Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) said its Q3 profit declined despite the popularity of Guitar Hero.
• Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) said Q3 revenue surged and its offered impressive cash flow numbers.
• Boston Beer Co. Inc. (NYSE: SAM) easily beat Q3 earnings estimates and raised its full-year guidance.
• Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) lower Q1 results topped estimates and sent shares higher.
• Cognizant Technology Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: CTSH) was upgraded following its strong Q3 results.
• Corporate Executive Board (NASDAQ: EXBD) received an analyst's upgrade following the Q3 results.

Shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) are trading up in after hours trading today after the company posted strong Q4 earnings numbers after the market close.

As we noted in our earnings preview, the company was expected to show earnings for the quarter of 21 cents per share on $2.39 billion in revenues. The actual numbers came in at 24 cents per share with revenues of $2.4 billion.

On Thursday afternoon, coffee king Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) will report third-quarter earnings. Currently, expectations call for a profit of 21 cents per share on revenue of $2.39 billion. A year ago, SBUX earned a penny per share in the third quarter, with revenue checking in at $2.52 billion. Fundamentally, SBUX has undertaken a number of cost-cutting measures included closing stores and cutting the prices on some of the company's easier-made beverages (this move was countered by raising the prices on some of SBUX's "more complicated beverages"). Worker layoffs have also had an impact on the company's bottom line. As for good news, SBUX announced that is going to keep 27 stores open that it had originally targeted for closing. This move was made after the firm reviewed its finances. I have long criticized SBUX for its spend-happy ways, but it seems that the company is trying to tame these tendencies. This does not mean that the firm doesn't still spend money loosely, but it is a start.

Once upon a time, retailers measured success by the number of people walking by in the mall, how many entered the store, the percentage they spent, and basket size. Now, a world of zeroes and ones has changed their perspective entirely. Social media is expected to be the star during the coming holiday season, with retailers pushing Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter content to get in front of consumers and affect either online or in-store purchases. Smaller Christmas budgets are expected, so the fight is on to garner as large a share as possible of a shrinking pie.

Of course, nobody would come out and say, "Social media is nonsense, and I'm not getting anything for my investment." So, when the likes of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), JCPenney (NYSE: JCP), and Target (NYSE: TGT) say that social media is connecting them with their customers and leading to more effective campaigns and product launches, do take it with a grain of salt. What can't be ignored, however, is that they're committing more resources to social media marketing, even though it's still far too soon to tell if it will be effective.

Equity markets ended the third quarter with their biggest losses in four months, and we're now staring down the closing months of 2009. Half the quarter, of course, is dominated by holiday sales, which ups the stakes at the finish line and sets the tone for the bulk of 2010.

Even though company performances have been fairly strong through this reporting season, it's tough to shake the nerves associated with depressed consumer spending and high unemployment.

"One of the guiding principles of our growth investing system is the concept that major trends tend to persist longer and go farther than originally expected," says Timothy Lutts.

In The Cabot Stock of the Month, he explains, "It's a principle that supports our current bullish market stance and our recommendation of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR), even though the stock is already up more than four-fold since March."

"The business, of course, is coffee, a true global mass-market product. And while Starbucks' stock peaked in 2006 (ending a 14-year run), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is younger and far less famous.

One of the best ways for your business to get exposure and credibility is through public relations. Yet, hiring a PR firm can be expensive, easily running $5,000 to $10,000 per month.

Despite this, it's possible to do PR on your own. Keep in mind that a key to success is having an active and passionate founder or CEO who makes media relations a priority. This has been the case with many great leaders, such as Howard Schultz at Starbucks (NYSE: SBUX) and Marc Benioff at Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM).

So, let's take a look at some of the steps you can take to improve your PR.

Via, the new instant coffee product from Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX), is making its debut Tuesday on the national stage.

The powdered java was already available in select markets, but the so-called ready brew is now being rolled out to all of the coffee chain's U.S. locations -- and CEO Howard Schultz promises it "will change the way people drink coffee."

Since its start in 1979, ESPN has grown at a rapid clip -- turning into the most powerful brand in sports media. With close to 100 million subscribers, the company has a variety of channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, and so on), a magazine, stores, a radio channel, restaurants, books, and websites. If considered a standalone company -- it is now 80% owned by Disney (NYSE: DIS) -- it would probably have a valuation above $20 billion.

Despite all the success, the ESPN story has had little coverage, unlike many of the other great companies of the past generation such as Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).

The indefatigable Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) has made another strategic business decision ... it has decided to raise the price for some beverages and reduce the cost for others.

What is the line of demarcation? Complexity. Drinks that take more of a barista's time to make (such as Frappuccinos) will now be priced 10 to 30 cents higher, while simple drip coffee and lattes will be priced 5 to 15 cents lower.

Interesting article from the Associated Press this morning, taking a look at how fast banks expanded during the past five years. The article states that banks added more than 10,000 full-service branches in the past five years, with nary a bank in the inner city (actually, one of every 10 was in a minority neighborhood).

The banks were "racing" to plant themselves in various parts of the country deemed exclusive or growing. The problem that the article looks at is the dearth of banks located in inner-city locations, which could lead to more charges for customers. This is a very real problem, and warrants the discussion; however, I want to take a look at the problem of overexpansion for the banking industry.

Facebook is making the biggest ad splash since Google, according to an article in the Financial Times.

More than four-fifths of the largest advertisers in the United States have turned to the social networking platform to promote their wares -- after several years of fearing these types of communities. The lure of Facebook must have been too much to resist, with 340 million monthly unique visitors. Now, it's not unusual to see the likes of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Nike (NYSE: NKE), and AT&T (NYSE: ATT) advertising in this world.

On Tuesday, July 21, brewing behemoth Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) bested Wall Street earnings estimates for the second quarter. The Seattle-based coffee giant reported earnings of $151.5 million in the period, driven by cost-cutting efforts and the downsizing of underperforming stores. Starbucks has now closed at 676 U.S. locations and almost 100 abroad.

For years, Starbucks was the darling of Wall Street. It seemed to do no wrong. The shares vaulted from less than 70 cents a piece in 1992 to $40 by 2006. But Starbucks wasn't managing its growth very well, and they opened too many stores far too quickly. As a result, shareholders paid the price.

As the name suggests, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) is based in the pastoral state of Vermont. The company offers about 180 varieties of coffee, cocoa, and tea, which it sells to wholesale customers including supermarkets, convenience stores, resorts, and office delivery services.

Some of its biggest customers are ExxonMobil's convenience stores and McDonald's restaurants. In September, Green Mountain acquired Tully's Coffee, which has been chipping away at Starbucks' dominance in the Pacific Northwest.

For millions of Americans, and indeed for millions around the globe, there's nothing like a piping hot cup of coffee to help kick start the day. It's the beverage of choice for the hordes on Wall Street, many of whom rely on a strong cup of java to help propel them through a stressful trading day.

But Wall Street pros don't just relegate their relationship with coffee to what's inside their mugs.