinary women who have made significant achievements in the communications field. Each of the honorees shared her unique inspiring story of how she overcame challenges and achieved success. Here are the top words of wisdom from the honorees to help guide you in the business world: http://prn.to/1x0QLBV
• BLOG PROFILES: BLOGS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR BLOGGING. As PR Newswire's media relations manager, Christine Cube comes across great blogs that cover a wide variety of topics and interests. This week, she shared info on a few blogs that can help bloggers with their blogging: http://prn.to/1phP3Kj  

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