How Will Driverless Cars Make Split-Second Life-Death Decisions?

Many people think driverless cars could be the best thing to happen to human transportation since the internal combustion engine. If technology continues to develop at the pace proponents are hoping, a network of self-driving computers could end traffic jams forever, saving untold amounts of fuel and preventing nearly 300,000 deaths due to driver error in the U.S. every decade.

One thing these scenarios leave out, however, are some of the very real, very weird moral dilemmas that go into programming autonomous vehicles.

New York Magazine article here

Keywords

autonomous vehicles   driverless cars   fatalities   passenger safety   safety   self-driving vehicles   traffic assessment   

 

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Uber Seeks Another $1 Billion In Funding

Uber Seeks New Mega-Round Of Funding: The ride-sharing juggernaut is reportedly seeking to raise $1 billion in funding just three months after closing its last mega-round, the New York Times reports, citing people familiar with the deal talks. The new investment would bring the company’s valuation as high as $60 billion to $70 billion, the Times says. Fortune Magazine article here

Related: Is Uber Really Worth Another $1 Billion?

Safety Officials Recommend 4 Tips For Using Uber: While many students rely on Uber for a ride home, other students have reported that they have encountered impostor Uber drivers, while other Uber users have reported being assaulted by their drivers. USA Today article here

Aviation Version Of Uber Fights Regulators: California-based Flytenow Inc. — the aviation version of the ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft — is locked in a court battle with federal regulators, who contend the emerging air-pool business amounts to an illegal charter operation. Los Angeles Times article here

Uber Fee Advances In Chicago City Council: Transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft will pay a new 2 cent per-ride fee under legislation the City Council’s finance committee advanced Oct. 26. Crain’s Chicago Business article here

Concerns About Uber, Lyft Aired During Roundtable: There were arguments last week for and against ride-sharing, an airing of concerns about worker protections and insurance coverage as well as pleas from business leaders to do something about current taxi service in the state Capital. Politico New York

Phoenix Airport, TNCs Deadlock Over Background Checks: Uber is turning to its fans for support as it seeks approval to pick up passengers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. AZCentral.com article here

How Foolproof Are Driver Background Checks? Fifty-three drivers who failed background checks to become Uber drivers have been issued chauffeur’s licenses by the City of Austin, according to an internal Uber audit. Of 163 Austin cab drivers who applied to Uber, 53 “were prevented from partnering with Uber due to failing Uber’s background check process.” KXAN-TV article and video here

Keywords

background checks   capital   Chicago operators   New York operators   regulatory enforcement   Texas operators   TNCs   Uber   

 

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Ford, GM Retool To Shed Pounds Off Vehicle Bodies

Despite cheap gasoline prices in the U.S., the march to remove weight from light vehicles continues.

General Motors’ Cadillac CT6 luxury sedan, for example, will feature 13 different materials customized for each area of the car to simultaneously advance driving dynamics, fuel economy and cabin quietness.

Automotive News article here

Keywords

Cadillac   Cadillac CT6   Ford   General Motors   limousine manufacturing   manufacturing   new vehicles   OEMs   vehicle technology   

 

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Third-Gen Connecticut Operation Grows Business

WEST HAVEN, Conn. — Matthew Levine didn’t always plan to join the family business but now that he has, he’s making a name for himself.

Greenwich Time article here

LCT related article: Hy’s Limousine Celebrates 60 Years Of Service

Keywords

business deals   business growth   Connecticut operators   family businesses   history of the limo industry   Matt Levine   mergers & acquisitions   New England operators   operation growth   

 

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Good Lesson @ East Show: How To Book Business In 5 Steps

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Are you finding it hard to stand out from your competitors? Frustrated by price shoppers? Worried that you aren’t closing enough business?

Fear not. Randi Busse, an expert in maximizing the customer experience to build and retain business, will share insights, tips, and strategies to increase your bottom line at LCT-NLA Show East, Nov. 8-10 at Harrah’s Resort and the brand new Waterfront Conference Center.

Busse’s General Session, “How to Book the Business in 5 Easy Steps,” will be held on Monday, Nov. 9, from 10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The interactive session will guide operators to help differentiate your business from the competition, build trust and rapport quickly, ask questions the right way, make powerful recommendations, overcome objections and book the business.

Busse is the Founder and President of Workforce Development Group, Inc., a coaching and training organization that specializes in improving the customer experience, increasing customer retention and maximizing revenue. Randi challenges business leaders and employees to think in innovative ways when it comes to taking care of their customers.

A dynamic speaker with the ability to make audiences listen, nod, laugh, Busse will help operators connect the dots between their own experiences as a customer and how their behaviors and the way their employees treat customers affects their bottom line.

Register today to reserve a full conference and show pass. This year’s all-in-one-place-no-shuttles show and conference features numerous meet-and-greet sessions, events, parties, receptions and after-hours suite parties that will give attendees ample opportunity to network with old friends and meet potential affiliate partners from around the world.

Keywords

building your clientele   business growth   client markets   customer service   industry education   keynote speakers   LCT-NLA Show East   limo tradeshows   networking   staying competitive   tradeshow preparation   

 

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California Governor Signs Pro-Uber, Airbnb Measure

TNCs such as Uber and short-term home rentals like Airbnb may get a boost in business now that the state of California has made it clear that its employees can turn to such businesses when traveling for work.

Los Angeles Times article here

Keywords

business travel   California operators   hotels   legislation   on-demand service   TNCs   Uber   

 

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Woman Sues Hollywood Tour Company For Bus Deck Injury

A 36-year-old woman claimed Monday that she was on a Halloween party bus ride two years ago when she suffered injuries that cost her $300,000 in medical bills.

Read more on the story and watch a video at ktla.com.

Keywords

accidents   California operators   double-decker buses   fatalities   lawsuits   liability   Los Angeles operators   passenger safety   safety   tour buses   

 

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Which Hotel Brands Do Corporate Travel Buyers Prefer?

Corporate travel buyers are placing a high value on traveler experience, as illustrated by BTN’s 2015 Hotel Brand Survey, in which buyers gave top marks to brands that have made an effort to deliver.

Business Travel News article here

Keywords

business travel   corporate travel   hotels   procurement   working with hotels   

 

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4 Faces Of Leadership: The Importance Of Vision

Whether it’s a presidential candidate, a corporate executive or an NFL coach, people admire a leader with vision. They like someone with a clear idea of where he or she is headed, and who knows how to motivate others to accomplish the goal.

But as much as people might like to say someone is a “born visionary,” in truth, vision is something we develop, not something we arrive in the world with, says Rob-Jan de Jong, a behavioral strategist and author of “Anticipate: The Art of Leading By Looking Ahead” (www.robjandejong.com).

“One thing that visionaries have in common is that they have an ability to notice things early,” de Jong says. “They recognize some sort of significant change is happening and they make use of the opportunities it presents.”

Just identifying that a major change is afoot isn’t enough, though, he says. The visionary needs to connect the dots into a coherent picture that takes into account future developments.

“That’s easier said than done, but it’s an ability leaders can develop if they are willing to work on it,” de Jong says.

Growing a leader’s visionary side therefore boils down to sharpening both the ability to notice things early and the ability to create coherence.

In combination, the abilities suggest four archetypes of leaders:

1. The Follower. This is someone who is neither good at noticing things early, nor skilled at creating and communicating a coherent story from insights about what the future might bring. The follower may be an excellent manager, but don’t expect this person to inspire others or drive innovation.

   “Being a follower isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” de Jong says. “These people are often careful about their decisions and good at critical thinking, and in the short term that can work well. But their preoccupation with today keeps them from anticipating what comes next.”

2. The Trend Hopper. On the upside, a trend hopper has a well-developed ability to see things early and is willing to embrace changing realities. These are people who are quick to adopt new technology and among the first to fantasize about how things can be different – even radically different– real soon, de Jong says. On the downside, trend hoppers aren’t adept at turning their early insights into a coherent story that justifies an active strategic pursuit. After seeing them chase several flavor-of-the-month ideas, other people start to tune them out.
3. The Historian. These leaders are adept at connecting the dots and spinning a story that makes sense. They cite patterns, facts and figures and make everything that’s happened so far look coherent and intentional. “When you listen to them, it all makes sense,” de Jong says. “But they have their eyes trained on the factually true past, not the imaginative uncertain future.” Certainly, it’s valuable to have some historical perspective, he says, but you can’t let history cripple your ability to engage the future. Historians also often are cynics, ready to explain why things are they way they are and why your unconventional idea won’t work.
4. The Visionary. This is the one to strive to be. A visionary isn’t quick to hop on every fad, but also isn’t a naysayer about how things might be done differently. Instead, says de Jong, the visionary takes a mindful, future-oriented perspective, balancing the need for a compelling future with the awareness of the dangers of becoming dogmatic and overly optimistic. Visionaries are able to explain an imagined future in a way that fills people with energy and engages their imagination.

“A powerful vision isn’t just nice to have,” de Jong says. “It’s the most important tool in the transformational leader’s toolbox. A leader’s personal imagination, inspiration and dedication are what will ignite the excitement in the people they lead.”

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Rob-Jan de Jong, author of “Anticipate: The Art of Leading By Looking Ahead” (www.robjandejong.com), is an international speaker, writer and consultant on strategy and leadership themes.
He serves as an expert lecturer at various leading business schools such as the Wharton Business School (USA), Thunderbird School of Global Management (USA), Nyenrode Business University (The Netherlands), and Sabanci Business University (Turkey). As a behavioral strategist, he speaks, teaches and consults on executive subjects such as visionary leadership, influence, strategic decision-making, and innovation.

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5 Essential Traits Every Entrepreneur Needs

Entrepreneurship remains alive and well in America with thousands of people starting new businesses each year. But the success of those businesses is another matter. About half will fail in their first five years, according to Gallup. So why do some new businesses go belly up after a short existence while others prosper?

“Often it all comes down to the qualifications of the person who started the business,” says Randy H. Nelson, author of the Amazon best-selling book ‘The Second Decision: The Qualified Entrepreneur.’

“Anyone can start a business because no real qualifications are required to do that. But not everyone is qualified to run a business once it’s off the ground and that’s a huge factor in why so many fail.”

Nelson, who developed leadership skills as a Navy submarine officer and has a track record of starting and building successful businesses, suggests there are five essential traits that every entrepreneur needs to improve the odds of business success:

1. Discipline. It’s important to be disciplined within yourself to help move your organization forward and to produce good leadership decisions within a managerial team, Nelson says. An entrepreneur who is disciplined understands that “they don’t know what they don’t know,” he says. “This self-knowledge makes it clear how the entrepreneur’s shortcomings may be affecting his or her company, and so helps the entrepreneur make better decisions for the long run,” Nelson says. This entrepreneur also understands that, for the business to succeed in the long term, a transition must occur from the business being about “me” as its entrepreneur/CEO, to being about the overall needs of the company.
2. Leadership. To help a business succeed, Nelson says, it’s important that the entrepreneur understands that leadership within a company entails knowing your responsibilities and role, and knowing when to share or even delegate responsibility.
3. Self-awareness. In some cases, the person who created the company may not be CEO material and needs to understand that and find someone else to fill that role, Nelson says. “You have to take into consideration your own needs and desires and the needs and desires of the company,” he says. “It’s about the self-awareness journey through which you evaluate your skills and interests in each key aspect of managing a growth company.”
4. Understanding of issues and challenges. Within any company’s life cycle, numerous issues and challenges may arise. To lead a successful business, the entrepreneur needs to understand and acknowledge that four issues in particular may pose a challenge to his or her efforts to become the Qualified Entrepreneur that Nelson believes is necessary to success. Those issues are: insistence on autonomy; unwillingness to build structure, cultivate expertise or delegate; boredom; and failure to engage in self-examination.
5. Self-assessment. Nelson says it’s a bit ironic that entrepreneurs who are good at holding others accountable for their performances don’t take time to gauge how well they are doing themselves. “It’s important for the success of your business that you be able to do self-performance reviews,” he says.

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Randy H. Nelson is a speaker, a coach, a Qualified Entrepreneur, a former nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy and author of “The Second Decision – The Qualified Entrepreneur” (www.randyhnelson.com). He co-founded and later sold two market-leading, multi-million dollar companies — Orion International and NSTAR Global Services. His proudest professional achievement was at the Fast 50 awards ceremony in the Raleigh, N.C., area when NSTAR, a 10-year-old company, and Orion, a 22-year-old company, were awarded the rankings No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. Nelson now runs Gold Dolphins, LLC, a coaching and consulting firm to help entrepreneurial leaders and CEOs become Qualified Entrepreneurs and achieve their maximum potential. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Miami University, Ohio, and was awarded the Admiral Sidney W. Souers Distinguished Alumni Award there in 2011.

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