Travel

Few careers offer the challenges and rewards of tourism management. It's a field that is part geography and history expert, part customer service agent, part sales representative, and part event planner. Travel agents must be knowledgeable about the different offerings of tourist destinations world wide, and must also be aware of the technical aspects of booking flights, hotels, cruises, etc. The ability to take part in people's vacation planning is both engaging and satisfying, and is what makes the travel and tourism industry so exciting.

If you're interested in becoming a travel agent, a tourism management certification may be a good fit for you. But how about studying to become a travel agent... without ever leaving home? Increasingly, many Canadian travel schools are offering on-line education to their students. The concept is simple: learn and acquire all the skills you need to become an employable travel agent using on-line courses, in the comfort of your home.

The content of on-line travel certificates is overseen by the travel industry, so students can study knowing that they are learning the skills required to work in the real world of tourism management. Travel agent programs typically target two types of students: people who are new to the travel industry and who are interested in breaking into the field, and experienced travel agents who are looking to either hone their skills, or specialize in a field such as cruises, or organized tours.

If you're new to travel planning, then 15-course Travel Agent Certificate will give you the knowledge you need to be part of the industry. Courses are taught by experienced professionals, and cover such topics as booking fares and tickets, making travel reservations, planning leisure travel and the computer reservation system SABRE. Finish all 15 courses and you'll get a Travel Agent Certificate of Completion... and a ticket into the exciting world of tourism management. Here are courses students would typically be expected to complete in order to acquire the certification:

1. Basics of tourism management
2. Trends in travel sales
3. Canadian air reservations
4. Canadian air fares
5. Automated air reservations
6. Destination geography
7. Basics of hotels and lodging
8. Ground transportation
9. Basics of cruise vacations
10. International fares and tickets
11. Canadian automated air fares and tickets
12. Canadian car rental and hotel accommodation systems
13. Specialty vacations and tours
14. Leading small group tours
15. Selling vacation tours and packages

Industry

The automotive industry works the same as any other business. Everything from local garages to car dealers know that making a customer feel welcome while getting the best service builds relationships that will last. If the dealership or the garage does not have professionalism when it comes to treating their customers, the customer will go somewhere else. One of the biggest objectives is making a personal connection with customers so they feel like they have somebody in their court when it comes to auto repair or automotive sales. One of the best ways to boost the morale of the automotive industry is to integrate an ERP system.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a software package that integrates internal and external management data for an organization. This allows business to have information at their fingertips when problems or promotions arise. An ERP system can be used with accounting, manufacturing, customer relations, and sales. Not only does an ERP system benefit a business, this type of software can pay off for the customer as well.

Promotions are a tried and true way of generating business. Whether your dealer is offering a 0% financing deal on a specific car or your garage is offering a free oil change, this type of promotion can't bring in business if the consumer does not know about it. Wouldn't it be nice if you had a software program that could automatically give you a list of all of your customers from the last six months? This is essentially one feature of having an ERP system in place.

Accounting is the backbone of any business. Making sure that your books are in order and you have all of your invoices in place can give stockholders and employees confidence in the company. An ERP system will allow a flow of data between your finance department and the accounting firm that you are dealing with. If you have an in-house accountant, they will have access to all of the accounts and payments made to the company. Say that your company is planning on expanding. An ERP system will be able to list all of your fixed assets, receivables and budgeting when the time comes to apply for an expansion loan.

The human resources department in your garage or dealership keeps files on every employee in the company. An ERP system will give them an organized way of handling payroll and training issues that may arise. This software package can also give them up to the second answers for any questions regarding benefits, 401k, or diversity management within the business.

The automotive industry requires special orders and parts management for specialty products needed for repairs. An ERP system can also help with inventory of your items, order entry, supply chain planning or purchasing. Organization to the different cars that need specific parts will not only save you time in completing the job, it will also keep you in good standing with your customers.

The automotive industry is like any other industry; it needs customers and business to survive. The implementation of an ERP system into the company will allow quick execution of promotions, accounting disparities, customer information, and HR concerns. The days of a ledger and a pencil are over. Help you and your customers by using an ERP system in your garage or car dealership.

PqQ

When there are large contracts between companies, a PQQ (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) is used. In situations like this, the capabilities of the organisations are checked, such as whether they can sustain the project, if they have enough skills including technical background staff and whether they have enough experience to do the project. After these questions are answered, the shortlisting of companies can begin to take place. The document is also a useful way for contracting local authorities to control the cost of the tender process. The questions that are included in a PQQ include financial statements for submission of the tender, questions related to health and safety, an environmental questionnaire, supplementary questions, technical and quality check questions, and additional questions that are related to the background of the contractor.

The PQQ is submitted by the contractor before the invitation to tender is sent. It is an effective way of marketing, and sufficient time is required to assess the necessary resources required so that one can complete the necessary submissions. Often when we talk about PQQ, time is of the essence and great competition between the different contractors requires it to be finished on time. Any corporation that has capabilities to work for the supplier should send the proper PQQ before the deadline so that contracting authorities can hold a meeting with them and settle important issues before time.

Various online services exist which serve to help contractors with their last minute questions and answers. These types of services have made the decision for contractors and suppliers relatively easy and everything can be settled in a professional manner. For the tender notification, the company details are usually maintained in one central place. This information requires sufficient space and resources and some costs are associated with it to maintain it properly. Every bid made by the contractors must be submitted in accordance with the requirement of the contracting authorities and the PQQ must be relevant to it. This enables online service providers to view the contract details and answer any relevant queries in accordance with this centralised information.

The responses to the questions can be quite varied; for example, a construction company requires two contracts and it requires bidding for two projects. The efficiency of the work that the contractor can provide is the same for all projects, including technical skills, experience and environmental conditions. However, the work that is required for both projects is different, and the responses to the questions of the company must be such that it can handle both projects. But the issue of concern is that the contractor has to fill out two separate forms for the bid, and on each PQQ form the questions must be asked in accordance with the projects. However, if the company fills out only one form, then the response must be such that it ensures both the correct answers and makes the user think in depth about the difference in the projects.

cemelurut

mencullat

The Calling Card Alternative

For a few years now, the calling cards business is booming. Everywhere you go, everywhere you search you might find one: in WallMarts, grocery stores, newspaper stands, vending machines in coffee shops. But the place you can find the most of these long distance alternatives is the internet. A quick search on Google, Yahoo or other search engines will reveal thousands of websites that sell calling cards. So,it's an easy pick, one might say. Well... not quite.

According to the FCC, almost 70% of the calling card businesses are fraudulent. Meaning mostly that they get your money but you don't get the calling card. That means that you have to be very careful when choosing a website to buy from. On top of that, calling cards vary in number and features, so you have to choose the one appropriate to your needs. Their low rates however, come with a price at times. Companies selling calling cards use VoIP technology and other third party carriers to complete their calls. While not as expensive as a satellite connection (hence the low rates), this technology is at the beginning, so problems may occur from time to time. This is why calling cards are not usually recommended for emergency calls. For calls within the United States however, calls made with calling cards (also known as phone cards) have a good quality and connection rate, given that you have found a good supplier.

So here are the steps you need to take to get the best out of your calling card purchase:

- Find a reliable website (this means no weird pop-ups, no advertisement of Viagra on the website - you get my point).

- Take a look at the available calling cards and rates.

- Check out any details of calling cards: usually, next to or underneath the picture of the calling card there is a link that will take you to a "Details" page. Look for maintenance fees, rounding, any other surcharges, expiration dates.

- If you intend to make a lot of long calls over a short period of time, choose a card with a maintenance fee. This means that a certain amount will be deducted from your balance each week/month until you use up the card. But if you plan to make so many calls, you'll probably use the card up by the time the maintenance fee is deducted. Calling cards with maintenance fees also tend to have lower rates.

- If you use the card just once in a while, choose a card with no maintenance fee. These cards usually have higher rates, but you don't have to worry about your balance going down if you do not use the card.

- Look for a Customer Service number. Reliable companies have Customer Service, in case their customers have questions or problems.

O2 Secure Wireless enters the Mobile VoIP Market

O2 Secure Wireless is entering the mobile VoIP Market with an unlimited VoIP service to provide talk, text and data at low prices.

Now that the VoIP market is worth an estimated $50 billion per year (and rapidly expanding), O2 Secure Wireless has sensed an opportunity in the market and created the O2USA brand.

The website and product is still in its rudimentary stages but you can visit it for an idea of the plans that they offer. However having tried to look for shops in locations (I entered 90210 as it was the only American postcode I could think of having grown up on the TV series) the search facility returned no results.

Once the glitches are ironed out, O2USA will work on both the Sprint and Verizon networks, two of the most popular mobile VoIP networks in America. O2 already has a strong infrastructure in the USA and other regions nearby such as the Caribbean.

Val Kazia, the Chief Executive Officer of O2 Secure Wireless, said: "O2 Secure Wireless is clearly in a highly desirable position to enter this sector. The potential to make the O2 trademark a nationally recognized name is unlimited.”

Nevertheless O2 had to put a warning about future looking statements under the Safe Harbour Act, presumably because the necessary regulation for this product is still being undertaken.