Bøger af Gary Parker

Two Extremes is very bold and aggressive. After a few years of separation, two men who became brothers at a very young age, find themselves at the top of their professions. The only problem is, their professions take opposing directions to the very extremes. Only their brotherly love can defeat.

Here is a brilliant collection of short stories where the truly lost are truly found. Urban settings, inner-city youth, from peer-pressure to drug trafficking and then to the awakening of a brighter day. You will feel the emotions of the characters and be glad at their overcoming. Very inspirational and encouraging to all who are looking for a way through this hip hop dance.

In an effort to overcome the perception of a seat as a commodity, and to increase yields and loyalty, a key initiative in the passenger transportation community is the introduction of branded products with their associated privileges.Consumers want more choice and more value, and whether a passenger carrier chooses to add ancillary travel or merchandising options to their website, the additional options should benefit most consumers.From a revenue management perspective, seats have always been sold from the bottom up - from the lowest qualified fare.However, with the introduction of branded products, a passenger carrier has the capability to sell from the middle or the top, based on a consumer's preference for the privileges associated with a branded product. The branded fare approach is one of the latest pricing methods used by airlines to boost ancillary revenue. This encourages consumers to buy a higher fare by including a package of defined amenities.Ancillary revenue product and service experimentation are evolving as we move forward. Airlines all over the world are adding optional extras such as pre-paid baggage, early boarding, assigned seating, and pre-order meals.

Qu'est-ce que la gestion du chiffre d'affaires et quelle est son utilité pour l'industrie du transport aériend'aujourd'hui et de demain? La gestion du chiffre d'affaires a fait son apparition au début des années1980, l'environnement nouvellement déréglementé obligeant à estimer la demande et à affecter lesressources avec précision.

La gestion du chiffre d'affaires dans l'industrie du transport de voyageurs consiste à gérer la demande de sièges. Pour que ce soit efficace et efficient, il est important de comprendre et d'anticiper les effets des forces du marché sur la demande potentielle. Une analyse et une préparation poussée vous permettront de mieux composer avec les forces qui échappent à votre contrôle et de prendre des décisions en connaissance de cause qui soutiennent pleinement les objectifs commerciaux.

The primary fare management objective of airlines that has perpetuated since deregulation is to match a competitor's fare. This is based on the premise that in a capital-and asset-intensive industry, the marginal cost of adding passenger is very low and hence the focus is to protect and retain market share and pay down fixed costs. Consequently, an airline's fare actions are mostly reactive. Fare changes could be classified into two groups, regional or system-wide fare changes and market-specific changes. The former consists mainly of sales and general increases on all fares. Sales are always matched except when an existing sale provides a better incentive to the public than the new one.Market-specific fare changes are typically triggered by a single carrier based on the carrier's perceived dominance in a market or based on schedule-related service changes in the market. When a fare action is triggered by an airline, other carriers typically respond with an identical response to protect market share regardless of the revenue impacts. Sometimes, the reaction ripples through other markets or differs from the original change, inducing a series of cascading changes. This behaviour of reactive fare response is consistent with the desire of most airline executives to retain and protect market share. Research dating back to the nineteenth century confirms that price matching in the competitive marketplace can be an optimal strategy.In this module, we begin by looking at latency in the price planning and execution process. We describe fare dimensions, fare types, and the classification of fare products along with usage rules and purchase restrictions. The second part introduces the fare management process. The next section is on how fare management impacts revenue management.

In the introduction module, we discussed deregulation and how it opened the passenger carrier business to newcomers, which contributed to increased competition and the beginning of discounted fares. Frequent flyer programmes (FFP) are also an example of marketing innovations from that time.In this module, we begin by looking at the history of loyalty programmes, customer choice and experience, and its components. The second part focuses on how alliances and partnerships increase the strength of loyalty offerings. The next section is on how low-cost carriers and smaller airlines address loyalty. The last section is on how loyalty and revenue management work together.

With variable pricing, a single seat in a compartment can be sold to different customers at different prices. As we've seen, a particular set of rules and restrictions are associated with each fare product to ensure that it can only be purchased by the market segment that it targets. How many seats should a carrier make available to each different fare product? How do you manage these seat allocations over the booking cycle in response to actual demand? How do you ensure that you reserve enough seats for the last-minute high-revenue customer?Most of the questions above will be addressed in the next module on seat inventory control that immediately follows this one. Booking classes are an integral part of seat inventory control. Before we can discuss the logistics of inventory control we need to understand booking class assignment and structure. We begin in the first section by describing the use of booking classes in a carrier's computer reservation system and their evolution over time. Section 2 looks at the process of assigning different fare products to each booking class and identifies potential problems. In the final section we consider different booking class structures and explain the difference between independent versus nested control structures.

The primary objective of a revenue management (RM) organization is to maximize the profitability of the company by applying knowledge about the market and the competition, using RM systems and tools. Building a successful RM carrier organization requires three key elements. First, the carrier must select the appropriate RM systems and tools. Second, they must put the right people in the right places. Third, they must design and implement effective business processes. Success requires paying careful attention to both people and processes. In this module, we begin by considering the people involved in the RM organization, their job descriptions, skill sets, and the importance of good people management, training and team building. The second section focuses on developing robust and effective business processes and outlines the key steps that you need to follow in doing so. Section three introduces three different organizational structures that can be used within a RM organization and considers some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with each approach. It also discusses how and why you might choose to change the organizational structure over time.

Carrier seats are a perishable inventory. Once a departure leaves, opportunity to gain revenue from the empty seats is lost. As we have seen in the previous modules, maximum revenue gains can be captured from a departure if all seats are sold and all demand for full-fare seats is met. Booking class assignment based on economic value and optimal seat allocation can lead to large revenue gains. However, carrier seats can also be "spoiled" or depart empty due to passengers who do not show up to board. Carriers need to take steps to avoid or minimise spoilage in order to maximise revenues.In this module, we begin by defining spoilage, explaining why carriers need to overbook, and discussing some implications of this practice. The second section looks at how carriers actually determine optimal overbooking levels to compensate for passenger "no-shows". The final section introduces some other overbooking measures and considerations including planning for pre-departure cancellations and multi-compartment upgrading.

Multiple booking classes available on a given departure within a single compartment of the equipment all share a common inventory of seats. It is the goal of revenue management to increase or maximise the total revenues of the departure by filling those seats with the most profitable mix of customers. This is accomplished by determining the optimal seat allocations, or authorised selling levels, per booking class.We begin this module by considering the benefits and dangers of discount seat allocation control and then look at the respective roles of the revenue analyst and computerised revenue management (RM) systems in determining optimal seat allocations. The second section explains the basic methodology used by many leg- or segment-based RM systems to determine seat protection levels. The final section considers the advantages and disadvantages of leg-based seat inventory control.

As we learned in module 6, if the number of seats that you could book on a departure was limited to the physical capacity of the aircraft, there would be spoilage due to passengers who don't show up to board or who cancel their bookings prior to departure. However, the previous module focused on spoilage management as it relates to the "no-show" and pre-departure cancellation behaviour of individual passengers.This module focuses on group management. As you will see, the pre-departure cancellation behaviour of groups is distinctive. In the first section we begin by describing the types and general characteristics of group travel. In section 2, we look at the process and considerations involved in evaluating a group's request for seats. The final section addresses group cancellation behaviours and the strategies used by carriers to compensate for these pre-departure cancellations in order to avoid spoilage.

Module 1 contained a quick introduction to the traditional means of carrier ticket distribution and how the internet is changing the way carriers do business. Now we have the opportunity to look at the history, evolution and future direction of travel product distribution in more detail. We begin with the major elements in traditional carrier ticket distribution prior to the advent of the internet. We discuss how they evolved over time, their respective roles, and some concerns. The second section looks at travel product distribution in the context of the internet. We discuss how the traditional participants have adapted to new competitive pressures and describe new distribution channels and participants enabled by the new technology. The final section highlights two examples of new approaches to online product distribution.

Revenue management in the passenger transportation industry involves managing demand for seats. To manage demand effectively and efficiently, it is important to understand and anticipate the effects of market forces on potential demand. A high level of analysis and preparation will allow you to better address the effects of forces outside of your control and ensure that the decisions you make are based on insight and fully support business objectives. In this module we begin by looking at the characteristics of passenger demand for travel and discuss a number of factors that influence that demand. The second section focuses on different demand strategies. This includes basic steps you can take to reduce or increase demand and the consequences of maintaining the status quo. The final section is on forecasting demand. We discuss the importance of forecasting demand accurately, the methods used in forecasting, as well as the roles of the revenue analyst, computerised revenue management systems, and effective business processes.

Performance measurement involves monitoring the values of carefully chosen key performance indicators to determine progress toward specific, defined objectives. In the passenger transportation industry, performance measurement can be used to monitor when and where passengers are travelling, spot variations or trends, measure outcomes of business strategies, document changes in revenues, estimate outcomes of sales strategies, and indicate how well carrier objectives are being met.This module presents an overview of the rationale behind a performance measurement system and covers some of the logistics and objectives involved in its implementation. You will learn how to ensure that the system continues over time to provide the useful information needed to further improve carrier performance. This is done in part through the selection and updating of key performance indicators. The final section discusses several types of performance reports commonly used in the carrier industry.

Pricing, inventory control, and scheduling are three departments that form a revenue management triangle. Scheduling is another means of matching consumer demand with supply. A carrier's departure schedule defines its core product and is a key determinant of its profitability. The first section in this module looks at the scheduling process as a whole. It considers its importance, the complexity involved and provides an overview of what occurs in the long-, medium- and short-term at different levels in the organisation. In the second section, we focus on the medium-term planning phase and consider the goals and challenges of schedule design and fleet assignment. This third section looks at the short-term management of the current schedule. This includes any ad hoc departure cancellations or other capacity adjustments that are needed closer to departure.

What is revenue management and why is it needed in the passenger transportation industry of today and tomorrow? Revenue management first appeared in the carrier industry starting in the early 1980s. It arose from the need for accurate demand estimates and resource allocations in the newly deregulated environment. Therefore we begin this book and this module with a look back at the main causes and consequences of carrier deregulation in North America. The second section is an introduction to the basics of revenue management and will serve as a foundation for the rest of the modules in this course. In the final section we look to the future and consider how the internet is changing ticket distribution and some of the challenges and opportunities that it has created.

All the seats in the coach compartment look the same, yet there are many different prices for those seats. Because of the fluctuations in passenger demand for travel, their perishable inventory, and relatively fixed seating capacity, carriers have adopted a variable pricing strategy. This strategy targets different market segments in order to control demand and maximise revenues. Underlying this strategy is the price-demand relationship. In module 2 we considered the demand side of the equation. Now we have the opportunity to look at pricing in more detail. What costs do carriers consider when determining ticket prices? In the first section we look at both carrier and customer costs and explain the difference between fixed and variable carrier costs. Why did I pay more for my ticket than the person sitting next to me? The second section revisits the foundation of the carriers' differential pricing strategy, the price-demand relationship. This helps us to better understand variable pricing and market segmentation, the role of fare rules, and the goals and processes of inventory, or revenue, management. How do carriers set prices? In the third section we outline various pricing strategies that carriers use when setting prices.

Things are not quite what they seem for Declan Grey, whose world has just been turned upside-down. On the street, no money or friends, he needs to think quickly to get his life back on track and get some well earned revenge. The first book in the Letter-opener trilogy opens up the belly of London's underground where there are more interesting characters waiting to meet Mr Grey than he might expect. Part two of the Letter-opener series finds the police bewildered by a mysterious explosion, a retired agent who does not want to be pulled back into a world he thought he left behind for good and questions that need answers in a web of seemingly connected schemes draw Declan from one Island to another. In the final part of the Letter opener saga, find out what the mysterious Agency has been plotting when Declan discovers he is a prisoner at their pleasure. Can he escape and save the world or will civilisation be consigned to a future decided by a madman?

When tech nova Reid Temple and his partners announce they have developed a revolutionary energy source to reverse the ravages of global climate change, a stunned world rejoices. Privately, Temple battles to contain a malignant computer virus that has infected the new energy source and threatens the world with nuclear devastation. When Temple turns up missing, it falls to the woman he loves, Los Angeles news anchor Maddy Daniel, to piece together clues to the threat and the vile force behind it -- a murderous cult with a chilling ultimatum. Comply with our demands or three great cities will be destroyed. Your choice.

Focuses on the music of Elvis Presley's groundbreaking early years and includes analysis of every Presley recording session from the 1950s. Chapters illustrate how Presley, and his musical compatriots Scotty Moore and Bill Black, fused two American musical forms - country and blues - to form what would come to be known as 'rockabilly'.

Dark Road to Daylight is a fast-paced mystery that follows former pastor and now counselor Burke Anderson through another complex and difficult case.

Jethro Tull was one of the truly innovative rock bands to emerge from the late 1960s. Focusing on the band's peak creative period of 1971-1980, this history includes insider accounts based on exclusive interviews with key members and rare photographs.

Life smiles on Connie Brandon: law degree nearly in hand, a loving husband and two wonderful kids, a vibrant faith in God in a quiet Missouri town.But her quiet family life is rocked when her husband, Jack, turns up dead in the Missouri River -- a suicide, police say -- and then another woman claims to have been his mistress.

In the final part of the Letter opener saga, find out what the mysterious Agency has been plotting when Declan Grey discovers he is a prisoner at their pleasure. Can he escape and save the world from more peace than it needs? Or will civilisation be consigned to a future decided by a madman?