Some of the agents provide only business travel whilst others provide both business and leisure to clients. Business travel connections are an independent business travel agency which has been in business for 24 years and they offer a wide range of business travel services. | Independent agencies products and services: | Independent travel agency offer a very flexible service and they try to meet each individual’s requirements and needs. They offer a much personalised service to their clients and rely on word-of mouth advertising. They offer their clients cost saving solutions to overseas flights as well as time and money as they offer a choice of best value flight fares and routings suited to the client’s itinerary.
West Jet Strategy 1. WestJet competes in the air travel market segment with a focus of providing low cost flights to the common traveler, such as friends and relatives. An order qualifier would be the timeliness of the flights. WestJet has achieved the best on-time arrival performance in its market segment which it is able to pass on to customer. As delays will often frustrate travellers, this can make WestJet that traveller’s top choice.
This means that the TNC can pay workers less, not worry about providing good working conditions. All of these factors greatly benefit TNCs because they can produce their products or components for a fraction of a price that they would have to pay in their country of origin. Another thing that has enabled companies to spread out over the globe is the fact that global communications and travel has improved. Emails make it much easier to communicate with colleagues in other countries and not have to worry about time differences. Satellite links have allowed people to have video meetings even if the people taking part are miles apart.
The development of technology like the internet has most probably had the biggest impact on the travel and tourism industry. The internet has decreased the need for independent travel agents now as the internet provides people with a means of booking their own holidays online, as well as being able to use comparison websites such as Expedia, or directly with the holiday providers and transport services. Now even the smallest of travel and tourism providers have responded to technological developments so that they have their own websites and email addresses, online booking, and payment methods. When the recession hit, the number of business travellers declined, as they were trying to find cheaper ways of communicating with fellow business relations by using methods such as telephone and video conferencing instead of paying to book flights and accommodation. These methods have increased because it helps the business to reduce their expenses and watch their budget more carefully.
For instance, transportation network company Uber has been launched as a mobile application that connects passengers to taxi drivers who are willing and able to pick up them and drive them. This involves removing barriers to entry on two levels. Firstly, the cost of setting up the business is relatively low given its nature as a mobile application. As opposed to, say, taxi hire companies, costs have been greatly reduced in terms of rent and because perhaps less workers are needed. In addition, Uber has also sidestepped barriers to entry because anyone can now become supplier of Uber’s taxi services without having to purchase a license, which helps taxi drivers enter (and leave) the market more
The first location in Miami preformed above recent expectations even in a market where the average consumer is more price conscious (Sutherland). This expansion and success in America can help Earls Richmond by giving the foreign consumer a brand they can identify and trust. Being located inside the Lansdowne mall can be a blessing for Earls. Lansdowne sky train station is located around 600 meters away from Earls Richmond and provides one of the main staples of public transportation for Richmond. Being so close to the skytrain station allows Earls to have a competitive advantage over some of the other restaurants in the area.
This affects us greatly because what we give is what we now get. In chapter one Pariser states, “Your behavior is now commodity, a tiny piece of a market that provides a platform for the personalization of the whole internet". To put in other words, your personal information is sold so businesses know what to sell. An interesting quote is added in this chapter, “If you get something for free, you’re the product, not the customer"(Pariser45). What is meant by this is sites such as Google or Facebook give us free services, or so we think, but what is really happening is they collect our personal information and sell them to businesses so they can use it to lure us into buying their products through specialized ads.
Outsourcing brings proven benefits in the form of economic leveraging, increase in the quality of products and it provides a number of opportunities to less developed countries. For example in recent times, Americans are overwhelmingly supporting the major retail stores like Wal-Mart, Target and K-Mart. The reason behind this consumer loyalty is that it has become much easier to shop at these locations rather than the local mom and pop stores located on the corner of most neighborhoods. The benefit is that you can purchase everything on your shopping list from one location, saving you time, money and gasoline. In a highly competitive business world, on a firm’s priority list is the subject of increasing profit and reducing cost.
This website was the first online service provided for buyers to shop for cars online so that they do not have to deal with the problems and hassles that arises that traditional buyers would usually deal with when they are at the dealership. Some of the cost and benefits to consumers of the Autobytel system at the time of the case were that they were hassle free compared to going into the dealership, they were good for beginnings, they offer financing and loyalty programs. This is good for beginner buyers because they are able to look at car pictures for every make and model with the specifications and pricing information. After they figure out what car they are looking for, they receive more information about the car they selected. They are also able to customize their car with possible features the car model offers.
For the car dealer, as far as economic outcome, I feel what matters most is that they made a good profit from their customer, in other words, they got the money (Curhan, Elfenbein, & Xu, 2006). At the same time, as far as social psychological outcome, what matters most to the car dealer is that I, as their customer, am leaving happy; it lets them know they provided good customer service. For me it is a social psychological outcome. So, to me, what matters most is knowing that I got a good deal for the car I chose; along with good customer service and knowing and feeling confident I did the right thing. For the co-signer, I feel it is also a social psychological outcome.