Newswise — Hamilton, ON May 13, 2013 – On Saturday, May 18, Facebook will mark its first year as a publicly traded company. Experts from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University are available to discuss the anniversary of the landmark IPO.
Ronald Balvers, Michael Lee Chin & Family Chair in Investment and Portfolio Management"After a year in which the typical first-day IPO return did not materialize, and share prices fluctuated by more than 150 per cent while market value fell in excess of 25 per cent, how does the future look for investors in Facebook shares? At a disconcertingly stable three-year run of quarterly earnings around $0.12 per share, it would take about 58 years of eps to buy a share at current prices. This means that it is crucial for investors to imagine the role that Facebook will play in the world 10 to 20 years or more from now. With some concerns that in North America the total number of users and those using Facebook on a daily basis may be hitting a plateau, that the conversion of usage to revenues is not accelerating, and that competition from Google+, Twitter, Renren, and sources yet unknown is not going away, it is all too easy to imagine a modest future for Facebook."[email protected], 905-525-9140 ext. 23969
Manish Kacker, Associate Professor, Marketing"Facebook is a very different company today from what it was a year ago. It has a much more pronounced focus on mobile advertising. Clickthrough rates on Facebook ads have increased due to improved ad targeting and placement. They are in a position to develop a detailed proprietary database that integrates consumer behavior data across offline, web and mobile contexts. Brands have increasingly adopted Facebook and set up brand pages for social media marketing. Facebook has now become an integral element of most marketing campaigns."[email protected], 905-525-9140 ext. 21658
Ken Owen, PhD candidate, Information Systems"Facebook's privacy settings are notoriously complex and change frequently. That leads to errors (people think they've protected themselves, but they haven't) and hesitation (figuring out the security is overwhelming, so people just don't bother). Zuckerberg's own sister was tripped up a few months ago. However, access to target markets and the ability to deliver advertising messages to very focused segments of society is one of Facebook's main selling points. To collect and exploit all of the information it collects, Facebook has to make users feel comfortable and establish a sense of trust."[email protected], 905-525-9140 ext. 26195
Television Editors – Live interviews can be arranged using the DeGroote School of Business's broadcast studio. Call Julia Thomson at [email protected] or 905-525-9140 ext. 24871 to schedule airtime and book a live feed.
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