Airline Sky Miles Essays

Airline Sky Miles Essays Airline Sky Miles Essay Airline Sky Miles Essay The contemporaneous business industry is significantly different from how it used to be only a few decades ago. The primary change that occurred regarded the nature of the business. As such, in the past, business activities had a more practical and technological nature and they were generally product oriented; but today, they have become more human oriented. For instance, during the twentieth century, the focus was on the products manufactured and the technologies used, without much emphasis on the human resource or on customer satisfaction.So low was the interest towards customer satisfaction, that Henry Ford even said once that his customers could have their cars made in any color they desired, as long as this color was black. Today however, the industrial sector places increased emphasis on both employees as well as customers. Employees have transformed from the people operating the machines into the company’s most vital resources and the customers are the forces that drive businesses. An industry sector which is extremely relevant of this change in the nature of the businesses conducted is the airline sector.There are numerous airline companies that compete against each other on the market and strive to present customers with the best products and services. Furthermore, these companies invest millions of dollars each year in order to improve the quality of their products and increase customer satisfaction. A more and more common means of achieving this is that of offering customers the possibility to fly for free or, at least, to benefit of deductions and special offers. 2. Emergence of airline sky milesAirline sky miles programs were first initiated in order to attract more customers. Delta Airlines was one of the first companies to ever implement these programs which were soon adopted by most national and international airline companies. The basic principle of acquiring additional sky miles is that of purchasing airline products and services, gathering value points proportionally to the fees paid and then using these value points to pay for future services. The practice has spread around the globe generally due to its benefits and its easiness.There are numerous possibilities of acquiring sky miles, but the most common one is through credit cards. By paying the airline fees with credit cards, the customer can earn air miles. The amount of miles earned per fee depends on the airline companies. For instance, Delta Airlines and Blue Airlines grant customers one mile for a dollar paid. (Dial Abroad, 2007) As such, if one pays $350 for a ticket, he will be granted the right to fly 350 miles for free. Capital One on the other hand grants customers 1. 25 miles for each dollar spent.This means that for a $350 ticket, the buyer can earn 437. 5 air miles, 87. 5 extra miles that those offered by Delta or Blue Airlines. Among the most common credit cards that earn customers free sky miles are: Delta Sky Miles Gold Credit Card, Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express, Hilton Honors Platinum Card from American Express, British Airways Visa Signature Card, Continental Airlines World MasterCard from Chase, United Mileage Plus Platinum Business Card or Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card. Credit Federal, 2007) When they first emerged onto the market, the air miles were aimed to attract more customers and could only be used for flying services. However, in time they have evolved at such a level that they are now able to significantly influence the airline industry and the customer satisfaction at unforeseen levels. 3. Marketing Mix The marketing mix of the sky miles is composed of four features: product, place, price and promotion.The product related issues have to answer to questions in regard to brand name, functionality, quality, safety, support, services, accessories and warranties. Place (distribution) related issues regard distribution channels, market coverage, specific channel members, warehousing or distribution centers. Price related issues answer to questions in regard to the retail price, payment possibilities and discounts. Promotion decisions regard advertising campaigns, a marketing budget and public relations. (Net MBA, 2007) Product Sky miles are transportation benefits earned from previous purchases of airline products and services They can be used for several purposes, such as, but not limited to, plane flights, car rentals, shopping from airport stores, hotel reservations, or any other services provided by airline companies and their partners Sky miles’ brand name is t hat of the airline company that issues them (for example Delta Sky Miles or American Express Sky Miles). The brand name represents the issuer’s promise of high quality and commitment. Sky miles can be issued as nominal titles or they can be bearer miles. The bearer sky miles can easily be sold, donated or transferred to a tertiary party. For instance, in 2004, the United States Department of Defense initiated the Operation Hero Miles which allowed American citizens to donate their unused sky miles to the soldiers wounded in battles and to their families. (Luckach, 2005) Earning points through credit card payment grants numerous benefits for the customers.For instance, the Gold Delta Sky Miles Credit Card offers buyers 15,000 bonus miles with the first purchase; 2,500 bonus miles for adding an additional card member; no annual fee for the first year- a savings of $85; one mile for every other eligible dollar spent (American Express, 2007) Sky miles have a minimum period of accumulation, for instance a customers can only use his miles after a period of three months from enrolment in the program Sky miles have a maximum period of validity, meaning for instance that they would have to be spent in a time period of six months since the last purchase.However there exists a possibility of avoiding this disadvantage as the clients are not obliged to fly within that period but only to acquire their tickets. As such, at the expiration of the six months, customers can purchase a ticket and only use it after another three additional months, or whatever future date they choose. Place The place of distribution refers to the means of delivering the sky miles to the final customers Customers can directly earn their air miles by purchasing services at the airport counter, directly from the airline company, from the airline company’s partners (such as hotels or car rental agencies), through the airline company’s online purchase services Clients can als o indirectly get sky miles by buying them from other customers. For example, several customers earn sky miles and then sell them on the internet. There are numerous advertisement websites that contain adds regarding sky miles sales.EBay hosts on their travel category numerous such advertisements. One of them includes 2,000 Delta sky miles; the add expires on October 31, 2007 and has a starting bid of $10. 50 (eBay, 2007) The market coverage of the sky miles depends on each company’s market share and other features that strengthen or weaken the company and consequently their issued air miles The special channels of distribution refer to the issuers’ business partners and online purchases Since sky miles are service related rather than products, a special storage or warehousing is unnecessary.Price Sky miles are services that are earned, rather than paid for However, they are not free and they are established proportionally with the amount of products and services p reviously acquired from the issuer. For instance, most companies offer one mile for one dollar spent, but this varies based on each issuer’s internal policies There are price variations based on the buyer’s relationship with the airline company that issues the sky miles.As such, Delta Airlines offers one mile per one dollar on general purchases and two miles for one dollar at participating retailers (Knox, 2006) When indirectly purchasing the sky miles from a customer who desires to sell them the price is negotiated between the two parties and it considers the number of miles, their transferability and their particular usage possibilities Also included in the air miles prices is the process through which the customer earns the miles.As such, in the case of the credit cards, clients have to pay for the account maintenance costs The annual fees of the credit card vary form an airline company to the other. Generally, most companies offer a six to twelve months period which is free of charges. After this period has expired, some companies demand fees while others do not.For instance, the Gold Delta Sky Miles Credit Card has an annual fee of $85 starting with the second year, while the Blue Sky Mile Credit Card from American Airlines charges no fee for the entire validity of the credit card. Other companies have annual fees of $19 (Miles Edge), $55 (Northwest Airlines) or $75 (British Airways). (Credit Cards, 2007) Promotion The sky miles are in their essence promotional services used to attract more customers and increase their level of satisfaction.Even so, issuers need to implement several promotional strategies that familiarize customers with the services The marketing departments within each airline company enquires customers as to their content regarding the company’s products and services and develops strategies to improve them, based on a well defined budget The advertising campaigns developed generally focus on the benefits of t he sky miles, the easiness of using them and their multiple features, such as the possibility to use them while renting hotel rooms or cars and also the possibility of reselling them to other customers The core of the advertising campaigns is generally the airport, where companies directly present their products and services to the final customer The advertising campaigns can also take the form of television advertisements, radio announcements, street banners and flyers as well as online publicity. 4. Effects upon the airline industry Sky miles were initially granted to customers in order to attract them. From their emergence up to present times, the sky miles have developed in form and usage possibilities and are now features that influence the global airline industry. Their effects are best represented in two directions. First of all, air miles increase customers’ satisfaction in regard to the issuer’s products and services. Secondly, they influence the airline ind ustry in the meaning that they increase the competition among airline companies. Increased customer satisfactionAir miles are a most efficient means of attracting customers, familiarizing them with the company’s products, services and policies and increasing their fidelity to the issuer. The concept is based on the reward strategy and the sky miles are presented as the company’s reward for their customers. Being granted additional traveling opportunities, customers become more content with the airline company and tent to return. Furthermore, not only that they increases existent customers’ fidelity to the issuer, sky miles are also a guarantee of new customers. For instance, when considering a flight, be it for social or business purposes, most travelers look into the company’s benefits.If they find that one company offers more miles for a spent dollar or has lower annual fees for credit cards, they are likely to pick that company. The increased number of customers generates the company increased demand of their products and services. This offers the issuer the opportunity to expand and develop his business, leading to his registration of higher sales revenues. Consider that the large majority of the airline companies operating on the market are striving to present their customers with high quality products and services. This means that the customers are offered a wide palette of services from which they chose those that best meet their needs. As such, the sky miles represent a selection criterion for those searching for the perfect flight.All in all, increased customer satisfaction generates increased customer needs and expectations. On a market where customers become more exigent and demanding with every day, airline companies have to constantly develop their strategies, products and services. But not only do they have to improve and develop in order to satisfy customer needs, they must also develop in order to remain competitive on the market, this being the second effect sky miles have upon the airline industry. Increased competition among airline companies The competition between airline companies is generated by their desire to number as many customers as possible, register high incomes, develop, expand and become leaders on the market.This competition directly affects the entire airline industry in the meaning that: It forces companies to constantly develop, deliver better products and services and consequently improve the overall image of the airline industry It forces companies to expand, hire more workers and as such create more jobs and reduce the unemployment rate Strong airline companies register increased revenues, ergo pay more taxes. The collected taxes aid the community and sustain other developing industries It forces companies to function based on the concept survival of the fittest. The strongest companies will survive, while the weakest ones will have to cease their operation. 5. Concl usions Sky miles are travel services offered by airline companies as a reward of previous purchase of the company’s products or services.They are generally earned through payments with credit cards and they can be used for flights, car rentals, hotel rooms’ rentals or for shopping from airport stores or other partners’ stores. Air miles are easy to use, have numerous applications and can even be sold, donated or transferred. The costs of purchasing sky miles are generally reduced, but these vary with each issuer. The costs include the amount of dollars clients have to pay in order to earn a mile and the annual fees demanded by some issuers. Air miles were basically used by airline companies as a promotion strategy aimed to attract more customers. However, currently, the sky miles hold a growing role with the airline industry as they lead to increased customer demands and increased competition between the airline companies operating on the market.Sky miles repres ent a selection criterion when choosing an airline company; they increase the issuer’s number of customers and subsequently his sales revenues; they force companies to continually develop; they create more jobs and they improve the overall image of the airline industry.

The Definition of Hydrometer

The Definition of Hydrometer A hydrometer or hydroscope is a device that measures the relative densities of two liquids. They are typically calibrated to measure the specific gravity of a liquid. In addition to specific gravity, other scales may be used, such as API gravity for petroleum, Plato scale for brewing, Baume scale for chemistry, and Brix scale for wineries and fruit juices. The invention of the instrument is credited to Hypatia of Alexandria in the latter part of the 4th century or early 5th century. Hydrometer Composition and Use There are several different types of hydrometers, but the most common version is a closed glass tube with a weighted bulb at one end and a scale going up the side. Mercury used to be used to weight the bulb, but newer versions may use lead shot instead, which is much less hazardous in case the instrument breaks. A sample of liquid to be tested is poured into a sufficiently tall container. The hydrometer is lowered into the liquid until it floats and the point where the liquid touches the scale on the stem is noted. Hydrometers are calibrated for various uses, so they tend to be specific for the application (e.g., measuring fat content of milk or proof of alcoholic spirits). How a Hydrometer Works Hydrometers function based on Archimedes principle or the principle of flotation, which states a solid suspended in a fluid will be buoyed up by a force equal to that of the weight of the fluid that is displaced. So, a hydrometer sinks further into a liquid of low density than into one of high density. Examples of Uses Saltwater aquarium enthusiasts use hydrometers to monitor the salinity or salt content of their aquariums. While the glass instrument may be used, plastic devices are safer alternatives. The plastic hydrometer is filled with aquarium water, causing a tethered float to rise according to salinity. Specific gravity can be read on the scale. Saccharometer - A saccharometer is a type of hydrometer used to measure the concentration of sugar in a solution. This instrument is of particular use to brewers and winemakers. Urinometer - A urinometer is a medical hydrometer used to indicate patient hydration by measuring the specific gravity of urine. Alcoholmeter - Also known as a proof hydrometer or Tralles hydrometer, this device simply measures liquid density but isnt used to directly measure proof of alcohol, since dissolved sugars also affect the reading. In order estimate alcoholic content, measurements are taken both before and after fermentation. The calculation is made after subtracting the initial reading from the final reading. Antifreeze Tester - This simple device is used to determine the ratio of antifreeze to water used for engine cooling. The desired value depends on the season of use, hence the term winterizing when its important the coolant doesnt freeze.

Organ sale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organ sale - Essay Example It is time the government legalized the sale of organs. Legalization of organ sales will lower vital organs-related deaths boosting the supply of such organs, eliminating illicit organ markets, allowing access to cheaper organ transplant, and compensate donors, as revealed from the Iranian system of organ transplantation. The demand for organs is overwhelming, and yet the supply is far more muted. Right now, over 85,000 people in U.S. alone are on the list of those waiting for organs (Calandrillo 72). Out of these, a majority (about 60,000) requires a kidney, 17,000 are in desperate need of a liver, 4,000 are hoping for a lung while 3,500 are desperate for a heart. The organs are the most important for the survival of any human being. Any defect in them can shorten a person’s life within a short period. The patients on the waitlist thus urgently need them as they are living on borrowed time. However, the supply of these organs is shockingly far much less. Calandrillo says that the year 2003 saw organs harvest from only 13,000 individuals to facilitate the mere 25,000 transplants in the U.S. (72). It means that the many patients who were not successful to get a required organ sadly died. Ironically, the painful shortage is because a majority of the organs goes to the grave when the owners die. A lack of donation-appropriate organs is not a primary cause. A bumper sticker once read, â€Å"Please do not take your organs with you to heaven. Heaven understands that we are desperate for them here on the earth† (The Economist). Each year witnesses many Americans die in ways that would make it possible for an organ harvest. For example, some die in road accidents, others due to heart attacks and strokes, but organs come from only a few of the possible donors. In fact, about 75% of the Americans are not ready to donate organ upon their death. Hence, the remaining percentage that have opted to offer an

Risk Management in supply chain management Essay

Risk Management in supply chain management - Essay Example Some of the salient features that define the organizational attributes in modern times are reduced inventories, effect supplies, staggeringly reduced cycle times, effective transportation mechanisms, further enhanced communication means both outside and inside the organization and factory. These all have been in practice in many organizations and are another name for successful supply chain management. Supply chain management is termed as chain and structure that defines all important elements of the process which contribute towards the output. In other words all the stake holders who have an impact in either way constitute a supply chain. It can be the transportation, can be the personnel, can be the policy, can be the objectives and can various other variables (Mentzer, 2011). The risks so faced can have various severe negative repercussions on the industry. It can lead to a financial loss, it can lead to mistrust, it can further lead to loss of contracts in severe cases, and most importantly could lead to losing the customers who are considered as the pivot towards the success or failure of any organization since their response and liking level of a certain industry can take any industry either way. Supply chain impacts rest of the industry activities in a direct manner. Supply chain risks identification and ultimately elimination and mitigation can result in better working environment, improved productivity, reduced un certainty, and various other factors that are non beneficial towards the organization. The entire risk phenomena can be split into four components which are: The Risk Sources: Supply Chain Itself: Risk mitigation Strategies: Adverse effects of Risks: Supply chain itself Risk Mitigation Strategies These are the four basic units which constitute a total discipline and each of these must be taken into consideration (Juttner, Peck, & Christopher, 2003). The relationship works in a dependent manner, the first is the source of risk, which falls und er the initial phase, and its identification is very vital. This is followed by its adverse affects, and underneath it is the supply chain itself that is faced by the challenges and risks. Finally, the most important factor is the constitution of risk mitigation strategies, which could be prior to the occurrence of event or post event, however risk mitigation strategies are more successful and of more impact if implemented prior to the occurrence. The strategies so made must be able to work in a preemptive manner and should work on the principle of prevention rather than correction. Risks could be either from internal sources, or the external sources, or the organization itself. The last couple of decades saw many events that made all the stakeholders realize that risk management in the field of supply chain has become inevitable and proper actions must be taken to minimize its impact. For this purpose, it has been largely implemented at various organizations of large, medium and sm all sizes, and more emphasis is being laid on its implementation at every level of industry. For this reason, a more systemic and structured approach is in practice internationally which ensures covering all the areas of that are necessary to be addressed. Level of

banks :: essays research papers

If much of contemporary literary theory emphasizes the cultural production of class, race, and gender in American fiction, contemporary fiction that utilizes the resources of narrative minimalism to explore issues of cultural division - fiction by such writers as Raymond Carver, Toni Morrison, Susan Minot, and Russell Banks - increasingly provides the context for critical debate. The refusal to elaborate plot or to use plot to suggest a narrator who controls interpretation, becomes itself a strategy that allows the reader to observe clearly the boundaries between the story's minimal plot and the way the socially produced narratives invoked by the story enforce cultural division. If we conceive of narrative as the establishment, for the reader, of a network of expectations within a frame of contingency, then perhaps no expectation is more fundamental than that of intelligible action@ the progression of story through chronological time, which we commonly refer to as plot. In a world w here the possibilities of plot express unattainable desires on the part of a narrative's characters, however, the reader's desire for a resolution of plot into meaning is thwarted, and the resultant anxiety the reader feels underscores his or her complicity with the frustrations and incoherencies of the characters, lives. These incoherencies resist sentimental assimilation into the reader's aesthetic imagination. The resultant daydreams and wish-fulfilling fantasies display, as Fredric Jameson argues, the otherwise inconceivable link between history and desire (182). Russell Banks's Black Man and White Woman in Dark Green Rowboat" presents precisely such an evasive narrative, one whose very evasion establishes a dialogic relationship between the reader and a cast of characters whose lives display the wreckage of the larger cultural narratives that marginalize them. In effect, Banks's minimalism accentuates the missing cultural narratives that have written the characters into th e margins. "Black Man and White Woman" does, of course, present things that happen. The story opens with an apparently random variety of people who live in a trailerpark commencing their days. The reader is not immediately aware that the black man and the white woman are the focus of the story. They gradually emerge from the narrative background, and the story follows them as they row onto the lake, converse laconically, and row home. The sense of nothing happening is created in the context of their desire, both their physical desire for each other and their desire to construct plots that might provide a meaningful structure to their lives.

Ocean Carrier’s Case Essay

1) Do you expect daily spot hire rates to increase or decrease next year? According to the Case description, Exhibit 3 showed order booking and delivery schedule for bulk capsizes for coming years from 2001 to 2004. It was larger than the number of current fleet size in Exhibit 2. Thus, the spot hire rates would likely to decrease since capsizes are available. 2) What factors drive average daily hire rates? Daily hire rate were determined by the supply and the demand. From Exhibit 2, the existing capsizes carriers in terms of the sum of the loading ability. Factors of supply such as age and size of vessel, cost of repair and maintenance as well as demand factor such as market condition would affect daily rates. 3) How would you characterize the long-term prospects of the capsize dry bulk industry? According to Case description, availability of fleet in the market and availability of transports good drives average daily hire rates. The daily hire rates would increase if ore exports from Australia and India starts in coming years. This would bring huge business trade. In absence of a new business, the average daily rates will decrease because of increasing number of fleet (demand is decreasing). There are about 2 million tons of capsize with age over 24 years. We will hope that these old vessels would be soon scrapped and this would reduce the supply of the capsize vessels. However, those old vessels were not a significant part of the total existing vessels. So we probably will not see a result that an obviously decreasing in supply because of the scraping of old vessels. In Exhibit3, the current order of new capsize vessels delivered in the coming 4 years. There will be a large supply of new capsize vessels from 2001 to 2003. This will increase the supply of capsize vessel in the future. 4) Evaluate the cost of the new capsize and forecast the expected cash flows. See OceanCariers4.xls 5) Should Ms Linn purchase the $39m capsize? Make 2 different assumptions. First, assume that Ocean Carriers is a US firm subject to 35% taxation. Second, assume that Ocean Carriers is located in Hong Kong, where owners of Hong Kong ships are notrequired to pay any tax on profits made overseas and are also exempted from paying any tax on profit made on cargo uplifted from Hong Kong. See OceanCarrier5.xls 6) What do you think of the company’s policy of not operating ships over 15 years old? This is a low-risk policy of company; this policy will save the company from uncertainty. At the same time, it will be not able to take advantage of returns on investment of vessels in the next years. This policy will not give a favorable outlook for investment.

Ostrich Facts Habitat, Behavior, Diet

The sole member of its order of birds, the ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the tallest and heaviest living bird. Though flightless, ostriches, which are native to Africa, can sprint at speeds of up to 45 mph and jog for extended distances at a sustained pace of 30 mph. Ostriches  have the largest eyes of any living terrestrial vertebrate, and their  3-pound eggs  are the largest produced by any living bird. In addition to all this, the male ostrich is one of the few birds on Earth to possess a functioning penis. Fast Facts: The Ostrich Scientific Name: Struthio camelusCommon Names: The common ostrichBasic Animal Group: BirdSize: 5 feet 7  inches tall to 6 feet 7 inches tallWeight: 200–300 poundsLifespan: 40–50 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Africa, including deserts, semi-arid plains, savannas, and open woodlandsPopulation: UnknownConservation Status:  Vulnerable Description Ostriches  are the largest birds alive today, with adults weighing between 200 to 300 pounds. Adult males attain a height of up to 6 feet 7 inches tall; females are slightly smaller. Their immense body size and small wings make them incapable of flying. Ostriches have a remarkable tolerance to heat, withstanding temperatures up to 132 degrees Fahrenheit without much stress. Ostriches have been domesticated for only about 150 years, and are truly only partly domesticated, or, rather, are only domesticated for a short period of their lives. Ostriches belong to a clan (but not order) of flightless birds known as the ratites. Ratites have smooth breastbones lacking keels, the bone structures to which flight muscles would normally be attached. Other birds classified as ratites include cassowaries, kiwis, moas, and emus. Habitat and Range Ostriches live in Africa and thrive in a wide variety of habitats, including deserts, semi-arid plains, savannas, and open woodlands. During their five-month breeding season, these flightless  birds form flocks of five to 50 individuals, often intermingling with grazing mammals such as zebras and antelopes. When breeding season is over, this larger flock breaks down into small groups of two to five birds that care for the newborn hatchlings. Diet and Behavior Ostriches are omnivores, and thus eat mostly plant material, though at times they may also feed on insects and small vertebrates. Although they prefer plants—particularly roots, seeds, and leaves—they also eat locusts, lizards, snakes, and rodents. They have even been known to eat sand and pebbles, which helps them grind up their food inside their gizzard, a small pouch where food is crushed and ripped up before it reaches the stomach.   Ostriches dont need to drink water; they get all the water they need from the plants they eat. However, they will drink if they come across a watering hole. Reproduction and Offspring Male ostriches are called cocks or roosters, and females are called hens. A group of ostriches is called a flock. Flocks can consist of up to 100 birds, though most have 10 members, according to the San Diego Zoo. The group has a dominant male and a dominant female and several other females. Lone males come and go during mating season. Ostriches lay 3-pound eggs, which measure some 6 inches in length and 5 inches in diameter, making them the title of largest egg produced by any living bird. Males and females sit on the eggs until they hatch, between 42 and 46 days.  Male and female ostriches share the responsibility of raising their young. Ostrich offspring are larger than any other bird baby. At birth, chicks can be as big as chickens. rontav/Getty Images Conservation Status According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, ostriches are considered to be vulnerable and their population is declining, though their population is unknown. The Somali ostrich, in particular, is thought to be in rapid decline. The San Diego Zoo notes that although not threatened, the ostrich requires strict protection and farming to conserve the remaining wild populations. Sources Bradford, Alina. â€Å"Ostrich Facts: The Worlds Largest Bird.†Ã‚  LiveScience, Purch, 17 Sept. 2014.â€Å"Ostrich.†Ã‚  San Diego Zoo Global Animals and Plants.â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions.†Ã‚  Frequently Asked Questions - American Ostrich Association.â€Å"The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.†Ã‚  IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.