In today’s rapidly evolving world, sustainability has become a critical concern across various sectors, and the travel industry is no exception. With increasing awareness of environmental issues and the impact of tourism on our planet, travel businesses are under mounting pressure to adopt sustainable practices. One powerful tool that can help these businesses achieve their sustainability goals is artificial intelligence (AI). By harnessing the capabilities of AI, travel companies can not only reduce their environmental footprint but also enhance their operational efficiency and customer experience.
Continue reading “Leveraging AI to Enhance Sustainability in the Travel Industry”From Good to Great (Jim Collins)
The Importance of Selecting a Great Team: Insights from Jim Collins’s “Good to Great”
Jim Collins’s book, “Good to Great,” delves into what differentiates merely good companies from truly great ones. Among the many insights Collins offers, one stands out as particularly crucial: the critical importance of selecting a great team.
First Who, Then What
One of the central tenets of “Good to Great” is encapsulated in the principle of “First Who, Then What.” Collins argues that the path to greatness begins with getting the right people on the bus before deciding on the strategic direction. This concept might seem counterintuitive in the fast-paced world of business, where the drive to innovate and implement new solutions often takes precedence. However, Collins’s research reveals that having the right people on board is a prerequisite for long-term success.
Continue reading “From Good to Great (Jim Collins)”My love affair with Michael Porter !
As a technology officer with a profound interest in the intricacies of business strategy, my journey has been heavily influenced by Michael Porter. His models, despite being crafted over three decades ago, continue to be invaluable in guiding strategic decisions.
The Timeless Relevance of Porter’s Models
What fascinates me most about Michael Porter’s work is its continued relevance. Despite the rapid pace of technological advancement, his models provide a bedrock of strategic thinking that remains pertinent today. The crux of Porter’s insights lies in understanding the fundamental dynamics of competitive forces, strategic positioning, and value creation – elements that are as crucial now as they were in the 1980s.
Continue reading “My love affair with Michael Porter !”Why I Don’t Want Plastic Bottled Water in My Hotel Room: Changes a Hotel Can Make to Be More Sustainable
As a frequent traveller, one of my pet peeves is the ubiquitous plastic bottled water provided in hotel rooms. While the gesture is appreciated and sometimes the need for bottled water is necessary, the environmental impact is significant. In an age where sustainability should be at the forefront of our minds, it’s time for hotels to rethink their practices. Here’s why I believe plastic bottled water has no place in my hotel room and some changes hotels can implement to be more sustainable.
Continue reading “Why I Don’t Want Plastic Bottled Water in My Hotel Room: Changes a Hotel Can Make to Be More Sustainable”Troubles at Work? How to recognise gaslighting.
In a business, employees often work closely with directors, managers and colleagues, creating a tight-knit, family-like atmosphere. While this closeness can foster collaboration and loyalty, it can also mask toxic behaviours, including gaslighting. Gaslighting is a subtle form of psychological manipulation where someone makes you doubt your own perceptions, memories, or experiences. When this happens at work, it can damage your confidence, hinder your performance, and ultimately create a toxic environment.
Continue reading “Troubles at Work? How to recognise gaslighting.”Push UX 2023: Key Takeaways
The Push UX Conference 2023, held from 19-20 October in Munich, Germany, was an engaging event packed with insightful talks, hands-on workshops, and breakout sessions. It brought together design professionals, product-minded innovators, and creative technologists.
What I Learned Attending the Online MBA Essentials Course with the London School of Economics (LSE)
Attending the Online MBA Essentials course with the London School of Economics (LSE) was a transformative experience. Here’s what I learned:
Continue reading “What I Learned Attending the Online MBA Essentials Course with the London School of Economics (LSE)”How to Improve Carbon Offsetting for the Travel and Tourism Industry
As part of my Msc I started to look at big problems, technology could solve – Travel and Sustainability.
The travel and tourism industry has been under increasing scrutiny for its carbon footprint, particularly with aviation being a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. As the world grapples with climate change, improving carbon offsetting mechanisms is essential for this industry. Here’s a comprehensive approach to enhancing carbon offsetting for travel and tourism.
Continue reading “How to Improve Carbon Offsetting for the Travel and Tourism Industry”Takeaways from WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2022
My takeaways from WeAreDevelopers
AI development helpers
GitHub announced copilot, a plug-in to your IDE which will predict and write code for you. They predict this could save a developer unto 40% on common code problems, and in the next 5 years could effectively write 80%.
The other speakers didn’t really align with this but its an interesting concept, if we’re all resolving the same types of issues, it doesn’t take long before there is a design pattern or best practise to develop the solution – the complexity is making those design patterns work with our codebase.
Continue reading “Takeaways from WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2022”How to get an urgent uk passport appointment
At present UK passports are taking longer than normal to process, my daughters recent passport renewal (child) took approx 7 weeks (3 weeks shorter than the 10-week current estimate).
Due to an upcoming business trip to India (and the fact that India has temporarily suspended e-visas for uk citizens), I find myself needing to apply for a paper visa. Paper visas require you to have 2 consecutive pages free, and I only have 1.
My passport is valid for another 5 years so its good for a while, but the lack of pages leaves me with an issue. I need a new passport for the visa, but I can’t risk a 10 week wait as I have a holiday in August. So I find myself needing to request an urgent 1-week passport appointment which wasn’t quite as straight forward as I expected.
To book an appointment you visit the following webpage;
https://www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently/1-week-fast-track-service