Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 June 10

= June 10 =

KRA's
Hi..

Am curretnly working in an HR department fr a Pharma company. I've been assigned a project of designning Key Result Areas(KRA's) for the formulations plants of the company.. Can some1 help me out regarding how should i start off with it and what all to include? I owuld be really grateful. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.187.136.19 (talk) 10:31, 10 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Since you don't seem to know what is expected, I think you need to suck it up and go to your boss and have a specific discussion about what is expected of you for this project. If this is a project that will affect other managers, or any other stakeholders, then tell the boss that you're planning to meet with all the stakeholders before you begin in order to get lists of their priorities and what is important to them on this; but before you do that, you want the boss's direction on what exactly is needed, so the KRA's (a term that I am not familiar with; it may be jargon within your company) don't go off the rails and get too broad.  What is the objective of this KRA list &mdash; is it just to create a general HR wishlist, like "improve employee retention, improve the prospect of recruiting, improve safety, improve morale", or is the objective to ultimately improve the quality of the formulations &mdash; get an idea of what is the point and what exactly the boss wants before you begin.  Tempshill (talk) 16:50, 10 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Our articles don't seem to be that great, but reading up on Profit center and Cost centre (business) might help. (My to do list just got longer by three articles. Anyone wanting to tackle these?) This definition ghit looks pretty useful .  Tempshill's advice is an excellent place to start. Also ask who the intended users are.  Is this part of their Strategic planning or something they wish to present to investors or the media? This looks to be the latest buzz in management by spreadsheet to try and figure out what their numbers aren't telling them. 71.236.26.74 (talk) 19:32, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Customer insight and Customer retention are other things to look into. Given that you are dealing with formulation plants this may not apply. (Again our pages could stand improvement, but you can google with those concepts.) --71.236.26.74 (talk) 02:31, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Since the OP is in his company’s HR department, it would make sense that the “key results” relate to employee performance. Google returns 40,400 hits for “key result areas” + “human resources." DOR (HK) (talk) 04:53, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Which foreign Language ?
I am an undergraduate engineering student from India. I am thinking about learning a foreign language which would be useful for me in the future. I need some help and advice, on which language(s) to learn. I am thinking about Spanish, German and French. I feel there is a very good chance for me to go abroad for further studies, and more likely in US, so keeping that in mind i need suggestions on what to choose. Can someone please help me ? Rkr1991 (talk) 10:41, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

Spanish and French are both spoken very widely, so personally I would suggest one of those. German would be useful but I don't think as much as the others. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the US (Languages of the United States) so on a numbers basis that wins, but French is well spoken in Canda and is the second-most spoken language there (Languages of Canada). I'm not sure if the engineering industry is more or less biased to a specific language but from a whole-of-country perspective i'd go with French of Spanish. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:57, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

I live in France, the trend here is towards English. The Education Minister wants all school leavers to have English. French is a lovely language, but Spanish opens far more doors. And is a language that is not under threat. So, for me, English and Spanish are the ones.86.216.249.205 (talk) 14:02, 10 June 2009 (UTC)DT


 * Of course, i do have sufficient knowledge of English, so I think I am open to suggestions other than English. Also i would appreciate if you can arrange these in descending order, so it would be helpful for me to make a decision. Rkr1991 (talk) 14:21, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Hmm I guess it depends on where you want to be. As far as getting by in America, English is clearly enough.  If you want to travel in latin America, Spanish is the obvious choice.  French will be of limited use in North America, even in Quebec you can get by with just English in the cities (well, Montreal at least).  If you are looking for which language will be the most use in general, and don't care if it's a romance language or of use in North America, perhaps you'd be interested in reading the Languages by speakers list to see what will get you understood by the most people.  Of course it helps if it gets you understood in a place you want to go...  You should probably also consider that some languages (ie Germanic ones) are going to be easier to learn with an understanding of English than others.  TastyCakes (talk) 14:40, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * You could also write your own ticket with Arabic or Mandarin Chinese. Livewireo (talk) 18:20, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I agree, if you're interested in learning a language for work, Mandarin especially would seem a good choice. TastyCakes (talk) 19:44, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * If you want one of the languages you mention then, if you're intending to go to the US, Spanish would be the most useful. I support what is said above about learning Mandarin Chinese, though. While it may not be as useful a language as those you mention (although that is disputable), it is known by so few people outside China that you would be in high demand. --Tango (talk) 00:14, 11 June 2009 (UTC)


 * On the same sort of grounds as Chinese, how about Russian? 93.97.184.230 (talk) 07:21, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Choosing to go bankrupt in England, and moving abroad afterwards
I live in England, and I've heard about some people choosing to go bankrupt, especially as a way of eliminating student debt, when they did in fact have other options. Can't find any details though. I suspect this is illegal and anyone who really did it would want to keep quiet, but perhaps someone can tell me the terms I should be googling?

Also curious about moving abroad after bankruptcy. Is it possible to go bankrupt then start a new job overseas, provided one keeps up any payments the court might have ordered? Seems that would allow bankrupts a fresh start, in terms of reputation and credit ratings, several years earlier than those staying put - which sounds a bit too easy to be honest. Facts anyone? 86.166.68.203 (talk) 15:07, 10 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Being declared Bankrupt is a very serious event, not something that people should do to avoid debt they could reasonably repay. It has major impacts on your ability to get credit in the future. It would very likely have an impact on any attempted emigration, but that would depend on country to country. Given that many (developed at least) countries have very stringent immigration rules i'd be very surprised if former bankruptcies wouldn't be a major hindrance. In short, if you are thinking that bankruptcy is a quick way to clear debts then you should seek financial advice, it is (and should be seen as) a very last resort. This website (http://www.insolvency.gov.uk) gives more info ny156uk (talk) 16:46, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Don't worry, I'm not seriously considering this myself. Still have two years of my course to go, and anyway it does seem a bit too good to be true. But regarding emigration, I was thinking of another EU country. I speak a couple of European languages at different levels, and I'd like to work in Europe after graduation in any case. As far as I know, my credit rating would not follow me abroad, and (as long as I could find a job) bankruptcy wouldn't affect my right to live elsewhere in the EU. Is that correct? 86.166.68.203 (talk) 17:52, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * It is definitely too good to be true. Student loans are exempt from bankruptcy, you still have to pay them. --Tango (talk) 18:04, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I know student loans aren't covered by bankruptcy, but is there anything to stop you getting a bunch of expensive (ie easy to qualify for) credit cards and paying them off first? 86.166.68.203 (talk) 18:54, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Taking a loan that you intend not to pay is fraud, and could earn you a criminal record and land you in prison. -- Q Chris (talk) 15:17, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

(undent): As I understand it, one of the only reasons you wouldn't be able to live elsewhere in the EU as a British citizen is if you were unemployed. If the bankruptcy had an adverse effect on your employability, I suppose it could make it difficult. TastyCakes (talk) 19:21, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, but provided I'm employed, for any pay, I still qualify. Presumably I'd be eligible for consideration for any working benefits (like UK tax credits) in my new home. I'd be happy to do minimum wage bar work and live in a student house for a year. After that I'd be free, while staying at home and paying off debts like a good little boy would take half of forever. You're actually starting to convince me I should do this.... ;-> 86.166.68.203 (talk) 21:15, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * A recent documentary (on the BBC?) featured a student who had to drop out less than a year into his course after he racked up £40,000 in debt. After 8 years "on the run", doing crappy jobs and moving house regularly, he finally admitted it had messed his life up so much he was going to declare himself bankrupt.  That offered some stability in his life and a long term plan to pay back the money he owed, including a student loan, but it would be years before he and his girlfried could attempt to marry or buy a house.  Still, he hadn't though of fleeing abroad.  Astronaut (talk) 19:32, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Just tried googling student+bankrupt+bbc but haven't found the programme. You haven't still got the link by any chance? 86.166.68.203 (talk) 21:06, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * It was called "How to Rob a Bank", as I recall. --Tango (talk) 21:12, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * In my experience, when you immigrate to a country you have to have enough money to show you can support yourself. I would expect that bankruptcy would be a major hindrance to this. When applying for credit in your new country you would also have to state whether you have been bankrupt in the last few years; I don't believe that is restricted to the country of application. So the bankruptcy is going to cause you a lot of trouble for a long time. DJ Clayworth (talk) 21:18, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * When moving to another EU member state, I just have to get a job within 3 months and avoid claiming state benefits for the first 6. There's no requirement to show cash on entry. As for credit applications, I wouldn't be able to borrow in any case until I'd been there a year or more and had a local credit rating. I realise it would be frugal, at least to start off with. But since it would be just as bad trying to keep afloat in the UK with huge living costs as well as my student debt, that doesn't really put me off. I do realise that it could be harder to settle in a non-European country later though, and will keep it in mind. 86.166.68.203 (talk) 23:03, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * When you applied for credit they would ask you for any previous addresses within the past X years (I can't remember what X usually is, more than 1, though) and when you answered with a UK address I'm pretty sure they would get your UK credit report. They would then realise you were a bankrupt and, even if it wasn't illegal for you not to have told them (I don't know if it would be or not), they wouldn't lend you any money. If you gave a false address, that would be fraud, which is definitely illegal. --Tango (talk) 00:09, 11 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Go and talk to your local Citizens' Advice Bureau. They will be much better informed than us, give impartial advice based on what is best for you, and will have seen a lot of people go through bankruptcy. They will be able to tell you what the consequences would actually be, and whether you would be able to move to the EU. Visiting them is free, and always a good idea with anything like this. 80.41.126.158 (talk) 22:36, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks, and I might do that. The reason I posted here though is that I'm not likely to be in such a bad position after graduating that bankruptcy is my only option. It would be a choice, and I suspect the CAB has rules against advising people to do it - even if it makes sense in the long run. Or am I being paranoid? 86.166.68.203 (talk) 22:56, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure the CAB has rules about giving good advise, whatever that advise may be. They won't advise you to break the law, but apart from that they will work through all your options with you and try and help you work out what is best for you. --Tango (talk) 00:09, 11 June 2009 (UTC)
 * One more thing to consider. If you don't wish to bunk with pals for eternity then you have to sign (or co-sign) a contract for an apartment at some point.  Management companies (at least in the EC countries I did this in) will ask for your previous addresses, references and financial information.  Your U.K. bankruptcy will come up and you'll have to find someone who'd be willing to guarantee your rent for you.  (i.e. state in writing they'd pay if you didn't.)  If you fail to provide that you won't get the apartment and that's likely to put a significant dent into your social or even your romantic life. (OR met someone who tried to scoot on a U.K. student loan.  The story ended up with her mom finding out, paying up and reminding her of that fact with regular frequency.) --71.236.26.74 (talk) 03:45, 11 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks, good point. Is it harder on the Continent to rent by just paying a deposit, like in the UK? When I lived in France I was in fact bunking with friends, so have no experience of renting over there. 86.166.68.203 (talk) 16:43, 11 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Don't know about France, the company did that one. In Germany they wanted both a hefty deposit and an income history supplied by the company.  In Spain they didn't want a deposit, but wanted a guarantee from the company.  In Sweden they charged a reasonable deposit but also asked about funds when they found out we weren't local.  If you are employed your company might be able (and maybe willing) to smooth over some of this, but I'd say it's risky.  Plus it will take at least a decade to live that one down.  If you lie on the forms the can throw you out without notice.  As far as stress level goes paying back the loan is likely to be the better choice.  (..and yes I do remember paying back mine was a drag and I had to skimp on everything for a while.) 71.236.26.74 (talk) 05:03, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
 * The CAB is impartial and separate from the authorities: this causes them difficulties with funding, but also has the very important result that they can give you advice about all sorts of things that the authorities would rather they wouldn't. They'll work through your options and tell you what the likely consequences would be of various options. Seriously (and OR) I've known someone ask the CAB for advice after they were arrested; they made no secret of the fact that they did what they were arrested for, but there was a technicality. The CAB helped them get off - if there are loopholes in the law, they should be available to everyone (not just the rich), and if the police/authorities haven't stuck to the law/procedure, they shouldn't be able to just carry on. The CAB serves a valuable purpose that doesn't include making moral judgements about what you do. They will give you good advice: go talk to them. 80.41.126.158 (talk) 19:36, 11 June 2009 (UTC)


 * It would be nice to think that someone with a bit of imagination and some real influence over UK education funding policy is reading this thread, although I doubt it. Ka renjc 22:42, 12 June 2009 (UTC)

orgasms
I'm sorry; we can't offer you any sort of diagnostic or prognostic guesses. Your doctor or another trusted individual should be consulted if you are concerned about your sexual health. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 00:46, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Please see this talk page thread. Abecedare (talk) 00:03, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Cashiers check vs. withdrawal check
Are these the same? Source here --80.58.205.37 (talk) 16:04, 10 June 2009 (UTC)


 * No. At least, in the way they use the terms, they describe two different features.  Here's the way I read it:
 * A withdrawal check is any check that removes money from your account with them. Since they will make less profit from your money going forward, they charge you for such removals.  This is fairly standard throughout the industry, by the way.
 * A cashier's check is a check written by the bank on your behalf, usually to convey your money to another party; such a check is considered to be slightly more reliable than a personal or corporate check. You get one of these from your bank or CU, who verifies you have sufficient cash in your account -- and then promptly removes it.  Cashier's checks normally clear (which means, the money conveyed becomes available to the payee) 3-5 days after receipt.
 * (Compare that to: a personal check, which is usually held for 5-10 business days before the payee is sufficiently confident it won't bounce; or to a wire transfer, which happens "same day" and is guaranteed available same day -- in other words, no hold.)
 * Whey they talk about writing a cashier's check to you upon request, you benefit because you will not have to wait 3-5 days after depositing it before you can re-spend it on something.
 * HTH -- DaHorsesMouth (talk) 23:16, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

Wha trtecycling bin would a telephone book go in?
Last fall, our community started a recycling program wherein things are picked up at the curb after people separate them. Our new phone books have come, and I have not heard anything about what to do with them. It don't believe we recycle the books separately, though I've read that some communities do.

The pages almost feel like newspapre, not the magazine type paper or computer paper that would be done separately. WOuld they just go in with newspaper, with the section tabs separate, or what? Or, who knows, maybe they'd separate once they got there. Yeah, I could call the city, but I figure instead of wasting a phone call and the runaround I might get there, I'd see if y'all knew. Thanks.Somebody or his brother (talk) 18:00, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * If it helps, in my community (outside of Philadelphia, PA, USA) telephone books get recycled in the same bin as newspapers. I doubt that it's universally applicable, but there ya go.  --Zerozal (talk) 18:16, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * It almost certainly varies by area, and you don't say where you are. Different regions/countries have different categories; some have special telephone-book recycling programs around the time new books are issued, others will take them with regular paper, or not.  Because they're printed on special paper they can't always go in with regular paper.  You could talk to your city authorities, or check their website, recycling points, etc.--82.41.11.134 (talk) 18:34, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * This kind of thing goes by what processes the recycling center uses and who buys their products. So asking at the city is going to give you a much more relevant answer than us doing a "could be".  If you can't get a response at your sanitation department, check if you can find the number for the recycling center directly (or the company if it's outsourced) - now that you have a new phonebook :-)  They have you separate out different kinds of paper so they can treat it in ways to remove the ink and binders and the like.  The more uniform your collected recycling paper is the better you can suit your process to that and get a better end result.  The more uniform the pulp product they get from that is, the more desirable it is to producers who buy it.  So if you don't want to spoil a batch for them asking is the better option.  71.236.26.74 (talk) 21:37, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Many recycling operations handle ordinary (white paper) phone directories and similar catalogues though their standard paper/cardboard route, but either reject Yellow Pages directories and other yellow-paper items, or have special (sometimes seasonal) arrangements for them, because the yellow dye is hard to remove. It would be prudent to assume this unless told otherwise. 217.19.134.11 (talk) 09:05, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Resource for military dress online?
I'm looking for somewhere online where I can have a look at WWII military dress. Specifically the Allied troops in East India such as The Fourteenth Army or the Gurkhas or indeed anyone involved in the Burma Campaign of 1944.Popcorn II (talk) 18:39, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

largest check
What is the largest amount of money ever used on a single check? 65.121.141.34 (talk) 19:08, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * According to this the largest check ever cashed was $49,098,000. Bear in mind that I could write a check for as much as I wanted (£1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000), though of course it would never be cashed...--92.251.137.146 (talk) 21:20, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * from 1918 says J.P Morgan had recently written a hundred million dollar check. As for "large" checks, the story shows one 22 inches long. from 2002 says a check for 225 million dollars was then the largest to date, although  from 2004 says the largest check made out to an individual was one for $546,549,171  to Howard Hughes in 1966 in exchange for his interest in TWA.  Edison (talk) 21:43, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * If you allow for cheques denominated in a hyperinflating currency, then you can get some really big numbers. --Tango (talk) 23:53, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Though it might not be the best idea to accept a cheque (and wait for it to clear) in a situation like that! --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 00:11, 11 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Indeed; you might be better off finding a better use for the paper it's written on.... TenOfAllTrades(talk) 00:57, 11 June 2009 (UTC)


 * True, I was thinking the largest amount that was cashed or deposited when converted to US dollars not accounting for inflation. IE a $101M check from 2008 would still beat a $99M check from 1950.  65.121.141.34 (talk) 13:16, 11 June 2009 (UTC)


 * According to Aramco, the largest financial transaction in history was the 100% stake acquisition of the Arabian American Oil Company by the Saudi Arabian government in 1980. (Rather, as they phrase it, "the largest amicable acquisition of corporate assets in American history."  The net value of the transfer is not clear; there is no requirement to disclose the total assets transferred.  (Aramco is a private corporation (or something - I am not sure what to call a "government-owned" corporation when a monarch owns the government - it's "something else" - "Saudi Aramco reports to its owner, the Saudi Arabian Government, through the Supreme Council for Petroleum and Minerals Affairs, chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Al Sa'ud." ).  However, the yearly revenue is about 200 billion US dollars, so you can sort of guess what the total value of the corporate assets are... Nimur (talk) 13:42, 11 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Many large transactions are paid for by wire transfer, so there is no check involved. However, IPOs used to be paid by check and perhaps still are.  I remember going to an IPO closing some 20 years ago and holding the check, which was for more than $400 million.  The Visa IPO that closed in March 2008 was the biggest IPO on record, I believe, with $17.9 billion raised in the initial closing.  After deducting offering expenses, there presumably was a check for somewhere between $16 and $17 billion.  If so, that would be a contender for the all-time largest check.  John M Baker (talk) 19:19, 11 June 2009 (UTC)