TOPIC ROSTER
June 1, 2016
I.
HOT LIST
II.
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND TRENDS
III.
TECHNOLOGY TODAY AND TOMORROW
IV.
ADVANCING LEADERSHIP AND OUR HUMAN CAPITAL
V.
EASING THE TAX BURDEN
VI.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO CAPITAL
VII.
ISSUES AND TRENDS ON CAPITOL HILL
VIII.
OPENING MARKETS AND EXPANDING TRADE
IX.
POSSIBILITIES & INNOVATIONS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
X.
MAIN STREET & COMMON SENSE
Keynote addresses, panel discussions, workshops, breakout sessions,
and training seminars which address the following subjects are being requested.
Additionally, specific areas of interest identified by SNet participants
will be considered on an ongoing basis.
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TO SPEAKERSNET TOPIC WELCOME PAGE
I. HOT LIST
This area will be used to highlight outstanding SNet speakers and their
topic titles that emerge and are in current demand. For example:
MULTIMEDIA & MARKETING
Integrated marketing demands a new understanding of how to compete in
today's multimedia rich environment. New tools and techniques enabling
companies and organizations to develop stronger relationships with customers,
suppliers, boards of directors, media, etc.
Bryan L. Wilson, President, Indigo Group Omnimedia, Inc.:
The indigo group specializes in bringing information and people together
through multimedia design-providing innovative strategies and services
designed to expand a company's horizons.
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II. ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND TRENDS
This category highlights the larger economic issues facing small and large
businesses alike, whether it is global trends, opportunities in the international
marketplace, or regional trends and issues. Having a clear understanding
of economic trends influences successful businesses and their strategic
decision making. For example:
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Current Issues and the Economy
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Global Marketplace
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Historical Perspective on the Economy
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International Business Trends
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Location and Expansion Decisions
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Regional Economic Trends
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III. TECHNOLOGY TODAY AND TOMORROW
Business and technological forces are coalescing into a revolution that
promises to have as signifi-cant an impact on the 21st century as the industrial
revolution had on the mid-19th century. This "Information Revolution" will
transform both how Americans do business and how they spend their leisure
time. Small, growing businesses have an important role, not only as users,
but, as innovators of this technological revolution. This inventive capacity
will become increasingly critical to our country's global competitiveness.
For example:
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Capital for Technology Development
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Commercialization of Technologies
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Critical Technologies
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Electronic Commerce
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Flexibility in Manufacturing
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Information Superhighway
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Internet, Intranets, and Extranets
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Intellectual Property Protection
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Marketing New Technologies
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One-Stop Information Centers
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Research and Experimentation Tax Credit
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Small Business & Federal R&D
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IV. ADVANCING LEADERSHIP AND OUR HUMAN CAPITAL
Over the next decade, the competitive challenge requiring both the need
for leadership at the executive/ownership level and the need for advancing
continuing education of the work force will be two of the major factors
that will influence American businesses in the 21st century. Serious mis-matches
between the needs of employers and skills possessed by the work force will
greatly affect economic productivity and international competitiveness.
Businesses will need to ensure that their executives and employees are
adequately trained to meet the challenges of an evolving marketplace.
Additionally, executives and owners of growing companies will not only
face these challenges at higher levels of competition within their respective
industries, but, from within their own firms; they will need to be prepared
to address critical issues such as the need to offer, increasingly costly,
employee benefits in order to attract and retain good employees. Health
care coverage, re-tirement plans, unemployment compensation, insurance
and workers' compensation premiums constitute a growing portion of employer
costs. Instruction as to how to efficiently implement these programs will
be a key to a firm's overall success. For example:
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Access to Health Care
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Adapting to Diversity in the Work Force
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Encouraging Diversity in Business Ownership
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Health Insurance Reforms
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HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention
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Leadership Skills
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Preparing Students for the Workplace
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Retirement Plans, Social Security Tax Reform
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Work Force Skills
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V. EASING THE TAX BURDEN
The growth of the U.S. economy depends, in part, on a tax system that meets
necessary goals without undue burden. The complexity of the tax system
makes it one of the key areas of current reform and fresh thinking. Businesses
face a variety of tax issues depending on the form of organization they
choose. For example:
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Accounting Methods
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Employee/Independent Contractor Classi-fication
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Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Taxes
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Fiscal Year Conformity
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Growth Tax Credit
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Integrated Tax System
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Inventory Methods
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Investment Tax Credit
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Subchapter S Corporations
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VI. IMPROVING ACCESS TO CAPITAL
Raising capital has always been one of the highest priorities for businesses.
Throughout the 1980s and into the early l990s, businesses have seen drastic
changes in their ability and avenues to gain access to capital. In today's
economy, with the advancement of electronics and computers, along with
new government policy and regulation, new financing companies and financial
instruments are playing a larger role. As businesses head into the balance
of the l990s, and into the next cen-tury, effective use of new capital
formation strategies will be essential. For example:
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Alternate Sources of Financing
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Availability of Capital
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Equity Financing
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Innovative Financing Programs
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Pension Fund Investing
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Secondary Markets
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Securitization
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Securities and Exchange Commission Issues and Laws
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Small Business Administration Programs
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Venture Capital
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VII. ISSUES AND TRENDS ON CAPITOL HILL
Ranging from issues concerning regulatory requirements to procurement programs,
the impact on the business community from decisions made on Capitol Hill
cannot be denied. Government places numerous requirements on the operation
of businesses. It is vital that businesses remain alert to new and changing
regulatory requirements. Proper analysis of proposed regulations will help
to ensure that the success of business owners is determined by the marketplace
and not by government regulators. At the same time, with the current political
climate of "Reinventing" gov-ernment, the U.S. Government is placing more
emphasis on the procurement process in order to create more competition,
thereby saving the government money, stimulating greater innovation and
providing jobs for many Americans. For example:
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Access to Procurement Opportunities
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Best-Value Procurement
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Cost-Effective, Efficient Environmental Protection
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Labor Laws and Federal Contracting
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Negotiated Rule-Making
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Occupational Safety and Health Reform
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Paperwork Reduction Act
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Product Liability
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Prompt Payment Act
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Regulatory Flexibility Act
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Rights in Technical Data
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Small Business Set-Asides
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Subcontracting Opportunities
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Surety Bonding
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VIII. OPENING MARKETS AND EXPANDING TRADE
The future success of the U.S. economy will depend largely on its ability
to compete successfully in the global arena. Exports are a key to GNP growth,
lowering the USA deficit and creating millions of new jobs. Given that
small/mid-sized businesses constitute 96 percent of the export industry,
it is imperative that this economic engine be equipped with sufficient
technical assistance and financial wherewithal to expand their presence
in global markets. For example:
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Development of a Strategy for Export
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General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
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Import Policy
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North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
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Trade Finance
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IX. POSSIBILITIES & INNOVATIONS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
One of the most important challenges facing the business community today
surrounds its efforts to play a leading role in the revitalization of America's
communities. Economic renewal for the remaining part of this decade, and beyond,
will depend largely on business leaders' ability to develop creative
solutions to the challenges facing our communities today. Empowerment Zones,
and related State and Local Government programs, are designed to serve
as catalysts to community re-vitalization. Government policies and programs
that encourage access to procurement opportunities enhance technology
transfer and stimulate business growth that will help address some of these
issues. Many leaders found in the business community can act as driving
forces for change and are uniquely positioned to help address these challenges.
For example:
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Community Development Financial Institutions
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Community Revitalization
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Crime and Violence in Our Communities
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Defense Economic Conversion
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Franchising
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Rural Development
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School to Work Transition
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SBA Assistance
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X. MAIN STREET & COMMON SENSE
This category will contain basic, always-in-demand subjects; for example,
business planning, selecting computers, etc.
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