International

Qantas Airline’s Ticket Payment Innovation Benefits Its Customers

News Analysis: Innovative thinking by airlines such as Qantas can produce additional customers for them to serve. The new ticket payment process offered by Qantas is laudable.

Airline executives should realize: “Loyalty is a Two-way Street.” One must give it in order to receive it from customers. All too often, in order to satisfy shareholders, everything is done to cut all costs to maximize profits in the ‘short run’. Airline customers loathe this behavior since it is they who get the results: Discomfort in seating, lost luggage, poor or non-existent meals, poor service, and, tardy flights. These shortcomings hardly induce a feeling for loyalty to the airline. Long term maximized profits are brought about with satisfied returning customers.  They are willing to pay reasonable fares and who, as result of good treatment, select upgraded classes.

Reference: http://tinyurl.com/mdkp6mo

Airline Order Smaller Aircraft Passenger Seats for More Revenue

News Analysis:  The smaller seats, particularly in “Coach Class”, while allowing the airline to carry more passengers, increase customer dissatisfaction due to physical discomfort of the passenger seats. Since many airlines always ask: “What are the other airlines doing?” they follow the leaders [by installing narrower seats] rather than lead the followers [with installation of wider seats]. An innovative management of an airline should realize that passenger comfort is an important goal to develop repeat customers.  Rather than trying to put “many sheep in the barn” they should attempt to provide their customers with “Coach Class Comfort Second To None”. In the long term, those airlines will prosper with both repeat customers as well as new customers who are tired of being treated like sheep at other airlines.

Reference: http://tinyurl.com/kkccjd4

Vietnam Purchases American Aircraft Engines

News Analysis: Vietnam fought America at a cost of over 50,000 American lives. Today it is purchasing aircraft engines as well as airplanes of U.S. manufacture. This is good trade for both countries.

One can only hope that continued rapprochement with other countries would lead America to its former international lead on all continents. Commerce between countries is better than chaos between them.

Reference: http://tinyurl.com/n5gkcvp

Russian Cooperation and Trade with Greece are Increasing

News Analysis:  The very strategic location of Greece, as well as a cultural and religious affinity between the two countries, make for a win-win situation for both. Since Greece is the first European country when coming from the Levant or Northeast Africa, its location is laudable.

The vessel shipment of hydrocarbons or bulk commodities through the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean or through the Suez Canal is quite enticing. Since Greece has historically treated its neighbors with respect, good relations abound. The aforementioned is of great importance to Greece’s long-time friend, Russia.

Reference: http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/931490.html

A Bank’s Worst Enemy May be Its Own Bankers

News Analysis:  Forensic Accounting should be an on-going process rather than an after-the-fact event. Since its goals are different than standard accounting, it may find irregularities [and those internally who propagate them], early on. Trust, But Verify.

Reference: http://tinyurl.com/lnk67my

Electronic Surveillance for 7.141 Billion People on Earth, but These 35 Leaders are Exempt?

News Analysis: Global electronic surveillance evidences transgressions of violating the privacy of all the people on earth. The argument that seeking a few terrorists justify such surveillance is ludicrous. Adding to the insult is the argument that it is proper to monitor 7,141,000,000 people but ‘Do not monitor 35 world leaders’? Who anointed these transgressors to police the planet? Was there some “Deific Communication” to their Headquarters that prescribed this? Do they think that people of the world’s privacy is of no importance? Can they violate International Law with impunity?

The fact is that the Internet world routing as it presently occurs [through America], along with American-made electronic processing equipment to make sense of the volume of communications being handled, followed by weak international leadership that was complacent about eavesdropping, brought this Privacy Pandemic about. Reality.

Reference: http://tinyurl.com/kuqvsaj

World Bank’s Best for Business Rankings

News Analysis:  The countries which are the most “pro-Business” are those with: a low rate of taxation and few regulatory impediments. Additionally, they must maintain both a high electronic communications capability and progressive infrastructure. If so they will have the quickest return to economic normalcy from a ‘down market’. If a country has ample producible mineral resources, so much the sooner. Good governmental leadership [from “top to bottom”] assists in being the best.

Reference: http://tinyurl.com/kvfde52

Central Bank of Papua New Guinea Suffers Hacking

News Analysis:  The Internet allows Institutions even in more ‘remote’ areas, from large metropolises, to be victimized similar to transgressions against the same in major cities of the world. The best IT security systems can be enhanced by employee awareness but a panacea to stop hacking has yet to be invented. Vigilant forensic electronic examination of an event, with the intended apprehension of the miscreants [and their punishment] might dissuade some hackers.

Reference: http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20131029/news03.htm

$290,000,000.00 Wind Farm, Located In Ethiopia, Is Africa’s Largest

News Analysis:  This 84 Turbine facility will provide electricity while having the benefit of: lower cost of construction vis-à-vis a ‘dam’; the speed of implementation; and, the environmental impact to the region is lessened.

The French should be proud of their sizable contribution to this noble endeavor of helping the needy people of another country.

Reference: http://tinyurl.com/n324mug