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Wheeled Carry on Luggage Makes Travel Plans Easier

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Wheeled carry on luggage has become popular as a means of simplifying travel in this modern age where DIY (do-it-yourself) projects abound. Almost everyone looks for the easy way out, at a cheaper price. Being able to streamline airline travel, carry your own bags from your car or taxi directly to the airline gate, and then off again, bypassing baggage claim, heralds a new phase for the frequent traveler.

The idea of hanging on to your luggage looks dim when you have to handle several pieces of heavy luggage and you do not have anyone help traveling with you. You can avoid this drudgery by packing your personal items in wheeled carry-on luggage.

You can find luggage with wheels at the same stores you buy your other travel accessories. You can also surf the Internet for online sellers. You will also find most of the major brands at inexpensive prices from discount retailers. Also, look out for sellers who have sales.

This handy luggage is available in all shades, colors, and all materials, both soft and hard. When you are considering buying new luggage, check first with your airlines to find out the correct allowable measurements for carry-on bags. It is possible to find sets that you like with many different featured pieces which will provide carrying capacity for all the items you wish to take with you on a business trip or a short trip to your in-laws.

Wheeled carry-on luggage is ideal for all types of travel, but business travelers can benefit most. This is because business travel revolves around short and streamlined trips. The businessperson only needs practical luggage. The idea of a carry-on bag that can hold all your needs and can travel inside the cabin with you, enables you to make good use of your travel time. Carrying luggage is incidental to the trip. It is also ideal for the family traveling in a group. Young children will enjoy pulling their own cases just like the big folks, and that will encourage responsible travel habits early for those kids.

Wheeled carry-on luggage comes in many different convenient sizes and types, from traditional looking suitcases to wheeled backpacks and other nontraditional cases. Manufacturers make these easy-to-transport suitcases and travel bags intending to make your travel easier. They simplify packing and carrying your clothing and equipment for whatever adventure you are embarking on, with whatever group you are traveling with.

The Economics of Online Education

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As more and more universities are opening up to the idea of online proposition, it becomes important to raise the question: “Can online-education be a profitable and sustainable business?” To answer this question, let us explore the various important facets of this model which would decide the feasibility and financial sustenance of the e-idea. Some key parameters to be considered are the demand, ability to supply, technology and delivery process.

The demand for the service is abundant as previously discussed and so is the availability of market players who could cater to this growing demand. Hence, the viability of the proposition rests solely on the issues of effectively delivering the services and choosing or rather designing an appropriate business model. It is critical to analyze the following factors to assess the economics of the idea:

-Virtual university vs. traditional university (in transformation)
-Selling commodity vs. selling experience
-Technology: availability and costs
-Process of delivering quality and differentiation
-Cost analysis: Initial vs. marginal

Virtual University vs. Traditional University
There could be two different versions of an online education: a virtual online model and an existing university expanding its traditional model to accommodate the online proposition. Both models have different economics. A virtual model starts from scratch and has no prior experience with a traditional education model; it prepares curricula either by itself or in conjunction with an existing educational institution; it also has low infrastructure expenses but simultaneously no branding support.

It is relatively easy to start this business, but what matters are the quality of content and the process of delivery. For standard modules or programs, this seems to be a good venture as the content would not be difficult or expensive to produce or distribute. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the target segment for the program is carefully identified, as this model is not only competing with traditional models but also with online propositions of existing reputed educational institutions.

On the other side are the existing schools that would be extending their services to e-learning. These do face a challenge of adopting a business model which may not be compatible with their existing proposition. There is a risk of cannibalizing their existing successful business model. Both models, if to be continued simultaneously, need to be targeting reasonably different markets.

This model has an edge over a new virtual setup in terms of already available content and existing and successful brand; thus the institution could charge a premium. The model does not require huge costs as the content is available, and only needs to be digitized; it is also relatively easier to generate demand for the proposition, riding on the back of the existing traditional model. However, the institution still needs to work towards differentiating the model, not by the content but by the process of delivery.

Selling Commodity vs. Selling Experience
The institution may well decide to sell 10,000 degrees a year or may like a number that is much lower (i.e. < 200). The question is whether the institution is attempting to focus on the quality of the students and education or is merely happy with building the numbers and playing on cost. Online education does provide an opportunity to reach the masses with very low marginal costs but simultaneously could affect its reputation.

Though it is extremely hard to replicate the experience and environment of a traditional model, an attempt to get the program experience as close to the traditional experience would be considered a good differentiating factor. This experience would not stem from the content of the program as it is easily replicable, but from the content delivery process reaching the end user. Again, the type of module and the class of customer segment would decide upon the extent of the “experience” required to be instilled in the program.

Technology: Availability and Costs
The complete business idea of online education is dependent on technology. The base of this technology is the internet which is the fastest growing tool in terms of number of users. According to Lance Secretan, “It took 37 years for TV to reach 50 million homes and it took the web 4 years to do the same.” Though the base technology (the internet) does not seem to be a constraint, the bandwidth available to support the online education is questionable. Technology such as streaming audio and video requires huge bandwidth which may not be a constraint for institutions but for end users.

In most countries, the internet is at a nascent stage. More importantly the bandwidth to support “virtual reality” is not available. Even in developed countries it would be very expensive to have synchronous and interactive video lectures or sessions.

Though the pace of technological advancements is increasingly fast, and thus the bandwidth problem would soon be resolved, it may still be expensive to have a model that provides a similar learning experience to a traditional model. Therefore, the educational institutions would need to strike a balance between the “experience” and the cost depending on their target market segment(s).

Delivering Quality and Differentiation
In order to differentiate itself from others, it would be essential for an institution to focus on the process of delivering value to the end users. Educational institutions, keeping in mind their target market(s) and the available technology, would have to decide on the extent to which they should replicate or rather extend the strengths and benefits of their existing traditional model, if any, to the online proposition.

Aspects such as how to hold online lectures or how to transfer digitalized case material or even how to structure the program to make it more effective, would need to be evaluated.
If the proposition is to sell the program as a commodity, it would be better to conduct it in an asynchronous fashion, focus on delivering standard requirements, and cut down costs rather than add a new “experience” to it. This excludes premium programs with higher fees. These ones would be targeting people who are willing to pay for the technology needed to get a real experience of learning.

Cost Analysis: Initial vs. Marginal
The costs associated with an online proposition are low when compared to the ones of a traditional model which requires much greater infrastructure. The profits would depend upon the economic rent that could be derived from the services offered. This economic rent could only be sustained in the long run if the institution has sufficiently differentiated itself from its competitors.

The online model also has very low marginal costs compared to the initial set-up expenses. Unlike a traditional model which is limited by the size of its buildings (physical infrastructure) or the number of its faculty members, the capacity of an online model can be stretched to a great extent. This would help reduce marginal costs until a further increase in users requires significant investments in technology upgrades.

From the above arguments, there is no doubt that a sustainable online education model is definitely achievable. However, care has to be taken when defining the model that is in appropriate accordance with the targeted customer and service provision. Established universities, no doubt, have an edge over the new virtual universities but at the same time they carry the risk of endangering their established and successful traditional model.

The economics would also significantly vary depending upon the differentiation strategy, if at all, is pursued by the players. Selling a commodity would require a different strategy and would have different implications compared to the proposition when selling “experience”. The availability and costs associated with the technology would vary depending upon the geographical location of the institution and the students.

Playing Online Poker For a Living – 4 Simple Tips That Can Help You Play Cards For a Living

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Card game addicts can soon start dealing out cards no matter where they are, before you could even say “Indiana Jones”. These people love this game, and no matter what, they will always find a plain simple excuse to play it. Some play online for a livingIf you are quite in their league too, it is no wonder if your fingers itch all the time to try out your luck and fortune at the card games. Well, the solution to itching fingers is only a few clicks away. You can find many web sites where you can play poker online and also win money if you are a host to good fortune and tricky skills.Card players find it easy to play card games online, since here, the ambience is quite relaxed and quiet. You never know with whom you are playing. It could be an old man or woman, or a child as well! But one thing is for sure- here no one will be able to peep and have a look as to whether you have a winning hand or not. Here, no one is there to rush you, no one to call the shots but you. But even though this seems as if the rules here are quite easy and relaxed, actually, they are not. You have to abide by certain laws which if you neglect, will result in your disqualification.o Before you start to play, you must try to decide if you are willing to play poker for your entire income. To do this, you will have to look back at the games that you played in the past, and how you handled your bankroll after a big win. Did you jump into the stakes or invest your winnings?o Then again, if you had never the chance to see so much money while playing poker, but lost about ten tournaments in a row, you have to remember what your action was. Did you move down or up in stakes? These reactions of yours are necessary to judge whether you will be able to make a living on poker.o The main trick is not how much money you win, but how you win it. When you do not have a winning hand, you have to see that you lose very little of cash. But when you have the best hand, you have to try to call the right shots at the right time to milk in a lot of money out of your opponent’s pockets. To maneuver the game carefully you have to assess the situation accurately and rely on your gut instincts.o Another key skill that you need to hone is patience. You might be able to rely on your instincts, and make quite sharp decisions at the crucial moments in the game; you might be able to calculate thoroughly the result of every move of every player around the table; you might be able to tighten your purse strings when you have no winning hand, and get the best odds to win the most when you turn out to be the lucky one, but there is still a chance that someone might come about and upset your plan and shatter it to rubbles. During these times, it is necessary that you do not lose your head, but start to build another plan, so as to win back what you have lost.These rules will help you to get to the very peak where you can earn a lot of money, and there will be no stopping you as well. Remember, rules are important in a game, so that you do not get disqualified, and you can always use them to your advantage.

What Are Some Risks and Issues Around My Company Setting Up a Customer Finance-Leasing Program?

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Many firms benefit significantly from either setting up on their own or partnering with a third part to set up a customer financing program for their products. Key benefits are increased sales, cash flow, customer loyalty, etc.But are there also some risks for the company to be aware of also – Of course there are and let’s look at some of those risks.We would also point out that these risks are in fact the same ones taken on by independent leasing firms also.Foremost from a risk perspective is that fact the customer financing program will be viewed by the customers as the one and same as your company. Therefore customer service and financing ability are in fact now part of your firm’s reputation.Companies may also find that the borrowing costs to set up a program are in fact higher than their normal business operating costs. Naturally the method in which the finance division is set up also affects the debt levels of your company. No business wants to fail because it took on higher debt in an effort to in fact help their customers!On a long term basis company lenders might view your firms foray into customer financing as an additional risk factor, which they might try to compensate on by imposing restrictions such as additional covenants, requests for more equity into the firm, etc. The bottom line is simply that setting up a customer financing scenario may in fact affect your own firm’s ability to borrow.If your firm is larger then analysts and firms looking at your firm might in fact be raising issues and perceptions around which business you are actually in, i.e. your products, or the financing of those products. Business owners and financial managers will always want to ensure that ultimately they are sticking to their core business model and philosophies. If your firm becomes too enamored by financing you possibly run the risk of total business failure. There are numerous cases in financial history where firms collapsed because of the shenanigans of the finance division.We have heard the term in business ‘sticking to our knitting’, which of course simply means that management needs unique skills to run a business, and those skills are different in financing. Owners and managers related to the customer financing division must have strong skills in financial sales, structuring, and credit… Naturally we are also inferring that additional skilled personnel ultimately must be hired.No company every wants to look back in hindsight and say that if failed or stumbled because efforts and funds went into financing, as opposed to r&d, marketing, staff, and product growth. Do not let a customer finance program become an obstacle to your ultimate business successBusiness owners should ensure that there is good communications between the main operating company and the customer financing division – clear goals and philosophies should be set out re the function of such a customer finance program.In summary the benefits of offering financing to your customer are very obvious, and proven true by some of the largest and most successful companies in the world – but all you have to do is to do it right! Ensure your firm is aware of the risks and challenges and monitor your customer financing program on an ongoing basis to ensure you are not straying from your core business model.