Choice Hotels International: Offering Tourists a Budget Friendly Travel and Lodging Experience

One of the million dollar businesses that is headquartered in Maryland is Choice Hotels International. The company is a hospitality business that holds its main office in Rockville, Maryland. The company serves as a parent business to numerous brand names that have a presence worldwide.

Thriving in the lodging and travel industry, the company has more than 6,300 locations around the world. They are the owners and operators of the motels Clarion, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Comfort Suites, Comfort Inn, Mainstay Suites, Cambria Hotel & Suites, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban Extended Stay and Ascend Hotel Collection. Their brand names are known for their reasonable price, excellent customer service and cleanliness of facilities.

Prior to becoming one of the leading lodging companies in the world, the operations of the company started as a referral chain in 1939 where the group would refer guests to the seven motels that are part of the business. Back then, they were trading under the name Quality Courts. During that time, the company has concentrated their operations within the United States, in those areas east of the Mississippi River. It was in 1972 that the company started franchising and to better represent their offerings, changed their name to Quality International.

The surge of other brand names came in the 1980s. It was during this era that the company acquired other businesses and started the introduction of the Comfort Inns brand name. As the business expanded aggressively, they also changed their name several times. It was in 1990 that they have finally settled for Choice Hotels International.

Since the last name change, the company has become the preferred choice of those travelers who are on a budget. Three of their hotel chains are considered as economy-oriented: Rodeway Inn, Econo Lodge and Friendships Inn. For those who want to splurge and enjoy a more upscale travel experience, they have the Cambria Suites which features designs based on contemporary styles.

GiveDirectly: Providing New Hope to Poor Families in Uganda and Kenya

GiveDirectly is a not-for-profit organization that funnels charitable contributions to families in Uganda and Kenya who are in extreme impoverished conditions. The donations are transferred unconditionally; without strings attached. GiveDirectly’s concept is contrary to popular opinion that the poor need close guidance for spending. In GiveDirectly’s experience, its recipients seldom go hungry and financial investments yield near-double returns.

The American Institute of Philanthropy has cited GiveDirectly as one of the most efficient charitable organizations. GiveDirectly funnels the funds using mobile phone and keeps the funds from passing through greedy middlemen. In 2013 for instance, GiveDirectly has distributed over $6 million people to close to 30,000 individuals. GiveDirectly ensures that only families living under thatched roofs (meaning the neediest) pass the screening process. Over a period of nine months, grants that average $1,000 are sent to the recipient via SMS.

GiveDirectly was founded by students of advanced economic development in Harvard and MIT. The idea was inspired by the explosion of mobile banking. GiveDirectly started with Kenya and has included Uganda beginning November 2013.

Kaplan: Getting Students Ready for a New Era of Education

Kaplan Inc. is a Graham Holdings Company subsidiary that offers education programs for associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degrees, professional training courses, and test preparation materials for different levels of education. For Kaplan, education is the best way to transform people’s lives. This belief is the rationale for Kaplan’s programs that seek to serve students from all ages - from the first grader that has to learn the alphabet to the professional that seeks his post-graduate degree.

For seven and a half decades, Kaplan has helped thousands of students discover their talents through student-centered and results-driven educational programs. Three segments make up Kaplans operations, namely Kaplan Higher Education, Kaplan Test Prep and Kaplan International.

Aside from Kaplan University that offers distance education, Kaplan Higher Education operates in the US through a growing partnership with 79 campuses in more than 20 states. Kaplan Higher Education encompasses a wide range of fields and disciplines including business, criminal justice, design, healthcare, information technology and legal and paralegal services. The schools under Kaplan Higher Education in the US have been accredited by one of the several accrediting agencies and have been approved by the US Department of Education.

When Kaplan Inc. began 75 years ago, its first business was the Kaplan Test Prep. Since giving its first test, Kaplan Test Prep has helped millions of students worldwide. With test preparations for over 90 standardized tests for English proficiency and college and graduate school admissions, Kaplan Test Prep has become a household name for students. On top of that, Kaplan Test Prep also offers academic tutoring that prepares the younger students through their K to 12 years.Kaplan Test Prep is also the preferred choice for preparation for licensure and advanced designation exams.

Comprised of Kaplan Asia Pacific and Kaplan Europe, Kaplan International offers programs that include the English language. It also provides test preparations, university pathway offerings, higher education and professional training that are designed to assist its students reach their academic goals and enhance their credentials so they can be competitive in the global marketplace.

Patreon: The Power of Crowdsourcing for Artists

It is quite frustrating for artists to spend $10,000 over a span of a few months to create their video project only to turn out only $100 once adorned online. Jack Conte was one of these “victims” who has maxed out his credit card while creating his music video for uploading to YouTube. While it cost it so much for him to finally come up with a video online, Conte was inspired to create a crowdsourcing site for musicians called Patreon.

Conte’s idea was to ask the fans to donate $1 for every video he makes. In just 13 months, Patreon was able to funnel $2 million from fans who loved art. Conte said these patrons were not limited to music lovers who watched the videos. Some of them visit the site to learn a lesson in science or read a comic strip.

Patreon started with just three artists. Today, 180 new creators are added every day to its 25,000 content creators already on board. One of these creators is the YouTube artist Kina Grannis. Her Patreon has already recruited 289 patrons. They subscribe to her videos at prices that range between $1 and $25 each.

Geak Watch: Creating the Next Generation Smartwatches

The Geak Watch is a part of the growing business of smartwatch manufacturer Shanda. With more than 300,000 Geak watches sold in 2013, Shanda was cited as the world’s leading smartwatch producer in 2013. Geak’s market was limited to China at the onset of the productions but this year, Shanda has announced that the company is now ready to expand to international markets. Foxconn subsidiary Saibo Electronics was granted the license to sell Geak Watch in Southeast Asian markets this year.

At a price of $325, Geak Watch is relatively high although its initial sales performance has been very impressive. This indicates China’s evolution into a world-class technology hub. The figures also show that more and more Chinese can afford a relatively expensive gadget. Indeed, China is becoming a huge market.

As a product handled by Shanda, Geak’s connection with the Chinese market is already a given advantage over other foreign companies. The Chinese prefer Weibo over Facebook and Twitter; WeChat over WhatsApp, Baidu over Google. Non-domestic companies will have to hurdle these challenges first before becoming successful on the Chinese market. What do these tell about Geak? It has a competitive advantage.

The second version of Geak Watch comes in a round shape. In the smartwatch world, the round shape is more preferred. Geak’s strategy was to go for the Android Wear over Android 4.3 to build its own apps store is seen by many as a risky move. But for Shanda, those two operating systems have too much in common and Shanda perceives that it can change once they get further in the business.

Since Geak Watch was launched on July 3, 2013, Shanda reported sales of 300,000 units. Although this number is way below Samsung Galaxy Gear's 800,000 and just a little above Pebble Smart Watch’s 280,000, Geak Watch was manufactured by a Chinese producer that was playing on fewer resources. This year, CEO Gu Xiaobing promised extensive product development efforts to improve its service and app customization to bring a whole new product experience in 2014.

Zaha Hadid Architects: Curved Designs and More

Zaha Hadid Architects is a company of professional architects led by Iraqi-British architect Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid. Hadid was the first woman recipient ever of the Pritzker Architecture Prize which she received in 2004. She was also the Stirling Prize winner in 2010 and 2011. Zaha Hadid Architects is known for neurofuturistic designs, mostly characterized with powerful curves in elongated structures.

The World Cup Stadium in Qatar is an expression of a powerful curve. Observers conclude that the structure resembled the female genitalia. While the rest of the world behold angular designs and phallic towers, Zaha Hadid Architects changed the landscape of architecture through its standout signature of curvy designs. Zaha Hadid Architects’ fearless designs landed it in the shortlists of the designers for the newest aquatic center in London and the luxury superyachts in Miami.

As a Stirling Prize awardee, Zaha Hadid Architects was invited by Lego in the 2014 London Festival of Architecture. Along with three other Stirling Prize awardees, each team was given one hour and 45 minutes to create an urban masterpiece out of Lego blocks. The judges chose Zaha Hadid Architects to win the contest where the company still used curve buildings.