GLITR Friday, July 24, 2009

Your report for Friday, July 24, 2009

Compuware profits rise on one-time gain
Compuware Corp. late Thursday reported its fiscal first-quarter net income rose to $51 million, or 21 cents a share, from $34.7 million, or 13 cents a share, a year earlier. The Detroit business software developer and tech services provider said revenue decreased to $214.4 million from $298.6 million in the same period last year. The company said the divestiture of its Quality Solutions software line produced a net gain of $52.4 million, meaning Compuware would have had a small loss without that one-time gain. More.

Clean, green, sun-powered machine replaces gas guzzler at Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society continues on the road to “green” by replacing its gas-powered golf carts with solar-electric hybrid carts. The 40 golf carts are used by the Detroit Zoo’s animal, maintenance, landscaping, park safety, education, events, marketing and public relations staffs to transport equipment and people around the 125-acre zoo. By replacing fossil fuel with solar, the zoo is reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 450 pounds a year. More.

Plante & Moran puts social networking on training map
Plante & Moran PLLC, long recognized for its thriving corporate culture and top notch training programs, has added a trendy new topic to its orientation agenda for entry level practice staff, "Leveraging LinkedIn: Tips to Better Utilize Social Networking Tools." It's appropriate, since fully 35 percent of Plante & Moran's staff is made up of millennials, a generation born between 1977 and 1998. More.

SBA to support new 'robotics cluster' forming in Michigan
Karen G. Mills, administrator of the United States Small Business Administration, will speak July 28 at Oakland University next week at a two-day planning workshop to lay the groundwork for a regional "robotics cluster" in Michigan. The Michigan Automotive-Robotics Economic Cluster is the first clustering initiative supported by the SBA. It is a collaboration among small business, academia, industry and government designed to foster entrepreneurship, innovation and growth. More.

Connected Vehicle Proving Center to open at UM Dearborn
The College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn will host an open house to give interested parties the opportunity to visit the new facilities of the Connected Vehicle Proving Center. The event will run Monday, July 27 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Institute for Advanced Vehicle Systems Building at UM-Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen road in Dearborn. More.

MCWT golf classic fundraising to rise

Despite a lousy economy, officials with the Michigan Council of Women in Technology say they expect their third annual MCWT Golf Classic will raise 24 percent more money in 2008 over 2008's level.

The event will support regional programs specifically focused on attraction and retention of girls and women in technical fields. It will be held at Pine Knob Golf Club in Clarkston.

Among other tactics, MCWT fielded a successful online bidding contest, through which a number of Michigan technology leaders and executives allowed themselves to be put “up for bid” as part of golf foursomes. This added significantly to generous sponsorships, and attendee registration revenue.

The Golf Classic will feature a golf demonstration followed by lunch, and a scramble format 18 holes of golf with a shotgun start. After the game, guests will enjoy an evening of cocktails, dinner and networking. Net proceeds go to the MCWT Foundation, for programs supporting and inspiring women and girls in the information technology field including scholarships, a 4th through 7th grade girls’ summer IT camp, robotics grants, high school programs and University programs.

More at www.mcwt.org.

Note: For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser at (248) 455-7319 or jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com

New eco-efficiency protocol developed by NSF
Ann Arbor-based NSF International this week announced a new eco-efficiency protocol, NSF Protocol 352 (NSF P352), for the validation and verification of eco-efficiency analyses. NSF P352 establishes requirements for the content of an eco-efficiency analysis to ensure consistency, objectivity and transparency in all eco-efficiency analyses, which is necessary given the rise of greenwashing. More.

Lawrence Tech hosting more events for displaced workers
Lawrence Technological University will host a free networking reception and panel discussion for displaced workers with college degrees on Thursday, Aug. 13, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on its campus at 21000 W. 10 Mile Road in Southfield. The networking reception and panel discussion are not restricted to Lawrence Tech alumni and students. Job-seekers will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from approximately 40 companies, according to Peg Pierce, director of Lawrence Tech’s Office of Career Services. More.

MichiganMall.com launches Celebrate Michigan Expo Web site
Rochester Hills-based MichiganMall.com this week announced the launch of the Celebrate Michigan Expo Web site. MichiganMall.com, which offers a wide online selection of Michigan-made products and services, uses the annual Celebrate Michigan Expo and its Web site to continue to promote and generate revenue within Michigan's economy. The expo will be held Tuesday, Sept. 29 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Ramada Plaza, 5500 Crooks Road in Troy. More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Cash-strapped states raiding 911 funds
More than $200 million collected from cell phone users for upgrades to the 911 system has been diverted in the last two years to plug state budget holes, keep campaign promises and, in at least one case, buy police uniforms, an Associated Press analysis has found. Dispatchers say the diversion of money comes at the expense of improvements that would give crime and accident victims more opportunities to reach responders. Someone who has been kidnapped, for instance, may not be able to talk but might be able to quietly send a text message or a photo. More.

Soft PC sales send Microsoft profits down 29 percent
Microsoft Corp. said Thursday its profit in the last quarter plunged 29 percent because of weak computer sales, ending a fiscal year in which the software maker's revenue fell for the first time since the company went public in 1986. Microsoft's revenue in the quarter was well short of analysts' expectations, and its shares skated down $2, or 7.8 percent, to $23.56 in after-hours trading. Before the earnings report the stock had gained 3.1 percent to close at $25.56. The results reflect how Microsoft's fortunes are tied to the PC industry, which is expected to sell fewer computers this year than last - the first such decline since 2001. Many buyers are holding on to their existing machines for longer than usual to save money in the recession. Among consumers, the hottest segment of the PC market is in low-cost "netbooks," which run Windows XP - a lower-profit product for Microsoft. More.

Economy, iPhone subsidies trim AT&T's 2Q profits
AT&T Inc.'s earnings fell 15 percent in the second quarter as it subsidized a record-setting launch of the newest iPhone. The weak economy also continued to sap its landline business. The profit beat Wall Street estimates, however, and investors sent AT&T's shares up. Cutting-edge products like the iPhone and AT&T's new cable TV service continue to do well, said Rick Lindner, AT&T's chief financial officer. But with businesses laying off workers and shutting down offices, AT&T's business services division has suffered. More.

Amazon 2Q profit falls with settlement with Toys R Us
Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that its second-quarter earnings fell while sales rose, as the leading online retailer recorded a $51 million payment to settle a long-standing dispute with former partner Toys R Us. The revenue increase was not enough to placate analysts, who were expecting even more than Amazon delivered. Shares of Seattle-based Amazon fell nearly 7 percent in extended trading after the results were released. More. (And here's a transcript of Amazon CFO Tom Szkutak on the conference call after the announcement.)

Stocks: Dow tops 9,000 as home sales rise for third month
Investors celebrated news of another jump in home sales by propelling the Dow Jones industrials to their first close above 9,000 since January. News that existing home sales rose in June for the third straight month and by a higher-than-expected amount led investors to extend a buying spree that has now lifted the Dow 923 points, or 11 percent, in just nine days. On paper, U.S. stocks have gained $1.2 trillion in value. The week's economic news and upbeat earnings reports and forecasts from companies including chip maker Intel Corp. and heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. convinced investors that the bets they've placed since March on a recovering economy were well-founded. Still, the economy, and in turn, the market, are likely to face more quicksand pits in the months ahead. More. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) jumped 47.22 points or 2.5 percent to 1,973.6. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) rose 188.03 points or 2.1 percent, to 9,069.29. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) rose 2.95 points or 1 percent to 304.72. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) rose 13.62 points or 2.8 percent to 497.75. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) rose 4.01 points or 1.5 percent to 277 even. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index (BTK) rose 33.24 points or 4.1 percent to 843.93. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) rose 22.22 points or 2.3 percent to 976.29.

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