News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

AFFIRM Publishes "The Chief Information Officer: Top Ten Challenges Survey"

The Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM) has released its Resource Paper on "The Federal Chief Information Officer: Top Ten Challenges Survey". The white paper reports on the results of its survey of the Federal information resources management (IRM) community to determine their views of the most critical challenges faced by Federal CIOs as they assume the duties and responsibilities of that position.

To recieve copies of this document, write AFFIRM Emerging Issues Forum, P.O. Box 2851, Washington, DC 20013 or affirm.info@epamail.epa.gov. Copies of this paper will be available on AFFIRM's Web site in the near future at http://www.fedcenter.com/affirm.

The following news summaries are from OPM AM, the daily newsletter of the Office of Personnel Management. OPM AM is available on OPM Mainstreet, the agency's electronic bulletin board, at 202-606-4800.

PARTNERSHIP EVENT--"Michigan State University is making a great contribution in the study and understanding of labor-management issues and their effect on the workplace. Acknowledging and seeking to learn from that expertise, the Clinton Administration's National Partnership Council (NPC) will convene its next meeting on the MSU campus on Wednesday, October 9" ([OPM] Office of Communications News Release).

THE FEDERAL DIARY--The C-fund of the federal Thrift Savings Plan continues its strong rate of returns. For the 12 months that ended in September, the C-fund (stock index) earned 20.23 percent, the F-fund (bond index) earned 4.91 percent and the G-fund (Treasury securities) earned 6.66 percent...Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin will run this year's CFC fund and wants to increase the number of federal workers who contribute to the campaign (The Washington Post).

OTHER VIEWS--Federal workers boost the local economy in Ames, Iowa. You pay them, but who are they? (Daily Tribune, Ames, IA, September 3)...How the CFC works. "All aspects of the campaign are governed by OPM" (Flagship, Norfolk, VA, September 5)...OPM "takes MSPB to court" over case of Ethel D. Briggs (Federal Computer Week, Falls Church, VA, September 2).

OF INTEREST--A recent survey found overwhelming support among working parents for family-friendly tax incentives and programs...Women get hurt most in downsizing, study finds (The Wall Street Journal, Work Week)..."One in three senior management types exhibits a milder version of manic-depressive disorder" according to one psychiatrist (The Wall Street Journal)...Brace yourselves for a new round of buzzwords. Among them: emotional intelligence, neurolinguistic programming, intervention, holistic and developmental needs (The Wall Street Journal, Managing Your Career).