text:
L'externalisation, la sous-traitance ou l'impartition (Québec), en anglais : , désigne le transfert de tout ou partie d'une fonction d'une organisation (entreprise ou administration) vers un partenaire externe.

Description
Elle consiste très souvent en la sous-traitance des activités jugées non essentielles et non stratégiques : pour une entreprise, il s'agit de celles qui sont les moins productrices de revenus. Il s'agit d'un outil de gestion stratégique qui se traduit par la restructuration d'une entreprise au sein de sa sphère d'activités : ses compétences de base et son cœur de métier (core business en anglais).

L'externalisation diffère de la simple prestation extérieure de services, et de la simple sous-traitance, dans la mesure où il y a :
 pilotage étroit par l'entreprise donneuse d'ordre ;
 engagement du prestataire externe.

Le terme d'infogérance désigne quant à lui les services d'externalisation informatique proposés par des SSII.

Le processus inverse, c'est-à-dire la reprise à l'interne de l'entreprise des activités externalisées est parfois observé. On parle alors de réinternalisation confondue avec la relocalisation ou backsourcing.

Approches économique et juridique
L'externalisation du point de vue économique est un accord passé entre une organisation et un tiers pour la prise en charge, l'exploitation, la gestion continue et l'amélioration :
 de fonctions entières de l'organisation (ex. : informatique, nettoyage, ressources humaines, paie/revenus, facturation, comptabilité, marketing et communication) ;
 d'infrastructures (ex. : système d'informations, systèmes de sécurité, réseaux de télécommunications) ;
 de processus opérationnels (ex. : exploitation de matières premières, production industrielle, exploitation d'un réseau de télécommunications, stockage, logistique, transports) en amont ou aval de l'organisation.

L'externalisation repose en termes juridiques sur un contrat à durée fixe portant sur le transfert de tout ou partie de la fonction, du service et/ou de l'infrastructure ou du processus opérationnel de l'organisation entre l'organisation propriétaire et un opérateur. Les clauses de retour ou de réversibilité sont la clef d'une externalisation réussie.

Ce contrat peut inclure un transfert d'actifs et/ou de personnel. Le client se concentre sur la définition des résultats à atteindre.

L'externalisation est susceptible de toucher des organisations publiques et privées.

Dans le secteur public, ce mode de gestion s'oppose à celui plus traditionnel de la régie. En ce qui concerne les services publics économiques, l'externalisation est opérée dès lors que la gestion d'un service n'est plus opérée en interne sous la responsabilité de l'autorité publique. On parle alors de gestion déléguée, et plus précisément de délégation ou de concession de service public, régime existant en droit administratif français depuis la fin du . Le partenariat public-privé en constitue en France une forme plus récente née en 2003.

La logique de « cœur de métier » a été revendiquée par le Gouvernement français au nom de la Révision générale des politiques publiques (ou RGPP). Éric Woerth, ex Ministre du Budget au nom de la réforme de l'État français a rappelé le 4 août 2008 .

Démarche opérationnelle

Identification des processus externalisables
Avoir recours à une solution d'externalisation est semblable à l'adoption de tout nouveau processus. Les étapes initiales comprennent l'établissement d'une politique générale, la définition du cœur de métier de l'entreprise et d'une liste de fonctions susceptibles d'être externalisées, puis la sélection de fournisseurs.

À titre d'illustration, les métiers de l'action commerciale (merchandising, animation, vente...) sont faiblement externalisés à hauteur de 2 % en France selon le baromètre Outsourcing 2008 d'Ernst & Young. Par contre, les processus des systèmes d'information ou des métiers d'administration des ventes et de gestion de la relation client seraient externalisés à hauteur de 30 % et potentiellement jusqu'à 85 %.

Validation économique
Il est nécessaire d'effectuer une analyse coûts-bénéfices pour mesurer la valeur du modèle d'externalisation ainsi qu'une analyse de risques (gestion des risques et coût du backsourcing).

Mise en œuvre détaillée par contrat
La mise en œuvre auprès d'un fournisseur de services est un processus complexe qui s'étudie sérieusement et donne lieu en général après des études de faisabilité, comportant des indicateurs de services mesurables et des matrices de responsabilités réciproques, à la rédaction d'une convention de services (SLA).

Du point de vue de la technique contractuelle, un conseil juridique s'avère indispensable pour examiner les points critiques du contrat à savoir :
 la définition du service attendu selon l'état de l'art, les spécifications techniques mesurables objectivement et pratiques pour être parfaitement appréhendées ;
 la définition du niveau de(s) performance(s) qui conditionnera les malus et bonus en termes de rémunération du prestataire ;
 la responsabilité des parties et les couvertures de transferts de risques (assurance, etc) suivant la grille de risques appliquée à l'opération d'externalisation ;
 la procédure de transfert de l'activité externalisée qui comprendra des audits et inventaires préalables validés ;
 les modalités permettant la continuité du service et de la performance (en cas de changement progressif, brutal d'activité voire en cas de crise) ;
 les modalités quant à la mise en œuvre de la clause de réversibilité de l'externalisation (backsourcing) ;
 les procédures de contrôle de l'externalisation (suivi, audits).

Enfin, en termes de gestion de projet et alors que le contrat est désormais signé après un appel à la concurrence dont la négociation prendra du temps, toute externalisation réussie demandera une communication interne et externe parfaitement préparée et mise en œuvre par les cocontractants pour éviter les blocages toujours possibles des parties prenantes (autres fournisseurs, clients, salariés, syndicats, tiers) en particulier en cas de délocalisation totale ou partielle.

Justifications
Les motifs d'externalisation dans une entreprise sont multiples :
 assurer une plus grande disponibilité pour se concentrer sur le cœur de métier (sur les activités à valeur ajoutée) ;
 bénéficier de compétences étendues : par-rapport à la structure interne, le prestataire de services peut mettre les meilleurs spécialistes en face de problèmes parfois complexes ;
 disposer pour sa structure économique d'une meilleure flexibilité en cas d'augmentation ou de diminution du nombre de collaborateurs/d'activité de l'entreprise ; le prestataire peut s'adapter plus facilement à toute modification de la marche de l'entreprise ; l'entreprise qui externalise n'a d'autre part pas les soucis d'absence du personnel interne pour vacances, maladie ou autre ;
 enfin et surtout avec la montée en puissance d'une compétitivité globalisée, favoriser un meilleur contrôle des coûts liés à la fonction, à l'infrastructure, au processus externalisé ; étant contractuels, donc connus d'avance et fixes (engagements très souvent forfaitaires), ils peuvent être à terme moins élevés que des coûts internes grâce à leur mutualisation.

Selon P. Veltz,  :
 a) on maîtrise souvent mieux un fournisseur externe qu'un atelier ou une unité interne, parce qu'on dispose de moyens de pression beaucoup plus efficace, sur les délais, les prix, la qualité ;
 b) en cas de baisse d'activité, il est tellement plus facile de se séparer d'un fournisseur que de licencier des salariés ;
 c) il est souvent beaucoup plus simple - réducteur de complexité - d'exiger une prestation externe que d'organiser soi-même un processus de production, quitte à payer un surcoût.

Contrôle, diffusion du risque, simplification sont donc les trois enjeux de l'externalisation}

Responsabilité
L'étendue de la responsabilité dépend des tâches confiées. Ainsi dans le cadre de la gestion de la paie, il faut bien distinguer :
 L'externalisation du système informatique de gestion de la paie (A) et
 L'externalisation de la gestion de la paie (B).

Dans le cas (A), l'entreprise saisit elle-même les informations dans un outil qui lui a été mis à disposition, elle reste donc responsable des erreurs liées au traitement de la paie. Dans le cas (B), le prestataire prenant totalement en charge le traitement de la paie il y a transfert de responsabilité pour les erreurs qui pourraient lui être imputables.

Avantages et inconvénients
Les quatre principales motivations sont les suivantes :
 Contrôler et réduire les coûts opérationnels de l'entreprise avec pour objectifs d'améliorer certains ratios, de connaitre et de prévoir les montants avec précision. L'externalisation permet une vision à moyen et long terme étant donné l'évolution plus lente des coûts externes par rapport aux coûts internes de l'entreprise.
 Investir dans les secteurs clés les plus productifs de l'entreprise. Externaliser consiste alors à se focaliser sur son cœur de métier. C'est d'autant plus intéressant lorsque les activités externalisées sont peu maîtrisées au sein de l'entreprise, et sont donc réalisées avec plus ou moins de succès dans des délais assez importants. De plus, la perspective d'un travail de qualité nécessiterait en interne des investissements élevés.
 Augmenter sa compétitivité en bénéficiant de compétences humaines, technologiques et matérielles récentes : les entreprises spécialisées dans l'externalisation effectuent sans cesse des investissements pour rester compétitives et grâce à la mutualisation, ces prestataires peuvent proposer les meilleurs profils, processus et matériels élaborés à des prix très compétitifs.
 Anticiper, afin d'accélérer des changements structurels : par exemple, lorsque le facteur temps est prioritaire, le recours à l'externalisation va fluidifier et accélérer la mise en œuvre, du fait de la rapidité du processus. Ainsi, plus l'environnement aura tendance à évoluer rapidement, plus le recours à un prestataire externe aura du sens car il pourra mettre en place les équipes et les moyens nécessaires à la situation. La flexibilité du prestataire sera appréciable, autant lors des phases de croissance que des phases de décroissance.

L'externalisation présente également des inconvénients :
 La perte de maîtrise et des compétences au sein de l'entreprise ainsi que le manque de formations des employés qui n'ont pas les outils nécessaires pour accomplir leurs fonctions.
 Le sentiment d'appartenance moins importante à l'entreprise qui sous-traite et à ses projets de l'équipe externalisée par rapport à une équipe interne.
 La dépendance vis-à-vis du prestataire, comme des délais trop longs ou une détérioration du service.
 Un manque d'information et de transparence.
 La diminution des salaires versés aux employés.
 La détérioration que la qualité de la production ou du service fournies par celle-ci (par exemple les lignes aériennes qui sous-traitent Swissport pour leur services au sol).
 La déresponsabilisation envers les entreprises, ainsi que le conflit sur les procédures à suivre ce qui crée un climat de travail malsain.
 La crainte d'une irréversibilité.
 Les facteurs psychologiques, notamment pour les cadres et le personnel en place s'interrogeant sur leur maintien en poste en cas de recours par leur employeur à une équipe externalisée ou sur une remise en question sur la crédibilité des employeurs ainsi que le manque d'avantages sociaux.

Risques

Principaux risques
Il existe également certains risques en matière d'externalisation :
 Coûts cachés avant externalisation révélés après qui réduit voire annihile l'avantage économique initialement prévu dans la chaîne de valeur (effet devise, coûts du transport, gestion du personnel voire de l'encadrement, etc.).
 Perte de confiance auprès du fournisseur sous-traitant ou la création de conflits d'intérêts ce qui diminue le rendement et la performance de la société sous-traitante.
 Perte de la qualité du produit ou de la prestation entraînant une perte de compétitivité voire une perte de part de marché.
 Perte de substance au sein de l'entreprise par la perte du contrôle des opérations ou la perte de connaissances fondamentales dans l'entreprise, de son capital immatériel.
 Diminution de la maîtrise des informations par la perte de la confidentialité d'informations sensibles.
 Fiabilité et pérennité du partenaire externe choisi (risque de réputation notamment).
 Mauvaise réversibilité de l'opération en cas de « réinternalisation » (ou backsourcing).

Moyens de la prévention
Il faut examiner ces risques de près ultérieurement avec son fournisseur avant de signer tout contrat. Il importe également de diagnostiquer le rythme habituel d'évolution du périmètre à externaliser; plus ce changement est fréquent, mieux devront être définis contractuellement avec le prestataire de services quelles sont les modalités d'étude et de réalisation de ces changements.

Il faut tenir compte des stratégies de limitation des risques dans le contrat d'externalisation. Par exemple, il est possible de régler le problème du manque de confidentialité en donnant seulement accès à l'information pertinente au processus externalisé.

L'effet de mode ou d'imitation de la concurrence est en tous les cas à proscrire comme cela a pu être le cas en matière d'infogérance informatique avec l'effet Kodak entre Kodak et IBM. Dans le secteur de la construction d'avions, les limites de l'externalisation semblent atteintes dès lors que les compétences internes ne sont plus suffisantes pour maîtriser les délais de lancement annoncés (retards de livraison de l'A380 comme du dernier né de Boeing).

Externalisation et délocalisation
L'externalisation est fréquemment associée d'une manière erronée au phénomène de la délocalisation.

Les deux modes de gestion des organisations ne doivent pas être confondus pour autant :
 Toute externalisation n'entraîne pas de délocalisation, puisqu'elle ne fait souvent appel qu'à de la sous-traitance locale.
 Toute délocalisation n'est pas forcément de l'externalisation, par exemple dans le cas où c'est l'entreprise elle-même qui déplace l'un de ses propres sites de production.

Externalisation sans délocalisation
À titre d'illustration, selon une étude Markess International intitulée « Contribution de l'Externalisation des Applications et Processus RH », 2006-2008, basée sur les interviews de 400 responsables d'organisations privées et publiques basées en France, une entreprise sur deux externalise ou externalisera d'ici 2008 ses applications ou processus RH.

Parmi les avantages d'une externalisation a priori sans délocalisation, les expertises locales, le respect des réglementations nationales et la maîtrise des coûts sans effet de change sont au hit parade des motifs des dirigeants qui exigent un service irréprochable pour une prestation de plus en plus complexe avec la stratification des règlementations.

Externalisation avec délocalisation
Dans le domaine de la production, le secteur textile et de la confection est sans doute le premier secteur industriel à avoir connu ce phénomène dès les années 1970. D'autres secteurs ont suivi : maroquinerie, chaussure par exemple pour gagner des secteurs plus sophistiqués comme aujourd'hui celui de l'automobile où les délocalisations vers l'est européen ne sont plus des chimères.

Dans le domaine des services, c'est surtout dans le secteur informatique que le mouvement a pris une ampleur très forte notamment vers l'Inde et les pays de l'Est (Russie) compte tenu de la capacité à réaliser des prestations intellectuelles à distance. On parle alors d'externalisation « offshore » ou délocalisée.

Selon Luc Fayard, alors directeur de la rédaction de la revue 01 Informatique, ce mouvement est visible depuis 2004. .

Les entreprises choisissent souvent leur destination en fonction de la langue d'usage. Certains pays, à l'instar de l'île Maurice, proposent des services bilingues en anglais et en français.

Ré-internalisations ou relocalisations
Mais des mouvements de réinternalisation ou backsourcing sont déjà avérés y compris en France en particulier dans le domaine informatique, celui des centres d'appel comme celui des compagnies d'assurance.

Simon Scarott de Compass MC indique pour ce secteur :
 .

Outre la réinternalisation pure et simple, l'externalisation avec relocalisation ne sont plus rares.

Ces mouvements illustrent un retour de balancier naturel dès lors que les avantages initiaux de l'externalisation ont disparu. L'optimum initial à l'origine de la première décision se trouve ainsi changé pour le décideur économique.

En France, Atol (Lunetiers) et Samas (Fabrication de caissons à roulettes) illustrent ces choix du retour au « made in France » .

Dans le premier cas, pour Atol, à technicité égale entre le pays local et le pays de délocalisation, la relocalisation peut être un avantage commercial au vu de la demande client d'un produit local plus cher. Elle permet aussi des circuits de production plus courts, moins chers en logistique, plus réactifs et innovants du fait de la proximité du marché.

Dans le second cas, pour Samas, les avantages apparents (salaires, prix et qualité) se sont estompés. Problèmes de qualité, coûts salariaux en rattrapage dans le pays de délocalisation, coût de logistique ont eu raison de la décision initiale.
Ce mouvement de relocalisation se confirme depuis ces dernières années dans tous les secteurs (Geneviève Lethu (Arts de la table), La Mascotte (Textile)) avec une analyse des coûts masqués qui apparaissent après plusieurs années d'externalisation et/ou de délocalisation comme le coût du transport, de la non-qualité, du non-respect de la propriété intellectuelle, de l'incapacité d'honorer les législations internationales (ISO 14001, ISO 26000) ou européennes (sécurité des produits).

Dernier phénomène constaté lorsque l'externalisation s'est délocalisée en particulier dans des pays dont la sécurité est incertaine : plus d'une entreprise sur deux (52 %) reconnaît que , selon un dernier sondage publié en 2010 (EDHE-CDSE).

Comme toute modification d'un processus industriel et d'une chaîne de valeurs, ces mouvements d'investissements ont à chaque fois un coût économique et social qu'il faut réintégrer dans le calcul économique des acteurs comme des autorités chargées d'établir la règlementation applicable.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Backsourcing
 Business process outsourcing
 Cosourcing
 Division du travail
 Délocalisation
 Infogérance
 Offshoring
 Partenariat
 Partenariat public-privé
 Relocalisation
 Restructuration
 Service-level agreement
 Soute (énergie dans les transports)
 The Corporation (film documentaire)

Liens externes
 Externalisation des services à l'industrie
 L'externalisation à travers l'avis du Conseil économique et social européen
 Externalisation informatique : le dialogue DG DSI

Stratégie d'entreprise

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Hello peoples, this image is about Low Profile Ceiling Lighting Home Design Ideas #3 Lightsinhome.com. It is a image/jpeg and the resolution of this picture is 641 x 641. This post's file size is only 37 KB. Wether You decided to download This picture to Your computer, you should Click here. You also also download more attachments by clicking the photo below or see more at this post: Low Profile Ceiling Lighting.
Such that it feels quite very important to pay attention and cozy developing the living room. The comfortable Low Profile Ceiling Lighting could make the attendees, pals, or relatives who arrive at visit to experience at home. As well as the good perception that you could, would not be wonderful should you could spend some time discussing using them within this place? Arranging interiordesign living by choosing a proper chair, room you can start designs.
Collection of liking you and an effective seat, may assist the looks of a room that is living. Design that is seat can you pick should match with all the theme moved from the house itself. If your contemporary living-room filled with seats minimalist and contemporary Low Profile Ceiling Lighting Home Design Ideas #3 Lightsinhome.com could seem weird. Modern feeling could be stronger extended in case you select a seat that has designs as well as basic details that are other.
There are numerous options clever layout that also offers ease as possible pick capsules. Thus, don't be satisfied with one selection only. Again, do not wish to buy a chair permanently design alone. In addition to the design, you have to couch Low Profile Ceiling Lighting Home Design Ideas #3 Lightsinhome.com must be met first.
Besides getting used for interesting friends, a family area typically relax on Sunday or just you utilize to see textbooks. A seat that has a slick style may support the general appearance of the space. Nonetheless, the style have to be with the convenience provided in keeping. We advocate as a way to obtain the layout you enjoy that you avoid extremely limiting comfort.
There are numerous options of products that one may pick. Beginning with one piece of wood to metal or lumber frame coated with material and foam multi-faceted. If placed in the space contemporary classic-style, timber can strengthen the effect. However, request of timber in a minimalist contemporary space can put in a warm environment that is natural.
In case your house is little, pushing the room increases as being a family area, you should think about if entertained constantly, whether the merchandise is resilient. Once your preferences are achieved, you can view for the model along with the layout. Is recommended to decide on a style that's not concentrated by age. Thus, although the tendency improved, visitor seats looks outofdate or won't produce bored.


With the release of V2 Towsafe Portable Wheel Load Scales, Intertrade says now you can have your own 'portable weighbridge' to ensure all towing weights are within their specified limits.
"Gone are the days when you had to travel miles and fork out hard-earned money at a weighbridge or use a bathroom scale, planks of wood and bricks to ensure your maximum towing weights were not exceeded," Intertrade Director, Steve Nicholson, said.
Intertrade is a West Australian company which says it was the first to develop a DIY Tow Ball Weight Scale, which was suitable for the Australian market back in 2013. This product was marketed under the Towsafe brand.
"We saw the opportunity to develop a low cost weighing scale that could not only weigh the Tow Ball weight, but also the ATM (aggregate trailer mass) of a fully loaded caravan," Steve said.
"After a further two years of R & D, we finally introduced our first low cost portable platform weighing scale. These scales were highly sort after, we had sold out numerous times as they were affordable, light weight and extremely accurate.
"During the past 12 months we have been developing and testing our new v2 model which has just arrived. This v2 model comes with front and rear ramps, a longer LCD display time to give you more time to take the measurements and also has 4 times more load cells which gives improved accuracy.
Included with the scales is a two-direction spirit level to assist in ensuring your weighing site is level. The Towsafe Portable Wheel Load Scales have been tested to conform to the Australian and International standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005.
The scale is constructed from aluminium and stainless steel, with an LCD back lit readout. The aluminium platform measures 305mm x 305mm and has a capacity of 1500kg per wheel. This allows you to weigh a single axle van up to 3000kg, or a twin axle van up to 6000kg.
With the platform height being only 19mm, even though the scales are low profile it is suggested to use levelling pads to achieve maximum accuracy.
It's as simple as switching the scale on and driving the van or vehicle onto the platform, explains Intertrade. The reading from each wheel is then added together, giving you the vehicle or van's GTM. To obtain a van's ATM, you simply rest the jockey wheel on the scale and add this reading to the GTM total.
This Scale can also be used in the vehicle racing industry to set up the cars suspension and also for weighing vehicles after a GVM upgrade.


text:
Singleton, Addiego, Oroho Bill Creating an Interactive Map of Foreclosed Properties Signed into Law
June 24, 2019, 2:36 pm | in
Trenton – Legislation sponsored by Senator Troy Singleton, Senator Dawn Marie Addiego, and Senator Steven Oroho, which will require the Department of Community Affairs to create a database and interactive map concerning residential properties under foreclosure, was signed into law today by Governor Phil Murphy.
"Finding the status of foreclosures in New Jersey can be a daunting task. This is due in part to the fact that New Jersey's municipalities do not have a centralized database that can be used to get real-time data," said Senator Singleton (D-Burlington). "Given that New Jersey repeatedly leads the nation in foreclosures, it is imperative that the state captures an accurate picture of New Jersey's foreclosure problem."
"Municipalities and the state government need to improve upon communication in order to track the overwhelming number of foreclosed homes across the state," said Senator Addiego (D-Atlantic/Burlington/Camden). "This new law will not only establish the framework needed to create a centralized state database, but it also creates a self-sufficient funding source."
"New Jersey's foreclosure rate is among the worst in the nation, but this is about so much more than empty houses. These are incredibly traumatic and stressful proceedings for everyone involved," said Senator Oroho (R-Sussex/Warren/Morris.) "Foreclosures can also create public safety issues, and bring down property values throughout an entire neighborhood. By working together to tackle this crisis, we are improving the lives of our residents in need, and safeguarding New Jersey's housing market and economic future."
The new law will require the DCA to create a database with an interactive map which will detail the extent of foreclosed properties in New Jersey. The database will be developed, maintained and updated daily, and will be required to be transmitted electronically.
The law was a part of the larger foreclosure bill package that Senator Singleton introduced in January, a few of which have also been signed into law.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Happy 2019 everyone! I've got a lot of backlog to catch up on and I'll be posting more often in the coming days. I didn't expect the holidays to be busier than usual so I wasn't able to plan posts ahead of time.
Hey everyone! How has your week been?
Today, I have another wishlist up my sleeve and these are all the new and upcoming highlighters from the beauty community that I'm very interested in. I might get them all but it doesn't mean, I can't do a show-and-tell thru my blog post.
Yes dear readers of mine, just as I've mentioned it on my New Year's resolution list, I fully intend to be on a low-buy phase, both in the skincare and in makeup department. For the past few days, I've been trying to organize my stash and I found out a couple of untouched and slightly used makeup and skincare. Some I have completely forgotten about. In an effort to use them up, I've brought them out within easy reach.


The bad news of course is that we don't need to train teenagers to be a church consumer. More bad news a lot of the adults are also. The good news is that if church leaders learned to understand the mindset and leverage it, the church would grow.
All of them are frustrating, but number six always baffles me.


Do Step Inn is a fine Viennese hostel located in a very peaceful area of Vienna, Austria.
When I look for hostels on various websites, I look out for their location. The best part about Do Step Inn is its location. It is conveniently located. Westbahnof is only 5 minutes' walk from the hostel (many inter-city & inter-country trains depart from here). Centre & all the attractions can be reached easily. Westbahnhof is not only a train station but also a prominent metro & tram station.
On the train station, there are many eateries & supermarkets as well.
A hostel's hospitality is also known by its staff's behaviour & helpfulness. Do Step Inn's staff was really helpful. Right from the check-in, facilities check, showing the room to helping us with the map, the staff did everything right.
We also got some cool welcome drinks from them! Yay!
They sometimes go out of their way to help you. They will run Google searches if they don't know something about Vienna (Mostly they know everything but still).
When I stay at any hostel, I look at 3 things – First, the size of the room. Do Step Inn's room was quite spacious. There was enough space to keep luggage & roam around. Second, the bed quality. The wooden beds were aesthetically pleasing & so comfortable. I slept like a baby for 3 nights! Third, bed linen, pillow cover & blanket. They were clean, smelled nice & there was no additional cost on it!
Kitchen is one of the major deciding factor while choosing a hostel. Do Step Inn's kitchen is HUGE! I mean really huge! It's clean, spacious & it has everything that you might need to cook.
You can buy supplies from nearby supermarkets. If you are bored to cook, there are certain vending machines in the kitchen as well.
WiFi is really fast. Toilets & showers are tidy. A small garden, sitting area, chilled-out lounge, a huge life-size chess board (which you can actually play), laundry facility, phew! There are a lot of amenities available at Do Step Inn.
Very few properties enjoy a location & the goodwill like Do Step Inn. People, if you really want to experience Vienna inexpensively, Do Step Inn!


text:
Democrats Draw Line On Medicaid Cuts
By Julie Rovner • Dec 12, 2012
At least in public, Republicans have been clear that they see the current budget negotiations as a chance to address what they see as the source of Washington's deficit problem: major entitlement programs.
Feds Say 'No' To Partial Medicaid Expansion
The Affordable Care Act, as passed by Congress in 2010, assumed that every low-income person would have access to health insurance starting in 2014.
That's when about 17 million Americans — mostly unmarried healthy adults with incomes up to 133 percent of poverty, or about $15,000 a year — would gain access to Medicaid.
Health Care Cuts Are Coming: Here's Where Liberals Say You Can Slice
By Julie Rovner • Nov 14, 2012
A liberal think-tank closely allied with the Obama administration is proposing a health care spending plan it says could save hundreds of billions of dollars in entitlement spending without hurting middle- and low-income patients.
With Obama's Victory, Health Law Stays On Track
After a shaky few years, President Obama's health care legacy looks secure.
His health overhaul law barely made it through Congress and to his desk. Then there were the legal challenges, launched when the ink of his signature was barely dry, that were resolved by a surprising Supreme Court ruling in June.
OB-GYNs And ER Docs Miss Out On Medicaid Pay Hike
Obstetricians, gynecologists and emergency room doctors will be shut out of the higher Medicaid pay that primary care doctors will start collecting in January.
The Obama administration made the ruling late Thursday.
Under the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid rates for primary care doctors will soon be on par with what Medicare pays. The overhaul law included the hike to encourage doctors to see the larger number of patients who will be covered by a Medicaid expansion.
Democrats And Republicans Differ On Medicaid Fix
By Julie Rovner • Oct 2, 2012
Medicaid is already the nation's largest health insurance program in terms of number of people covered: It serves nearly 1 in 5 Americans. Yet at the same time it's putting increasing strain on the budgets of states, which pay about 40 percent of its costs.
Romney's Medicaid Remarks On '60 Minutes' Raise Eyebrows
By Julie Rovner • Sep 25, 2012
It's not so much what Mitt Romney said about whether the government should guarantee people health care in his interview on CBS's 60 Minutes Sunday that has health care policy types buzzing. It's how that compares to what he has said before.
To back up a bit, Scott Pelley asked the former Massachusetts governor if he thinks "the government has a responsibility to provide health care to the 50 million Americans who don't have it today?"
Medicaid Helps Washington, D.C., Clinic Care For Ex-Prisoners
Dr. Ilse Levin specializes in internal medicine, but you could say she really focuses on incarceration medicine.
Decline In Circumcisions Could Prove Costly
Fewer boys are being circumcised these days, and that could add to health costs down the road.
Over the past two decades, circumcision rates in the U.S. have fallen to 55 percent from a peak of about 79 percent. Insurance coverage for the procedure has also fallen — particularly under Medicaid — and is a factor in the decline.
Aetna To Buy Coventry Health Care
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Changes in the health insurance industry are at the top of NPR's business news.


stocking hangers for wall black metal stocking hanger with floral shapes for wall decoration ideas stocking cloth wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking wall hangers stocking hanger wall stocking hangers stocking wall hangers personalized stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall a small tree branch used as a stocking holder stocking cloth wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall holiday stocking branch for mantel with garland the borrowed abode stocking holder wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall how to hang stockings how to make a stocking hanger cheap decorations stockings and stocking hanger stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall ll bean stockings iron stocking hanger in black and tree design for decoration ideas hangers stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall custom stocking hanger vinyl wood sign stocking wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking rack holder home depot wood stacking racks stocking rack christmas stocking wall hangers.
stocking hangers for wall wall decoration ideas best bohemian wall art ideas on bohemian art stocking flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking stocking net flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall christmas stocking wall hangers.
stocking hangers for wall wall stocking holder stocking holder personalized stocking holder personalized stocking hanger wooden wall mounted stocking wall stocking stocking wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking hangers stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall price stocking net flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking hanger tree stocking flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall holiday stocking branch no greenery the borrowed abode stocking cloth wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking holders stocking stocking holders stocking hangers stocking holders for stocking flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall cheap and easy do it yourself stocking hangers and clever ideas and ways to display stocking net flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall view in gallery vintage skis with stocking nice decorating ideas stocking cloth wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall nativity silhouette stocking holders via create crafts stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall stocking wall hangers the stockings were hung six hook stocking hanger with silhouette wall decorations stocking wall hangers stocking net flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall rustic stocking hanger made out of an old pallet with star knobs stocking flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall hang stockings without nails stocking wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall wall shelf stocking hanger inspired by a fireplace mantel reality daydream stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall home decor medium size stocking hanger the stockings were hung vinyl only famous house stocking cloth wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking wall hangers items similar to and the stockings were hung stocking hanger decoration wall hanging stocking wall hangers christmas stocking wall hangers.
stocking hangers for wall so christmas stocking wall hangers.
stocking hangers for wall stockings were hung headboard via my life stocking wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking wall hangers stocking hanger with stocking wall hanger wall stocking hangers stocking wall hangers stocking cloth wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall wooden stocking holders wooden family stocking hangers rustic wooden stocking holders wooden stocking holders stocking hangers stocking net flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall books stocking hanger stocking cloth wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall wall stocking holder glorious stocking holder stand decorating ideas images in living room traditional design ideas wall stocking stocking holder wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall items similar to stocking hanger reindeer stocking hanger reindeer stocking holder stocking holder stocking holder on stocking wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall holiday house tour christmas stocking wall hangers.
stocking hangers for wall rustic stocking hanger reclaimed barn wood stocking holder wall hanger stocking net flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall like this item stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall stocking hanger made of stalk for decoration ideas stocking flowers wall hanging.
stocking hangers for wall stocking hanger stocking hanger stocking holder stocking hanger unique stocking hanger stocking hangers wall.
stocking hangers for wall stocking hangers are multi functional decor not only do they hold your stockings but they also can be a stylish mantel decoration that stocking wall hanging.


text:
Q: Loading external Content for hybrid Apps in Native App Container (Android, IOS) i want to create Content in HTML5 CSS JS and want to run it on mobile devices.
And now the requirements:
There is the device with a container (native app) where i can load the created content (HTML CSS JS ...) from a Server. And every time when i change the content on the Server the App tells me sth. like "u have to update the content"
I know there are a lot of frameworks etc.
Did anybody knows if there is a solution for my requirements?
greetz

A: You need to use WebView to display created content(HTML CSS JS ...) from server and need to implement Push Notification to show the message in app when you update the content from server

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
lockFor Subscribers
Bad Bunny throws the biggest party in Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rican artist made history with a concert that was broadcast live on Telemundo and in 13 locations around the island
Saturday, July 30, 2022 - 2:55 p.m.
By Damaris Hernández Mercado
Archive content: this content was published more than 30 days ago.
According to the artist's production team, 18,749 people attended the first show at the Coliseum. (Alejandro Granadillo)
Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny promised that he would end the summer in Puerto Rico at that it would be unforgettable, and he kept his promise Thursday night and made history with a concert that was broadcast live on Telemundo and in 13 locations around the island.
💬See comments
Más en English


Grand, spacious and imposing 6 bedroom villa with a total vast living area of 660 sq. m, set within large mature landscaped gardens of 3,300 sq. m with a swimming pool and stunning panoramic countryside views towards the sea, Albufeira and Faro. Located in Vale Formoso, just a 5 minute drive north of Almancil, in a... read more.
Grand, spacious and imposing 6 bedroom villa with a total vast living area of 660 sq. m, set within large mature landscaped gardens of 3,300 sq. m... read more.
A superb, recently refurbished 3-bedroom villa with private pool. Located in Vale do Garrão, next to Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago, a 10 minute walk to the beach. Stunning location surrounded by the Ria Formosa nature reserve, with the beautiful Garrão beach, and it's sought after restaurants. The property... read more.
A superb, recently refurbished 3-bedroom villa with private pool. Located in Vale do Garrão, next to Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago, a 10 minute... read more.
Magnificent brand new villa ideally located within the famous Quinta do Mar resort only a short distance from the beach. The property has been built to very high specifications and many details were taken into consideration to make this an extremely comfortable home. Imposing entrance hall 4 bedrooms, each with built... read more.
Magnificent brand new villa ideally located within the famous Quinta do Mar resort only a short distance from the beach. The property has been built... read more.
An incredible 4 bedroom contemporary villa located in a quiet road in Vale do Lobo overlooking the pine tree valley and the Atlantic Ocean. This villa is designed by renowned architect Vasco Vieira, whose signature are an abundance of glass, wood and stone. The natural lighting throughout is plentiful and... read more.
An incredible 4 bedroom contemporary villa located in a quiet road in Vale do Lobo overlooking the pine tree valley and the Atlantic Ocean. This... read more.
This spacious 3 bedroom villa has a wonderful large living room with lots of natural light on the ground floor overlooking the lush garden and tranquil pool, with wide steps leading to a raised dining and reading area. The villa is located in Vilas Alvas a quiet location, just a few minutes away from the beaches of... read more.
This spacious 3 bedroom villa has a wonderful large living room with lots of natural light on the ground floor overlooking the lush garden and... read more.


text:
News in Brief: Wii Mini, Destiny and Yet More Assassins?
In today's roundup of the smaller stories, an Assassin's Creed teaser, Wii Mini comes to the US and more.
News by Pete Davison, Contributor
Is there something you think we should be reporting on? Email news@usgamer.net.
And now it's time for the News in Brief: a short roundup of the smaller stories of the day.
Each day, we'll collect together the smaller stories and present them to you in easily-digestible roundup format. Be sure to also check the Feed on the USgamer front page for links to articles, videos and other gaming-related content from around the Web we felt worthy of sharing with you.
Let's crack on with today's stories:
Wii Mini Coming to America in Time for the Holidays
Nintendo has announced the curious decision to release the Wii Mini in the US in time for the upcoming holiday season. The system will cost $99.99 and come bundled with a red Wii Remote, a Nunchuk and a copy of Mario Kart Wii. It's expected in stores by mid-November.
The Wii Mini is a severely cut down version of the original Wii, lacking connectivity features and thus access to many of the Wii's best aspects such as its library of downloadable original games and Virtual Console titles -- not to mention online play. It remains to be seen if it will help Nintendo's ailing fortunes in the home console space this holiday season, or whether it will just further add to the confusion that Wii U has created among some consumers and retailers.
New Assassin's Creed Teased in Assassin's Creed IV?
Eagle-eyed players have spotted a sticker for "Assassin's Creed: Rising Phoenix" in the level 2 security areas of Assassin's Creed IV's Abstergo offices, accessible after Sequence 6. A blurry photo from iGoGaming (below) shows the sticker, but it's not clear what it means, if anything.
This isn't the first time the Rising Phoenix name has appeared; it's been spotted several times in the recent past and is assumed to be a Vita installment in the series, but Ubisoft has denied all knowledge and refused to comment so far.
Destiny's Not Coming to PC
As part of a larger interview with IGN, Bungie community manager Eric Osborne said that the MMO-esque shooter Destiny would not be coming to PC -- at least not initially.
"What we have to do is make sure we're focused enough to bring a good experience to any platform that we ship on," he said. "What we 100 percent are not going to do is spread ourselves so thin that it negatively harms the other platforms." Don't rule it out in future, in other words; just don't expect it at launch.
Bugbear Moves its Crowdfunding Efforts to Kickstarter
FlatOut and Ridge Racer Unbounded developer Bugbear has shifted the focus of the crash-happy Next Car Game's crowdfunding campaign to Kickstarter, rather than via its own site. While Next Car Game's website is still up and running, the previously available "pre-order with benefits" options appear to have been scrapped in favor of the Kickstarter.
The reason Bugbear didn't jump straight in to a Kickstarter campaign is that the law in their native Finland prevents the raising of money for commercial purposes, and thus a way around that particular problem had to be found first.
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. See our terms & conditions.
Assassin's Creed Review
Destiny Review
76 Million Households Watched Netflix's The Witcher for At Least Two Minutes
More than 76 million households have watched the new show starring Henry Cavill. Or at least some of it.
Captain Tsubasa Giving FIFA Much-Needed Competition With Super-Powered Shonen Soccer
The original soccer anime is bringing arcade action to the West.
Microsoft's xCloud Streaming Service Expands With Destiny 2, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and More
Microsoft takes a shot at Google Stadia with the addition of Destiny 2.
Report: Ubisoft is Changing Its Approach to Storytelling in Wake of Disappointing 2019
The publisher hunts for more differentiation in its games.
PAX South 2020's Indie Highlights Include Airport Dogs, Talking Grapes, and Neo Geo Puzzle Nostalgia
Lots of dogs in Texas this year.
The First English Trailer for the Netflix-Exclusive Remake of Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back is Here
Pikachu tears, now in 3D.
Shenmue 3 is Finally Letting You Skip (Almost) Every Single Conversation
No more waiting on someone's initial dialogue.
Apple TV's Upcoming Mythic Quest Will Show Crunch "in a Very Real and Big Way"
Mythic Quest might be a workplace comedy, but it'll still touch upon the realities of game development.
Get the best of USG in your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters.
The USG Weekly Newsletter Axe of the Blood God Newsletter Enter your email address


It seems that Best Buy has quite a trade-in event going on as well. Almost any electronic purchase will net customers at least a $10 gift card. Some of the more popular electronics such as tablets, cell phones and gaming consoles can earn a customer at least a $75 gift card. They require that the units power up, be free of water damage and not have any cracks in the screen. The trade-in deal runs through February 1st.
Best Buy is also offering deals on iPhones. Customers get $50 off of the 16GB iPhone 5S and 5C, or $100 off of the 32GB iPhone 5C. This particular deal runs through February 2nd, and, in order to get the deal you must sign up for a two-year agreement.
If an iOS system just isn't your thing then Best Buy has a deal for you as well. On Friday, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be free through Verizon, with a similar deal from AT&T that will run from Friday through to Saturday February 2nd.
If you are interested in LG's new curved-screen G Flex phone then AT&T is offereing pre-ordiering through Best Buy. Sprint customers won't see it for sale until Friday, January 31 and the phone won't reach Best Buy retail outlets until Friday, February 7.
And if you trade in an older electronic device first for a $10 or $75 gift card, then you may even manage to apply it towards your Apple purchase and manage to wrangle an even better deal.
Of course, the above suggestions are great to our readers from US, but if you are from Bangladesh you can try to find an iPad Air through classified ads for a better deal. You can also post free ads in Bangladesh from the link on the left.


Businessballs.com is a business/career/life skills resources website. The site provides a variety of resources for career and life improvement, but not all of them are serious. One of the sections of the site is teambuilding/games, oriented around quizzes, games, and activities with the purpose of helping a group of people work well together. Another lighthearted section is the amusement/stress relief section, which has stories, quotes, cartoons, and other items to keep you relaxed and amused. The more serious sections include business/selling, with general business tips, and glossaries/terminology, which includes business and finance terms, money slang, acronyms, and stranger things like cockney rhyming slang and the Greek alphabet. The human resources section includes information about discrimination, interviews, training, and other interaction between people, writing/communicating includes letters and body language, and leadership/management is about leadership skills and motivation. The last two sections are diagrams/tools, with various psychological theory diagrams, training tools, and tests, and self/personal development, about personal motivation and self-help. The site places extra emphasis on motivation and psychology, featuring multiple articles on various psychological theories, including Erikson's psychosocial development theory and Maslow's hierarchy or needs model. The site is written in UK English, and it gives permission for its material to be reproduced in essays and for other publications, though the latter requires permission from the site's administrators.


The concept of IT value is hotly debated. Positions range from dismissive (e.g., Nicholas Carr's "IT Doesn't Matter") to enthusiastic. Many IT frameworks and authors address the issue of value in some form. ITIL version 3 suggests that the core value proposition of IT reduces to utility and warranty. ISACA, the sponsors of COBIT, consider the question significant enough to create a new parallel framework VAL-IT (i.e., VALue of IT).
From dramatic success in manufacturing, the Lean approach to value is moving into the world of services, including IT service management. However, in order to apply Lean thinking to IT management, the definition of value must be clarified, and activities that directly add it must be mapped out and distinguished from those that do not.
The shareholder experiences value through the product offering's market success in the aggregate, relative to competing offerings – or competing use of capital.
The service sponsor experiences value through identifying an opportunity and finding a partner to build it effectively and efficiently, and operate it so that it is useful and reliable across its user or customer base.
It is the second version of value that figures into the various representations of an IT value chain, including ITIL v3's concept of the IT Service Lifecycle. This lifecycle is in theory controlled through the function of Service Portfolio Management, as an evolution of the original service catalog concept and co-optation of the concept of Application Portfolio Management.
What constitutes a "portfolio"? All members of a portfolio share comparable data and go through a common lifecycle. Both of these criteria indicate that a portfolio's subject may be an entity in the conceptual modeling sense. What else is required for an entity to merit the "portfolio" designation? The term "portfolio" implies things of consequence managed over a long time horizon.
How do we determine "what is of consequence"?
Entity lifecycle analysis is a well known technique for systems analysis and design [Robinson, 1980; Rosenquist, 1982]. The major "entities" (nouns) of interest are compiled (e.g., in a conceptual or logical data model) and their state changes analyzed, from birth to death.
This approach can be applied to the universe of discourse characterizing IT Service Management. (Closely related/synonymous domains include IT Governance, Enterprise Architecture, and Systems Engineering.) This domain will also be called "the business of IT" throughout this paper.
The purpose in applying this technique to the business of IT is to better understand the major activities of the large IT organization, so that the value of IT can be better managed, and Lean techniques in particular are enabled.
The following durations for the major ITSM data entities seem reasonable. Note that these durations are scoped by the organization – we are not talking about the lifecycle of an information concept or technology product except insofar as it has entered into the organization's operations.
These lifecycles are distinct yet interrelated; each has their own logic and none can be subsumed under another. In terms of the IT value chain, the essentials of the service lifecycle are primary, and the rest are supporting. But the supporting lifecycles are independent of the primary value chain in terms of timing and, often, initiating events.
DefinitionsService lifecycle management is first among equals; without the need for services, none of the rest have any meaning. The service lifecycle is a value chain, the core of "ERP for IT" and essentially identical to ITIL v3. The other lifecycles support it – but cannot be fully folded into it.
It is possible to decompose service lifecycle management into application and infrastructure layers. Many large IT organizations structure themselves exactly along these lines, with engineering and operations distinct from application development and management. But both are at base services, providing benefits that must be produced and consumed simultaneously.
Application service management depends on its infrastructure support. Infrastructure, in turn, depends on the acquisition of computing resources (capacity, based on the acquisition of computing assets through supply chain) and the establishment of engineering standards (technology product lifecycle management). These engineering standards underpin (in a mature IT shop) the "service offerings" presented by infrastructure organizations.
Technology product lifecycle management. Enterprise architecture is often called on to assist in the evaluation of new and novel products purporting to solve many problems. New products require functional and non-functional evaluation, definition of acceptable configurations, and ongoing control against policy and baseline configuration. Minimizing redundancy (e.g., reducing the number of database management systems, or programming languages, or operating systems) is a key concern, often at odds with other drivers.
Sets or "patterns" of product combinations may be defined and translated into service offerings, in the interest of greater consistency and provisioning speed. All products require upgrades and patches, are challenged by new competitors and disruptive forces, eventually lose vendor support, and ultimately must be removed (intentionally and with confidence) from the environment. This entire lifecycle is too often managed as a set of functional silos, even crossing multiple functions such as vendor, configuration, and security management.
Note that this lifecycle is often decoupled from the service lifecycle. Technology products are often introduced with the assumption that they will support multiple services, and of course any one service may depend on multiple technology products. In the case of such fundamental computing platforms as OS/390, CICS, MQ, and TCP/IP, the technology product may well outlive multiple services platformed on it, themselves long-lived. This overlapping interaction between the service and the technology product demonstrates that the technology product lifecycle cannot be subsumed into the service lifecycle, at least in organizations that have multiple services sharing common infrastructure.
The service lifecycle often does drive the technology product lifecycle. Typical anti-pattern: the project team tasked with implementing the service determines that a new technology product (perhaps specifically optimized for the service) is required, and push to have this new product's approval accelerated, perhaps encountering reluctance from those responsible for the technology product portfolio (e.g., enterprise architects), who may point to redundancy or non-functional issues (security, scalability, performance, etc.).
Asset lifecycle management. Assets are not the same as technology products, which are types, not instances. "Compaq DL360″ is a type, while a specific device with a distinct serial # is an asset. "Oracle 11″ is a type, while a particular license is an asset.
The management and especially the timely provisioning of assets for the large data center operation is a particularly challenging topic, requiring careful timing and coordinated forecasting. While vendor solutions for application-centric demand management are mature, solutions for infrastructure demand management are not. The discipline of capacity planning is an essential input, but the lifecycle also requires attention to vendor management, purchasing, logistics, asset control, power and cooling, physical security, and other disciplines.
As assets are instances of technology products, the asset lifecycle is dependent on the technology product lifecycle – one does (or should) not generally acquire an asset without considering whether the product is suitable. However, once the product is deemed suitable, many repeated cycles of acquiring particular instances and managing them through disposition may ensue.
As with technology products, the asset lifecycle is strongly influenced by the service lifecycle. This may seem obvious – why would we buy the assets if we didn't have a service to platform upon them? However, just as project teams may run into challenges when they seek technology products that are not well aligned with the current portfolio, so too their needs for immediate provisioning of computing capacity may challenge the overall asset portfolio management strategy. This is one of the business drivers for virtualization and cloud computing, and (as above) demonstrates that the asset management lifecycle cannot be subsumed into the service lifecycle.
Clarifying the boundary between the application and infrastructure services may help; if the asset base is supporting an on-demand infrastructure service (e.g., a shared hosting environment), then the lifecycle of the associated assets becomes more dependent on the lifecycle of the service. But vendor management will remain independent (if the vendor also supplies other infrastructure). Refresh and growth of that infrastructure service will require constant attention to the asset base, and the associated supply chain and bill of materials problems remain nontrivial and distinct from the challenges of engineering and operating the service.
Toward IT Value Stream AnalysisMuch more could be said about these major lifecycles and their complex interrelationships. A comprehensive process architecture could be derived by analyzing often-chaotic interplay between the major state changes of the associated lifecycles. Synchronization points, dependencies, and critical paths would all be of interest, and constitute the foundation of IT value stream analysis.
Value streams are the end-to-end pipelines, crossing functions, that deliver some value for some stakeholders. The classic example is the order to cash lifecycle in manufacturing. Value streams are activities, heavy on verbs, countable and measurable. They should be few in number, and are supported by functions.
Functions (a.k.a. capabilities, aka business services) are ongoing organizational components. While a functional decomposition for a given organization might not be the same as its organizational structure, usually a good functional decomposition could serve as a baseline org structure. They are supported by IT services.
IT Services, seemingly obvious, still elude industry consensus. How to distinguish them from business services? Since business services wrap IT services in support of the value streams, this framework errs on the side of keeping them technical. If they are simply subsumed under business services, economies of scale through enterprise sharing can be lost.
Cross-functional coordination is required between the value stream and functional layers, and IT service portfolio management and architecture mediate between functions and IT services. Formalizing these relationships is essential to an operating model.
The question is, how are IT services themselves created? The core insight of this framework is that they are produced by IT value streams that follow the same model. The model is recursive and fractal.
Business units rely on IT services, which support their organizational functions in turn supporting value streams. This applies to both revenue generating and support ("back office") units.
IT services themselves are produced by a value stream – the IT value stream, owned by the IT function.
IT needs its own IT – represented by systems such as demand & portfolio management, IT service management, CMDB, monitoring, capacity, and many others.
The IT operating model as a whole consists of the managed IT value streams mapped to supporting functions, in turn supported by a portfolio of "IT for IT" services.
Finally, a logical data model is required to support the analysis, in particular for the purpose of metrics development – which, in turn, depends on clean and well structured transactional data about the business of IT. The data model in conjunction with the lifecycles may also be seen as an event model.
Each of the major lifecycles needs to be decomposed into a set of statuses (milestones). A rigorous approach for doing so needs to be established. Processes are fundamentally continuous; how are we to define state changes?
A metrics framework reflecting these lifecycles needs to be developed. Usually, reporting is available by function. The metrics framework therefore should focus on highlighting constraints across the value streams. This, in turn, drives data architecture.
The milestones be matrixed to themselves so that process interdependencies can be understood. An analytic basis for doing this probably needs to be developed.
The IT functions are reasonably well understood. COBIT can probably serve as a first approximation. Several examples of functional analysis (ala IDEF0) exist, showing inputs, outputs, guides, and enablers. These interaction analyses can also be constrained to particular processes to give a rich view of end to end lifecycles.
The value stream milestones can then be matrixed to the IT functions so handoffs and constraints can be understood in terms of accountable capabilities.
The IT services for IT are more challenging. They should be orthogonal to the functions (don't have 1 IT service per function, identically named.) However, they also need to reflect the current reality of available solutions. Demand/portfolio and ITSM seem to be logical large grained loci of consolidation. Decomposing these systems into services, and analyzing the interactions of those services, is consistent with modern practices of service-oriented architecture.
ConclusionIn this paper I have described a framework for both managing and understanding IT value and its underpinnings, incorporating principles from Lean, the major IT frameworks, enterprise architecture, and other sources from the IT management and software engineering literatures. The framework as a whole must be empirically based and flexible. This paper proposes an axiomatic basis, but any such effort is a castle in the air until supported by evidence, and furthermore is valuable only insofar as it stimulates insight and in particular generates non-obvious questions and answers.
Rosenquist, C.J. Entity Life Cycle Models and their Applicability to Information Systems Development Life Cycles: A Framework for Information Systems Design and Implementation. The Computer Journal 1982 25(3): 307-315.
Robinson, K.A. An entity/event data modeling method. The Computer Journal 1979 22(3):270-281.


text:
Q: Windows Application Profilers - C++ Exe I have a bat script which calls out to an exe and starts this off - I dont know what language it is written in (Probably C++)
I want to find a profiler that allows me to run a command a few times and gathers IO/CPU and other stats
It needs to be open source where possible
Any suggestions

A: You may try Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL) - http://pal.codeplex.com
It has predefined templates for major system metrics (see System Overview template).
It may automatically create quite impressive report including graphs and brief explanations on detected 'hotspots'.

A: I have used Glowcode (www.glowcode.com) in the past. It's not open source, but quite easy to use, can profile an executable, and is available on an evaluation basis as well.
I recall it was quite cheap as well.

A: For Windows, XPERF is your friend, and is a free download.
Check out the Windows Performace Analysis Tools site for more information on this and other tools.
Have fun!


text:
Agency Adoptions
Stepparent-Adoptions
independent-adoptions
second-parent-adoptions
Relative Adoptions
International Adoptions
termination of parental rights
Stepparent adoptions are often initiated by a little voice asking, "Why is my last name different?"
Stepparent adoptions leave intact the rights of the legal parent caretaker. They seek for this parents' spouse to adopt the child so the spouse can enjoy all of the rights and responsibilities of a parent. Like other adoptions, the rights of all other biological or legal parents and guardians must be terminated before the adoption can occur. Often the Petition also incorporates a request that the child's last name be changed.
The Court is empowered to waive many of the typical legal requirements for stepparent adoptions such as the home study and six-month waiting period.
Judges will also explain that upon adoption, the stepparent becomes a legal parent. Therefore, in the event of divorce, both parents have all the rights and responsibilities of a biological parent, including custody and child support obligations, as well as rights to make medical and educational decisions, access to confidential records, and inheritance.
The birth parent may consent to a stepparent adoption by joining the Petition. They do not have to appear in Court, but they do have to sign the Petition and submit a notarized affidavit forfeiting their parental rights. Often these are situations in which the biological parent has not been involved in the child's life for many years. Other times, the biological parent may feel that the child has been kept away from them despite their best efforts at building a relationship. Contested termination of parental rights hearings can be lengthy, stressful, and expensive to litigate.
If the child is 14 years old or older, the child must consent to the adoption. Your attorney will prepare an affidavit for the child's signature to submit to the court.
Jenny is the best! She made this awesome day in our lives so special and was a delight to work with throughout this seamless process. She handled everything from start to finish even going so far as creating a surprise letter that was presented Father's Day to my husband who has long awaited this adoption. Words cannot express how grateful we are for Jenny and we highly recommend her for the adoption process.
Ronda Vaughter
Name change if desired
Finalization!
3102 West End Ave., Suite 400 Nashville, TN 37203
This website is designed for general information only. The information presented is not legal advice and does not create an attorney/client relationship.
Site Designed and Developed by 5BY5 - A CHANGE AGENCY
Instagram Twitter Facebook-f


text:
Visit Clinical Lab ManagerSubscribe to Lab Manager
All Lab Management
Lab Business Management
Lab Leadership & Staffing
Lab Health & Safety
Lab Industry Surveys
Lab Product Categories
White Papers and Application Notes
Linda Comics
How Learning about Fish Can Help Us Save the Amazon Rainforest
High fish diversity is a good indicator of forest health
February18th,2020
Lesley de Souza bringing in an Arapaima she and her team collected with a gill net in the Rupununi.
Courtesy of Lesley de Souza, Field Museum
Think of the Amazon, and you probably think of jaguars, monkeys, or parrots. But many of the rainforest's secrets can be found hidden in its watery depths, from the fish swimming around its rivers and lakes And because these animals live in a river network that spans the South American continent, studying them helps conservationists understand why connected ecosystems are healthy ecosystems. Scientists from the Field Museum investigated fish populations in the South American country of Guyana, which helped to show why aquatic corridors matter in conservation.Their study, which they published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, makes an important case that protecting one tiny corner of the Guiana Shield can help protect rivers and biodiversity across the Amazon.
"I want to make a case for why this area should be protected, and I can tell that story using fish," says Dr. Lesley de Souza, conservation ecologist at the Field Museum. "We found over 450 species of fish in an area smaller than Connecticut. The entire Mississippi River basin has fewer than 200 species. We're talking about a pretty small area that has a ton of diversity."
In this study, de Souza focused on the lakes, rivers, and streams in the Rupununi region of central Guyana in northeastern South America. The area is inspiration for Pixar's balloon adventure, Up. For this study, De Souza traversed the same rocky outcroppings, breathtaking waterfalls, and lush jungles as the movie's characters, looking for fish. "We made several expeditions to the region and collected fish in a variety of habitats to better understand where they live, and further assess the habitats' conservation value, de Souza says. "We were taking fish out of rocks and caves, fish that live in woody debris in the water, sticking our hands in holes and hollow logs and finding fish. Anywhere there might be a fish, we checked."
A sample of the colorful variety of fishes in the Rupununi from cichlids to catfishes.
What de Souza's team found was a wild variety of underwater life. They collected fish that looked like little silver knives. They pulled up their nets and found fish camouflaged as dead leaves. They found Arapaima, a ten-foot-long fish that gulps air at the water's surface in addition to breathing underwater with gills. Her team brought their specimens back to natural history museums (including the Field Museum) and completed the arduous task of identifying each one. The scientists then analyzed the fishes' habitats, and realized that the incredible diversity emerged from the unique environments of the Rupununi Portal.
De Souza calls this region a "portal" because when river levels rise in the rainy season, two river systems that remain separate during the rest of the year are connected by floodwaters, and fish can travel from the Guiana Shield to the heart of the Amazon. As the water recedes, the savannas and wetlands reemerge and the fish separate into their respective river systems again—until the next rainy season.
Conservation programs often overlook freshwater environments, focusing on land habitats instead. If you visited the dry Rupununi savannas outside of rainy season, you'd likely make the same mistake. De Souza's analysis helps show how conservation requires healthy watersheds, too—especially connected ones. "As the water goes up and down," de Souza explains, "the Rupununi acts like a heartbeat that pumps this incredible fish diversity throughout the country. If we don't protect it, that heartbeat stops." Better information about the fish species living in the area can provide evidence for why it needs to be protected.
Lesley de Souza with her team seining for fishes in the Rupununi savannas during the dry season.
And by protecting the lakes and rivers where the fish live, we can help the planet overall. The forests growing around these bodies of water are crucial in absorbing the carbon emissions that have created climate change. Conserving the Rupununi portal will yield long-term benefits for the entire planet.
Conserving the Rupununi portal will yield long-term benefits for the entire Amazon, but de Souza emphasizes the immediate local need for protection. "I focus on fish in this area because they're so important for the people," de Souza says. "Indigenous communities are the primary inhabitants of this region, and they are intimately connected to the forest, the savanna, and the wetlands. Their primary source of protein is fish. In order to maintain fish reproductive cycles and people's livelihoods, the entire system needs to stay intact."
Through this research, de Souza's team discovered a previously unknown portal farther south of the Rupununi portal. De Souza is excited to see what else researchers might discover there: "I have always been intrigued by the mystery of what is below the surface. Fish communities are an indicator of forest health, and they can tell us things we just can't learn on land."
Tags: aquatic organismsbiodiversityBiologyclimate changeconservationEnvironmentalIndustry Newsmarine biologyProduct Resource: Industry News
Researchers Tap Rare Pristine Air to Reveal Pollution's Impact
Is English the Lingua Franca of Science? Not for Everyone
Glowing Cholesterol Helps Scientists Fight Heart Disease
Embracing the Lab of the Future—Today
Automation in Regulated Labs
Now part of the LabX Media Group: LabX Media Group | Clinical Lab Manager | Privacy | Terms
© 2021 Lab Manager. All rights reserved.


Reporting from the front lines of web experience and marketing strategies. An interesting mix of web strategy and scaled execution are emerging from a previously hacked together approach to web/ digital experience.
Product managers are wanting to control large swaths of the digital footprint their clients need -in order to allow marketing to execute efficiently. Whether, vertical specific sites for real estate agents or franchise sites controlled at the corporate level for branding consistency but flexible enough to allow local operators to update.
The approach mentioned above is different from even a year ago. Agencies were allowing creative and web designers to build sites one by one - but as the clients needs changed the upkeep of 25, 50, 100, 1800 sites/ landing pages became a nightmare. Now multi-site CMS and web experience platforms are being adopted at a faster rate.


There has been much discussion, and what I consider misconceptions, about the Palo Alto Fire Department budget, how it is structured and how it is executed. To look at gross numbers does not reveal the entire and accurate picture. The following factual data is derived from the city auditor's 2008 Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) report and has been verified. The SEA report is available at www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/aud/service_efforts_and_accomplishments.asp on the city's Web site in the city auditor's section. The entire fire department report is on pages 38-43, and most of the data cited here is located on pages 38 and 39.
The Palo Alto Fire Department provides fire, rescue and emergency medical services to Palo Alto and, by contract, services to the Stanford and SLAC communities. Combined, we serve a total permanent resident population of 76,682, based on a Palo Alto population of 63,367. This figure does not include non-resident students, faculty or workers who come into Palo Alto and Stanford at all hours. Palo Alto experiences the second largest daytime increase in population of any city its size in the United States (2000 U.S. Census) and it is my understanding that Palo Alto has the second largest influx of employees and workers in Santa Clara County (behind the city of San Jose) who use our services.
The gross fire department budget for 2007-08 was $24 million, which includes the cost of services provided to the Stanford and SLAC communities. By contractual agreement, the city of Palo Alto provides fire, rescue and emergency medical services to Stanford. The revenue received in 2007-08 for that service was $6.2 million.
The next largest revenue source generated by the fire department, in addition to the Stanford contract, is $2 million in paramedic transports. The Palo Alto Fire Department is the only fire department in Santa Clara County that provides a fire/paramedic ambulance transport service. An additional $1.6 million was generated through plan check fees, permits and various revenue-generating sources (or cost-recovery), which equated to 41 percent of the overall budget. This figure is unprecedented among the vast majority of fire departments, particularly in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Over the past five years, expenditures have increased 28 percent while revenues have increased by 23 percent. This equates to a net increase in operating expenditures over the past five years of 5 percent, a 1 percent increase per year.
Essentially then, the cost to Palo Alto residents for the fire department budget is $17.8 million, or a per capita cost of $281 per year. Total revenue generated was $9.7 million of the $24 million budget. Backing out all revenue sources leaves a net budget of $14.3 million or net per capita cost of $224 per year for Palo Alto residents.
The Palo Alto Fire Department provides an array of services that is not equaled on the San Francisco Peninsula for a department of its size. We provide service to a major, world-renowned university that has also hosted numerous national and international sports competition venues; two major hospitals; one airport, which is the second busiest in the county next to Reid-Hillview; fire/paramedic ambulance transport; an Office of Emergency Services for community disaster preparedness; a hazardous materials response unit; and an extensive geographic area consisting of 25 square miles of wildland-urban interface.
The general workload demand, and particularly for emergency medical services (EMS), has steadily increased.
Emergency response calls have more than doubled since the consolidation with the Stanford Fire Department in 1976 to a total of 7,723 calls in 2007-08, compared to 3,764 in 1976-77.
The Palo Alto Fire Department places a fire/paramedic ambulance on the scene in Palo Alto within 8 minutes 90 percent of the time, whereas the private paramedic ambulance provider places a transport ambulance on the scene within 12 minutes 90 percent of the time in the remainder of the county.
Ambulance transports have increased 51 percent from five years ago.
Over the last 20 years, the department has added a 12 hour/day paramedic unit; a seasonal summer fire station located in Foothills Park; an Office of Emergency Services (OES) disaster preparedness program including the PANDA program; a confined space and tunnel rescue program; and a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance program.
The local, county and state mutual aid programs have expanded significantly.
Since 2000, in response to budgetary challenges, the fire department eliminated the following: 3 full-time firefighter positions; 1 fire inspector; 1.5 equivalent administrative associates; and 3 management positions (1 OES battalion chief, 1 SLAC battalion chief and 1 environmental coordinator).
This is a 36 percent reduction at the management level. In addition, the Bike Safety EMS Response program has been eliminated, and for the 2010-11 budget, the BLS program is proposed for elimination and a previously frozen EMS battalion chief position may be eliminated.
In my opinion, the residents of Palo Alto receive comprehensive and efficient service in a cost-effective manner through a superb array of programs. I am not aware of any municipal fire department in Santa Clara or San Mateo counties that annually generates the amount of, or a greater percentage of, revenues for its budget than does the Palo Alto Fire Department. The citizens of Palo Alto continue to get the best bang for their buck of any community of comparable size.
Nicholas Marinaro is chief of the Palo Alto Fire Department.


Breast implant corrections can become necessary for patients who have experienced suboptimal outcomes following breast implant surgery or ruptured breast implants. This may occur when a patient chooses a surgeon who isn't adequately skilled with breast implants, or who doesn't acquire proper measurements for pre-surgery planning. We also frequently receive requests for breast corrections when a patient has received cheap 'production-line' breast implant surgeries that haven't been customised for their individual needs.
It is important that you choose your surgeon carefully, and opt for a specialist who can help you achieve a high-quality, long-lasting and natural-looking result.
If an earlier surgeon has botched the procedure or failed to achieve the results you wanted, Specialist Breast Clinic may be able to help with our expert breast implant corrections.
Implant leakage or rupture — simple implant replacement surgery may be required for the rupture of a silicone implant, or the leakage or deflation of a saline implant.
Implant displacement — breast corrections may be required if implants move away from their original position.
Capsular contracture — this occurs when internal scar tissue forms a tight capsule around a breast implant.
Breast implant replacement — you may decide, post-surgery, that the size or shape of your implants isn't what you hoped for. A breast implant fix may help you achieve your desired look.
Breast implant removal — also called implant explantation, this breast corrections procedure is typically more popular with older patients. It involves removing the breast implants entirely.
Breast implant associated anaplastic lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) — this is a rare cancer of the immune system directly associated with breast implants. Approximately 1 in 3500 patients who have had breast implants inserted, whether for reconstructive or cosmetic reasons, will develop the condition. It typically presents with a swollen red breast and a large collection of fluid around the implant (periprosthetic effusion).
Specialist Breast Clinic recommends annual ultrasound monitoring of breast implants. Any changes to your breasts need to be reported to your doctor as soon as possible.
Are your breast implants causing you pain?
Have your breasts unusually hardened since the implants?
Are you unhappy with the appearance of your implants?
Have you noticed any breast rippling or movement?
Do you have realistic expectations for your surgery outcomes?
Are you aware of what breast corrections surgery entails and what it can/cannot achieve?
Dr Tony Palasovski is a specialist breast surgeon who has the knowledge, experience and expertise to perform your breast corrections. Come see us at Specialist Breast Clinic in the Illawarra for the safety and success of your breast corrections, breast implants, and other specialised surgeries.


text:
F1 silly season update: Who is going to drive where next season?
Motorsport Image - LAT
This is the portion of the Formula 1 season where deals start to come together for the next campaign.
Formula 1 will awaken from its summer slumber this weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton leads the championship standings by 24 points over Sebastian Vettel. And technically, with nine races remaining, every driver in the championship still has a mathematical chance of taking the title. However, it is clear that it is a two-man hunt as Vettel and Hamilton are both chasing down their fifth championship.
Mercedes and Ferrari are both quick, with different tracks highlighting the strengths of each program. But the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit should work well for both, so the next race could be a dogfight between the rival manufacturers.
For McLaren, the summer has been somewhat busier. Fernando Alonso announced his retirement from both F1 and McLaren at the end of the current season on Aug. 14, which left questions about who would fill his soon-to-be vacant seat and also where Alonso would race in 2019.
A still undecided Fernando Alonso will conduct IndyCar test on Sept. 5
One of these questions was answered just two days later, when McLaren confirmed Carlos Sainz as a driver on a multiyear contract.
The former Red Bull junior, Toro Rosso and Renault driver was still under contract with Red Bull for 2019 but a clause in his contract meant that if Red Bull didn't promote him to the Red Bull main team for next season, he would be free to pursue his career elsewhere.
Elsewhere, Force India has been steadied by the takeover of a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll, but, again, the driver transfer market has taken center stage in this development. Son of Lawrence and currently driving at Williams, Lance Stroll has been unhappy with a lack of development so is all but certain to be placed at Force India for 2019.
Team owner Gene Haas perfecting his juggling act in NASCAR, F1 circus
This leaves the team with a problem as both Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez have been competitive for them across multiple seasons so it would be difficult to let either go.
Perez brings with him significant funding so may not find it too difficult to find an alternate drive, his funding would be more than welcome at somewhere like Williams, for example. For Ocon, finding another drive could be slightly problematic. Should Ferrari choose not to race with Charles Leclerc next year, they may place him at Haas with Romain Grosjean the likely casualty.
Realistically, the options open to Ocon are the same as those open to Leclerc: Haas, Williams or a long shot at the vacant Red Bull seat.
This is, of course, if Force India chose not to retain his services.
Update: IndyCar driver Robert Wickens hospitalized with orthopedic injuries


An interesting analysis of job creation by the "App Economy" has been conducted for TechNet by Dr.Michael Mandel of South Mountain Economics LLC. This includes employment at pure App startups; large companies such as Electronic Arts, Amazon, AT&T, and Autodesk; App infrastructure jobs at Google, Apple, Facebook, RIM, and Microsoft, and spillovers to the rest of the economy.
As of December 12, 2011, the Apple App store lists 529,550 active apps, uploaded by 124,475 active publishers. Google's Android Market lists more than 300,000 apps. The App Economy generated almost $20 billion in revenue in 2011, including app downloads, in-app revenues, sales of virtual goods, and sales of physical goods and services.
A study of app-related jobs just on Facebook estimated the number of employees employed by third party developers to be 53,434. With the spillover to the rest of the economy, this suggests182,744 full time jobs.