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Anthony Lolli, the CEO of Rapid Realty in New York City, rewards employees tattooed with the company logo. The company pays for the tattoo and gives employees an extra 15 percent in commission. The CEO says employees with the company logo tattoo are "passionate about the brand." Tattoos are one thing that separates older employees from younger employees. Many younger employees have tattoos. But, older employees associate tattoos with negative connotations. What do you think about tattoos? Are they are professional? Should managers encourage them? Why?

Do you remember? 1) RIM got a new CEO in January. Who was it? a) Carly Fiorina b) Meg Whitman c) Thorsten Heins d) Carol Bartz 2) The failure of the AT&T and T-Mobile merger in February cost which CEO $2million cut in pay? a) T-Mobile CEO John Legere b) AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson 3) Which management job was ranked number three in CareerCast.com's list of best jobs? a) Human resources manager b) CEO c) COO d) CMO 4) Which company's board took away the Chairman of the Board title from its CEO Aubrey McClendon? a) Exxon/Mobile b) Shell c) Dynergy d) Chesapeake Energy 5) Who was named Yahoo's new CEO in July? a) Thorsten Heins b) Marissa Mayer c) Carol Bartz d) Meg Whitman 6) Apple won a $1 billion award in a patent infringement case in August against which compeitor? a) Samsung b) RIM c) Nokia d) HTC 7) What was the priority #1 for CEOs participating in PricewaterhouseCooper's 2012 Global CEO Study? a) Getting and keeping talent b) Training employees c) Borrowing money d) Making a profit 8) What October storm limited business hours in the Northeast? a) Hurricane Ike b) Hurricane Sandy c) Hurricane Rita d) Hurricane Kyle 9) What was happening to BestBuy when shoppers come into a store to see a product in person, only to buy it from a rival online, frequently at a lower price? a) Crowdsourcing b) Outsourcing c) Overpricing d) Showrooming 10) What was the most overused profile buzzword on LinkedIn in 2012? a) Awesome b) Educated c) Creative d) Resourceful ANSWERS: 1. c, 2. b, 3. a, 4. d, 5. b, 6. a, 7. a, 8. b, 9. d, 10. c

JetBlue Airways, the largest U.S. airline without service to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, announced December 7 that non-stop service between Boston and DFW begins May 1, 2012. Tickets go on sale December 13, 2011. JetBlue is a low fare carrier with more amenities than many of its competitors. For example, the planes have more legroom in coach, as well as free TV. Furthermore, JetBlue offers its own Customer Bill of Rights , "with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue's control." "With JetBlue entering the Dallas/Fort Worth market, another important destination from Boston will be served by a low cost carrier,'' said Ed Freni, Director of Aviation for Massport, which owns and operates Boston Logan. "Competition lowers fares which benefits passengers and the region. We support JetBlue on its continued growth as Boston's largest airline.'' JetBlue's announcement came shortly after American Airlines (AA) filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 on November 29, 2011. AA is headquartered in Dallas/Fort Worth. Furthermore, it came just a few days after Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly's letter to employees - RE: American Airlines More Challenges for Southwest than Opportunities. An excerpt from his letter follows. Lets look back to 1989 the year Southwest became the newest member of the old major airline club, based on annual revenues. All the majors from 1989 have gone bankrupt. Pan Am. Eastern. Braniff. Continental. America West. TWA. US Air. United. Delta. Northwest. And now, American. Every single one failed. Why? Not because of Customer Service, but because of high costs. Great Customer Service cannot overcome high costs. That is the imperative I wrote about a decade ago: low costs. Southwest Airlines is the only major airline from 1989 that has survived this tumultuous industry without bankruptcy. Why? Because our low costs have preserved our profits. Period. Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter explains competitive advantage in his "Five Forces" of competition, a tool for developing strategy. The Five Forces That Shape Industry Competition Threat of new entrants - New entrants in an industry can raise the level of competition. Suppliers' bargaining power - The fewer vendors a company has for its supplies, the more those suppliers can charge. Buyers' bargaining power - If customers don't like one airline's offerings, they can choose another airline. Threat of substitute products - Flyers may not be loyal if they find a cheaper ticket price. But, if someone has flown one airline for many years, he or she might be reluctant to switch. Competitive rivalry within an industry - All the forces above combine to reflect on the airline industry's attractiveness. If customers cannot differentiate among competitors' offerings, the fiercer those companies' rivalry will be. All of the five forces are strong in the airline industry. As a result, airlines are on the bottom of the profitability of selected industries. How can an airline achieve superior performance in the face of competition? What can an airline do to improve competitive advantage?

Managers plan, organize, lead, staff, and control the operations of an organization. Even though managers have similar duties and responsibilities, those duties differ depending on the specific industry or specific department within an organization. Recent college graduates with a bachelor's degree might be hired as a management trainee or assistant manager. Those who reach the top level of management are among the highest paid employees in the Unitied States. The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics . In it, you can find the training and education needed for a specific job. Also, the earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions are discussed. After reviewing the management jobs lised in the OOH, choose one, read about it and telll us what you like about it.