FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- HAWTHORNE, NY -- April 11, 2005 -- Working Values, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of SmartPros Ltd. (AMEX:PED), a leading developer of accredited continuing professional education, today announced that Orsborn Partners, Inc. has agreed to join Working Values' proprietary national network of affiliated ethics services providers, comprised of globally recognized experts in the field of corporate ethics, compliance and reputation management.
Orsborn Partners is a senior level management consultancy providing reputation management services to clients in the public relations, advertising and marketing industries, as well as to in-house managers of internal and external communications programs. Led by Dr. Carol Orsborn, a 25-year veteran of the public relations field and noted ethics expert, Orsborn Partners serves a number of top 10 global public relations firms and Fortune 1,000 companies.
"Engendering an ethical culture in a large enterprise is a complex issue that is best served by a team of specialists. Orsborn Partners has unique expertise in bridging the fields of ethics and communications, which is a vital requirement for successfully building integrity-based organizations," said David Gebler, President of Working Values. "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Orsborn and her team to our growing network of expert affiliates, and expect that they will play an important role in advancing Working Values' efforts to advise our clients on developing integrity-based cultures engaged in best practices."
"Strategic communication is an essential tool in the creation of trust, both with employees at all levels of organizational life and with external stakeholders," noted Dr. Orsborn. "Through consulting and training, we are able to create alignment between the organization's values and public perception."
As part of its growing solution provider network, Working Values has also announced an affiliation with FIRSTGlobal InvestigationsSM, a division of BDO Seidman LLP, which takes a proactive approach to managing fraud prevention and detection.
About Working Values, Ltd.
Working Values, Ltd., a SmartPros company, is one of the world's leading developers of integrated values-based corporate responsibility and ethics awareness and compliance learning programs. Since 1993, Working Values has helped organizations such as JP Morgan Chase, Pharmacia, Coors Brewing Company, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin align workplace behavior with standards, values and ethical principles. For more information visit www.workingvalues.com.
About SmartPros Ltd.
Founded 1981, SmartPros Ltd. is an industry leader in the field of accredited professional education. Its products and services are primarily focused in the accredited professional areas of corporate accounting, financial management, public accounting, governmental and not-for-profit accounting, ethics and compliance, and engineering. SmartPros' customers include over half of Fortune 500 companies, as well as the major firms and associations in each of its professional markets. SmartPros provides education and content publishing and development services in a variety of media including Web, CD-ROM and video. Our subscription libraries feature hundreds of course titles and 1,000+ hours of accredited education. SmartPros' proprietary Professional Education Center (PEC) Learning Management System (LMS) offers enterprise distribution and administration of education content and information. In addition, SmartPros produces a popular news and information portal for accounting and finance professionals that services 300,000+ visitors and 100,000+ subscribers per month. Visit: www.smartpros.com
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This release may contain or identify forward looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions and estimates, which are inherently subject to uncertainty and contingencies that are beyond our control and are based on future business decisions that may change.
For more information, please contact:
Shane Gillispie
Vice President, Marketing and eCommerce
SmartPros Ltd.
253-863-8280
shanegillispie@smartpros.com