BetterEditor.org Media News

- Eight-in-Ten Believe it is Unlikely They Will Lose Their Jobs

- Slightly More Workers Likely to Change Jobs in the Next 12 Months

- Workers' Optimism in the Economy, Job market Relatively Unchanged

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rising for second consecutive month, the confidence level of U.S. workers was largely unchanged in July, according to a recent survey from Spherion Corporation of 2,970 working adults. The Spherion(R) Employee Confidence Index, a monthly gauge of overall worker confidence, increased by 0.1 to 58.8 points in July, compared to 57.8 one year ago and 59.2 in July 2004. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), reveals that a slightly higher percentage of workers are optimistic about job availability and confident in their ability to find a new job.

According to the Index, the percentage of workers who believe there are more jobs available increased one percentage point to 28 percent. The number of workers likely to search for new positions also increased. Specifically, 36 percent are likely to look for a new job in the next year, compared to 34 percent in June.

"In the three years since we have been tracking employee confidence levels, despite some fluctuation of overall worker confidence, we continue to report that nearly 40 percent of workers are likely to look for new jobs and the majority of workers feel secure in their current positions," said Roy Krause, president and chief executive officer of Spherion Corporation. "This reveals that despite of the elevated gas prices and concerns over a weakening housing market, workers are relatively upbeat and ready to make a job change. However, the recent stock market shakeup may have some effect on the mood of the workforce in the near future and we expect to see some decline in overall confidence in the upcoming months, but it is impossible to gauge the impact this soon. That being said, it's still a great time to be a job seeker."

Results from the July Spherion Employment Report:

Employee Confidence Index: Worker Confidence Increases Slightly: The Employee Confidence Index increased 0.1 point to 58.8 in July. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment, reveals that more workers are optimistic about job availability and confident in their own ability to find a new job. The Index was 57.8 a year ago and 59.2 in July 2004.

Details of the Index:

Macroeconomic Confidence:
-- 20 percent of U.S. adult workers believe the economy is getting
stronger, compared to 21 percent in the previous month.
-- 28 percent of U.S. adult workers believe that more jobs are
available, up one percentage point from June.

Personal Confidence:
-- 64 percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future of
their current employer, decreasing one percentage point compared to
June.
-- 60 percent of U.S. adult workers are confident in their own ability
to find a new job, up one percentage point from the previous month.

Job Security: More Workers Believe it is Unlikely they will Lose Their Job
-- 79 percent of U.S. workers believe that it is unlikely that they will
lose their jobs in the next twelve months, an increase of two
percentage points from June.

Job Transition: More Workers Likely to Look for a New Job
-- 36 percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next 12
months, compared to 34 percent in the previous month.

About the Spherion Employment Report

As part of the Spherion(R) Emerging Workforce(R) Series of employment surveys, the monthly Spherion Employment Report provides a snapshot of the latest workforce trends across the country and is issued in conjunction with state and national labor market releases. Three key indices are measured: the Spherion Job Security Index, which captures how likely respondents think it is that they will lose their job or that their job will be eliminated in the next 12 months; the Spherion Job Transition Index, which captures how likely respondents are to look for a new job in the next 12 months and the Employee Confidence Index that measures employees' overall confidence in the economy, their employer and their ability to find other employment. The Employee Confidence Index is calculated from the results of four components that reflect these aspects of employee confidence. For each component item a 'score' is calculated by taking the difference of the percentage of positive responses and the percentage of negative responses. These four scores are then averaged to indicate an overall level of employee confidence, with each score ranking on a scale from 0 (no confidence) to 100 (complete confidence). A reading above 50 indicates a positive confidence level.

Methodology

The July 2007 Spherion Employment Report is based on data from the Harris Interactive QuickQuery(SM) online omnibus conducted monthly by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 2,970 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between July 10-12 and July 16-18, 2007 (June 2007 n= 3,136). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents' propensity to be online.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 2,970 U.S. employed adults, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 2 percentage points. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Spherion

Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN) is a leading recruiting and staffing company that provides integrated solutions to meet the evolving needs of companies and job candidates. As an industry pioneer for more than 60 years, Spherion has screened and placed millions of individuals in temporary, temp- to-hire and full-time jobs. Positions range from administrative and light industrial to a host of professions that include accounting/finance, information technology, engineering, manufacturing, legal, human resources and sales/marketing.

With approximately 650 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance. Spherion provides its services to more than 8,000 customers, from Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing nearly 300,000 people annually through its network, Spherion is one of North America's largest employers. To learn more, visit http://www.spherion.com/. For up-to-date career tips and trends, visit Spherion's career blog, The Big Time(SM), at http://www.spherion.com/careerblog.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG in Germany, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://www.harrispollonline.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Spherion Corporation

CONTACT: Kip Havel of Spherion Corporation, +1-800-422-3819,
kiphavel@spherion.com

Web site:

http://www.spherion.com/careerblog
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/
http://www.harrispollonline.com/
http://www.spherion.com/

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Profile: Media News

HOUSTON, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Hart Energy Publishing is pleased to announce that FUEL magazine has won an Azbee -- a national award in the 29th Annual Awards Competition of the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). FUEL won the silver award in the New Publication Design category. ASBPE's competition is the largest in the United States. The award was announced at the awards banquet at the National Editorial Conference in New York City on Aug. 2, 2007.

FUEL is an international magazine focusing on topics relevant to the refining and transportation industries, including sustainability and public policy. FUEL readership includes refining, transportation and government policy executives as well as analysts, investors and business partners within these industries. The latest issues can be read at http://fuel.epubxpress.com/.

Headquartered in Houston, with representation in New York, London, Washington, Brussels, Bahrain, Singapore and many other international cities, Hart Energy Publishing's market-leading publications include Oil and Gas Investor, E&P and PipeLine and Gas Technology. Hart also produces newsletters, custom-published products, conferences and unique multi- and single-client consulting services.

Press Contact: Florence Kosmala
Director of Marketing
Hart Energy Consulting
(1) 713.260.6461
fkosmala@hartenergy.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Web sites:

http://www.hartenergy.com

http://fuel.epubxpress.com

Source: Hart Energy Publishing

CONTACT: Florence Kosmala, Director of Marketing of Hart Energy
Consulting, +1-713-260-6461, fkosmala@hartenergy.com

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Profile: Media News

NEW YORK, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Builder Magazine and Public CIO took honors as the Magazines of the Year, and PCWorld.com was named Web Publication of the Year at the 29th Annual Azbee Awards of Excellence presented by the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). The ceremony was held at New York City's Roosevelt Hotel Thursday, the first day of the 43-year-old organization's two-day National Editorial Conference.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070803/NYF017LOGO )

The group's Stephen Barr Award for feature writing went to David McClintick, an investigative reporter and author, for his feature article in the January 2006 Institutional Investor. McClintick examined Harvard University's disastrous contract to help privatize financial markets in parts of the former Soviet Union.

Azbees Awards are given in 56 print, digital, and multi-platform categories, for editorial and graphic excellence, recognizing both large and smaller publications. This year, 41 Golds were given to organizations in editorial fields, and 31 Golds were awarded for graphics. The biggest winners included CFO Magazine, CIO Magazine and Computerworld, with 11 national awards each. CFO took home an evening's record nine Golds in categories from print editorial and graphics to Website to multi-platform.

Magazines of the Year and Web Publication of the Year

For its work in 2006, Builder was recognized as the top magazine among those of 80,000 circulation or larger, while Public CIO was honored in the under-80,000-circulation category. Large-circulation magazines given honorable mention in the Magazine of the Year category were BusinessWeek and Teacher. In the under-80,000-circulation category, ASBPE gave honorable mentions to QSR, a magazine covering for those in the quick-service restaurant industry, and Residential Architect.

The judges said Builder is "editorially challenging -- takes gutsy approaches to issues -- examines major national issues and their affect on readers -- transcendent reporting -- meets its mission well -- great typography." Of Public CIO, the judges said "Top tier -- compelling information everyone has an interest in -- brings ordinary subject matter to higher level -- goes above and beyond -- great magazine without flaunting itself -- appears effortless -- reader friendly."

For honorable mention in the Web Publication of the Year competition won by PCWorld.com, ASBPE named CFO.com, eWeek.com, and Macworld.com. Judges called PCWorld.com "well-organized, authoritative, informative, and entertaining. Inventory of how-to videos is a big plus. The presence of video for describing tips, test drives, and case studies, coupled with interactive attributes such as polls and tips from readers, enable PCWorld's Web site to be one of the most useful Web sites of its kind. Clean look backed by solid content."

This year ASBPE added categories recognizing excellence in digital Web publications, e-newsletters, digital magazines, and blogs. Another category likely to serve as a harbinger of the future was Multi-Platform General Excellence, won by CFO, honoring excellence in coordination of print with other mediums such as Web sites, e-newsletters, blogs, Webinars, or podcasts. New categories were also added for print newsletters, which now vie for top honors for best feature article, how-to article, or original research.

Barr Award Winner Combines Distinctive Writing, Great Reporting

David McClintick, the Stephen Barr Award winner, is the consummate investigative reporter, known for works like 1982's film-industry study Indecent Exposure, and for definitive magazine reports written for such publications as Forbes and Vanity Fair. His story for Institutional Investor took readers back to the 1990s, when Russia stumbled toward establishing a free-market economy in Eastern Europe. The January 2006 piece focused on the depths of global political intrigue and corruption, but taught as much about the heights of hubris-at Harvard. The university had let professors engage, unchecked, in self-dealing as they became tangled in the malaise. Emerging for Institutional Investor readers was Harvard's "apparently limitless arrogance," as one judge put it. ASBPE's fourth annual Stephen Barr Award, accompanied by a $500 cash prize, is named for a CFO reporter who died in 2002 at the age of 43.

"Last year was a great one for business-to-business publications," said Roy Harris, ASBPE's national president and a senior editor of CFO. "Winning entries helped readers understand everything from effectively managing a 401k, to insights about the salaries and attitudes chief information officers."

At the Azbee Awards banquet, famed magazine designer and author Jan White accepted the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Founded in 1964, the 750-member ASBPE (http://www.asbpe.org/) is the only professional association in the United States exclusively for full-time and freelance editors and writers employed by business, professional, association, and trade magazines, newsletters, and digital publications. Its headquarters are located at 214 N. Hale St., Wheaton, Ill. Executive director Janet Svazas is reachable at (630) 510-4588.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070803/NYF017LOGO
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: American Society of Business Publication Editors

CONTACT: Robin Sherman, +1-404-262-2823, info@asbpe.org, or Janet
Svazas, +1-630-510-4588, jsvazas@integrated-solutions.com, both of the
American Society of Business Publication Editors

Web site:

http://www.asbpe.org/

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Profile: Media News

Rating Developed by Carnegie Mellon University Demonstrates Company's Best Practices

FAIRFAX, Va., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SRA International, Inc. (NYSE:SRX), a leading provider of technology and strategic consulting services and solutions to federal government organizations, has once again received a Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model Integration(SM) (CMMI(R)) Level 3 rating. This rating applies to all of SRA and demonstrates the Company's mature processes for systems and software engineering activities. These repeatable processes can help reduce risk, manage costs, improve technical delivery, and meet demanding schedules.

Developed by Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute, the CMMI model represents industry best practices for products and services; its ratings assist customers in selecting reliable and low-risk suppliers. The Level 3 rating was earned using the Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI) method for executing the appraisal. SRA's appraisal was led by an SEI-authorized lead assessor from Process Improvement for the 21st Century, Inc., a process improvement consulting firm. The appraisal involved extensive review and analysis of SRA's software development and project management processes, training, and tools.

"As SRA continues to grow, in both size and scope, it is vital that we continue to optimize processes and strengthen best practices," said SRA President and CEO Stan Sloane. "Maintaining our CMMI Level 3 rating positions the company to fulfill client requirements for process improvement and is a testament to our commitment to providing superior services and solutions to our clients."

About SRA International, Inc.

SRA is a leading provider of technology and strategic consulting services and solutions -- including systems design, development, and integration; and outsourcing and managed services -- to clients in national security, civil government, and health care and public health markets. The Company also delivers business solutions for contingency and disaster response planning, information assurance, business intelligence, environmental strategies, enterprise architecture, infrastructure management, and wireless integration.

FORTUNE(R) magazine has chosen SRA as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for eight consecutive years. The Company's 5,200 employees serve clients from its headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, and offices across the country. For additional information on SRA, please visit http://www.sra.com/.

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans, and prospects for SRA, including statements about the estimated value of the contract and work to be performed, and other statements containing the words "estimates," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views as of August 3, 2007. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to August 3, 2007.

CMMI is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute is a servicemark of Carnegie Mellon University.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: SRA International, Inc.

CONTACT: Laura Luke of SRA International, Inc., +1-703-803-1856,
Laura_Luke@sra.com

Web site:

http://www.sra.com/

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Profile: Media News