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.

Remembering Our First Stage of Education

Remembering Our First Stage of Education Most people have  good memories  of their elementary school days and one of them is recollections of a certain beloved teacher. Why not all? The result of  study  about successful and well-remembered elementary school teachers suggest that most of them actually enjoy working with kids, having fun and always happy to be with them. They can easily communicate with children; familiar with children’s needs, and always willing to understand. Memories of a Person Who Truly Loves Kids Pupils’ idea of a good elementary school  teacher  can be classified into three general categories – personal qualities, relationship with pupils, and teaching techniques. Study of students in grade 2 through 8 suggests that most of them frequently recall teachers who helped them in their work, kind, patient, polite, neatly dressed, friendly in and out class, and with a sense of humor. Moreover, in order of frequency, beloved and easily remembered teachers are those who are kind and thoughtful, having fun with kids, often in good mood, agreeable, friendly with a nice smile, considerate, smart and well-informed. Easily recalled #ElementaryMoments with beloved teacher seems linked to personal and behavioral characteristics associated with teaching efficiency. In practice, this is the ability of an elementary school teacher to create a learning atmosphere for kids, motivate them to take risks in the learning process, become more inventive and accept new ideas. These teachers according to literature are those who take a student of her or his normal frame of reference and help them see new possibilities even in complicated situations through humor. DEVELOPING STUDENTS CREATIVITY AND SELF-EXPRESSION THROUGH CRAYONS Memories of Effective and Inspiring Elementary School Teachers Most people have an implicit and internal definition of effective teaching. Most of us can easily distinguish a good teacher from a bad teacher. Everyone seems knowledgeable of what actually constitutes good teaching such as Ms. May and Mrs. Moody’s former elementary school  students who remembered them as funny but effective teachers. Ms. Daisy May is a kind of teacher who always starts the class with a smile. She is serious about teaching and often gives her students a lot of work. However, despite the difficulty, her great sense of humor made her classroom both fun and educational. Ms. May is kind and friendly in and out of the class but she never jokes about her class requirements. For instance, she was upset and failed almost the entire class when her students did not buy the book she required. Mrs. L. Moody, on the other hand, is a  sixth-grade teacher who is frequently remembered for her energy. She was loud, funny, but serious to her teaching like Ms. May. Although the qualities sound contradictory, Ms. Moody is an effective elementary school teacher who inspired many of her former students (now successful teachers) to pursue a teaching career. These teachers are best remembered for balancing classroom fun and learning. Their ability to â€Å"break the ice† and make students truly excited about coming to class and learn to separate them from the rest. They have the personal, relational, and teaching skills of an effective teacher that most students regard as best #ElementaryMoments.

Marketing Mix of Domino's pizza Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Mix of Domino's pizza - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that in the United Kingdom, the number of the fast food and home delivery restaurants including McDonalds, KFC AND Domino’s Pizza continues to increase rapidly as is the trend for the past five years. The restaurant's explosion in the high-street outlets represents the lucrative feature of the industry, constituting the resulting large amount of competition in the market. The increased competition is a factor notable as a cause for the increased value of sales as experienced by the various participants in the industry. This implies that the consumer has a better access to the restaurants, as they facilitate the services to the customers. However, recent developments in the industry, entailing the increased negative publicity in the market presents a remarkable challenge to the success of the operators. Consequently, the restaurants sought to dispel these trials in the market. Thus, Domino’s Pizza as a leading operator in the m arket, sought the establishment of strategic procedures to counter the issue. Further, their strategy also sought to engage the customers accordingly, increasing the revenue from sales, as well as, facilitating the expansive operations of the business, taking it to the top in the leading operators in the market. This procedural engagement by Domino’s Pizza entailed the establishment of 7P’s of the marketing mix, in their procedural engagement of the customers and establishment of services.

To what extent do socia factors such as age, gender, social status or Essay

To what extent do socia factors such as age, gender, social status or ethnicity correlate with linguistic variable - Essay Example This means that social factors like age, gender, social status and ethnicity are closely associated with language variation. â€Å" Miscommunication can occur when a member of one social group addresses a member of another social group†. ( Cutting Joan, 2002 ). Socio-linguistics is the branch of linguistics that studies language in relation to society. Socio-linguistics is partly theoretical and partly empirical – partly a matter of going out and amassing a body of facts and partly of sitting back and thinking. Hence if we want to examine the correlation between language variation and social factors, we have to investigate language samples from various parts of the world and a couple of studies carried out by researchers in this regard. Let us first consider the age factor. We do not expect an adult to babble like a child. Adult speech is notably different. Young boys and girls also use a different kind of language from adults in the same community. Youths are always ke en to maintain the generation gap. This tendency is reflected in the way they create their own codes like whistling, and certain words whose meanings they share with peers. This can be called ‘teenage slang’, which ‘serves as a mark of membership and solidarity’. ... The vocabulary is as transient as the popularity. Teenage slang can include words, phrases, dialogues, characteristic tones, strange pronunciations and also syntactic patterns. Without doubt, it would sound out-of-place and shocking if a respectable adult uses teenage style of speech. This shows that the age factor is closely related to age factor. Gender is another important factor that affects speech. In most communities, men and women do not use identical language. Just as sounds like /s/, /f/ and /l/ have a typical onomatopoeic bearing, certain sounds are feminine in nature. At the lexical level, ‘adjectives like lovely, darling and cute may carry feminine associations, as do words that describe precise shades of color like mauve---‘. ( Finegan Edward, 1999 ) In some languages like Japanese, there is a dramatic difference between the speech of men and women. Here are two examples: 1. Oh dear, you’ve put the butter in the refrigerator again. 2. Damn, you have pu t the butter in the refrigerator again. Anyone can easily guess that utterance (1) above is uttered by a woman and (2) by a man. Women are also generally observed to be more talkative and speak in a higher pitch compared to men. The topics of discussion also differ among men and women. Some forms used by men in Koasati Indians of Louisiana are also used by middle-aged women in the community. This shows that linguistic variability can be accounted for by the role that people play in their community. Men play the authoritative role. The same authority is enjoyed by elderly women, hence, the similarity in language. In many Oriental languages, the second person plural is used by women even to address a single man, in

Ozone Depletion and Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Ozone Depletion and Global Warming Essay There is no doubt that global warming is fast becoming a serious issue at this time. However, not all people are aware of the negative effects that global warming and ozone depletion can bring. They are also not aware of the fact that their day-to-day actions can contribute largely to the phenomenon. While ozone depletion and global warming is hard to deal with, there are numerous ways where people can contribute to the environment so that the situation will not become much worse than what is seen today. If people would like to help improve the environment, they should start within themselves by changing some of the ways they run the household. Recycling and reusing is a very practical thing to do especially nowadays when everything is high in terms of their cost. Recycling can decrease the amount of garbage that will be sent out to landfills. People should also choose to buy products made out of recycled materials. It is also important to conserve energy by turning appliances off when they are not in use, or by using Energy Star qualified products, or by modifying the house and using green power or installing solar panels. Spreading the word and participating in activities and programs that support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can also significantly help. Changing household ways can be easier compared to that of the workplace setting because there are less people to instruct and there are fewer appliances to check. Still, when working, people should always utilize office equipment such that they are only used when needed. Things that are not usually used should be powered off but things that are mostly used should not be turned off every time because constantly switching them on and off can use up more energy. Employees and companies should also make it a point to recycle and reuse their materials, especially paper. Papers should only be used for important communication or reports. Other less important things should be communicated through the Internet by email or instant messages.

Irish Immigration 18001880 Essay -- essays papers

Irish Immigration 18001880 INTRODUCTION The history of Ireland "that most distressful nation" is full of drama and tragedy, but one of the most interesting stories is about what happened to the Irish during the mid-nineteenth century and how millions of Irish came to live in America (Purcell 31). Although the high point of the story was the years of the devastating potato famine from 1845 to 1848, historians have pointed out that immigrating from Ireland was becoming more popular before the famine and continued until the turn of the twentieth century. In the one hundred years between the first recording of immigrants in 1820 and the passing of immigration restrictions in 1924, over four and one half million Irish immigrated to the United States. HOW THEY PAID TO COME TO AMERICA Most of the pre-famine immigrants were single men who found jobs as laborers in the North and Northeast (Purcell 32). Although these were low paying jobs, they were still better than what they had in Ireland. Another thing typical of the Irish immigrants in the pre-famine years was something called the chain migration (Purcell 36). The first immigrants found jobs, saved most or all of their money, and sent money or tickets for sailing on the ships to relatives in the old country. By very hard work, immigrants made it possible to pay for their entire family to follow them to America. To save up all of the passage money was very difficult but they worked hard and did it. Many immigrants from other countries also used the chain migration idea, and it is still common for immigrants to use this system. However, the Irish were the first to use chain migration in such a big way. THE LAWS OF IMMIGRATION During the 200 years that this ... ...live in a free land, and a more full appreciation of the life we lead today, as well as a thankfulness to those who, long ago, paved the way. Bibliography: WORKS CITED Anderson, Kelly. Immigration. San Diego: Lucent, 1993. Danilov, Dan. Immigrating to the USA.1st ed. British Columbia: Self-Counsel, 1978. Danilov, Dan. Immigrating to the USA. 5th ed. British Columbia: Self-Counsel, 1989. Gmelch, Sharon. Irish Life and Traditions. Dublin: O'Brien, 1986. Griffin, William. The Irish Americans. Hong Kong: Hugh Lauter Levin, 1998. "Immigrants." November 1993. 10 November 1998 . Long, Robert Emmet.Immigration. Dublin: H. W. Wilson, 1996. Purcell, L. Edward. Immigration. Phoenix: Oryx, 1995. Reimers, David. The Immigrant Experience. New York: Chealsea House Publishers, 1989. Sandler, Martin. Immigrants. New York: Eagle, 1995.

Law Enforcement Today Essay

There are several issues that face police departments today, too many to possibly count, however I believe that there are quite a few that are small and would be better focused on within the department. Now there are some that could be solved on a larger scale. I am going to define and review a few issues that do affect police departments and provide my own opinion on what could be done to change them to show positive results. Now local and county police only job is to keep the peace and serve and protect. If there were no police then crime would run wild, there would be absolute anarchy and chaos. Police is necessary to ensure the survival of the human race. The United States Department of Homeland Security and local, federal, and state law enforcement agencies are working together to assist in the prevention of crime, or at least trying to do so. The DHS has integrated several ways to share information and they boast it is one of the key elements of their strategy. For federal officials, the post-9/11 threat environment requires a trusted partnership among federal, state, and local agencies to make information sharing integrated, interconnected, effective and as automatic as possible in order to ensure our national security. Additionally, numerous governmental, commercial, and non-governmental organizations provide officials with homeland security alerts, updates, and databases to support preparedness efforts. Now I am in no way a expert on this situation, however I believe that it should not stop at just information sharing. While this helps abundantly in several different ways, I believe that it should go far beyone just sharing information. I think that local law enforcement should be tied to the DHS and report to this office on a regular basis. This would help with different strategies on how to effectively reduce crime as well as share information on a more personal level between agencies. The issues that current police face, in my own opinion are that many police departments are facing budget problems, forcing them to cut their police force down. Many officers are being asked to do things they normally don’t do such as patrolling etc. Police departments are also facing increasing crimes due to the poor economy. More people are engaging in criminal activities because they have more free time as they are not working. It has often been in the mind of some individuals that if they cannot buy it they will take it. All crime is a form of theft if you think about it, and to some people stealing something would be much easier than actually taking the time to work for and buy it. Also police departments across the United States are poorly understaffed, and cannot recruit the people needed to manage the ongoing crime in this country. Police departments would have an easier time recruiting if a cop’s life were the way it’s depicted on the big screen, however very few police officers live in million-dollar homes and they don’t always get the bad guy. So police recruiters can’t offer the prospect of a perfect life of happiness and victory to prospective officers, but departments across the country are short-staffed and they’re aggressively competing for candidates. I know that in my own town there are an adequate number of police officers, however in a town that is just 90 miles away they cannot seem to keep a viable police force. I think that if the DHS were to assist with this and the federal governments were to offer police officer’s a better salary then people would flock to become cops. As it is now, the only real reason to become a police officer is to help, and sadly that is not the way our current society is these days. Sharing information is not the only thing that can aid in the struggle to fight this war on crime, everybody must work together to achieve the common goal of happiness and prosperity of all humans. Now this will never be attained as that is just unrealistic, however if you work toward the goal then you will often get close. In conclusion I believe that if police officers were offered more money then there would be a greater supply of police and this would in turn be able to tighten police patrols and effectly put a tighter strain on criminal activity. There are a lot of problems that face police today, however we are moving in the correct direction.