2013 › April

How closely Google will be watched is the real question do doubt concerned parties like Yelp and Expedia will help remind the government when Google strays too far.

Mergers are the most likely cause for software breakdowns; a bad omen for American and merging partner US Airways who will now be even more vigilant in integrating their IT systems.

If US Airways had prevailed, its employee would have essentially served as the airline's collection agent, the Supreme Court ruled.

Tuesday's outage put Twitter on the frontline, Facebook in backup position, and YouTube as the cleanup crew for American. Once again we're faced with the question: Why do companies need ads in publications when they're the publisher, too?

We would call it walking, hiking or trekking, but OK, whatever helps market it.

Companies that sell mobility scooters make big pushes to the disadvantaged but not quite disabled via daytime TV and direct mailings. They are an aid at best, but very rarely a necessity.

Accor is pursuing an asset sell-off similar to many other hotel brands, but that's not enough to placate the ratings agency.

The relationship between brands and individual property owners is a balancing act; one in which hotel groups seek the benefits that come from brand awareness without the work of day-to-day upkeep. Hilton’s seem to have found one solution to managing brand standards with a hands-off approach.

It's interesting that Gol plans an IPO for Smiles, its frequent flyer program. And, on the capacity front, Gol is proving that less is oftentimes more.