May 11 , 2012
Attn. editors: video interview clips available below
Experts available to discuss landmark Facebook IPO
Hamilton, Ont. May 11, 2012—With the Facebook Initial Public Offering (IPO) slated for mid-May, global influencers in business, communications and social media are eager to see how the move will affect the $100 billion company. Experts from McMaster University are available to discuss the many facets of this groundbreaking development.
Business Experts:
Narat Charupat, associate professor of finance and business economics, is available to comment on the estimated 1,000 soon-to-be millionaires among Facebook employees. “It is important for these soon-to-be millionaires to devise good financial plans for their future. It is not uncommon to hear about people who came into a fortune – lottery winners and elite athletes – to subsequently lose it all.” Charupat can be reached at 905-525-9140 ext. 23987 or charupat@mcmaster.ca
Nick Bontis, associate professor of strategic market leadership, believes that “the IPO is probably one of the most anticipated of all time. There aren’t many companies in existence who are profiled in a blockbuster movie with nearly 1 billion users before they go public.” Bontis can be reached at nbontis@mcmaster.ca
Communications and Social Media Experts:
Alexandre Sévigny, program director, Master of Communications Management, is available to discuss Facebook as a global communications phenomenon, and describe how the social media giant has been so effective in attracting and retaining users. “Facebook makes everyone look good, because it offers a highly-constrained user experience. It’s uniform, it’s clean and users don’t have to make a lot of aesthetic choices,” says Sévigny. He can be reached at 905-525-9140 ext. 27661 or alexandre.sevigny@gmail.com (Speaks French and English)
Pamela Ingleton, a third-year Ph.D. candidate specializing in discourses of social media, can discuss how the IPO will affect the average Facebook user in both the short and long term. “The average young user of Facebook will have no idea that the IPO has even taken place, in terms of his or her basic everyday use,” says Ingleton. “Once they go public, new ways of generating revenue [are] obviously going to be integrated into the actual experience of Facebook, and at that point users will catch on.” She can be reached at 905-977-7412 or ingletpb@mcmaster.ca.
Video Interview Links:
Nick Bontis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmXSAHyx5QU
Alexandre Sévigny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXAdPiy0TIc
Pamela Ingleton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDoj-xR1_VE
McMaster University, one of four Canadian universities listed among the Top 100 universities in the world, is renowned for its innovation in both learning and discovery. It has a student population of 23,000, and more than 156,000 alumni in 140 countries.
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For more information, please contact:
Andrew Baulcomb
Office of Public Relations
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 23585
Michelle Donovan
Public Relations Manager
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 22869
Wade Hemsworth
Public Relations Manager
McMaster University
905-525-9140, ext. 27988