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adel168

Virtuoso interactive tool collects data on customer preferences | Travel Weekly - 0 views

  • In his experience, Pestronk said, Amadeus offers the best deals, followed by Travelport, followed by Sabre, because of the latter two GDSs' size and presence in the U.S. market.
  • It would be wise for agencies to shop around and get competing offers while GDS offers are so strong, Pestronk said, as it's a phenomenon that likely won't last forever.
  • Penalties for using another GDS or aggregator are also getting lower today.
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  • "The penalty is always higher than the incentive that the travel agency would get by going with the other [GDS],"
  • he was surprised to see GDSs willing to lower penalties when larger agencies brought it up in contract negotiations.
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    In this article, lawyer, Mark Pestronk, expresses how competition between GDS offers from Sabre, Travelport and Amadeus are "the best" he's ever seen. According to Pestronk, Amadeus offers the best deals followed by Travelport then Sabre because of the GDS's size in the U.S market as well as its presence in the market. Pestronk also included how the penalty of using another GDS is decreasing today.
kteme001

Environmentally Friendly Computers and Monitors Hit the Market | GreenBiz - 1 views

  • Compared to traditional computer equipment, all EPEAT-registered computers have reduced levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury to better protect human health.
  • EPEAT products are identified as EPEAT-Bronze, EPEAT-Silver, or EPEAT-Gold depending on the number of optional environmental criteria incorporated in the product.
  • EPEAT also makes it possible for individual consumers to review environmental considerations before making their own purchases.
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  • The three-tiered EPEAT rating system includes 23 required criteria and 28 optional criteria.
  • 100 representatives from environmental groups
  • “We recognize the potential human health impacts associated with the materials found in traditional computers. As a result, we are very pleased to be one of the first private sector companies to use the EPEAT green computer standard, in addition to other environmental criteria, in our computer purchasing practices.”
  • Having a consistent standard makes it easier for customers to evaluate the environmental features of the technology they purchase,
  • Dell is pleased to be one of the first manufacturers to register products with EPEAT.”
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, using very conservative assumptions, estimates that over the next five years, purchases of EPEAT registered computers will result in reductions of: More than 13 million pounds of Hazardous Waste More than 3 million pounds of Non-hazardous Waste More than 600,000 MWh of Energy - enough to power 6 million homes
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    This article talks about the efforts computer companies are making to reduce the negative environmental results of traditional technology equipment. There are more than 60 electronic devices from companies like Dell and HP that are becoming apart of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is a funded project called EPEAT that has the goal of identifying environmentally friendly computer equipment that still outputs the same level of performance for the customer. This new "green" certification system even provides a list online of the products that meet the standards. EPEAT allows customers to rank computer electronics by their environmental. There are 23 required criteria and 28 optional criteria involved in the rankings. The optional criteria determines if the product is EPEAT Bronze, Silver, or Gold. These standards include having lower levels of lead, mercury and cadmium as well as being more energy efficient so they reduce emissions put into the atmosphere to help reduce the levels of greenhouse gases. These products are also more simple to upgrade and have recycled… businesses actually have to provide safe ways to recycle the products they sell when the customer can no longer use them. Manufacturers think having an even playing field for the customer to be able to view their products by environmental aspect is better and are proud to be apart of something so beneficial to the environment. The EPEAT program was expected to reduce 13 million pounds of hazardous waste and 3 million pounds of non hazardous waste.
sbarr011

Technology and trends in hotel energy management - eHotelier - 0 views

  • This means that hotels can be completely in charge of their own energy – and financial – output without compromising any part of a guest’s experience. It’s the technology that makes this all happen, however.
  • 60% of travelers make eco-friendly choices when booking hotels and 50% say they are willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly location.
  • LEED-certified hotels obtain superior financial performance compared to their non-certified competitors for at least the first two years after certification.
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  • LEED certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, have become a hot commodity for hotels.
  • Hoteliers should look for modern, wireless solutions that pay for themselves. In addition, as no one knows what the industry’s problems will be in five or ten years, it’s crucial to invest in a scalable system that upgrades itself to address the problems of the future.
  • With the advent of the “Internet of Things” (IoT), hotels can leverage technology that tracks temperature, room occupancy and more from any web based device and adjust as needed in real time. This translates into a huge win for properties. Due to IoT, energy controls, like thermostats and sensors that have typically been commoditized are now interconnected with other systems and provide valuable data back to the hotelier.
  • With effective, modern technology, hotels – and guests – can supervise and implement eco-friendly efforts with little more than the tap of a tablet – incredibly easy for staff, perfectly unnoticeable for guests.
  • BYOD allows the guest to download an application on their personal mobile device and control their room for the duration of their stay.
  • Another component driving the trend is the increased adoption of “smart home” technologies. If consumers can turn down their home’s lights or thermostat with a flick of their smartphone, they expect to be able to do the same when they travel.
  • Guests at luxury hotels have higher expectations, and for many, energy management has become a social motivator. Often, these consumers make “green” choices at home, so they value an “eco-friendly” hotel.
  • hotels consume an enormous amount of energy; 50 percent more than similar sized residential buildings, despite having only about a 65 percent occupancy rate on average.
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    This article discusses the reason hotels are shifting their focus on energy management. Hotels are adopting green practices that not only saves money but benefits the environment. One method is by controlling energy output. New technology allows the hotel management to have wireless control of the heating and cooling systems. If rooms are unoccupied they can turn off the cooling system to save energy which in-turn reduces cost. The invention of the "Internet of Things" (IoT), management can control, diagnose and operate AC and other systems from their tablets or computers. This advantage gives the hotels the need for less service calls and disruptions to guests. Also, the trend of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) gives the guest the option to control their room settings from their own phone. Lastly, hotels are building towards LEED certifications from the U.S. Green Building council. The certification is internationally known. It saves the company money and aligns to a lot of guests eco-traveling preferences.
anonymous

New Carbon Capture Technologies Just Waiting For IRS Green Light - 0 views

  • Innovative carbon-capture projects are ready to launch in the U.S., according to experts gathered yesterday by the Atlantic Council, but they are waiting for IRS guidance expected since fall.
  • The guidance should resolve uncertainty over how companies can take advantage of the carbon capture tax credit in Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code.
  • we think is the next generation of carbon capture.”
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  • CCS is taking off now in part because of the IPCC’s 2018 report on 1.5º of global warming.
  • some governments increased their ambition from a 40% or 50% reduction in emissions by mid-century to net-zero emissions.
  • “We’ve seen more governments embrace net-zero targets,”
  • Even without the new policies, three new CCS projects are in development in the U.S., all tied to power plants,
  • Ten are in development in Europe, equal to the total number now operating in the U.S.
  • “First, we'll see more carbon capture on natural gas power plants,”
  • “and in many places the license to operate for natural gas-fired power plants will be dependent on capturing their CO2.”
  • Second, many projects will capture methane to produce hydrogen, storing the CO2.
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    As there is a rush to fix emission gases in our ozone, some scientists are invented new technology to help eliminate CO2 gases in our air. One of their inventions helps take CO2 gases from the air and fixes it into basaltic rock. Another stores CO2 gases for power for natural-gas power plants. However the USA is still waiting for approval from the IRS to implement a carbon capture tax credit.
anonymous

Tripadvisor: Half of U.S. Travelers Are Planning Trips This Spring 2021 - 0 views

  • between March 1 and May 31, 2021
  • According to the survey results, millennials are more optimistic and eager to return to travel than any other generation: 58 percent are planning a trip this spring compared to 50 percent of all age groups; 71 percent feel comfortable dining out this spring compared to 62 percent of all age groups; 54 percent believe day-to-day life will return to normal within three months compared to 38 percent of all age groups; and 56 percent of millennial respondents believe they will be better off financially in the next 12 months than they are today compared to 41 percent of all age groups.
  • the vaccine rollout may be prompting increased confidence in bigger trips.
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  • Many are searching for sunny destinations near the ocean; the fastest-growing destinations this spring (i.e., those with the biggest increase in searches on Tripadvisor year-over-year) are in Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
  • Tripadvisor survey finds that half of U.S. respondents are planning a trip this spring
garz14

What Can We Do About the Growing E-waste Problem? - 3 views

    • tcale003
       
      China recently banned other countries from sending e-waste to them. E-Waste is comprised of many toxic materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium which are very harmful to people and the environment. Many new technologies for biodegradable electronics are being looked at and there is even an EcoAtm in some U.S. states for people to recycle their small electronic devices.
  • When China banned 24 kinds of solid waste last September, countries such as the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan realized they had a big problem. Until last year, China accepted 70 percent of the world’s electronic waste—discarded computers, cell phones, printers, televisions, microwaves, smoke alarms, and other electronic equipment and parts.
  • After China stopped accepting this e-waste out of concern for its environment, Europe and North America began shipping more of it to Southeast Asia—but now Vietnam and Thailand, whose ports have been overwhelmed, are curbing imported e-waste as well.
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  • In 2016, the world’s population discarded 49 million tons of e-waste
  • It’s estimated that by 2021, that number will grow to more than 60 million tons.
  • Electronic devices are made of a complex mix of materials that include gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, lithium, cobalt and other valuable elements.
  • But electronic devices also comprise toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium, polluting PVC plastic, and hazardous chemicals, such as brominated flame retardants, which can harm human health and the environment.
  • A recent study in China found that mining copper, gold and aluminum from ore costs 13 times more than recovering the metals through the urban mining of e-waste. The state of e-waste recycling Recycling e-waste is practiced both formally and informally.
  • onmental hazards, however, many people in developing countries earn a living by dismantling, refurbishing, repairing and reselling used electronic devices.
  • As a result, many companies and countries illegally export their e-waste to developing countries where recycling is cheap
  • Research has found that inhaling toxic chemicals and direct contact with hazardous e-waste materials (even in some formal e-waste recycling settings) result in increases in spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, premature births, reduced birth weights, mutations, congenital malformations, abnormal thyroid function, increased lead levels in blood, decreased lung function, and neurobehavioral disturbances. Moreover, e-waste toxins contaminate the air, soil and groundwater. In the face of these health and envir
  • n the face of these health and en
  • mally.
  • In addition to its health hazards, informal recycling can pose security risks, because while formal recyclers in the U.S. usually require wiping devices clean of data, informal recycling does not.
  • Criminals search e-waste for credit card numbers and other financial information.
  • In order to reduce e-waste, manufacturers need to design electronics that are safer, and more durable, repairable and recyclable. Most importantly, this means using less toxic materials.
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    This article introduces what is e-waste and the main reason for the surge in e-waste. It also introduced the current recycling status of e-waste and the harm caused by the informal recycling of e-waste, such as heavy metal poisoning and financial information leakage. In addition, measures to address the proliferation of e-waste were also discussed.
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    It has become necessary for more proper and formal recycling of e-waste as it is economical and environmentally beneficial for companies. China decided to accept less e-waste from other counties and as a result there is more e waste going to other countries in south east Asia damaging their environments.
blevi022

Southwest Airlines Expands Corporate Booking Through the GDS – Skift - 0 views

  • For the first time, the majority of the airline’s content and booking capabilities are available in global distribution systems (GDS) at an industry-standard level of participation, instead of at a basic booking level.
  • In August 2019, the airline announced that after nearly 50 years in operation, it would significantly expand the amount of content it offers in the GDS through agreements with Travelport and Amadeus
  • Nearly every other major U.S. airline is in all three of the main GDS providers: Amadeus, Travelport, and Sabre, at an industry-standard level of participation. Prior to this May’s launch, Southwest only offered limited participation in Sabre and Apollo
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  • This strategic move has been a long time coming for Southwest and its corporate travel buyers — and it’s more important than ever during such a turbulent time.
  • Additionally, the airline is partnering with the Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC) to ensure the expanded offerings act in accordance with industry standards and to efficiently manage the reporting and settlement of tickets booked through the Travelport and Amadeus channels.
  • August 2019, the airline announced that after nearly 50 years in operation, it would significantly expand the amount of content it offers in the GDS through agreements with Travelport and Amadeus. The move to make the majority of its fares available in the GDS marks a big step forward for the airline in how it reaches business travelers and provides a more consistent customer experience for its corporate travel
  • Southwest Airlines is one airline that has its eyes set on a rebound to emerge stronger on the other side. One way it plans to do so is by shifting its distribution strategy. For the first time, the majority of the airline’s content and booking capabilities are available in global distribution systems (GDS) at an industry-standard level of participation, instead of at a basic booking level
  • uthwest Airlines is upping its corporate travel game by significantly expanding its presence in the global distribution system (GDS) network. This is set to enhance the relationship between the airline and its corporate buyers and agencies.
  • Nearly every other major U.S. airline is in all three of the main GDS providers: Amadeus, Travelport, and Sabre, at an
  • Prior to this May’s launch, Southwest only offered limited participation in Sabre and Apollo. Most corporate bookings were made on Southwest’s direct channels: SWABIZ, its corporate booking channel, and the Southwest API direct connect. Those that did book within the GDS were unable to perform
  • The process was not only atypical for a major U.S. airline, but was often frustrating and more costly for corporate buyers and agencies.
  • The agreement will give both Amadeus and Travelport industry-standard access to Southwest’s fares and functionality, like allowing travel managers to change and cancel flights through the system without having to pick up the phone and call the airline directly.
  • This move was in direct response to customer feedback. For the past few years, we’ve been told that the GDS is the preferred channel among business travelers and corporate travel buyers for booking travel. But it’s a timely shift as well. This new channel strategy will put Southwest in a strong position when a recovery begins,” h
  • The key benefit of the GDS is that it allows us to perform the booking in a standard workflow. The ability to serve our clients will be more efficient, and it will ultimately result in allowing us to offer a more effective and comprehensive service.”
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    This article is about Southwest expanding their GDS game. They are going to enhance their relationship with travel agencies and corporate customers.
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    Southwest Airlines had long resisted using GDS. It has been known for only allowing direct booking through its website. Last year, Southwest began to significantly increase the amount of tickets offered through GDS. This is viewed as good move for Southwest to help increase sales for the Corporate Travel market. This shows that GDS continues to have a use and airlines who did not use them are now willing to use them to help sell their inventory especially in the wake of COVID-19.
priscillamuniz

Location-Based Ads: Convenience Versus Privacy - 0 views

  • Privacy concerns may leave consumers feeling inclined to disable location tracking on their smartphones. However, the number of users who actually enable or disable their location tracking varies based on what source you consult – and perhaps the type of device.In 2022, Android Authority found that most people still leave their location tracking enabled. In its poll of more than 1,400 people, 66.8 percent of Android users said they keep their location-tracking enabled. In contrast, in 2021, Flurry Analytics found that only 4 percent of iOS users in the U.S. opted in to app tracking. There’s an important distinction here: iOS 14.5 and later versions give users the choice to opt in to location-tracking rather than opting users in by default. Users can manage their Android device’s location settings and grant or deny location-tracking permissions. 
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    What I found interesting was the type of device and number of users that actually enable or disable their devices. Android users tend to leave their location-tracking enabled. 4 percent of iOs users in the U.S. opted in to app tracking. In addition privacy still is a concern when it comes location-based marketing.
shawndab

Priceline gets Hawaiian Airlines' NDC content: Travel Weekly - 0 views

  • The airline no longer sells Hawaii interisland flights in the GDSs; they are only available via NDC and direct channels. 
  • It also doesn't have to pay Hawaiian's GDS surcharge of $7 per segment on U.S. mainland flights.
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    The IATA's (International air transport association) New Distribution Capability (NDC), is allowing Priceline the option to sell interisland flights in the Hawaiian islands. This deal will also mean that Priceline will not have to pay the GDS $7 per segment surcharge on U.S. mainland flights.
ryanbonifas

Press release: Target Field becomes first MLB stadium to achieve LEED Platinum Certification via new rating system - 0 views

  • Target Field becomes first Major League Baseball stadium to achieve LEED Platinum Certification via new rating system
  • Minnesota Twins receive highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Green Building Council for continued excellence in Operations and Maintenance at the “Greenest Ballpark in America”
  • Minnesota Twins announced today that they have been awarded LEED Platinum certification for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance – making Target Field the first Major League Baseball venue to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest possible honor via the new LEED v4.1 rating system.
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  • LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence.
  • Target Field is also the nation’s first sports venue to earn three levels of LEED certification through Arc, the state-of-the-art digital platform that uses real-world data to help benchmark, measure and improve sustainability performance.
  • “The Minnesota Twins’ fifth LEED certification at Target Field demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Peter Templeton, interim president and CEO, USGBC.
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    The Minnesota Twins are leading the way in green initiatives in becoming the first MLB stadium to achieve LEED Platinum Certification. As the landscape has changed with the desires of fans and guests to public assembly venues, venues across the country are doing their part to go green and obtain LEED certification. It is a great initiative the venue management industry has engaged on, not only at the major league level, but stadiums, convention centers and performing arts venues are all doing the same.
cborregomarsh

Can New Technologies Recycle the 90% of Plastics That Don't Get Recycled? - America's Plastic Makers - 0 views

  • advanced recycling. These technologies turn used solid plastics into their gas/liquid raw materials to be remade into “virgin” quality plastics for use in virtually any plastic product or packaging.
  • Plastics that once ended up in landfills and incinerators now can be remade and stay in use.
  • With proper support, these technologies can scale quickly, potentially doubling the plastics recycling rate in the U.S. and Canada by 2030
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  • Over the past few years, more than $8.7 billion has been invested in plastic recycling, mostly in advanced technologies. That’s enough potential to divert 13.6 billion pounds of waste from landfills each year.
  • These technologies are poised for rapid growth and can lead us down the path toward a circular economy in which used plastics are remade into new plastics that can be remade again and again.
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    Advanced recycling technologies can significantly increase the different types, and amount of plastics that can be recycled. The overall goal is to turn plastics that once ended up in landfills back into new plastics that can be remade again and again. With these new technologies, there is potential to divert 13.6 billion pounds of waste from landfills each year and potentially double the plastics recycling rate in the U.S. by 2023. That is pretty impressive.
artandmer

Are hotels and outdoor concerts any safer since the Las Vegas attack? | PBS NewsHour - 0 views

  • By now, many details of that October evening in Las Vegas are well known: the lone gunman in a 32nd floor suite atop the Mandalay Bay Hotel, the arsenal of firearms, the terrified concertgoers below.
  • In a 2017 Gallup poll, 38 percent of U.S. adults said they were less willing to attend events with large crowds out of concern the events could become a terrorist target.
  • A separate Gallup poll taken days after the Las Vegas shooting found that 39 percent of Americans are “very” or “somewhat” worried that they, or a loved one, will be a victim of a mass shooting.
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  • The Las Vegas attack was, however, the first mass shooting at a hotel in the U.S., and it served as a reminder that attacks on entertainment events are a worldwide emerging threat
  • The attack Paddock carried out — from a hotel with robust security and a state-of-the-art surveillance system — left many industry insiders and security experts stunned.
  • For the first time in Coachella’s 19-year history, organizers used surveillance drones to monitor the vast grounds of the festival.
  • For months ahead of the festival, a security company called Emergence also trained Goldenvoice security and police officers in “predictive threat analysis,” a security technique that focuses on spotting signs of trouble and disrupting attacks before they take place.
  • And as security costs for hotels and event promoters increase, concertgoers in the U.S. may see slightly higher ticket prices
  • Police say Stephen Paddock planned his attack in Las Vegas at least a year in advance. In the days leading up to the shooting, Paddock was able to bring more than 23 rifles into his hotel room, set up a hidden camera in the hallway outside of his room, and drill L-brackets into the 32nd floor stairwell door and his suite to delay police from entering.
  • After the shooting, Wynn Resorts, Hilton and Disney Resorts all changed their internal policies regarding do-not-disturb signs
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    High profile hotels near large events have had to respond to events such as mass shootings since the 2017 Las Vegas attack where a guest used as hotel room to carry out the shooting. Concert venues and large hotels are now using surveillance drones and predictive threat analysis to enable their staff to recognize patterns that could indicate signs of trouble. Security costs at large venues are expensive, and they are being passed on via ticket prices. Hotels need to evaluate their need for an active shooter plan and evaluate their "do not disturb" policies and train their staff to alert management when they are unable to enter a guest room, or when they recognize something out of the ordinary.
anonymous

17 Things You Didn't Know About Ecommerce - 0 views

  • 17 Things You Didn't Know About Ecommerce
  • Online shoppers can buy cars, clothes and millions of other things with the click of a button and figurative swipe of a credit card. In fact, U.S. consumers spend $1,200-$1,300 per year online, but that number will increase by 44%, to $1,738, by 2016. In that year, ecommerce sales are expected to hit $327 billion.
  • 1. By connecting a modified domestic television with a phone line, Michael Aldrich invented online shopping in 1979.
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  • 2. Although Amazon launched in 1995, the first yearly profit wasn't until 2003, and as of June 2012, the average order value was $47.31.
  • 4. Netflix wasn't the first online DVD subscription service — Blockbuster announced Blockbuster.com in 2004, but it's unclear whether services such as Netflix and Redbox led to its ultimate bankruptcy.
  • 6. Zappos' referrals from social media per order yield $0.75 from Pinterest, $2.08 from Facebook and $33.66 from Twitter.
  • 7. Approximately 46% of online users count on social media when making a purchase decision
  • 9. In 2010, Groupon turned down Google's $6 billion offer and became an IPO the following year.
  • 11. India is home to the fastest growing ecommerce market, and France is home to the slowest ecommerce growth.
  • From 2011 to 2016, 15% more people will shop online, taking the number to 192 million in the U.S.
  • 17. Analysts say that an explosion in the mobile payments market is just around the corner.
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    Dear friends, i thought that this might be interesting for you to know. Did you know that our favorite Netflix wasn't the first online DVD subscription service? It was a Blockbuster . com :) And the fact that people will mostly shop online? 192 million in the USA! (I' honestly like shopping outside, so this way i can smell, touch, and try; although eBay is doing pretty good job by selling cheap Chinese stuff and having a free shipping. You can not even return the package , because it's 3 times more expensive to return than the original cost! ) What do you think? Thanks
alo328

Electronic Waste Is Becoming a Global Environmental Problem | Time - 1 views

  • s a tech-hungry nation flush with cash gets ready to upgrade to the next generation of lightning-fast 5G devices, there is a surprising environmental cost to be reckoned with: a fresh mountain of obsolete gadgets. About 6 million lb
  • Workers with hammers hack at the bulkiest devices, while others remove dangerous components like lithium-ion batteries
  • That cycle of consumption has made electronics waste the world’s fastest-growing s
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  • “In our society, we always have to have the new, best product,” said Aaron Blum, the co-founder and chief operating officer of ERI, on a tour of the facility
  • Even when e-waste rules exist, it’s left up to consumers to handle their old devices prop
  • But less than a quarter of all U.S. electronic waste is recycled, according to a United Nations estimate. The rest is incinerated or ends up in landfills
  • Environmental concerns aside, compacting flammable lithium-ion batteries with paper recycling can be dangerous; recycling centers have reported an uptick in fires
  • 5G promises faster speeds and other benefits. But experts say it will also result in a dramatic increase in e-waste, as millions of smartphones, modems and other gadgets incompatible with 5G networks are made obsolete
  • ly. But recycling them can be a
  • We don’t necessarily have the measures to make sure people aren’t throwing it away,” Walters said.
  • Even so, some companies are increasing their recycling efforts on their own, whether for the economic benefit or the public relations boost (mining fresh materials has financial, environmental and human costs of its own). For instance, Apple in 2018 introduced Daisy, a smartphone-recycling robot that can take apart 200 iPhones every hour, and says it diverted 48,000 metric tons of electronic waste from landfills that year
  • Our products today don’t last as long as they used to, and it’s a strategy by manufacturers to force us in
  • o shorter and shorter upgrade cycles,” said Kyle Wiens, the founder of iFixit
  • Some environmental groups say multibillion-dollar companies like Apple and Samsung should pick up the cost of recycling the devices they sell. Lawmakers in parts of Europe and Canada and in some U.S. states have passed so-called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, which require manufacturers to establish and fund systems to recycle or collect obsolete products
  • One solution is to make electronics last as long as they once did. At ERI’s facility, Shegerian showed TIME dozens of televisions from the 1970s and 1980s that stopped working only recently
  • About 6 million lb. of discarded electronics are already processed monthly at recycling giant ERI’s Fresno plant.
  • Americans spent $71 billion on telephone and communication equipment in 2017, nearly five times what they spent in 2010 even when adjusted for inflation, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Apple alone sold 60 million iPhones domestically last year, according to Counterpoint Research.)
  • That stream is expected to turn into a torrent as the world upgrades to 5G, the next big step in wireless technology.
  • Part of the problem is regulatory. Only 19 states have laws banning electronics from the regular trash. In states without such rules, like Nevada, electronics often end up in garbage and recycling bins, said Jeremy Walters, a community-relations manager for waste collector Republic Services
  • Our products today don’t last as long as they used to, and it’s a strategy by manufacturers to force us into shorter and shorter upgrade cycles,”
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    Advancement in technology every day has led to the dumping of electronic gadgets no longer wanted to the environment. Heaps of unwanted electronic waste, hazardous containing substances like lithium-ion batteries, are dumped into the ground with all their toxicology. As the world upgrades to 5G, it will end in a rapid surge in e-waste. According to John Shegerian thinks people are yet to see the magnitude of the transition to 5G, it is tremendous than changing from analog to digital (Samuels & Calif, 2019). However, it comes with many advantages; its outcome is a drastic rise in electronic waste. The ERI recycles less than a quarter of the United States' e-waste according to the estimate made by the United Nations, and the other dumped in landfills. This waste contains harmful metals such as beryllium and mercury, that have adverse environmental dangers. Among the 50 states in the United States, only 19 States have imposed a law to bun electronics from regular trash (Samuels & Calif, 2019); the rest of the states, like Nevada they are incorporated in recycling and trash bins, according to Jeremy Walters's manager for waste collection. The consumers are left to handle their e-waste even though there are e-waste rules. Multibillion companies should the responsibility and cater for the cost of recycling for the products they are manufacturing. Companies like Apple and Samsung, nonetheless the United States is repelling modifications to the prevailing laws, according to Scott Cassel Product Stewardship Institute found. However, some companies are improving through increasing their recycling efforts. For instance, Daisy, a recycling robot introduced by Apple, can collect more than 200 iPhones for recycling every hour. But this is not enough since e-waste generated annually globally is more than we can imagine, which almost 50 tons (Samuels & Calif, 2019). In a nutshell, technology can bring many benefits to society. Still, it can also harm both the environment and the p
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    the article explores the dangers of elctronic waste and give suggestions on how to better monitor this issue and resolve.
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    This article explains how the rapid advancement of technology has impulsed an increase in the use of technology, however has resulted in a rise in ewaste percentage. This happens because companies have opted for creating products that do not last for long periods of time, since they want to sell future products.
anaslip

Most companies taking 'wait-and-see' approach to coronavirus | CFO Dive - 0 views

  • Most companies taking 'wait-and-see' approach to coronavirus
  • North American companies are bracing for negative business impact due to the coronavirus outbreak
  • Despite rising concern of the effect coronavirus will have on their businesses, most U.S. companies are taking a "wait-and-see" approach when it comes to adjusting their executive pay and sales compensation programs
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  • Additionally, a survey from Gartner's risk management practice found that 56% of business leaders rated themselves as "somewhat prepared," for the outbreak, with 11% relatively or very unprepared.
  • Companies are increasingly expecting that the coronavirus will adversely affect their businesses. Yet, because the exact impact of the virus is uncertain, compensation committees and executives are not making immediate changes to their organizations’ pay programs — at least for now
  • 34% of companies expected the virus to have a "moderate or large negative impact" on their business over the next six months. 44% companies say their annual executive incentive plan has been or will be affected by coronavirus, but nearly one in five intends to adjust funding or targets for the plan.
  • A recent survey by Gartner’s risk management practice aligns with Willis Towers Watson’s findings; just 12% of Gartner’s 1,500-plus respondents believe their businesses are highly prepared for the impact of coronavirus, with 26% believing it will have a negligible impact at all.
  • 56% of respondents rated themselves somewhat prepared, and 11% said they were either relatively or very unprepared
  • It’s nearly impossible to predict exactly if or how a particular scenario will unfold or even when
  •  
    This article is a perfect example of this week`s topic. It`s a good illustration of a "wait and see" approach. The article gives you a lot of numbers to support its point.
Michael Anthony

Going Green in Hotel Tech/Solar Energy Measured - 1 views

  • Residential solar systems usually don’t have much interaction with the meter attached to the side of the home.
  • U.S. customers see solar’s payoff as power bill reductions, rather than direct payment for the solar power they generate
  • net-metering-enabled smart meters may suit their purposes, and the utility’s purposes, just fine
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  • grade tally on actual solar power generated is critical
  • companies have promised their customers -- and their investors -- that they’ll keep close track of every dime of power generated, to make sure their complex lease or power-purchase arrangements are paying out properly over time.
  • market Itron is tackling with its cellular-linked solar power meters
  • Sunrun
  • Sunrun,
  • company’s customer website states that its "meters are based on cell phone technology, and while they collect data constantly, they only communicate with [... the company] four times a day, rather than every 15 minutes
  • Sunrun,
  • readings are uploaded onto web portals to show customers just how much money they’re saving with their financed solar system from day to day, along with other data and updates
  • Third-party aggregators also need to be able to connect with individual meters, installed in an unpredictable pattern across different utility service areas,
    • Michael Anthony
       
      This is similar to the way several subdivisions feed into the one server. As we have seen in large officies, travel agencies, point of sale systems, etc
  • Cellular works well for that, while the mesh networking used by the majority of the smart meters deployed in the U.S. to date requires lots of meters in proximity to one another to pass each others’ messages along to central collection points -- a fact that’s led key mesh smart grid players, like Silver Spring Networks, to add more cellular capabilities to their technology
  • 60,000 to 80,000 of these meters were sold last year,
  • communications technology giants like Verizon (NYSE: VZ), AT&T (NYSE: T), Sprint (NYSE: S), Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOMM) and others in the United States, along with coequals in Europe and Asia, have been beefing up their smart grid offerings
  • 5.64 per watt in the second quarter, compared to $5.84 per watt for directly owned solar systems -- a first in the industry
Carolina Alfonso

Roomkey.com, Innovative New Hotel Search Engine, Launched by Venture Founded by Six of the World's Leading Hotel Companies - 0 views

  • world's leading hotel companies
  • Roomkey.com, an innovative new online hotel search engine
  • Roomkey.com provides travelers a search and book experience tailored for ease of hotel shopping through an uncluttered and trustworthy site
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  • accurate hotel information straight from the source
  • the ability to compare, plan and share with friends and family.
  • John F. Davis III, a highly experienced hospitality industry visionary with a history of entrepreneurial successes, is Chief Executive Officer of Room Key
  • "Finding the right hotel is complex and, unlike booking a flight or reserving a car, it is a personal decision process - one which no one understands better than hoteliers
  • our goal is to make the experience of finding the right hotel as personal and enjoyable as the experience of staying in one
  • provide customers with a wide range of travel options and the confidence that they will receive exceptional rates
  • management team in place and a compelling search tool unique to the market today, Roomkey
  • is well positioned for success and will quickly become a large scale marketplace
  • IHG's online innovations, Roomkey.com is another industry first, offering guests breadth of choice alongside all the benefits from booking directly through our own websites."
  • Room Key's new and unique offering will embody the best of what hotel company websites offer consumers, giving them confidence in their booking decisions -- a personalized and welcoming experience
  • meaningful value to our owners and franchisees by showcasing their properties.
  • consumers will value the relevant pricing information, independent reviews, and in-depth property information
  •  
    Six of the largest hospitality firms around the world (Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group Choice Hotels International, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Marriott International, and Wyndham Hotel Group) have joint to create a new online hotel search engine. Roomkey.com is the name of this new search engine and its main purpose is to enhance the hotel booking experience for customers. As it is described in the article Roomkey.com expects to differentiate itself from other search engines by providing accurate information straight from the source. They believe choosing a hotel is a personal decision and the more information customers can feel more confident in there booking decision. In the near future it is intended for this page to be an interactive site where people can comment and plan or compare their vacations with others. At the beginning it will focus only in U.S travelers and then it will expand to English speaking countries.
Jennifer Koren

How to Go Green: Weddings - 2 views

  •  
    As I am getting older, I have had the joy of attending many weddings of close friends and family. Currently, I have been helping my best friend plan her wedding and I stumbled upon this. I think this article provides a few interesting pointers for the "big day." The big day doesn't have to use all the electricity in the world, or require you to cut down a bunch of trees. This article highlights ways to make your wedding more eco-friendly. For wedding invitations, use recycled paper. This also goes for thank you notes and name cards. Everything that goes into a wedding is made from something. Try to buy locally- it supports small businesses as well local vendors. When picking a venue, try to think about travel costs for relatives and friends. While having your wedding at the Biltmore may be beautiful, A quiet farm in Homestead or even a small wedding on the beach may be nice. No electricity is needed then. When arriving at your wedding, you may want to think about providing your guests with a shuttle service. This will drastically cut down on the amount of chemical emissions released into the air. Try to use flowers that are in season in order to reduce the amount of chemicals and pesticides used. Fresh flowers smell better and look nicer. Green Weddings: By the Numbers 2.3 million: Number of couples that get married in the US each year. That breaks down to more than 6,300 weddings a day. $20,000: The average budget of a wedding in the U.S.; this number increases to £16,000 ($31,222) in the U.K. and decreases to €12,000 ($15,782) in France. 14.5 tonnes: The amount of CO2 created by the average wedding in the U.K. 80 percent: The percentage of gold minded each year that goes into jewelry, out of 2500 tons. 50 years: Length of time the current amount of already-mined gold could satisfy demand; much of it currently sits in bank vaults and in old, unused jewelry.
Melissa Krajewski

The Trump Organization Announces the Purchase of Miami's Legendary Doral Hotel & Country Club - 0 views

  • The Trump Organization plans to make a major investment in the resort and golf courses with the intention of restoring Doral to its former grandeur.
  • “When Doral first opened, it was considered the best resort in the world,” stated Donald J. Trump, chairman and president. “The combination of the property’s incredible location in the heart of Miami and our very significant investment in upgrading the resort will enable us to return Doral to its former glory if not surpass it. When completed, Doral will be the finest resort and golf club in the country.”
  • “Our ability to create value through the development process combined with the strength of our brand and our unsurpassed hotel and golf management capabilities make us the ideal owner of this iconic asset,”
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  • Earlier this month, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION announced it had been selected by the U.S. General Services Administration as part of an exhaustive and competitive RFP process to be the developer of Washington, D.C.’s The Old Post Office, the most sought-after hotel development opportunity in the country.
  •  
    It was recently brought to my attention that Donald Trump has expanded his portfolio with the $150 million dollar purchase of Miami's Doral Hotel & Country Club. I was casually watching the coverage of the 2012 World Golf Cadillac Championship on NBC and saw Ivanka and Donald on the screen but just brushed it off because of their well known passion for golf. To be honest, it was more exciting for me to see Watson fall to Rose after missing a birdie putt in the playoff round. Anyways, after searching Market Watch for 'IT Investment' and 'RFP' I stumbled upon this article and it all made sense. I am now pleased to summarize the exciting $200 million dollar investment Mr. Trump made with intentions to "reposition all aspects of the resort" resulting in a "greatly enhanced guest experience." Although not explicitly stated, I assume this investment will also include a 'renovation' of the current IT structure of the hotel and country club to increase productivity, revenue and ultimately ROI. Linda Robertson, from the Miami Herald, reported on March 8th that Mr. Trump stated, "to have 800 acres in a city like Miami -that opportunity will never arise again." It will be interesting to see how The Trump Organization follows through on their investment and achieves their goal of making Doral a "world-class facility benefiting of the resort." This article also mentions that The Trump Hotel Collection had been selected by GSA as the preferred developer for Washington D.C.'s The Old Post Office after an "exhaustive" Request For Proposal review. After researching the topic I could not find for what exact reasons he won, besides money. I will take a further look into the news. A lot of exciting new developments for The Trump Organization in the recent few months.
YU CHEN

Hertz builds mobile strategy with iPhone travel apps - Mobile Commerce Daily - Applications - 0 views

  • Hertz Corp. is introducing iPhone city travel applications to extend the brand’s reach beyond cars and enhance the customer experience.
  • In addition to New York, Boston and San Francisco, there are also apps for Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami-West Palm, Sacramento-Northern California, Orlando, San Diego and Washington, D.C.
  • Customers can download the first app for free from the Apple App Store. After that, additional apps may be downloaded for $0.99 apiece.
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  • The Explore content is delivered wirelessly to cars to insure the content is up to date and includes the top restaurants and hotels as well as various attractions
  •  
    Hertz introduces iphone apps to deliver extended travel experience to customers. The app is called My Explore, including 11 major cities in U.S. with most travel information. Each city app includes six categories: explore, Top Must See, Events, Favorites, Tours and neighborhoods. Those probably cover major needs during traveling.
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