Executive Summary Expedia vs Priceline Essay Example for Free

Executive Summary Expedia vs Priceline Essay Expedia and Priceline are the leading competitors of the online travel service. With travel being one of the Internets hottest commodities, these two companies have been in competition for the top spot. Both businesses offer great deals on hotels, car rentals, and most importantly travel accommodations. The financial post online interviewed Expedia’s managing director Sean Shannon about how he keeps the online travel superstore unique. He noted that they â€Å"invest a lot in technology and software writers and coders, who work to make the shopping experience better and figure out ways to stay ahead of the curve (Ovsey, 2001). † With both companies reaching new heights of Internet success, the need to be informed of each other’s business policies and ideas is very important. Many customers of both Expedia and Priceline already had a combined travel agency that would normally have taken care of their travel plans. When the Internet boom exploded, companies such as Microsoft jumped on the idea of having a travel agency online. The Wall Street Journal Online Edition confirms this need for technology by reporting on the company’s participation in J.P. Morgan’s annual telecom conference. The Wall Street Journal agrees, â€Å"Expedia, Inc. is the largest online travel company in the world, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes some of the worlds leading online travel brands (Expedia, inc. to, 2013).† This would enable a new customer base that would promote Internet sales, and an easier way of life for frequent travelers. Selling points for both of these companies is extremely important, as the transition from a brick and mortar company to a web based company was a hard shift. These companies have not only been in competition for over 10 years, but they have boosted profits every year. The Atlantic Online posted an opinion about Priceline in 2010 regarding the success of the online travel company compared to that of Expedia. They stated, â€Å"Pricelines stock price is up almost 90 percent, while its competitors have flat lined (Expedia) (Madrigal, 2010).† This shows the customer, that even though these companies are in competition, they have done well enough to withstand many economic ups and downs over the years. The importance of stability and growth over the years is very important to a consumer who deserves quality in purchasing potentially high dollar items. The following report specifics the financial reports from the last three years for both companies. This provides established proof that both companies are thriving in what they do.

Legionella pneumophila :: Essays Papers

Legionella pneumophila GRAPH Introduction: Legionella pneumophila are gram-negative rods. They are very difficult to culture because of their complex nutrient requirements, such as cysteine, high concentrations of iron, and the use of activated charcoal agar. They survive as intracellular pathogens of either protozoa or human macrophages. They are most often found in stagnant water reservoirs like air conditioning cooling towers, whirlpool spas, humidifiers, faucets and shower heads, and are infectious when inhaled. L. pneumophila was first identified and named after the American Legion convention of 1976, held in Philadelphia, PA. 182 people became infected, and 29 died (most of which were older men or cigarette smokers). Although this organism was named in the 70’s, retrospective studies showed cases since 1943. GRAPH Diseases: L. pneumophila has a very wide range of effects. Healthy individuals usually go through an asymptomatic seroconversion, while less healthy people may undergo Pontiac Fever or Legionnaires’ Disease (LD). In 1968, employees at the county health department in Pontiac, Michigan came down with a fever, but the responsible pathogen was not identified at the time. It was frozen and later diagnosed as L. pneumophila. Pontiac Fever, being milder than LD, generally does not need treatment. Infected individuals will show fever, muscle aches, and headaches, and usually recover between 2-5 days. Pontiac Fever will present symptoms anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days after exposure, while LD takes 2-10 days to incubate. LD patients have fever, chills and a cough, with x-rays showing pneumonia. This more severe form usually prevails in elderly, cigarette smokers, people with chronic lung disease, or those who are immunocompromised, such as cancer or AIDS patients. Virulence: Being a gram-negative bacterium, L. pneumophila has lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that act as endotoxin within a human host. The presence of a flagella is thought to mediate adherence to human lung cells, thereby causing infection, since flagella-less strains do not cause disease. Once attached to human cells, the organism is engulfed by a macrophage where is utilizes the internal environment to multiply.

Patriotic reverence for the history Essay

Patriotic reverence for the history of a nation often does more to impede than toencourage progress History always brings with itself lots of experience. People always learn from their past. Butis relying on the history nation the right path to progress? Does our past always teach us theright lessons? What we do today will be past someday. Does that mean we will always end updoing right if we follow our history. The answer is no. Showing high patriotic reverencecannot always be the right path for a nation’s progress. Relying on history for our current needs would be nothing more than intuition. The situationwe have at our hands can be very different from that experienced in the past. The demandthen becomes to handle it with new ways and techniques. For example maintaining peace inthe world today is the most important factor for any country’s progress. If we look at history,nations earlier had a tendency to acquire and conquer as much as they can. The Germans inthe World War II killed millions of people in their neighboring countries in thirst of more andmore power. The world has witnessed many wars that have hampered progress. Thus theneed of the hour for all nations is to sit down and talk. Nations now need to have a friendlyattitude towards each other for maintaining progress. Nations have signed peace treaties,which includes the nuclear proliferation treaties. The nations have now started thinking of progress on a global prospective. The economic progress of a nation particularly developing countries has also been verydifferent from the past. The trends and graphs are very different from that in the past. Thecorporate world has been developing and expanding exponentially. The economic market isnow governed by new rules with no excerpts from the past. So, the demand of the hour cannot be met by completely relying on the past. But just learningfrom our experiences. If we refer to our past, we need to draw proper analogies between thetwo time variant situations. But this can be a very difficult task as the scenario and theessence of things for todays world are completely different.

What is ‘Modernist’ about Cather’s My Antonia Essay

Modernism focuses on removing literature from the safety of nineteenth century conventions and propelling new ideas on how and what to write into the literary domain. In ‘My Antonia’, Cather embodies the push for new literary techniques as she revolutionises the practises of the novel and challenges the conformist society of capitalist America. This can be seen in her narrative technique, anti-Victorian views and character symbolism. The modernity of ‘My Antonia’ can be seen through the narrative style used by Cather. The opening narrative sets the scene for a nostalgic reminiscence of Antonia’s life and delivers background information on Jim. It is through the initial framing narrative that we acquire Jim’s manuscript. This forms a†¦show more content†¦Moreover, the unknown narrator’s acknowledgment of the manuscript to the audience shows the self reflexivity of the novel. In effect, Cather is breaking the fourth wall of the story to fracture the audience’s relation with the narration and allow them to form their own meaning from Jim’s story. This is also repeated when Jim returns to Black Hawk and seeks to learn Antonia’s story from the Widow, Mrs Harling declares that ‘the Widow Steavens is a good talker, and she has a remarkable memory.’(Cather 899). This is a clear signal to the audience that the widow is a ficelle and is purposeful ly presented as a source of information for Jim, thus we will be seeing Antonia through the Widows eyes and with her prejudices. The Widow’s recount of events form a scene of analepsis (Genette 162) which further fragments the timeline of the narrative as Jim learns of Antonia’s actions long after the event has passed. This can be seen as modernist because realist writers would have attempted to disguise their ficelles. Therefore, Cather’s narrative style is modernist as it defies the traditions of the classic realist novel. The narration in Jim’s manuscript can be seen as passive because dramatic events are often in the background. For example, the death of Mr. Pavel, the suicides of Mr. Shimerdas and the Tramp are not directly experienced by Jim,Show MoreRelated Innocence in Daisy Miller, My Antonia, and the Great Gatsby Essay2118 Words   |  9 PagesInnocence in Daisy Miller by Henry James, My Antonia by Willa Cather and the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is not as easy as it seems to distinguish who is innocent and who is not. Innocence is a cultural concept which is usually confusing. An act that is naà ¯ve and normal in one society can be a public disgrace in another. Then a question comes to mind: What is innocence? Challenging the norms of a society makes a person totally wicked? What spoils or preserves innocence? The word innocence