ABOUT THE TEAM Department: Corporate TECH / Collaboration Services

Reports to: Lead of Collaboration ApplicationsIT

Team Size: 6

Role description: IT-Consultant Collaboration Applications

Recruiter: Abdul Tafadar Email:abdul.tafadar@zalando.de

As an IT-Consultant in Collaboration Applications you will be mainly responsible for the technical support and operations of our companies collaboration software. You are in close contact with our Service Provider, Product Managers and Employees, to constantly support and improve the product and its attached services.

The Team also takes care of our SaaS Collaboration Application Suite. So administration and development in this area will also come up to you. As well as the development of individual integrations to automate processes and improve our Collaboration Suite.

You will be working in an agile team within Collaboration Applications based in Berlin.

WHERE YOUR EXPERTISE IS NEEDED

PERKS AT WORK

ABOUT ZALANDO Zalando is Europe's leading online platform for fashion, connecting customers, brands and partners across 17 markets. We drive digital solutions for fashion, logistics, advertising and research, bringing head-to-toe fashion to more than 23 million active customers through diverse skill-sets, interests and languages our teams choose to use.

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IT Consultant Collaboration Applications job with Zalando | 146681 - The Business of Fashion

The coronavirus outbreak has shined a spotlight on the often overlooked underbelly of Indias city of dreams the slums and other informal settlements where about 49% of its population resides. This population, accounting to around 46 lakh people, lives in slums that occupy barely 7.5% of the citys area according to Slum Rehabilitation Authoritys city survey data.

Dharavi, one of Asias largest slums, was a Covid-19 hotspot a few weeks ago but has under 100 active cases currently. While the number of infections seems to be in control at the moment the risk of spread continues to remain high within these neighbourhoods where unusually high population densities up to 350 families per hectare against the city average of 38 as per the 2011 Census. Poor drinking water and sanitation facilities mean that social distancing is virtually impossible.

So what is the future of slums in a post-Covid-19 world? Can we formalise the informal?

Cities are envisaged as the hub of economic, social and technological advancements and opportunities, which brings in an incessant flow of migrants to them. This urban pull is driven by the perception that the expanse of the material infrastructure of a city narrates the improved quality of social life that one may attain on relocating from smaller towns or rural areas.

However, widening gaps between growing city populations and physical and social infrastructure required to accommodate them is leading to a lopsided pattern of urban development accompanied by an increasing number of urban poor.

For instance, while Mumbai grew spectacularly as an urban centre in the years following Indias independence, the geographical constraints of the island city have caused serious problems today. With a premium attached to limited land and space, land and building prices have skyrocketed.

This pushes incoming migrants, who make up the majority of the citys population, to seek housing within low-cost, poorly designed shanties and tenements in informal settlements with extremely poor living conditions.

If one looks at the chronological framework of government policies implemented to alleviate the plight of people living in slums, a model of clearing the encroachments and rehousing slum dwellers in subsidized rental housing can be observed.

The Subsidised Housing Programme of 1952 was the first nationwide programme that provided subsidies and introduced loan schemes for economically weaker sections of the society to purchase land for the construction of houses.

The archaic Slum Clearance Scheme introduced in 1956 targeted the removal of sprawls and slums to clean the city but failed owing to shortage of resources to build and maintain housing stock for the relocated occupants. In 1970, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation was created as the governments nodal agency for the promotion of sustainable habitat development by providing home loans to lower-income groups with longer repayment periods.

With the initiation of more novel programs such as the Bombay Urban Development Programme of 1984 and the Prime Ministers Grant Program conceived in 1985, there was a shift in the policy paradigm from slum demolition to slum up-gradation.

In the 1970s and 80s, through various acts and programmes and with aid from The World Bank, the government assured the provision of basic services such as water, public toilets, electricity, pathways, street furniture, conservancy, primary healthcare and educational facilities. During this time, the leasehold tenure of land was also transferred to the cooperative housing societies of slum dwellers.

With the admission of private sector players, however, lured by the assurance of floor space index and transferable development rights incentives in 1995s Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, the needs of slum dwellers were shelved to prioritise profits to builders and developers.

The rehabilitation scheme facilitates the redevelopment of slums through the concept of land-sharing where the open sale of housing units in the market allows the cross-subsidising of free units for the slum dwellers. However, the full authority and discretion on decisions concerning the quality of construction lied in the hands of private developers, which turned this scheme into a crooked and ineffective mission.

Driven by profit margins, developers use up to 75% of the available land to build units that they can sell, while forcing the existing slum dwellers into the remaining 25%, transforming horizontal slums to vertical ones in the name of high-rise development. About 3.4 lakh families have been rehabilitated already registered slum dwellers, sometimes multiple families who lived within single tenements, have been allotted one flat each in newly constructed buildings, which tower to as high as twenty floors.

Within these matchboxes in the sky, occupant discomfort and health issues are rife.

These issues are aggravated by the poor quality of housing units, an abrupt shift to vertical living, cramped living spaces, lack of daylight, thermal discomfort on upper floors, high levels of noise pollution and inadequate fresh air exchange and ventilation. This leads to poor indoor air quality.

These buildings also neglect how life on the street is inherently tied to the socio-economic fabric of informal settlements. The lack of recreational and community spaces restricts occupants from engaging in community or livelihood activities that were an integral part of their life in the slums. Instead, the close proximity of adjacent high-rise buildings results in open spaces being treated as garbage dumps, resulting in public health challenges.

This incompatibility between low income and the high cost of living in the city, as well as the dissatisfaction with the new rehabilitation buildings, forces distressed residents to move back to slums or to look for new squatter settlements. This, ultimately, fails to solve the humanitarian crisis of informality and merely accomplishes the capitalist objective of increasing density and optimising land resources.

So are there better alternatives? How can slums be redeveloped in a manner that ensures affordability, inclusivity in decision making, improved quality of life and socio-economic wellbeing of the community?

Self-development of slum communities, a process where slum occupants take on the mantle of redevelopment themselves supported by the expertise of appropriate professionals might provide a solution.

The communities are aimed at accelerating the entire process of redevelopment with the self-intent of the community. With the association of residents as stakeholders in the process, a transparent and inclusive design process could be enabled that directly and efficiently addresses the needs and concerns of the residents, fulfilling their expectations of better living conditions.

Such a proposal could be easily incorporated within city development plans by transferring the development rights of land parcels marked as slums to the association of the current inhabitants of that neighbourhood. Permissible FSI will need to be reduced to ensure that vertical slums do not take form again. Instead, the government could discontinue levying the charges that it does to reduce project costs significantly.

This would allow residents to fund the construction through personal loans along with liquid capital raised by the sale of new units from the development. The loans could be repaid with monthly EMI instalments with appropriate subsidies, which would be far lower than the unusually high rents that occupants pay for remarkably low square footage.

It is important to understand that the vision of a slum-free city needs to be viewed through the lens of inclusive development. Elimination and clearance of slums has to be substituted for up-gradation of living conditions, provision of access to basic services, and participation of the current slum dwellers in policy conception.

Only with a multi-faceted approach to redevelopment that incorporates economic, environmental and cultural sustainability, could we conceive self-contained sustainable communities of the future.

Rahul Kadri is a Partner and Principal Architect at Mumbai-based IMK Architects.

Read more here:
The vision of slum-free Indian cities needs to be viewed through the lens of inclusive development - Scroll.in

Bill Hand |Sun Journal

After many delays, Realize U 252 has announced it will open its doors in October.

The name U 252 reflects, first, the belief that drug and alcohol addicts can achieve long-term healing and self-realization. The 252 reflects the telephone area code region over which it aims to reach out.

The residential home its exact location is currently kept secret is set up to house a dozen men who are in early recovery from their addictions, but who arent ready yet for independent living,according to interim program director Garret Biss.

Biss has been involved with the organization serving both as president and on the board since its origin.

About three years ago we all sat down with a vision to bring something to Craven County, he said. We were planning to open last fall.

While a house was found and prepared, however, the organization wound up spending the year fundraising and building community support.

The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down its development this year, but Biss said he feels safe in stating the home will open sometime in October, and that the organization is accepting applications for both residents and for the employees who will care for them. While he is serving as program director himself, Biss intends to step down as soon as a permanent director is hired.

Well have a house manager living onsite and a program director (on staff), he said, while a case manager will be contracted to assist with the residents.

Residents will live at the property, working with the manager and coach while receiving the help they need from community resources such as counseling, vocational training and personal development organizations. They will also be expected to take part in one of the 12-step addiction programs offered in the area.

There will be no counseling in the residence, he said, But there will be self-help groups and personal life skills training onsite.

I envision a world where all people, especially those in recovery, are inspired to believe in themselves, to look within for wisdom, empowerment and compassion; a world where all people achieve their highest potential and fulfill their dreams by connecting with and serving others, he said.

While residents will mostly come in as a follow-up to shorter, 28- to 90-day detox programs, he said that RU 252 will also be available to any families in crisis or need to help them find the resources they need to help their loved ones.

At first, Biss said, six residents will be selected, until the pandemic situation changes to allow more than 50 percent capacity. Then another six will be brought in.

Residents will sign a contract that outlines the conditions for remaining at the home.

The group is also in talks with the District Attorneys office.

Weve started some conversation with the courts, he said. Our hope is that it can be used as a diversion program or transitional program for people to use as they come out of incarceration, or as a diversion from incarceration.

Applications and information on job positions can be found at the organizations website at http://www.RealizeU252.org, by contacting Biss by email at director@RealizeU252.org

View post:
Realize U 252 set to open long term addiction recovery home - New Bern Sun Journal

Ultima Collectionis delighted to announce the appointment of Thierry Pecorella as General Manager of Ultima Courchevel,the Collections newest 5-star alpine resort. Thierry Pecorella has recently joined the Ultima Collection team and will manage the preparations of the Grand Opening of the resort on Saturday 12th December 2020 and launch the new 2020/2021 ski season. The management at Ultima Collection is thrilled to welcome this new talent within a dedicated, exceptional and ultra-dynamic team that has successfully developed the young and cutting-edge luxury hospitality brand. Thierry will be the lead of the grand launch of this new ultra-luxury resort comprising 13 sumptuous chalets complemented by an array of exceptional beauty and wellness amenities in the most sought-after winter destination in the French Alps.

Biography As a French-Italian hotelier from the French Riviera of Nice, Thierry is married with twochildren. He has spent 27 years working for prestigious Le Mridien and Radisson Blu hospitality brands where he has forged remarkable experience in high-end hospitality in France and Italy. Originally, he discovered his passion for the industry when working at the reception of a private 4-star hotel in Nice to finance his studies. He has remained in the industry since then and has developed his sales and management skills during his first 11 years in Juan les Pins (France), Milan and Lake Garda (Italy). Following this, he took over General Management and Operations roles in hotels in Nice, Aix les Bains, Toulouse and Lyon. Before joining Ultima Collection, he managed the reopening of Tour Crayon in Lyon, an iconic hotel that had closed for threeyears for refurbishment, and the conversion of a prestigious 5-star hotel with a starred gastronomic restaurant in the Cour des Loges collection. Thierry is now joining Ultima Collection, bringing his exceptional experience in the opening and the management of luxury hotels and restaurants to finalise the building work, recruit and train the new team as well as launch Ultima Courchevel, the latest property in the collection in one of the most prestigious skiing destinations in the world.

As for his style and personality, Thierry thinks that nothing great in the World has been accomplished without passion, a quote from Friedrich Hegel that defines his state of mind and vision of the hospitality industry. His career was built over time thanks to opportunities coming up from hisprofessional and human meets with other devoted hospitality professionals. On the managerial and personal development sides he states: I consider myself as a mentor, I think that self-motivation and performance recognition are essential in every organisation and in particular in the hospitality sector. His motto is my staff make the whole difference: they do not just deliver whats expected but also the unexpected. It shows how Thierry emphasises on human and personal dimensions in his management style, as well as his high expectations to offer exceptional service to the discerning clientele of Ultima Collection.

On a personal side, Thierry is fond of mountains and downhill skiing which he has been practising since his childhood in the Southern Alps when he used to live in the Nice region. He feels a natural bond to this region: the specific affection I have for the Savoie region dates back to my adolescence when I started practising my passion for downhill skiing for the first time at Avoriaz in the Portes du Soleil skiing area. He is also deeply inspired by the Aiguille du Midi peak facing the majestic and awe-inspiring Mont Blanc, a real source of meditation and inspiration for Thierry.

See original here:
Ultima Collection announces appointment of Thierry Pecorella as GM of new Ultima Courchevel - Premier Construction Magazine

So how can we make the most of our basic security processes, and where can we concentrate our efforts to ensure our budgets go further?

Looking at attack surfaces

One area that is the easiest to overlook is security hygiene. This covers tasks like vulnerability scanning, configuration compliance and patching programs. By paying attention to security hygiene and Attack Surface Management, it is possible to remove many of the biggest risks that could affect your enterprise and the dividends are huge across the organisation.

While starting an effective Attack Surface Management program is typically not all that complex, keeping it running over time is a challenge. For example, an asset inventory should be the base for all decisions made around security priorities. However, while asset management has existed for years, getting this inventory process right is still difficult for many enterprises.

Without having asset data readily available, it's easy for incidents to quickly spiral into serious problems, as the real scope is not easily addressed. A lack of accurate and complete asset management data essentially creates blind spots that aren't seen until an issue has already manifested.

So why is this so difficult to get right? A lack of interest and internal politics can make security hygiene a struggle to get right. Internally, emphasis is often on the new, and as a result many teams can find themselves chasing that new and shiny thing to the detriment of what currently exists. There is always the next big thing in security and it's easy to get distracted by what is at the cutting edge.

Conversely, keeping the lights on is not valued as highly. This can be because running these kinds of programs is hard and often thankless, or gets pushed into the category of being too hard and therefore ignored.

For security teams, being the ones to implement new technologies is often seen as a reward for effective work. These projects can be great on CVs and for personal development. However, the cost for these new standalone solutions is usually very high and the return isn't nearly as effective as improving existing Attack Surface Management programs. We have to reset our internal team values so that efficient maintenance and hygiene is valued as highly as new deployments, so that both areas receive the attention and support they deserve.

Investing in existing and mature Attack Surface Management programs can deliver substantial dividends in driving down risk. More importantly, this can link into other IT team initiatives such as software development, so that these good habits are applied earlier in other company processes too. This can stop problems getting into production, where they are more expensive to fix. For those worried about not having new implementation projects on their CVs, the lure of working on agile development and DevOps projects should be an attractive substitute too.

Improving security training effectiveness

The second area where enterprises can improve their return on investment is around training. For many companies, the budget for developing their own security staff and security awareness training for the rest of the organisation is the same pot of money.

Unfortunately, this can often be one of the first budget items to be cut. These programs can be seen as low value and low return, when actually they can deliver some of the highest value to the organisation. However, these projects often need more thought around psychology in order to deliver good results.

Combining both areas together into a security champions program is an effective way to improve both security team skills and company awareness. For some IT security leaders, these kinds of programs are seen as software developer issues that are out of scope. However, with most enterprises running large developer teams and DevOps projects, it's critical that we bridge the gap and drive security as early in the cycle as we can.

Under-allocation of training and awareness can leave your organisation unprepared to react and respond to events that could be potentially avoided or mitigated much earlier. By embedding security into development, and by providing support for secure coding as standard, you can reduce rework cost, while also removing security as a barrier to innovation and fast releases. Finding and developing champions within other teams not only helps security be more effective, it helps collaboration over time too.

Taking a proactive approach to securitys image

As CISOs, we are all aware that security can be perceived as the department that stops others working as quickly and efficiently as they can. In reality, security can stop those teams from running headlong into unnecessary risks. However, getting involved earlier around good hygiene and security awareness can provide the best approach to improving the image of security internally.

The issues that seem to still linger and provide the largest problem areas are often not all that complex to address, yet it seems as though we lose interest in them when they aren't new or cant be resolved quickly. It's a problem of focus and just doing the work, setting expectations appropriately, and constantly driving towards achieving a higher maturity state for the programs that we need to invest in.

Author: Ben Carr, Chief Information Security Officer, Qualys

Read the original post:
Back to basics: Improving your security processes and budgeting - TEISS

The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) is undertaking the Vrededorp/Pageview Revitalisation Projects and Programme on behalf of the City of Johannesburg over three years from 2020 to 2022.

Located north-west of the Johannesburg CBD in Region F, the suburbs of Pageview and Vrededorp were historically referred to as Fietas.

The JDA has appointed a consultancy team of architects/urban designers (IYER), heritage architect specialists (Library Special Projects) and community participation consultants (Sticky Situations) to design projects and programmes that rejuvenate the public environments in these neighbourhoods to encourage and foster a sense of community.

The project is part of both the Inner City rejuvenation and upgrade initiative as well as the Empire Perth Strategic Area Framework. It is founded on the fundamental principles of liveable cities, which are centred on creating well-functioning urban systems that can contribute to the physical, social, mental well-being and personal development of its inhabitants.

The precinct is broadly defined by 1st Street in the north, Solomon Street, and Ring Road/Subway Street in the east, Queens Road in the south and Krause Street in the west. The physical projects may include the cleaning, repair and upgrading of existing services and include paving, kerbing, resurfacing, landscaping, provision of street furniture, upgrading of street lighting, upgrading of parks and heritage projects. The exact nature of implementation will be determined through an extensive public participation and co-production process.

The JDA invites interested and affected stakeholders of Vrededorp and Pageview (those who live, work, or have a vested interest in these neighbourhoods) to collaborate with them in reviewing some of the initiatives that have occurred in the neighbourhood over the past two decades and take a fresh look at some possible public space upgrades and programmes that could contribute to supporting and improving current infrastructure and development programmes within the area.

A series of focus groups have and are being held with stakeholders in the area across various sectors including heritage/histories, homelessness, recycling, community, NGOs, health and education, faith and economic development.

On Saturday, 19 September 2020, from 1pm to 3pm, and Wednesday, 23 September 2020, from 4pm to 5.30pm, a pop-up, where stakeholders can pop in and share their challenges, opportunities and ideas for the neighbourhood, will take place. Interested participants can find the team on the Open Space on 23rd Street, Pageview.

These focus group process will be followed by a 'World Cafe'-style engagement allowing for stakeholders to come discuss ideas that emerge from the focus groups, and for the purpose of broader reporting and idea consolidation.

The focus groups and World Caf series will be conducted using digital platforms, via Zoom and Microsoft Teams, as well as Covid-19-safe protocols in the face-to-face engagements (for those that may not have access to digital platforms). If you have not been contacted yet, then get involved and have your say by getting in touch with the project team using the details below.

This process will culminate in the co-design and co-development of a working plan which sets out the prioritised projects and programmes to be implemented as well as a broad framework for how the revitalisation process should proceed, said Cllr Lawrence Khoza, MMC for Development Planning.

Several public platforms are available alongside the above mentioned interactions to facilitate broader inputs and comments including:

a dedicated CoJ Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/VrededorpPageview), and

a WhatsApp group (message 064 941 6647 to join)

These public platforms will feature key information on the project, key decisions taken, forthcoming engagement opportunities as well as contact details, should stakeholders wish to get hold of the project team.

Ultimately, the project will be guided by the voices of the community, both present and past, in the hope that elements of the design brief respond to the dynamic and diverse nature and needs of the present population who call the area home, and also acknowledge historical communities who once inhabited the area affectionately known as Fietas, said Cllr Khoza.

More here:
Residents encouraged to participate in the Vrededorp/Pageview makeover - Joburg

A crisis brings out the best in organisations and teams, strengthening existing leaders and developing new ones. The article dwells on challenges faced by organisations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, how finance teams can proactively partner with business to drive actions in the short-term and build resilience to sustain performance.

What inspires us is the organisations vision, mission and customer centricity that provides a guiding framework to sustain business and emerge successful. Keeping the customer at the centre of everything we do, will help us to focus on our purpose.

The impact on the economy, healthcare and infrastructure are significant across the world leading to a humanitarian and economic crisis. Over the past four to five months, governments and communities have done their best to delay the immediate surge of infection through complete/partial lockdowns enforcing social distancing. Relief packages were announced to tide over the immediate economic hardship.

The challenge remains the high degree of uncertainty about the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic. Though it may be at or near peak in some countries and regions, for some others it is still a wait-and-watch policy as the number of infections continue to multiply at a rapid rate, with testing still limited and infrastructure strained. It is likely to remain a threat until an effective treatment or vaccine is widely available.

Is coronavirus guiding us towards business innovations?

Proactive measures that would help to tide over the current situation, but more importantly ensure the business remains relevant and poised for future success are: a) attention to cashflow and liquidity; b) business continuity and contingency planning; c) resource allocation/rationalisation; and d) spend management to drive productivity. Communication channels should be strengthened so that the entire ecosystem internal and external -- is vested in the call for action.

Over the years, finance teams have focused on becoming business partners, spending more time on value-added and decision support activities. The business disruptions and our role in the transformation will help to assess the progress we have made as business partners. As near- and long-term action areas are drawn out, the key themes and action plan will be around the following:

How to manage your finances amidst a pandemic: hear it from the experts

Relating this back home, the spirit of social responsibility, safety first caring for the wellbeing of the employee and the customer/patient needs to be taken quite seriously. Organisations need to invest in bringing relevant new products to the market in the shortest possible time.

The organisation and particularly the customer facing team inspires and motivates all to reimagine what is possible and put our best foot forward in the face of current adversities.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

Want to make your startup journey smooth? YS Education brings a comprehensive Funding Course, where you also get a chance to pitch your business plan to top investors. Click here to know more.

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Overcome the current to focus on winning the future - YourStory

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--C-Sweet, a rapidly growing national organization with a mission to foster and renew executive level relationships for women across sectors in business and industry, today announced a new Webinar How are corporations and sports including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) into operations and daily practice? Whats the promise? Whats the reality? set for Thursday, September 17th, at 11:30 AM PDT.

With highly charged racial events happening this summer across the nation and COVID-19s Work From Home guidelines, face-to-face meaningful conversations with management and staff on issues of race is more difficult than ever. To address this C-Sweet has assembled two experts in Human Resources and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to help navigate the often thorny waters when it comes to racial tensions in work and sports.

Shouldnt we just see our friends and coworkers as people, and not as types of people? said Dianne Gubin, President of Amplify Professional Services Inc, an executive search and IT consulting firm, and Co-CEO of C-Sweet. To me, its always been about who can do the job. What happens when we talk to colleagues or friends about emotional and potentially high risk topics, which can be perceived as impolite or inappropriate at work, and get out of our comfort zones to learn about others?

Embracing diversity makes us stronger. Incorporating all opinions makes for better business, as well as a better world, said Beth Hilbing, Sr. Program Manager and Principal IT Business Partner at Boeing, as well as Co-CEO of C-Sweet. For this next event we feature two outstanding speakers who can help us create a dialogue around tough questions at work.

C-Sweet corporate sponsors for this event include Key Information Systems (KeyInfo) a part of Converged Technology Partners, Inc., Google and Interpublic Group (IPG).

Renee Brown

Renee Brown is the former Senior Vice President, Chief of Basketball Operation and Player Relations of the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA). Renee played a significant and integral role in the establishment of the WNBA in 1997, now recognized as the longest running womens professional sports league in the United States. She created the WNBA player personnel department that now claims over 1000 elite players representing 50+ countries. The Institute of Diversity And Ethics In Sports reported the WNBA as being the countrys most diverse and inclusive League.

Heide Gardner

Heide Gardner is Senior Vice President, Chief of Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG) one of the worlds leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies. The first African American and person of color to serve as an officer of the Interpublic group, she is responsible for collaborating with senior management to develop global inclusion strategies and resources for IPG and its family of leading agency brands.

About C-Sweet

C-Sweet creates opportunities for women across sectors for business development, brand acceleration, partnerships and expanded career paths through curated receptions and digital engagement. This includes female CEO, CFO, COO, CIO / CTO, CMO, President, Vice President and Director level attendees, as well as Founders across industries. Executives in finance include Venture Capital, Private Equity, Institutional Investment, Investment Banking, Family Offices, Hedge Funds, and more.

C-Sweet fosters executive level relationships for business development, collaboration and expanded career paths. The group focuses on creating expanded professional networks of female colleagues in leadership positions to foster innovation. C-Sweet creates new opportunities for trusted and confidential exchange and business / career development as members connect with others to freely brainstorm and discuss challenges facing individual projects and your business.

Women who support Women on their way to the top and extend a hand to those that follow through the creation of learning and networking opportunities that lead to professional growth and personal development.

The organization offer exclusive educational networking events, panels and keynotes regularly. To sign up for the mailing list and attend future events, send email to: CSweetExecs@gmail.com .

To join C-sweet, or become a sponsor, go to http://www.csweet.org.

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C-Sweet Webinar: How Are Corporations Including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Into Operations and Daily Practice? What's the Promise? What's...

About the teamPwC is looking for a senior experienced candidate to join the Transformation and Operations team in Sales and Marketing to further develop existing resourcing processes and from strategy to execution, design the roll out of a Resourcing capability across the whole function.There are a number of teams within the Sales and Marketing functionThe role will report to the Head of Transformation & Services in the Delivery Hub. The candidate can be based anywhere nationally.About the roleSales & Marketing covers all aspects of professional services marketing, sales support and business development. The prime area of focus for the function is to support the development and implementation of the firms market strategy and in particular to ensure:

We innovate every day

We are inclusive by default

We deliver commercial impact with purpose

We tell stories that inspire

From strategy to execution, developing and delivering a new resourcing plan by having a deep understanding of Sales and Marketing growth plans and headcount required to support these; and balancing these with the needs of the individual

Developing key metrics and Management Information (MI) that allow us to measure utilisation of staff who work on non chargeable activity to provide trends and availability updates

Working closely with Team Leaders to manage the rapid deployment of people to projects within the team, to meet the needs of teams whilst maximising utilisation

Being proactive in resolving or offering solutions to resolve supply and demand challenges of deployment both at the transactional and operational levels

Engage with Sales and Marketing leadership, in particular Team Leaders to continue to build better resourcing behaviours

Work closely with key teams across Transformation and Operations to ensure that resourcing insight is widely shared

Introduction of regular portfolio reviews to ensure maximum utilisation, development and fair allocation of work

Using supply and demand modelling as an insight to our overall headcount management and recruitment budgets

Promoting the use of key resourcing systems including TalentLink, Finder, S&D, Career Opportunities and the Resource Tracker to enable effective resourcing

Sharing knowledge, best practice and networking with colleagues across the business and Resource Management function

Technical Expertise

Deployment and manpower planning

Influencing and driving the mobility agenda in the function

Looking for deployment opportunities and building relationships, particularly with other IFS resourcing teams

Managing people and their development

Conflict resolution

Project management, time management and organisation skills and attention to detail

Knowledge and Skills:

Focus on commercial business outcomes

Relationship skills including communicating and influencing

Developing and sustaining long term relationships with key Sales and Marketing and relevant business operational areas

Communicating with impact using different communication styles

Strategy and Change Management:

Understanding the firmwide strategy, Sales and Marketing and Resource Management strategy and applying it where necessary

Providing input to the Resourcing objectives and vision for the BU/line of service

Influencing and creating a vision for change by championing the delivery of change

Stakeholder Management

Build relationships through delivering outcomes that take into account the different needs of multiple stakeholders; balancing the needs of individuals and those of the business

Anticipating and recognising when conflict may occur and work to resolve these but escalating if required

Commercial Acumen and Financial Management:

Identifying and implementing solutions to improve profitability of clients and PwC

Using data and Management Information (MI), networking internally and externally to advise the business on resourcing options and solutions that help to drive growth and profitability

Team and Personal Development:

Identifying development opportunities that provide stretch and challenge

Coaching and developing others in the team where the opportunity arises by providing quality, real time feedback

Participating in the recruitment process to ensure that new team members are aligned to the new ways of working if applicable

Delivering business outcomes in a fast paced and changing environment

Negotiating with senior stakeholders to deliver resourcing and strategic requirements

Using a commercial mindset and business acumen, including the use of Management Information, to inform decision making

Being a trusted advisor who provides balanced and pragmatic advice around manpower planning and resource management

Liaising, influencing and challenging effectively to build relationships at all levels and with multiple stakeholders

Did you know PwC offerflexible contractarrangements as well ascontingent work(ie temporary or day rate contracting)?

All our people need to demonstrate the skills and behaviours that support us in delivering our business strategy. This is important to the work we do for our business, and our clients. These skills and behaviours make up our global leadership framework, The PwC Professional and are made up of five core attributes; whole leadership, technical capabilities, business acumen, global acumen and relationships.

Learn more here: http://www.pwc.com/uk/careers/experienced/apply

Valuing Difference. Driving Inclusion.

We work in a changing world which offers great opportunities for people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We seek to attract and employ the best people from the widest talent pool because creating value through diversity is what makes us strong as a business, enabling us to solve important problems and deliver value to our clients. We encourage an inclusive culture where people can be themselves, are valued for their strengths and are empowered to be the best they can be. As an organisation with an increasingly agile workforce, we also support different ways of working offering flexible working arrangements. Learn more here about our work to support an inclusive culture.

http://www.pwc.com/uk/diversity

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Ray Dalio certainly is no radical idealist, but in his frequent writings and media appearances the veteran investor consistently calls for Americans to rewrite their longstanding contract with capitalism so that it is fairer and more generous to more people.

Otherwise, he predicts, life in the U.S. could become more difficult: mountainous debt that stunts economic growth; fewer opportunities for ordinary citizens to get ahead financially; and a worldwide lack of trust in the U.S. dollar that diminishes Americans purchasing power and could lower their standard of living.

Dalio is the founder of Bridgewater Associates, the worlds largest hedge-fund firm, which has made him a billionaire. So its not surprising that he champions capitalism as a proven way to expand economic growth and living standards.

Capitalism and capitalists are good at increasing and producing productivity to increase the size of the economic pie, he says.

Then Dalio stands this tenet on its head. Capitalists dont divide the economic pie very well, he says, and so today the capitalist system, the foundation of the U.S. economy, is not working efficiently and effectively enough for all.

Capitalism also produces large wealth gaps that produce opportunity gaps, which threaten the system, Dalio says a system that has been and still is key to the health and success of U.S. business, workers, government and investors alike.

Unless the U.S. takes steps to make systemic repairs designed to provide greater opportunity for more Americans to achieve personal growth and financial security, the consequences likely will be painful for the country, as Dalio explains in this recent telephone interview, which has been edited for length and clarity:

MarketWatch: You have written and spoken about three big domestic and international problems facing the U.S. over the next five to 10 years and how a failure to address these challenges could threaten Americas standing in the world. What are these three pressing problems?

Ray Dalio: I look at it mechanically, like a doctor looking at a disease. If asked what is the issue here, I would say that it is a certain type of disease that has certain patterns which are timeless and universal, and the United States is broadly following that progression.

There are three problems that are coming together, so its important to understand them individually and how they collectively make a bigger problem.

There is a money and credit cycle problem, a wealth and values gap problem, and an emerging great power challenging the existing dominant power problem. Whats going on is an economic downturn together with a large wealth gap and the rising power of China challenging the existing power of the United States.

Its a fact that there has been a weakening of the competitive advantages of the United States over the last couple of decades. For example, the United States lost a lot of the education advantage relative to other countries, our share of world GDP is reduced, the wealth gap has increased which has contributed to our political and social polarization.

But we havent lost all of our competitive advantages. For example in innovation and technology, the United States is still the strongest, but China is coming on very strong and at existing rates will surpass the United States. Militarily, the U.S. is stronger but China also has come on very strong and is probably stronger in the waters close to China that include Taiwan and other disputed areas. Finances for both countries are challenging, but for the U.S. more so. The U.S. is in the late stages of a debt cycle and money cycle in which were producing a lot of debt and printing a lot of money. Thats a problem. As a reserve currency status, the U.S. dollar DXY, +0.03% is still dominant though its being threatened by its central bank printing of money and increasing the debt production problem.

The United States is a 75-year-old empire and it is exhibiting signs of decline.

MarketWatch: Focusing on the money and credit problem, excessive debt can be a killer for businesses and families, but most people dont seem to recognize that debt plays havoc with their countrys finances as well. Government runs the money printing press, which buys time, but eventually somethings got to give.

Dalio: If you look at the history for example, the Dutch Empire, the British Empire both experienced the creation of debt and the printing of money, less educational advantages, greater internal wealth conflict, greater challenges from rival countries. Every country has stress tests. If you look at British history, the development of rival countries led them to lose their competitive advantages. Their finances were bad because they had accumulated a lot of debt. So, after World War II those trends went against them. Then they had the Suez Canal incident and they were no longer a world power and the British pound is no longer a reserve currency. These diseases almost always play out the same way.

The United States relative position in the world, which was dominant in almost all these categories at the beginning of this world order in 1945, has declined and is exhibiting real signs that should raise worries. Theres a lot of baggage. The U.S. has a lot of debt, which is adding to the hurdles that typically drag an economy down, so in order to succeed, you have to do a pretty big debt restructuring. History shows what kind of a challenge that is.

I just want to present understanding and facts. Theres a life cycle. Youre born and you die. As you get older you can see certain things that are symptoms of being later on in life. To know the life cycle and to know that these symptoms are emerging is what Im trying to convey. The United States is a 75-year-old empire and it is exhibiting signs of decline. If you want to extend your life, there are clear things you can do, but it means doing things that you dont want to do.

Wealth cannot be created by creating debt and money.

MarketWatch: Lets put it bluntly: Is capitalism broken?

Dalio: I wouldnt say broken as much as Id say it has problems that have to be fixed. As I said, Im not ideological, Im mechanical. I look at everything operationally like a machine and what has been shown is that capitalism is a fabulous way of creating incentives and innovation and of allocating resources to create productivity. All successful countries have uses for it. For example, communist China has chosen capitalism, which has been essential to its growth.

But capitalism also produces large wealth gaps that produce opportunity gaps, which threaten the system in the ways we are seeing now. Wealth gaps give unfair advantages to the children of rich people because they get a better education, which undermines the equal opportunity notion. Asthe number of people who get equal opportunity diminishes, this reduces the possibility of finding talented people in that population, which isnt fair and undermines productivity.Then the have-nots want to tear down the capitalist system at a time of bad economic conditions. That dynamic has always existed in history and its happening now.

The capitalist system is based on profit-seeking being the resource allocation system, which generally works well but doesnt always. So, capitalism and capitalists are good at increasing and producing productivity to increase the size of the economic pie, but theyre not good at dividing the economic opportunity pie. Socialists are generally not good at increasing productivity and the size of the economic opportunity pie, but they are better at dividing the pie.

We now have too much emphasis on distributing wealth and getting it from producing debt and printing money, and not enough from increasing productivity. Wealth cannot be created by creating debt and money. We have to be productive together, so we have to look at the good investments that we can make together that make total sense, like in education, and create equal opportunity in order to be productive.

We have to be in this together.The system needs to be reengineered to do this. But if we dont do this engineering well, were going to spend in an unlimited way and deal with that by creating debt that wont ever be paid back, and we will risk losing the reserve currency status of the dollar. If we get into that position and were very close things will get much worse because we are living on borrowed money thats financing our consumption.

Within the next five years you could see a situation in which foreigners who have been lending money to the United States wont want to.

MarketWatch: About the dollar being threatened as the worlds reserve currency what does close mean, and what would the decline of this status mean for Americans?

Dalio: Within the next five years you could see a situation in which foreigners who have been lending money to the United States wont want to, and the dollar would not be as readily accepted for making purchases in the world as it is now.

We have to realize that were spending more than were earning. Every individual, every company and every country has an income statement and a balance sheet. The income statement is how much is your earnings are relative to your expenses. If your earnings are greater than your expenses, great, you will increase your balance sheet. If your earnings are less than your expenses, then you have to draw on your balance sheet.

The United States doesnt have a good income statement and balance sheet in dealing with the rest of the world. It is running a deficit to the rest of the world that is financed by borrowing money so that we are producing liabilities. Our living standards are based on our spending, not on our income statement or balance sheet. If the U.S. loses that ability and it doesnt force itself to be more productive, one day it will lose that ability to borrow and then will have to cut spending, which is painful.

When that pain happens at a time when you have the population at each others throats over money, thats a toxic combination. People cant take a downturn and have less buying power. So, necessarily the poor will have to be getting money from the rich and the rich are going to want to prevent that, and then if it gets bad enough, that it messes up productivity.

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When the causes people are fighting for are more important to them than the system that binds them together, the system is in jeopardy.

MarketWatch: What steps do politicians and business leaders need to take now to create and implement reforms that will fortify the U.S. balance sheet and the dollars status?

Dalio: In brief, productivity and equal opportunity are most needed. If we could at least agree that we must have these things, that would be great. What we have now is a situation in which were fighting each other, we are not providing equal opportunity, and we are losing our productivity gains.

One of the greatest problems is that everybodys fighting for their cause. When the causes people are fighting for are more important to them than the system that binds them together, the system is in jeopardy. This seems to now be happening. Everybody has their cause and theyre almost losing sight of the overall picture. Democracy depends on compromise. Its the notion of compromise and working together and being able to have a negotiation to get what the most people want rather than have one side beat the other.

You really have to take the relative parties and make them agree on whats going to be best. The group has got to be bipartisan and they have to be knowledgeable. Bring together parties of opposing ideologies who are also knowledgeable, not just smart but who are on the ground, to come up with a plan together that all can support so that were productive, increasing the size of the pie and dividing it well. It would be great if whoever the president is could draw upon people from both parties and different perspectives.

MarketWatch: As Americans prepare for a presidential election in November, the three major problems you mentioned earlier would seem to be important factors for voters to consider.

Dalio: Yes. The world is going to change in the next five years in shocking ways in relation to the three big issues we have been talking about.

First, theres a debt-money cycle what is the value of money? What will happen to the debt? Will the dollar retain its value? The finances of this who is going to pay for it? How? What will work? Thats number one.

Second, the wealth, opportunity and values gaps will have to be dealt with. Are we going to be at each others throats in a way that is harmful or are we going to be working together even if things get worse?

Third is the rising of a great power in China to challenge the existing power of the United States. Will this be well handled?

We will be dealing with these issues in the next presidential term, which will have a huge effect on our outcomes.The last time those three things existed as they do now was the 1930 to 1945 period. Thats the last time you had zero interest rates and money printing. Thats the last time you had the wealth and political gaps as large as they are today, and it was the last time you had rising powers challenging the existing world order. This and many analogous times before it help to give us perspective.

Worry as much about the value of your money as you worry about the value of your investments.

MarketWatch: These and other domestic and international challenges will clearly affect Americans financially. What would be a smart, proactive strategy for investors to both protect a portfolio and take advantage of market opportunities?

Dalio: First, worry as much about the value of your money as you worry about the value of your investments. The printing of money and the debt should make you aware of that. Thats why financial asset prices have gone up stocks, gold because of the debt and money creation. You dont want to own the thing you think is safest cash.

Second, know how to diversify well. That includes diversification of countries, currencies and assets, because wealth is not so much destroyed as it shifts. When something goes down, something else is going up so you have to look at all things on a relative basis. Diversify well and worry about the value of cash.

Americans look at the value of everything in U.S. dollars, but they dont look at the value of the dollar. Youre in an environment where you have to be cautious about that, because the easiest way out for government is to do what the U.S. just did, which is to borrow and print a lot of money. They dont have to get it from anyone, because when they raise taxes they have to get it from somebody and that somebody squawks. The population doesnt pay much attention to the debt and the printing of money. They all appreciate the giving of money. So you hear the population say, I need more money, and get angry if they dont get it. So youve got to give them more money, and its easier not to take it away from someone else.

Read: Billionaire investor Ray Dalio fears for the dollar and the soundness of our money, and heres why

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Originally posted here:
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio on capitalisms crisis: The world is going to change in shocking ways in the next five years - MarketWatch