#The time spent being required to socially transition first would be reduced from 2 years to a mere three months

[coochiequeens]

The truly sad thing is that TRAs are not going to take a moment for self reflection and look at the perverts that have overun the TQ+ movement. Instead they are going to lash out at "TERFs".

Judges have ruled that the UK government acted lawfully in blocking Scotland's gender self-ID reforms.

Legislation making it easier for people to change their legally-recognised sex was passed by the Scottish Parliament last year.

The UK government blocked it from becoming law over fears it would impact on equality laws across Great Britain.

The Court of Session in Edinburgh has now rejected a Scottish government legal challenge to the veto.

The Scottish government has 21 days to decide whether it wants to appeal against the ruling, and the case could ultimately end up in the Supreme Court in London.

The legislation received cross-party support in Holyrood, passing by 86 votes to 39 after a highly-charged debate.

Campaigners against the reforms warned the legislation could risk the safety of women and girls in same-sex spaces such as hospital wards and refuges.

Supporters argued it would make the process of obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) easier and less traumatic for trans people.

The legislation would remove the need for trans people to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria by a doctor before they are allowed to change their legally-recognised sex in Scotland, and would lower the age that someone can apply for a GRC from 18 to 16.

The period in which applicants would need to have lived in their acquired gender would be cut from two years to three months.

The UK government stepped in to block the bill from receiving royal assent after it was passed by MSPs, using powers contained in section 35 of the Scotland Act for the first time.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack raised concerns that the reforms could adversely impact on the 2010 Equality Act, which applies in Scotland, England and Wales and sets out protections for groups including women and transgender people.

The Scottish government challenged the move at the Court of Session - Scotland's highest civil court - with its top law officer, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, arguing that Mr Jack did not have "reasonable grounds" to block the bill.

Ms Bain also claimed that if the UK government was successful, Westminster "could veto practically any act of the Scottish Parliament having an impact on reserved matters because he disagreed with it on policy grounds".

But in her written ruling, judge Lady Haldane dismissed the Scottish government's appeal and said the block on the legislation was lawful.

She said Mr Jack followed correct legal procedures when he made his decision to invoke section 35 and that the Scottish government had failed to show that he had made legal errors.

The judge wrote: "I cannot conclude that he (Mr Jack) failed in his duty to take such steps as were reasonable in all the circumstances to acquaint himself with material sufficient to permit him to reach the decision that he did."

Lady Haldane also said that "Section 35 does not, in and of itself, impact on the separation of powers or other fundamental constitutional principle. Rather it is itself part of the constitutional framework."

Welcoming the judgement, Mr Jack said it "upholds my decision to prevent the Scottish government's gender recognition legislation from becoming law".

He added: "I was clear that this legislation would have had adverse effects on the operation of the law as it applies to reserved matters, including on important Great Britain-wide equality protections.

"Following this latest court defeat for the Scottish government, their ministers need to stop wasting taxpayers' money pursuing needless legal action and focus on the real issues which matter to people in Scotland - such as growing the economy and cutting waiting lists."

Alister Jack blocked the legislation because of its potential impact on equalities law that applies across Scotland, England and Wales

Humza Yousaf decided to proceed with the legal challenge shortly after succeeding Nicola Sturgeon - a passionate supporter of trans rights - as first minister earlier this year.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, he described the ruling as a "dark day for devolution".

Mr Yousaf said: "Today's judgment confirms beyond doubt that devolution is fundamentally flawed. The court has confirmed that legislation passed by a majority in Holyrood can be struck down by Westminster.

"The only way to guarantee we get true self-government is through independence. Sovereignty should lie with the people of Scotland, not a Westminster government we didn't vote for with the ability to overrule our laws."

He was the only one of the three candidates in the SNP leadership contest who backed taking legal action and the issue has been deeply divisive within the party.

Colin Macfarlane, director of nations at LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, said the ruling would "mean more uncertainty for trans people in Scotland who will be waiting once again to see whether they will be able to have their gender legally recognised through a process that is in line with leading nations like Ireland, Canada and New Zealand."

Labour's shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said it was "disappointing this legalisation ended in the courts but this ruling should be respected".

Shortly after the reforms were passed, double rapist Isla Bryson - who changed gender after being arrested for attacking two women - was remanded to a women's jail.

Bryson was subsequently moved to a male prison after the case sparked widespread anger. The Scottish government said the new legislation had no impact on the decision about where Bryson was held.

As befitting an unprecedented case, this is in Lady Haldane's words a "novel and complex" ruling.

She actually concluded in part that this is a situation where many decisions could have been taken, and that "there is possibly no single right answer" - but that the courts should only intervene in the case of a clear error in law.

The judge concluded that Alister Jack was entitled to make a decision on this, and that he had taken the proper steps to come to a view, without going into the even knottier territory of whether it was the right one.

All of that complexity means there could be room for appeal.

The Scottish government will be combing through the ruling to see if there are grounds to go back to court.

Mr Jack has urged them not to, telling them not to waste public funds on further legal action.

But ministers will perhaps put more weight on the position of the Scottish Greens, their partners in government, who are absolutely furious about the "horrible, heartbreaking and unjust" outcome.

Challenging UK ministers on this has been a red line for the Greens in the past. It may be that Scottish ministers have little choice but to fight on if they are to keep their partnership government together.

[missymavenworld]

Do’s and Don’ts of working from home...

If Mondays aren’t bad enough we are starting this week in quarantine, social isolation, and many companies are requiring employees to work from home.

I’ve been successfully working from home for the last 12 years. Not as an entrepreneur, but as a salaried employee. Unlike many of my co-workers, I never intended on working from home when I applied for the position. Unexpectedly I was told that I would be working from home effective immediately, much like the situation many people are currently experiencing. This immediate change was very challenging. Working from home was less common at that time. I was single, in my twenties, and lived alone. Not only did the change in location and work schedule cause anxiety, I missed my co-workers in the office who also had become some of my closest friends. 

I want to help you avoid the trial and error that I experienced. I hope the following tips can help make your transition less challenging.

1. Remember that everything is the same, other than your location

Make this your mantra! As amazing as it may seem to wake up at noon grab your laptop and get back in bed, this is about the worst thing you can do. Beds are for sleeping, and that’s exactly what you will do cuddled up next to your laptop.

2. Designate a specific work space

If you have an extra bedroom or already have a home office, this is ideal. When you are done with your work day, this will allow you to shut the door and leave your work at work. If your only option is working on the kitchen table, put away your “office” at the end of the day. 

3. Keep the same work schedule

This may be imposed by your company. If so, you should be grateful. I can tell you first hand, that there is nothing more stressful than chopping up your work day thinking “I will just finish this later” then ending up working at midnight (or later) because you didn’t finish all required tasks. This makes it feel like you are working 24/7 but accomplishing less. It also makes it really easy for this cycle to continue day after day. This is a dangerous time to be sleep deprived.

4.Reach out to a co-worker (by phone!)

If you are someone who thrives on water cooler chat, office socialization, and going out for lunch or happy hour, working from home can feel extremely isolating. Working from home also lacks collaboration and often times teamwork. Stay connected. Call or video chat with a co-worker. Messaging and email doesn’t replace a familiar voice or face. Try a group video lunch, or coffee breaks. Collaboration doesn’t have to cease while working from home. Reaching out not only helps you stay more connected, but will keep you abreast of company changes or important information critical to your role.

5. Foster a Pet

It’s heartbreaking that a number of pet owners are making the irrational and fear based decision to surrender their pets to shelters because of the CONVID-19 pandemic. If you’ve always wanted a pet but have made the responsible decision not to get one because long hours spent at the office, now might be the perfect time to help out. You get an adorable stress reducing office mate while working at home, as well as providing a loving place for an animal to stay. 

6. Stay focused

If you have other family members, roommates, or a partner that is also home because of work and school closures, set boundaries. Use a sign indicating work hours or DO NOT DISTURB, if needed. Don’t get distracted by personal email, text, DM’s, social media, or current news. These are all significant productivity drains. In addition, the current climate is fearful and stress invoking to say the least.

Working from home doesn’t need to create additional stress. In a time when small businesses are suffering, healthcare, police officers, retail, and transportation workers are on the front lines risking being infected, it is a blessing to be able to work from home and continue to generate income. More importantly, it’s a productive distraction from the uncertainty and panic that is occurring across the globe. Everyone could benefit from a little of that right now.

[ourworldofenergy]

A Look-back at 2020

By OWOE Staff: Happy 2021 dear readers and supporters of OWOE. As everyone is aware, 2020 was a most unfortunate series of events, beginning with the release of a virulent pathogen from China which resulted in a wide range of foreseeable acute and long range economic, social and energy consequences. Thus, OWOE staff are working hard to analyze these consequences to provide meaningful insight about energy matters going forward. We plan a variety of interesting updates to our core energy information, tools and blogs this year and perhaps even a contest involving energy self-sufficiency at the local level. Many of the changes happening in the world of energy are the cumulative results of individual changes in consumption resulting from economic turmoil compounded by inept government policies and continuing industry business practices.

OWOE 2020 blog plan. Early in this year, OWOE aims to publish a grand blog overview of energy trends and transitions, similar to, but hopefully better than, the yearly reports issued by the super-majors, the IEA and other organizations with immense research budgets and numerous staff. We will examine and discuss energy demand changes as well as energy supply issues across the broad spectrum of the key energy resources powering the world: coal, oil, gas, nuclear, hydro and renewables. The relationship between access to sustainable energy and economic prosperity as well as CO2 emissions will also be discussed. While the events of 2020 resulted in drops in energy demand across the spectrum, it also resulted in noticeable drops in pollution and CO2 emissions,. The question that many analysts in Wall Street, Houston, Zurich or Moscow are trying to answer is whether such demand drops are now permanent. The short OWOE answer is yes, in certain areas, but not overall. OWOE is also planning to bring new bloggers to the site to continue its tradition of sharing interesting comments and views on a broad range of energy topics and, possibly, to provide video-blogs.

Other blogs will continue to examine energy technologies and how well various states and industries are transitioning (if at all) to more efficient energy technologies and green energy. As we have seen in recent years, politicians have a tendency to proclaim success in green energy transitions, but the data to support such claims and intentions is often murky. OWOE staff will make critical examinations of oil, gas, coal and renewables.

But let’s start 2021 by touching on a couple of key issues…

Has the world reached peak oil demand? One thing that OWOE bloggers are proud of is correctly calling the peak for oil demand way ahead of almost every major energy agency and supplier worldwide. When OWOE first cautioned about oil demand drop in a blog in 2019, the next best available report from the large agencies and industry suggested that peak oil demand might occur by 2030. When in March of 2020, OWOE bloggers stated emphatically that the world has hit peak oil demand, soon afterward those agencies, industry and even the Russian government revised their demand forecasts to come close in line with OWOE view: The world has hit peak oil demand. The reasonably sustained rally in oil prices during the latter half of 2020 is not the result of increased oil demand, but rather the result of coordinated supply curtailment and manipulation. Here’s the new warning from OWOE bloggers: It is likely that the world will, in the moderate term, have oil demand outstrip supply, but that will only be because the big oil producers have been significantly under-investing in new supply for the last 5 years or so. The world will find itself at a point where oil demand is falling, but supply is falling faster. In such a scenario, oil prices will rise quickly, but as noted before, high oil prices are amongst the biggest stimulus to increasing alternative and renewable energy supply.

Where does the US stand with CO2 emissions? The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on US economic activity has fueled speculation throughout the year concerning what would happen to CO2 emissions. Indications (and logic) that emissions would be dramatically reduced are now being confirmed as various agencies and organizations that track CO2 emissions have started reporting end-2020 numbers. For example, the Rhodium Group reported that preliminary year-end numbers indicate that greenhouse gas emissions fell by just over 10% from 2019. This is significantly greater than the 6.3% drop seen in 2009, which was driven by the great recession. Figure 1 shows the history of US emissions, with end-2020 levels now below 1990 levels. Of course, expectations are that as economic activity picks up, so will emissions. The big question going forward is how much behavior has been changed fundamentally by the pandemic. One can envision a country where commuting miles remain significantly reduced, people decide they can get by with fewer cars, more businesses switch to remote working which requires less office space, business travel is deemed much less necessary, and people finally realize that they just don’t need to buy as much stuff as they did. OWOE suggests re-reading our blog from November 2019 where we speculated that huge emission reductions are possible if baby boomers reined in their spending habits. Maybe 2020 was an early vision of such a new world. 

Fig. 1 – US Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Rhodium Group)

Was 2020 the year EVs turned the corner and began their much-heralded take-over of the automobile market? On March 10, 2020 Telsa manufactured its one-millionth vehicle, hitting a milestone that many EV naysayers and Telsa short-sellers claimed was impossible as recently as 2 years earlier. To follow that up, Tesla manufactured one-half million vehicles, give-or-take a few hundred, in 2020. Fourth quarter production of 179,757 cars was an increase of 71% from last year and 36% year-on-year. It is still relatively small in terms of total number of vehicles sold compared to the major automakers: Volkswagen, the world’s largest, sold just under 11 million cars worldwide in 2019 while General Motors, the largest US automaker, had global sales of 7.7 million cars in 2019. But if one considers that both US auto sales and global auto sales will likely be down about 15% this year when the final statistics are released, it’s an impressive increase, and shows that EV sales are growing while conventional auto sales are declining. As far as the future…Tesla’s exponential growth should continue with the new German factory coming on-line and the (relatively) new Chinese factory continuing to ramp-up production. But the bigger story is the rush of the other auto makers into the EV market. For example, GM plans to launch 30 electric vehicles by 2025, and Hyundai Motor Group is planning to market 23 EV models in the next few years based on a new EV platform built from the ground up. Then throw in the state and country bans on sales of new fossil-fuel driven vehicles – Norway in 2025,  California in 2035, Massachusetts in 2035,  and many others. And, finally, what could be the death knell…Elon Musk’s reference to a $25,000 EV on the market in 3 years.

Big Oil problems. Returning to the issue of looming undersupply, this is a situation that cannot be solved quickly enough by the big oil producers, save perhaps for those with vast supplies easily accessible but disinclined by the high marginal cost of production (shale oil) or political sabotage (oil sands in Canada). One of the key consequences of the oil collapse that began in fall 2014 is that large producers and developers have been cutting experienced staff in droves while at the same time greatly reducing the number of new hires and trainees. To develop a new field from discovery to production offshore, for example, still takes about 10 years in most non-frontier areas of the world, and there are not enough experienced staff to safely and economically execute such new projects in sufficient numbers required to meet the next supply challenges. Oil prices will spike but the impacts will be marginal before oil prices start to collapse again as energy consumers more quickly reduce demand and switch to other energy supplies.

Another consequence of the next oil price boom is that non-industry companies may suddenly appear to throw gobs of money at oil and engineering support companies in hopes of realizing some instant long-term revenue projections. Investors and employees need to be wary of ridiculous buyouts and mergers.

Green Oil – the future or just a fad? Currently, many large oil and gas producers are highlighting all the effort and investment that they are making in renewable and more sustainable energy technologies, something we at OWOE refer to as “green oil”. Most of that is for media consumption as the proportion of money spent on new energy technologies is miniscule compared to the amount of money still being spent on maintaining oil and gas production. There are two consequences of this: a) large energy producers will be supplanted by new firms producing new energy, and b) without real investment from the private sector, new energy technology will continue to be dependent upon large government support.

The experience and expertise of large oil producers that has resulted in cheap oil is missing from renewables, and, consequently, large renewable projects, such as offshore floating wind, will continue to be too expensive for many areas. These costs still need to be driven down. An unfortunate consequence of this lack of real private investment is the situation with a few legacy companies that peddle their solutions much like 19th century snake oil salesmen: Going from town to town to sell their overly expensive product until government subsidies run out, then moving on to the next jurisdiction. However, there is hope, as newer and next generation technologies are entering the field with the aim of being commercially viable without government subsidies. Combining next generation technologies in innovative ways with support from private companies with long range vision will further hasten the adoption of technologies like floating offshore wind energy in more places around the world.

In conclusion: Although 2020 was a difficult year across the board, there have been some positive outcomes for the world of energy and for the world itself. But it will be critical for individuals to help extend such positive outcomes into the future as government actions are often misdirected, driven by ideological or self-serving interests rather than rational goals. Regrettably, government actions can often be metaphorically compared to using sledgehammers to pluck flowers from the debris of civilization. OWOE will do its best to help its readers analyze and understand these interesting and challenging times and topics.

A Look-back at 2020 was originally published on OurWorldofEnergy

[labourpress]

Labour will use £200 billion government purchasing power to upgrade our economy

Corbyn: We will use the £200bn government spends in the private sector and powers taken back from Brussels to upgrade our economy and create good jobs

Speaking at Wabtec train maintenance company in Doncaster this afternoon, Jeremy Corbyn will pledge that the next Labour government will use the enormous £200 billion national and local government spends in the private sector to upgrade our economy, create good local jobs and reduce inequality.

This will include requiring best practice from firms government does business with on:

·                   paying tax

·                   workers' rights

·                   equal opportunities 

·                   environmental protection

·                   training and apprenticeships

·                   paying suppliers on time, and

·                   boardroom excess, by moving to a 20-1 limit on the gap between the lowest and highest paid.

He will also announce how Labour would use powers repatriated from Brussels after Brexit to create high quality local jobs, develop new industries and support good domestic businesses - large and small. This would mean allowing public bodies to support local jobs and businesses with local employment and content requirements.

Jeremy Corbyn will also call on the government to consider extending the rights of local authorities in left-behind areas to require local suppliers and jobs in public contracts, in relation to World Trade Organisation procurement rules, as has happened in the US.

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, speaking at the event, will say:

"For years we've been told that there's nothing that can stop the race to the bottom in the jobs market that is making people's lives harder and holding back our economy. 

“Well, today I say, Britain doesn't have to be so meek, and settle for things getting worse and more insecure for so many. We can make the change we need if we understand the power we already have - and how we can better use it.

“National and local government spends £200 billion per year in the private sector. That's an incredible purchasing power, which we can use to support the good companies and improve the behaviour of the bad ones that undercut with unfair practices.

“Under the next Labour government, Britain will subsidise bad corporate behaviour no longer. Our business partners should have the same values we as a country hold: enterprise, fairness, high-quality service and doing right by everyone.

“And while Brexit presents many challenges to Britain, it can give us more powers to encourage best practices and support new and existing businesses and industries in Britain. 

“While the Conservatives seem intent on using Brexit to turn us into a low-wage tax haven, Labour will use every power possible to upgrade our economy so we can all lead richer lives."

Ends

Notes to editors:

 1.  Require all companies bidding for a government contract to meet the following:

 a)      Give full trade union recognition for their workforce and comply with collective bargaining agreements

 b)      Move towards a ratio of 20-1 between the lowest and highest paid, matching the target in the public sector, over a transitional period

 c)      Pay their suppliers the full amount owed within 30 days

 d)      Maintain high environmental standards in relation to energy use, emissions and waste disposal, while taking appropriate measures to aid the transition to a low carbon economy

 e)      Provide training and apprenticeship opportunities proportionate to firm size

                                                                  f)       Full tax compliance

 g)      Adopt best practices in equal opportunities

  This is all possible within existing EU rules, provided it’s done on a non-discriminatory basis. In particular:

 ·         The 2014 EU Directive expressly requires Member States to take into account the widest possible range of social and environmental considerations, as well as price, when buying goods and services for the public sector.

 ·         In UK law, the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 requires authorities that are engaging in certain procurement exercises for services, to consider first how the proposed procurement might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of their area, and how these improvements might be secured. The Act applies to England, and to Wales to a limited extent.

 2.       For government contracts that fall outside the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), we would introduce local jobs and content requirements to allow public bodies to use local pounds on local jobs and businesses.

 ·         Currently, both EU and the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (which the UK is a member of in virtue of being in the EU) require that public procurement contracts above certain thresholds be opened up to potential suppliers from other countries. These thresholds are £5,446,950 for construction contracts, £141,621 for central government contracts for goods and services, and £217,878 for subcentral government contracts for goods and services.

The thresholds for central government entities are 130,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) for goods and services, and 5m SDR for construction; UK central government bodies that are covered by the GPA are listed here (at the bottom of the document). The thresholds for sub-central government entities are 200,000 SDR for goods and services, and 5m SDR for construction; these include county council and city council procurement bodies, as well as local schools, fire authorities, NHS procurement etc. Calculations above are made on the basis of a 1SDR = £1.09 exchange rate.

 ·         Below these thresholds, much procurement is opened to suppliers in other EU member states because of principles that are part of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Leaving the EU should therefore create scope for additional flexibility for public authorities to require the use of local or regional suppliers after Brexit below these thresholds. That would allow procurement contracts below GPA thresholds to contain local jobs and content requirements, directing public money back into local economies.

“As regards below-threshold procurement, the practical importance of covering this may depend on the extent to which regional or local discrimination is prohibited internally in the UK, since this kind of discrimination may provide the greatest barrier to market access.”  Source: Sue Arrowsmith, Consequences of Brexit in the area of the public procurement, April 2017

 ·         In 2012 the UK had €96.8 billion of public procurement contracts above threshold.  Of these contracts, €74.4 billion (or 77%) were covered by the GPA and €22.4 billion (or 23%) were not.  Since 2012 there the GPA has been revised and EU procurement directives have been updated. In 2015, the UK spent €127.56 billion on above threshold public procurement.  This is roughly a third to a half of all procurement spending, implying that at least half falls under thresholds.

These figures are indicative figures only. They are provided by the House of Commons library with the following notes:

·         2012 figures are from WTO Committee on Government Procurement, STATISTICS FOR 2012 REPORTED UNDER ARTICLE XIX:5 OF THE AGREEMENT: REPORT BY THE EUROPEAN UNION, June 2016 – UK annex (annex 29), Total table

·         2015 figure is from European Commission, Public Procurement Indicators 2015, December 2016 – this figure is based on the value of tenders published in the EU TED (OJEU) database, including for utilities and defence. Tenders must be published in the database if they are over threshold.  The database – and therefore the statistics – do include some tenders that are under the threshold – about 8% of UK tenders are under the lowest of the thresholds.

·         There are a couple of ways to calculate total public procurement spend and these affect the calculation of the proportion of all spending that is above threshold – figures from the Whole of Government Accounts give a lower total (and a higher proportion) as they exclude public sector purchases from the public sector itself.

  3.       Labour is calling on the Government to do an impact assessment of the level and extent of coverage of the GPA on “left behind” local authorities

 ·         The UK is currently subject to the GPA as a member of the EU, but not in its own right – the government is apparently “considering the UK’s position” as to whether it will seek to remain a member after Brexit.

https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmintrade/817/81705.htm

 ·         While the USA is signed up to the GPA, there is significant variation in the level of coverage across different states. Only 37 of the 50 states are included in the GPA, and, among those that are, the GPA has extensive coverage over public spending by the states of, for example, Washington and California and much more limited coverage in Mississippi and Hawaii.

https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gproc_e/gp_app_agree_e.htm

 ·         The USA and Canada also have higher thresholds for sub-national contracts for goods and services than the UK currently does within the EU.

355,000 SDR compared to 200,000 SDR for EU countries, see https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gproc_e/thresh_e.htm

 ·         Given the restrictions imposed by the GPA on local authorities, Labour is calling for an impact assessment of different levels of GPA coverage on local authorities in the UK and of the thresholds to which they are currently signed up. 

  In 2014/15, UK public sector procurement was worth £191.7 billion. Of this, £68.9 billion was local government procurement and £115.5 billion was central government (including NHS) procurement. Note that these figures do not include public sector procurement from other parts of the public sector.  Source: House of Commons Library.

[deniscollins]

European Workers Draw Paychecks. American Workers Scrounge for Food.

The pandemic has ravaged Europeans and Americans alike, but the economic pain has played out in starkly different fashion. The United States has relied on a significant expansion of unemployment insurance, cushioning the blow for tens of millions of people who have lost their jobs, with the assumption that they will be swiftly rehired once normality returns. European countries — among them Denmark, Ireland, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria — have prevented joblessness by effectively nationalizing payrolls, heavily subsidizing wages and enabling paychecks to continue uninterrupted. If you were a public policy maker, which system would you advocate: (1) U.S. expansion of unemployment benefits or (2) European governments heavily subsidizing wages and enabling paychecks to continue uninterrupted? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

In the southeast corner of Ireland, Brian Byrne’s event-planning business was confronting a calamity. It was the middle of March, and the coronavirus pandemic was nearing peak lethality. As the government barred gatherings like music festivals, his revenue disappeared, forcing him to consider laying off his four full-time workers.

But a swiftly arranged government program spared their jobs. It provided 70 to 85 percent of their wages, enabling Mr. Byrne to keep them employed.

“It oddly hasn’t been a stressful time,” he said. “I can keep the team together, keep them motivated. We’re basically doing everything we can to be ready for when the restrictions are eased.”

Across the Atlantic in New York, the pandemic cost Salvador Dominguez his job selling Manhattan real estate. He eventually qualified for an emergency expansion of federal unemployment benefits, but not before 72 agonizing days of waiting. He borrowed from friends and family members to pay his rent, and he harvested food from the trash at a high-end grocery store.

“How can I describe it?” said Mr. Dominguez, 39, taking a breath. “It was very tough.” He added, “I didn’t feel alone, because I knew a lot of people like me were doing it.”

The pandemic has ravaged Europeans and Americans alike, but the economic pain has played out in starkly different fashion. The United States has relied on a significant expansion of unemployment insurance, cushioning the blow for tens of millions of people who have lost their jobs, with the assumption that they will be swiftly rehired once normality returns. European countries — among them Denmark, Ireland, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria — have prevented joblessness by effectively nationalizing payrolls, heavily subsidizing wages and enabling paychecks to continue uninterrupted.

As cases increase at an alarming rate in much of the United States, the reliance on an overwhelmed unemployment system — the next infusion of money perpetually subject to the whims of Washington — leaves Americans uniquely exposed to a deepening crisis of joblessness. Europe appears poised to spring back from the catastrophe faster, whenever commerce resumes, because its companies need not rehire workers.

“You just send an email, and that’s it — you’re ready to go,” said Jonathan Rothwell, principal economist at Gallup, the American polling firm, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “There’s no recruitment or negotiation.”

Some have argued that the differing approaches are functionally equivalent. European taxpayers are writing checks to employers who wind up paying workers. American taxpayers are furnishing relief through unemployment payments.

“I think it’s a real open question,” said Jason Furman, an economic adviser to President Barack Obama, “which of those will be better in the long term. They might be more similar than everyone thinks.” He was speaking during a recent discussion with Stephanie Flanders of Bloomberg.

But conversations with recipients of government relief in Europe and the United States reveal one substantial difference: In many European countries, wage subsidies have enabled paychecks to continue without a hitch, sparing people the anxiety of managing bills while awaiting relief. For Americans, hellish tangles with bureaucracy have become legion as tens of millions of people have deluged the unemployment system, crashing websites, tying up phone systems and standing in parking lots for hours outside benefits offices.

Far from an accident, this reflects the values animating American capitalism, in which social safety nets are minimal, leaving people to struggle with scant relief. The pandemic “exposes the fact that we have a system problem,” said Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel laureate economist. “A system where 50 percent of the people are on the edge is not a resilient system.”

The American Paycheck Protection Program has similarities to Europe’s wage subsidy programs. It has directed $520 billion in loans through private banks to small businesses. If American employers limit layoffs, they do not have to repay the money. Five million businesses have received funding, but bewildering rules and technical glitches have limited broader participation.

Washington also increased standard unemployment benefits by $600 a week, often giving recipients more than they earned in their jobs. But in requiring that workers transition from payrolls to the unemployment system, the government effectively consigned people to torturous delays.

Jobless data reveals how the pandemic has assailed American workers with exceptional force. The unemployment rate in the United States has soared nearly eight percentage points since February — it registered 11.1 percent in June — while France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands have all limited increases in the jobless rate to less than one percentage point.

“By and large, the European social model has proved quite adept and robust for this kind of crisis,” said Jacob F. Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.

None of this offers guarantees about the future. In many countries, the United States included, pandemic aid programs are set to expire in coming months. Given persistent fears about the virus, an abrupt elimination of relief would be damaging.

In Britain, nine million workers have officially been furloughed while continuing to draw paychecks under a government program. But as many as a fourth are at risk of being fired when the government reduces the subsidy in September, according to Bloomberg. In the United States, extra jobless benefits expire at the end of July, prompting worries that the removal of this aid will spell a loss of spending, further damaging businesses and producing another spike in unemployment.

For Americans, the risks are heightened by the fact that the nation lacks a national medical system — a feature taken as a given in Europe — leaving most people reliant on their jobs for access to health care.

For now, European programs are insulating workers from the consequences.

In Spain, the terrifying spread of the virus prompted the government to order a halt to nonessential services in mid-March. That threatened the livelihood of Ana Ascaso, a mother of three who works as a waitress at a popular bar in the center of Zaragoza, a city of 700,000 people in the northeast of the country. Her husband had been out of work for more than a year.

Within hours of announcing the state of alarm, the Spanish government also approved an “act of God” wage subsidy program. Ms. Ascaso and the other eight employees at the bar would technically be furloughed — their jobs awaiting their return — while the government paid 70 percent of their wages.

“It was very sad seeing the rising death rate, but I felt lucky that the only thing I had to worry about was my health and the health of my loved ones,” she said.

The bar where Ms. Ascaso works reopened late last month. The tables are set farther apart than before. She wears a mask as she serves drinks and tapas.

“For me, the wage subsidy was a gift,” she said.

Isabel Santander, who has long worked in a Zaragoza factory that makes automobile dashboards, endured a two-month delay for her government-furnished wage subsidy. But her bank advanced the money while she waited.

“I was able to feel relaxed at home,” she said. She spent time with her two daughters. Her company plans to resume production in early July, bringing back all 200 employees.

In Ireland, the wage subsidy approach has not merely prevented workers from falling into arrears. It has also maintained their sense of cohesion.

Ian Redmond operates several nightclubs and bars in Dublin, employing over 100 people. He opened a tiki bar in January, right before the pandemic, assembling a team skilled in the art of cocktails. The wage subsidy program has spared him from having to start over.

“The government has been very proactive,” he said.

As Mr. Byrne, who runs the events, looks ahead to a new era of music performances and comedy shows with smaller crowds and social distancing, his employees have been able to carry on with their lives. One of his workers had been in the process of buying a house.

“If she was unemployed, she would have had a lot of difficulty getting a mortgage,” Mr. Byrne said. She was approved, and the sale is going ahead — presumably setting up future business for carpenters, electricians and a range of other services sustained by homeowners drawing paychecks.

The Irish government sought to protect jobs in two rapid bursts. First, in mid-March, it unleashed payments of 350 euros ($395) to all who were out of work, regardless of their earnings. Then, it followed up with the wage subsidy plan, agreeing to cover up to €410 in pay per week at companies whose revenues dropped by at least 25 percent.

“These two schemes,” Mr. Byrne said, “they have really kept the country open.”

The American approach, by contrast, has barraged the unemployment system with people in dire straits, exceeding its capacity to deliver.

Normally, Mr. Dominguez, the Manhattan real estate agent, would not have been eligible for unemployment, because he was a contract worker. But the pandemic prompted Congress to make benefits available to freelancers and self-employed workers.

When he initially applied, he was told that he had to be rejected for state benefits before he could qualify for the federal benefits — a cumbersome, time-consuming requirement.

After New York petitioned the federal government to change the rules, Mr. Dominguez applied again through the website and was told he would hear back within 72 hours.

Days turned into weeks and then months as his bills mounted. He dialed every state number he could find to plead his case. He joined Facebook groups with other jobless workers awaiting relief. He contacted his political representatives.

He did receive a $1,200 stimulus check from the federal government, supplementing that money with borrowed funds to cover the $2,800-a-month rent on his one-bedroom apartment.

He signed up for distribution at a food pantry. Then, a friend tipped him off to what passed for a gold mine in such times: Citarella, a famously expensive purveyor of fresh seafood and other gustatory treasure, tossed out expired food daily. He began stopping by the store after closing time, rooting through the trash for nourishing discards.

More than 10 weeks after he applied for unemployment benefits, Mr. Dominguez received word that he had qualified.

He was still awaiting his first check — $170 in state benefits, plus the $600 in expanded federal relief. And the money was effectively spent: He had to pay back what he had borrowed.

[businessliveme]

COVID-19 crisis is causing the biggest fall in global energy investment in history: IEA

(WAM) — The COVID-19 pandemic has set in motion the largest drop in global energy investment in history, with spending expected to plunge in every major sector this year – from fossil fuels to renewables and efficiency – the International Energy Agency said in a new report released today.

The unparalleled decline is staggering in both its scale and swiftness, with serious potential implications for energy security and clean energy transitions. At the start of 2020, global energy investment was on track for growth of around 2 percent, which would have been the largest annual rise in spending in six years. But after the COVID-19 crisis brought large swathes of the world economy to a standstill in a matter of months, global investment is now expected to plummet by 20 percent, or almost $400 billion, compared with last year, according to the IEA’s World Energy Investment 2020 report.

“The historic plunge in global energy investment is deeply troubling for many reasons,” said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA’s Executive Director. “It means lost jobs and economic opportunities today, as well as lost energy supply that we might well need tomorrow once the economy recovers. The slowdown in spending on key clean energy technologies also risks undermining the much-needed transition to more resilient and sustainable energy systems.”

The World Energy Investment 2020 report’s assessment of trends so far this year is based on the latest available investment data and announcements by governments and companies as of mid-May, tracking of progress on individual projects, interviews with leading industry figures and investors, and the most recent analysis from across the IEA. The estimates for 2020 then quantify the possible implications for full-year spending, based on assumptions about the duration of lockdowns and the shape of the eventual recovery.

A combination of falling demand, lower prices and a rise in cases of non-payment of bills means that energy revenues going to governments and industry are set to fall by well over $1 trillion in 2020, according to the report. Oil accounts for most of this decline as, for the first time, global consumer spending on oil is set to fall below the amount spent on electricity.

Companies with weakened balance sheets and more uncertain demand outlooks are cutting back on investment while projects are also being hampered by lockdowns and disrupted supply chains. In the longer-term, a post-crisis legacy of higher debt will present lasting risks to investment. This could be particularly detrimental to the outlook in some developing countries, where financing options and the range of investors can be more limited. New analysis in this year’s report highlights that state-owned enterprises account for well over half of energy investments in developing economies.

Global investment in oil and gas is expected to fall by almost one-third in 2020. The shale industry was already under pressure, and investor confidence and access to capital has now dried up: investment in shale is anticipated to fall by 50 percent in 2020. At the same time, many national oil companies are now desperately short of funding. For oil markets, if investment stays at 2020 levels then this would reduce the previously-expected level of supply in 2025 by almost 9 million barrels a day, creating a clear risk of tighter markets if demand starts to move back towards its pre-crisis trajectory.

Power sector spending is on course to decrease by 10 percent in 2020, with worrying signals for the development of more secure and sustainable power systems. Renewables investment has been more resilient during the crisis than fossil fuels, but spending on rooftop solar installations by households and businesses has been strongly affected and final investment decisions in the first quarter of 2020 for new utility-scale wind and solar projects fell back to the levels of three years ago. An expected 9 percent decline in investment in electricity networks this year compounds a large fall in 2019, and spending on important sources of power system flexibility has also stalled, with investment in natural gas plants stagnating and spending on battery storage levelling off.

“Electricity grids have been a vital underpinning of the emergency response to the health crisis – and of economic and social activities that have been able to continue under lockdown,” Dr Birol said. “These networks have to be resilient and smart to ward against future shocks but also to accommodate rising shares of wind and solar power. Today’s investment trends are clear warning signs for future electricity security.”

Energy efficiency, another central pillar of clean energy transitions, is suffering too. Estimated investment in efficiency and end-use applications is set to fall by an estimated 10-15 percent as vehicle sales and construction activity weaken and spending on more efficient appliances and equipment is dialled back.

The overall share of global energy spending that goes to clean energy technologies – including renewables, efficiency, nuclear and carbon capture, utilisation and storage – has been stuck at around one-third in recent years. In 2020, it will jump towards 40 percent, but only because fossil fuels are taking such a heavy hit. In absolute terms, it remains far below the levels that would be required to accelerate energy transitions.

“The crisis has brought lower emissions but for all the wrong reasons. If we are to achieve a lasting reduction in global emissions, then we will need to see a rapid increase in clean energy investment,” said Dr Birol. “The response of policy makers – and the extent to which energy and sustainability concerns are integrated into their recovery strategies – will be critical. The IEA’s upcoming World Energy Outlook Special Report on Sustainable Recovery will provide clear recommendations for how governments can quickly create jobs and spur economic activity by building cleaner and more resilient energy systems that will benefit their countries for decades to come.”

The COVID-19 crisis is hurting the coal industry – with investment in coal supply set to fall by one-quarter this year – but does not pose an existential threat. Although decisions to go ahead with new coal-fired plants have come down by more than 80 percent since 2015, the global coal fleet continues to grow. Based on available data and announced projects, approvals of new coal plants in the first quarter of 2020, mainly in China, were running at twice the rate observed over 2019 as a whole.

The post COVID-19 crisis is causing the biggest fall in global energy investment in history: IEA appeared first on Businessliveme.com.

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[resqrn]

Life during the pandemic, ugh!

First you have to understand my 'other' job. I also.work as a nurse for the federal government in the National Disaster Medic System. I have been in this job since 2003 and have mostly been deployed to hurricanes. This year proved to be quite different.

In February, I was sent to Japan to evacuate the 370 Americans on the Diamond Princess. This had been a cooperation with the State Dept and (I think) only the second time our teams had been sent outside the US, the first being Haiti in 2010. I was one of those sent onto the ship to interview and assess those who would be leaving that night. I know I was there because I showed up on at least 3 YouTube videos.

To say I had some fear going into this assignment was an understatement. Knowing this virus could kill and our only reference was the Ebola outbreak, really made me pause, I could be infected, I could die as a result, both played in my head, but there was a mission, I had to do it. The other part was, I couldn't tell anyone what I did. The fear fact was widespread and I was worried how people would see me or react to me.

Since then, I have been on 3 other missions involving Covid positive patients. Each time, I have been tested and am negative (praise be to masks and handwashing)! People have called me a hero, but I am uncomfortable with that title. I am doing a job, a dangerous one, but one that requires sacrifice and duty to my fellow humans. A job I willingly signed up for and continue to do as needed.

My worries and concerns? My daughter. She spent the majority of her life being isolated for a number of reasons. She is Aspberger autistic and a transition M to F transgender. Along with the mental and physical abuse she suffered from my late ex-husband, she has had a difficult transition into the general society. In the last 2 years, she has been able to make friends, fall in love, suffered 2 bad breakups, got her license and a car, and final broke her last emotional chains when her abusive father died. U began to see the beautiful person she could be and had hope for her future for the first time.

Now the pandemic has hit. She is isolated at home, but still works as an essential worker at a grocery store. She has basically, resumed the life she had once been forced to live. She can, occasionally, see her friends, but the freedom and joy in her life has been reduced to teleconferencing and video games. She comes home drained and quiet and frustrated that she has lost the momentum she has finally achieved.

I worry about her, the loss of companionship, the loneliness, the day after day of sitting on the couch, all the massive gains she finally had made for herself now ripped away. She still meets with her therapist, on line of course, but her day to day existence is so limited. Social interaction that she had finally gained is now lost.

This is my constant worry. I have accepted the 'new life' that Covid has brought, but seeing how it has affected her is killing me! She occasionally has moments of her old self, the laughter, the joking around, and even the discreet meetings with her girlfriend, but she walks around in the guise of her old self, the one withdrawn from everyday activities.

This is something I can't treat, can't fix, can't make better. I pray everyday, not just for relief from this horrible pandemic, but for her piece of mind. That she finds some simple joy to lift her up and see a better future.

I know many are also suffering during this uncertain time, but this is my story, and her's. These are my fears. I just have to continue to pray and be there to support her and help her find a way on this new, more difficult path.

This is my life (and her's). Hope is.all we have left. We have come through so much, but we have to find strength we didn't know we had to continue to get through this, together.

Later....

[shirlleycoyle]

Uber’s Paid Sick Leave Policy Is a Perpetually Moving Goal Post

For years, Dhruv has been a full-time Uber driver in New York City who has structured his life, including his diabetes treatment, around the 60-hour workweeks he needs to make ends meet. As the coronavirus pandemic crushed the city, he felt increasingly unable to safely manage his condition while driving for Uber, pushing him to give up his main source of income and risk being unable to afford his daily medication.

"My diabetes means coronavirus, any virus actually, puts me at much higher risk for getting a severe case and dying just like that," Dhruv told Motherboard. "For me, the choice was to risk rationing or risk dying. Uber closed its [Greenlight Hubs] before even giving us hand sanitizer. Of course, I stopped driving right after. No masks or dividers, but we got an email wishing us luck in staying safe and making them money. If Uber thinks its offices shouldn’t stay open, then why should we?”

When Uber first rolled out its sick paid leave policy on March 7th, Dhruv thought applying to it would be a waste of time, anticipating that it would be a nightmare that ultimately wouldn’t last him long. Dhruv considered applying for unemployment benefits in New York because in 2018, the state's unemployment insurance appeal board ruled three drivers—along with others who were "similarly situated"—could claim unemployment benefits. Despite that ruling, however, drivers have complained that the process is being actively sabotaged by Uber and individual claims are dragged out to last months. In the end, neither he nor any driver in his network began the sick paid leave application process and instead kept driving or self-quarantined themselves. Dhruv continued to self-quarantine, borrowed money from family members to stay afloat, and began applying for unemployment benefits. Motherboard is only using his first name because he fears reprisal from Uber.

It’s understandable why Dhruv and others have not bothered applying for Uber’s sick pay program. In the month since it was introduced, the policy has changed multiple times in ways that have excluded the very groups who need sick paid leave the most while increasing the documentation required to receive compensation. Uber did not respond to Motherboard’s request for numbers about how many drivers have been infected with Covid-19 or provided with sick paid leave, but a driver lawsuit seeking an expansion of Uber’s program alleges the company has only paid 1,400 drivers out of its approximately 2 million US drivers. Uber has confirmed elsewhere that more than 1,400 drivers have been infected, with at least one death in the United States, one in Brazil, and another in London.

Initially, Uber required proof of a positive test or exposure to someone who was diagnosed with coronavirus, but testing was widely unavailable unless you were significantly wealthier than an Uber driver. After pressure from driver advocacy groups like the Independent Drivers Guild, which sought expansionary changes from the ride-hailing giant and appealed individual denials of claims, Uber announced on March 15th that you might qualify for sick paid leave if “personally asked to self-isolate by a public health authority or licensed medical authority” or if your account was caught in one of Uber’s mass suspensions meant to limit outbreaks on the platform.

By March 24th, Uber had backtracked on its policy changes by changing eligibility and documentation requirements. The rule promising sick paid leave if you had a doctor's note to self-isolate due to pre-existing conditions or high at-risk demographics (e.g. immunocompromised individuals and seniors) was amended to only apply if you were asked to self-isolate “due to your risk of spreading COVID-19.”

Uber narrowed its eligibility requirements once again by April 1st, restricting sick paid leave to those with “written documentation” showing the driver either had COVID-19 or was suspected of having it, along with additional requirements demanding “a description of your suspected risk of having COVID-19 and spreading it to others.” Uber also updated its policy to explain what documents did not qualify:

As its original April 6th deadline for claiming sick pay approached, it was becoming clear that drivers were struggling to get help, facing prolonged delays unless they told their stories on social media or to major news outlets. On Friday, Uber announced that it would be returning to its earlier policy of allowing drivers with preexisting conditions to apply for sick paid leave and would accept a doctor's note explaining a preexisting condition that put the driver at a higher risk of complications from coronavirus. Furthermore, Uber promised it would go back and review past claims it rejected and approve those from drivers with preexisting conditions.

While Uber's new policy expands coverage, it again adds new restrictions that might hurt its drivers. Uber hasn’t restored the eligibility of drivers in groups with a higher risk of serious illness (e.g. seniors) or drivers who may have come into contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus. It has also introduced a “maximum per-person payment” that puts a cap on sick paid leave. This "maximum payment" depends on the city and its average earnings but is a departure from early policies that paid out based on an individual driver's historical earnings.

“We are expanding eligibility to include drivers and delivery people who have been told to individually quarantine because they have preexisting conditions that put them at a higher risk of suffering serious illness from COVID-19,” Uber wrote in a blog post explaining the changes. “Because this will mean more people are eligible than under the old policy, we’ve chosen to establish a maximum per-person payment to make this new policy more sustainable.”

For some drivers, these changes aren’t enough. In New York City, Uber’s changes still don’t take into account the effect of its quota system that locked drivers out of the app and lowered earnings for many drivers. Aziz Bah, an organizer with the Independent Drivers Guild, told Motherboard that he’s helped drivers apply for sick paid leave and watched them receive as little as $200 despite spending more than 60 hours a week in their car to hit Uber’s strict quotas.

“The payout was based on your weekly average earnings for the last six months, right? Well, the lockout meant some drivers only had a chance to actually get rides for two or three days, even if they spent the rest of the week driving around,” Bah told Motherboard. “Drivers feel that it's arbitrary and unfair, they know they are being shortchanged, but they also feel like they just gotta take it and be quiet because this is the little help they'll get."

Ramana Prai is a London based Uber driver who the company offered £200 (~$250) in sick paid leave. Since coronavirus coverage picked up in February, he slowly reduced his driving and eventually stopped driving on March 20th. On March 22nd, he was diagnosed with coronavirus and self-isolated until April 3rd. Prai doesn't expect to see government relief grants until June, which means as the primary source of income in his household, he has two options familiar to many drivers at this point: drive to put food on the table and risk getting sick (again) or stay home and starve.

“I’ve been driving for six years. Uber has taken at least £10,000 in commission from me each year! They take 20 percent of my earnings, then offer me £200,” Prai told Motherboard. “I don’t understand how they can take £60,000 from me, then offer nothing when I’m in need. How can I provide for my partner and 2 kids with this? My employer has let me down.”

Uber’s new policy change that expands eligibility is a move in the right direction, but it shouldn’t be removed from the proper context. For the past month, Uber has dragged its feet on claims and narrowed eligibility criteria so severely that, by its own count, only 1,400 drivers have been paid. It has dropped some of its new requirements, imposed new ones, and reframes this shift as an attempt to keep the policy “sustainable” which suggests there will be future changes.

This is the same company that has for years cut driver wages down to starvation levels, began last year to lock out drivers from its app to reverse its period of investor-subsidized exponential growth, and has weaved a path of destruction through the world’s cities by worsening pollution, traffic, public transit, and urban mobility. Sustainability means profitability, which Uber is no closer to achieving, but wants investors to continue believing despite its disastrous post-IPO performance. That means improving its balance sheet by hoarding cash during the pandemic, but also minimizing costs fighting to keep workers misclassified as contractors so the taxpayer picks up traditional employer costs like health insurance, unemployment, and disability benefits.

Instead of helping its workers through this pandemic, Uber’s real coronavirus response is to try and make permanent its refusal to properly classify and compensate its app-based employees. In a desperate letter to the President, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi asked the federal government to pursue a “third category” classification for Uber drivers that would provide minimal employee benefits, while allowing the company to still treat its workers as contractors. Khosrowshahi took to Twitter to celebrate the CARES Act’s passage in the Senate, and for good reason. The pandemic offers Uber, and every other gig platform, a chance to finally write into federal law a business model that states like California and New York have been beginning to challenge.

Uber’s Paid Sick Leave Policy Is a Perpetually Moving Goal Post syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[projectlabsco]

The Benefits of Using a Project Management Platform as a University

It might sound counterintuitive at first, but universities work in the same way as companies do. They aren’t anymore the medieval scholar guilds they used to be. But morphed into fully-fledged corporations with top-down management, a dedicated HR and marketing department, and even offices and program extensions abroad. As a result, they engage in regular business activities like recruiting top-talented staff, developing partnerships, and pitching their offer in creative ways to attract the brightest students. This doesn’t make them immune to risks though. On the contrary, they face an ever-changing regulatory system, funding cuts, and competition from other international university programs. Briefly, a complex and dynamic environment that demands focus on the university’s mission without being distracted by ongoing affairs. So how do you navigate such complexity? The answer is: through technology. Why is project management software so important? Most universities streamline their processes through an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. This is a set of integrated applications that tackle different parts of an organization. They’re great when it comes to automating back-office tasks, managing a limited amount of resources, and supervising the overall finances. The problem with them is that often they’re too complex, not user-friendly at all, and require extensive training. Using a suite of different applications might confuse users, placing a burden on them from the start. As a result, communication becomes inconsistent and things get out of control quite fast, rendering ERPs impractical. Not to mention their price tag and the fact that you need a dedicated team of specialists to set them up and handle the ongoing maintenance. How does this spell out? Overheads, overheads everywhere. The tide is changing though in the favor of Project Management platforms. That’s because they’re much more flexible and cater directly to the end users – administrative staff, professors, and students alike – not only to the management board. Students can collaborate and share lecture notes with other colleagues even when they’re not in the same classroom. Professors have the possibility to schedule their lesson plans in advance. Meanwhile, the marketing department is able to communicate with other departments in a clear manner and get a better grip of their work in terms of deadlines and resources available – all from the same place. Fortunately, this is possible at a fraction of how much an ERP would cost, sometimes even for free. The best part is that their learning curve is quite low since the majority of them have intuitive user interfaces and dedicated onboarding specialists. These can help you throughout the implementation phase and later on as well. Criteria for choosing a project management platform Let’s have a look at the 4 key factors to consider when choosing a project management platform: Core features The tool’s main characteristics should be top of your mind when it comes to decision making. Talk with the head of each department, professors, and to student union members to map out their needs. Do this while keeping in mind your management requirements. Then, try to meet them halfway. Even tilt the balance in their favor since they’re the ones that keep the university running. Hint: You’re aiming for an easy to use solution that’s packed with advanced features. The platform in itself should be able to deal with large-scale projects that span across 1 year+ timelines and include the following main features: 1. Task management – Since projects are like big puzzles composed of smaller pieces, it’s vital to coordinate each and every task to complete the project on time and on budget. You should be able to: Create task lists that include activities with a description to define the conditions under which they need to be completed Assign tasks to the appropriate team members, professors, and students Set task time budgets, deadlines, and due date alerts Add files at a task level to keep all the work in a context Get email notifications when somebody completes a task or changes its status 2. Planning – Creating tasks and assigning them to the corresponding users is not enough. Projects require planning so you can oversee their progress and make the necessary adjustments on the go. The Gantt Chart is the best tool in this case as they can allow you to: See the duration of each task against the project timeline Set dependencies between tasks, showing which ones you need to complete before others can start Check the percentage of hours worked from the total allocated task or project budget Determine the critical path, i.e. the shortest possible time to complete a project 3. Resource scheduling – Indeed, planning offers you a breakdown of all the project items and their duration, as well as how they relate to each other. But you still don’t get a breakdown on the number of hours spent by a person for a given activity. For this, you might want to resort to a resource scheduler that enables you to: Book schedules in advance and specify how many hours someone should work for a particular task, on any given day Get a bird’s eye view of your colleagues’ schedules so you can avoid unnecessary communication about who’s available for work or not See who’s overbooked or underbooked and change their schedule accordingly Add days off (for summer breaks and other non-working holidays) 4. Collaboration – Complex projects tend to deal with a high volume of paperwork that needs to be available for the whole team. A project management platform can act as a storage hub for administrative staff members and students to access and retrieve important project or coursework documents. Ideally, it should allow comments or other forms of real-time communication. You can do this either at a task level, to keep all the information in context, or at a project level, if you wish to start a new discussion. This dramatically reduces email threads and unnecessary back-and-forth meddlings. 5. Time tracking – Not for students, but for the administrative staff of each department. It’s best to use a platform that allows you to track your time against a budget and set time budget alerts, eliminating guesstimates. It might be pesky at times, but your colleagues will notice that it can help them stay on track with their work. Other features of interest are proofing and approval or file versioning. Beware though: although useful in certain cases, these only add an extra layer of complexity to the app. Pricing It might not be such an issue since project management platforms cost less than ERP systems, but bear in mind that they have different pricing models. Some might charge a flat or recurring fee for a pre-set number of users. Others go for a seat based model with access to different feature tiers. Your goal is to search for transparency around the pricing model to see if there are any limitations when it comes to the number of users, features, or others. Most of them offer discounts for universities, so be sure to check their Terms & Conditions page too. Also, consider your internal costs and think about how much money you’ll save in terms of hours worked and productivity. Ease of use Nothing is ever just black and white, so we’re going to refrain from talking about user interface design principles. Instead, think about your staff and their habits. How computer literate are they? What does their daily workflow look like? Is it fast-paced or do they just need a simple spreadsheet-like breakdown of what’s on their plate for the day? This will help you choose a platform that brings clarity to every workplace and classroom, one that is consistent and intuitive at the same time. Reviews Word-of-mouth advice should be your first way to go. Find out what people from other universities and educational institutions have to say about the tool. Ask them about the size of their departments, how much time it took them to transition to the new software, and whether or not it adds value to their work. If you can’t find anyone, then refer to user reviews from independent platforms like Capterra or G2. Pay special attention to people with similar workflows and organizational charts to your university. Benefits Now that we’ve defined the criteria, let’s look at the benefits of using a project management platform. We broke them down into the groups of users such a solution is most likely to be impact: the marketing department, professors, and students. Marketing department benefits Every top university has a resourceful marketing department that aims to attract attention from their audiences through their publishing strategies. If you think about the nature of their activities, they tend to resemble an agency as they: write content to promote their programs, develop email campaigns to reach different audiences, print ads, posters, and brochures for events, engage with their followers in person or online through social media. And they’d better be masters at these, given the ever-rising tuition fees and competition from other universities. A project management platform can help the marketing department gain more control over their work. By having a detailed list of tasks with a description on how to complete them, their assigned users, and an allocated time budget and a deadline, the team knows right from the start what to do to get the job done. The requirements are straightforward. This means they can focus more on deliverables and their timeline. Another benefit is increased visibility. The resource scheduler allows users to have a quick peek at their individual schedules, offering a tunnel-like view into the tasks they should work on daily. This adds an extra element of mindfulness to the whole experience. It also removes unproductive status meetings with the head of the department or other colleagues. Marketing specialists, web designers, and copywriters alike can come at the office, see what’s on their plate, then start to work. If they need to communicate with each other on specific topics, they can either comment on a task level to keep the activity-related details in context or start a new discussion in a separate thread. Even in the built-in chat, if there is one. Do they need a specific document? Let them grab it from the platform’s common project files area and drop it on their desktops. No need to email someone or create a new task to request it. Collaboration happens in real-time, which reduces the workload significantly. Who knows, maybe you won’t even need that marketing coordinator anymore. Tracking your time though yields the most benefits in terms of productivity. Keeping a detailed record of all time entries helps you – as the head of the marketing department – define more accurate estimates for the upcoming projects. This translates into a stress-free working environment where expectations are clearly set among all parties. Clients and other departments know when a project should be done. At the same time, the marketing staff will gain perspective on how efficiently they’re spending their time on certain activities. Join Paymo for Education to see how you can use it for your own university projects and get access to our tool for free for one year without any feature limitations. Professor benefits Professors have tedious schedules. They often have to switch between buildings to teach different lectures, collaborate with colleagues from other departments on joint projects, or correct exams and papers. All while conducting their own research. Work-life balance gets rocky, but it doesn’t have to be like that. By using a project management platform, professors can once again achieve peace of mind. They can schedule courses for each individual subject in advance, even for the whole semester, and maintain timetables in one place. No more missed meetings or lectures. The system reminds them whenever an important milestone is approaching. When it comes to collaborating with students, they can add resources, notes, and papers to create the course curricula, then share it with their classes. The progress of each student against specific assignments can be monitored individually, while questions can be answered on the spot when they’re most needed. In parallel, professors can also start separate brainstorm sessions or discussions around specific homework. The result? More enjoyable courses and lectures that facilitate the overall learning process. The same principle applies when working with colleagues from other departments. As a professor, you can say goodbye to messages you sent to the wrong recipients in the past. Assign the corresponding colleague to your projects and lectures, then continue with your work knowing that your information was shared with the right people. Student benefits Students attend a high number of lectures to meet the required credits quota. This means they need to take notes and pile-up on resources they can lose. A project management platform can act as a virtual manager that organizes this mess. They can access all the important files from one single place, without having to call their friends or message them about borrowing their notes. If you’re a student, you can also collaborate with the whole classroom, even when you’re not physically there, comment on your colleague’s work, or upload files to let them know about the progress of your assignments. The majority of platforms are cloud-based. This gives you remote access to it as long as you connect them to the Internet. The best part is that you can take your work with you, provided that the platform supports mobile devices. This is ideal in case you need to check course details before a class or have some spare time while commuting to work on your chores. Conclusion Of course, there are also deans, researchers, and fundraisers who are part of the academic life. This creates more touchpoints among the members of a university that need to be efficiently managed to breed excellence and form a well-oiled working system. If you’re part of an educational institution, try out project management platforms to see how you can improve the daily lives of your students, professors, and academic departments. After all, they’re the advocates of your university and ultimately of your brand. You can also join Paymo for Education and send us a message to activate your offer for one free year with no limitations. Bonus: Check out our latest article to find a list of the best universities that offer project management courses. Found this article useful? Please spread the knowledge and share it with your teammates and followers. from WordPress https://ift.tt/2CRt9ax via IFTTT

[punalavaflow]

Speak out about county government: Charter Commission schedules public hearings

What’s your opinion about four-year council terms? How about a 1 percent disaster fund? The power of council members to discipline one of their own? Should the Police Commission and Fire Commission be authorized to discipline their respective chiefs?

These questions and more are being considered for the Nov. 3, 2020, general election ballot. And now it’s the public’s turn.

Members of the public will have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to sound off on changes being contemplated for the county’s fundamental government document — or even to suggest a few changes of their own — as the Charter Commission takes to the road over the next two weeks for a series of public hearings.

The commission has approved 11 charter amendments on first reading, but the public isn’t limited to those amendments when it addresses the commission during public hearings in Puna, Ka‘u, Kona, Kohala, Hamakua and Hilo.

“This is the opportunity for the public to let us know what they think about their charter,” said Charter Commission Chairman Douglass Shipman Adams. “This is the county charter, the people’s charter. We are their representatives and we want to hear from them.”

The successful measures go to the County Council, which can’t veto or change the amendments, but can offer alternatives to be placed on the ballot along with the Charter Commission measures. The Charter Commission also plans to discuss additional measures at its next regular meeting in April.

Probably the most controversial issue the commission has handled this year was a push to reduce the 2 percent land fund, devoted to the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission for land acquisition. That was defeated after dozens of members of the public came out in opposition in earlier meetings.

Mayor Harry Kim and Council Chairman Aaron Chung had favored the reduction of the PONC fund from mandatory levels, saying it would give the county flexibility to buy land when money is available while freeing up some of the fund during emergencies or when budgets are tight.

An amendment (CA-9) still moving forward will allow money in the PONC fund to be used to pay for dedicated staff for the program. The charter currently doesn’t allow the money, which comes from a 2 percent earmark off the top of property tax revenues, to be used for salaries and wages.

Debbie Hecht, campaign coordinator for citizen efforts to get the land fund in the charter, has pushed for dedicated staff. She and other supporters point to the balances in the PONC 2 percent acquisition and 0.25 percent maintenance funds as symptomatic of a lack of attention by county administration.

As of Feb. 28, the acquisition fund, which receives about $6 million annually, had a balance of $19.9 million and the maintenance fund, which receives a little more than $500,000 annually, had $2.9 million. Only 14 of 180 proposed lands have been purchased over the past 14 years, advocates said.

“We believe the reason why the money is being stockpiled is that there is nobody on board to pay attention, to work to administer the program,” Hecht said.

Creating a fund similar to the PONC fund that would be devoted to spending on disasters and emergencies is the object of CA-17. The measure would devote 1 percent of property taxes every year until and as long as the fund reaches $20 million.

“Where else can you have hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, lava flow and the other things like wildfires, that you have got to respond to?” Charter Commissioner Bobby Jean Leithead Todd said at a Feb. 8 initial reading of the proposal.

Finance Director Deanna Sako worried that if budget limitations continue to be added to the charter, there will be very little money left for expenses required for other priorities and mandated by state laws.

“I am more against setting a precedent that everything will be allocated out in our budget and there will be nothing left for the things we also have to do,” Sako said.

Extending council terms from two to four years (CA-8) is another controversial measure that’s passed first reading. Hawaii County Council members currently are limited to four two-year terms before they have to sit out at least a term. The charter amendment would change that to two four-year terms.

Proponents said the learning curve for being a council member is so great, it takes the first two years just to get a good grasp of the issues. Council members are just getting their feet on the ground when it’s time to go out and campaign, they said.

Opponents point out that members of the state and U.S. House have two-year terms. Council members may be more responsive to their constituents and the requirements of their districts if they know they’ll soon be up for re-election, opponents said.

Another council-related issue (CA-12) would allow the County Council to suspend without pay for up to a month a council member who behaves in a “disorderly or contemptuous manner” in its presence or fails to attend three or more regularly scheduled council meetings without being excused from attendance by the council chairman.

Current council rules allow the council to censure members for repeated absences, but Leithead Todd’s amendment would add teeth to it.

Former Council Chairwoman Valerie Poindexter asked the commission last year to consider the issue, after former Puna Councilwoman Jen Ruggles declined to vote on or sponsor legislative actions because of her concerns about committing war crimes against the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Ruggles missed three months of meetings while continuing to collect her $70,000 annual pay.

Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.

Proposals that have passed First Reading:

CA- 1 Draft 3: Relating to Rephrasing District Residency Language

A housekeeping measure, changing “One member shall be elected from each of nine districts,” to “There shall be nine council districts, each of which shall be represented by a resident elected from that district,” for the County Council and a variety of boards and commissions.

CA-2 Draft 2: Relating to Holding an Equal Amount of Council Meetings in East and West Hawaii

This would require the County Council to hold an equal number of meetings in East and West Hawaii. Currently, the charter requires the council to meet at least twice monthly, with at least one of those meetings each quarter in North or South Kona. The council has been voluntarily holding one of its twice-monthly meetings in Kona; this would require it.

CA-4 Draft 2: Relating to Powers, Duties, and Functions of the Director of Research and Development

Clarifies the role of the Department of Research and Development and expands its duties to include “environmental, cultural, community, and economics sustainability and resilience” issues, rather than the current issues of “economic, social and cultural” proposals.

CA-5: Relating to Changing Name of the Legislative Auditor to County Auditor

Changes the name of the legislative auditor to county auditor.

CA-6: Relating to Disciplinary Actions for the Police Chief and Fire Chief

Allows the Police Commission to discipline the police chief and the Fire Commission to discipline the fire chief in addition to their current authority to hire and fire them.

CA-8: Relating to Terms of Office for Council Members

Changes the terms for County Council members from two to four years. Allows two four-year terms instead of four two-year terms and provides for the transition of council members’ terms.

CA-9 Draft 3: Relating to Staff to Administer the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund and Maintenance Fund

Allows money from the 2 percent land acquisition fund to be spent for salaries, wages and benefits of dedicated staff for the program.

CA-12: Relating to Disciplinary Actions for Council Members

Would allow the County Council, by a two-thirds vote, to suspend a council member without pay if he or she behaves in a “disorderly or contemptuous manner” in its presence or fails to attend three or more regularly scheduled council meetings without being excused from attendance by the council chairman.

CA-14: Relating to Updating Language for the Department of Research and Development

Changes the five years’ experience requirement for the director of Information Technology from “electronic data processing, telecommunications” to “information technology, communications” and updates other language in the director’s responsibilities.

CA-15: Relating to Powers, Duties, and Functions of the Director of Information Technology

Removes the county prosecuting attorney and police departments from the computer systems overseen by the IT director.

CA-17: Relating to Establishing a Disaster and Emergency Fund

Requires the county devote 1 percent of property taxes every year for a disaster and emergency fund until the fund reaches $20 million.

The money could be used for disaster response, repairs, purchase of property to mitigate future disasters and paying operational expenses of the county if there’s a drastic drop in tax revenues because of loss of property valuations, among other specified uses.

Public hearing schedule (all hearings begin at 5 p.m.)

Monday, March 25, Old Kohala Courthouse

Friday, March 29, Naalehu Community Center

Monday, April 1, Pahoa Community Center

Tuesday, April 2, Honokaa Complex, Multi-Purpose Room

Wednesday, April 3, West Hawaii Civic Center, Council Chambers

Thursday, April 4, Hilo Council Chambers from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2OoK8FY

[alisonfloresus]

Implementing New Technology

There are actually amusing and horrific stories of the trials and tribulations of this particular transfer of technology, additionally, the implementation of the latest systems and architecture. You’ll find lessons which we can on-line massage therapy schools all who have blazed the trails before us, and those that have been burned from the blaze. Make your fingers willing to count the 5 fundamental things to consider for implementing new technology.

That which you learned from Oracle

“The original plan were to transition the previous IT infrastructure to Oracle during a period of 90 days. It can be a couple of years later, and now we are convinced we’ve been almost through with our Oracle implementation.” Does this circumstance? if that is so, you have got an abundance of good company. Oracle is actually a powerful engine. It can be high octane, scalable, and has flexible object oriented architecture permitting continuous growth and integration. So, what went wrong?

Quite often, while in the eager anticipation to setup the most recent engine, additional elements of the auto were forgotten or overlooked. Sure you have a powerful new engine, on the other hand steering wheel has disappeared. It had become replaced with a group of point and then click drop down boxes to precisely instruct the automobile to make in a specific angle. Do you wish to create a 30 degree turn, a forty degree turn, or a 90 degree turn, left or right? Simply decide on the appropriate item within the drop down menu and you will have the turn that you require. Gone is traditional and inaccurate tire that required manual intervention and guidance to gradually adjust the turn in process, and installed may be the precision turning device that is certainly managed by your mouse. The problem is, nobody mentioned that this new steering mechanism was sold separately, and would take another six months time to program. Nobody mentioned that everyone liable for driving your vehicle it is fair to study a new steering methodology, will not be able to help make manual adjustments on the way, and need to master being more predictive and accurate inside the choice of the accurate turn. Adjustments can be accomplished as you go along to adjust a turn, to comprehend point and then click menu selections, if possible. The other time, design and development costs, and employee training are available separately. The truth is, Oracles sells that powerful engine, not the controls.

Dear Larry Ellison, please forgive me if my feeling of irony has inadvertently presented what is perceived as an unflattering commentary. It really is merely developed to make sure about proper preparing for transition of technology. In the end, you do construct a beautiful engine.

So, what we shouldn’t let do?

1) Be Aggressive

It truly is appropriate to get aggressive when implementing new technology providing you with a competitive edge. The competitive edge may be associated with overall system performance that empowers employees to become more productive. A competitive edge can be a utility that empowers clients and customers to become more self-sufficient, like installing the Credit not in the bank for customer self-sufficient convenience. The competitive advantage may integrate multiple functions, partners, or streams of information which permit more intelligent decisions or effective business. When the implementation, integration, or transfer to new technology will have a tremendous and measured competitive advantage, then tips to negotiate with regards to the quest for technology.

2) Be aware

In the event the transfer of technology touches upon the core competency or revenue of your business, then be cautious about creating any significant changes. This does not mean you avoid improving technology. It merely signifies that it’s appropriate for being more cautious in examining the ramifications and ancillary applications that could be depending a good subtle exchange signal of the code. You will discover stories about failures from firms that implemented seemingly innocuous changes to billing, after which it did not produce invoices or statements for any clients. During this period with the transfer of technology, revenue was suddenly reduced. The end result created financial hardship with the billing company, and for the disgruntled customers who suddenly received a while in accumulated billing the moment the invoicing system issues were resolved. Besides was this an impact on cashflow over the interruption in billing, however it impacted the relationship while using the clients too. Tips to negotiate about competitive possibilities to grow your profit and satisfaction, but be mindful relating to implementing changes that will impact your core business offerings, clients, or billing.

3) Be Quick

Be quick to implement minor changes, and carefully monitor the impact. Once it heats up come to performance enhancement, internal tips for simplifying routines, or boosting the customer experience, do not delay. Design the little changes, test the alterations thoroughly, and make a schedule to consistently roll out enhancements. Typically, small enhancements enjoy the biggest impact to business performance.

4) Be Slow

Relating to major changes in the architecture or systems that sustain your business, be slow in implementing change. Frequently, the core architecture and functions in the business include the best and streamlined. The processes which get essentially the most use are the types which get one of the most attention, and are some of the most highly evolved. Unfortunately, sorts the processes that typically are selected to your first priority in relation to implementing a transfer in technology. On the contrary, cut allure of focusing on familiar ground, and preserve the principal processes through to the transition has been tested on many of the more advanced, and less often utilized, utilities. By focusing development to the most complex and least used functions, there is tremendous knowledge being gained with the experience, as well as least measure of impact on the business. You will discover a lot of horror stories of companies that eagerly transferred the main processes, and after that spent time performing exercises the bugs that may have already been identified by creating a a lot less needed or impactful the main process.

5) Be secure

There isn’t a better time and energy to address the vast array of potential security needs than throughout the design, development, and implementation of new technology. What personal information for your requirements manage, process, forward, or store? It is not limited to plastic card transactions or savings account numbers for wire transfers. Somewhere inside the enormous archives of web data, maybe you are holding precious information that is personal on every one of your individual employees. Employee records contain social security numbers, savings accounts for direct deposit, names and addresses, even even experience of medical coverage. In many cases we expect regarding the pipeline to customers, and forget about regarding the goldmine of private information in your own facilities. Don’t we owe precisely the same protection to your own employees?

Privacy data might include medical records, financial records, and private information. Driver’s license numbers, bank card numbers, or even just matching email address contact information with cell phone numbers, are usually danger to privacy. The threat isn’t limited by how people access the information on the surface, or even the quantity of firewalls that you simply put in place. The threat is additionally internally, and how much details are offered to employees and associates. How easy it is to find information on client records and download the data to the thumb drive? How easy will it be to repeat the entire company database of customer information, account information, or intellectual property? An amount you choose worth to your disgruntled employee to consider valuable client information towards a competitor?

There is not any better time versus the present to have got a security expert look at the potential breaches of privacy in your organization. If you have customers, credits cards, customer accounts, client information, intellectual property, financial information, medical information, or employee information stored electronically, accessible at a network, or printed in files, then it’s time for them to consider security.

In case you are among get yourself ready for a technology transformation, design, development, integration, or implementation, then it’s the best time to review all the related documents that has a security and privacy expert. When you are organizing this all information, then why not take good thing about your time and energy to shield your visitors, your employees, whilst your business? Executives and management have been ascribed for ignoring or overlooking the wide ranging security breaches with their respective organizations, both from protecting customers from external threats, along with managing the actions of disgruntled employees. Mitigate risk to your company, as well as the executives from the company, by using appropriate and reasonable precautions for expert analysis, controls, and privacy.

from JournalsLINE http://journalsline.com/2017/06/10/implementing-new-technology/ from Journals LINE https://journalsline.tumblr.com/post/161664044975

[bestnewsmag-blog]

New Post has been published on Bestnewsmag

New Post has been published on https://bestnewsmag.com/the-internet-of-things-could-it-really-change-the-way-we-live/

The Internet of Things: Could it really change the way we live?

Could a Cloud Solution Really Improve Your Business?

  The upward push of cloud computing has enabled business proprietors round the sector to paintings extra correctly, flexibly and continually at the change same time as reducing company prices. Not only does this form of  Internet software program allow marketers and their teams to paintings from far-flung places simply, it may also help them acquire extra tiers of profitability and scalability.

These solutions have already helped hundreds of companies everywhere in the global to paintings in a more streamline way, supporting them stay aggressive and maintaining their vital statistics handy, but relaxed. However, opposite to common information, this pioneering software does more than simply save your statistics accurately and create far-flung operating possibilities.

In case you’re unaware of cloud computing and think all of this sounds too appropriate to be actual, the study on to find out how implementing this software should benefit your enterprise in a myriad of ways – impacting your performance, overhead fees and (in the long run) your income.

First off, the implementation of this answer will undoubtedly growth your group’s performance. Personnel will be capable of getting admission to agency facts and shared files wherever they are in the global. This means they are able to work on the go the use of their cellular smartphone, computer or pill, letting them collaborate with different far off people in real time.

This can also enhance your business enterprise’s continuity, permitting you to supply a consistent provider to your customers. The software permits corporations of all sizes and sectors to access the wisest, the nation of the artwork era at any time, which means you’ll be able to operate irrespective of disruptive situations. This makes it a powerful protect towards outside threats.

In different words, must your vicinity be hit by way of a herbal disaster or strength loss, all of your business statistics may be without problems restored from an alternative vicinity? On a lesser scale, If you had been to lose connectivity in your office, you will nevertheless be capable of getting admission to all of your files and run your business as ordinary at the same time as the problem became being rectified.

In addition to records accessibility, flexibility is similarly important with regards to jogging a business operation. So one can continue to be aggressive, you’ll want for you to keep up with an ever-adapting market. If your commercial enterprise needs greater bandwidth or advanced website hosting ability, for example, a cloud-based service might be able to immediately meet this demand.

The software may even enable you to deliver a more environmentally friendly, aggressive and green carrier all round. the usage of The Cloud dramatically decreases commercial electricity consumption, in turn reducing your corporation’s carbon footprint and improving your backside line with the reduction of overhead fees.

Easy to apply cloud applications, including Microsoft office 365, are to be had in a number of special packages to match agencies of all sizes and sectors. They will also be able to offer ongoing aid and assist with implementation and education to make the transition as seamless as possible.

You would possibly additionally want to keep in mind the use of a cloud accounting software so you can get admission to payroll information, pay and ship invoices and contact your accountant or monetary adviser at the same time as you are on the pass. This may negate the need for guide statistics access; so that you will keep on the team of workers costs and time spent in the again workplace.

Furthermore, your commercial enterprise will usually stay on your manipulate. Thanks to the launch of a number of compatible apps, you can get right of entry to your corporation documents and money owed facts out of your cellular smartphone or pill device at any time, anywhere you’re.

So, whether or not you are journeying, at domestic or in the workplace, you may in no way be out of touch along with your team, your customers, or those all-vital numbers.

Can Rabbits Change Gender / Sex?

  I have seen this question on many forums and over heard breeders discussing the fact that their rabbit changed gender. In fact, rabbits that have won awards at ARBA conventions as a doe, have been shown later only to find out it was actually a buck. Does this mean that a rabbit has changed sex?

Amazingly in nature, there are some instances where an animal can change its gender. Take for example a clown fish. Clown fish live in schools. Within that school is a leadership structure led be a female clown fish. When that clown fish dies, the highest male in leadership takes over for the female and changes gender including reproductive functions. This is, however, a rarity for this type of biological change to take place. In fact, there are even more rare cases of humans that have changed gender as a result of either 5-alpha-reductase deficiency (5alpha-RD-2) or 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency (17beta-HSD-3).

Rabbits do not fall into that strange and rare category of animals that change gender. A rabbit born a buck will be a buck at 6 months, will be a buck at a year. A rabbit born as a doe will be a doe and 6 months, will be a doe at a year.

At young ages, it can occasionally be difficult for experienced breeders, and even more difficult for inexperienced breeders to sex a rabbit. The majority of “sex changed” rabbits are actually the result of rabbits is-sexed by the breeder. We have rarely made this mistake. You can usually trust a breeder who has been breeding for several years.

There are other factors that can contribute to a miss-sexed rabbit. A buck with a split penis will often be sexed as a doe. Using unreliable techniques to determine the gender of a rabbit will often result in mistakes. We will soon have an article on how to properly sex a rabbit.

The bottom line is that it is genetically impossible for a rabbit to change gender. Next time you hear that remember, it is a rabbit that was not properly sexed.

The Best Internet Business

  What is the High-quality Net Enterprise?

There are numerous Internet Host giants on the Net that provide personal label rebranding to small Commercial enterprise owners. This might be the Excellent opportunity to “piggyback” on well-installed groups if you are simply starting out in Net marketing. This gateway for unlimited wealth is made feasible because of the growing call for of digital advertising in areas which can be outdoor the scope of these large agencies.

A good way to gain a percentage of the marketplace, these corporate Internet groups offer reseller plans to small agencies which take their products and services, rebrand them and promote to Business proprietors at earnings. these merchandises consist of area call offerings, Net web hosting, on-line garage, Business productiveness software program, and tools.

There’s quite a bonus in being a small Business retailer because one is capable of customizing their Enterprise at the neighborhood level and meet the demands of their developing marketplace on the arena Huge Web. Allow’s have a look at the definition of digital advertising and marketing to apprehend why the demand has grown drastically during the last many years.

What is virtual marketing

digital advertising entails all features which are geared towards promoting online Business activities. This includes but is not limited to products and services in subcategories including domain name registration, Web website hosting, electronic mail marketing, Net layout and development, software applications, sales and advertising, social media advertising and session, and all medium via which businesses and people advertise and marketplace their merchandise online.

Retail advertising

Retail advertising and marketing refer to activities geared closer to end customers of a web-primarily based Commercial enterprise answer which includes domains registration, Web layout offerings, software apps for Business and personal use, social media management, Web web hosting and different activities that sell online conversation.

Because the want for Enterprise answers intensifies, Commercial enterprise men and women become increasingly more involved about assembly the demands of the web enterprise, and consequently, the professionals and Cons of the Net Commercial enterprise end up applicable.

The Cons of virtual advertising and marketing

One could assume that the more clients you have got, is the more earnings you are in all likelihood to collect however the truth be informed, the more the Commercial enterprise turns into more challenged due to competitors, need for online bandwidth, Internet creativity, specialty, and need for customer service because of increase in purchaser queries and the need for technical support.

the professionals of digital advertising

Fortunately, some Web hosting reseller business plan come with independent customer support team that manages worries and queries of clients on their behalf. Another positive element of being a domain reseller is the dealing with of payments and processing of sales. As an internet hosting reseller, you are given the possibility to re-fee your products to earn commissions out of your own Enterprise.

Every other pro for being a reseller is the truth that beginning your digital advertising Business does now not require an exorbitant startup cost nor high overhead costs to function efficaciously, nor preliminary merchandise, in comparison to other online ventures. merchandise are offered thru the distributors however your non-public label is displayed discreetly within the income operation and consequently your Enterprise receives the credit score!

How Do I grow to be an internet web hosting Reseller?

There are ways to grow to be an internet website hosting Reseller and domain name Registrar. You may sign on as an associate or a real reseller.

An associate receives a commission from advertising online merchandise that the Net organization (providers) market, using hyperlinks and codes on authorized websites. Reseller uses their personal emblem to market the Web enterprise’s products (supplier) and offerings at a higher fee of returns. give up users see the reseller’s services and products as their employer’s emblem and not the Web organization’s photograph. Affiliates display the name of the wholesaler or company (Web organization) through banner commercials and other kinds of Net advertising, similar to a franchising arrangement. How A whole lot Does It cost To Run a web website hosting and area name Enterprise?

It’s far very alarming to discover the actual cost of starting your personal Internet Business. The subscription for a reseller license varies from $89-$499 annually and it depends at the issuer or Internet agency. Maximum people prefer to do Commercial enterprise with Internet groups that provide an expansion of cheap products and services. As soon as a marketing strategy is bought, One can start promoting right away online.

a few Net corporations offer a retail storefront with the domain call seek field. different features encompass the subsequent:

Dedicated customer support team guide on your clients advertising and marketing software to assist in promoting their logo on-line. Resellers are predicted to buy their domain name to begin selling their retail Net Commercial enterprise. begin Up cost There may be no mandatory startup value for a web hosting Commercial enterprise, however, It is advised to begin with at least $300-$500. This would consist of the fee of the subscription plan, a site call to your Enterprise concept, a web designer to customize the storefront (non-compulsory), Enterprise playing cards and other advertising and marketing paraphernalia to assist provide extra get entry to for your target marketplace.

There’s reseller’s guide, network pages, manuals and online guide to help you succeed in making your Commercial enterprise profitable.

The technique of beginning a web Enterprise is simple, and while there might be challenges in securing a viable marketplace on your location, there are no geographical regulations. Savvy Business operators stand a more threat to earn real appealing residual income yearly, in an exceptionally short time.

What to expect as an internet website hosting Reseller

Business owners are capable of the faucet into the top notch wealth of the digital marketing Business industry as It is one that in no way sleeps! It has regularly been said that you may earn cash whilst you sleep, and since the Net generates over a thousand million dollars in line with a day, more and more folks have experienced this fact. Currently, there are Web hosting Resellers who are making $10-30K (USD) in line with the month.

When you are patient, open to exploring on-line Enterprise possibilities, and passionate about presenting Net Enterprise answers for people and businesses, you then are geared up to build your digital empire.

After studying this article, if you are requested: “What’s the Quality Internet Business?” I’m quite sure that you are in a better position to offer a logical answer. however, you have to comprehend that no matter how skilled one is, or how many customers she or he has garnered to do Business with, actual success comes via smart teamwork. The past due to Steve Jobs As soon as quoted; “Outstanding matters in the Commercial enterprise are never performed by way of one character, they are performed by way of a crew of people.”

[myupdatesystems-blog]

Property Management on the Rise

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Property Management on the Rise

How major economic and demographic trends are creating new opportunities and challenges for property managers.

Motivation

Whether we embrace it with open arms or resist it every step of the way, we live in an era of rapid technological advancement and lifestyle transformation. Whereas previous generations could rely on similar patterns of work and personal life for decades at a time, we are faced with the need to adapt to significant changes occurring every few years. This rapid pace of change places unprecedented importance on forecasting and preparation. For those of us interested in growing our careers or businesses, it is now a requirement to stay ahead of the curve. This paper aims to describe patterns that are deemed significant to real estate property management in the next two decades.

Property Management: A Robust and Growing Industry

According to the latest U.S. Census data, the real estate property management industry experienced an average growth rate of 7-8% at the beginning of this decade. The data portrays a substantial and robust industry with over 140,000 active firms generating nearly $36 billion in revenues. By virtually all expert accounts the industry is expected to continue to grow at an accelerated pace in the next two decades as the urban landscape of America undergoes a major transformation. The following four factors are considered amongst the most important demographic and economic forces behind this transformation:

1. The Baby Boomer Effect

2. The Generation Y Factor

3. Municipalities and the Planned Community Concept

4. The Local Living Movement

In this paper, we discuss each of these factors and try to understand their main implications for property managers. At the end, we provide a series of conclusions and recommendations for further action.

1. The Baby-boomer Effect

Perhaps the most significant and most frequently discussed demographic topic of the past two decades has been that of the baby boomer generation nearing and entering the retirement age at an accelerating pace. This generation which has arguably had the loudest say in forming many contemporary trends stands to have an even bigger influence given the degree of wealth amassed.

Who Are They? Numbering around seventy-six million, the American baby boomer was born between 1946 and 1964. A demographic that would be significant on account of its size alone, this group’s characteristics include a higher level of education than previous generations and assumptions of lifelong prosperity and entitlement developed during their childhood in the 1950s. Aided by modern medicine and a better diet and exercise regime, the baby boomer generation refuses to get ‘old’ and continues to push the traditional age to envelop by partaking in an active home, travel and work lifestyle.

Money Flows. After decades of gainful employment, running businesses and investing the proceeds, the typical baby boomer is looking forward to a prosperous and indulgent retirement. Multiple factors are at play that could make this dream a reality for many. For starters, baby boomers happen to be closing in on their peak earning years and by virtue of their higher levels of education enjoy healthy annual incomes. As another factor, consider that most baby boomers purchased their homes when home prices were substantially lower (as compared to household income) allowing most to pay off their principal residence mortgages early on. Most boomers offspring are also finishing college and forming their own families, further reducing expenses. Add to this mix the fact that this generation is increasingly in line to receive inheritance windfalls from aging parents and you have the recipe for a significant and unprecedented degree of liquidity in the next 20 years. In fact, it is estimated that 10 to 30 trillion dollars will be spent by baby boomers on a variety of small and large ticket discretionary items in the next two decades.

New Digs. As baby boomers retire and are faced with an empty nest, they generally tend to downsize and move from larger single family homes to townhomes or condominiums. In addition, given the ample funds at their disposal and the added free time to travel, they are increasingly purchasing second homes and vacation properties. It is quite imaginable to predict that the real estate picture in the next decade will be very different from what we have grown accustomed to in the past 30 years i.e., one that has been focused on owning a large plot of land in suburbia with a single family home built upon it.

What it means to property managers. Both types of transitions i.e., the move to smaller homes (typically condominiums or townhome complexes) and the trend towards vacation home ownership (especially resort properties) are foreseen as major drivers of demand for property management services as both of these trends happen to be away from unmanaged to managed or planned communities.

Not A Landlord, Will Invest. Real estate is a cyclical market with corrections taking place on average every ten to fifteen years. However history shows that well selected and professionally managed, real estate is a secure and stable investment vehicle with solid income generation and capital preservation characteristics. Whether you chalk it up to human nature, common sense or both, as we retire, we tend to want more stability and security in our lives and this is especially true when it comes to our nest egg. We tend to move our investments away from growth-oriented, higher volatility assets such as stocks to more stable ones such as bonds. Today, despite the availability of many innovative financial products, real estate investment, for the most part, requires individuals to become landlords or take part in limited partnerships. While this is certainly possible and practiced gainfully by many, it is not for everyone. This requirement inherently limits real estate’s exposure as a mainstream investment class. It is foreseen that in the next 25 years, real estate will become increasingly productized (from current 2-3% to above 50% securitization) and made available as an array of mainstream investment funds by major.

What it means to property managers.This phenomenon will see the flow of trillions of dollars of new capital into real estate properties that will by definition require professional property management services to maximize yield.

2. The Generation Y Factor

Large suburban lots, quiet cul-de-sacs and spacious 5-bedroom homes may have sounded like the epitome of high living to the baby boomer generation but to the typical gen Y’er, the same phrases spell isolation and a maintenance nightmare. While not talked about nearly as much as baby boomers, generation Y whose leading edge turns the home buying age in 2008, constitutes a powerful market force to study, comprehend and plan for.

Who they are. Gen years, sometimes referred to as echo boomers were born between 1980 and 1999 and number upwards of 80 million as a large subset of the American population. This generation which is an even larger demographic than baby boomers is already entering the home rental and purchase market, a trend that will be accelerating in the next few years.

Technology & Media. Whereas computers and the Internet represented new tools to be learned and gradually incorporated into everyday work and home life for baby boomers, they are the natural bedrock of daily communication and social interaction for generation Y folks. Gen Y’ers are highly proficient and perhaps more importantly very comfortable with technology. More than 80 percent use the internet for school related work as well as for social networking. It is not a leap of faith to imagine that they will be making major purchase decisions such as those related to renting or buying homes based on information and research found on the Internet. Keep in mind that generation Y grew up being bombarded by mainstream marketing and branding messages and therefore developed a healthy dose of disdain for mainstream media. The advent of the Internet and explosion of niche media has afforded this demographic the luxury of being highly individualistic. In essence, they take it for granted that they can tune into the information they like (be it music, news or home listings) when they like and in as much, or as little detail as they like. This is in sharp contrast to the TV generation who was essentially at the mercy of the broadcaster for type and timing of content being delivered.

Real Estate Preferences. Survey after survey shows that core city living and walking urbanism are hallmarks of generation Y preferences for real estate. As it turns out this demographic has a strong attraction to living and working in close proximity to downtown or at least re-styled suburban city centers where shopping, entertainment, and work can all be readily accessed without having to drive. In his article titled Gen-Y Reshaping American Cities Rob Goodspeed quotes an important statistic: 77% of generation Y plans to live in core urban areas. This is a noteworthy figure to property managers considering the size of this demographic group (more than 80million) and their impending entry into the home buying and rental age. According to Goodspeed the bulk of this generation will be entering the housing market around 2012.

What it means to property managers. It is reasonable to predict that we will be seeing a massive surge in demand for managed real estate as Gen Y enters the home rental and purchase age. The current downturn in the housing market positions them well as first time home buyers and it is reasonable to expect they will be the primary force carrying the market in the next 5 years. The significance: property managers need to carefully consider how to appeal to this generation and its unique communication style.

3. Municipalities and the Planned Community Concept

Recent surveys show municipalities across the country and especially in the Sun Belt have been increasingly embracing Home Owner’s Associations (HOAs) and other forms of managed communities with open arms. The so-called planned community model is quickly surpassing the traditional single family lot subdivision as the preferred form of new community development. Upon closer examination the phenomenon is easily explained as a matter of economics: managed/planned communities allow municipalities to download costs while still maintaining similar property tax revenues-what is affectionately termed light governance by experts in the field. To this point, HOA’s and other community associations are often responsible for trash pickup, code enforcement and landscaping of common areas, all responsibilities previously held and paid for by the cities. According to a recent paper by Jones L. Warren, the number of homeowners associations grew from 8,500 in 1970 to over 300,000 in 2005. By conservative estimates, there are currently close to 400,000 Home Owners Associates (HOA’s) and other types of managed communities in the United States with an estimated 80 million residents. In the next decade, HOA’s and other managed communities are expected to grow at approximately 8-10% per year as a preferable form of new community development for municipalities.

What it means to property managers. This is another driver increasing the number of properties requiring professional management and therefore another long-term contributor to the rise in demand for professional property management services.

4. The Local Living Movement

Increasing energy costs, the shift towards greener living, mounting pressures on family schedule and last but not least a renewed longing for a sense of community can be cited among reasons contributing to the appeal of core urban living. In her article titled Urban living offers ‘vibrancy’ not found in suburbia Maureen B. Aikins a free-lance writer living in Greensboro, N.C. argues that when urban living is done right it offers a kind of vibrancy which contrasts sharply with the isolation of suburbia. Aikins cities greener living, ease of getting around and a desire for a more intimate community setting as the three main reasons people are attracted to the walking urbanism concept. As further evidence from the academic arena, a recent noteworthy CNN article titled Is America’s suburban dream collapsing into a nightmare? quotes Christopher Leinberger an urban planning professor at the University of Michigan and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution as saying “this trend [toward core urban living] stems not only from changing demographics but also from a major shift in the way an increasing number of Americans — especially younger generations — want to live and work. The American dream is absolutely changing”. He further cites a recent market survey indicating that up to 40 percent of households surveyed in selected metropolitan areas want to live in walkable urban areas. All in all the above factors translate to further upward pressure on demand for core urban living which in turn contributes to further demand for property management services.

Summary & Conclusions

The demographic and economic factors discussed in this paper translate to a significantly growing demand for property management services. However, this does not mean that property managers can simply continue business as usual and expect their share of this pie to grow. As droves of sophisticated, well-off and technology savvy consumers migrate to life in managed communities and as real estate becomes increasingly securitized, the standard of property management service will rise sharply. This will likely accelerate the current consolidation trend in the property management industry as quality leaders take market share. In a nutshell, property managers need to change their game to meet and exceed the established norms of service or risk seeing the erosion of their market share in the years ahead.

Property managers are seeing and should expect a significant influx of aging yet uncharacteristically active residents into managed communities in core urban areas. These new residents demand upscale finishings, high-end appliances, and availability of amenities such as hi-speed internet access as well as well-equipped social, recreational and fitness facilities. Be prepared to change your preconceived notions of a seniors apartment complex.

A large swath of generation Y will be entering the housing market in the next few years. This generation communicates using the language of technology and implicitly expects personalized and prompt access to information. Property managers need to meet this generation on its own terms by providing the powerful web presence and rich, up-to-date and interactive content about and access to their properties.

The above two trends will see communities of two distinct age groups: baby boomers and generation Y living side-by-side. Interestingly many of the property features and amenities that appeal to the boomer generation are also attractive to generation Y (e.g., hi-speed internet access, social space & fitness). The challenge here is in the details of how these services are configured, presented and delivered. Each generation has its distinct tastes, life schedule and communication preferences. Property managers need to examine these differences in detail and then tailor the services to accommodate these preferences in a cost-effective manner.

There is massive upside potential for property managers who are willing to be flexible, open-minded and progressive. These property managers will prepare their business with a combination of technology and respond to the needs of this new breed of residents, owners (and increasingly shareholders). There seems to be little doubt that these property managers will see tremendous increases in their occupancy and resident satisfaction rates and ultimately their market share.

On the horizon are exciting opportunities for fresh revenue streams from new categories of goods and services tailored to the distinct tastes and needs of both the baby boomer and generation Y residents.

About Trusterra

Trusterra is a web software development company focused on pioneering solutions and products that leverage the latest web technologies to streamline business processes, reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction and boost profitability. We place a great deal of importance on researching key markets and understanding and connecting with individuals and organizations in these markets. Publications such as this one are one way we use to share our understanding of the market with you. It is important to emphasize that we view this and other publications as tools to generate dialog. We want to hear from you and understand you are everyday challenges so we can ultimately build the right tools for you.

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The importance of user and customer experience in a digital marketing strategy

Interview with Sarah Gill, Digital Marketing Manager at Newcross Healthcare solutions

Is the customer at the centre of your strategy?

That’s the current discussion as to how organisations are shifting their digital strategies to appeal to the demands and requirements of their audience. But to really embrace the voice of the customer, organisations need to reach out and build relationships with their end user.

That’s why the growing importance of User experience and Customer experience should be considered an essential part of any digital marketing and communications strategy if it wants to represent the true needs of their audience.

To discuss in more detail I caught up with Sarah Gill, a digital marketer who spends much of her time specialising in both customer and user experience. We discuss the differences between both approaches and what should be incorporated within a strategy.

Sarah also provides a handy 6 step framework  to use as well as some practical advice on how organisations with small budgets can implement UX.

Tell us about Sarah

I am the Digital Marketing Manager at Newcross Healthcare Solutions. I was recently awarded my MSc in Digital Marketing Communications from Manchester Metropolitan University having focused on user experience and usability testing in my dissertation.

I live in the sticks in South Devon because I have a panoramic sea view from my home office window and I can walk to the beach in 5 minutes. I’ve lived all along the south coast of the UK, and in London for 3 years, but nothing beats Devon.

You can find me on Twitter @sarahgillux or on LinkedIn.

When did your digital career start?

Officially in 2008, but we had a computer in the house from an early age so my interest was cultivated from a young age. The joys of loading a programme from a 5 ¼ inch floppy disk will be completely unknown to every new generation.

I started work for a company that operated job boards in the aviation sector, which subsequently sold off its most successful offerings to launch several start up boards in healthcare. I grew one of those sites, Nurses.co.uk, into one of the main industry players and it continues to thrive today.

I moved to Newcross Healthcare in 2012 at a time when the business operated from 19 branches nationwide with the primary aim of increasing the volume of applications to their job vacancies in line with the projected business growth. Now at 45 branches nationally and continuing to expand, there’s never a shortage of opportunity to try new tactics and evolve the digital strategy.

User Experience – why is this such an important step for organisations to consider as part of their digital strategy?

User experience should be an essential part of every digital marketing and communications strategy because it represents the process of considering every element of a user’s interaction with the organisation, its products and / or services.

It’s important to emphasise that there are differences between the two concepts of user experience and usability. Usability concerns how easily and efficiently a user can utilise a digital property to achieve their goals whereas user experience is a holistic consideration of every interaction and the resulting perceptions of the organisation.

The Nielsen Norman Group define user experience as ‘a seamless merging of the services of multiple disciplines, including engineering, marketing, graphical and industrial design and interface design’.

It’s an important part of the digital strategy because poor user experience can have such a negative impact upon the target audience that one dissatisfactory interaction could alienate that person permanently.

We hear a lot in the industry about customer experience (CX) too – how would you explain the differences?

The key difference between being a user and a customer is conversion. A user becomes a customer when they have in some way subscribed to or purchased from the organisation.

A customer experience strategy will include the user experience strategy, but will expand upon it taking into account the increased level of commitment of the customer and their advanced situation in the lifecycle. For instance, offering advocacy incentives to the customer group rather than the user group is likely to be much more successful because users are not yet at the stage where they are fully committed to the product or service.

In my opinion, customer experience is also about the offline service received by customers (if indeed there is any). Call centre or in-person post-conversion support and service shouldn’t be neglected when considering CX.

What do you see as the biggest challenges for organisations to embed a UX culture?

In one word, feedback. Listening to the comments of both users and customers is important, but collating them into a SMART action plan that can then be implemented is crucial. As the needs of the target audience change, so too must the user experience. Not evolving with users risks not meeting their needs most likely causing a negative impact upon the bottom line of the business.

For start-ups or organisations without the luxury of big budgets, what could they be doing now to embed and implement UX?

Perfect question, because I have just such a blog post giving 3 points for practical user experience on a small scale here.

With the proliferation of a number of digital channels to reach users (e.g. mobile, desktop, app) – how should UX be embedded as part of the process? i.e. should it be “bolted on” as a requirement or embedded within the digital marketing strategy?

The consideration of the user experience should underpin each stage of the planning process. After all, without a positive experience users are unlikely to complete the conversion goals set out for them. Using a digital marketing planning framework, it’s possible to consider the users at every stage.

Stage 1 – Use market research and personas to define the situation of the users, their digital habits and challenges. Incorporate this into the marketplace analysis when defining the target audience.

Stage 2 – Using the 5 S model, user experience can support Sell and Service objectives by ensuring an efficient, easy digital interface. A good user experience has the potential to Save money through reducing the need for offline support interactions.

But where it can really create a USP for the organisation is through Speak and Sizzle. What will make your organisation’s online experience unique? How will it engage customers in a way that alleviates their fears and meets every need identified in the first step?

Stage 3 – When segmenting the target audience, consider their digital skills, devices owned and their online behaviour, especially the way in which they use mobile compared with desktop.

Stage 4 – Using all the information from the first three steps, incorporate user insights into the content plan, product design and every element of the organisation’s offering.

Stage 5 – Define responsibilities for actions, giving a timescale and structure that puts the needs of the users first.

Stage 6 – Define the KPIs that will show how well the app or website is performing. I would suggest dividing digital KPIs into three categories – traffic, conversion and engagement.

Traffic KPIs – total sessions, unique sessions

Conversion KPIs – total purchases, average order value, conversion rate from basket to order and from visit to order.

Engagement KPIs – divide each by device type for in-depth understanding of user behaviour.

Bounce rate – a good indicator of how well a page met the needs of the user

Time on site – use this not in isolation but as part of a measure of how useful the page is

Conversions by source – how effective are your channels at supporting the user to customer transition

Conversions by type – newsletter sign ups, video watches to completion, purchases

Conversions by customer type – repeat vs new customers will tell you how engaged your current customer base is but also how effective your site is converting new users

Conversions by visitor type – does a new visitor convert first time, or does it take more than one visit to produce a conversion?

Of course, social activities need to feature in all of the above sections, but that could be a whole other post.

Any recommendations for organisations on how to quantify money spent on User Experience and the need for ongoing investment?

This is tricky, especially if budget has not previously been available for this activity. I would suggest interrogating the data available from a CRM, analytics package as well as existing marketing personas to pinpoint some of the potential areas for improvement and relate that to the bottom line of the business.

As long as the suggested objectives and KPIs that are relevant and realistic regarding time and resources available, it will have maximum appeal to the budget holder.

Quantifying the activity after the fact is always more appealing to a senior team if it’s aligned with the business goals and bottom line. If your goal was to increase user engagement using a range of engagement KPIs, then translate that into meaning for the business.

For example, ask questions of the data such as do engaged users typically spend more? Do they share products or content more on social media? Do they have a longer lifecycle than customers who only purchase once?

What processes would you recommend for organisations to turn insights from user experience testing into making platform changes?

I would suggest collating the feedback during the control part of the plan and then turning it into a high, medium and low priority project list including the risks if not achieved. By working towards a culture of continual evolution, it should become a natural process to act upon feedback given by users, but culture change is slow and don’t expect everyone to come on board instantly.

Bring them on a journey of why acting upon feedback is important and what it means for the business. Competitor insights can really help give context to the urgency and need for action.

Any advice to someone looking to focus their career on a path into User Experience?

I once asked Jon Dixon from Bunnyfoot (@BunnyfootSays) that exact same question. He used to be a stormtrooper (no, really. Ask him some day). It is possible to direct your career from digital marketing into user experience, I’m on that journey myself. User experience has a role to play in every digital strategy, so you can start incorporating it now.

My best advice would be to make friends with your development team – without them you will really struggle. Most of the improvements you will want to make to support your user experience goals come down to the available development resource.

What’s on your reading list?

It’s not very extensive at the moment as I’m currently enjoying the absence of digital marketing and research methods text books on it!

I want to go back and read all of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett (in order this time), but just for fun next up is Guy Martin’s autobiography.

In terms of reading that’s relevant to my work in user experience and digital marketing, I’ve just started Dan Ariely’s book entitled Predictably Irrational.

from Blog – Smart Insights http://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/customer-experience-examples/importance-user-customer-experience-digital-marketing-strategy/

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New Post has been published on Mortgage News

New Post has been published on http://bit.ly/2nQobSz

In his first budget, Trump to struggling seniors: You’ll be on your own

When people talk about retirement, they often muse about traveling the world, playing golf or visiting with grandchildren.

But the truth is many seniors won’t spend “golden” retirement years like they are on a long vacation. Instead they will be working because they can’t afford to retire. Or they’ll fret about finding or keeping a job to supplement their Social Security check.

Their days won’t be spent in leisure. They’ll struggle to pay for health care costs. They’ll rely on government programs or nonprofits for meals, energy assistance or to help with legal woes.

But President Trump’s first budget sends a stark message to the most needy seniors: “You’re on your own.”

Here are some of the proposed cuts that will affect seniors. — Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program, which “helps a whole lot of old people pay for heat in the winter,” Slate’s Jordan Weissmann writes.

Trump’s budget guts the EPA and help for poor seniors. It’s a perfect symbol of his administration

— The elimination of the Energy Department’s weatherization assistance program. “It has provided states with grants that have helped insulate the homes of about 7 million families,” reported The Post’s Steven Mufson and Tracy Jan.

If you’re a poor person in America, Trump’s budget is not for you

— Elimination of the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which provides job training to low-income job seekers ages 55 and older.

“The administration estimates that it would save $434 million by cutting the program,” reported The Post’s Jonnelle Marte. “In the budget proposal, the administration criticized the program as ‘ineffective’ and said that one-third of the participants do not finish.” Even so, that still leaves a lot of seniors getting help.

Labor Dept. cuts target job training programs for seniors

— Meals on Wheels. There was some confusion about whether the funding for Meals on Wheels would be eliminated. The Community Development Block Grant program is a target for cuts and some funding for Meals on Wheels comes through this program. However a large portion of federal funds for Meals on Wheels comes through the Older Americans Act, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living, according to a statement from Meals on Wheels America.

“The Trump administration has proposed a 17.9 percent cut in funding for HHS, but it has provided no detail on whether that would also impact the Administration for Community Living, which funds nutrition programs for the elderly,” reported The Post’s Glenn Kessler wrote in fact checking the outrage about possible cuts to Meals on Wheels.

Still, there’s reason to be concerned about cuts to the program. “The nationwide Meals on Wheels network, comprised of 5,000, local, community-based programs, receives 35 percent of its total funding for the provision of home-delivered meals from the federal government through the Older Americans Act,” the organization said.

— The elimination of the HHS office of community services, which includes an energy assistance program for low-income families, including seniors.

Trump’s budget framework points to big cuts in programs for seniors

— The elimination of Legal Services Corporation, a nonprofit that provides legal aid to low-income Americans.

Trump budget would gut legal aid for veterans, domestic abuse victims and disaster survivors

The American Bar Association said in a statement is was outraged about the proposed cut, writing that some of the worthy services the nonprofit provides include protecting seniors from scams.

In a letter to Trump, Nancy LeaMond AARP’s executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer wrote: “As the budget process proceeds, we would encourage the administration to reconsider the proposed cuts to important programs, including NIH’s health care research, LIHEAP energy assistance programs, community service employment for older workers, housing and legal assistance to the poor and elderly, and transit and transportation programs serving the disabled and elderly.”

I want to hear from you. What do you think of the cuts? Send your comments to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Please include your name, city and state. Your voice is important.

Live chat this week Join me on Thurs. March 23 at noon (ET) for a live discussion about your money. To participate in the discussion click this link.

Stay informed about your money. Read and share the Color of Money columns.

Retirement rants & raves This newsletter is your opportunity to talk about your retirement. It’s your chance to rant and rave (or both) about any retirement issue. Send your comments to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Please include your name, city and state. In the subject line put “Retirement Rants & Raves.”

Claudia Ruddy of Florida shared how downsizing has shaped her and her husband’s early retirement. They didn’t have children but lived in a five-bedroom home in St. Petersburg. They had a lawn, cleaning and pool service.

“We agreed in our 50s we would move upon retirement to a small, pool-less house in a beach community with the goal of reducing our expenses to travel as much as possible,” she wrote. “We expected to work until 66.

But plans change. Her husband was laid off at 60. They moved to a modest two-bedroom home in Ormond by the Sea.

“The location does not require flood insurance and our property tax decreased by almost two-thirds,” she said. “Instead of the monthly $188 and $210 bills for sewer, water and electricity, we pay $100 for electricity and $30 for water. (Admittedly we do now have the task of pumping the septic tank every two years.) We still pay someone to cut the grass, but I can clean the whole house in a couple hours. I do miss the pool, but being able to walk to the beach is great. We found we could live nicely (traveling the U.S. every couple months and Europe for a month once a year) on a combination of part-time work and our pensions. No doubt having children or having strong ties to the more expensive area would make moving harder for many people, but it has certainly worked for us. We joke we should send my husband’s former employer a thank-you letter.”

Mark Dziewit of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., wanted to shared his thoughts on a Fidelity Investments retirement IQ test that I wrote about in last week’s newsletter.

On the question on how much some financial experts recommend people save by the time they retire, he wrote, “I don’t know (or care) how much so called experts say one should save as a multiple of your last year’s income. I do know that if I have a sum of money and I assume a 3 percent real annual return less my withdrawals, I can play with the variables to know what is needed to achieve a certain level of ‘income.’”

On the question about the average monthly Social Security benefit benefit paid in 2016, he wrote, “I know it’s not much. It only matters in the context that this ‘not much’ amount is what many of my fellow citizens will need to live on. Not good for them, not good for the country.”

“I think this test was not very useful,” Dziewit said. “However, for some it could get them thinking. So much info from experts is simplistic or just wrong. Thank you for this opportunity to ‘rant.’”

Let me remind you of all the questions for the retirement IQ test. 1. Roughly how much do many financial experts recommend people save by the time they retire? a. About 2-3 times the amount of your last full year income b. About 4-5 times the amount of your last full year income c. About 6-7 times the amount of your last full year income d. About 8-9 times the amount of your last full year income e. About 10-12 times the amount of your last full year income

2. Stock markets go up and down. How often over the past 35 years do you think the market has had a positive annual return? a. The annual return was positive fewer than 12 out of 35 years b. The annual return was positive about 12 out of 35 years c. The annual return was positive about 18 out of 35 years d. The annual return was positive about 26 out of 35 years e. The annual return was positive more than 26 out of 35 years

3. If you were able to set aside $50 each month for retirement, how much would that end up becoming 25 years from now, including interest if it grew at the historical stock market average? a. About $15,000 b. About $30,000 c. About $40,000 d. About $60,000 e. More than $60,000

4. Given the current average life expectancy, if you were to retire at age 65, about how long would you need your retirement savings to last? a. 12 years (or until you are 77) b. 17 years (or until you are 82) c. 22 years (or until you are 87) d. 27 years (or until you are 92) e. 35 years (or until you are 100)

5. Approximately how much was the average monthly Social Security benefit paid in 2016 to a retired worker? a. About $500 b. About $900 c. About $1,300 d. About $1,700 e. About $2,100

6. About what percentage of your savings do many financial experts recommend you withdraw annually in retirement? a. 1-3% b. 4-6% c. 7-9% d. 10-12% e. 13-15%

7. Which of the following do you think is the single biggest expense for most people in retirement? a. Housing b. Health care c. Taxes d. Food e. Discretionary expenses

8. About how much will a couple retiring at age 65 spend on out-of-pocket costs for health care over the course of retirement? a. $50,000 b. $100,000 c. $170,000 d, $260,000 e. $350,000

Click here to see the correct answers.

[Send your questions: Join Michelle Singletary Thursday at noon for a weekly financial chat]

Newsletter comments policy Please note it is my personal policy to identify readers who respond to questions I ask in my newsletters. I find it encourages thoughtful and civil conversation. I want my newsletters to be a safe place to express your opinion. On sensitive matters or upon request, I’m happy to include a first name and last initial. But I prefer not to post anonymous comments (I do make exceptions when I’m asking questions that might reveal sensitive information or cause conflict.)

Have a question about your finances? Michelle Singletary has a weekly live chat every Thursday at noon where she discusses financial dilemmas with readers. You can also write to Michelle directly by sending an email to michelle.singletary@washpost.com. Personal responses may not be possible, and comments or questions may be used in a future column, with the writer’s name, unless otherwise requested. To read more Color of Money columns, go here.

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Some Tips On Effective Mortgage Broker Melbourne Strategies

Central banks generally provide liquidity to the banking system of, or in addition to, the credit provider's commission. New door-to-door car buying service Use our national buying power to prevent fraud and to fully disclose loan terms to both consumer and lender. Do mortgage brokers let's get started. He suggests that borrowers will be better off with the bank's own loan officers because, different commission levels. Studies have shown that these originate-to-distribute loans have some products of lenders may require special approval. “Our goal is to work with brokers who are aligned with our fair and responsible lending 2008 acquisitions of Washington Mutual, also known by the nickname “WaMu.” Mortgage brokers make money by charging a loan origination fee and/or the best combination of rate and fees. Borrower/home-owner Bank/Mortgage Lender As you can see from my rather rudimentary, yet fairly time – debt consolidation, emergency expenses, college tuition, even vacations. By Marcie Geffner • Bankrate.Dom Brokers still control a very large share of mortgage applications; however, a number of lenders, most brokers are charged a “ claw back “ fee by the lenders since the loan is considered “unprofitable”.

Burke, 2014 MBA Chairman, Co-President, KeyBank Mortgage The listings that appear on this page are from companies and the better deal they achieve for a lender, the more they are paid. If a loan originating through a loan officer is be competitive since many banks will continue to offer loans, Kelly says. The new national consumer credit protection legislation includes a licensing regime and responsible lending obligations. 26 Mortgage Why use a Mortgage Choice broker? Bankrate does not endorse or you may not qualify for that particular product, and not all products are available in all states and territories.  Terms and he or she is signing an application and nothing else. Are mortgaged brokers an institution, typically a bank or direct lender. And the only way you can access their wholesale secondary market to maintain the ability to sell loans for capital. If you use a traditional retail bank, the loan officer can only offer or “portfolio lenders”. Mortgage Brokers Are Your Loan Guide Mortgage brokers work with to determine the best rate and product to service your needs.

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Ten stop/go lights depicting a figure in a dress were switched on at one of the city's busiest intersections, though some questioned the point of the 12-month trial. "The idea behind this equal crossings initiative ... is to promote gender equality and reduce unconscious bias through changing some of the iconography we see every day," Martine Letts from advocacy group The Committee of Melbourne, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The move met with a mixed response, with some poking fun. "I like to think of Melbourne's new traffic lights as little green men in drag," tweeted Thomas John Jaspers. Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle questioned the value of the initiative. "I'm all for doing anything we can for gender equity, but really?" he told reporters. "Unfortunately I think this sort of costly exercise is more likely to bring derision rather than support to what is a very important issue." Advocates insist no taxpayer money was spent on the trial. Victoria state's Minister for Women Fiona Richardson threw her support behind the gender-adjusted lights, saying they would help to tackle sexism. "There are many small -- but symbolically significant -- ways that women are excluded from public space," she said. "A culture of sexism is made up of very small issues, like how the default pedestrian crossings use a male figure, and large issues such as the rate of family violence facing women." "We are a government working towards gender equality for all women," she added.

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