Ritz Fail! Or is it?

This just in. The Ritz Carlton, the fabulous luxury hotel chain, just received an F grade for customer service.

CUSTOMER SERVICE! That, along with IS databases and staff selection, incorporates the main core competencies of the hotel chain.

"I was perplexed," said Erwin Schinnerl, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton on Boston Common. "To be rated an F is very severe."

Well, no joke.

So, who gave the failing grade? The Better Business Bureau did. It's one of the country's best known consumer watchdog groups.

But because of this rating, along with a few others, the media is accusing the BBB of "running a 'pay for play' scheme in which A plus ratings are awarded to those who pay membership fees, and F ratings used to punish those who don't," the article stated.

ABC's 20/20 is airing the investigation tonight. Check it out.

The companies motto, "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen," supports its core competencies in every way. It creates the social, structural, and strategic alignment on all levels. That's why I'm disagreeing with the BBB. My money, is on Ritz.

All I want for Christmas is...WiFi!

Google is just so darn considerate. They are giving anyone flying Delta, Virgin America and AirTran a Christmas present this holiday season!

That's right, if you fly with one of these guys between November 20 and January 2, you get  free in-flight Internet access!

According to the article, "users can access the Internet in-flight via laptop computers and handheld devices such as the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad." Talk about a strategic alliance between Google and these airlines.

So, if you're flying with Delta, Virgin America, or AirTran during the holidays, here is how you get your Christmas present.  Go to the airborne.gogoinflight Web site, sign up, then join the gogoinflight wireless network when you board the flight.

Here is another Web site that shows you how to sign up. Now, go enjoy the holidays a little more, thanks to IT at work!

The iPad is life changing

Get your tissues ready.

Technology and IT are both allowing us to break normal communication boundaries and barriers on a daily basis. I stumbled across this NY Times article about a 7-year old boy named Owen Cain. For him, technology is making magic happen.

Owen has a horrible disease called spinal muscular atrophy Type 1, meaning he is mostly paralyzed and mute and has a very weak immune system. Daily activities for a 7-year old, like communicating, doing homework, and reading books do not come easy to Owen.

But, thanks to the Apple iPad, with its relatively cheap price tag, large screen and diverse software options, Owen can effectively communicate, read books, and do math homework, simply by touching a screen. Thank you iPad.

As we are learning in IT this week, a vision and mission empowers the strategy of any firm, especially in the strategic IT Planning Process. A portion of Apple's mission is as follows: "Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software."

Thanks to an empowering vision, Apple created a piece of technology that has changed one young man's life; by creating the "best computers in the world," Apple allows Owen to break communication barriers every day.