Author: Staff (Page 16 of 28)

      How Legit Is Your Vacation Club?

      June 13, 2012 /


      Image Courtesy of Flickr

      Vacation clubs are a strange thing. On the one hand, they have the potential to be very good ways to save some money on the kinds of vacations you like to take. On the other hand, they can also become nightmares if you picked one of the shady types of vacation club. It can be extremely hard to tell which kind of club membership you have before it’s too late. The following may help you figure it out while there’s still time to back out.
      Lots of Hoops to Jump Through

      As a general rule, the better a company is, the less hoops they make you jump through to use their services. A vacation club that makes you adhere to a million rules typically has fees set up to grow their profits at your expense. The more work you have to do for your vacation, the more ridiculous the entire idea becomes. Seriously, why should a vacation involve a bunch of work?

      Too Much Legalese

      Legalese is a nice way to tell you that a company essentially owns your soul. In many cases, legalese is simply a company trying to keep itself from getting sued over silly things it has no control over. However, when a vacation club posts more legal disclaimers than you’d expect to find on a plutonium supplier’s website, it makes you wonder what kinds of travel club complaints they may have faced in the past. Don’t just wonder — do your research.

      Who Owns the Company?

      If you can’t easily find out who owns the travel club, that’s a serious problem. Usually, the owners of any kind of company are clearly marked at the bottom of the website. Generally this is for intellectual property protection reasons, but it also marks the fact that a website is owned by a legitimate business. If the business isn’t legit, no markings make it harder to find the owners in case a lawsuit comes up.

      Where are the Owners Located?

      Sometimes off-shore companies are on the level, but often they aren’t. In most cases, you want to deal only with vacation clubs that are located in your home country. The exception to that is clubs that are located in the country where the vacations in question take place. If the club isn’t located somewhere that the owners could easily be found if necessary, this is a huge red flag.

      What are You Paying For?

      If you can’t easily say in one sentence what you’re paying for, you’ve been duped already. Often a scam company will lead you through a long spiel about what they offer, and make it sound so convincing and great that you’re tempted to sign up without even knowing what you’re getting yourself into. If they put on the pressure and want you to sign up immediately, walk away quickly.

      By following just a few common sense tips, you will be able to find a vacation club that will suit your needs.

      General Business

      More good news for the auto bailout

      June 1, 2012 /

      On a day when we heard about disappointing job numbers, the Obama administration got some good economic news for car sales numbers. The news was particularly good for Chrysler, which had another huge month with 30% year-over-year growth in May.

      It marked a 12th consecutive month of sales gains of more than 20% for the company, which has gained about two percentage points in U.S. market share to nearly 11%. Total sales were 150,041.

      And it comes as Chrysler prepares later this month to roll out its key new car introduction for the year, the Fiat-based Dodge Dart, above, that it aims to get the company back into the small-car game. Dart is an enlarged, Americanized version of Fiat’s sporty Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

      All the company’s brands — Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat — posted year-over-year gains in May. Fiat was up most, 128% to a record month as the tiny 500 finally gains some traction.

      But the Chrysler brand was heroic — up 81%, as the 200 sedan zoomed 87% and the big 300 rocketed 140% for its best May since 2007.

      The administration would be wise to emphasize this news at a time when the unemployment rate is getting plenty of attention.

      Economy, General Business

      Kathy Ireland talks business

      June 1, 2012 /

      Kathy Ireland still looks great, but more importantly she’s become an incredible businesswoman. Here’s she’s interviewed on Morning Joe and she discusses her success. She focuses on learning from failure and the importance of persistence in business. She’s another example of supermodel moguls who have figured out how to leverage their celebrity into business careers.

      Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

      General Business, Marketing

      GM switches from Super Bowl to Manchester United

      June 1, 2012 /

      chevy

      GM is going with a more global strategy for its marketing and advertising, hoping to save money but also improve reach and effectiveness.

      After ditching costly Super Bowl ads, General Motors is betting a five-year sponsorship of the Manchester United soccer club will bolster its Chevrolet line in the first test of the brand’s new global marketing strategy.

      Manchester United, the 19-time English champion football team, has a worldwide reach that fits with the automaker’s desire to make Chevrolet a global icon, Paul Edwards, GM executive director of global marketing strategy, said in an interview prior to the announcement.

      “It’s clear that global football presented us with a significant opportunity to spread Chevrolet around the world,” he said. “We recognized that it’s not only the world’s biggest sport but also the world’s most engaged fans.”

      The agreement follows GM’s decision this month to halt paid advertising on Facebook and forgo next year’s Super Bowl championship game of the National Football League in the U.S. The decision to sponsor Manchester United isn’t related to GM’s move to stop Super Bowl advertising, Mr. Edwards said. Still, the numbers are compelling.

      When Manchester United played against Manchester City, “that audience around the world scaled to 600 million people,” Mr. Edwards said. “Compare that to the Super Bowl here in the States, which is roughly 110, 115 million, and you’re talking five times that audience watching one regular-season game. It’s significant.”

      It’s an interesting approach, and it probably makes sense for such a global brand, especially for world vehicles like the Chevy Cruze. If it works for Chevy they’ll roll this out to Cadillac as well. Read the whole article for more insight into the strategy.

      Advertising, Branding, Marketing, World

      Using your Blackberry Curve for Business

      May 25, 2012 /

      Blackberry Curve cell phone models have been designed to satisfy the common, everyday individual, in addition to business professionals. With the ability to play music, take photos and videos, support gameplay, and host multiple social media platforms, the Curve can please most tech-savvy users.

      From a business standpoint, the features provided by the Blackberry Curve have become assets to most professionals and business owners. In addition to having the ability to access multiple email accounts, users can synchronize their email with the server at work and reply to business emails on the go. Blackberries also contain the network frequencies of international towers, so business professionals can travel around the globe while staying connected to work.

      Read on to learn more about the many ways you can use and customize your Blackberry Curve device for business purposes.

      Synchronize with Corporate Email

      Contact the IT department within your professional workplace to receive the username and password information for your business’ Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES). The BES will allow you to access corporate email and calendar events directly from your Blackberry device.

      Travel Internationally with your Blackberry

      Consult with your wireless service provider to verify that your Blackberry plan provides you with the opportunity to roam on international cell phone towers. All Blackberry Curve devices have multiple built-in frequencies that are compatible with most international locations; however, some wireless service providers may require you to activate the international roaming feature, especially if you need access to data and Internet while traveling.

      Instant Message your Co-Workers

      Send and receive messages with your co-workers using Blackberry Messenger. The Blackberry Messenger service allows you to connect with other Blackberry users in real-time, and does not require you to release your Blackberry phone number to other co-workers and Blackberry users.

      Use your Blackberry as a Modem

      Connect your Blackberry Curve to your computer or laptop for use as a modem. The Internet and data capabilities built into the Curve allow users to connect the device to a computer, and receive connectivity in most locations around the world. Refer to the user manual for your Blackberry device to determine the exact steps for achieving connectivity on your computer using your phone as a modem.

      Organize your Messages using Folders

      Separate and organize your emails and text messages into their own folders. By default, most Blackberry devices combine all message types in the same messaging folder; however, you still have the ability to create new folders and keep your messaging folder organized.

      – To separate your emails and text messages from one another, navigate to your Messages folder, press the Menu button, and select “Options.” You will then have the ability to choose “Separate” within “SMS and Email Inboxes” and keep your incoming messages in order.

      In addition to the steps provided above, there are multiple other ways to customize your Blackberry Curve in order to make it suitable for both business, and pleasure.

      What are your favorite features on the Blackberry Curve? Do you have any suggestions, or tips and tricks for customizing your phone? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the section below.

      General Business

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