While concerns about global economic uncertainty continue to be top of mind for business leaders, other significant issues ?such as fraud and ethics, mergers and acquisitions, large programs, new product introductions and business continuity ?are emerging to further complicate business strategies and performance.
In fact, according to the new?2012 PwC State of the Internal Audit Profession study, businesses are asking internal audit to play an increased role in helping companies navigate the rapidly changing risk landscape. To illustrate my point, here are a few key findings from the report:
Data privacy and security is now the single most requested area for increased internal audit. Nearly half (46 percent) of stakeholders participating in this study want added capabilities in this area.
Help with regulations and government policies was the second largest requested area. About one-third (32 percent) want internal audit to become more involved in how their business understands and manages this risk.
PwC found that successful internal audit functions create plans through comprehensive, top-down risk assessments where the entire risk management process is considered. However, almost half (45 percent) of those polled said they do not create their audit plans using this kind of top-down risk assessment approach.
When asked about the most common barriers to internal audit?s active involvement in a fully comprehensive risk management function, a majority of survey respondents cited organizational and cultural resistance, followed by a lack of internal audit resources and expertise.
?As the risk landscape continues to evolve, the majority of business leaders surveyed said they are not comfortable with how their risks are being managed, although 74 percent of those surveyed have formal enterprise risk management processes,? said Dean Simone, leader of?PwC?s U.S. Risk Assurance practice. ?To deliver what stakeholders want, the standard for an effective internal audit function has been raised and internal audit needs to elevate its performance to meet the always increasing stakeholder expectations. Businesses must evaluate total enterprise risk, coordinate with the internal audit functions and break down organizational barriers to provide a holistic approach to risk management.?
A copy of the report, PwC 2012 State of the Internal Audit Profession Study, is available for download here.
The Emerging Business Leaders, a young professionals group founded by the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, welcomes Jack Connors, distinguished publisher and president of Business First and the Buffalo Law Journal, to this month?s ?Food for Thought? event on Thursday, April 19, 2012.? The group invites 10 young professionals to join Jack at the breakfast table for conversations about his historical perspective on the newspaper business, the future of the media industry and career development advice.? Participants should come prepared with questions and expect to engage in lively exchanges.? The event will take place at the Amherst Chamber of Commerce located at 350 Essjay Road, Suite 200 in Williamsville from 8:00 a.m ? 9:30 a.m.
Jack, a lifelong resident of Buffalo, began his storied career in the newspaper industry as the assistant city editor at the Buffalo Courier-Express in 1972.? The paper, now a relic of Western New York journalism, folded after a change in ownership in 1982. With nine years of experience under his belt, Jack took a job as news editor for the Niagara Gazette.? He spent two years at the Gazette until accepting his current position as publisher and president of Business First of Buffalo and the Buffalo Law Journal.? Outside of his career as publisher, Jack serves as chairman of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Libraries and sits on Buffalo?s Workforce Investment Board of Directors.
The Chamber?s ?Food for Thought? program allows young professionals to gain access to some of Buffalo-Niagara?s most influential leaders. The 10-person maximum encourages optimal face time with the featured guest, open discussion and two-sided dialogue.? These events are a great chance for early-career individuals to pick the brains? of successful community leaders, ask career advice, learn about how they got to where they are today and get an understanding for the organizations or industries they currently represent.
This event is $10 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members with breakfast provided. Space is limited so register today! For more information or to make a reservation for this event call the Chamber at 716.632.6905.
In the terrestrial race when it comes to choose between the cable television and digital television satellite system, the latter always wins as it provides better picture quality, sound quality and uninterrupted transmission. There are various homes where transmission is received by antenna and Ku band satellite system is of great help in such areas and provides wide selection of television programming. There are various providers who provide these services by, which one can easily increase subscribers and the coverage areas through point-to-point solutions, and broadcast and multicast applications, multipoint solutions, to link remote provinces to the main switching network.
The result of advancement in technology in the field of signal perception is the DTH service and with this the concept of television viewing is changed completely.
Direct to home TV also known as dish TV has not only enhanced the picture quality but also the sound quality as well. The best advantage of this connection is that it provides multiple connections through a single satellite reception. It comprises various features like live TV recording, language choice, channel package and directory, online payment, and many more. It helps the viewers to manage their TV viewing with other facilities such as broadband internet access, two way interactivity, hassle free recording, and many more.
Broadcasting has completely changes the meaning of television viewing and act as the most efficient tool for enabling quick and effectual transmission of news and other information. A device used for receiving and rebroadcasting a signal is called as the transponder that emits an identifying signal in response to an interrogating received signal.
Media Broadcast Transponder services have led towards improvements in communication and also other developments in the broadcast industry. In a satellite communication, the transponder efficiently gathers signals over a range of uplink of uplink frequencies and re-transmits them on various set of downlink frequencies without changing the content of the received signals.
The best advantage of the transponder leasing facility is available for applications like TV broadcasting of special events, program transmission or backhaul services. Ku band satellite system has brought a revolutionary change that is occurring in the satellite technology and due to this more people are turning to global internet service reliable providers who are offering superior quality Internet Protocol Paradigm like DSL, cable modem, dial-up, wireless or committed high-speed connection, with the help of data transmission technology. The power of uplinks and downlinks can be easily augmented as per client's requirements and the wireless service is the most novel and pioneering technology for the corporate and business entities who are interested in expanding the scope of their local area network.
A home business is similar to a home on its own, in the idea that you need a reliable plan or perhaps blueprint, a superb foundation and many materials along with help, that will put it all together. This information is designed to provide you with a couple of basics involving planning, conceptualizing the foundation, and helping you to pull everything you need, to get a good work from home business plan apply.
If it all gets to be too much for you, return to the fundamentals. With regards to the type of work from home business you choose, the volume of information, what you need to do along with the issues that happen can be limitless. You may find by yourself wallowing throughout confusion along with feel stressed ? if this happens, return to the basics of the business model. Put in priority like crazy in support of do the genuinely, really basic and important stuff.
A great hint for your home company is to be sure that an individual submit your internet page to every one of the pertinent search engines. This is significant because you are not discovered in the event the search engines do not know your presence. Stay away from virtually any engines in which either have not heard of or perhaps that look dubious.
Investigate the phen375 diet pillsproviders of all the merchandise your home business presents and make sure you could stand behind these people 100%. It is very poor business practice to accompany companies whose policies don?t agree with an individual. If you have to notify a dissatisfied customer, ?I don?t like it sometimes but it?s your rule,In you will likely shed the customer for good.best online paid surveys
If you are simply just getting started with your internet business, make contact with you and your guests to let these people know what you are carrying out. Word of mouth business can be very strong, so simply letting them know your ideas is helpful. Look at offering them money off on your product or service to get these people motivated to obtain something.jobs for uni students 2012
Re-evaluate your own goals every once in awhile. When you first start off, you set a summary of goals you wish to meet up with. However, over time and your business progresses, you will notice that these ambitions aren?t as appropriate and could need to be transformed around a bit.
Don?t be frustrated. Most business owners who have been self-employed have a time when they?d no profits. And they apprehensive they would shed all of the things these people own, in addition to their career. And in addition they refused to relinquish. The people who produce profits are actually people who usually give up. In case you keep working to make profits from a entrepreneurship, you will on time make profits so that you do not starve. Truly. Just do not give up.
With a bit of more information along with advice via peers along with experts who have paved their unique path to achievement with a work from home business, you are now happy to take the alternative in the right direction to achieving your own dream of managing a home business. No place is it prepared that this will probably be easy, particularly the beginning, nevertheless hopefully, these statements have given that you good jump-start to success!
Your faith is essential to you. Why not share that passion when you give presents to your friends and relatives? LDS Gift has exceptional keepsakes especially for Mormons.
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Looking for jewellery for that special Mormon teenager in your life? Help them share their religion with a custom CTR ring. LDS Gift showcases a large variety of CTR rings to fit any personality. Especially popular among men and teenaged boys is the spinner chain CTR ring. A great present for women is the popular flower petals CTR ring.
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Homemakers love to receive cookbooks. What could be better among LDS gift ideas than Gifts for the Kitchen. Created and illustrated by Debbie Harmon, this cookbook not only offers a great present choice for Mormon culinary enthusiasts. It can also be used by culinary fans to create a multitude of handmade presents for others. The bonus CD-ROM contains printable gift tags and other designs to produce a professional finish to these unique gifts straight from the LDS kitchen.
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In today?s world full of negative and destructive music lyrics, what could possibly be better LDS gift ideas than the music of faith? A present of relaxing, Christ-centered music will be appreciated for many years to come.
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What about the book lover on your gift list? LDS Gift has a great choice of books to please the Mormon reader. From kids?s songbooks and picture books to keepsake books for those special LDS pals in your life, it is possible to delight your family using these presents.
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Journals are a great way to devote peaceful time with our Lord. Inspirational journals in a wide variety of colors and sizes offer a choice for any LDS man or woman who enjoys writing. For individuals of faith, a gift of devotion is always appropriate.
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In today?s society, gifts for people of faith might be very difficult to find. The LDS gift ideas at LDS Gift provide a great way to share and live that faith.
$ 25,000 Reward up for Grabs from Max Muscle Sports Nutrition
Win $ 25,000 in the MaxFormation 2012 Life Challenge
Orange, California (PRWEB) January 10, 2012
?Why wait for a New Year?s Resolution to help yourself to feel better?? asked Max Muscle President and co-founder Sean Greene from the company?s Orange, California headquarters. ?Now, more than ever before in the history of our country, people have realized that when they control their health, they control everything in their lives. We?ve taken our annual $ 25,000 MaxFormation Life Challenge contest to an entirely new level this year, giving America all the ammo they need personally to turn their lives around?beginning with their health.?
The ?ammo? Greene talks about is the support system that makes the $ 25,000 MaxFormation Life Challenge an event, more than 20,000 people took part in the last year alone. In the first week of 2012, more than 100 people a day across the country have signed up.
Every Max Muscle Sports Nutrition stores throughout the country is equipped with a Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach (CFNC) who works with you individually to help you reach your specific goals?loosing weight, gaining lean muscle mass, or helping to assist nutritional and health needs individually. All contestants in the contest are supported by thousands of people in Max Muscle?s online community, http://www.myMaxMuscle.com, who motivate, assist, encourage, and support your weight loss journey each day. And, as UFC Heavyweight Shane Carwin will attest, ?Max Muscle has the best products, and best tasting products, anywhere.?
?The $ 25,000 Grand Prize is a Reward?a big carrot that surpasses a simple ?atta boy?.? said Greene. ?More than 50% of our nation is considered overweight. Nearly everybody has the desire to be in better shape. This national contest articulates the experience of walking into any of our 150 stores across the country. You?re greeted by a CFNC who can design a personal nutrition plan specifically for you while supporting that plan with the most scientifically advanced nutritional and supplemental products available anywhere.?
Since 1999, the all-encompassing contest has literally changed the lives of the people who enter. They?re educated about what to eat, when to eat, things to avoid, things to add to your diet, how to exercise, and more.
Don Dona, a High School Teacher from Dallas, Texas won last year?s MaxFormation and surmised his six month journey ? where he lost more than 100 pounds ? quite simply, ?Max Muscle changed my life. Max Muscle literally saved my life.?
The $ 25,000 MaxFormation Life Challenge contest gives each contestant their own personal website, free of charge, where goals are entered, photographs of ?befores and afters? are uploaded, journals are kept, and support is offered in an online private community.
?It?s like Facebook for folks who want to be fit!? said Lyle Evansiano, a 2011 contestant who lost 32 pounds, two pant sizes, and is ? according to him ? ??in better shape at 45 than when I was 25!?
Contestants can interact with each other online, providing motivation and support while striving to meet their goals, add friends to their profile, and ask questions to each other and Max Muscle Certified Fitness Nutrition Experts who interact directly from the online community.
?When we first conceived Max Muscle Sports Nutrition in 1999, we imagined a place where you could walk in off the street, be greeted by an expert who could guide you to your goals, not just sell you product.? said former NFL Player and co-Founder Joe Wells. ?Our stores are managed by Certified Fitness Nutrition Experts who back your personalized goals and plan with our scientifically developed and extensively tested proteins, diet and weight loss support, total body supplementation and nutrition. When you walk into a Max Muscle, the experience is catered to your needs specifically. There?s nothing like it, and the nation loves it!?
Max Muscle Sports Nutrition has risen to its current height of more than 150 stores nationwide by leading the industry in nutritional and supplemental advancement in fitness and weight loss education, innovation, product support, and consumer appreciation.
?We?re the ?Eat Right? in ?Eat Right and Exercise?.? said Greene. ?You truly are what you eat, and since we?re all unique people with specific needs, you need a place where you can go where the people know you, your goals, and can support those goals with professional advice, supplements and nutritional products that assure your body is being fed precisely what it needs to get to where you want to go.?
?That?s why we?re rewarding somebody $ 25,000 this year.? said Wells. ?We?ve helped tens of thousands of people achieve their fitness and weight loss goals since we started without fads. The MaxFormation Life Challenge gives even more people the opportunity to achieve goals they never thought possible, do it in the comfort of other people going through the same process, constant motivation and education available 24/7, and now an additional carrot of $ 25,000 to help you keep your eye on success. I bet you didn?t know there was a business like this available to people. That?s Max Muscle.?
Both Wells and Greene routinely log onto MaxFormation themselves at http://www.myMaxMuscle.com and welcome new MaxFormation contestants to the online community offering support and encouragement via Comments on their personal pages.
?We know that if you?re educated, one on one, by a Certified Fitness Nutrition Expert whose focus is only on your needs and desires, and at the same time are supported by a vast knowledge base of articles, recipes, workout plans, and a community of individuals that are all working on their similar yet personal goals, you?ll succeed.? said Greene. ?Over the years, the scores of testimonials from people that have not just lost weight, but achieved true life happiness by enjoying their new active and healthy lifestyles is our success. We intend to bring more people to this level of enjoyment through the MaxFormation Life Challenge and its record $ 25,000 Grand Prize this year.?
Click Now to Enter and Win $ 25,000
For twenty years Max Muscle Sports Nutrition has been the leader in the sports nutrition industry, and is committed to improving the health of people from all walks of life. Team members ? Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches? ? are extremely knowledgeable and take the time with each client to pinpoint their health and fitness goals in order to find the best program, products and supplements for them to achieve those goals. Whether the goal is to lose weight, gain weight or dedicating oneself to a healthier lifestyle- Max Muscle Sports Nutrition is one business that is growing by helping others reduce? online at http://www.MaxMuscle.com. Franchise opportunities available at http://www.MaxMuscleFranchise.com The myMaxMuscle online community is at http://www.myMaxMuscle.com.
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>>>and disturbing news on the number of u.s. children now affected by autism. the
centers for disease control
now reports as many as 1 in 88 children are affected by autism. chief
science and health
correspondent bob bazell joins us in studio. this came from the study in
2008
. it was obtained, the information. but it has been updated -- i'm sorry.
>>this is the latest data. it shows in 14 sites where they monitor, which are reliable academic institutions, the numbers, 1 in 88. even more starting in boys, it is 1 in 54.
>>we're also seeing an increase in hispanic and black children as well.
>>right. a lot of this has to do with increased definition changes. definition changes over time. i don't think that anybody, in fact, this number has gone up since
2002
when they first started taking it by 78%. so there has been an enormous number of children defined on the
autistic spectrum
.
>>does this mean more children are autistic? before it was 1 in 210. in alabama they're saying 1 in 47.
>>most experts that i've spoken to say it is change in the definition. a lot of things are being called autism now that used to be called something else. they range from very bad things like
mental retardation
to less bad thing like learning problems. all of those are now under the umbrella of ought i. that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of kids who need help. but the classical definition is a child total socially withdrawn. doesn't make eye contact and can't perform any skilled tasks. a lot of these kids don't fall into that category. so the definitions are changing. the people with
autism speaks
, the major advocacy organization says while they think at least half is something in the environment that hasn't been identified yet, a lot of doctors don't agree with that. they think it is the definition.
>>i should correct. 1 in 47 children in utah, not alabama.
>>it is a lot of kids falling under the definition. curiously, a lot of parents seek, when kids, in some places, when kids have the definition, they end up getting enhanced educational services. and unfortunately, our schools as you well know are such that a lot of parents want that for their kids.
>>bob bazell with the latest on the numbers. a lot to think about there. hopefully the children will get the help they need.
Col. Willard F. Rockwell made his fortune with the invention and successful launch of a new bearing system for truck axles in 1919. He merged his Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based operation with the Timken-Detroit Axle Company in 1928, rising to become chairman of its board in 1940.
Timken-Detroit merged in 1953 with the Standard Steel Spring Company, forming the Rockwell Spring and Axle Company. After various mergers with automotive suppliers, it comprised about 10-20 factories in the Upper Midwestern U.S. and southern Ontario, and in 1958 renamed itself Rockwell-Standard Corporation.
Pittsburgh-based Rockwell Standard then acquired and merged with Los Angeles-based North American Aviation to form North American Rockwell in 1967. They then purchased or merged with Miehle-Goss-Dexter, the largest supplier of printing presses, and in 1973 acquired Collins Radio, a major avionics supplier.
Finally, in 1973 the company merged with Rockwell Manufacturing, run by Willard Rockwell Jr., to form Rockwell International. In the same year, the company acquired Admiral Radio and TV for 0 million, selling the appliance division to Magic Chef.
Products
The various Rockwell companies list a large number of firsts in their histories, including the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter and the B-25 Mitchell bomber, and the Korean War-era F-86 Sabre, as well as the Apollo spacecraft, the B-1 Lancer bomber, the Space Shuttle, and most of the Navstar Global Positioning System satellites. Rocketdyne, which had been spun off by North American in 1955, was re-merged into Rockwell in 1984, and by that time produced most of the rocket engines used in the United States.
Rockwell also took over and manufactured the light business aircraft previously known as Aero Commanders, then introduced their own new design as the Rockwell Commander 112 and 114.
The company developed a desktop calculator based on a MOSFET chip for use by its engineers. In 1967 Rockwell set up their own manufacturing plant to produce them, starting what would become Rockwell Semiconductor. One of their major successes came in the early 1990s when they introduced the first low-cost 14.4 kbit/s modem chip set, which was used in a huge number of modems.
Collins Radios were fitted to 80% of the free world?s airliners. They designed and built the radios that communicated the Apollo moon landings and the high frequency radio network that allows worldwide communication with US military aircraft. Rockwell designed and built the third stage of the Minuteman Intercontinental ballistic missile, (ICBM) and the AIRS inertial guidance system (INS) that provided its navigation. They also built inertial navigation systems for the Fleet of Ballistic Missile submarines.
Rockwell built most of the heavy duty truck axles in the US along with power, windows, seats and locks. Rockwell also built yachts, business jets and owned large amounts of real estate.
Apex and break-up
With the death of company founder and first CEO Willard Rockwell in 1978, and the stepping down of his son Willard Rockwell Jr. in 1979 as the second CEO, Bob Anderson became CEO and led the company through the 1980s when it became the largest US defense contractor and largest NASA contractor. Rockwell also acquired the privately held Allen-Bradley Company for .6 billion in February 1985 billion of which was cash to the owners of Allen Bradley and became a producer of railroad electronics.
During the 1980s, Anderson, his CFO Bob dePalma and the Rockwell management team built the company to #27 on the Fortune 500 list. It boasted sales of billion and assets of over billion. Its workforce of over 100,000 was organized into nine major divisions: Space, Aircraft, Defense Electronics, Commercial Electronics, Light Duty Automotive Components, Heavy Duty Automotive Components, Printing Presses, Valves and Meters, and Industrial Automation. Rockwell International was a major employer in southern California, Ohio, Georgia, Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas, Iowa, Illinois and western Pennsylvania.
Anderson stepped down as CEO in February 1988, leaving the company to president Donald R. Beall. The completion of the Space Shuttle program and cancellation of the B-1 bomber had led to a decline in revenues, and Beall sought to diversify the company away from government contracts. The end of the Cold War and deteriorating economic conditions, however, prompted accelerated divestitures and sweeping management reforms. From 1988 to 2001 the company moved its headquarters four times: from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to El Segundo, California to Seal Beach, California to Costa Mesa, California to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
At the end of the 1980s, the company sold its valve and meter division, formerly Rockwell Manufacturing, to British Tire and Rubber. It also sold its printing press division to an internal management team. Following the ?peace dividend? following the fall of the Soviet bloc, the company sold its defense and aerospace business, including what was once North American Aviation and Rocketdyne, to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in December 1996. In the 1990s, the company spun off its semiconductor products as Conexant Technologies (CNXT), which is publicly traded and based in Newport Beach, California. Rockwell International also spun off its automotive division as a publicly traded company, Meritor Automotive, based in Troy, Michigan, which then merged with Arvin Industries to form Arvin Meritor.
In 2001, what remained of Rockwell International was split into two companies: Rockwell Automation and Rockwell Collins, both publicly traded companies, ending the run of what had once been a massive and diverse conglomerate.
Notes
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2006)
External links
North American Rockwell history on Boeing.com
Rockwell International history on Boeing.com
Boeing?s Australian website page on Rockwell history
v d e
North American Aviation and North American Aviation division of Rockwell International Aircraft
Categories: Companies based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Defense companies of the United States | Companies disestablished in 2001 | Manufacturing companies of the United States | Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States | Defunct companies based in Wisconsin | Companies based in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaHidden categories: Articles lacking sources from November 2006 | All articles lacking sources
Description The New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) provides temporary help to individuals and families with social service and economic needs to assist them in reaching self-sufficiency via essential and diverse programs/services, such as: temporary cash assistance, food stamps, child care, eviction prevention services, adult protective services, job training, employment plans/support, public health insurance, domestic violence assistance, HIV/AIDS support services and child support enforcement. The Family Independence Administration (FIA) employees help provide unique individual services to eligible New Yorkers aimed toward the achievement of long term self-sufficiency.
Responsibilities: The Family Independence Administration (FIA) is recruiting one (1) Administrative Staff Analyst NM to function as the Director of Business Development in the Business Link Division of FIA Employment and Contracts. Under the direct supervision of the Executive Director of Business Link, the Director will drive business development activity for HRA employment programs in Business Link, HRA?s in-house employment services for public assistance participants. The selected candidate will: ? Ensure growth through directing business development workforce activities in accordance with HRA?s work-first strategy.
? Supervise, coach and develop a team of account managers and establish policy and strategies to support the agency?s goal of 85,000 job placements in 2012.
? Establish partnerships with the business community to provide job opportunities to participants through facilitating job matches.
? Analyze New York City labor market data and HRA?s employment history to design business development campaigns that will ensure Business Link achieves its annual placement goal.
? Ensure efficient and effective marketing through sector-based advertising and promotional planning in collaboration with other Agency departments.
? Develop and coordinate the team?s business development activities including: sourcing, managing, and implementation of new business opportunities.
? Distribute and maintain target lists for new business while effectively growing existing accounts.
? Create business development and fulfillment metrics for account managers that collectively equate to Business Link?s placement goal; create and monitor weekly performance reports for each staff member.
? Maintain expert knowledge and understanding of the staffing needs and requirements of local business community through consistent networking with chambers of commerce, business improvement districts, economic development corporations and other relevant organizations.
? Work with employers and industry experts to deliver specialized solutions to employers? recruitment challenges, including wage subsidy programs to build jobs in New York City.
Qualifications: Desired Skills/Experience:
- At least 5 years of business-to-business sales experience.
- Demonstrated experience managing/coaching high-performance sales teams with defined goals/accountability.
- Self-motivated leader with the ability to network (internally & externally) and generate leads.
- Demonstrated experience designing and implementing plans to improve program operations.
- In-depth product knowledge to meet general and specific workforce development needs, lifecycles and seasonality for industry/sector.
- Excellent project and time management skills.
- Knowledge of business and management principles and workforce development.
- Strong quantitative/analytical/organizational and problem solving skills.
Salary: Commensurate with Experience
HowTo Apply: TO APPLY: GO TO NYC CAREERS AT WWW.NYC.GOV/CAREERS (JOB ID 99806 ? DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT)
About Organization:
THE CITY OF NEW YORK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
There are plenty of observations to be made about Y Combinator's Demo Day. It's the biggest ever, with 66 companies in this winter class. It's more diverse than past years, with many companies being led by women and people of color. And the audience, packed in at the Computer History Museum, is about as high-quality as you get at these sorts of things. It's full of Silicon Valley elite, plus other investors and executives who have flown in from around the country and the world. But the thing that is sticking out the most is the nature of the products being launched. Out of the 39 companies presenting on the record today, 15 are mobile-first by my count.
U-M Health and Retirement Study adds genetic data to NIH databasePublic release date: 28-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diane Swanbrow swanbrow@umich.edu 734-647-4416 University of Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, a 20-year nationwide survey of the health, economic and social status of older Americans conducted by the U-M Institute for Social Research, has added genetic information from 12,500 consenting participants to the online genetics database of the National Institutes of Health.
The genetic data was posted today to dbGAP, the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes, an online genetic database developed by the NIH.
"This step marks an important milestone in the expansion of traditional social science research to include biometric and biological data, including genetic material," said ISR Director James Jackson.
The Health and Retirement Study genetic data, now available for analysis by qualified researchers, is comprised of approximately 2.5 million genetic markers from each person, obtained from saliva samples. Specific information on the data can be found at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000428.v1.p1 and http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu.
"The addition of genetic data provides a major new dimension for the study and is expected to result in much deeper insights into how we age," said Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging. "With detailed information on genetic background, combined with the wealth of data on important aspects of the lives of older people, researchers will be better able to describe the spectrum of behavioral and environmental risk factors for disease and disability, as well as those that may protect our health."
Data from a total of 20,000 HRS participants is expected to be posted to the database by the end of 2013. This will allow researchers to conduct genome-wide association studies on survivorship, longevity and genetic determinants of aging, along with studies of complex disease traits, physiological measures and functions, biomarkers and physical performance. The longitudinal design of the HRS greatly enhances the power to detect genetic effects and to study determinants of age-dependent changes in health and function.
"When the Health and Retirement Study began collecting DNA in 2006, it was with a firm belief that measuring genetic variation at the population level would someday help to galvanize the integration of social and biological sciences," said David Weir, director of the HRS and principal investigator of the genotyping projects funded under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. "Now technological advances in genotyping, the vision of the National Institute on Aging in supporting the first-of-its kind nationally representative population study of genetics, and the collaboration of leading geneticists at U-M have made this integration a reality."
"Aging is one of life's biggest mysterieswhat speeds it up or slows it down? The HRS finally brings together two separate research worlds into a single large, deep longitudinal study," said U-M geneticist Sharon Kardia. "Now we can finally study how a person's genes interact with their social situation, life choices and beliefs about the world."
Launched in 1992, the HRS today follows more than 35,000 people over age 50. It collects data every two years, from pre-retirement to advanced age, during extensive interviews with participants, who are asked detailed questions about their health, economic status, social factors, cognitive ability and life circumstances. The interviews also include a set of physical performance tests, body measurements, blood and saliva samples, and a psychosocial questionnaire.
"Adding genetic data to this longitudinal study has the potential to revolutionize behavioral and social research," said Richard Suzman, director of the National Institute on Aging Division of Behavioral and Social Research and a co-founder of the study. "The new genetics information will be the largest nationally representative sample in NIH's genetic database."
The NIA renewed its support of the HRS in December 2011. The cooperative agreement between the NIA and the University of Michigan was extended for six years. Funding for the current fiscal year is $13.3 million; funding for the entire renewal period may total about $82 million. The Social Security Administration, which has been a longstanding supporter of the HRS, provided $4.2 million in fiscal year 2011.
"The HRS has also served as the model for similar studies in more than 30 other countries, leading to cross-national comparisons of the health and well-being of older people," Suzman said. "Comparative analyses with global counterparts have led to several surprising discoveries about how older Americans are doing. This information is increasingly significant for national leaders and policymakers as the world's older population continues to grow."
The HRS has helped spur the development of a global community of researchers sharing ideas and collaborating on analyses. Data from the HRS and its sister studies have attracted thousands of new researchers to studying aging, generating more than 2,000 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, dissertations and working papers.
Established in 1949, the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research is the world's largest academic social science survey and research organization, and a world leader in developing and applying social science methodology, and in educating researchers and students from around the world. ISR conducts some of the most widely cited studies in the nation, including the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, the American National Election Studies, the Monitoring the Future Study, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Health and Retirement Study, the Columbia County Longitudinal Study and the National Survey of Black Americans. ISR researchers also collaborate with social scientists in more than 60 nations on the World Values Surveys and other projects, and the institute has established formal ties with universities in Poland, China and South Africa. ISR is also home to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, the world's largest digital social science data archive. For more information, visit the ISR website at http://www.isr.umich.edu.
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U-M Health and Retirement Study adds genetic data to NIH databasePublic release date: 28-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diane Swanbrow swanbrow@umich.edu 734-647-4416 University of Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, a 20-year nationwide survey of the health, economic and social status of older Americans conducted by the U-M Institute for Social Research, has added genetic information from 12,500 consenting participants to the online genetics database of the National Institutes of Health.
The genetic data was posted today to dbGAP, the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes, an online genetic database developed by the NIH.
"This step marks an important milestone in the expansion of traditional social science research to include biometric and biological data, including genetic material," said ISR Director James Jackson.
The Health and Retirement Study genetic data, now available for analysis by qualified researchers, is comprised of approximately 2.5 million genetic markers from each person, obtained from saliva samples. Specific information on the data can be found at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000428.v1.p1 and http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu.
"The addition of genetic data provides a major new dimension for the study and is expected to result in much deeper insights into how we age," said Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging. "With detailed information on genetic background, combined with the wealth of data on important aspects of the lives of older people, researchers will be better able to describe the spectrum of behavioral and environmental risk factors for disease and disability, as well as those that may protect our health."
Data from a total of 20,000 HRS participants is expected to be posted to the database by the end of 2013. This will allow researchers to conduct genome-wide association studies on survivorship, longevity and genetic determinants of aging, along with studies of complex disease traits, physiological measures and functions, biomarkers and physical performance. The longitudinal design of the HRS greatly enhances the power to detect genetic effects and to study determinants of age-dependent changes in health and function.
"When the Health and Retirement Study began collecting DNA in 2006, it was with a firm belief that measuring genetic variation at the population level would someday help to galvanize the integration of social and biological sciences," said David Weir, director of the HRS and principal investigator of the genotyping projects funded under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. "Now technological advances in genotyping, the vision of the National Institute on Aging in supporting the first-of-its kind nationally representative population study of genetics, and the collaboration of leading geneticists at U-M have made this integration a reality."
"Aging is one of life's biggest mysterieswhat speeds it up or slows it down? The HRS finally brings together two separate research worlds into a single large, deep longitudinal study," said U-M geneticist Sharon Kardia. "Now we can finally study how a person's genes interact with their social situation, life choices and beliefs about the world."
Launched in 1992, the HRS today follows more than 35,000 people over age 50. It collects data every two years, from pre-retirement to advanced age, during extensive interviews with participants, who are asked detailed questions about their health, economic status, social factors, cognitive ability and life circumstances. The interviews also include a set of physical performance tests, body measurements, blood and saliva samples, and a psychosocial questionnaire.
"Adding genetic data to this longitudinal study has the potential to revolutionize behavioral and social research," said Richard Suzman, director of the National Institute on Aging Division of Behavioral and Social Research and a co-founder of the study. "The new genetics information will be the largest nationally representative sample in NIH's genetic database."
The NIA renewed its support of the HRS in December 2011. The cooperative agreement between the NIA and the University of Michigan was extended for six years. Funding for the current fiscal year is $13.3 million; funding for the entire renewal period may total about $82 million. The Social Security Administration, which has been a longstanding supporter of the HRS, provided $4.2 million in fiscal year 2011.
"The HRS has also served as the model for similar studies in more than 30 other countries, leading to cross-national comparisons of the health and well-being of older people," Suzman said. "Comparative analyses with global counterparts have led to several surprising discoveries about how older Americans are doing. This information is increasingly significant for national leaders and policymakers as the world's older population continues to grow."
The HRS has helped spur the development of a global community of researchers sharing ideas and collaborating on analyses. Data from the HRS and its sister studies have attracted thousands of new researchers to studying aging, generating more than 2,000 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, dissertations and working papers.
Established in 1949, the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research is the world's largest academic social science survey and research organization, and a world leader in developing and applying social science methodology, and in educating researchers and students from around the world. ISR conducts some of the most widely cited studies in the nation, including the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, the American National Election Studies, the Monitoring the Future Study, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Health and Retirement Study, the Columbia County Longitudinal Study and the National Survey of Black Americans. ISR researchers also collaborate with social scientists in more than 60 nations on the World Values Surveys and other projects, and the institute has established formal ties with universities in Poland, China and South Africa. ISR is also home to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, the world's largest digital social science data archive. For more information, visit the ISR website at http://www.isr.umich.edu.
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Public release date: 28-Mar-2012
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