Quality for Life – The ASQ’s Campaign to Foster Sharing Among Quality Professionals

The American Society for Quality has introduced a new campaign and website seeking to promote sharing among quality professionals. The campaign is specifically targeted to those in Risk Management and any professional who applies any of the Six Sigma methodologies in their profession.

The “Quality for Life” website features a section where Quality Professionals are invited to share how they make a difference at work, in their personal lives, and through volunteer efforts.

The website also features a section for Quality Tools and the Quality for Life Blog, as well as social media and videos. This website is about Quality Professionals and for Quality Professionals and it is already populated with a variety of inspirational and interesting stories.

Check it out and submit one of your stories to the website. It’s a great opportunity for you to talk a little about what you do – and learn from your peers.

The Financial Planning Coalition – Latest News

In an effort to further support the establishment of standards for their industry, the Financial Planning Coalition is recommending that congress support the SEC proposed “Fiduciary Standard of Care for Broker-Dealers”.

In a press release from March 29, 2011, the Financial Planning Coalition urges congress to support the SEC efforts and provide full funding for the agency. These measures are being taken to ensure investors are protected from further “Bernie Madoff-like” scams. They further seek to support that any funding for the agency comes from those whom the commissions regulates, not from taxpayers.

The Coalition was formed in order to support the nearly 75,000 financial planning professionals in the US. Kaplan Continuing Education provides a program for those seeking training and support in becoming a financial planner. To learn more about Kaplan’s Certificate in Financial Planning program, visit the website or call 866-542-4042.

What Happens When The Supply Chain Links Are Broken?

As many quality professionals know, the ASQ is a prime resource for news about Risk Management, Six Sigma and other quality-focused programs.

In an article published on March 29, the ASQ Weekly sat down with supply chain management experts to discuss the potential far reaching consequences of the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster on the worldwide economy. Four different highly credentialed and experienced quality professionals contributed on a variety of topics such as the predicting the major economic ramifications, how contingency planning and JIT could have played a part, how tools such as FMEA and RASIC charts could help and considering the big picture.

One of the key industries that will be hardest hit by the catastrophe will be American automakers. The experts note that many quality and lean standards practices were overlooked – in favor of short-sighted gains. The contributors speculate this will put the industry at further risk as it struggles to deal with the shortages it will face.

In the conclusion of the article, it’s noted that it would do great honor to those affected by this unforeseeable catastrophe to look at the effects closely and learn from them.

Financial Advisor Support – NAPFA Webinars for Consumers

The National Association of Professional Financial Advisors is producing a series of free webinars targeted to helping consumers understand their personal financial affairs.

This series of webinars is free and delivered online, making them highly accessible to the average consumer. Upcoming webinars will cover topics like: Financial Planning for the New Family, How to Decipher Financial Acronyms and Determining Your Investment Approach. Each of these webinars will be presented by a NAPFA-registered financial advisor.

Past webinars, which are available in the archives, include: Kids & Money, What is Financial Planning, Protecting What You Have and Investments: The Basics.

To view the full list of webinars, both past and upcoming, you can visit the NAPFA website.

We think this seminar series would be a great addition to any Financial Planners offerings for their clients. Why not pass them along to your clients today?

First Ladies Urge Support of American Military Families

As their husbands, Barack Obama and Joe Biden looked on, First Ladies Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden announced a national initiative to support and honor military and their families.

MilitaryWives.com, a website community for military spouses, featured an article on this new intiative on April 12. In the article, the First Ladies note that their efforts will be based on conversations with military families and will focus on three key areas of need identified by that group: employment, education and wellness.

When MilitaryWives.com is not reporting on the latest news, they are also providing support in the form of community sharing, care packages, and endless resources for families and spouses of those in the military.

One of the government supported education initiatives already in place, the MyCAA program, provides government funding for military spouses to further their education in order to seek or improve their career. To view a full list of the online business, healthcare and IT programs offered by Kaplan Continuing Education that are eligible for this funding, click here.

The Professional Association of Healthcare Office Management 23rd Annual Conference

As many in the field are aware, the Professional Association of Healthcare Office Management (PAHCOM) has an annual conference with great networking and educational opportunities.
The PAHCOM 23rd Annual Conference will happen this year on October 18-20 in Clearwater Beach Florida.

The conference schedule includes a keynote presentation from Carol Clendinen, RN, LMHC, CAP. Carol is a psychotherapist who has taken an approach to interacting with physicians and staff that is less stressful and more productive – and her message will inspire you to do that same.

The conference also features many educational sessions, hands-on workshops and exhibitor showcases.

This year, PAHCOM has prepared a video for you to show your employer detailing the benefits of sending you to the event. What a great idea!

Cisco’s Latest Announcement – Powerful Enough For Every Person in China!

When Cisco unveiled its new CRS-3, a significant upgrade from the CRS-1 router, they promised to “forever change the internet”. But, does the router live up to the hype?

In an article at CNET, the company is quoted as describing the new router as having enough power to handle “322 terabits of traffic per second - or simultaneous video calls for every person in China”.

With video being one of the hottest features of the internet today, this new router will allow the largest ISPs to increase their capacity so that new video-based applications can be offered to the average internet consumer.
Announcements like this from Cisco effect the entire internet industry – from simple website and application development all the way up to the backbone access providers. Through devices that push the envelope like this, the whole industry grows.

We know news like this may not seem relevant to the average internet user, or even people interested in e-commerce, web design or internet security, but every one of those people will be affected by this latest innovation.