By Kurt Sandholtz, Brooklyn Derr, Kathy Buckner, Dawn CarlsonThe book is written specifically for people who want to stay highly involved in both their careers and their personal lives, rather than simplifying or cutting back in some way. It debunks the myth that juggling can ever lead to true balance. It details four alternative strategies people can use to effectively balance their work and personal lives. The authors explain each of the strategies, detail the rewards and drawbacks associated with each, and include case studies of people who have used each method successfully to rebalance their lives. Beyond Juggling includes a self-assessment instrument that readers can use to pinpoint which strategy (or strategies) for work/life balance they are currently using, as well as additional quizzes and checklists to help readers determine which alternative strategies could help reduce the dissonance between their professional and personal lives.
The 154,000 citizens of Knowsley on Merseyside will soon be able to buy goods and services via the Internet and to exchange them without the need for money. The local council working with several partners including Connect Internet Solutions Ltd, Peapod UK Ltd., Kirkby Unemployed Centre, Huyton Credit Union, North West eGovernment Group and Blackburn & Darwen Borough Council, have set up an e-commerce project, Tradenet, to stimulate the local economy. The aim of the project is to enable small businesses and community groups to develop and maintain their own website, trade electronically and compete for business via links to the Council’s on-line tendering facilities.It is expected that the project will provide Internet connectivityfor over 100 small businesses and 50 community groups in Knowsley.They will be able to develop their own websites using the SiteMaker software. This comprehensive website creation package provides everything needed to create and maintain the website without the need for technical expertise. Businesses will be able to use ShopKeeper which is an easy and safe way to trade online. It provides a fully integrated shopping cart facility and enables a secure online store to be built and maintained by businesses without any technical knowledge.
Executive Agencies are not making the best use of target setting to drive performance improvement. The National Audit Office found that the 30 agencies they surveyed were meeting three quarters of their targets, but concern centred on the targets themselves which in many cases contributed little to improving service delivery. Just over half the civil service is made up of Executive Agencies such as the Passport Office and JobCentre Plus.A major weakness is a lack of customer focus. Agencies have a limited understanding of customer needs and preferences. They also lack information about customer’s assessment of quality and how far the service meets customer expectations. Target setting by Agencies does not focus on the key drivers which most influence the overall quality of service such as speed of delivery, accessibility or quality of information provided.
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