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Wiki Wiki Summary
Passeig de Lluís Companys, Barcelona Passeig de Lluís Companys (Catalan pronunciation: [pəˈsɛdʒ də ʎuˈis kumˈpaɲs]) is a promenade in the Ciutat Vella and Eixample districts of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and can be seen as an extension of Passeig de Sant Joan. It was named after President Lluís Companys, who was executed in 1940.
Permatemp Permatemp is a U.S. term for a temporary employee who works for an extended period for a single staffing client. The word is a portmanteau of the words permanent and temporary.
Haken (employment) Haken (派遣, haken) is the Japanese term for temporary employees dispatched to companies by staffing agencies.\n\n\n== Background ==\nThe temporary staffing industry in Japan is regulated by the 1985 Worker Dispatch Law.The original aim of this law was to regulate the extra-legal system of subcontractor personnel dispatching that had become commonplace in the automobile and electronics industries.
Dead-end job A dead-end job is a job where there is little or no chance of career development and advancement into a better position. If an individual requires further education to progress within their firm that is difficult to obtain for any reason, this can result in the occupation being classified as a dead-end position.
Perfect competition In economics, specifically general equilibrium theory, a perfect market, also known as an atomistic market, is defined by several idealizing conditions, collectively called perfect competition, or atomistic competition. In theoretical models where conditions of perfect competition hold, it has been demonstrated that a market will reach an equilibrium in which the quantity supplied for every product or service, including labor, equals the quantity demanded at the current price.
Competition (economics) In economics, competition is a scenario where different economic firms are in contention to obtain goods that are limited by varying the elements of the marketing mix: price, product, promotion and place. In classical economic thought, competition causes commercial firms to develop new products, services and technologies, which would give consumers greater selection and better products.
Commodity In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them.The price of a commodity good is typically determined as a function of its market as a whole: well-established physical commodities have actively traded spot and derivative markets. The wide availability of commodities typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (such as brand name) other than price.
Sex industry The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related services, such as prostitution, strip clubs, host and hostess clubs and sex-related pastimes, such as pornography, sex-oriented men's magazines, sex movies, sex toys and fetish or BDSM paraphernalia.
Competitor analysis Competitive analysis in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats.
Agile management Agile management is the application of the principles of Agile software development to various management processes, particularly project management. Following the appearance of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development in 2001, Agile techniques started to spread into other areas of activity.
Problem management Problem management is the process responsible for managing the lifecycle of all problems that happen or could happen in an IT service. The primary objectives of problem management are to prevent problems and resulting incidents from happening, to eliminate recurring incidents, and to minimize the impact of incidents that cannot be prevented.
Network management Network management is the process of administering and managing computer networks. Services provided by this discipline include fault analysis, performance management, provisioning of networks and maintaining quality of service.
Women Management Women Management is a modeling agency based in New York. Founded by Paul Rowland in 1988, Women also has two sister agencies, Supreme Management and Women 360 Management, which is also part of the Women International Agency Chain.
Víctor Gay Zaragoza Víctor Gay Zaragoza (born 19 June 1982 in Barcelona, Spain) is a writer, storyteller, trainer and consultant on storytelling. He is author of the essays "Filosofía Rebelde" (Rebel Philosophy), "50 libros que cambiarán tu vida" (50 books that will change your life) and the historical novel "El defensor" (The defender).
Bitwise operation In computer programming, a bitwise operation operates on a bit string, a bit array or a binary numeral (considered as a bit string) at the level of its individual bits. It is a fast and simple action, basic to the higher-level arithmetic operations and directly supported by the processor.
Operations management Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in meeting customer requirements.
Special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions, and are typically conducted by small groups of highly-trained personnel, emphasizing sufficiency, stealth, speed, and tactical coordination, commonly known as "special forces".
Met Operations Met Operations, also known as Met Ops, is one of the four business groups which forms the Metropolitan Police Service. It was created during the 2018-19 restructuring of the service, amalgamating many of its functions from the Operations side of the Specialist Crime & Operations Directorate formed in 2012, with the Specialist Crime side of that Directorate placed under the new Frontline Policing Directorate.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS–B) is a surveillance technology in which an aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation or other sensors and periodically broadcasts it, enabling it to be tracked. The information can be received by air traffic control ground stations as a replacement for secondary surveillance radar, as no interrogation signal is needed from the ground.
Dependent and independent variables Dependent and Independent variables are variables in mathematical modeling, statistical modeling and experimental sciences. Dependent variables receive this name because, in an experiment, their values are studied under the supposition or demand that they depend, by some law or rule (e.g., by a mathematical function), on the values of other variables.
Dependent personality disorder Dependent personality disorder (DPD) is characterized by a pervasive psychological dependence on other people. This personality disorder is a long-term condition in which people depend on others to meet their emotional and physical needs, with only a minority achieving normal levels of independence.
Financial management Financial management is the business function concerned with profitability, expenses, cash and credit, so that the "organization may have the means to carry out its objective as satisfactorily as possible;" \nthe latter often defined as maximizing the value of the firm for stockholders.\nFinancial managers (FM) are specialized professionals directly reporting to senior management, often the financial director (FD); the function is seen as 'Staff', and not 'Line'.
Package manager A package manager or package-management system is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer in a consistent manner.A package manager deals with packages, distributions of software and data in archive files. Packages contain metadata, such as the software's name, description of its purpose, version number, vendor, checksum (preferably a cryptographic hash function), and a list of dependencies necessary for the software to run properly.
Local Data Manager The Local Data Manager (LDM) is a suite of programs for the distribution of near real-time atmospheric earth data to researchers and educators free of charge as it becomes available. The system is specifically focused with passing, receiving, and managing arbitrary data products accessed through event-driven (push) technologies via the Internet.
Personnel selection Personnel selection is the methodical process used to hire (or, less commonly, promote) individuals. Although the term can apply to all aspects of the process (recruitment, selection, hiring, onboarding, acculturation, etc.) the most common meaning focuses on the selection of workers.
Armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. They are sometimes referred to colloquially as "battle taxis" or "battle buses".
Military personnel Military personnel are members of the state's armed forces. Their roles, pay, and obligations differ according to their military branch (army, navy, marines, air force, space force, and coast guard), rank (officer, non-commissioned officer, or enlisted recruit), and their military task when deployed on operations and on exercise.
Business administration Business administration (also known as business management) is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising business operations.
Business Is Business Business-to-business (B2B or, in some countries, BtoB) is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when:\n\nA business is sourcing materials for their production process for output (e.g., a food manufacturer purchasing salt), i.e.
Workers' compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence. The trade-off between assured, limited coverage and lack of recourse outside the worker compensation system is known as "the compensation bargain".
Independent medical examination An independent medical examination (IME) is a medical evaluation performed by a medical professional on a patient who was not previously involved in the treatment of that patient, to evaluate the patient's course of prior treatment and current condition. IMEs are conducted by doctors, psychologists, and other licensed healthcare professionals in essentially all medical disciplines, depending on the purpose of the exam and the claimed injuries.
Health insurance in the United States Health insurance in the United States is any program that helps pay for medical expenses, whether through privately purchased insurance, social insurance, or a social welfare program funded by the government. Synonyms for this usage include "health coverage", "health care coverage", and "health benefits".
Liability insurance Liability insurance (also called third-party insurance) is a part of the general insurance system of risk financing to protect the purchaser (the "insured") from the risks of liabilities imposed by lawsuits and similar claims and protects the insured if the purchaser is sued for claims that come within the coverage of the insurance policy.\nOriginally, individual companies that faced a common peril formed a group and created a self-help fund out of which to pay compensation should any member incur loss (in other words, a mutual insurance arrangement).
Financial law Financial law is the law and regulation of the insurance, derivatives, commercial banking, capital markets and investment management sectors. Understanding Financial law is crucial to appreciating the creation and formation of banking and financial regulation, as well as the legal framework for finance generally.
Financial ratio A financial ratio or accounting ratio is a relative magnitude of two selected numerical values taken from an enterprise's financial statements. Often used in accounting, there are many standard ratios used to try to evaluate the overall financial condition of a corporation or other organization.
Implementation Science Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.\n\n\n== Industry-specific definitions ==\n\n\n=== Computer science ===\n\nIn computer science, an implementation is a realization of a technical specification or algorithm as a program, software component, or other computer system through computer programming and deployment.
Joint Implementation Joint Implementation (JI) is one of three flexibility mechanisms set out in the Kyoto Protocol to help countries with binding greenhouse gas emissions targets (the Annex I countries) meet their treaty obligations. Under Article 6, any Annex I country can invest in a project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in any other Annex I country (referred to as a "Joint Implementation Project") as an alternative to reducing emissions domestically.
Risk Factors
ABLEST INC ITEM 1A Risk Factors In evaluating the Company’s business, one should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to information contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K Any significant economic downturn could result in our clients using fewer temporary employees, which could materially adversely affect the Company
Demand for temporary services is significantly affected by the general level of economic activity
As economic activity slows, businesses may reduce their use of temporary employees before undertaking layoffs of their full-time employees, resulting in decreased demand for the Company’s temporary personnel
Further, in an economic downturn, the Company may face pricing pressure from its clients and increased competition from other staffing companies, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business
The Company operates in highly competitive markets with low barriers to entry, potentially limiting its ability to maintain or increase its market share or profit margins
The temporary services industry is highly competitive with limited barriers to entry and in recent years has been undergoing significant consolidation
The Company competes in national, regional and local markets with full service agencies and with specialized temporary service agencies
Many competitors are smaller than the Company, but have an advantage over the Company in discrete geographic markets because of their stronger local presence
Other competitors are more well-known and have greater marketing and financial resources than the Company, which among other things could enable them to maintain or increase their market share by reducing prices
The Company expects the level of competition to remain high in the future and competitive pricing pressures may have an adverse effect on the Company’s operating margins
The Company’s success depends upon its ability to attract and retain qualified temporary personnel
The Company depends upon its ability to attract qualified temporary personnel who possess the skills and experience necessary to meet the staffing requirements of its clients
It must continually evaluate and upgrade its base of available qualified personnel to keep pace with changing client needs and emerging technologies
5 _________________________________________________________________ [38]Table of Contents Competition for individuals with proven skills is intense and demand for these individuals is expected to remain very strong for the foreseeable future
There can be no assurance that qualified personnel will continue to be available to the Company in sufficient numbers and on terms of employment acceptable to management
The success will depend on the Company’s ability to recruit qualified temporary personnel and retain them
The Company’s business may suffer if it loses its key personnel
The Company’s operations are dependent on the continued efforts of its executive officers and senior management
Additionally, it is dependent on the performance and productivity of its local managers and field personnel
The ability to attract and retain business is significantly affected by local relationships and the quality of service rendered
The loss of those key executive officers and senior management who have acquired experience in operating a staffing service company may cause a significant disruption to the business
Moreover, the loss of key local managers or field personnel may jeopardize existing customer relationships with businesses that continue to use the Company’s staffing services based upon past direct relationships with these local managers and field personnel
Either of these types of losses could adversely affect the Company’s operations, including its ability to establish and maintain customer relationships
The Company may be exposed to employment-related claims and costs that could materially adversely affect its business
The Company is in the business of employing people and placing them in the workplace of other businesses
Attendant risks of these activities include possible claims by clients of employee misconduct or negligence, claims by employees of discrimination or harassment (including claims relating to actions of its clients), claims related to the inadvertent employment of illegal aliens or unlicensed personnel, payment of workers’ compensation claims and other similar claims
The Company has policies and guidelines in place to help reduce its exposure to these risks and has purchased insurance policies against certain risks in amounts that it believes to be adequate
However, there can be no assurances that it will not experience these problems in the future or that it may not incur fines or other losses or negative publicity with respect to these problems that could have a material adverse effect on its business
The cost of unemployment insurance premiums and workers’ compensation costs for temporary employees may rise and reduce the Company’s profit margins
Businesses use temporary staffing in part to shift certain employment costs and risks to personnel services companies
For example, the Company is responsible for, and pays unemployment insurance premiums and workers’ compensation for, its temporary employees
These costs have generally risen as a result of increased claims, general economic conditions and governmental regulation
There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to increase the fees charged to its clients in the future to keep pace with increased costs
Price competition in the personnel services industry is intense
If the Company is unable to maintain its margins, it expects that it may choose to stop servicing certain clients
Further, there can be no assurance that certain clients will continue to use the Company at increased cost
There can be no assurance that it will maintain its margins, and if it does not, its results of operations, financial condition and liquidity could be adversely affected
The Company retains a portion of the risk under its workers’ compensation program
The estimated remaining deductible liability for all existing and incurred but not reported claims is accrued based upon actuarial methods using current claims information, as well as prior experience, and may be subsequently revised based on new developments related to such claims
Changes in the estimates underlying the claims reserve are charged or credited to earnings in the period determined, and therefore large fluctuations in any given quarter could materially adversely affect earnings in that period
The Company is continually subject to the risk of new regulations, which could harm its business
The Company is subject to bills introduced in Congress and various state legislatures, which, if enacted, could 6 _________________________________________________________________ [39]Table of Contents impose conditions that could have a negative financial impact on the Company and harm its business operations
The Company takes an active role (through its affiliations with, and participation in, various staffing industry organizations) in opposing proposed legislation adverse to its business and in informing policy makers as to the social and economic benefits of its business
However, there can be no assurance or guarantees that any of these bills (or future bills) will not be enacted, in which case, demand for the Company’s services or its financial condition, or both, may suffer
The Company faces litigation that could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations
In the ordinary conduct of business, the Company is subject to various lawsuits, investigations and claims, covering a wide range of matters, including, but not limited to, employment matters
It is possible that the Company may be required to pay substantial damages or settlement costs in excess of its insurance coverage, which could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations
The Company could also incur substantial legal costs, and management’s attention and resources could be diverted from the business
The Company’s business may be at risk if there is failure of implementing a new information system
In 2005, the Company entered into agreements for the installation, maintenance and support of new front-office and back-office systems to be utilized in connection with the commercial and professional staffing operations
These two systems will replace the existing management information systems to support future growth of the Company
This implementation of new management information systems has required a significant investment in software, hardware, outside consultant assistance and internal personnel resources
Although it is believed that this technology initiative will increase productivity, improve operating efficiencies and lower long-term operating costs, there is no assurance that such an initiative will yield its intended results
The failure to implement new management information systems or, if implemented, delays in completing or an inability to successfully complete implementation of a new management information system could adversely affect the Company’s growth plans, operations, liquidity and financial condition