Monday, January 27, 2020

Management Information System In Jet Airlines

Management Information System In Jet Airlines Data analysis plays vital role in determining which resources to use in order to achieve the mission of an organization. The world is developing an increasingly global market and economy. The basic management information system measures inputs and/or outputs, allowing managers to analyse the relationship between them and make decisions based on the outcomes they desire.Day to day example can be a speedometer, a speed-measuring system Types of Management Information Systems The different types of MIS can be classified into the following: Transaction-Processing Systems: With the advent of mainframe computers, Transaction-processing systems were introduced in the 1960s. They are designed for the banks to handle a huge volume of routine, recurring transactions. They record deposits and payments into the accounts, record sales and track inventory.. Operations Information Systems After transaction-processing systems, operations Information Systems came into existence. It gathers information, organises and summarises it in a useful form. It access data from TPS and moulds it into suitable form. One can obtain sales report or inventory etc from this. Decision Support Systems (DSS) DSS is an interactive computer system. It hasthree fundamental components: database management system (DBMS), model-based management system (MBMS) and dialog generation and management system (DGMS) which can be used for decision making. Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence ESAI use human knowledge encapsulated in a computer to solve various problems that usually requires human expertise. Computer recognizes, formulates and then solves a problem. It also explains the solution and learns from its experience as well. Introduction to Jet Airways Jet Airways is a leading Indian airline with its headquarter in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is the second largest airline in India and the market leader in the domestic sector. It offers over 400 flights daily to 67 destinations worldwide. Main domestic hubs: Mumbai and Delhi. International hubs: Brussels Airport, Belgium. It is owned by the London-based businessman, Mr. Naresh Goyal. BACKGROUND Jet Airways emerged with its first flight in 1993. It is one of the fastest expanding airlines in the world, and in future will become the most preferred airline making your journey enjoyable. Jet Airways offers flights to 24 international destinations and 43 destinations in India. OVERVIEW Jet Airways was incorporated as an air service operator on 1 April 1992. It commenced Indian commercial airline operations on 5 May 1993. On 4th January 1995, Jet Airways was granted a scheduled airline status.The company is registered on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Although,a major portion (80% of its stock) is controlled by Naresh Goyal. It has over 10,017 employees (March 2007).Jet Airways has fleet of 90 aircraft. CORPORATE VISION Jet Airways will become the most preferred domestic airline in India. Jet Airways will achieve this outstanding position by offering a high quality of service and reliable, comfortable and efficient operations.Jet Airways will uplift the concept of domestic airline travel -to be a world class airline. It will achieve this objective even while ensuring consistent profitability, achieving long-term returns for its investors and providing its employees with an environment for excellence and growth. Information Systems in Airlines Airlines exist to connect people to distant locations very efficiently and safely while making profit for the shareholders. . There has to be a trade-off between the three aspects. Thus, the designing of information system is very essential and its management helps them reach the organizations purpose. Key indicators in management are required to guide the working of the process and making changes in resource allocation. A management information system regularly provides information about the efficient working and function of the organization. The ultimate aim of the airline industry is to make the passengers journey comfortable and convenient. The different procedures in the airport and airplane should be simplified and highest degree of customers satisfaction have to maintained in order to succeed in todays competitive world. The Current Scenario The airline industry is constantly evolving and incorporating the latest innovations and technologies all with a common aim to make the journey of the passengers more and more comfortable and convenient. All the different procedures that the passenger goes through in the airport and airplane have to be simplified and highest quality of satisfaction for customers have to maintained by airlines in order to succeed in todays competitive scenario. Flying is nowadays one of the fastest and easiest way to cover large distances. It saves a lot of travelling time compared to other means of transport. For employees, this is a huge bonus as the business can be carried out at a faster speed as they can reach their destinations in a matter of hours. The 4 basic factors that the airline industry has to carefully tackle are as follows: Efficiency Speed Safety Comfort Every year more and more people are resorting to airlines as a mode of transportation and hence constant innovation and establishing a unique relationship with the passengers is the need of the hour. Hence, the importance of the technology of integrated systems has become clearer and unavoidable in the airlines for the future as well. Improving Air Transport Information Systems It has been seen that many vendor companies are doing constant research and development in the technologies which have a prime aim to improve customer satisfaction and provide better services to the customer. Huge investments are also being made in this area which has a lot of scope of improvement. Example of such service can be self- checking kiosks, in-flight entertainment and connectivity, check-in via mobile phones, airport and baggage management services. Currently what can be seen as the prime objective of the airlines is: Optimizing revenues while maximizing customer relationships. Management Information system in Jet Airlines VENDOR: IBM Jet Airways and IBM have announced that the companies have signed a business transformation for 10 years and information technology (IT) services agreement. Valued at 62 million US dollars, the agreement is a major step towards Jet Airways journey of technology led business transformation, which will help the airline to achieve significant growth by implementing the companys IT with business strategies. Jet Airways aims to use IBMs domain knowledge of the global airline industry and its leadership in technology to meet the groups business transformation objectives. As part of the deal, IBM will provide with the latest technological solutions to transform the airlines various business areas such as airport operations, direct distribution and frequent flier programs. IBM has provided Jet Airways with cutting edge IT Infrastructure and application to support services including employee transition, data centre operations, help desk support and storage operations, internet security services, network management, SAP and various other operating systems. Customer Relationship Management CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is methodology used to learn more about customers needs in order to develop stronger relationships with them. CRM has always been a matter of great concern for airlines aspiring to improve relationships with the customers. Airlines that can effectively target, attract, serve and hold the best customers will definitely experience significant benefits. The better the bonding the airline holds with these customers, the more opportunities will be open for selling additional products and services. However, as the e-business is evolving, the hurdles of establishing customer relationships have become even greater. Airlines must be completely responsible for a customers satisfaction whilst the want it, buy it and use it experience. Advantage of CRM In Sales and Marketing CRM defines marketing processes and satisfy customer requirements using functionality to improve management of resources, segments and lists, campaigns, trade promotions, and marketing analytics. It also enables management of accounts, product configuration, opportunities, quotations, orders, contacts, activities pricing, billing, and contracts. Make smart business decisions with improved customer relations. Speedy access to databases so faster marketing. Improve visibility of your entire marketing process Increase returns on investments. Grow profitable relationships Maintain focus on productive activity Eliminate barriers to productivity Improve sales efficiency Service Transform service into a profitable line of business Increase customer loyalty Reduce costs of customer service and field service CRM in Jet Airways The figure 5 shows a few special offering from Jet Airlines The special offerings from it are as follows: It offers free tickets Special rates for Students Special Fares for corporate deals Jetlite Surprises The other Customer Relationship Management activities also include: Rapid Rewards program for all passengers that make all their reservations online. Incentives include lower rates, express boarding passes, and in-flight bonuses like free snacks drinks. Business Rapid Rewards for Business travelers. Special Benefits and services for Senior Citizens Vendor For Jet Airways CRM: EPSILON The emerging digital marketing company Epsilons email solution will now provide customer and trade communication services to Jet Airways in order to improve their relationship with customers. Jet Airways known for its in-flight services is striving hard to enhance its customer relationship management and loyalty management. Various surveys were conducted and was found that customers prefer email as the channel for communication. Thus, in order to be forward it selected Epsilons email marketing services. Epsilon is a pioneer in email sevices and provides exact view of all the customers. Such an overview allows the airways to design solutions for targeted customers which also increase its brand equity and nurtures great profits with loyalty. Epsilons email platform speeds up the email delivery. Ithas an intense tracking and report forming features as well as optimisation tools that enable Jet Airways to enjoy the benefits of relevancy in communicating with the customers. It also allows Jet Airways to monitor and track the position and status of specific email communication all the way from booking to enquiry transaction. This allows the airline to improve its profile and transaction behaviour data to ultimately achieve one-to-one relationship with its customers. Jet Airways currently publishes a monthly email newsletter to Jet Privilege members, all the travel agency partners and corporate clients. The company is planning to introduce transactional e-mailing through the Epsilon platform, such as registration confirmation, welcome messages and purchase confirmations. Conclusion In general, the airlines have to ensure that they strike a proper balance between the customer services and operating costs. In the aviation industry, the competition is ever increasing as more players enter each year. Effective management of information systems can definitely help in attaining these goals and also assist to incorporate the innovative solutions as well. In order to meet to meet these challenges, lot of companies and firm are working on different software and solutions with a common objective in mind to make travel both easy and convenient It is important to choose the suitable information that will help managers observe their situation clearly. When airlines observed management information systems that included loss in the revenue due to not selling empty seats or rooms, they managed ways to get some value from latecomers at deep discounts. A good information system in practice can ensure that the operation is able to run efficiently with clear focus on customers. By incorporating better and better technology systems, we can reach out to demands of more customers and also strengthen vital features like security, avoiding delays, reducing the cost of travel. The scope of improvement is virtually endless and the companies will have to keep on evolving in order to survive in the future as well.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Ethnicity and Education Essay

Most studies found that overall ethnic minorities tend to do less well than other members of the population when it comes to educational achievement. The government sponsored â€Å"Swann report† found that â€Å"Asians† did almost as well as â€Å"Whites† however not as well, one Asian group in particular the â€Å"Bangladeshi’s† did particularly badly and â€Å"West Indians† preformed considerably worse than â€Å"Whites†. Many factors which occur inside the school are the cause of educational achievement however other factors contribute. The expectations of teachers on ethnic minorities have caused differences in educational achievement. Bernard Coard believes that teachers expect â€Å"Black† children to fail therefore labelling the child as a failure. Interactionalists are concerned with how teachers â€Å"pidgeonhole† students this is the labelling theory, this is where the teacher makes a judgement of the child based on the child’s appearance, behaviour, previous family members and relationships with other students. However most labels are based on stereotypes rather than evidence, the reality is that once a label starts it is difficult to get rid of and this can cause problems for a student’s educational achievement. Teachers will discuss the students label in the staff room and other teachers will attach the same label to the child and this can lead to the child not being allowed to attend school trips. If a student is labelled as a failure by a teacher then the teacher is likely to put the student into a lower tier exam thus the pupil can only achieve a maximum of a grade C and can’t achieve to the best of their ability. When a student is labelled as a failure the student can begin to believe that the label is true and begin to make it part of their part of their identity, become a failure this is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy thus creating ethnic differences in educational achievement within the school system. David Hardgreves argues that anti school sub cultures can be formed as a result of negative labelling. However Maureen Stone and Swann both indicate that those who are labelled may not accept their labels. Institutional Racism within schools can lead to educational achievement and the differences it causes within ethnic minorities. The â€Å"Swann report† found that a small number of teachers are consciously racist however there are a great deal of teachers who are â€Å"unintentionally† racist. Bernard Coard states that the British educational system makes children become educationally subnormal he states that â€Å"West Indian children are told that their language is second rate and unacceptable† he states that within the British educational system the word â€Å"White† is associated with â€Å"good† and the word â€Å"Black† with evil. Coard also states that the attitudes portrayed in the classroom are reinforced by the pupils outside of the classroom. Many sociologists would also argue that the mispronunciation of student’s names and not learning them can be classed as racism within the school system. Cecile Wright found that majority of staff are committed to ideals of equality but despite these ideals there are still considerable amounts of discrimination in the classroom. Asian children were often excluded from discussions and teachers expressed an â€Å"open disapproval of their customs and traditions†, these comments from teachers made Asian children feel more isolated from other pupils. Martin Hammersley found that racist comments in the staffroom did not lead to racism in the classroom. J. Taylor found that â€Å"most teachers are concerned to have a fair policy towards the treatment of black pupils†. Mac an Ghaill studied 25 afro Caribbean and Asian students studying A levels. He found that â€Å"although they disagreed over the extent of racism within education, this did not directly determine their attitude to education and their levels of academic success. The way that students responded to schooling varied and this was influenced by their ethnic group†. This could eventually lead to the formation of anti-school sub cultures. These are pupils who have rejected some or all of the values and rules set down in the school ethos. Peter Woods identified 8 different groups ranging from Ingratiation total conformity to Rebellion outright rejection of school rules and values. This can cause ethnic differences in educational achievement within the school system. The Ethocentric curriculum can cause ethnic differences in educational achievement this is the school being biased towards one particular culture. Many sociologists argue that the curriculum is geared towards white middle class students. The curriculum is set in place for white middle class students and this means that ethnic minorities will not understand the curriculum and will fall behind and not do well thus leading to educational underachievement. Parents from ethnic minorities may not be able to afford or have the right experience to make an informed choice on the best school to suit their children’s needs whereas middle class parents have the money and correct experience to make an informed decision on the best school for their child. Ethnic differences in educational achievement are the result of school factors however other factors have significance. Material Deprivation is the effect poverty has on educational achievement. Poorer parents from ethnic minorities may not be able to provide their children with the educational toys needed such as computers. Cramped housing means less space to study. High rate of illness can lead to missing days of school. Children from poorer backgrounds may need to contribute to the financial running of the home thus getting part time jobs which will affect their studies and will leave school at the earliest opportunity to start work. Harker states that overcrowding causes a negative effect on educational achievement which can cause differences in ethnic minorities which can cause bullying and truancy. Cultural Deprivation is the term used to describe serious inadequacies in the socialisation process and its effects on educational achievement. Poor parenting means children underachieving in education. Many sociologists argue that ethnic minorities tend to be more fatalistic meaning that parents tend to have low aspirations and expectations for their child meaning less emphasis is placed on doing well in education. Whereas â€Å"White† middle classes would have high aspirations and high expectations. Socialisation focuses on the values, expectations and norms transmitted from parents to children. Children from Ethnic tend to focus on immediate gratification where they try to reep their rewards at the earliest opportunity such as leaving school at 16 to earn money. Whereas â€Å"White† middle class children aim for a bright future described as deferred gratification which is putting off short term rewards to gain better rewards in the future. Cultural Deprivation can affect the way parents prepare their children for school. Working class children would sit and watch T. V. whereas middle class parents would take their children to museums. Driver and Ballard state that high achievement in Asian groups may be linked to the fact that they live in close knit families that can help each other. Price highlighted a high rate of single parent families in black Caribbean communities which may explain high underachievement. Linguistic Deprivation is the ability to use appropriate language which is an important factor in educational success. Bernstein came up with two codes of language Restricted and Elaborate codes. The Restricted code is used in casual situations. This is limited vocabulary and Simplistic grammar which can only be understood if you are aware of this topic. The Elaborate code is used in formal situations. This is sophisticated grammar and vocabulary and can be understood if aware of the topic. Bernstein found that White middle class children had the ability to switch between the two codes whereas children from ethnic minorities were limited to using the restricted code. This means they are severely disadvantaged in education where the language is all formal. In conclusion, it is probable that a number of factors work together in producing the lower levels of achievement found in some ethnic groups. The Swann report concluded that racial discrimination inside and outside school along with social deprivation were probably the main factors. Others would add that cultural factors also play some part in explaining the differences.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Should People Seeking Government Assistance?

â€Å"Shouldn’t you have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check since I have to pass one to earn it for you? † That’s the question many, hardworking Americans are asking themselves. In today’s America, government aid is highly depended on. The US government has spent $498 billion dollars this year on welfare alone. Mandatory drug testing for welfare applicants is becoming a popular idea across the U. S. Many states including Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Louisiana are considering adopting laws that would require states to drug test welfare applicants.In Florida, Republican Gov. Rick Scott passed a law that required welfare applicants to pay for and pass a drug test from July through October 2011. According to the National Conference for State Legislatures, Florida was one of three states in 2011 to put a drug testing for public assistance in the books; twenty eight states in 2012 proposed similar measures. The Department of Children and Families rep orted that 108 people tested positive for drugs, while 3,936 adults showed no sign of drugs in their system.Another 2,306 people opted not to take the drug test, though the survey did not ask why they were refusing to take the test, so there is no data to show whether those people objected to the policy or had obtained employment and therefore canceled their application. In September 2011, a University of Central Florida student, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, sued the state over the new law mandating drug testing of all welfare applicants. A little more than a month after the suit was filed, a federal judge ordered a temporary stop to the drug testing.A bench trial is scheduled for March 2013 before U. S. District Judge Mary Scriven. Required drug tests for people seeking welfare benefits ended up costing taxpayers more than it saved. Of the 4,086 applicants who scheduled drug tests while the law was enforced, 108 people, or 2. 6 percent, failed, mo st often testing positive for marijuana. The numbers show that taxpayers spent $118,140 to reimburse people for drug test costs, at an average of $35 per screening. The state lost of Florida lost $45,780, and that’s not counting attorney and court fees and the thousands of hours of staff time it took to enforce this policy.Drug testing welfare applicants was considered unconstitutional by many citizens, they claimed it went against The Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment of the U. S. Constitution provides, â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Ultimately, these words strive to protect two fundamental liberty interests – the right to privacy and freedom from personal inv asions. The Supreme Court has ruled out a number of incidents as to what an â€Å"unreasonable† search looks like. So far, it doesn't look like a drug test to control how people on welfare spend their money. Supposedly, the mandatory drug tests are designed to reduce deficits, utilize tax-payer money more efficiently, and encourage â€Å"personal responsibility. The government now will have the power to kick people off welfare, or otherwise simply deny them welfare, should the person fail their mandated drug test. Aside from deterring these self-destructive behaviors, they believe they will also save millions of dollars because they suspect they will no longer have to subsidize the drug dependencies of a substantial amount of recipients. When Reagan became President in 1986, he began to push drug testing in the workplace, schools, and those applying for free benefits as part of the escalating war on drugs.Since then, drug testing has proliferated to the rest of society. For some businesses, it has become a major hiring tool, while for others it does not exist. For those that do use drug testing, it comes on many forms. Tests range from urine based to hair based to drug recognition experts; each test has its own strengths and weaknesses. The easiest and cheapest tests to perform are urine tests. The most basic and easiest to perform is called an EMIT test. EMIT stands for enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique and involves a urine sample from the subject.The test looks for certain enzymes that occur in the body when certain drugs are consumed. Unfortunately for employers, this test is one of the most undependable of the tests available. It can be easily beaten if the subject knows that they are being tested. Tests can be tampered with in many ways. Another urine test is the gas chromatography test. With this test the urine sample is separated into its component parts. The components are then carried by an inert gas into columns where the parts are sepa rated by their boiling temperature. Each specific compound will be identifiable from the est by its unique separation time. This test is far more reliable than an EMIT test, but there are still instances of errors when certain legal substances are present. A test that is more reliable and harder still to beat is the RIA test. RIA stands for radio immunoassay and it uses the same process as the EMIT test except this test uses radioactive iodine as the detection method rather than an enzyme. Drug metabolite levels are inversely proportional to the level of radioactive particles present. The RIA test is much more reliable and even harder to beat than the gas chromatography test.However, the U. S. Military is the only major employer using the RIA test. This is due to the fact that the RIA test creates radioactive waste as a result which is extremely difficult to handle and dispose of. The next step up from the RIA test is the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry test. This test utilizes what the gas chromatography started, except that it takes the process further. After the urine has been separated into its basic components, the mass spectrometer analyzes the components and provides exact molecular identification for them.Since this test is the most expensive and the most accurate of the urine tests, businesses will usually only use this test to confirm a positive result on the EMIT test. The next cheapest test to perform is a saliva test. Saliva tests are becoming more common due to their relative unobtrusiveness and their ability to detect drug use in a more recent timeframe, usually within one week. The biggest problem with saliva tests is that there are no nationally accepted concentration cutoffs. Also, the saliva test is better at detecting methamphetamines and opiates but is much less capable of detecting THC and other cannabinoids.The last test on the list is the blood test. This test requires a sample of blood from the subject which is then sent to a lab for analysis. The cost of the blood test is quite high when compared to all the rest of the tests available. Businesses that are willing to pay for the blood test are getting the most accurate test that they can subject an employee or applicant to. The only problem with blood tests is that they can only detect substances that remain in the blood for a while. If a substance is easily flushed from the blood, it will not appear on a test if the subject has not used recently.Despite their reliability, blood tests are not used often. Most of the time, similar results can be obtained using a cheaper and less intrusive method of testing. Is this all fair? Many people argue it absolutely is. After all, welfare recipients receive millions of American dollars in aid every year. It would only be fair for them to be tested to ensure the assistance is dispersed of properly. Also, many places of employment practice random drug testing. If it happens in the workforce, why would it be unfair for we lfare recipients?There are many pros and cons of this issue. The biggest positive outcome of this program is that it would discourage recipients from purchasing and using illegal drugs. This might mean they don't even need the welfare in the first place. It could also keep children and society safer. It could help lower the demand for illegal drugs on the streets. It could possibly even save the system some money; as those who are on drugs would not receive welfare. It could even create new jobs for people to run the drug testing.However, there are many cons of mandatory drug testing for people on welfare as well. One of the biggest negatives is that it is costly. Illegal drug testing is not cheap. It could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, even if just one of every five recipients was tested. However, this may be rationalized by saying that the cost that drugs have on our society in general would be lowered. Another negative is that some people who are on prescription medicati on could show false positives, and be discriminated against, even with a doctor's involvement.

Friday, January 3, 2020

How to Write a Learning Contract and Realize Your Goals

We often know what we want, but not how to get it. Writing a learning contract with ourselves can help us create a roadmap that compares our current abilities with desired abilities and determine the best strategy for bridging the gap. In a learning contract, youll identify learning objectives, available resources, obstacles and solutions, deadlines, and measurements. How to Write a Learning Contract Determine the abilities required in your desired position. Consider conducting information interviews with someone in the job you seek  and ask questions about exactly what you need to know. Your local librarian can also help you with this.What are you going back to school to learn?What job do you want?What knowledge, skills, and abilities do you need to have in order to get the job you desire?Determine your current abilities based on prior learning and experience. Make a list of the knowledge, skills, and abilities you already have from prior school and work experience. It can be helpful to ask people who know you or have worked with you. We often overlook talents in ourselves that are easily noticed by others.Compare your two lists and make a third list of the skills you need and dont yet have. This is called gap analysis. What knowledge, skills, and abilities will you need for your dream job that you havent yet developed? This list will help you determine the appropriate school for you and the classes youll need to take.Write objectives for learning the skills you listed in Step 3. Learning objectives are very similar to SMART goals. SMART goals are:Specific (Give a detailed description.)Measurable (How will you know youve achieved it?)Achievable (Is your objective reasonable?)Results-oriented (Phrase with the end result in mind.)Time-phased (Include a deadline.) Example:Learning objective: To speak conversational Italian fluently enough before traveling to Italy on (date) that I can travel without speaking English. Identify available resources for reaching your objectives. How will you go about learning the skills on your list?Is there a local school that teaches your subjects?Are there online courses you can take?What books are available to you?Are there study groups you can join?Who will help you if you get stuck?Is there a library accessible to you?Do you have the computer technology you need?Do you have the finances you need?Create a strategy for using those resources to meet your objectives. Once you know the resources available to you, choose the ones that match the way you learn best. Know your learning style. Some people learn better in a classroom setting, and others prefer the solitary study of learning online. Choose the strategy that will be most likely to help you succeed.Identify potential obstacles. What problems might you encounter as you begin your study? Anticipating problems will help you be ready to overcome them, and you wont be thrown off course by a nasty surprise. Think of everything that might become an obstacle and write it down. Your computer could break. Your daycare arrangements could fall through. You might get sick. What if you dont get along with your teacher? What will you do if you dont understand the lessons? Your spouse or partner complains youre never available.Identify solutions to each obstacle. Decide what you will do if any of the obstacles on your list actually happen. Having a plan for potential problems frees your mind of worry and allows you to focus on your studies.Specify a deadline for meeting your objectives. Each objective may have a different deadline, depending on whats involved. Choose a date that is realistic, write it down, and work your strategy. Objectives that dont have a deadline have a tendency to go on and on forever. Work toward a specific goal with a desired end in mind.Determine how you will measure your success. How will you know if youve succeeded or not?Will you pass a test?Will you be able to perform a sp ecific task in a certain manner?Will a particular person evaluate you and judge your competency?Review your first draft with several friends or teachers. Go back to the people you consulted in Step 2 and ask them to review your contract. You alone are responsible for whether or not you succeed, but there are lots of people available to help you. Part of being a student is accepting what you dont know and seeking help in learning it. You might ask them if:Your objectives are realistic given your personality and study habitsThey know of other resources available to youThey can think of any other obstacles or solutionsThey have any comments or suggestions regarding your strategyMake the suggested changes and begin. Edit your learning contract based on the feedback you receive, and then begin your journey. Youve got a map drawn specifically for you and designed with your success in mind. You can do this. Tips When youre thinking of the people in your life you might be able to ask for input, consider the ones who will tell you the truth, not the ones who will tell you what you want to hear or say only nice things. Your success is at stake. You need to know the good things  and the bad. Ask the people who will be honest with you.Online forums are great places to talk with other people who share your goals. Participate by posting your questions, responding to other peoples questions, and getting to know people who are interested in the same things you are.