- David Meets Goliath During Signature Software Competition -

CHICAGO, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- An epic software battle will be fought at Human Resource Executive(R) magazine's 12th Annual HR Technology(R) Conference & Exposition September 30 through October 2, 2009 at McCormick Place, Chicago.

During the Second Annual Talent Management Shootout, software giants SAP (NYSE: SAP) and Lawson (Nasdaq: LWSN) will take on smaller rivals Salary.com (Nasdaq: SLRY) and Plateau, which have long contended that their applications are functionally better and more integrated than the ERPs'. The Shootout will take place Thursday, October 1, 2009 from 4 to 5:15 p.m.

During the Shootout, attendees will view back-to-back custom software demonstrations required to solve a series of typical HR and business problems managers and employees face daily. The hundreds of senior HR practitioners expected to attend will vote electronically to decide the Shootout's winner. This will be the 13(th) Shootout during the conference's history, making it the signature event, and the second to focus specifically on Talent Management.

"This year's Shootout really is special," said HR Technology Conference Co-Chair Bill Kutik. "For years, the smaller Talent Management suite vendors have sold new customers based on their contention the ERPs' applications have less functionality and integration. Meanwhile, ERPs like SAP and Lawson have been furiously updating and integrating their applications to meet that challenge. Now everyone can find out who is right."

Industry experts Leighanne Levensaler, director of Talent Management Research for Bersin & Associates, and Kutik, also technology columnist for Human Resource Executive(R) magazine, have written the script for the competition. The Shootout script focuses on the functions of performance management, compensation, goal setting, career development and succession planning, and includes learning and recruiting.