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inquest into labour party's 2019 general election defeat
Did you spot the unacknowledged explanation for the UK's low productivity growth?
when two new words enter a language, its meaning often represents a sociological journey from denial or misunderstanding to acknowledgment. When the words are spoken by a major personality at a big historical event, its significance then becomes recognised and its implications start being examined – and hopefully addressed. when two new words enter a language, its meaning often represents a sociological journey from denial or misunderstanding to acknowledgment. When the words are spoken by a major personality at a big historical event, its significance then becomes recognised and its implications start being examined – and hopefully addressed.
Such were the words "corporate amnesia" uttered on the first day of formal reflection by the Labour Party into their disastrous defeat at the 2019 General Election (December 17, 2019). They were made by the Labour peer Dame Margaret Hodge, an arch-critic of the Labour Party's leadership who retained her seat as a Labour MP. As the scourge of Government waste when she chaired the Public Accounts Committee, her conclusion was that the Labour Party was in denial of what happened, one of the physiognomies of corporate amnesia, others being that the corporate body disremembers its history, interrupts its organic continuity and becomes less able to learn from both past failures or successes. In Labour's case, they had become experiential NON-learners, the exact circumstance of Britain's employers, no thanks to corporate amnesia's main modern architect, the very flexible labour market.
The nearest the subject gets to being acknowledged as a proper business concern is the occasional discussion around the importance of 'institutional memory' but Dame Margaret Hodge's usage of corporate amnesia is its first mention by a leading 'influencer' to signal the damaging effect of actual knowledge loss and self-denial. The fact that the Labour Party is a well-known and important national institution will have raised the subject's dysfunctional potential even further.
While the gathering impact of modern corporate amnesia through flexible working was first identified by this author in the 1980s, employers, business educationalists and the experts have largely ignored its delinquent significance, namely the dramatic effect on workplace continuity, the equally high levels of institute-specific knowledge loss and linked poorer decision-making, the typical response by employers being to vainly try and reduce their workplace churn. More skilled employees have now also enthusiastically adopted the business model to improve their remuneration and career prospects such that average staff turnover in the UK is now 26% a year, employer tenure is around five years, and falling, while the official projection is that new entrants to the workplace will have at least 10 different paymasters in their working lifetime (mrcorporateamnesia.com).
All this experiential NON-learning explains the pandemic of repeated mistakes, re-invented wheels and other unlearned lessons that litter the workplace. In truth, the modern workplace is nomadic, rootless, disloyal, amnesiac, insecure and needy, no place for organic or productivity growth. And because it's impacting almost every employing organisation in the country, it's as macro-economic as any of the other corporate resources that the experts have identified as the influences affecting our lowly national output and competitiveness.
If employers want to take full advantage of flexible working, they also have to address their workplace disruption, their loss of valuable institute-specific knowledge and experience and their consequential poorer decision-making.
+ Other similar words/phrases that needed high-profile acknowledgment to get recognised: feminism, global warming, transgender, fake news, et al. Refer also celebrity causes that need prominent mention to get noticed.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING: Without it, Knowledge Management is pointless, so what's best practice?
The subject of knowledge sharing is one on which depends the whole subject of Knowledge Management (KM). Without it, there's little point in KM, so why do employers find it so difficult to progress this crucial discipline, which is still in the Cinderella stage of its essential development?
The short answer is that so few of them understand KM's new importance; the longer answer is that their corporate culture is stuck in a previous age along with their unhoned skills.
The so-called Knowledge Age make this intellectual commodity essential to acquire while the flexible labour market makes it even more important for rolling generations of employees to inherit. Otherwise, organic progress is – simply stated – disabled. To avoid this, knowledge sharing is key.
Yet employees are reluctant to share their knowledge for a range of seemingly intractable reasons buried in a cultural minefield ranging from beliefs that knowledge provides them with job security to a fear of negative work evaluations. Alongside some of these accurate cultural perceptions, employers seem happy to concede that knowledge is proprietorially owned by the employee, a hangover from the days when a job-for-life was commonplace; thusly, their employee-held corporate knowledge would continue to be accessible.
No more. The average tenure of the modern employee (including top decision-makers) is now around three-to-five years in economies such as the UK's and the US's. Although employee change doesn't happen all at the same time, the net effect on employers is both evident and widespread – continual workplace disruption while much of their unique, hard-won and expensively-acquired knowledge and experience walks out of the front door on a regular basis, preventing them from smooth learning from their own experience. Academics have estimated that, when individuals leave, they take with them up to 90% of their employers' unique knowledge, much of it falling into an undocumented class of intellectual capital known as tacit knowledge.
The irony is stark. Employers are wittingly disenfranchising themselves from their own labour – all because of actively-encouraged short tenure and the unresolved question of who owns the knowledge that employees acquire in their jobs? Valued employers have also jumped on the bandwagon as a way of advancing their careers and salaries. The answer, which I've raised in my books and blog, is something I've been addressing for some time, with some success.
To address this, employers have to acknowledge that the rolling transplantation of new employees, even those in similar sectors or seemingly better qualified, is never seamless. As such, knowledge sharing among employees, and especially between changing generations of replacements, is the only way to fill the experiential gap, so employers have to create an accommodating culture within the organisation. The excellent short Paper by Zach Wahl of the consultancy firm Enterprise Knowledge on 'Why people fail to share knowledge' (https://enterprise-knowledge.com/why-people-fail-to-share-knowledge/) is a good start.
My 30-year experience is that this becomes possible with the following argument – that, by paying for it, employers have JOINT-ownership of the knowledge and experience acquired during their employees' tenure. As such, they have the right to capture and share that self-same knowledge and experience with succeeding generations of employees, a condition that can be included in employees' conditions of employment.
Once this is firmly established then the other, more practical, issues can be addressed – whether, for example, an additional disbursement should be paid, how best to capture the knowledge and experience, how and when to share it and – to achieve the potential added value – how to ensure that both in situ employees and replacements can efficiently APPLY said knowledge and experience, otherwise known as the largely untaught skill of Experiential Learning (EL).
Inevitably, even with a contractual obligation, not all categories of employee would be agreeable or their contribution useful, for example those who might be dismissed or made redundant. But for those who leave voluntarily – and this is usually a substantial proportion of departees, all of whom are probably key knowledge owners anyway – are, in my experience, typically flattered to be asked to cooperate. Knowledge capture can be done on a regular basis, say annually, immediately after key events or just before departure.
The form of knowledge capture is another issue to consider.
The emails of knowledge owners alongside the content of employers' data banks are customary resources but these still only reveal the explicit knowledge of an employers' know-how that traces 'what' happened and when. The more valuable part of know-how is tacit or cognitive knowledge, the how of know-how that doesn't get recorded, much of which is unwritten, even normally unspoken, but which is embedded and synthesized in knowledge owners' heads. Different from explicit knowledge, this is the kind of knowledge that is mainly implicit, esoteric and context-, co-worker- and organisation-specific that outlines how particular organisations get things done.
How to document it is the gold standard of knowledge capture that 'lubricates' the explicit.
Usually what happens is that something is written by the knowledge giver or there's a face-to-face conversation with the knowledge receiver – otherwise called 'watch and learn' or 'overlap' – but this approach has several disadvantages. Employees, including managers, are notoriously poor authors and storytellers with a tendency towards selective and defensive recall while the receivers have short memories or at least memories that can't be recalled accurately. Their understanding of tacit knowledge is also low and, anyway, they're both going to move on, so anything said verbally can't be referred to at a later date.
For this type of 'memory' recall, the most efficient instrument is a specialised and detailed oral debrief, optionally recorded via audio, video or transcript. The idea is not exactly new, with its origins in the traditional exit interview with departees, which is typically a formulaic 20-questions way of uncovering why employees leave. Where it differs is that it should concentrate on the unrecorded non-technical tacit knowledge to extract the important practical and management issues and decisions unique to the individuals' job and employer. Optimally, they should be conducted by a skilful and knowledgeable interviewer, either in-house trained or externally hired, whose main quality – mainly because the knowledge has to be expertly teased out of interviewees – should be persistence and the capacity not to be intimidated by authority. These oral debriefs are then shared with appropriate incoming employees at induction time.
The process of knowledge sharing doesn't stop there.
In situ and replacement employees need to understand that knowledge sharing is not an opportunity to repeat past experience, rather a device to APPLY past experience to their employers' changing circumstances and environment. Educationists know this as continuous learning that, by definition, has to spring from the workplace, where so-called old experience can be transformed into new experience. In its new guise it's called Experiential Learning (EL), the precept of which turns on the ability to constructively reflect on the past, a methodology not formally taught in conventional business education. In this particular model, the past is a more comprehensive evidential base that, in principle, will provide better decision-making, better productivity and, in the case of the UK, better competitiveness ahead of a post-Brexit future.
It is undeniable that the flexible labour market has helped to boost employment. But its use has also affected productivity, so for employers to continue benefitting from the ability to quickly adjust to changing circumstances, something has to compensate. Addressing the inevitable workplace disruption and the loss of one's knowledge and experience is the holy grail of modern business process ….
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CEOs MOVE? THE UNACKNOWLEDGED – AND SHOCKING – EFFECTS
When top managers move their jobs at the same rapid rate as the rest of the working population, the business community, business academics, even the politicians, should take note. The spinoff's not pretty.
The latest figures from PWC's 2016 Strategy& survey indicate that thanks to the drop in merger and acquisition activity, the turnover of CEOs in the world's largest 2,500 companies decreased from its record high of 16.6% in 2015 to 14.9% in 2016 but the lower rate has remained at around the same level for 10 of the last 16 years. In fact, the turnover continues to remain close to the rest of the working population in a number of mature economies that, today, change their employees every four to five years on average.
Within the survey, the regional changes are equally instructive. The median length of CEO service in the biggest 300 British businesses, for example, is 4.8 years, down 73% from 2010's high of 8.3 years. More than 3% of British CEOs are forced out every year for ethical lapses, compared with just 9% who leave with succession plans; what's clear is that most replacement CEOs still receive little support to adequately address their new employers' discontinuity and institute-specific corporate amnesia that plague both their own and others' jobs.
It's a rate that has upturned the workplace ever since the flexible labour market introduced such high levels of discontinuity 35 years ago, when a job-for-life was not uncommon. The change has not been adequately addressed by both employers and business education alike.
However useful to employers is the flexible labour market in today's high-change environment, the significance of this survey is that it helps to clarify several associated offsetting issues that indirectly affect the quality of their and their employers' decision-making skills, which don't get improved.
The first is certainly counter-intuitive. Because the CEOs are arguably the single most important decision-maker in any organisation, their determinations largely dictate the quality of their employers' development. If for any reason they make a poor decision, the outcome of their subordinates' determinations risk being equally poor. This 'cascading' characterisation is an observation that must shift much of the responsibility for poor decision-making away from coalface workers, who are the traditional scapegoats.
The second reason concerns the growing evidence of an undeniable link between flexible working and acknowledged declining productivity, which also lacks widespread acceptance. With some spikes, the latest stretch of struggling productivity scores actually coincides with the advent of flexible working.
This can be easily demonstrated. Up front, up to 12 months at each end of every replacement employees' tenure is typically worked at lesser productive levels, which automatically reduces the period of optimum output by a significant margin. Alongside this, few of the many corporate functions within organisations ever survive without one or more employees leaving and a replacement arriving, heralding the breakdown in the way most progress occurs, organically – i.e. from the uninterrupted building of one experience on another.
Then there is the most dramatic consequence of all for the way good decision-making happens; exiting employees take with them much of their employers' unique knowledge and experience, including their important tacit know-how, foreshadowing the onset of what's called corporate amnesia, when businesses and other types of co-operative organisation literally lose their memory of how they do things in their own special way. In addition to constantly diluting individual corporate cultures in an unmanageable way, this combination of factors dramatically reduces the relevant evidence base with which replacement employees would otherwise need to make good and better decisions on behalf of their new employer. In effect, they end up utilising mostly the knowledge and experience of their prior employers and education, much of which is unrelated according to their employers' unique selling point (USP) and experience and, anyway, is subject to inherent short, selective and defensive memory recall. With jobs disruption and the absence of institute-specific evidence upsetting almost every job and every employer, EVERYTHING has slowed, exactly as the productivity scores in many countries show.
Even top-flight employees become disadvantaged and CEOs are no exception, explanations for the many repeated mistakes, reinvented wheels and other unlearned lessons that now litter the modern workplace.
To address this hidden handicap, employers have to step up and provide replacement employees with a better inheritance that reduces flexible working's inevitable workplace disruption and corporate amnesia. Then business academics have to better teach the largely absent skill of Experiential Learning (EL). And given that neither has shown much inclination to upgrade their respective roles to compensate for continual stop-start working, the politicians have to find some way to motivate them, if only to improve national productivity and their own tax receipts.
In their own interests CEOs could lead the charge – or maybe some visionary other?
If you believe small observations can signpost big, unnoticed, issues, read on …..
I recently had a conversation with the owner of a Linkedin group who thought a post I wanted to publish had a tenuous relationship with his specialist subject. My response was that there was a close association between his group and some of Linkedin's other representative groups of knowledge management (KM), human resources (HR), experiential learning (EL) and business education, which were all referenced in my post.
I further suggested that economic history, business history and corporate history, which were also represented through a smaller clutch of groups on Linkedin, were similarly part of the one common objective of them all – to achieve good and better decision-making, itself in a devoted group.
Although an accurate accusation of being irrelevant on a dedicated Linkedin group would be justified, the lesser charge of being tenuous does provide evidence of my wider observation that the more we specialise, the more disconnected we appear to become. In my experience with initiating discussions, some groups – seemingly loyal to themselves alone – find it difficult to mutually engage. I've also had discussions rejected or spammed when the contribution clearly addresses a/the larger related issue.
All this might seem like 'small potatoes' – it is – but the observation suggests a behind-the-scenes outcome that commerce and industry's decision-makers seem unprepared to acknowledge and unable or unwilling to address.
In Linkedin's case, the groups don't realise how closely related they all are but the net effect of what is otherwise familial estrangement is that they individually place themselves in so-called silos, with nary the desire to mutually commune. However much individual disciplines gets discussed, refined and/or improved, these self-imposed disconnects – I call them broken chains – serve to lessen their potential role available within the greater organisation. They illustrate how 'more is less', an expression that describes how, however much is being invested in today's changed workplace, a disproportionately lower outcome results.
If my 'broken-chains' observation is accurate, there must be some enduring effect, difficult to pin down precisely but there's no argument about what's happening to productivity and productivity growth, which are big indicators that investment returns are on the slide. The fall in some geographical areas is dramatic (in the UK, for example, the current levels of individual output is at a 25-year low and almost 20% below our main competitors). Some experts think that the wider decline is temporary until the next big techno development kicks in but the edifying point is that that they don't know why exactly. Given that the modern workplace has not fully adapted to the changed workplace environment – notably the very flexible labour market and the attendant constant migration of employers' unique knowledge and experience – I'm suggesting that commerce and industry's broken chains can help the explanation.
As challenging a problem familial estrangement must be at the corporate level, the effect can be even more explicitly illustrated when the phenomenon extends to whole industries and where the net outcome is both demonstrable and deeply dysfunctional.
Witness the deeply worrying example in health care, where the soil sector, farmers, food manufacturers, the pharmaceutical and pesticide industry and doctors all operate independently of each other. The soil scientists have given farmers a nutrient-deficient way of increasing production. To compensate, food manufacturing introduces into their product chemical additives, only a small fraction of which can be absorbed by the human body, a state that inevitably compromises the human immune system. Competition has also encouraged manufacturers to further add sugar, salt and trans-fats (they call these additives 'bliss factors' to sell their wares), all of which have hosted a range of opportunistic diseases to fill doctors surgeries and hospitals. Into this multiple whammy happens the pharmaceutical industry, whose experts have impressively invented pills for all reasons that extend the life of many. In the First World, the result is generations of elderly people, still with low immune systems, dying uncomfortably and expensively on Zimmer frames. In the Third World, they just die.
What's happened is that both organisational structures and industry sectors have become disengaged. The separated and interconnected sectoral specialties have, between them, all contributed to a problem now harmfully affecting the health of more than a quarter of the world's population (source: World Food Programme, 2007). In truth, neither the individual silos nor their parent organisations would admit to any responsibility for their downstream consequences, leaving dithering Governments to try and sweep up the mess, notably futilely.
One common factor of this problem seems to be size – and size features in another meaningful example of broken chains' upshot of 'more is less'. Government itself is often the largest single organisation in countries with ambidextrous departments, defined skills and large budgets. Using World Bank data from 104 countries over a seven-year period to 2011, the University of Georgia's Professor Jeffrey Dorfman, an economics specialist in how policy redistributes wealth, concluded that more Government spending means less economic growth (Forbes, December 10, 2013).
Size also features as one of the contributory factors behind the 2008 debacle around the banks, where their interconnected activities covered everything from housing to nearly everything else. It is instructive that few of the main players in that saga saw it as anything to do with the familial estrangement of connected silos, where – to quote another idiom – the separate entities 'couldn't see the wood for the trees'. One of the definitions of this saying is that affected entities are unable to understand what is important in a situation because they are giving too much attention to detail.
All this provides evidence of yet another knowledge-based 'black hole' for decision-makers and is a boost for the emerging movement known as Evidence-Based Management (EBM), which is establishing itself in medicine and some political policy-making. Studies have shown that, among doctors for example, only about 15% of their decisions are evidence based. And elsewhere, although senior executives are ultimately responsible for what happens in their organisations, the reason for lapses "could be more to do with the quality of decision-making than in any intentional unethical behaviour" ('Decisions without Blinders', Harvard Business Review, January 2006).
The paradox is nevertheless explicit; that despite individual heights of professional effort and/or achievement, the overall result is often less than triumphant. Forgive the opportunity to mix a few more metaphors – they are truly very good for illustrating different circumstances – but the evidence can't be clearer, yet our ability to 'connect the dots' is seemingly absent. We usually describe this as 'the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing' but the malady seemingly goes further; with each silo – whether at the corporate or industry level – effectively saying it's the left hand not caring what the right hand is doing. It's an 'I'm-alright-Jack' attitude that proposes that the maxim 'big is beautiful' is now more parody than proverb.
Behind the massive scale of these examples is an obvious breakdown in wider awareness within organisations, whether inside corporate disciplines or related-industry sectors.
By awareness, I am referring to the detail of employer-specific innovation as well as tried-and-tested knowledge and experience, important because the former is almost always a function of the latter. With the linking of the 'old' with the 'new' providing continuity and the uninterrupted direction of travel, the stop-start character of modern commerce and industry – greatly enhanced by the modern flexible labour market – is replaced by the traditional organic way most progress occurs, i.e. one experience leading into another. For ease of classification, the sum total of acquired 'wisdom' can be boxed as organisational memory (OM). Without it, the condition that is familiarly known as corporate amnesia – which is the enemy of the comprehensive evidential base – kicks in.
Thereafter comes the main reason for what happens when chains get broken and awareness takes leave – individuals and the organisations for which they work lose their PERSPECTIVE. And deprived of perspective, which is one of the most important components of good decision-making, determinations become relevant only to the short term, the acknowledged curse of much of modern commerce and industry's inbred character (at least in many Anglo environments).
There is another equivalent classification that I hesitate to use because of its unfashionable connotations in modern business education, even in general education. Mention of the word instantly makes the eyes cloud over but it is nonetheless memory in its most durable format. Prosaically called 'history', its chronicle is a seriously underrated agent of knowledge/wisdom, yet its various sub-divisional applications as a management tool is widely disregarded. For one, it can help solve the endemic problem of short, selective and defensive memory recall. For two, it can fill the employer-specific knowledge vacuum imposed by short employee tenure, which is the single biggest explanation for the pervasive dispersal of unique institute-specific experience. For three, it is also key to understanding culture, the backbone of almost all collective endeavour. And finally, it can improve decision-making, whose current taught methodologies still suit old-fashioned and inflexible labour markets, where the treasure trove of the corporate evidence base didn't decamp the front door at today's 'walkabout' rates.
I hear the leaden cry of information overload but the reality of the situation is which is preferable: the status quo or an acquired perspective? Actually, the latter is not so far from reality as its detractors might believe.
The long-term of prior experience is ordinarily the responsibility of the standalone subjects of economic history, business history and corporate history, all given seriously neglected attentions. The medium- and short-term falls more neatly into the Cinderella disciplines of KM and IT (represented by our huge data banks of inert records) while the role of learning from all their hard-won intellectual capital is decision-making's and, crucially, the acknowledged but widely unused discipline of experiential learning (EL). Parenthetically EL, which applies knowledge and experience in a reflective methodology to adapt decisions to changed circumstances and environments, revises the taught one-size-fits-all decision-making practices to accommodate individual employers' new short-tenure and evidence-depleted work environment. With perhaps the exception of EL, business education and employers ALREADY have these under-exploited disciplines in place.
To acquire better perspective, then, time to make them work harder in today's changed workplace environment, whether they live down the hall, in the boardroom or even at Linkedin, where Microsoft (median employee tenure four years amid $15 billion failed acquisitions since 2001 and a high level of failed/abandoned products) has taken charge. The latter please note, perspective is precisely relevant to KM, HR, EL, business education, history and many more groups ……
Postscript: My reference to 'history', which is widely unfashionable in all education, is, as already indicated, a critical component of how any culture develops itself. Culture – and no less a business culture – is especially misunderstood, its detailed awareness being essential in any attempt to manage it. But its widespread neglect as a subject raises another observation of consequence in society. Many professions (for example architecture, art, music, the military, medicine, politics, science, the clergy and so on) all contain an element of their generic history in their education, awareness that underpins their specific professionalism. Contrastingly, history's widespread absence in business education and businesses themselves is glaringly evident, suggesting that business and/or management is not considered a profession. This author contends the contrary and suggests that a more 'history'-savvy workforce, one that intuitively knows more about their employers' experiences, their industrial sectors' experiences and their countries' business experiences within the context of even wider business experience, would automatically improve their own employment, their business practice and their decision-making. Perspective would certainly help to clear my doctor's surgery!
Three academics out of the universities of Minnesota and Chicago have just published some shocking statistics about financial advisers in the US. In a 10% sample of such advisers working in the decade to 2015, roughly 7% of them have indulged in some form of misconduct or fraud, with some of the largest financial advisory firms having more than 15% of their advisers with similar records of misbehaviour. Whilst the percentage of such dysfunction was unexpected – the academics were guessing a rate of around 1% – the real surprise was that offenders were five times as likely to engage in new misconduct as the average financial adviser.
For individual advisers, it pinpoints a high level of educational and ethical shortcomings and for employers, it identifies an elevated level of tolerance for misconduct, with firms disciplining only around half of offenders with dismissal. Both indicate dire levels of experiential NON-learning, which has encouraged the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra), the non-government supervisory body for the sector, to initiate a ground-breaking solution using Knowledge Management (KM), Information Technology (IT) and Experiential Learning (EL) to address even further unsettling findings.
What's happening is that around 44% of sackings are typically re-employed by less reputable firms that have a higher rate of prior misconduct themselves, a finding that unearths another unnerving picture to further reinforce the unwelcome spin-off to retail investors. The researchers found that so-called 'clean' broker companies are co-existing with firms that persistently engage in wrongdoing, among them companies that "specialise" in misconduct and which specifically cater for unsophisticated customers in areas with low education, elderly populations and high incomes (source: http://www.valuewalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SSRN-id2739170.pdf).
With this scandalously high level of misbehaviour and tolerance for misconduct, it would appear that the standards of individual financial advisers as well as the hiring policies of employers are seriously lacking.
The evidence for these less reputable firms – indeed, even with the brokers who concentrate on more sophisticated clients – confirms the importance of a better way for investors to do their own due diligence on their financial advisers. For this to happen they need the evidence with which to become better experiential learners, where the results of the survey are being made available to investors in a trailblazing way.
Finra is recycling the information in a free-to-access databank that records so-identified "disclosures" (see http://brokercheck.finra.org/) of individual advisers. On a continuing basis, it will track any sort of dispute, disciplinary action or other financial matters concerning individual advisers, including fraud and other wrongdoing. It is intended that when customers get into disputes with their brokers, the results of any formal proceedings (often arbitration) will end up in BrokerCheck, as will any penalties from regulators or others. If the broker has been fired for any cause, this, too, will generally show up, as will any personal tax liens on brokers or bankruptcies that they've filed. Pubic access to this database will, hopefully, achieve two objectives – by naming-and-shaming individual advisers, it will hopefully deter the less-than-honest and, in the process, enable ordinary investors to make up their own minds whom to trust with their money.
Where this differs from other similar national projects is that it refers to individuals by name, thought to be a first. In the UK for example, the independent Financial Ombudsman Service publishes its "determinations" – or final decisions – of all appeals but without identifying individual advisers. Business units are identified by name whilst complainants are acknowledged by their initials.
To put BrokerCheck and other similar IT programmes into their operational contexts, they broadly fit into the prevailing discipline known as Knowledge Management (KM) and Experiential Learning (EL), the former being the efficient handling of historic data and resources while the latter is the process of learning through historical experience. Both are designed to enable good and better decisions, with BrokerCheck using explicit knowledge to provide users with an unsophisticated choice between perceived good and less good. EL, which is the more sophisticated use of prior experience, applies both explicit and tacit knowledge in a reflective methodology to adapt decisions to changed circumstances and environments, the process that is plainly behind the resolution to name and shame delinquent advisers. A good example of joint application of two of the main arms of KM, it would seem that the US financial services industry is broadening its attempt to improve its service to its ultimate customers.
I'm a modest investor myself and my choice of financial advisers has mostly depended on personal recommendation and broker-generated hype supported by generalised, oversimplified and confusing information that is always qualified. Down the years I've had concerns about my own choices whose reputations are similarly indefinite, with my complaints being expertly kicked into the long grass with the statement that "The value of investments can go down in value as well as up". Except for team leaders in one example, I was never able to locate the identities of employer-assigned individuals.
Whilst most national financial service sectors have an Ombudsman to supposedly help cut away that long grass, wouldn't it be practical for other national regulators to similarly survey their own community of financial advisers? If the results were, like the US, equally unwelcome, might not a similar BrokerCheck be fitting? It would certainly help to make investors a little more savvy before the Ombudsman or formalised legal route needs to be taken.
Given the evident employer-allowed misconduct in one country at least, one answer must be to give investors the evidential base with which to better choose their financial advisers for themselves. In truth, BrokerCheck won't stop all misconduct or fraud. But it is an imaginative and constructive deterrent to an evident problem.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Few homes remain! This new Elk Grove community has something for every buyer and boasts proximity to notable schools, local parks and the Civic Center, which will include an aquatics center, community center, library, performing arts center, children's museum and botanical gardens. The neighborhood is also conveniently located near shopping, restaurants, Highway 99 and I-5 for an easy commute into Sacramento. Choose from a variety of desirable homes with up to seven bedrooms and 3,630 sq. ft. with incredible included features and hundreds of personalization options. Across the nation and in Sacramento, CA, we're one of America's leading home builders!Visit the website Free brochure
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Decision Maker: Officer Decision
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Prior to repair and refurbishment works for 1 Cornhill (The old Post Office), IBC require the services of a conservation Architect to survey the building.
Quotes were received from Purcell and Nicholas Jacob Architects (NJA). One other Architect declined due to work commitments. These firms were approached due to their conservation/ heritage experience.
NJA offered the most economically advantageous tender for a total fee of £16,975.
Decision: To award the Contract to NJA
Reason: To enable works to proceed within given timescales.
Publication date: 29/03/2018
Date of decision: 28/03/2018
Accompanying Documents:


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Stock markets fall as trade fears resurface and Germany narrowly avoids recession
FTSE and European indexes down but Walmart's strong performance helps Dow stay flat
Stock markets have dipped as concerns over trade wars resurface.
London's slightly slipped by 0.1 per cent this morning as a number of the biggest firms on the index, including include Sainsbury's, and drug maker went ex-dividend.
However, luxury brand Burberry surged 7 per cent as designer Riccardo Tisci's collections boosted quarterly sales. The index closed at 7292.76, off 58.45 (0.80 per cent).
Data from the UK's Office for National Statistics showed that British consumers cut back on shopping in October, adding to signs of weak overall economic growth.
In the US the was roughly flat as declines in shares of weighed against gains in , which reported its third-quarter revenues of nearly $128bn (£99bn) and adjusted earnings that beat estimates.
The S&P 500 was also little changed after posting a record closing high on Wednesday November 13.
European shares also fell. This morning the pan-European STOXX 600 index slipped 0.1 per cent, with German shares dropping 0.2 per cent. It closed at 404.42, down 0.35 per cent.
European Central Bank vice president Luis De Guindos said that Europe faced only a "very low" risk of recession, but called on all eurozone governments to help revive the bloc's economy, after data showed Germany (Europe's largest economy) narrowly avoiding a recession in the third quarter as growth grew by 0.1 per cent.
This has put it below the UK, the US and France in the global growth league. Japan is also struggling, with growth dropping to just 0.1 per cent.
In Asia, the index dropped 0.8 per cent in afternoon trading, while Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 0.7 per cent. The Shanghai Composite added 0.3 per cent.
The is slightly up against the euro this afternoon at about the 1.16 mark (+0.1028 per cent) while it is up against the dollar too at about 1.28 (+0.0988 per cent).


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Well, I'm going to offer you a shortcut: the scalp massager. This Daddy Long Leg-looking device is used by gently placing it on the scalp and lightly pressing it down, so that the "legs" glide down your scalp. Try having someone else use it on you for the best effects.
Blue Star Flakes Slime Color
Have you ever had a pleasing reaction to something but were unable to articulate how it makes you feel because it makes absolutely no sense? For example, I love the smell of freshly opened tennis balls. I am fully aware that the smell shouldn't be great, it's hardly enticing on paper. If I had to describe it, I'd say it's a musky, muddy, petroleum, rubbery odor. Sounds great, huh? Interestingly, there is a fraction of the population who, like me, loves this smell.
I normally hate the color orange, and the only reason why I got this was because I was going to mix it with a few things and experiment. But, all on it's own, this color is lovely! Like shiny Navel oranges, or a sunset. Needless to say, I haven't mixed it with anything else. 🙂


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Where are the opportunities in Chinese equities?
How China's slowing growth and trade war with the US will impact clients invested in the region
China's ongoing trade war with the US has been making headlines, while concerns about its slowing economic growth continue to unnerve many investors.
But China's economy remains the second largest in the world by GDP and government stimulus may help boost economic growth this year.
So how can advisers reassure clients with exposure to the Chinese equity market in 2019, following disappointing returns in 2018?
Read on to find out more about the headwinds and tailwinds facing Chinese equities.
Advisers invest in Chinese equities despite fears
Almost half of advisers said their clients were invested in Chinese equities to "diversify" their portfolios, despite fears of a Chinese economic slowdown and growing trade tensions, according to the latest FTAdviser Talking Point poll.
The poll asked financial advisers whether their clients' portfolios were allocated to Chinese equities and, either way, for what reason.
Some 46 per cent of advisers said their clients were invested in Chinese equities, citing "diversification".
But 23 per cent said their clients did not have an allocation to Chinese equities due to slowing growth.
As with other global markets, we believe that volatility is likely to be on the cards.
Only 14 per cent said their clients did not invest in Chinese equities because of concerns around escalating trade tensions between the US and China.
Meanwhile 17 per cent said clients had an allocation to Chinese equities in their portfolios due to its growth prospects.
Sacha Chorley, multi-asset portfolio manager at Quilter Investors, said: "China is an important part of emerging market indices so it should not be surprising that many portfolios hold some Chinese equity exposure."
Chinese equities have come under increased scrutiny by investors, amid weakening economic data and trade tensions.
China's manufacturing sector contracted in December, with the Caixin manufacturing PMI slipping to 49.7 in the month, its lowest level since May 2017.
US tech giant Apple also issued a rare profit warning earlier this month, citing a slowdown in Chinese demand as the key reason.
Alex Shaw, director of Progeny Wealth was surprised about the poll results.
He said: "I am surprised that advisers would actively choose to invest in a market which is so opaque. While it offers low correlation to other global stock markets, transparency remains key to managing risk and reducing volatility for clients."
He added: "As with other global markets, we believe that volatility is likely to be on the cards. In the absence of full transparency, we are happy to observe from a safe distance."
Stephen Dover, head of equities at Franklin Templeton, said the US-China trade war was less about economics and more about China's "growing political influence".
Both the US and China reached a truce last year and held two days of trade talks earlier this month.
He said: "Though the residential real estate market is a concern and economic growth has been decelerating, we do not see a 'hard landing' ahead. We believe there could be long-term opportunities in China's more domestically-oriented sectors over the longer term."
Jean-Pierre Couture, chief economist at Hexavest, added: "The first half of the year could be a good entry point for contrarian investors because investors' sentiment towards China is [already] depressed."
CPD: What is in store for Chinese equity investors in 2019?
Words: Victoria Tichá
Images: Pexels
Is China due a hard landing?
Chinese equities continue to face scrutiny from investors as some say optimism about the progress made in the US-China trade dispute has helped investor sentiment, while others worry a so-called 'hard landing' in China is imminent and portfolio exposure should be kept to a minimum.
There is no question that economic growth in China, and globally, is slowing.
Chinese GDP slowed to 6.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018, the weakest quarterly growth figure since the global financial crisis in 2008, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, published on January 21.
But Michelle Qi, chief investment officer of Eastspring Investments' wholly foreign-owned enterprise in China, says the quality and sustainability of China's economic development, rather than the speed of its growth, should be the key focus for investors this year.
Ms Qi explains: "China doesn't need to grow 9 or 10 per cent every year, 6 per cent is still very quick, and there's a lot more opportunity for stockpickers like ourselves – you just need to check the right sector and the right names."
As many clients' portfolios continue to have some Chinese equity exposure, it is important to know what key challenges and opportunities lie ahead for the market in 2019.
US-China trade spat
Amit Mehta, director for emerging markets at Hermes Investment Management, explains that over the course of 2018, China's relationship with the US took a marked turn for the worse and the ongoing trade conflict, coupled with a slowing Chinese economy, led to a sell-off in Chinese equities in the second half of the year.
Mr Mehta explains: "But trade tensions should ease in 2019 as a compromise is reached, and a trade compromise should be good for world markets, including China's, especially if it is accompanied by sufficient [government] stimulus to get the economy back on its 6 per cent plus growth track."
Indeed, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set March 2 as a deadline to strike a more comprehensive agreement, after calling a truce to their trade war at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in December 2018.
We are at the early stages of a geopolitical competition that will eventually turn more serious... than the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
Nevertheless, Mr Mehta says it is important to recognise that the US-China relationship has now fundamentally changed from one of cooperation to one of competition.
He continues: "The US has belatedly recognised that its economic 'little brother' has serious aspirations to global leadership, and is in the process of withdrawing many of the facilitating conventions (academia, technology, and military capability, etc) that have been in place for decades.
"We are at the early stages of a geopolitical competition that will eventually turn more serious, and infinitely more complex, than the Cold War with the Soviet Union."
Similarly, Ms Qi says China's economic slowdown can be attributed to "the trade dispute – not so much on earnings but rather on investor sentiment – and the second, more direct impact, China's deleveraging campaign".
She adds: "The deleveraging process of China's balance sheets actually hit the economic growth quite hard from the second half of 2018, and that's why we've seen a decline in GDP growth since – and [we expect] the bottom out will take place until the second quarter into the third quarter this year."
The trade spat comes at an especially difficult time for the Chinese economy, suggests Claudia Calich, manager of the M&G Emerging Markets Bond fund.
Ms Calich notes: "As the cost-benefit of additional policy stimulus is lower than it was a decade ago, given the higher leverage in the system – inflation is good to cut debt but comes at a very high competitiveness cost."
Adviser views
Despite the negative headlines, she warns investors should not rule out any potential positive tailwind, as the US-China relationship could stabilise and have a positive impact on asset prices, including emerging market debt.
However, Philip Hanley, director and independent financial adviser at Philip James Financial Services, believes "the news of China's financial death has been greatly exaggerated".
Mr Hanley suggests: "All will be well until the next 'crisis' in a couple of years from which lots of people, mainly in China, will make lots of money.
"It's a dictatorship, they can do and tell us they're doing whatever they want."
Despite his reservations, Mr Hanley says he invests in model portfolios and multi-asset funds and would expect most portfolio managers to maintain exposure to "one of the world's largest economies".
It is unsurprising that headline growth is slowing, with the ongoing rebalancing of the economy towards services.
While Dennis Hall, chief executive and chartered financial planner at Yellowtail Financial Planning, warns investors should approach with a little more caution, as the level of debt in China draws some parallels to Japan in the early 1990s.
He asks: "Why would you want to get involved, other than through a global equity fund which would ensure you're not going overweight, and which would give better exposure to companies already benefiting from China through trade?"
Outlook for 2019
The Chinese economy is now on a par with the US as a key driver of global financial markets, and investors need to follow it closely, suggests James Dowey, chief investment officer and chief economist at Neptune Investment Management.
Mr Dowey adds: "Allocation wise, despite China's economic ascendency, I'm sceptical that Chinese stocks will prove as reliable a mechanism as US stocks to grow one's wealth over the long term.
"The problem is that shareholders are possibly just not powerful enough in China to win so big a share of the proceeds of long-run economic growth, so I believe one should temper one's allocation to Chinese stocks to take account of this problem."
But Danny Dolan, managing director of China Post Global, believes that despite the slowdown, China's growth continues to strongly outperform other major markets.
"It is unsurprising that headline growth is slowing, with the ongoing rebalancing of the economy towards services, and tightening fiscal policy, credit conditions and financial supervision," he observes.
He also believes setting a lower growth target for 2019 – between 6 per cent to 6.5 per cent – as well as China's recent stimulus plans, in light of slowing growth and the ongoing US tariff dispute, was the right move by Chinese authorities.
China is now the second largest economy in the world and the largest contributor to global GDP growth.
Mr Amit predicts GDP growth will slow to 6.2 per cent, because "given likely tariff increases and residual effects from the slowdown in shadow lending and municipal property sales, a mid to high single-digit growth is realistic".
He also suggests the Chinese economy "normally responds well to government stimulus", and this time should be no exception.
"This may be one of the last times, however, that the government can use this trick as the country's level of debt is high, its level of technology is low, and its political system is sclerotic," Mr Amit notes.
"With all this in mind, we believe the equity market in China is undervalued, and is, over the medium term, quite capable of performing strongly."
Short-term support
Roger Jones, head of equities at London & Capital, disagrees and explains that investing in a Chinese equity fund, as opposed to a global equity fund, could be a good idea in the short term.
Mr Jones explains: "Short-term support for Chinese equities is not hard to find, with low valuations, improving trading war relations and the recent government stimulus likely to boost or support GDP growth."
Mr Jones continues: "Chinese equity returns have varied dramatically from global equities over the last few years and global equities are very US stock market dominated.
"[But] China is now the second largest economy in the world and the largest contributor to global GDP growth."
Eastspring Investments' Ms Qi says, looking at historical valuations, China A-shares also look cheap.
She notes that foreign ownership of China A-shares is already about 6.5 per cent, and this could go up as a result of the inclusion of China A-shares in the MSCI Global indices in 2018.
Nevertheless, she warns: "While it's an opportunity for any China manager, the important thing is to talk to an onshore manager who lives in China, who talks to Chinese companies and grows with them every day.
"We prefer to look at industry leaders who will benefit from strong market pricing power, the recent supply-side reforms and increased deleveraging, and also higher environmental standards."
Separately, she notes: "While a trade war is negative on the import and export sector, it has been positive in the way it pushed the government to think about changing to domestic-driven income policy – China can grow quite strongly based on domestic demands."
While the outlook at the start of 2019 has proved to be more positive, Adrian Lowcock, head of personal investing at Willis Owen, says: "Going forward will be about managing expectations and avoiding panic, valuations, falling markets etc, more than anything else."
Mr Lowcock identifies three Chinese equity funds to watch in 2019:
- First State Greater China Growth fund
- Fidelity China Focus fund
- Janus Henderson China Opportunities fund
He also signposts two sectors investors in China should keep an eye on in particular, including technology and insurance.
Mr Lowcock explains: "There are concerns over regulation of technology. However, in China, the state is all and personal liberties are less of a concern, so regulation is likely to be less onerous in Chinese technology companies."
He adds: "The country has also invested heavily in developing expertise in these areas and that sort of investment, and the momentum it creates doesn't turn off overnight."
House View: Outlook 2019 - China equities
Following a cyclical recovery in 2017, driven by robust domestic demand and supply-side reforms, the emphasis in China has since shifted to the quality of economic growth.
With political power consolidated under President Xi Jinping, this focus on quality growth as well as economic and social stability brought renewed efforts to shrink the shadow banking sector. The government's effort to deleverage the economy and increase regulatory oversight led to concerns around economic growth coming into 2018.
Indeed, we saw credit conditions tighten on the back of reduced shadow banking activity. Tighter credit led to a rise in credit defaults this year, while areas, including industrial production and fixed asset investment, also lost momentum.
Against the backdrop of a slowing economy and escalating trade tensions with the US, China has introduced various measures to help support the economy:
- The delayed implementation of regulations on wealth management products.
- Cuts in banks' reserve requirement ratio (RRR).
- The accelerating issuance of local government bonds.
- The encouragement of banks to increase lending to small and medium enterprises.
- The State Council's guideline to support domestic consumption.
- Changes to the income tax scheme for individuals.
We believe that these policies are aimed at cushioning the economy on the downside rather than providing large scale stimulus. A weak renminbi and high debt levels also limit the ability of the government to stimulate aggressively.
The government will need to continue to balance its agenda for deleveraging and introducing structural reforms, whilst maintaining reasonable economic growth.
Trade dispute
On the trade front, our base case remains that a wide-ranging destructive trade war is not in anyone's interest.
The risk to Chinese and Asian earnings remains hard to gauge given the announced tariffs to date are relatively narrow in scope and will have little impact on the listed corporate sector.
We see limited scope for Chinese manufacturing to be re-shored to the US, or substitution of US goods in place of Asian imports. However, it is the second order impact on capex and investments, and potentially on consumption, that is harder to measure.
China is unlikely to move on its strategic vision to transform itself into a technology leader.
The renminbi is an unlikely tool should trade tensions continue to escalate given the risks of inciting capital flight, but currency weakness may be seen as a result of US dollar strength.
The risks of a full-scale and protracted trade war are longer term in nature, with China's strategic industrial policy blueprint and a Sino-US technology arms-race at the heart of the issue.
China has shown its willingness to negotiate and compromise on trade issues to narrow the trade deficit, reduce import barriers and further liberalise its domestic market. However, China is unlikely to move on its strategic vision to transform itself into a technology leader.
Defensive stance, though value is emerging
Earnings-per-share growth is currently forecast to be in the mid-teens, but we think that is likely to moderate going into 2019.
Margin pressure for mid-stream consumer and industrial companies remains high, especially for those who are unable to pass on higher costs.
Valuations for China equities have become more attractive and suggest upside for investors over the medium term.
We remain relatively defensively positioned going into next year given the current environment, with most of our exposure concentrated in domestically-focused names and sectors showing long-term growth trends.
We remain underweight to technology stocks given uncertainties brought about by regulatory headwinds.
We prefer the energy sector given discipline on the supply side and on pricing. We also favour Chinese insurance companies, and names benefiting from domestic consumption, where we are seeing a pick-up in offline consumer activity.
Valuations for China equities have become more attractive and suggest upside for investors over the medium term.
However, investors are likely to remain cautious in the near term given the likelihood of further cuts in earnings forecasts, continued uncertainty on the trade front, and continued increases in US interest rates in the next few months.
As bottom-up investors, our focus remains on those businesses best equipped to navigate the current slowdown and also exploit the favourable longer-term trends we continue to see in the market.
Louisa Lo is head of Greater China equities at Schroders


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- Tech Trader Daily
IBM Mainframe Business Hit With Pair Of EC Antitrust Probes
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The European Commissionhas started a pair of antitrust investigationsexamining whether IBM(IBM)may have abused its dominant position in the mainframe computer market, Reuters reports.
One probe focuses on claims that the company has tied its mainframe hardware to its dominant mainframe operating system; that investigation was triggered by a pair of companies - T3and TurboHercules- that make software which emulates IBM mainframe software to allow applications to run on Windows-based servers. The other investigation focuses on allegations of discriminatory behavior toward competing suppliers of mainframe maintenance services.
In a statement, IBM said it "intends to cooperate fully" with the inquires. But it also asserts that the investigations were actually triggered by Microsoft(MSFT). "Let there be no confusion whatsoever: there is no merit to the claims being made by Microsoft and its satellite proxies," IBM said. "IBM is fully entitled to enforce its intellectual property rights and protect the investments we have made in our technologies. Competition and intellectual property laws are complementary and designed to promote competition and innovation, and IBM fully supports these policies. But IBM will not allow the fruits of its innovation and investment to be pirated by its competition through baseless allegations."
IBM is down 73 cents, or 0.6%, to $127.65.


text: V8 POWER - ALLOY WHEELS - REAR SPOILER - SUNROOF - LEATHER - BACK-UP CAMERA Sit down, buckle up and hold on tight!! If you're looking for a sedan with equal parts performance, luxury and attitude, this Dodge Charger is uniquely qualified. From sinister speed to exceptional control, it's monster fierce in both design and performance! A true muscle car from top to bottom! Please call 239-288-7374 of stop by 8181 Mainline Parkway, Fort Myers 33912. We have two locations with ovear 375 vehicles in stock that can be seen at www.lee-cars.com. We have been family owned and operated since 1968, We offer great financing with national lenders and have GUARANTEED CREDIT APPROVAL! We offer extended service contracts (warranties) on every vehicle in stock. We would love the opportunity to EARN your business!


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Head Office
The Company and Subsidiaries
Bilal and Tounsi Company (BTC) was established in 1986, specialized in importing and exporting Synthetic yarns, fabrics and garments. In 1993 the company expanded to establish Bilal &Tounsi & Abbar (BTA) Company to work in commerce, shipment and customs clearance. In 1999 BTA and Al-Yassar Company established a new company for importing medical and laboratory equipment under the name of AL-Sham Company for Medical Laboratory Equipment. In early 2007, The Syrian Trade law was modified to allow the importation of cosmetics. At that time Beauty Art Company was merged by the union of BTA Co. and Refaia Co. for Cosmetic, Skin and Body Care products, and Items of personal Care Trading.
Company Structure
1. Chief Executive Officer { C E O } : Khaled Muhdi Al Tounsi
2. Deputy General Manager : Osama Refaieh .
3. Purchasing Manager: Mohamed Yasser Refaia .
4. Public Relations Manager : Omran Abbar .
5. Advertising Manager : Maha Ibo.
6. Executive Secretary: Fadwa Alkade .
7. HR: ziyad Hafez
Marketing Managment
1. Marketing Manager :Basem Hamida & Muhamed Al-Sabagh
2. Sales Supervisor : Jamal Hajo.
3-Sales Supervisor : Alaa Al-Maghrebi Beauty
Experts Managment
1. Beauty (Cosmetic & Skin) Expert Manager : Alona Derki .
2. Make-UP Artist : Manal Ebo
Beauty Art Community
• Number of staff : 100 employees including administrators, sellers, distributors, workers and sales representatives.
• Number of delivery vehicles: 17 cars.
• Number of stores: 3 warehouses of 2500 square meters.
• Number of P.O.S.: 3000 P.O.S.
• Number of company's galleries: 8 centers .
Beauty Art Company Concept
" The Seller is the Expert " is to import cosmetics with international quality and distinctive specifications . The company keens to launch these products in the local market within the scientific, technical strategy, and focuses on the concept of each seller should be an expert in cosmetics and skin care before being a seller .
Beauty Art Company Plans
The structural plans depend on development, modernization .They are based on studying the local market and getting an evolution about the area and its missed and necessary needs . Moreover , the company depends on a qualified experts that would advise the clients with the most important rules of skin care and developed method of cosmetics art .
Company Main Purpose
Educating women about skin science and the importance of daily skin care as well as helping them to keep their skin bright and fresh for the longest possible period of life is the main purpose of the Company. Since the Syrian society culture and knowledge of skin care is relatively less than other neighboring Arab countries, the company insists on paying women's attention to the necessity of being familiar with the correct caring methods of skin. Thus a qualified specialized team is considered by the company to present a lot of cultural sessions about skin care and its health. Moreover, the experts concern on applying the modern skin science by specifying the types of skin and recognizing the qualities of each type, then knowing the healthy suitable treatment.
The other Goals of Company
The second aim of Beauty Art Company is to deliver the personal products with good international quality to all segments of society at the suitable prices to satisfy the needs of local market. As a result, the company achieves the third aim of gaining a reasonable financial profit.


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A 3D medical animation studio will allow you to visually show complex scientific concepts or science projects trough 3d science videos, animation and illustration. For pharma companies our 3d medical animation services such as the mechanisms of action of drugs, medical surgeries or the specific details of biotechnologies make a difference in an exhibition.
Our work exceeds the rest of the medical animation companies thanks to our variety and quality of communication media, product marketing materials, and specific branding requirements where our specialized scientific animation, science videos, medical animation services and illustration can be used to improve your image and comercial communications.
Websites, mobile applications, interactive 3d science videos, scientific animation for eLearning and all of 3D medical animation services for companies that we develop makes it easy to organizations of pharmaceutical and medical sector to deliver training and marketing media to anyone anywhere.
We create immersive graphics and replicate environments that simulate physical presence. As medical animation studio our job is creating sensory virtual reality experiences and 3D medical animation services for companies like yours.
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"Excellent team of professionals for high-end quality projects"
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"A very professional team who knew how to capture our idea in an excellent video."
- Scientific transparency and verification Manager
"We love the 3D scientific animation that was made, and so do all people we show it to."
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"Communication has been very pleasant and easy, either by phone, email or videoconference. The team was very kind and happy to explain the process of video creation to a non-specialist like me. They also make the best efforts to stick to short deadlines."
- Dorota N. - Marketing Communications Manager
"Excellent experience working with 3Dfor Science! Very responsive and professional team helped us to create two great tools in a very short time. It is not just their technical know how, but also the time management capabilities that were key to our success."
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"Their team is adaptable, willing to work closely with the sponsor to process unclear/changing project specifications with a great end result"
- Project manager
3DforScience created a great mechanism of action video for our ONCOS-102 virus - very happy with the final result! Thank you
- Associate Director , Phd.
"Beautiful mechanism of action video for our lead candidates Asp-1929 and IRDye 700DX made by a fantastic team. It was a pleasure working with 3DforScience team, we'd love to work with them in the future and would highly recommend their work to others."
- Communications manager
3D for Science is a great team to work with; they are flexible and still on top of the project respecting tight deadlines. We love our 3D MoA video and so does our audience!
- Ceo
Great outcome and really nice animation


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- Home
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Blue Ridge Properties has compiled this list of tips to help with all of your real estate needs from staging and styling to sell your home fast to ensuring you get the best deal as a home buyer:
Despite the cold weather and icy roads, almost a million homes were sold during the winter last year. While more homes do sell in warmer months, there's no reason to wait till spring if you're ready to sell now. Here are some advantages to putting your home on the market this winter.
Less Competition
According to the numbers, spring is the most popular season for selling a home. This means the spring market is always overcrowded with options for buyers, forcing sellers to make more concessions on price. The competition over the low inventory in winter months can make winter an ideal time to sell your home.
Motivated Buyers
Most people avoid the cold at all costs, so buyers looking in the winter (and there are a lot of them!) tend to be pretty serious.
Holiday Bonuses
Year-end performance reviews and holiday bonuses could mean some people have extra money to spend on a home during the winter months.
Vacation Time
The holidays are a busy time for everyone, no doubt. However, the holidays also bring some extra days off work for a lot of people. That means extra time that can be dedicated to finding their dream home.
Year-End Tax Breaks
The tax benefits of buying a home may motivate some winter buyers to find a home before the end of the year. Some of the expenses of buying a home can be written off on the buyer's taxes, and there are usually multiple tax benefits of owning a home that they can also take advantage of. In general, a homeowner can count on the following being tax-deductible:
· Mortgage interest
· Private mortgage insurance (PMI) premiums
· Real estate taxes
These benefits push some potential home buyers to want to close on a new house before the new year. If you're selling your home to buy another, you could also ring in the new year with more tax breaks!
Ready to list? Blue Ridge Properties' realtors and real estate agents have you covered this winter. Find an agent here!


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10 January 2013 ,
High technology, researched design, great space given to personalisation: the new direction of the celebrated French yard has reinforced a more than century-old tradition, finding its most outstanding standard-bearer in the 3300 Fly.
With the experience handed down through four generations of shipbuilders since 1897, culminating in the new company set-up, the French yard Couach is seen today as one of the most advanced worldwide at a technological level. Experimentation with new materials, development of new procedures, research in the fields of hydrodynamics and design are the keystones of its technical department which, especially after the expansion of the early 2000's, handles a considerable interchange of experiences between the military and pleasure craft sectors. The latter - expressed in the Flying Bridge, Yacht and Open lines - covers a range that is in constant growth, urged on as it is by an equally effervescent demand. What customers are after substantially is a well balanced mix of high technology and customisation: two elements which may clash but which the Gujan- Mestras yard has miraculously showed itself capable of coupling, above all with the latest creations.
Her asking price is EUR. 4.950.000 ex.VAT and she is commissioned in 2007.
Relevant Link : /yachts/1189/Coach%203300%20Fly.html < news overview


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Israel doesn't need to deport asylum seekers to make them leave
Six ways the Israeli government is intentionally making the lives of asylum seekers unbearable. By Elizabeth Tsurkov Since 2008, the Israeli government has been implementing several policies whose purpose is to make the lives of African asylum seekers miserable, in the words of former Israeli Minister of Interior, and to coerce them to leave Israel.…
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June 24, 2015
'A new page in human history': Darfuri refugee on landmark court ruling
Mutasim Ali is happy but he is not celebrating the landmark court ruling that will set him and thousands of other African asylum seekers free by the end of the year. There is a long, bumpy road ahead, he says, but 'Israel will be a better place and it is our responsibility to make it so.'…
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September 22, 2014
Israel hasn't recognized one Sudanese refugee
Worldwide, the refugee recognition rate for Sudanese is nearly 70 percent. Out of the 10,000 in Israel, not one has been granted refugee status. By Elizbaeth Tsurkov The State of Israel recognized just over 200 refugees ever since it signed the Refugee Convention in 1954, but none of them are Sudanese nationals. You read it right…
+972 Magazine
May 8, 2014
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Twitter Transcript: Israel's High Court discusses 'infiltrator law'
[View the story "Israel's High Court hears arguments against 'infiltrators law'" on Storify]
Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man
April 1, 2014
Knesset passes revised law for detention of African asylum seekers
The previous law was struck down by the High Court, which ordered the state to begin releasing the asylum seekers it was indefinitely detaining. Instead, the Knesset passed a law to circumvent the ruling and indefinitely detain asylum seekers in 'open prisons.' By Elizabeth Tsurkov After a passionate debate and a filibuster by opposition members of…
+972 Magazine
December 10, 2013
Despite landmark High Court ruling, asylum seekers are only cautiously optimistic
Monday's High Court ruling provided a major blow to the state's attempt to hold asylum seekers in detention. However, despite the decision, asylum seekers are still not entitled to basic benefits such as health insurance, social services, housing and the freedom to work. By Elizabeth Tsurkov Refugees in Israel reacted with delight to the news of…
+972 Magazine
September 17, 2013
Would Israel's refugee policies stand up in… Nairobi?
Israel could learn a thing or two from the Kenyan High Court's rebuttal of efforts to lock up asylum seekers. There are judges in Nairobi [1], and they are more courageous and much more familiar with refugee law than judges in Jerusalem. A Kenyan court last month published a ruling on a government decision to…
Laissez Passer
August 11, 2013
Eritreans in Israel face unique obstacles in protesting for their country's future
Had the Israeli media paid attention to a protest by Eritrean refugees outside their embassy last week, the public would have learned something valuable about the Eritrean community in Israel: they desperately want a better future for their country so that one day soon, they can go home. By Sigal Rozen Over 200 Eritrean refugees gathered…
+972 Magazine
February 7, 2013
Interior minister exploits rape by Eritrean for anti-immigrant campaign
Prepare yourselves. Last May, when it was last announced that an Eritrean citizen raped an Israeli woman, Interior Minister Eli Yishai responded by placing thousands of asylum seekers, among them children, rape and torture victims and the elderly in administrative detention, all in accordance with Israel's Prevention of Infiltration Law. In the wake of the…
Laissez Passer
January 3, 2013
For asylum seekers in Israel, the police is the judiciary
A new government regulation enables the indefinite incarceration of refugees suspected of committing crimes, even if there is not enough evidence to indict them. Were this regulation applied to Israeli politicians, many of them would be in prison. By Asaf Weitzen The upcoming elections will affect not only the lives of Israeli citizens, they will…
+972 Magazine
December 3, 2012
PHOTO ESSAY: A sprawling desert prison, for thousands of refugees
On Thursday, I traveled to the south with a group of journalists and bloggers to view the construction of new detention facilities around Ketsiot, near the Egyptian border. When completed, the four prisons in the area are meant to be able to hold more than 16,000 inmates, making them, together, the largest detention facility for…
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November 3, 2012
Abducted from Sudan, tortured in Sinai: Mother and child languish in Israeli jail
After facing brutal treatment at the hands of Sinai smugglers, an Eritrean mother and her baby daughter – who did not intend to go to Israel – have found themselves victim to Israeli policy, despite not having done a thing to deserve such a fate. By Anat Ben-Dor There are things one can do only when…
Laissez Passer
October 1, 2012
Sudanese refugees, activists hope for change in policies
Activists believe the deportation of South Sudanese will most probably not lower the number of African migrants in Israel, and it is also a direct violation of Israel's obligations under international commitments. Israeli authorities have begun arresting dozens of African migrants, as reported by +972's Mya Guarnieri. It is the latest in an effort to crackdown…
Roee Ruttenberg
June 11, 2012
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Rising Inflation, Slow IIP Growth Raise Rate Cut Hopes
The August 2019 retail inflation rate is the highest since October 2018, when it was recorded at 3.38 per cent.
Inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 3.15 per cent in July this year. Compared year over year, it was 3.69 per cent in August 2018.
The August 2019 retail inflation rate is the highest since October 2018, when it was recorded at 3.38 per cent.
Inflation in the food basket was 2.99 per cent, up from 2.36 per cent in July.
The August data released by the National Statistics Office in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Thursday also provided details of inflation in segments like 'health', 'recreation and amusement' and 'personal care and effects'.
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The Ray
The Ray
Ray C. Anderson Foundation | Newsroom
Videos From This Campaign
Content from this campaign
Right of Way (ROW) Owners Allow the Bees to Tell Their Stories
There are so many utilities and other right-of-way owners out there that are providing a commendable contribution to the environment and conservation, but the sustainability focus always seems to be on the "bigger" concerns, such as emissions or larger animals that people can relate to like a sweet manatee or a cute cougar cub. All of the good things that happen with right-of-way vegetation...
Jul 5, 2018 9:30 AM ET
Experimental Solar Road in Georgia Is Paving a New Way
The first solar roadway in the U.S. debuted on an 18-mile stretch of I-85 in southwestern Georgia. It's called the Ray C. Anderson Memorial Highway, and the asphalt is a living laboratory now known as The Ray -- it offers a vision of how highways could look and function in the future. A...
Jul 2, 2018 9:30 AM ET
Solar Highways for the 21st Century
Revenue from highway solar could provide a steady revenue stream instead of the doomed gas tax, unpopular tolling, and unreliable congressional appropriations.
Jun 29, 2018 9:30 AM ET
The Ray and Energy Institute at UT Austin Partner for Groundbreaking Solar Energy Research Focused on Highways
The Ray and the Energy Institute at the University of Texas, Austin will partner to create ground-breaking research in solar energy; specifically on highway right-of-way spaces.
Jun 19, 2018 9:30 AM ET
WheelRight Tire Safety Station on The Ray Now Includes Sidewall Reading
June 14, 2018 /3BL Media/ - This week, The Ray and WheelRight have upgraded the unique WheelRight drive-through tire safety station to include tire sidewall reading. The WheelRight system previously allowed for tire pressure and tread depth readings, but this...
Jun 14, 2018 10:30 AM ET
More From Ray C. Anderson Foundation
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 9:30am
Ray C. Anderson Foundation Awards $2500 Grant to University of New Hampshire's Sustainability Institute, Honoring Wendell Hadden, winner of the 2020 Ray C. Anderson Sustainability Award
Monday, March 23, 2020 - 9:30am
Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 9:30am


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DISH NAITON to Join REELZ Late Night Lineup, Beg. 3/2
REELZ today announced that DISH NATION will join the network's late night lineup beginning Monday, March 2 with the hottest nationally Syndicated radio teams offering their fresh and OUTRAGEOUS perspectives on breaking celebrity and pop culture headlines. With new episodes airing weeknights at 1:30am ET/ 10:30pm PT, the half-hour entertainment program features radio personalities from Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles as they dish on celebrity couples, entertainment news, trending pop culture moments and even what happened on your favorite reality shows. Viewers will have an additional chance to watch episodes of DISH NATION on REELZ weekdays at 9:30am ET/ 6:30am PT.Dish Nation's radio teams include Atlanta's Rickey Smiley Morning Show heard locally on Atlanta's WHTA, Syndicated in more than 60 markets nationwide, hosted by Rickey Smiley, Headkrack, Rock-T, Gary with da Tea and joined by THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA star Porsha Williams; The Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Show Syndicated in over 65 markets and based out of Dallas, Texas featuring Kellie Rasberry, Jenna, Big Al Mack and J-Si; and Los Angeles' The Heidi & Frank Show featuring Erik Scott Smith and Sammi Marino and heard weekdays on KLOS. Produced by FOX Television Stations and distributed by Twentieth Television, DISH NATION is Executive Produced by Michael Bachmann; Matt Blanock and Randy Christini are Co-Executive Producers. About ReelzChannel - Hollywood Happens Here(TM) REELZ is a leading independent cable and satellite general entertainment network, connecting its viewers across America with the magic, wonder and excitement of Hollywood wherever it happens. The network is home to cutting-edge factual entertainment and reality programs, compelling television events, miniseries, movies and series featuring big stories and big stars. Programming ranges from the critically acclaimed and award-winning The Kennedys to Hollywood Hillbillies, TMZ Hollywood Sports, Beverly Hills Pawn, OK! TV, HOLLYWOOD SCANDALS and much more that connects directly to the world of entertainment. REELZ also showcases top movie and entertainment expert Leonard Maltin who provides specific on-air recommendations for movies viewers can watch at home. REELZ reaches 70 million homes on DIRECTV channel 238, Dish Network channel 299, Verizon FiOS TV channel 233, AT&T U-verse channels 799/1799HD and cable systems nationwide. Find REELZ in your area by entering your zip code at www.reelz.com/watch. REELZ is a High-Definition network and if a cable or satellite provider doesn't carry it that way, we encourage viewers to call and ask for REELZ in HD. Owned by Hubbard Media Group, REELZ is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM with national ad sales based in New York City with offices in Boston and Chicago. As one of the last truly independent television networks remaining in today's media landscape REELZ has created the Independence Happens Here(TM) website to help keep free thought and innovation alive by highlighting the importance of independent businesses. The website can be found at http://IndependenceHappensHere.com


text: Lately I've been all about Caribbean flavors. A few weeks back Laura and I went to the Virgin Islands for a few days and now I'm totally hooked on the cuisine. We spent much of our time on Saint Thomas, which I was surprised to find has a wide range of vegan food . ….


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Too many ADS on TV!!!!
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
June 16, 2007 5:17am CST
I am sure that many of you have thought about this in some moment. You're watching TV after dinner, relaxed and trying to chill for a while before heading to bed. There's a prime time series starting, so you decide to watch it. So it starts, and after 2 minutes, commercials. Oh well, you think, and you wait patiently for the ads to finish. Series returns, but only 10 or 15 minutes later you get a banner that says: ads, we're back in only 50 seconds. Back to the series and when you're by the half of the episode, you get a long set of commercials again. By that time i get pissed off, i stand up and go to bed. That's why i have decided to record all the series i like and watch them afterwards or the day after. I cannot stand the amount of ads that channels put, specially on prime time series. Don't you think it's an abuse that they put so many commercials on tv?
2 people like this
3 responses
@cdparazo (5768)
• Philippines
18 Jun 07
I do enjoy watching commercials and I so does my children so I don't mind . I also consider them advantageous because the more commercials they have, it means that they have more money to produce good TV shows that the public could enjoy. It could also get people more informed in the products that they are using. In short, people will know that they have more choices and its the consumers who will get to benefit in the end. For me, it is also an indicator of thriving & good business and booming economy. It means that a lot of business are coming in and that they want to attract more people to buy their products because they also believe that the people has the purchasing power. I don't mind at all.
• Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
18 Jun 07
You're truly lucky that you don't mind LOL. I can't stand them! hehe. thanks for replying hon.
@REMNANTscrapbook (124)
• United States
17 Jun 07
i dont think such thigns can be abuse. cause theyre trying to get their names etc out. to see if people are interested. sure it can be annoying, but commercial "sells". i really think its annoying.. i hate commercials with the "HEY BOYS.. WANNA CHAT.. THEN CALL BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!?" gosh how desperate do you have to be to even do that!?
• Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
17 Jun 07
thanks for responding remnant.
@jmathen (112)
• India
16 Jun 07
It is true that the commercials on television can get iritating ! As you said, sometimes we might be watching an interesting programme but we get interrupted with all these commercials every 5 minutes !!! But then, there is another side to it..In this developing society, how can we avoid the commercials??? Most of us sit in front of the television and in order to catch our attention the commercials pop up !!! I have to say, we all depend on commercials to know about new products and other information of the different products we would prefer to use !! Now a days, the number of products/services introduced to our society are increasing day by day !!! So, it is impossible to totally blame or ignore these commercials...Well, as we all want to just enjoy a programme without getting interupted, i would also prefer to record the programs that i want to see.....
• Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
16 Jun 07
Thank you for replying jmathen


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Don't Push the Button! (PagePerfect NOOK Book)32
NOOK Book(eBook)
Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps.
2.99 In Stock
There's only one rule in Larry's book: don't push the button.
(Seriously, don't even think about it!)
Even if it does look kind of nice, you must never push the button. Who knows what would happen?
Okay, quick. No one is looking... push the button.
Uh, oh.
Product Details
|Publication date:
|Sold by:
|Barnes & Noble
|NOOK Book
|File size:
|This product may take a few minutes to download.
|Age Range:
|4 - 8 Years
About the Author
Bill Cotter has been an avid scholar and fan of world's fairs since his first visit to the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. His collection of vintage photographs has been featured in numerous books, including three previous titles for Arcadia Publishing, as well as in magazine articles, documentaries, and Web sites that document the histories of the fairs.
Customer Reviews
Don't Push the Button! based on 0 ratings. 9 reviews.
It's a very cute, fun and engaging book. It's hard for my son to sit down and listen to me read him a book. Although with this book it keeps him engaged pushing the button and laughing. We absolutely love this book. From my 9 yr old to my 3 yr old
A recipient of the Mom's Choice Awards! The Mom's Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for parents and educators and is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. Using a rigorous evaluation process, entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost. Around the world, parents, educators, retailers and members of the media trust the MCA Honoring Excellence seal when selecting quality products and services for families and children.
My Grandchildren love this book. We read it all the time. They can't wait to push the button. And when it comes time to shake the book, they do it singing "Shake Your Booty." My grandchildren are ages 3 and 4.
A new family favorite with the feel of an old classic! DON'T PUSH THE BUTTON! by Bill Cotter was a fun, silly read-aloud book that left my whole family in fits of giggles. Larry's book has one rule: DON'T push the button! (Seriously, don't even think about it!) But as soon as someone tells us DON'T, we automatically want to try it. And eventually, everyone knows we're going to push the button. But when we do, all kinds of mayhem occurs. When I got a copy of this book from NetGalley to review, I giggled my way through it twice on my own, and then gathered my family together and read it to them as well. DON'T PUSH THE BUTTON was cute and clever, with the same feel as the classic THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK, where the child is invited to participate in the story by reacting to (and disregarding) the instructions of the narrator. It brought back happy memories of my own childhood story times as I read together with my children. Even my teens and husband wanted to read it again when we were through! This is definitely one we're putting on our "we must purchase a physical copy of this book" list!
I watch a group of three, four and five year olds as they were being read this book. Their expressions and reactions said it all! What fun they had pushing the buttons and watching what happens with the turn of each page. I highly recommend this book for the child in your life. Fun for all!
This fun, interactive book stars Larry, the purple monster. He is friendly, happy and completely non-threatening. He is having a meltdown because he has privy to a red button and he knows you are not to push it. He agonizes over the fact that that button is off limits...but oh he wants you to push it sooooooo badly. He tempts the reader to just give it a little tap and of course when that happens Larry's world changes. His beautiful purple turns him yellow, them gives him spots and then multiplies him. Larry gives the reader verbal instructions: push button, push it twice, shake the book, scratch his tummy, all in the hope of turning him back to normal again. Kids will love this book and the fact that they can interact with this adorable little monster. The illustrations are big and vibrant and very expressive. Toddlers and pre-schoolers will giggle and laugh as they are instructed to work with Larry to change him back. The suspense and tension Cotter builds up pushes the narrative forward in such a fun, entertaining way. The premise is very similar to "The Monster at the End of This Book", starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus," but no matter how many ways this dilemma is portrayed it is always a hoot and kids just love it. I particularly liked Bill Cotters dedication: To Mom and Dad for always encouraging me even when I was pushing their buttons.
This book was really good. I like the pictures too. They make the book a lot of fun.
I do Storytimes, and this was a HUGE hit with the young crowd. Great monster--Harry--who you have to have a voice for. And everyone will want to press the button!
What a pathetic ripoff of Herve Tulle's brilliant and original "Press Here"! Shame on you, wannabe author. And shame on B&N for endorsing the fraud!


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Clue: "The Lavender Hill Mob" caper
We have 1 answer for the clue "The Lavender Hill Mob" caper. See the results below.
Possible Answers:
Related Clues:
- Bank job
- Bank ___
- Holdup
- Action movie plot device
- It should set off alarms
- Job
- Job, so to speak
- Yegg's job
- Bad job?
- Bank robber's job
Last Seen In:
- Washington Post - August 29, 2000
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