The Shadow Minister for Small Business, Toby Perkins MP, visited Portsmouth Business School yesterday as part of his wider research into the teaching of sales skills in the UK.
Portsmouth University is the only British university to teach sales skills at a post-graduate level.
Mr Perkins? visit was inspired by a recent round table meeting with sales professionals including the Head of the Marketing and Sales at Portsmouth, Beth Rogers.
Toby believes sales skills are vital for the growth of UK plc and has been calling for more emphasis to be put on sales education in schools, colleges and universities.
He is concerned that professional sales skills have been undervalued in business studies courses, posing a particular problem for small businesses.
Beth Rogers said:
?Toby has a passionate interest in sales education, as do we, and it is encouraging that he is determined to address the sales skills gap which exists in the UK.
?If the UK is to fully and quickly recover from recession we need to develop the professional salespeople and sales managers that employers need and value.
?You don?t get to grow quickly internationally by being cheaper, you get it by knowing how to grow your revenue by being smarter and better at creating value for customers with very different needs ? this is at the root of what we teach our business studies undergraduates.?
A few months ago, Mr Perkins started working with the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management to find ways for government to help the sales profession become more credible and to provide better training and clearer career paths for young people.
He believes that what is required to professionalise sales is a research base underpinned by a partnership between government, academia, industry and professional sales institutes.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills has reported that sales and customer service are among the skills most lacking in the workforce and are also among the jobs with high vacancy rates.
Mr Perkins explained:
?So many firms know the truth of one of the oldest adages in business; until someone sells something, nothing happens.
?But whilst sales is certainly key to businesses across the UK, it is also a key component of our economy in its own right. Famously the NHS is the world 3rd largest employer, behind just the Indian Railway and the Chinese Army . Yet at 1.7 million people it falls some 500,000 behind the number employed in sales and customer services roles (9% of all the people employed in the UK.)?
?Despite sales key role in our economic prosperity, a source of employment and revenue growth, there has been so little attention paid to how to encourage young people to pursue a career in sales and so little idea how to help people be good at it.?
?This is why I?m investigating the different paths to boost sales skills, in the work place, in schools and colleges and high education institutions and why I came to Portsmouth this week.? I found the trip to be extremely helpful and the lessons I learnt will form a vital part of our work going forward.?
Toby met with undergraduate and postgraduate students and lecturers and saw first hand the work they do as part of their course, including role-plays, dissertations and reports.? He also spoke to and audience of students and staff on his vision for the future of sales skills.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A Senate panel on Thursday issued a scathing assessment of JPMorgan's $6.2 billion trading loss last year. The investigation found that bank executives ignored growing risks and hid losses from investors and federal regulators.
Executives at JPMorgan understated the trading losses to federal examiners by hundreds of millions of dollars and dismissed questions raised about the trading risks, according to the report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
The report suggests that key executives, including CEO Jamie Dimon, were aware of huge losses at the bank, even while they were downplaying the risks publicly. The report also blames federal regulators for lax oversight that allowed the nation's largest bank to pile up risky bets.
On Thursday, JPMorgan acknowledged it made mistakes but rejected any assertions that it concealed losses or risks. A spokesman declined to comment directly on the accusation that Dimon knew of the trading loss in April.
"While we have repeatedly acknowledged mistakes, our senior management acted in good faith and never had any intent to mislead anyone," JPMorgan said in a statement Thursday. "We know we have made many mistakes .... We have taken significant steps to remediate these issues and to learn from them."
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the subcommittee's chairman, said the probe showed "many, many failures" at the bank, some of them "serious and indeed egregious."
The committee will question bank executives and regulators Friday at a hearing on the trading loss.
In April, news reports said a trader in JPMorgan's London office known as "the whale" had taken huge risks that were roiling the markets. Dimon immediately dismissed the reports as a "tempest in a teapot" during a conference call with analysts.
But in May, Dimon acknowledged that the bank had lost roughly $2 billon. And during testimony to a separate Senate panel in June, Dimon said the bank showed "bad judgment," was "stupid" and "took far too much risk."
The figure was later revised to more than $6 billion.
JPMorgan executives said publicly that the trades were made for the purpose of hedging against risk. An internal report at the bank blamed traders in the London unit for trying to hide the size of the loss and not keeping bank executives informed.
But the Senate report says executives inaccurately said the trading decisions were based on a long-term strategy and that the trading positions were fully transparent to regulators. And, it says there is evidence that Dimon and other key executives had information in April about the operation's huge and complex portfolio, as well as its losses for three straight months.
The bank "gambled away billions of dollars through risky and exotic trades, then intentionally hid its losses from investors and the public, showing complete disregard for risk management procedures and regulatory oversight," Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the subcommittee's senior Republican, said Thursday.
The loss came less than four years after the 2008 financial crisis and hurt the reputation of a bank that had come through the crisis known for taking fewer risks than its competitors. Three employees in the London office were fired ? two senior managers and a trader. And Ina Drew, the chief investment officer overseeing the bank's trading strategy, resigned.
The trading loss also raised concerns that the largest banks still pose risks to the U.S. financial system.
The Senate report criticized the oversight of JPMorgan's trading operation by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a Treasury Department agency. It said the agency failed to investigate the trading even when the London operation several times blew through pre-set risk limits, failed to notice when the unit didn't submit several required monthly reports, and accepted other reports that omitted key data.
"The OCC takes this matter very seriously. ... We are very disappointed that the bank misinformed the OCC, which hampered our supervisory efforts," agency spokesman Bryan Hubbard said Thursday. "We will take additional action as appropriate."
The agency acknowledges that there were shortcomings in its oversight of JPMorgan, Hubbard said. As a result of its review, the OCC has taken steps to improve its supervision of financial institutions, he said.
In January, the OCC and the Federal Reserve ordered JPMorgan to take steps to correct weak risk management that led to the trading loss. The bank wasn't fined under the agreements. It promised to strengthen its policies and procedures to control risk.
Drew will be among several witnesses Friday. So will former Chief Financial Officer Douglas Braunstein, who is accused in the Senate report of misleading investors during the April conference call. Comptroller Thomas Curry and two other agency officials also are scheduled to testify.
Shares in New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co fell 26 cents, or 2 percent, to $49.96 in extended trading Thursday after the committee issued its report.
Mar. 15, 2013 ? Researchers in the UK have taken an important step towards understanding how the human brain 'decodes' letters on a page to read a word. The work, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), will help psychologists unravel the subtle thinking mechanisms involved in reading, and could provide solutions for helping people who find it difficult to read, for example in conditions such as dyslexia.
In order to read successfully, readers need not only to identify the letters in words, but also to accurately code the positions of those letters, so that they can distinguish words like CAT and ACT. At the same time, however, it's clear that raeders can dael wtih wodrs in wihch not all teh leettrs aer in thier corerct psotiions.
"How the brain can make sense of some jumbled sequences of letters but not others is a key question that psychologists need to answer to understand the code that the brain uses when reading," says Professor Colin Davis of Royal Holloway, University of London, who led the research.
For many years researchers have used a standard psychological test to try to work out which sequences of letters in a word are important cues that the brain uses, where jumbled words are flashed momentarily on a screen to see if they help the brain to recognise the properly spelt word.
But, this technique had limitations that made it impossible to probe more extreme rearrangements of sequences of letters. Professor Davis's team used computer simulations to work out that a simple modification to the test would allow it to question these more complex changes to words. This increases the test's sensitivity significantly and makes it far more valuable for comparing different coding theories.
"For example, if we take the word VACATION and change it to AVACITNO, previously the test would not tell us if the brain recognises it as VACATION because other words such as AVOCADO or AVIATION might start popping into the person's head," says Professor Davis. "With our modification we can show that indeed the brain does relate AVACITNO to VACATION, and this starts to give us much more of an insight into the nature of the code that the brain is using -- something that was not possible with the existing test."
The modified test should allow researchers not only to crack the code that the brain uses to make sense of strings of letters, but also to examine differences between individuals -- how a 'good' reader decodes letter sequences compared with someone who finds reading difficult.
"These kinds of methods can be very sensitive to individual differences in reading ability and we are starting to get a better idea of some of the issues that underpin people's difficulty in reading," says Professor Davis. Ultimately, this could lead to new approaches to helping people to overcome reading problems.
Further information: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-000-22-3354/read
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KEY WEST, Fla. ? The Florida Keys offers every water activity imaginable from sailing to sport fishing. But a fishing charter or snorkeling excursion will cost you.
Fortunately, the Keys, a series of islands spanning over 100 miles (160 kilometers) connected by bridges and causeways, offer plenty to do at no cost, from sunset views to nature spots. Driving the toll-free Florida Keys Overseas Highway south from Florida City to Key West takes about three hours, though you'll want to stop to sightsee. But the drive alone is worth the trip: You feel as though you are floating over water as you hop from island to island, with pristine views on either side. It's also one of the rare places where both sunset and sunrise can be seen over the water, depending on which way you turn your head.
A couple of tips: Bring snorkel and flippers so you don't have to rent. If you plan a hotel stay, find one that lets guests use kayaks for free. You can fish off the bridges, but you'll need a license unless you're here on the state's two Free Fishing Days, April 6 and June 8. For more visitor information, download a free Florida Keys iPhone app, or visit . http://www.fla-keys.com
Here are five places in the Keys with free highlights for each.
KEY LARGO
If you're heading south into the Keys from the Miami or Fort Lauderdale areas, Key Largo is the first island you hit. State parks offer great opportunities for bird watching and nature photography, but many, like John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, charge entrance fees. So head to the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center (near Mile Marker 93) to see rescued and rehabilitated wild birds. The bird sanctuary ? ? accepts donations but has free admission. Free brochures guide you through boardwalks surrounded by falcons and other wild birds in cages. Watch out for wild pelicans walking the boardwalk ? they won't bite but they also won't get out of your way. Cross over the Mangrove Wetland to a beach where birds roam freely. http://fkwbc.org
A bicycle and pedestrian corridor known as the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail starts in Key Largo (Mile Marker 106) and stretches 70 miles (about 113 kilometers). It will eventually run the length of the Keys parallel to U.S. Highway 1.
ISLAMORADA
Known for world-class sport fishing, Islamorada, which calls itself a village of islands, has a vibrant art scene with a free art walk event (between Mile Markers 81 and 82) the third Thursday of each month sponsored by the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District ? . Five galleries stay open late as artists and musicians line the streets. http://www.moradawayarts.org
Anne's Beach ? at Mile Marker 73 ? is a quiet beach with a rocky shore and shallow clear blue waters. There's limited parking but it's rarely crowded. http://floridakeystreasures.com/Beaches/annesbeach.shtml
Stop for a picture with a giant lobster known as Betsy at The Rain Barrel Artisan Village, near Mile Marker 87. The popular figure of a crustacean is just one of many drive-by attractions on U.S. 1.
MARATHON
Sombrero Beach Park is a lovely community spot with a crescent-shaped beach, white sand and palm trees. Facilities include volleyball courts, picnic pavilions, playground equipment, restrooms, and showers. No fee to enter or park. It's open from 7 a.m. until dusk. To get there from the Overseas Highway, turn south on Sombrero Beach Road.
BIG PINE KEY
The Lower Keys have a more laid-back feel than the northerly islands, with fewer restaurants and tourist attractions. Signs warn you to slow down and watch out for Key Deer, an endangered species. In Big Pine Key, you can see the small deer with white tails at the National Key Deer Refuge ? . You can't feed them but you can watch them feed; you can also bike or jog here. To see the elusive lower Keys marsh rabbit, go in early morning and stay quiet by the tall grass. http://www.fws.gov/nationalkeydeer/
You can also tour the Bat Tower in Sugarloaf Key ? _ at Mile Marker 17. Just don't expect to see bats. The 1929 structure was built to lure bats as a way to combat mosquitoes. Bats stayed away, but the tower stands. http://www.keyshistory.org/SL-Sugarloaf-Key.html
KEY WEST
Key West is known for beautiful sunsets, and the place to watch them is Mallory Square ? . http://www.sunsetcelebration.org/
At the Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden ? ? you'll find 38 bronze busts of prominent men and women who had homes here, from Henry Flagler to Ernest Hemingway and President Harry S. Truman. http://www.keywestsculpturegarden.org/
Finally, stop at the southernmost point in the continental U.S. for a picture at the replica of a large concrete buoy so you can say you were 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Cuba.
___
Suzette Laboy can be followed on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/SuzetteLaboy
Guiding responsible research in geoengineeringPublic release date: 14-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Caroline Perry cperry@seas.harvard.edu 617-496-1351 Harvard University
Harvard, UCLA experts propose new structure for regulation of geoengineering research
Cambridge, Mass. March 14, 2013 Geoengineering, the use of human technologies to alter the Earth's climate system such as injecting reflective particles into the upper atmosphere to scatter incoming sunlight back to space has emerged as a potentially promising way to mitigate the impacts of climate change. But such efforts could present unforeseen new risks. That inherent tension, argue two professors from UCLA and Harvard, has thwarted both scientific advances and the development of an international framework for regulating and guiding geoengineering research.
In an article published March 15 in the journal Science, Edward Parson of UCLA and David Keith of Harvard University outline how the current deadlock on governance of geoengineering research poses real threats to the sound management of climate risk. Their article advances concrete and actionable proposals for allowing further research but not deployment and for creating scientific and legal guidance, as well as addressing public concerns.
"We're trying to avoid a policy train wreck," said Keith, a professor of public policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. "Informed policy judgments in the future require research now into geoengineering methods' efficacy and risks. If research remains blocked, in some stark future situation, only untested approaches will be available."
"Our proposals address the lack of international legal coordination that has contributed to the current deadlock," said Parson, a professor of law and faculty co-director of the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment at the UCLA School of Law. "Coordinated international governance of research will both provide the guidance and confidence to allow needed, low-risk research to proceed and address legitimate public concerns about irresponsible interventions or a thoughtless slide into deployment."
In their paper, the authors state that progress on research governance must advance four aims:
Allow low-risk, scientifically valuable research to proceed.
Give scientists guidance on the design of socially acceptable research.
Address legitimate public concerns.
End the current legal void that facilitates rogue projects.
Parson and Keith argue that scientific self-regulation is not sufficient to manage risks and that scientists need to accept government authority over geoengineering research. They emphasize that initial steps should not require new laws or treaties but can come from informal consultation and coordination among governments.
The authors also propose defining two thresholds for governance of geoengineering research: a large-scale threshold to be subject to a moratorium and a separate, much smaller threshold below which research would be allowed. Keith, for example, is currently developing an outdoor experiment to test the risks and efficacy of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering, which would fall below the proposed allowable threshold.
The authors emphasize that this article proposes only first steps. In the near term, these steps frame a social bargain that would allow research to proceed; in the long term, they begin to build international norms of cooperation and transparency in geoengineering.
###
The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard's teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology. Through collaboration with researchers from all parts of Harvard, other universities, and corporate and foundational partners, we bring discovery and innovation directly to bear on improving human life and society.
The Harvard Kennedy School maintains an abiding commitment to advancing the public interest by training skilled, enlightened leaders and solving public problems through world-class scholarship and active engagement with practitioners and decision makers.
The UCLA School of Law, founded in 1949, is the youngest major law school in the nation and has established a tradition of innovation in its approach to teaching, research and scholarship. With approximately 100 faculty and 1,100 students, the school pioneered clinical teaching, is a leader in interdisciplinary research and training and is at the forefront of efforts to link research to its effects on society and the legal profession.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Guiding responsible research in geoengineeringPublic release date: 14-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Caroline Perry cperry@seas.harvard.edu 617-496-1351 Harvard University
Harvard, UCLA experts propose new structure for regulation of geoengineering research
Cambridge, Mass. March 14, 2013 Geoengineering, the use of human technologies to alter the Earth's climate system such as injecting reflective particles into the upper atmosphere to scatter incoming sunlight back to space has emerged as a potentially promising way to mitigate the impacts of climate change. But such efforts could present unforeseen new risks. That inherent tension, argue two professors from UCLA and Harvard, has thwarted both scientific advances and the development of an international framework for regulating and guiding geoengineering research.
In an article published March 15 in the journal Science, Edward Parson of UCLA and David Keith of Harvard University outline how the current deadlock on governance of geoengineering research poses real threats to the sound management of climate risk. Their article advances concrete and actionable proposals for allowing further research but not deployment and for creating scientific and legal guidance, as well as addressing public concerns.
"We're trying to avoid a policy train wreck," said Keith, a professor of public policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. "Informed policy judgments in the future require research now into geoengineering methods' efficacy and risks. If research remains blocked, in some stark future situation, only untested approaches will be available."
"Our proposals address the lack of international legal coordination that has contributed to the current deadlock," said Parson, a professor of law and faculty co-director of the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment at the UCLA School of Law. "Coordinated international governance of research will both provide the guidance and confidence to allow needed, low-risk research to proceed and address legitimate public concerns about irresponsible interventions or a thoughtless slide into deployment."
In their paper, the authors state that progress on research governance must advance four aims:
Allow low-risk, scientifically valuable research to proceed.
Give scientists guidance on the design of socially acceptable research.
Address legitimate public concerns.
End the current legal void that facilitates rogue projects.
Parson and Keith argue that scientific self-regulation is not sufficient to manage risks and that scientists need to accept government authority over geoengineering research. They emphasize that initial steps should not require new laws or treaties but can come from informal consultation and coordination among governments.
The authors also propose defining two thresholds for governance of geoengineering research: a large-scale threshold to be subject to a moratorium and a separate, much smaller threshold below which research would be allowed. Keith, for example, is currently developing an outdoor experiment to test the risks and efficacy of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering, which would fall below the proposed allowable threshold.
The authors emphasize that this article proposes only first steps. In the near term, these steps frame a social bargain that would allow research to proceed; in the long term, they begin to build international norms of cooperation and transparency in geoengineering.
###
The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard's teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology. Through collaboration with researchers from all parts of Harvard, other universities, and corporate and foundational partners, we bring discovery and innovation directly to bear on improving human life and society.
The Harvard Kennedy School maintains an abiding commitment to advancing the public interest by training skilled, enlightened leaders and solving public problems through world-class scholarship and active engagement with practitioners and decision makers.
The UCLA School of Law, founded in 1949, is the youngest major law school in the nation and has established a tradition of innovation in its approach to teaching, research and scholarship. With approximately 100 faculty and 1,100 students, the school pioneered clinical teaching, is a leader in interdisciplinary research and training and is at the forefront of efforts to link research to its effects on society and the legal profession.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
In this Thursday, March 7, 2013 photo, chosen as the face of the new SHEBA global campaign "Follow Your Passion," actress and executive producer Eva Longoria poses for a portrait, in New York. Besides showbiz, Longoria's passions include philanthropy and politics. She's committed to encouraging Latin women to further their education and start entrepreneur programs; and also founded Eva's Heroes which is dedicated to children with special needs. (Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP)
In this Thursday, March 7, 2013 photo, chosen as the face of the new SHEBA global campaign "Follow Your Passion," actress and executive producer Eva Longoria poses for a portrait, in New York. Besides showbiz, Longoria's passions include philanthropy and politics. She's committed to encouraging Latin women to further their education and start entrepreneur programs; and also founded Eva's Heroes which is dedicated to children with special needs. (Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP)
In this Thursday, March 7, 2013 photo, chosen as the face of the new SHEBA global campaign "Follow Your Passion," actress and executive producer Eva Longoria poses for a portrait, in New York. She's busy behind-the-camera too as an Executive Producer on two upcoming television shows. The first, a reality dating show called ?Ready for Love,? premieres later this month on NBC. She is also Executive Producer of "Devious Maids," alongside ?Desperate Housewives? creator Mark Cherry. (Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP)
In this Thursday, March 7, 2013 photo, chosen as the face of the new SHEBA global campaign "Follow Your Passion," actress and executive producer Eva Longoria poses for a portrait, in New York. The actress, who just wrapped a movie called ?Frontera? alongside Ed Harris and Michael Pena, is also busy behind-the-camera too as an Executive Producer on two upcoming television shows. (Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Eva Longoria hasn't slowed down since "Desperate Housewives" signed off after eight seasons last year. In fact, the actress says the word "lazy" isn't in her vocabulary.
"There are days when I relax but it won't be a full day. It usually means I'm gonna clean out my closet. That's relaxing for me. Or I'm gonna cook a full meal for my family and friends," Longoria, who will be 38 on Friday, said in a recent interview.
Longoria said she has no problem juggling various projects.
"I always say there's more time in the day than you think. You waste a lot of time that you don't realize," she said. "When I was on 'Desperate Housewives,' I learned two languages. I went back to school for my master's degree, I was married (to San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker) and flying back and forth (between Los Angeles and Texas). You have time."
Her passions also include philanthropy and politics. She's committed to encouraging Latin women to further their education and start entrepreneurial programs. She also founded Eva's Heroes, dedicated to teens and young adults with special needs.
She just wrapped up filming on "Frontera," alongside Ed Harris and Michael Pena, and has endorsement deals with L'Oreal, Frito-Lay and Sheba.
Longoria is also an executive producer on two upcoming TV shows.
On "Ready for Love," a reality dating show that will air on NBC, three matchmakers help three men find love.
Longoria says she handpicked each of the three eligible guys.
They're "not only handsome and successful, but generous, kind and sweet human beings. ... They'll forever be friends in my life," she said.
She's also one of the executive producers of "Devious Maids," alongside "Desperate Housewives" creator Mark Cherry. Based on a Mexican series, it follows four maids who work in Beverly Hills but dream of their own success. The show will air on Lifetime.
While she's enjoying TV production, Longoria said, "I love the medium of television. I'll definitely be back. I'll definitely come back one day."
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Online:
http://sheba.com/feedyourpassion
http://www.evasheroes.org/
http://www.nbc.com/ready-for-love/
___
Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her online at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar
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Public release date: 14-Mar-2013
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