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13May/100

Ford, Mazda aim to break up 3-way China JV: sources

Ford Motor (F.N) and its China venture partners, Mazda Motor Corp (7261.T) and Chongqing Changan Automobile Co, are seeking Chinese government approval to end their three-way tie up, two sources said on Thursday.

Ford and Mazda both plan to set up their own separate joint ventures with Changan (000625.SZ), a move which will give the automakers more leeway to design their own China strategies, the sources with direct knowledge of the scheme told Reuters.

Ford is set to own half of its new two-way venture with Changan, the sources said, while the Mazda-Changan tie-up will probably also be a 50-50 JV.

"They have submitted a joint proposal to the Chinese government to split up the partnership. Ford's new JV with Changan will be based in Chongqing, while Mazda's venture will be based in Nanjing," said one of the sources, adding that it was unclear when the government was expected to make a decision.

Ford and Changan declined to comment on the issue. A Mazda China spokeswoman had told Reuters the parties were awaiting regulatory approval for a restructuring move, but declined to give further details.

Auto industry partnerships have been in focus recently, with Renault (RENA.PA), Nissan (7201.T) and Daimler (DAIGn.DE) announcing a stake swap deal in the wake of an equity tie between Suzuki Motors (7269.T) and Volkswagen AG (VOWG.DE).

Mazda's ties with Ford have weakened since the U.S. automaker reduced its controlling one-third stake in Mazda to 13 percent in 2008 to free up cash. Ford currently owns about 11 percent of Mazda, Japan's No.5 automaker.

Ford, which broke ground for its $490 million third China plant in September last year, owns a 35 percent stake in the venture, with Changan holding 50 percent.

BENEFICIARY

A pullout of Mazda could actually be positive for the Japanese automaker, which has just a 15 percent stake in the venture, analysts said.

"It's a good move as a three-way tie could get complicated sometimes. The biggest beneficiary, however, would be Mazda as it could be an equal partner in the new tie," said Chen Liang, an analyst with Huatai Securities.

China, which eclipsed the United States as the world's top auto market last year, has been a major bright spot amid a global industry downturn and a safe heaven for foreign auto giants.

Car sales rose 63.6 percent to 4.63 million units in the first four months, with annual growth estimated to rise between 15 to 20 percent.

Mazda started making the Mazda 6 in China in March 2003 through a technical cooperation pact with FAW Group, China's No. 2 automaker.

It joined Ford's car making venture with Changan three years later, which now makes Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 compact cars as well as Ford's Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo, S-MAX, Volvo S40 and S80 models.

The termination of the Changan-Ford-Mazda partnership is unrelated to Ford's plans to sell its Volvo car unit to China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co, parent of Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd (0175.HK), one of sources said.

Ford signed a $1.8 billion deal to sell the Swedish premier car brand to Geely in late March and is expected to close the sale in the second quarter.

Related information:

The company website states that name "stems from Ahura Mazda, the highest Zoroastrian God of reason who granted wisdom and united man, nature and the other gods." It also notes that the name sounds like that of the founder of the company, Jujiro Matsuda.

5May/100

Job Description for Admin Manager

Have you ever known any organization running without administration? Definitely your answer is NO, because it's impossible for any organization to function without administration. The administration department controls every activities pertaining to smooth working of the organization. The administrative staff in admin department, is guided by a higher authority known as admin manager. He controls and organizes information and management function. Apart from these, he is also responsible to the organization in an effective co-ordination and co-operation of other departments, customers and third parties. Go through the following content to get the details about admin manager job description. Read more on admin manager duties.

Job Description for Admin Manager

Admin manager provides administrative support to various departments, dealing with the task of editing, typing, mailing and filing. He keeps in account the documentation details and every information regarding product, sales and support and expenditure of the company. Admin manager responsibilities are listed down as under.

  • He should have leadership and management and decision making quality.
  • He should have managerial skills and should provide necessary support and co-ordination to his subordinates.
  • He must possess good observation power. He should monitor the work of back office personnel. He must check if his assistants, clerks, coders, typists are working efficiently or not.
  • Admin manager responsibilities include scheduling meetings, managing work product and deadlines of his/ her subordinates.
  • Admin manager duties also pertain to answering interoffice queries and communicating all operational data to management section.
  • He also provides support to other departments of the organization and organizes projects of the company.
  • He also hold the responsibility of reviewing office budget and managing office expenditure.
  • Admin manager is also dutiful towards training his staffs and evaluating their performance as they participate towards the growth of the organization.
  • He also analyzes the attendance and regularity of the working staff of the organization.

Qualities of Admin Manager

Apart from leadership and co-operative qualities, admin manager must posses every administrative qualities for uplifting the standard of the company. Get the qualities of admin manager in the following checklist. You might also like to read more on good manager qualities.

  • He must have excellent communication skills, written as well as verbal, to present his views with clarity.
  • He must be confident with his goals and work.
  • He must posses good interpersonal skills. Sensibility, listen to others, tact and also assertiveness at times.
  • He must have the ability to work within deadlines and should achieve the targets. He should possess time management skills and should be able to prioritize his task under pressure.
  • He must be flexible and quick in responding to requests made at short notice period.
  • He should be adaptable in the fast working environment and comfortably adjust himself in the dynamic organizational culture.
  • He must be pro-active. He should have skills to initiate his own work without direction.
  • He must possess the quality of self motivation and determination.
  • He should have the ability to prioritize and organize his own workload within broad guidelines, most effectively and accurately.
  • He must be reliable and trustworthy and should abide by company's terms and conditions.
  • Over all, he must posses good organizational skills to control all administrative job responsibilities.

Education and Salary of Admin Manager

The minimum educational qualifications of admin manager requires an associate's or bachelor's degree in liberal arts, business management or human resource management. Higher degrees are also welcome for the post of admin manager. This post is highly dignified and requires several years of experience in the field of supervisory and administrative support. He must also have some degree of expertise to train his subordinate staff efficiently. Average salary of admin manager varies according to the nature of organization. Management of companies and enterprises involves US $85,980 annually while admin manager of colleges, universities and professional schools draws approximately US $72,460. Admin managers employed in general medical and surgical hospitals, local government, state government are paid within the range of US $60,500 - US $80,000. These figures imply approximate estimation of the pay scale. It can be more or less, depending upon his performance, experience and standard of the organization.

Read more on:

  • Database Administrator Job Description
  • Assistant manager Job Description
  • Human Resource Manager Job Description

I hope I've covered every details about admin manager job description in this article. Possessing all these organizational qualities is indeed required for smooth working of any organization.

5May/100

How to Boost Morale of the Employees?

The morale of the employees of an organization plays an important role in their productivity and contribution to their office. Improving morale in the workplace is possible if the employers make some special effort in this regard. Boosting morale in the workplace is not a thing which can be achieved in a very short period of time. The activities and plans chalked out by the human resource managers should be implemented consistently for a prolonged period of time to see the positive results in the performance of the employees. The aim of morale boosters for work is to make the employees feel that the organization cares for their well being and progress. Given below are some morale boosters for work which the employers can implement.

How to Boost Morale of the Employees?

Good and effective workplace communication with the employees on matters related to their work in the organization is a way of boosting their morale. The seniors should make sure that they are easily approachable for all employees. They should avoid making any kind of discrimination among the employees on any grounds and treat everyone equally. Any kind of discrimination can affect the employee morale in a big way. Dialog between the management and the employees can be in form of seminars, meetings, get-together etc. Employee motivation and welfare should be the aim of these meetings. They should receive proper guidance to do their work in a better way. More on morale in the workplace.

Appreciating good work is one of the best morale boosters for work. If a person comes to know that his good work will be appreciated, then he will try his level best to meet the set performance standards. This will in turn be profitable for the organization. Rewards can be given in the forms of monetary benefits, trophies, certificates etc. Understanding the problems - both professional and personal which are faced by the employees in the course of their employment is essential for senior managers. Any issues between the management and the employees should be solved amicably. By introducing a liberal policy, the employers can help the employees maintain a good work-life balance which will naturally boost their morale.

Team building activities such as games, contests, outdoor trips etc can also be ideal morale boosters for work. Providing a good work environment is also a necessity to boost the morale of the employees. Employers can have a feedback session at least once in a month in which the employees will be free to state whether they are satisfied with the facilities provided to them and what else do they expect from the organization.

How to Boost Morale Yourself?

Though boosting the employee morale is a task which should be done by the employers, the employees should also boost their morale themselves through self motivation. One can increase interest in one's work by being physically fit. So, exercising regularly, playing games, meditation, relaxation therapies can help to make your mind stable. There are times in a professional career when one gets frustrated. So, learning anger management techniques can also help to motivate the employees. Practicing your favorite hobbies such as painting, music, singing, sculpture etc can help you to relax your mind. This can also help you increase your energy levels and concentrate at your workplace.

Spending time with your family can give you inspiration to give your best at your place of work. You can also consider the idea of taking a few days off and going for a holiday with your family to get a change from your daily routine. You can read more on:

  • Creative Team Building Activities
  • Employee Motivation Techniques
  • Employee Motivation Strategies

Morale boosters for work can certainly help you bring out the best in a person. All the best!

5May/100

Withholding Allowances Definition

What are withholding allowances? The term withholding allowances has got nothing to do with allowances that are paid by the employer. Withholding allowances are basically tax compliances that are imposed by the Internal Revenue Service of the United States and are adhered to by employees and employers. When we talk about withholding allowances, the IRS Form W-4 largely comes into the picture, and so does the employers and employees duty of filing the W-4 form.

Withholding Allowances Definition
The age old tax evasion and tax non-payment offense is often curbed by the practice of deduct at source compliances. These compliances are very simple and logical. The employer deducts some specified amounts from your salary and pays it to the government's taxation department on your behalf. Two prominent taxes that are deducted by the employer are payroll tax and income tax. The government uses the payroll taxes for the purpose of social security and medicare, while the income tax is forwarded to the IRS. Though the income tax is deducted as a percentage of your earnings, which by default increases with an increase in income, irrespective of your current tax liability. However, the burden of tax can be reduced with the help of withholding allowances. More on what is tax liability.

A withholding allowance is basically claimed in the Form W-4 that is generated by your employer. You may be the only earning member of your family, or you may be supporting your parents, financing the education of your children or supporting a close relative. With the help of W-4 you will be able to claim allowances, which will reduce your tax liability of withheld taxes. It basically means that after you claim the allowances, the said amount will not be deducted from withholding taxes by your employer.

Withholding Allowances Explained
A careful look at withholding allowances and taxation regulations will show you that there are some really good allowances that one can claim. Here's a small list.

  • The prominent one is the head of the house allowance, where a single tax payer who pays more than 50% of the household costs can qualify for such an allowance.
  • Heath care expenses for offsprings, education tax credit, foreign tax credit, adoption credit are some qualifying points for conversion of tax credits into an allowance.
  • If you are working for only one employer then there is a common allowance that is known as single employer withholding allowance that you can claim.
  • There are also provisions where you can claim an allowance for your spouse. However, there are some stringent conditions such as your spouse's employment status, claim over withholding allowance from her employer, etc. that you will need to check upon.
  • You can also claim an allowance for each of your offsprings, but again you will have to confirm the qualifying conditions.

In order to get a better insight of tax exemptions and deductions, you may read the following:

  • Common Tax Deudctions
  • List of Tax Deductions
  • IRS Tax Deductions List

A twist to the tale that is worth mentioning is that if a tax payer claims more than nine allowances, his employer can rightfully and lawfully send the Form W-4 for an IRS review. On the whole the logic is that, better the combination of withholding allowances, lesser is the tax withholding, and you will end up saving quite a sum of money. As a cautionary tip let me recommend you to go through the W-4 very carefully. It is necessary that you confirm all the qualifying conditions before you file a claim for an allowance. It would be also great if you refer to the IRS withholding calculator, regulations and qualifications before you fill the form. It must be noted that IRS can penalize wrongful filings (irrespective of the fact that they are intentional or unintentional).

5May/100

Job Description of a Counseling Psychologist

The main aspect of the job of a counseling psychologist is to help the people suffering from psychological problems such as the feeling of anxiety, depression or stress and enable them to live a happy and normal life. The demand for such counseling psychologists has increased greatly over the years due to increased work or career related stress among the people, financial problems and problems in relationships. As a result of the growing demand, the counseling psychologist salary has also seen a growing trend. However, before we discuss details related to the salary of counseling psychologist, let us discuss the nature of the job of a counseling psychologist. More on medical jobs.

Job Description of a Counseling Psychologist

The job of a counseling psychologist begins with understanding the exact problems faced by the patients. For this, they have to carefully interview the patients and understand their state of mind. Counseling psychologists work with patients who have mild, moderate as well as severe emotional problems. They may suggest certain exercises and activities to the patients to help them recover from their mental state fast. Counseling psychologists work in hospitals and health care centers and take care of people of all age groups. They also have the option of working in the government as well a the private sector and also set up their own private practice. There are many counseling psychologists working in outpatient care centers, junior and high schools and with the state governments. More on psychology.

In order to become a counseling psychologist, one should have a master's or doctorate degree in counseling psychology from a reputed institute. With a doctorate degree, you will be able to grab the coveted job opportunities in private hospitals which can earn you a very high salary. The counseling psychologist average salary does depend a lot on your qualifications. Now, having understood the counseling psychologist job description and educational qualifications, let us discuss the counseling psychologist salary range in the next paragraph.

Counseling Psychologist Salary Range

Counseling psychologist salary largely depends on their number of years of practical experience, educational qualifications, position of work and location of work. The counseling psychologist salary may be around USD 30,000 per year at the beginning of their career. However, the salary can grow fast if you can prove your skills. According to job market sources, the counseling psychologist salaries for most people who have just entered the field are in the range of USD 32,000 to USD 39,000 per year. The salaries for those with around two to three years of experience can be around USD 40,000 per year. With around six to eight years of experience, one can easily earn anything between USD 45,000 to USD 55,000 per year. The counseling psychologists working for around ten years can easily earn a salary of around USD 60,000 per year. This figure can be in the range of USD 65,000 to USD 70,000 for those counseling psychologists who have an experience of around fifteen years. The counseling psychologist salary for those working in large metropolitan cities is more than those working in small cities. Counseling psychologists working in the private sector are known to earn more than their counterparts working in the government sector as per the various job market surveys. You can read more on:

  • Psychologist Salary Range
  • Psychologist - Job Description
  • Types of Psychology

Hopefully, you are satisfied with the content on counseling psychologist salary, educational qualifications and job description mentioned in this article. All the best for your career!

5May/100

Strategies for Conflict Management in the Workplace

Everybody knows the importance of communication in the workplace. Communication, whether it is employee to employee or employee to employer, is what leads to building of relationships in an organization, a prerequisite to increase the work productivity among the employees. However, when people work together in an organization and communicate on a daily basis, they might have different opinions and takes, pertaining to the various issues in the organization. If this difference in opinion grows and becomes personal or starts affecting the work, it is time that the people in the organization think of conflict management in the workplace, before the situation gets out of hand. Read more on employee management.

According to Kenneth W. Thomas and Ralph H. Kilmann, there are five different conflict management strategies in the workplace that a manager can choose from, to resolve the conflict. Here are all of these conflict management styles in the workplace explained in detail. Read more on conflict resolutions.

Strategies for Conflict Management in the Workplace

Avoidance
This style of conflict management in the workplace is non assertive as well as non co-operative. According to the avoidance strategy, if there is no great need to resolve the conflict, then it is better to avoid, ignore or completely evade it. This strategy, however, does not work in the long term as the warring individuals will most likely have to work together again, being in the same organization.

Accommodation
This strategy of conflict management in the workplace is co-operative yet non assertive. It professes to let the other person's needs be met at the expense of one's own needs. This conflict management strategy can prove to be useful if a person is not concerned too much about the issue or if the other person is in a much more powerful position in the organization. The positive thing about using this strategy is that it can help in building relationships in the organization. One drawback of this strategy is that a person's accommodating nature might be considered a weakness and hence he is never taken seriously in future.

Compromise
This strategy of conflict management in the workplace is the right mix of assertiveness and co-operation. It emphasizes on resolving the issue by taking the opinions of both the parties into consideration. In this nobody loses or wins workplace conflicts, a middle way or solution, which is acceptable to both the parties is sought.

Competition
This conflict management strategy is all about assertiveness without even a hint of co-operation. According to it, a person is concerned only about his own needs and does not care much about his relationship with the other person in the conflict. Competition strategy is useful in situations in which some important deadlines have to be met. The main drawback of this strategy is that it can make a person very unpopular in the organization.

Collaboration
Collaboration strategy is used in situations in which the issues to be resolved are equally important to all. This strategy is by far the most difficult to apply as it requires a great deal of patience, effort and skill on a person's part. This strategy professes to acknowledge all the differences between both the parties and find solutions that are acceptable to all. For this strategy to be successful, both the parties need to be committed to find a common solution.

Read more on:

  • Handling Conflict in the Workplace
  • Conflict Resolution Strategies
  • Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

Out of these five strategies of conflict management in the workplace, a person should opt for the strategy keeping factors such as importance of the issue at hand, importance of the relationship with the other party, time in hand to resolve the conflict as well as the power equation of both the parties, in mind. Although, most people tend to select the strategy which is closest to their personality, yet having knowledge of all the conflict management styles as well as the factors mentioned here, can increase a person's ability to work his way through the conflict and thus, aid in business stability and growth.

5May/100

hold harmless agreement for contractors

Hold harmless agreement is often a very important part of a contract. So, before entering into a contract, perhaps you would like to know more about hold harmless agreement and what it is all about. Read on to know how to write a business contract.

Hold Harmless Agreement

Let me start with the basics of what is a contract. A contract is an agreement signed by two or more parties and is legally enforceable. Now, when two parties sign a contract, it indicates that they have been through the contract and agree on the terms and conditions contained in it. Let us take a contract of construction. When an individual construction company enters into a contract with a labor contractor, there are several things in the contract that the two parties agree on, the materials to be used, the supply, the completion and the remuneration. And when the contractor and the company sign the contract, it means that all the terms and conditions of the contract are mutually agreed upon. Read on to know more about how to write a contract agreement.

Now, what is the hold harmless agreement in the scheme of things? This agreement is one of the terms and conditions contained in the contract. Continuing the previous example of a construction company, the contractor for completing the work may demand that the construction company sign the hold harmless agreement. By signing the hold harmless agreement, the construction company agrees that any losses or any calamity at the construction site will not be the responsibility of the contractor and the loss of money and materials in any such situation will be borne by the construction company. Often, it may so happen that there are some mishaps on the construction site during any process. The contractor or any other person may choose to wash his hands off the ensuing liability of loss, by making the construction company sign the hold harmless agreement. By signing the hold harmless agreement, the construction company basically chooses to undertake all the losses that may arise during the process of construction.

Now the question which might come up in your mind is why would any person, the construction company in this case, would choose to sign the hold harmless agreement when clearly it puts them in a position of disadvantage? The construction company signs such an agreement at the behest of the contractor. The contractor may often work only under such a condition where the company chooses to sign the hold harmless clause. So, if the contractor has enough clout to swing things his way, he can do so. Read on for more on the types of contracts.

Hold Harmless Agreement Template

Here's the hold harmless agreement sample to make things easier for you to understand and use. This example will assume there is Mr. Roberts, the construction company manager on one hand and Mr. Murphy, the contractor on the other hand. Mr. Roberts drafts this hold harmless agreement for contractors, in this case, Mr. Murphy.

"M/s Roberts Constructions, its successors and assigns, hereby agrees to save and hold harmless the M/s Murphy Contractors and any of its employee from all cost, injury and damage incurred by any of the above, and from any other injury or damage to any person or property whatsoever, any of which is caused by an activity, condition or event arising out of the performance, preparation for performance or nonperformance of any provision of this agreement by M/s Murphy Contractors.

The above cost, injury, damage or other injury or damage incurred by or to any of the above shall include, in the event of an action, court costs, expenses of litigation and reasonable attorneys’ fees. This save harmless clause is not intended to indemnify against any cost or damage, or portion thereof, caused by M/s Murphy Contractors".

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have hereunto set their hands this

_______________day of _______________________, 20_______.

________________________________________

RESPONSIBLE PARTY SIGNATURE

So, this was all about hold harmless agreement. The hold harmless agreement puts one party into a great advantage and they need not worry about the losses that they may incur and can go on with their job without much hassle.

5May/100

Cover Page for Resume Tips

A cover page is written to introduce yourself to the prospective employers and sent along with your resume. A cover page is also called a cover letter. A cover page is used to emphasize and introduce your skills, experiences and achievements to a prospective employer. A cover page helps support or add to the skills and professional experiences that are mentioned in your resume.

A cover page for resume should be specific for each and every job you apply. A proper cover page format is the first impression you can make on your prospective employer. The following cover page format instructions will help you draft a cover page that suits your needs.

Cover Page for Resume Tips

A cover page should not be too long and be able to demonstrate your work experiences, eduction qualification and background that explains your reason for applying for the job. A proper cover letter format should contain three paragraphs at the most. You can read more on letter writing.

The first paragraph should contain an introduction. You need to mention the job you are applying for and the place of advertisement you saw the job posted. You need not mention your degree where and when you got, dissertations (if any), fellowships, prizes, etc. These are to be mentioned in your resume and not cover page.

The second paragraph should contain information that helps explain why you deserve the job. You need to highlight your relevant experiences and specific accomplishments. This paragraph should change according to the job profile you are applying. The second paragraph is generally the longest paragraph of the letter. If you feel the paragraph looks too lengthy, you can break it up into two paragraphs. The opening line of the paragraph should be hard hitting that shows a major accomplishments in your experience. You should never repeat sentences or paragraphs from your resume in cover page. This shows lack of words and weak communication skills. The last line should mention the name of the job you are interested in, that brings the reader back to the goal of writing a cover page.

The last and final paragraph should be short and contain only 2 to 3 sentences. It should include a request to consider you for an interview, contact details and information about enclosed resume. Never forget to thank the reader for his/ her time and consideration. The following cover page template will help you draft a letter that suits your needs.

Cover Page Template

Cover Page for Resume
Your Name
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Phone Number
Email Address

Date

Name of Employer (if you know it)
Title
Company
Address
City, State, Zip Code

Salutation
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name, (Last name can be omitted if you don't have it, Instead use Sir/Madam.)

Body of Cover Letter
This paragraph will help your employer know what position you are applying for, why the employer should select you for an interview, and how you will follow-up.

First Paragraph
The first paragraph of a cover page should include information on why you are writing. You need to mention the position you are applying for and where you found the job posting. (Include the name of a mutual contact, if you have one, this line is optional).

Middle Paragraph(s)
Here, you should describe what you have to offer the employer. You should mention specifically how your qualifications match the job you are applying for. This is the paragraph in the cover page where you interpret your resume, not repeat it.

Final Paragraph
The concluding paragraph of the cover page should contain thanks to the employer for considering you for the position. You can request the employer to fix an interview date. You also need to include information on follow-up.

Complimentary Close
Respectfully yours,

Signature
Handwritten Signature (if you are mailing your letter)
Typed Name

You can read some samples of a good cover letter in the articles:

  • Cover Letter for Internship
  • Accountant Cover Letter
  • Secretary Cover Letter
  • Administrative Assistant Cover Letter Examples

A cover page helps a prospective employer scan through qualified individuals from the hundreds of applications they receive. A cover page for resume is a way of portraying yourself as a confident and bold individual who will prove to be a valuable asset to the company. With a proper cover page format, you will be able to impress the prospective employer with your professionalism and sense of business ethics.

4May/100

What is Probation?

When a person is sentenced to probation, there are certain probation rules that he has to follow. Along with that, there are other important probation conditions that are placed on the convict as well. These probation conditions need to be adhered to very carefully, because breaking of these probation conditions will lead to severe effects.

What is Probation?

Before we do deeper into what are the conditions of probation, it is important to know what probation exactly is.

Probation is a kind of punishment that is sentenced by the court (state or federal judicial system.) for people who are found guilty of committing certain crimes. Capital crimes such as forced rape, murder etc, do not come under the probation form of punishment. What probation does is that that it allows the judicial system to have control over a person who is sentenced to probation (in order to help him). When a person is serving probation, he will have to follow certain probation conditions, which indicates that he has to undergo certain activities while some other forms of activities are forbidden.

Probation cannot be ordered by court, it has to be agreed upon by the convict as well. This is how it works - when a person is found guilty of committing a crime such as abusing his wife and the crime is reported, there are two ways in which the law will deal with it. One, he will have to serve time in jail for a stipulated period (say 6 months), or two, he will be asked to opt for probation. If he opts for probation, he might have to serve only 3 months in jail and then for the next 3 months strictly adhere to the probation conditions. If he violates any of the probation conditions, the punishment that he will have to face will be more severe than the one he would've served, had he opted for a jail sentence. For example, probation conditions will make it compulsory for him to attend anger management or counseling and forbid him from traveling out of the state. If he breaks these rules (for whatever reasons) then the probation violation consequences will be severe.

Probation Conditions - In Detail

Let us now take a look at what some of these probation conditions are:

  • The convict shall report to the parole officer or the probation officer at the directed time and place.
  • He shall follow all the instructions that are given by the parole officer and answer all the questions and doubts truthfully.
  • He shall comply with all the orders of the court, probation and the parole board. The orders might be in the form of monetary payment as well.
  • He shall not be in possession of any drugs, firearms or weapons.
  • He should not, in any way control the sale, or be in possession of any drugs, narcotics, alcohol and neither consume it in excess.
  • He must obey all the probation rules, be arrest-free and be of good conduct. There should not be any further misdemeanor on his part. Read more on misdemeanor vs felony.
  • He should disassociate himself from the company of people of questionable conduct and repute or having a criminal record, or as directed by the parole officer.
  • He should seek the permission of the parole officer before traveling out of state, changing jobs or residence.
  • In case of his arrest, receiving summons or obtaining an order for questioning, he needs to inform his parole officer immediately.
  • He shall submit to having his property and possessions searched by the parole/probation officer on request.
  • Continue to maintain his employment if there are no physical deformities, and serve those who depend on him well. At the same time his employer must be informed of his probation terms.
  • Pay all the debts off and not over-extend his credit. (which can affect his probation negatively)
  • Return home by 12 a.m. And not leave the home unless he requires to go for a job.

Probation Conditions - Others

Other than these major probation conditions, there are some other probation conditions that are issued by the court, parole officer or the parole board that he needs to comply to as well:

  • Attend sessions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
  • Seek written permission from the parole officer in order to purchase a vehicle.
  • Seeking permission of the parole officer to leave the country.
  • Completely refrain from consuming alcohol and drugs.
  • Attend counseling or a mental health program as directed by the parole officer.
  • To not be in the company of any minors (unsupervised), of either sex, at any time.
  • Undergo urine, stool, blood or breathe testing as directed by the parole officer.
  • Comply with the order of house arrest.
  • Attend and complete a specifically designated program.

Read more on:

  • Probation Officer Job Description
  • Parole Officer Requirements

These were some of the basic probation conditions that convicts who are put on probation, have to follow. Though the nature of these conditions remains the same, some of them might change slightly, according to the nature of a case.

4May/100

Money Management Tips

Money. That which makes the world go round. Literally. Without encouraging romantic notions of 'but that is love', let's get moving. What I simply mean is, that it all boils down to the money that we have at the end of the day. Money determines the way we live, what we do, and basically every other decision of our lives. Without money, we are basically nothing. And that, I know, is something that no one will want to go through. So it becomes imperative that we earn well. But earning well is not the end all of everything. It actually begins from there. That money which is earned, needs to be managed well, so that, we continue to benefit from it for a long time. And therein comes the part where we need to learn some basic money management skills. Because without these money management skills, we will not be able to develop effective methods of money management.

Most of us do not have the knowledge of what some of the most simple, effective and basic money management skills are. So to help you out, this article shall provide you with just that. Some basic money management skills that you can use to manage your money effectively.

Money Management Tips

Basic money management skills are not difficult to learn once you get the hang of how to go about it. Given below is a step by step plan that you can follow in order to nurture some money management skills. Have a look at some money management tips too.

Take Stock
The first thing you need to do is check how much you are earning. Add in ALL the resources. Once you have this figure, calculate how much money you need to spend every month. To learn how much you spend every month, the best method is to write down each and everything that you spend on during that time. You cannot imagine how much the amount will be! We don't realize how much we end up spending on small things. Keep in mind that you need this spending figure to learn some money management skills. Keep in mind that the figures of two months will never be the same, there will be more expenditures incurred in a particular month and not so many in the next. But an average figure can be definitely arrived at.

Allot Amounts
Now that you know an average amount of the money that you need to spend for a month, it'll be easier to allot amounts to different things. Make a list of all the things that you NEED to spend on - Rent, tuition, bills (newspaper, Internet etc.) groceries, miscellaneous and emergency (very important!). You can make a long term-short term list as well. Like monthly/weekly/daily. And segregate the items accordingly. Now calculate the amount that you need for each and allot the money accordingly.

Many people use the envelope method for household items and it seems to work for them. For this use different envelopes and mark them - For example 'vegetables', 'toiletries', 'groceries' and at the beginning of the month fill the envelop with the amount that you need. Now stick to that amount no matter what. When you put it down on paper like that, you are constantly reminded of it and the tendency to overspend is curbed.

Take Care of Debts
This is a very important step when you need to learn money management skills. Never ever keep a debt. Pay a debt off as soon as you can, because if you keep on piling it, it'll just keep getting bigger and bigger and cut into your regular saving plan. Find out how much you owe and what you need to pay off, that is the first step in debt management. Credit cards, surplus bills - everything. Make a plan for the same. How? Along with the other envelopes, make another one for the debts so that it helps in debt assistance. It might be difficult in the beginning, but once you start physically putting in the money, you'll deal with the problem head on and with continued efforts the amount will be paid off.

Plan the Future
Now that the preliminary stage is taken care of, you'll need to save for the future. The most important thing to do here, is draw up a goal. What do you want to save for? Retirement? Children's education? A house? Car? Or even small plans like a music system, a new phone. Calculate the amount you'll need to save for it. This is your first step. The next steps will be how to get that money in a stipulated period of time.

Budget
Having a budget is really important. One way of budgeting is the envelope way, so that you don't end up spending more when you have already allotted a fixed amount to yourself. The second method of how to make a budget, and this is somewhat of a conscious change in attitude, is that you get it in your head to budget things. Consciously decide that you want to budget. Do not spend recklessly. Other than that planning for the future and drawing up plans of the things you need to save for will help you to budget well. Because you'll know what and how much you need to save up on to get that amount.

Invest
After paying all the bills, with the surplus amount in hand, you need to invest it well. There is nothing worse than stagnant money. So consult a financial advisor or an investment advisor who will calculate how much you can afford to save per month, after deducting the expenditure and surplus. After which he will draw up a scheme that suits you best. It could be anything from a fixed deposit account to investing in mutual funds or buying property as assets.

Easy Saving Tips
Along with budgeting and drawing up plans, you can also consciously decide to save. Here are some money saving tips that you can use:

  • Buy things in wholesale.
  • Instead of buying books, join a library or start a club. Use this same formula for different things.
  • Car pool to work, that'll save on money for gas AND is good for the environment.
  • Buy things on sale.
  • Go through your daily expenditure sheet, you will find that there are several things in there that you can easily give up. Like a very expensive brand of hair products.
  • Turning off the power when you don't need it.

Read more on:

  • How to Save Money
  • Ways to Save Money

Earn Extra
It has been found that we never tap the full potential when it comes to expending our talents or finding other means of earning some extra money by some money making ideas. This is one of the more indirect money management skills that we need to learn. Here are some of the easiest ways to make money: Taking on freelancing jobs, giving tuition, making use of your hobbies and talents like singing or dancing (giving classes, singing in a club) or cooking (providing snacks for a establishment or making a fixed amount for a bakery). Other methods include, selling things for scrap, holding garage sales etc. Read more on:

  • Making Money Online
  • Wealth Creation

Acquiring money management skills allows you to live better. It secures your future and helps you to gain control over your life other than debts and money problems controlling you. It should therefore be our prerogative to learn and practice the several money management skills to lead a more fulfilling life. All the best!