How to Design a Lighting Plan

You are doing a remodel and know that you want to add some lighting to the room, but your stumped. Where do I start is the most common question I get asked. There are some basic guidelines and factors that can help you determine where to start and how to proceed.

First let's take the room and it's needs. Different rooms require different lighting solutions. Rooms like bedrooms, living rooms, dens and basements can be properly illuminated with a simple general lighting plan. In rooms up to about 12' x 12', one ceiling light that can hold bulbs that combined equal about 120 watts is sufficient. For a better and more evenly disbursed light, 4 recessed lights about 40" off each corner works wonderfully.

\"Energy Efficiency\"

A living room or den may be a rectangle as opposed to a square. A room that is 15' x 12' would be more evenly lit with 6 recessed cans. In these rooms lighting can be supplemented with wall sconces and or table or floor lamps.

Kitchens and bathrooms require much more thought. In these rooms, where tasks are performed, it is important that the lighting level be high enough to perform these tasks safely and comfortably. In a good kitchen lighting plan all the work areas will be well lit. Placing the cans so that the centers line up directly above the outside edge of the cabinets is the best solution. This provides ample light and avoids shadows while working at the counters. Spacing in a kitchen is also very important. Keeping the recessed lights about 4 feet apart and no more than 5 feet, will assure you have even spread of light.

If you run into a wall and need to ask questions about lighting try a Lighting Forum. There are some basic lighting principles that can help you along in this process. One is understanding that light in most fixtures has some type of pattern. For example a recessed light using a reflector type bulb distributes a pattern in the shape of a cone. When this pattern reaches the floor it is in the form of a circle. By slightly overlapping this circle of light it is possible to have a very even distribution of light throughout the room.

Since most of the members of a household walk upright and the ones who don't, probably won't lodge any complaints about lighting, a general rule in lighting a room is to design the plan on a work plane. This is an imaginary plane at about 30" off the floor. This helps to provide a nice even lighting for most tasks in any room. This is where understanding the pattern of light your fixture has is important. Most manufacturers have specs to show what these patterns are. For reflective bulbs you can get this info from the bulb manufacturer.

(c) Copyright 2005 Paul Forte. All rights reserved.

How to Design a Lighting Plan

Paul forte has been in the lighting industry for over 25 years. For more info and tips on lighting and other electrical needs please visit Lighting Tips [http://www.forteelectric.com/Lightingtips.html] For help with Laying out recessed lighting

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Momentis Energy Review - Just Energy MLM

Momentis Energy Business is the marketing arm of Just Energy. It is a MLM business opportunity in energy deregulation. The CEO of the company is Chris Domhoff Grew who is aiming to have a presence in 13 states and 5 Canadian provinces. The company is one of the leading MLM business opportunities in energy. The headquarters of the company are located in Toronto, Ontario and Dallas, Texas to help the independent representative in their future initiatives. In total, over 20 states and 5 provinces, have deregulated energy.

After joining the Momentis Energy Business as an independent representative, friends and family members can be approached to switch to Just Energy. If the customer who is making the switch to this program lives in a deregulated area, they will not bear any additional cost. They should wait for their current contract to end before switching over to avoid any penalties. No all provinces and states where Just Energy is operating have deregulated both electricity and gas.

Energy

The cost of joining the Business as an independent representative is 9, with an annual fee of , that must be paid for renewal each year. Resident of Utah, Louisiana and Washington the fee is 9. Members who live in Maine, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota pay 9 and Connecticut, Maryland and North Carolina members pay 9.The members will receive the M-Rep Starter Kit, which includes marketing and training materials as well as home office support for all current products and services.

With the Momentis Energy Business compensation plan the independent representative can earn income through five different ways.

1. Momentum Immediate Bonus - After the online certification is completed, members would need to enroll 2 customers to start earning bonus within 30 days. The bonus will increase as the number of customers who are enrolled in their team also increase.
2. Mentor Bonus - Each time a new qualified marketing representative is sponsored, members will earn mentor bonus. There is no limit to the number of persons that a mentor can sponsor.
3. My team bonus - The first three independent representatives are crucial for future bonuses. They are known as a distributors first team.
4. My leadership bonus - As members build a team of qualified marketing representative, they will get more customers and their downline can increase substantially. The leadership bonus are designed to reward people who have initiated the process of getting more members.
5. Monthly recurring income - As the numbers of customers increase distributors are paid a commission of each energy bill in their team.

This is a legitimate MLM opportunity for individuals to generate a significant residual income. There is potential for independent distributors to create financial success in MLM business opportunities but they must be advised that, success will not happen overnight. Learning how to market and brand online to attract a steady flow of leads, along with a strong work ethic will greatly increase the chance of success.

Momentis Energy Review - Just Energy MLM

Scott is an online business coach who is passionate about helping others and works with a team of highly successful internet business owners. If you would like to learn more about Scott or how you could earn five figures monthly from home working part time, click here Explosive Home Income [http://www.explosivehomeincome.com]

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Comparison of Diesel and Gasoline Engine, Price, and Efficiency - Advantages and Disadvantages

Some twenty or so years ago, diesel engines were a popular trend among motorists. However, because of the diesel engine's weaknesses in the form of excessive noise, performance unreliability, and pollution-inducing emissions, many drivers have opted to steer clear of the engine type in favor of the petrol gasoline engine. At present, the diesel engine has corrected its errant features and has overcome shortcomings. Because of this, motorists today are faced with the task of comparing the diesel engine and the gasoline engine in an attempt to find out which among the two is better.

The most basic criterion for a car owner is to consider the engine's money-saving features. In this area, the diesel engine fares better. Gasoline engines use fuel and air to create combustion. The diesel engine, on the other hand, relies solely on air compression and can attain combustion all by itself, thus doing away with spark plugs and tune ups. This means that diesel types get better fuel economy because of their self-combustion abilities. The diesel fuel, because of its high fuel density, allows diesel-engine drivers to save twenty to thirty percent in fuel consumption. Furthermore, in terms of fuel price, the diesel fuel is cheaper compared to the gas fuel.

Efficiency

However, when pitted against each other for initial affordability, the gasoline engine easily wins. Diesel engines, by known fact, are much more expensive that the gasoline-run ones. This is probably so because of the diesel engine has a stronger torque power compared to that of a gasoline engine. The former has enough torque to haul heavy equipment and can very easily ascend steep terrains. Because the diesel engine was built to sustain added stress of higher compression and cylinder pressure, diesel engines have a longer road life compared to gasoline engines.

But the diesel engine is not without its quirks and shortcomings. Motorists find the diesel's noisy and rattling run very annoying. Gas engines are far more capable of giving a smooth and relaxed ride as they only vibrate. Gasoline engines perform better in terms of acceleration. Because diesel engines do not have their own spark plugs, it is more difficult to get these engines to start up. This is hard to especially during winter season where the cold weather slows down the rise and combustion of the diesel fuel. There are, however, turbo-diesel variants that are said to deliver quicker acceleration.

On issues concerning engine maintenance, the gasoline engine is more cost-efficient. The diesel engine must get oil changes for at least every 3,000 miles. Compared to the gasoline types, diesel engines need constant and regular check-ups to insure its optimum performance. Gasoline engines require no hassle as they come equipped with their own spark plugs, engine oils, and anti-freeze formulas. And one more thing, because the diesel fuel is refined, diesel fuel is considerably dirtier than its gasoline counterpart. This situation can entail that air and fuel filters be replaced annually. This can ultimately suggest that maintenance-wise, diesel engines can cost more compared to gasoline types.

Environmentally, the diesel engine is the bad-boy in the emission arena. Diesel is less refined, thus, you can expect that its exhausts are not as filtered as that of a gasoline fuel.

Comparing diesel and gasoline engines certainly yield varied results. There is no distinct line that makes one completely superior over the other. The bottom-line really, here, is that choosing an engine type does not merely rest on its fuel-efficiency or road performance alone. There are several factors to consider too. The engine type that a driver chooses must be one that can suit his or her needs. If the motorist is looking for a vehicle that delivers quick acceleration, the gas engine is the logical choice. But if the driver were to require fuel economy, power, and durability, then the diesel engine is the way to go.

Comparison of Diesel and Gasoline Engine, Price, and Efficiency - Advantages and Disadvantages

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The Advantages of Nuclear Energy

In a world where the threat of global warming is looming over the future of our planet, it is becoming more and more important to look into renewable, alternative forms of energy. With energy use growing at a rate of 3% per year, soon it will be inevitable to explore our options. Though it has been under much scrutiny in the past, the advantages of nuclear energy make it one form of powering our planet that should strongly be considered. By reducing emissions, the production of nuclear energy would in turn reduce the effects of global warming. In comparison with gas and coal fired power plants, nuclear energy plants create less than 1/100th of the CO2 created by the traditional power plants.

There are 2 processes in producing nuclear energy- fission and fusion. Fission, which is the splitting of nuclei, creates more than 10 million times the energy that is created in the burning of fossil fuels. Fusion, which is the process of joining nuclei, happens naturally in stars and the sun, and though the process has been recreated by man, it has not yet been safely controlled. When the ability to safely harness the energy from the fusion process has been developed, the amounts of usable nuclear energy will dramatically increase.

Energy

Nuclear energy can be renewable depending on the type of reactor that is being used. Currently, there are 442 reactors operating in the world, 130 of which are in the United States. Another 12 are being built in foreign countries. With the current technology, only 1% of the energy available in uranium is able to be captured by thermal reactors. This energy makes up between 11% and 18% of the total energy available in the world. Developing technologies that would allow us to capture more of this available energy, is at least 15 years away, but with incentives, these advances could be a realistic part of our future. The potential is not the only part of the advantages of nuclear energy.

Uranium, the source of nuclear energy, is available in large quantities in Australia. The uranium is reasonably cheap to mine, and easy to transport to reactors around the globe, making nuclear energy relatively inexpensive to produce when compared to conventional methods of energy production. The average finished cost of nuclear energy is between 3 and 5 cents per kilowatt, and the cost has dropped over the last 26 years, while the cost of other forms of energy has risen steadily over the same period of time.

When considering the advantages of nuclear energy, it is also important to keep in mind the challenges that the process also comes with. Radiation accidents are at the top of the list. Since the 1950's, 17 accidents have been reported throughout the world, with only a few causing serious illness and death. While health and public safety are of utmost concern, we must consider the relatively low accident rates, and how further advances in technology could help prevent other accidents from occurring.

The Advantages of Nuclear Energy

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about advantages of nuclear energy [http://currenteventsandnuclearenergy.info/the-advantages-of-nuclear-energy], please visit Current Events and Nuclear Energy [http://currenteventsandnuclearenergy.info] for current articles and discussions.

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How Body pH Can Affect Your Energy Levels

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE; WE ARE BIO ELECTRICAL ENGINES

In order to accomplish all the many millions of complex functions that occur over the course of the day, your body has to be able to communicate with itself... all the way down to the cellular level. And do you know how it does this? Through pulses of electricity. That's right, electricity.

Energy

Your body operates on an electro magnetic current. Believe it or not, all of the organs in your body emit these fields of electrical current. In fact, nerve signals are nothing more than electrical charges.

What creates this electrical power in your body is a very fine balance that exists in your bio chemistry. And of all the systems in your body that depend on this delicate, bio chemical balance, one of the most important is your blood stream. This is where pH comes into play. But what is pH?

WHAT PH IS AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALL YOUR BODY FUNCTIONS

PH is a scale that measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The scale ranges from 1 to 14 with 1 being very acid, 7 neutral and 14 very alkaline.

So what does pH have to do with you and your blood? Well, the pH of your blood is extremely important. The ideal pH level for your blood is right around 7.35 and your body goes to enormous lengths to maintain this level.

Why? Because if your blood pH were to vary 1 or 2 points in either direction, it would change the electrical chemistry in your body, there would be no electrical power and in short order you would drop dead. As you can see, maintaining the right pH level in your blood is pretty important!!

With this in mind a good way to avoid upsetting this delicate bio chemical balance would be to take a look at those things that can compromise the maintenance of the ideal pH level in your body. And what is the main culprit in this case? The answer is the creation of acid in your body.

Before we look at what causes acid, here's a graphic example to give you an idea of what can happen in the blood when your pH drops to less than ideal. Red blood cells are how oxygen is transported to all the cells in your body.

As red blood cells move into the tiny, little, capillaries, the space they have to move through gets pretty small. In fact, the diameter of the capillaries gets so small that the red blood cells sometimes have to pass through these capillaries one red blood cell at a time!

Because of this, and because it's important for the red blood cells to be able to flow easily and quickly through your body, they have a mechanism that allows them to remain separate from each other. This mechanism comes in the form of the outside of healthy red blood cells having a negative charge. This causes them to stay apart from each other, sort of like when you try to push the negative ends of two magnets together. They resist each other and stay apart.

Unfortunately, acid interferes with this very important mechanism in a pretty frightening way. Acid actually strips away the negative charge from red blood cells. The result is that your red blood cells then tend to clump together and not flow as easily. This makes it much more difficult for them to flow easily through the bloodstream.

But it also makes it harder for them to move freely through those small capillaries. This means less oxygen gets to your cells. Acid also weakens the red blood cells and they begin to die. And guess what they release into your system when they die? More acid.

I could describe a whole list of processes that occur when your system becomes and remains acid but I think you get the idea. The point is that aside from the acid that is secreted into your stomach to aid digestion, acid in your body is bad. Really bad.

In regard to producing energy in the body, here's an easy question for you. What do you think happens to a person's energy level if over time their system becomes more and more acid, their biochemical balance is disrupted and their red blood cells can't deliver oxygen and nutrients as efficiently to all their cells? The answer is simple. Their energy level drops. Dramatically.

Are you beginning to get the picture here as to the importance of pH in your body? Good. Now let's take a quick look at what causes acidity in your body and then look at steps you can take to get your body pH back to an ideal level.

WHAT CAUSES ACID IN THE BODY

The primary cause of an acidic condition in your body is from what you put in your mouth. In other words, what you eat and what you drink. And it isn't how "acid" something may seem when you eat or drink it. It has to do with what is left over when you digest it.

Specifically, does eating or drinking something leave behind an acid or alkaline "ash". For example, I don't know about you but I love seafood. Scallops are one of my favorites. However, when your body digests scallops, it leaves an extremely acid ash. In fact, scallops are one of the most acid foods you can eat.

Unfortunately, a lot of the things most people put in their mouths create an acid ash. These include alcohol, coffee and a lot of flesh protein in your diet. Interestingly enough, stress also tends to create an acid condition in the body.

STEPS YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY TAKE TO IMPROVE YOUR PH

Fortunately, it is pretty easy to immediately change your pH for the better and make it more alkaline. The first step is to understand which of the foods you are eating and the drinks you are drinking are acid and which are alkaline. Then it's simply a matter of eliminating some of the more acid foods you are eating and adding in more alkaline foods.

However, before you start, it's important to get a baseline of what the pH is in your body so that you can see how you are improving or if you need to continue to eliminate more acid foods and add in more alkaline ones.

You can do this by testing the pH of your saliva on a regular basis. This is really simple to do. More details on how to do this are provided on some web pages I have created for you to help you out. A link to these pages is provided below.

In addition to decreasing the amount of acid foods you eat and increasing the amount of alkaline foods you eat, one of the best ways to immediately begin changing your pH is to drink "green drinks". You can make these by simply adding a powder that is made up of a whole host of vegetables that are highly alkaline to a glass of water. Information on suggested green drink powders to use is included on pages that I have a link to below.

RESOURCES WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORE

Clicking on the following link will take you to some pages I created that have more information on alkaline and acid foods, how to test your own pH and what to look for in green drinks.

http://www.ajpip.com/resources/site_map.htm

Start taking the steps described above and you may very well find your energy levels increasing over time. Mine certainly have.

- Andy Long

How Body pH Can Affect Your Energy Levels

After years of extreme fatigue, severe digestion problems and frequent sickness, Andy Long now enjoys energy levels that allow him to windsurf in 30 mph winds for 3-4 hours at a time.

He now shares with others what he did to completely regain his health through his health related web sites and newsletter.

To see a list of the topics covered in Andy's newsletter, click on the following link: Learn How To Have More Energy Now [http://www.hypertracker.com/go/andylong/artph/]

Recommend : Energy Efficiency

Natural Energy Boosters

Health is one topic everyone has to be careful about, no matter what your age. There will be times when you will be in good health without any serious problems like hypothyroidism, depression, diabetics or fatigue, but still you will not feel as energetic as you would like. Here are some energy booster tips to energies you self.

Take a deep breath

Energy

Deep breathing slows the heart rate, relieves nervous tension and lowers blood pressure while reducing stress hormones. Try to practice deep breathing 10 to 15 minutes every day and also when you feel stressed. Let the air fill your chest and abdomen, and then release it slowly.

Go to the next level - meditation

People often use meditation as a means to relax, which in turn helps fight fatigue. One technique is to find a quite place and sit comfortably. Relax, close your eyes and focus on neutral word like "one". When distracting thoughts intrude, bring yourself back to the neutral word.

Do some slow stretches

Stretching can produce some of the same effects as deep breathing. It relieves muscle tension caused by fatigue producing stress and helps move blood through the body and oxygen to the brain. Begin each day with a mild, energizing stretch. Flexing the spine stimulates circulation in the body.

Respect your body clock

Some of us are at our best in the morning. Others peak at night. If you get up and need 3 or 4 cups of coffee to get going, then probably you are not a morning person. Determine your prime time and save your critical tasks for your high energy periods.

Try eating smaller, more frequent meals

When we eat, blood rushes to the intestinal track and away from the brain, which can leave us sluggish. Some experts believe that by eating five or six small meals, you help maintain your blood sugar at more even levels throughout the day. For energy's sake, avoid foods high in saturated fat like fatty meats, ice creams and heavy sauces. These take longer time to digest, diverting blood from the brain longer. Never neglect foods with essential fatty acids like fish and nuts which are important for good nutrition.

Get more sunlight

Light suppresses the body's production of melatonin, the hormone that helps to regulate the body clock. Without enough morning light, especially during winter months, some people suffer seasonal effective disorder, a form of depression that can contribute to fatigue.

Stand up straight

When you slouch, you shift your weight away from the middle of the body, forcing you to expend more energy to maintain your balance. The heaviest object we carry around is our own body and as long as we keep it centered over our base of support, we'll be less fatigued. Note these simple steps to stay in balance. Keep your head over your pelvis, ears over your shoulders and the small of your back forward. If you sit at a computer, your eyes should be level with the middle of your screen. Women, skip high heels and leave the heavy handbag at home.

Re-examine your sleep habits

the answer to how much sleep is required for one varies from person to person. If you are dozing off when you don't want to or sleeping much later on weekends, chances are you are not getting adequate sleep. Try sleeping an extra hour each night for the next few weeks and see how you fuel.

Natural Energy Boosters

Always give preference to Herbal, Dietary Supplements and you can join Slimming Clubs to make you fit and you can get discounted GYM Equipments when you shop through Reward shopping site.

Thanks To : Fantastic Furniture Today Energy Efficiency

Why is Wind Energy a Good Alternative Energy Source?

Wind energy is the best solution to most of our home energy bill problems. Now that there is an ongoing economic crisis and the price of everything is going up, it is highly recommended that we look for alternative energy sources that we can use. This is to cut down cost and help us save money. One of the best solutions is the wind energy.

In addition to helping us lessen our expenses on home energy, it is also environment friendly. Unlike most energy sources that release chemical substances into the atmosphere, wind generators only uses wind power. It has no other byproducts that can damage our atmosphere causing ozone thinning and many other related problems. The only thing that the wind generator will produce is the cheap energy that you can use in to power the appliances in your house.

Energy

However, having wind generators installed by experts may still cost much. For homeowners, it would not make sense if you have to spend thousands of dollars in something that will only reduce your home energy bill by a hundred dollars per month. You would need to use and wait for several years for your investment to pay back.

To make this alternative energy source cheaper, you can install it by yourself. This is the reason why many homeowners now prefer to use this energy source. There is now an available guide to help us through the installation process. This systematic guide also has tips to ensure the proper installation of the wind generators. The guide or manual also contains information on the maintenance of the wind generator so that you do not have to contact a technician in case there something is wrong with your generator.

The DIY kit and the manual are much cheaper than the ready-made wind generator allowing you to save money even during the installation of it. All that you have to do is buy the kit, avail the manual and assemble it. Your wind generator will be up and running in no time saving you money from energy expenses. The guide is very easy to understand and includes some schematic plans to ensure that you are putting the right parts in the right position. If you are still having trouble installing the wind generator, you can look for help online.

Before putting up a wind generator, consider the location of your home. If you live in the city and surrounded by tall buildings, of course, wind generators is not applicable for you. As the name of this energy source implies, there should be wind to make it run and tall buildings can obstruct wind in reaching your house. For this, a suggestion is the solar panel as your alternative energy source.

Why is Wind Energy a Good Alternative Energy Source?

If you are interested in making your own wind generator or solar panel at home, click here to learn more.

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Does the Magniwork Free Electricity Generator Work - Or is it a Scam?

Have you ever wanted totally free electric for you home or office? Magnetic Energy Generator DIY kits claim to offer just that. The electric generator system is a package of very simple, easy to follow plans, that allow the user to construct their own Magnetic Electric Generator. A small magnetic generator can be constructed by anyone, even with no prior experience in as little as two hours.

You may be wondering what it costs to build a Magnetic Electricity Generator? The Electric Generator that I constructed using the plans cost just under 0 and was capable of powering nearly 50% of my home, thus cutting my electric bill in half. By building an additional unit, or building a larger unit, I will be able to virtually eliminate my electric bill!

\"Energy Efficiency\"

But what special tools are required to construct a do it yourself free energy generator? None! Virtually all you need is standard household tools, such as a screwdriver. The materials for the Magnetic Generator itself can be purchased from any local hardware store, such as Home Depot.

Using a magnetic generator has distinct advantages over the use of other alternative energy sources such as solar or wind power. The main advantage is that magnetic energy is not reliant on weather, where as a cloudy day can eliminate solar energy. Another advantage is cost. Solar and Wind systems are generally very expensive to install, whereas the Magniwork system is very inexpensive!

Based on the experience I had building my magnetic energy generator, I would recommend the plans to anyone looking to reduce or eliminate their electric bill, or simply looking to help the environment!  Magnetic energy is proving to be one of the leading sources of alternative green energy!

Does the Magniwork Free Electricity Generator Work - Or is it a Scam?

A very controversial and in-depth review of the Magniwork System [http://magniwork-review.blogspot.com] has been posted at the Magniwork Review Blog [http://magniwork-review.blogspot.com] The Magniwork System is the leading Do-It-Yourself Magnetic Generator plans, selling over 1,000 copies per day!

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Smart Meters

What is a SM (SM)? A SM is an electrical meter that records consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information once or more daily to your energy supplier for monitoring and billing purposes. In December 2009, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced its intention to have these meters in all homes by 2020. This UK rollout of SMs is considered to be the largest programme ever undertaken - involving visits to more than 27 million homes to replace meters for both electricity and gas.

The purpose of introduction Traditional electrical meters only measure the total energy consumption and have never offered further information as to when and how the energy was consumed. SM's provide an economical way of measuring this information and can provide a number of potential benefits for homeowners. These include:

\"Energy Efficiency\"

• A much desired end to the dreaded estimated bill. Through the rollout of the SM, householders will always receive accurate energy bills as their energy consumption will be correctly measured and submitted to their utility once or twice daily.
• In House-Display to help consumers manage their energy bills. The home-display SMs allow you to see how much your using and when it's being used. Through this understanding you can pick a more suitable energy tariff/supplier or make changes to your current habits by managing your household's energy consumption during peak usage hours.
• Full control of your energy costs.The home-display will allow householder to have a better idea of how much your next bill is going to be, there will be no big surprises and it will be easier to budget.
• A better environmental awareness. As you will have a better and more present idea of what you are spending, any cut back you make to decrease your overall energy usage will benefit the environment and reduce CO2 Emissions.

The 'in house-display' (IHD) In January 2011, the most intensive study of its kind was conducted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. They reviewed more than 36 different residential SMing and feedback programmes internationally and their conclusion was: "To realise potential feedback-induced savings, advanced meters (SMs) must be used in conjunction with in-home (or on-line) displays and well-designed programmes that successfully inform, engage, empower and motivate people." Last July, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) set out 'proposals for a minimum set of functional requirements for the IHD that should be provided to domestic customers. In the design requirements - SMing implementation programme it was concluded that:

• The SMing equipment should store 13 months (instead of 12 months) of half hourly consumption data.
• There will be guidelines for ambient feedback (i.e. visual, non-numerical display features of the IHD) and accessibility will be developed as part of the technical specifications work in the next phase of the programme.

As we get closer to the official 2012 launch for this initiative there will be a wider variety of SMs available in the domestic market, however these proposals have now been concluded and consumers should see the above functions* embedded within the new SM devices. The DECC should be announcing comprehensive proposals for the technical specifications this month (July 2011).

Who will be installing my new Meter? Energy suppliers, such as E.ON UK and British Gas, have taken it upon themselves to kick-start this installation process and have outlined plans to install 100,000 SMs in customers' homes by the end of 2011 and 'reach 1 million by the end of March 2014,' taken from E.ON's website. This determination to be at the forefront of SM installation has led companies like E.ON to specially train installers; a spokesperson at the company says: "Eon-UK has helped develop a SMing qualification, which is aligned to our current training offerings, and is now supporting the work to develop an apprenticeship route."We are also hoping to be one of the first organisations to gain accreditation from NSAP for the quality of our SM training programmes and academies."Eon-UK has also just opened a SMing Centre of Excellence in Nottingham, providing a dedicated contact point for customers with SMs."

The SM Installer According to an article published on Utility Week, 'SM installers will need to have both technical know-how and customer interaction skills.' However, the main recruitment challenge will be in identifying and training installers who have both dual-fuel technical skills and the "softer" skills required to explain the operation of SMs to customers - this dual-fuel cross-training and up skilling is a key training need." Some feel the government should sponsor the development of suitable apprenticeship schemes to support the mandate."Eon-UK, however, has taken the initiative itself." "Field force engineers will have to have dual-fuel capability, know how to commission the communications for the SM, pair up the in-home display device (IHD) and explain how it works to the customer."This requires a much broader set of technical and softer skills than is normally expected from a meter installer," says the spokesperson from Energy & Utility Skills, whose qualifications are funded by the National Skills Academy." The Energy & Utility Skills suggest that up to 6,300 installers will be required to complete the SMing rollout across the UK between 2014 and 2019. EU Skills also indicates that, with a high proportion of the existing metering workforce approaching the average retirement age for the industry over the next five years, we could see a need for around 4,000 new recruits during this period."

Protecting the householder To stop energy companies from making their sales pitch whilst installing your SM, independent expert advice company Which?, have encouraged other suppliers to take up their 'Which? Smart Meter Challenge.' Companies who accept the challenge will not sell during the installation and their SM installers will not be on sales-related omission or have to make any sales leads. Several companies have taken up the challenge so far; Co-operative energy, Ecotricity and First Utility are amongst the first seven.

Smart Meters

Chloe Bennett
PR Manager
Trade Skills 4U http://www.tradeskills4u.co.uk
Electrical Courses http://www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/pages/courses
Renewable Energy Courses

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Men are From Mars Women are From Venus

Relationship Enrichment Seminar

Dr. John Gray author of the best seller "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus"
Dr. Gray mentioned as a preamble to his talk that when his book 'Men are from Mars, Women from Venus' had come out he was questioned whether one can make generalizations in terms of the behaviour of men and women. The only response he gave was whether they resonated with what was written in the book and 100% of the time they replied 'Yes'.

Efficiency

1. The differences between Men and Women are universal. Women all over the world complain that "He doesn't understand". "He doesn't listen". "Only time he touches me is when he wants sex". And men all over the world complain that "She doesn't want to have enough of sex." (Unless the woman is around 37 years. At this magical age women want more of sex than ever before.)

2. Women like affection from men much more than sex. They want to be hugged. John learnt to hug his wife.

3. Men like to be logical. Women like to share and talk even if there is no point in their sharing and talking. Men need to have an objective. They need to see the point in doing something. They can't share for the sake of sharing.

4. Men tend to do one thing at a time. Women do many things at a time. Men have a tunnel vision. 95% of their attention is focused on just one thing and 5% on checking of the environment. Women are just the opposite. They are continuously taking in everything that there is in the environment whether it is useful or not.

5. John narrated the incident of his wife asking him to get some milk while coming home from work. He forgets. She considerately puts it down to his thinking of work. She asks him again. Again he forgets. She takes it personally. It's not that the milk was forgotten but that she was forgotten. Women behave in this manner.

6. Men have their own caves on which the sign states "Please do not disturb." Men like to retreat into their own world where they feel they are in control. Women also have caves but the sign on their caves is "I need to talk". When a man asks a woman what's wrong and she says "Nothing" it really means "Nothing, unless you care to listen and give me an opportunity to talk."

7. 90% of women go into therapy because they want to be listened to. They want to be asked questions. They want to feel special. Men hate to be questioned. If men want to talk they'll talk. If they don't want to talk they won't. When a man is locked in his cave, the woman thinks that something is wrong with him and goes in and asks questions. This is a wrong move for the woman to make. Men hate to be interrogated.

8. When a woman touches a man she may want to be cuddled. But for a man anywhere he is touched leads to Rome and he thinks therefore that it has to lead to sex.

9. Men want to forget the problems of the day. Women want to remember. A man will say "Forget it, it's no big deal." For a woman she will not rest till the problem is talked about. Her response to the man, who wants to just forget about it and not make a big deal out of it, will be "How can you be so insensitive."

10. Men should never tell a woman how she should feel. In fact if she is unhappy, the man needs to be unhappy with her for a while instead of offering advice.

11. If the man is at a loss for saying anything when the woman is feeling bad then instead of offering advice he could build her up a bit by saying "I know how much you work during the day to make the kids and myself feel happy. It must be very exhausting." Her unconscious response would be "He understands." The woman craves for understanding.

12. Women make noises to get attention. Men make noises to signal "Please leave me alone."

13. To cope with stress, sometimes, women while speaking tend to speak in long sentences and then pause. Men think that the pause is a signal for saying something. Wrong. For the woman the pause is just a semi-colon. Men need to restrain themselves in giving advice.

14. When a woman is upset and a man tries to give a solution 99% of the time her response will be "Yes....but". When she is relaxed then give the solution. After she has been given the opportunity to talk about it.

15. If a man tries to walk in a woman's shoes, she will be more willing to understand his point of view. Men tend to expect women to agree with their point of view because they feel it is obviously the best point of view.

16. Men are efficiency oriented. Must do it the easiest and fastest way. Women on the other hand feel that taking the shortest path between 2 points is boring. Women like variation. This is especially true in the bedroom. Men go by the same formula every time while women want variation. Men like uniforms and the same uniform. Men look good in a tuxedo or a suit and that's it. Every time the same tuxedo or suit. Women like to change their dress; sometimes thrice or even more times in a day.

17. When John's book 'Men are from Mars, Women from Venus' was on the bestseller list for 6 years in a row, John realized how narrowly focused in life he had become. He only gloated about his book being no. 1 on the bestseller list. John was missing the little things of life where his wife and children were concerned. Women are able to see the little things in life and be happy.

18. The more narrow the focus of a man the more stressed he is bound to get. He can't notice anything else other than what he is focusing on at that moment. Women deal with lots of problems at the same time and the way they cope is to talk about them.

19. Men use their brain sequentially viz. one part at a time. Where women are concerned it is usually the whole brain at once.

20. Women lower stress through talking and sharing. The collectiveness and togetherness which they share is part of their feminity. Men lower their stress by being alone. Women's attitude is that if we can't do anything about it then let's talk about it and suffer together. Men's focus is on solving the problem. And if they can't solve the problem then they make the problem disappear by forgetting about it.

21. Men always want to be right.

22. Women, unknowingly sabotage their success. They put themselves down because they want support. Women bond by putting themselves down. For example if one is late for a particular function in the office, the woman will say what an imbecile she is by not catching the right train or missing the connection because of some stupid mistake she made and so on. And other women who are also late will do the same.

23. Or if a woman is having a problem with the computer, she will call the so called expert from the computer department and tell him that she doesn't know anything about computers and that she is very happy that he has come to her rescue and thereby push the guy way up there. But when he suggests a solution which she tends to disagree with, she doesn't know how to tell him because if she does it, it makes him come crashing down and he reacts by saying that she has wasted his time. In this case one needs to resort to face saving devices like 'whatever you have suggested will I am sure help me to figure it out (even if you see no utility in the suggestion).

24. As women more and more enter into the workplace their need to being listened to and understood is not being met. The workplace is efficiency oriented. They are becoming more and more isolated. They have to raise their children alone. Unseen and unheard. And this is causing them to go more and more into depression. The man focusses on work no matter what the problems are that are being experienced at home.

25. Man is efficiency oriented. He needs to feel needed. He needs problems to be solved. If there are no job opportunities or there is no effort called for to do something then the man feels depressed.

26. When women feel nurtured they feel happy. They are happy with the small things of life. Man likes to measure himself against the goal he has set for himself. Men behave like squirrels. They focus on one thing, dash towards it and once they reach there then they turn their focus on another thing and make a dash there and so on and so forth.

27. Men see the news on TV especially after coming home, because the problems they hear about and see make their problems seem that much smaller.

28. John's soul sings when he teaches. Need to find one's path and go along it. The fact that one feels fear is because it is one's path. If it was not one's path then one would not be so worried about whether one made an impact or not.

29. The truth is I deserve to be the way I am. I need not be bothered to be perfect in order to be loved. Once one lives in an atmosphere of perfect trust the more authentic one becomes, and the more authentic one becomes the more irresistible one becomes. The closer we are to who we truly are the more people will love us. There will always be people who do not love us.

30. Forgiveness is the key. If someone hurts then one needn't hurt back. As Gandhi said, An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.

31. Women give more. Men want to get more.

32. Women want flowers to be purchased by men. And they should be cut- flowers. So that the flowers die and therefore the men have to go out and purchase them again and again. They do not want the romance to go out of the relationship. Men on the other hand feel that if they have done it once there is no necessity to do it again and again. But women want things and messages to be repeated again and again.

33. Women sometimes give hints viz. On Sunday they will mention that they are getting their hair cut on Thursday. This is to be taken as a warning signal. The hair cut must be noticed. If a woman has to ask how she looks after she has had a hair cut then there is no value placed on the man's comment. It has to be noticed without being asked. Women put in much more effort in looking good. Men put in more effort in their work.

34. Man wants to be appreciated. Woman wants to be listened to and noticed. Men stress more on what they do while women stress more on their being.

35. Men think that by being flexible they are Mr. Agreeable and that is appreciated by women. Really speaking women want men to take charge and suggest something which they agree on. Mr. Agreeable is boring. The ideal metaphor is to have a man with a plan and a woman with a smile.

36. Sometimes the woman feels that she does everything according to what the man wants. At this point it is necessary for the woman to say "I'll do it this time your way but next time we'll do what I want."

37. Women are always keeping score in a relationship viz. When a woman does anything for a man she always gives herself a point. Men keep score in business. Men need to keep score in a relationship too. They need to do something for the woman so that they too score points from the woman's point of view.

38. At work the man's perspective is not to unnecessarily interfere. A man feels that if he doesn't ask then he is giving total freedom to the woman. But a woman who is a subordinate wants to be asked about her work because silence is taken to mean 'non-involvement'.

39. Women like the small stuff. Chit-Chat. Occasionally ask some personal questions. The magic words are 'What else?'

40. To free a man a woman needs to say 'You don't need to say or do anything and you don't need to feel bad.'

41. Listening creates healing.

42. Women by nature give. But when they find that they are not getting anything in return they need to give to themselves. Men have no problem in giving to themselves. Men don't give enough to others.

43. Men prefer women managers while they learn the job. After learning the job they prefer a male manager.

44. Men sprint faster. Women win the long distance.

45. In men testosterone lowers stress. In women oxytocin lowers stress. Affection, considerateness, being noticed is what produces the oxytocin in women. Therefore men need to learn new skills to produce oxytocin in women. Foreplay is more important for a woman than a man. A woman needs 20-30 minutes of stimulation. A man needs just 2-3 minutes.

46. Women want sensitive men but the danger is that if men become too sensitive then women don't like it. They want men to be considerate but not to be too sensitive just like them.

47. Don't try to fix or change your partner.

48. When husband and wife are business partners then there needs to be clear rules. There needs to be a clear demarcated time when no business is talked about.

49. Duty is important but being authentic is more important.

50. Women can be compared metaphorically to the moon. When the moon is full, women crave for sex. When it is half-full, a woman can have it not have it, it does not matter, and when it is a new moon she couldn't care less.

51. There are different types of sex viz. Healthy, home cooked sex, Ferrari, junk food sex, and Gourmet sex. Once a month one could have Gourmet sex which means bringing in the romance by going out for a dinner and coming home to an atmosphere which slowly climaxes. Whenever he wants sex, and it is a quickie then give it to him. Provided on other occasions there is good, regular homemade sex. In order to arrive at a meaningful understanding one could have 3 candles signifying the 3 types of sex. Either partner finds it very difficult to know the real mood of the other. Depending on which candle is lit and by whom one can behave accordingly. The candle becomes the sign of the mood.

Men are From Mars Women are From Venus

Source : http://management-gurus.blogspot.com/ Author : Vishwalok Nath

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Southwest Airlines Operations - A Strategic Perspective

Background:

Southwest Airlines is the largest airline measured by number of passengers carried each year within the United States. It is also known as a ‘discount airline’ compared with its large rivals in the industry. Rollin King and Herb Kelleher founded Southwest Airlines on June 18, 1971. Its first flights were from Love Field in Dallas to Houston and San Antonio, short hops with no-frills service and a simple fare structure. The airline began with one simple strategy: “If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline.” This approach has been the key to Southwest’s success. Currently, Southwest serves about 60 cities (in 31 states) with 71 million total passengers carried (in 2004) and with a total operating revenue of .5 billion. Southwest is traded publicly under the symbol “LUV” on NYSE.

Efficiency

Facts:

* The first major airline to fly a single type of aircraft (Boeing 737s)

* The first major airline to offer ticketless travel system wide including a frequent flier program based on number of trips and not number of miles flown.

* The first airline to offer a profit-sharing program to its Employees (instituted in 1973).

* The first major airline to develop a Web site and offer online booking. In 2001, about 40 percent (.1 billion) of its passenger revenue was generated through online bookings at [http://www.southwest.com]. Southwest's cost per booking via the Internet is about , compared to a cost per booking through travel agents of to .

Key competitive advantages:

* Low Operational costs / High Operational Efficiency

* Award winning customer service

* Human Resource practices / Work culture

Operations Analysis – Competitive Dimensions:

Southwest clearly has a distinct advantage compared to other airlines in the industry by executing an effective and efficient operations strategy that forms an important pillar of its overall corporate strategy. Given below are some competitive dimensions that will be studied in this paper.

1. Operational Costs and Efficiency

2. Customer Service

3. Employee/Labor Relations

4. Technology

1. Operational Costs and Efficiency

After all, the airline industry overall is in shambles. But, how does Southwest Airlines stay profitable? Southwest Airlines has the lowest costs and strongest balance sheet in its industry, according to its chairman Kelleher. The two biggest operating costs for any airline are – labor costs (approx 40%) followed by fuel costs (approx 18%). Some other ways that Southwest is able to keep their operational costs low is - flying point-to-point routes, choosing secondary (smaller) airports, carrying consistent aircraft, maintaining high aircraft utilization, encouraging e-ticketing etc.

Labor Costs

The labor costs for Southwest typically accounts for about 37% of its operating costs. Perhaps the most critical element of the successful low-fare airline business model is achieving significantly higher labor productivity. According to a recent HBS Case Study, southwest airlines is the “most heavily unionized” US airline (about 81% of its employees belong to an union) and its salary rates are considered to be at or above average compared to the US airline industry. The low-fare carrier labor advantage is in much more flexible work rules that allow cross-utilization of virtually all employees (except where disallowed by licensing and safety standards). Such cross-utilization and a long-standing culture of cooperation among labor groups translate into lower unit labor costs. At Southwest in 4th quarter 2000, total labor expense per available seat mile (ASM) was more than 25% below that of United and American, and 58% less than US Airways.

Carriers like Southwest have a tremendous cost advantage over network airlines simply because their workforce generates more output per employee. In a study in 2001, the productivity of Southwest employees was over 45% higher than at American and United, despite the substantially longer flight lengths and larger average aircraft size of these network carriers. Therefore by its relentless pursuit for lowest labor costs, Southwest is able to positively impact its bottom line revenues.

Fuel Costs

Fuel costs is the second-largest expense for airlines after labor and accounts for about 18 percent of the carrier's operating costs. Airlines that want to prevent huge swings in operating expenses and bottom line profitability choose to hedge fuel prices. If airlines can control the cost of fuel, they can more accurately estimate budgets and forecast earnings. With growing competition and air travel becoming a commodity business, being competitive on price was key to any airline’s survival and success. It became hard to pass higher fuel costs on to passengers by raising ticket prices due to the highly competitive nature of the industry.

Southwest has been able to successfully implement its fuel hedging strategy to save on fuel expenses in a big way and has the largest hedging position among other carriers. In the second quarter of 2005, Southwest’s unit costs fell by 3.5% despite a 25% increase in jet fuel costs. During Fiscal year 2003, Southwest had much lower fuel expense (0.012 per ASM) compared to the other airlines with the exception of JetBlue as illustrated in exhibit 1 below. In 2005, 85 per cent of the airline’s fuel needs has been hedged at per barrel. World oil prices in August 2005 reached per barrel. In the second quarter of 2005 alone, Southwest achieved fuel savings of 6 million. The state of the industry also suggests that airlines that are hedged have a competitive advantage over the non-hedging airlines. Southwest announced in 2003 that it would add performance-enhancing Blended Winglets to its current and future fleet of Boeing 737-700’s. The visually distinctive Winglets will improve performance by extending the airplane’s range, saving fuel, lowering engine maintenance costs, and reducing takeoff noise.

Point-to-Point Service

Southwest operates its flight point-to-point service to maximize its operational efficiency and stay cost-effective. Most of its flights are short hauls averaging about 590 miles. It uses the strategy to keep its flights in the air more often and therefore achieve better capacity utilization.

Secondary Airports

Southwest flies to secondary/smaller airports in an effort to reduce travel delays and therefore provide excellent service to its customers. It has led the industry in on-time performance. Southwest has also been able to trim down its airport operations costs relatively better than its rival airlines.

Consistent aircraft

At the heart of Southwest's success is its single aircraft strategy: Its fleet consists exclusively of Boeing 737 jets. Having common fleet significantly simplifies scheduling, operations and flight maintenance. The training costs for pilots, ground crew and mechanics are lower, because there's only a single aircraft to learn. Purchasing, provisioning, and other operations are also vastly simplified, thereby lowering costs. Consistent aircraft also enables Southwest to utilize its pilot crew more efficiently.

E-Ticketing

The idea of ticketless travel was a major advantage to Southwest because it could lower its distribution costs. Southwest became electronic or ticketless back in the mid-1990s, and today they are about 90-95% ticketless. Customers who use credit cards are eligible for online transactions, and today Southwest.com bookings account for about 65% of total revenue. The CEO Gary Kelly thinks that this idea would grow further and that he wouldn't be surprised if e-ticketing accounted for 75% of Southwest’s revenues by end of 2005. In the past, when there was a 10% travel agency commission paid, it used to cost about a booking. But currently, Southwest is paying between 50 cents and per booking for electronic transactions that translate to huge cost savings.

2. Employee and Labor Relations

Southwest has been highly regarded for its innovative management style. It maintains a relentless focus on high-performance relationships and its people-management practices have been the key to its unparalleled success in the airline industry.

Mission Statement

To Our Employees
“We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.”

The Southwest mission statement shows that the company has a strong commitment to its employees. The company affords the same respect to its employees that is provided to its customers. The Southwest mission statement is unique in that it recognizes the importance of its employees within the broader business strategy, which emphasizes superb customer service and operational efficiency. The employees reciprocate the respect, loyalty and trust that Southwest demonstrates. Southwest employees are known for their loyalty, dedication, attitude and innovation. The employees are the distinguishing factor between Southwest and the rest of the airline industry.

Hiring

Southwest hiring policy is unique not only within the airline industry, but also more broadly, and revolves around finding people with the right attitude that will thrive in the Southwest culture. Extensive procedures are employed to hire for positive attitude and dedication. Those who do not posses those qualities are weeded out. Colleen Barrett, a non-operational officer at Southwest, states that

“Hiring is critical, because you cannot institutionalize behavior. Instead, you must identify those people who already practice the behaviors you are looking for. Then you can allow Employees to be themselves and make decisions about Customer service based on common sense and their natural inclinations.” 1

Recruiting and interviewing at Southwest is a two-step process. The first step is a group interview, conducted by employees, where communication skills of potential candidates are evaluated. The next steps in this process are one on one interview, where the candidates' attitudes and orientation toward serving others are evaluated. These hiring criteria apply to all job functions since all Employees at Southwest play a customer service role. A critical part of Southwest operational strategy is that every job at Southwest is a customer service position, whether it directly applies to the customer or whether it is internal.

The table below shows that even though Southwest is the most heavily unionized airline, at approximately 80%, that contract negotiations between the unions and Southwest are much shorter in duration than of the other major carriers. This shows the quality of relationship that Southwest has with its employees and with the unions that represent them.

Culture

Southwest was created as a different kind of company and from its beginnings a unique culture was nurtured. In 1990 Colleen Barrett formed the Southwest Culture Committee. This is unique within the industry and among all large companies. The committee also has a mission statement:

“This group's goal is to help create the Southwest spirit and culture where needed; to enrich it and make it better where it already exists; and to liven it up in places where it might be "floundering". In short, this group's goal is to do "whatever it takes" to create, enhance, and enrich the special Southwest spirit and culture that has made this such a wonderful Company/Family.”

It is this unique approach to company values that has created a culture that differentiates itself from others. Southwest’s culture is the reason why it is successful.

3. Customer Service

The Mission of Southwest Airlines
The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.

Approach

Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest, has been quoted as saying that "We're in the Customer service business; we just happen to provide airline transportation".2 Award winning customer service is a distinguishing characteristic of Southwest and it is referred to internally as “Positively Outrageous Service”. It means that from the top to bottom everyone does whatever he or she can to satisfy the customer. This includes Herb Kelleher, who has been known for helping out baggage handlers on Thanksgiving. It is through emphasizing the customer and employee that Southwest is able to differentiate itself from others in the airline industry. On a more technical level, each employee or group within Southwest has his or her own customer. This means that every employee ‘serves’ in one way or another despite not being directly involved with the passenger. The mechanic’s customer is the pilot and the caterer’s is the flight attendant.

Results

It can be said that the "Positively Outrageous Service" that is unique to Southwest “is not the result of a department, or a program, or a mandate from management. It is not secondary to the product; it is the product.” This approach creates the conditions where Employees are more likely to treat customers in ways that distinguish the company from others. There are numerous accounts of passengers who have received exceptional treatment from Southwest employees.

The question that needs to be answered is how Southwest’s customer service is different and why? Is it common for customers of other airlines to rave about their special service? The answer is that it is not. While Southwest does not have a monopoly on people who are kind and who are willing to go above and beyond to satisfy a customer, such behavior is nurtured at Southwest to a much greater extent.

It can then be concluded that the customer service that is inherent to Southwest is a part of its culture. This culture is supported through employee encouragement to do the extra to satisfy the customer. This approach inspires people who would ordinarily only on occasion go out of their way to help someone, to become consistent performers that offer exceptional service all the time. Southwest employees are what differentiate its customer service from the other airlines.

4. Technology

Southwest utilizes technology in many ways to fulfill its business objectives and maintain its efficient operations. According to its CEO, technology equals productivity. Launched in 1996, ticketless travel was first introduced by Southwest. On May 1st 2000, Southwest Airlines introduces "SWABIZ," a portal that assists company travel managers in booking and tracking trips made through its web site [http://www.southwest.com]. There are many new technology initiatives being undertaken currently and some are in the pipeline.

Bar codes in Boarding Passes

Southwest Airlines has invested million during the past three years to standardize corporate and terminal operations on about 10,000 Dell OptiPlex desktop and Latitude notebook computers according to its company executives. Southwest wanted to replace its well known, brightly colored plastic boarding passes with an electronic system with bar-code paper boarding passes. So it installed about 350 touch screen ticket readers powered by Dell OptiPlex desktops. The bar code gives Southwest more information to automatically reconcile the number of boarding passes with the number of passengers that actually board the plane.

Although the technology will help Southwest Airlines remain efficient by consolidating passenger information for the company's 3,000 daily flights, there were concerns it could lengthen the time to get travelers on board. However it was found that scanning each bar code on the boarding passes didn't increase or shorten boarding schedules, but it did take minutes from administrative processes, such as looking up customer records. The new paper bar code system is giving Southwest ticket agents the ability to match a customer record within having to scroll through and log into multiple software screens. The process is much more automated. Once the bar code on the boarding pass is scanned at the terminal gate it checks off the person from the passenger list in real time.

The old process was manual that involved finding the information, scrolling through several software screens from reservations to check-in to boarding. The bar code hardware to scan the boarding passes has been deployed. The company is in the process of replacing customer service back-office equipment at airports including at its headquarters in Dallas.

Software Upgrades

Software applications, such as those used by clerks to check in passengers, are being replaced. Southwest Airlines' internally written "Airport Application Suite" is expected to rollout next year as the company transitions from green screens to Window-based user interface. Similar to Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Southwest Airlines believes in developing in-house the software that runs its operations. The company uses very little off-the-shelf software. There are between 75 and 100 projects in the works each year supported by approximately 900 IT employees.

RFID

Radio frequency identification technology, a favorable alternative to bar-coding for luggage identification, is also on Southwest's radar. It plans to test RFID technology sometime in 2006. Even though, Southwest is playing a little catch-up with other airlines such as Air Tran, Alaska and Champion Airlines, in many cases they are able leapfrog to more sophisticated applications easily having waited longer.

Challenges:

Southwest has emerged very successful, despite the most troubled times in the airline market. However, it faces new challenges in the face of increasing competition from other low fare airlines such as JetBlue, ATA airlines, America West.

Reserved Seating

Due to increasing security guidelines since September 2001, Southwest would need to prepare for assigned (reserved) seating to track its in-flight passengers. This change will involve large technology investments and may impact its gate operations negatively since the current way of unassigned seating has helped in quick gate turnarounds.

Passenger Demand

The keep-it-simple philosophy has served Southwest well. But as its own business grows and grows more complex, with plans to purchase dozens of new aircraft and an expected upsurge in passenger traffic to about 80 million boarding’s a year, the simplicity strategy that has been reflected in the airline's IT philosophy is evolving. The CIO Tom Nealon says that "It's time to adapt our business processes for efficiency. As our airline scales for us to provide the same kind of high-touch customer service, we have to automate a lot of things we've been able to do without technology previously. The challenge is doing that without conceding the customer touch." Southwest is also aggressively pursuing customer relationship management (CRM) techniques and has applications to get insight into customer’s wants and dislikes. According to an interview with its CEO Gary Keller, Southwest has its focus on improving in two areas - customer’s airport experience and in-flight experience.

In-Flight Entertainment

In an overall effort to improve customer’s in-flight experience, in-flight entertainment is something that Southwest is currently evaluating and which JetBlue has been very successful at already because of its introduction in its long-haul flights. In comparison, Southwest has 415 airplanes to consider and that represents an investment decision at a whole new dimension. Additionally, Southwest has to consider how things may fit into their environment. At this point, 60% of its service is still very short haul. Southwest needs to be mindful of the fact that a certain approach that has been successful for its competitor may not be necessarily work to its advantage.

Summary:

Southwest has long been regarded as a benchmark in its industry for operational excellence. Southwest Airlines is a fine example of a company that is committed to its core competencies - efficient operations to drive its low cost structure, outstanding delivery of customer service and innovative HR management practices. We hope this paper provided a good insight into Southwest operations, as part of its overall strategy, to achieve success and gain competitive advantage.

References:

1. [http://www.southwest.com] (Southwest airlines official web site)

2. “Southwest keeps it simple” - Air Transport World, April 2005, Pg 36

3. “Around the World on (or So): How High Can Discount Airlines Fly?“ Strategy Management - Knowledge@ Wharton Newsletter Oct 5, 2005

4. TechWeb - [http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/173601227]

5. “Southwest's Strategy for Success: Consolidate!” - Oracle Magazine (Sept/Oct 2004 edition) http://www.oracle.com/technology/oramag/oracle/04-sep/o54swest.html

6. “Southwest Airlines: High Tech, Low Costs” - Eweek.com, April 2005

7. “Jet Fuel Hedging Strategies: Options Available for Airlines and a Survey of Industry Practices” – Kellogg School of Management Research Paper, Spring 2004

8. Winning Behavior: What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently, Terry R. Bacon and David G. Pugh, 2003

9. Time Magazine, Oct 28th 2002 issue, Vol. 160 Issue 18, p. 45

10. “Wings Of Change”,Information Week, March 28, 2005,

11. Labor Contract Negotiations in the Airline Industry, Monthly Labor Review, July 2003, page 24

Southwest Airlines Operations - A Strategic Perspective

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The Top 3 Renewable Energy Sources

Most modern nations depend on natural gas, oil and coal to supply the majority of their energy needs, but dependence on fossil fuels is a huge dilemma. Fossil fuels are considered a finite resource, meaning the world can and will run fresh out of fossil fuels. These fuels can also cause pollution of the air, soil and water. However, people are turning to renewable energy sources.

Here are the top three renewable energy sources:

Energy

The first of the top three renewable energy sources is solar energy, and is probably the best known method. The sun is our most powerful, natural energy source. Solar energy which is sunlight, can be implemented for light, heat, cooling homes, electricity, heating water, and much more industrial processes. Most renewable energy forms are derived either indirectly or directly from the sun. For instance, the heat from sun makes the wind blow. This in turn contributes to growth of plants and trees used for biomass energy. This plays an important role in the evaporation and precipitation cycle that empowers hydropower.

The second of the top three renewable energy sources is wind energy. The wind is air movement that happens when warm air ascends and cooler air dashes in, replacing it. The energy of wind has been a centuries-old tool for sailing ships and driving windmills to grind up grain. Currently, wind energy is used to generate electricity via wind turbines.

The third top renewable energy source is hydropower. The force of water flowing downstream is powerful. Water is a renewable resource itself, constantly being recharged by the evaporation-precipitation cycle. The heat from the sun causes the water in oceans and lakes to evaporate, thereby forming clouds. The most familiar part of course is the water falling back to earth as rain or snow, draining into streams and rivers that return to the ocean. The power of flowing water can be used to drive water wheels. The energy can be captured by generators and turbines and used to generate electricity.

The Top 3 Renewable Energy Sources

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How to Fix a Leaking Showerhead Faucet

A leaky showerhead can be both annoying and costly. After a few hours, the constant dripping noise is as brutal on the eardrums as nails on a chalkboard. And, even though a singular drip is only a few milliliters of water, it doesn't take long before that leaky showerhead wastes hundreds of gallons - adding an extra zero to the end of the water bill.

Most homeowners don't realize that a leaking showerhead is pretty simple to fix. There's no need to buy a new one or, worse yet, hire a plumber. You can finish the job yourself in just a few short minutes with nothing more than a screwdriver, an adjustable wrench, and a washer that you can buy for a nickel at any hardware store.

\"Energy Efficiency\"

Now that you've decided to take on the job yourself, you need to understand the two most common things that go wrong with showerheads. Either they start leaking at the point where the pipe screws into the actual showerhead, or the holes in the showerhead become clogged, causing water backups and creating a leak.

First, you'll need to unscrew the showerhead from the outlet pipe. To protect the showerhead from damage, wrap a towel around the point where the head screws onto the outlet piping. Take the pliers and remove the head from the outlet. You'll see the washer. Pull it off and replace it with the new one. If you think you need a tighter seal, use plumbers tape across the threads before screwing the showerhead back in.

Also, if you have a rotating or swiveling showerhead, you might as well take an extra step while you have it taken apart. To increase the swivel range and flexibility, take some lubricant, preferably silicone, and lube up the interior swivel ball before you screw the head back in.

If the holes in the showerhead are clogged, take off the faceplate by removing the screws attaching it to the head. If you can't remove the faceplate, that's okay, just keep the entire unit unscrewed. The reason showerheads get clogged is the lime deposits that are formed and get stuck in the holes over time. To get rid of the lime deposits, take either the faceplate or the whole showerhead, and soak it in a bowl of white vinegar for at least eight hours. This will dissolve the deposits, and make them easy to remove by sticking a toothpick or small nail through the holes in the showerhead. After that, scrub the faceplate with a stiff plastic brush and screw the unit back into the wall.

How to Fix a Leaking Showerhead Faucet

Nancy Dean is a freelance author who contributes to several websites, including All Faucets . Coming from a family full of carpenters, she enjoys both doing and writing about home improvement projects.

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