Sport

For other uses, see Sport (disambiguation).Sport in childhood. Association football, shown above, a team sport, and may provide social interaction.Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. Sport is commonly defined as an organized, competitive and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play. Sports differ from games based on levels of organization and profit (not always monetary). Accurate records are kept and updated, while failures and accomplishments are widely announced in sport news.
[edit] Terminology
Show Jumping commonly denoted by the collective noun "sport". In American English, "sports" is more used.[citation needed] In all English dialects, "sports" is the term used for more than one specific sport. For example, "football and swimming are my favourite sports", would sound natural to all English speakers, whereas "I enjoy sport" would sound less natural than "I enjoy sports" to North Americans.The term is sometimes extended to encompass all competitive activities in which offense and defense are played, regardless of the level of physical activity. Both games of skill and motor sport exhibit many of the characteristics of physical sports, such as skill, sportsmanship, and at the highest levels, even professional sponsorship associated with physical sports. Air sports, billiards, bridge, chess, motorcycle racing, and powerboating are all recognized as sports by the International Olympic Committee with their world governing bodies represented in the Association of the IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.[1]
Sports that are subjectively judged are distinct from other judged activities such as beauty pageants and bodybuilding shows because an activity is being evaluated, rather than the physical attributes of the participant. okay

How To Become A Sportsgirl

If you are motivated, enthusiastic, committed and love fashion and fun, then you might just have what it takes to be part of out team! If you're interested in becoming a Sportsgirl, read on...it's easy! How To Become A SportsgirlThere are two ways to apply. You can apply for any of the advertised positions you see listed on the site, or, if there is nothing listed that you are keen on, you can leave us your details to let us know you want to get on board.Simply click on the "Express Interest" button at the top right hand side of this page. This is also where you will findyour menu options to guide you around the site.You don't need a Resume - Just Set Up Profile!Setting up a Sportsgirl profile is like an online account, complete with your own private log in and password details. Once you have set up your Profile you can log in at any time to update, change, add or remove details in your Profile.You don't even need a resume - everything we need to know from you is all contained in the Profile you set up. There is no need to attach any other documentation either- just answer all of the questions and you're good to go!We Won't Forget You!Unlike many resumes, which end up being lost, forgotten or just thrown out, your Profile will remain in our database for up to six months.Our database is the first place we look when we need to get new Sportsgirls, so you only need to set up your account once with us and then just update it if your details change.As positions become available we will search our database to find those best suited to our vacant roles. We will then contact you to begin the interview stage of our recruitment process. This will be done either via telephone or email so it is really important that you keep your Profile as up to date as possible and keep checking your emails regularly.If within six months no suitable positions have come up or you have not maintained your Profile you will receive a reminder email from us letting you know the date when your account will expire. We can only keep your Profile on our database for a total of six months. If your account does expire but you are still interested in getting on board with us you will need to set up a new Profile.So if you think you have what it takes to be a Sportsgirl, let us know - we'd love to hear from you.
Sportsgirl Recruitment xx

Charting A Wiser Course

For over fifteen years, the Negotiating Solutions workshop has helped thousands of people throughout aviation/aerospace (and from our other infrastructure industries) craft far better agreements inside the organization and out into the marketplace. Now, as aviation companies worldwide realize they must change their cultures if they are to succeed, we're pleased to announce the publication of “Charting A Wiser Course: How Aviation Can Address the Human Side of Change” as a resource to their efforts. The business press is full of articles about the need for change. Heritage airlines must reinvent themselves to compete with Low Cost Carriers. Aircraft manufacturers need to integrate seamlessly with tiers of suppliers. Lean/Six Sigma efforts must incorporate the spirit of lean, not just the techniques. Businesses must change the relationship between employee groups and management. Even Southwest must assure it doesn't lose its cultural core as it enters a post–Herb Kelleher era. Our best companies recognize this change is not just structural, technical, and procedural. They know they also must address the behavioral and managerial elements of change — how they work together inside the organization and out into the marketplace. Until Charting A Wiser Course, no one has laid out a path for how to do this. The book invites readers to revisit their own life and times in our industry. As they do so, it builds with them the concepts, models, and vocabulary they need to talk with each other about how we got into our current situation and how we can get out of it together. Readers come to see that their environments have changed so much the very behaviors that once were the basis for their success may now be getting in the way of their own objectives. They discover how to change their behaviors — no easy task — to achieve their challenging objectives. By the time they've finished reading, they understand how to and they feel able to meet the challenge. The book's insight and “tell it like it is” humor has struck a responsive chord. The Repair Discipline Chief for an engine services company commented, “You have me hooked. Not just another motivational 'How To' book by a long shot. I was laughing aloud on the flight last night.” A Pratt & Whitney general manager wrote, “I took the book with me on a two–week business trip and read it in two evenings. This provided me with very little sleep.” A senior contracts manager for a 787 corporate partner declared, “It was definitely a page turner. I find it hard to believe that anyone in this crazy industry wouldn't relate to it.” And an international marketing manager for a major engine company stated, “I want you to know, you wrote my life.” We think we may have written yours, too.

Aviation Interactive

The Air Mauritius board of directors met in the presence of its financial and legal advisors to review the current state of affairs of the airline yesterday. Top of the agenda was the slowing of demand and the crippling fuel hedging agreements currently in place. Based on unaudited figures, the airline has realised a net loss of EUR20.5m on its hedging contracts during the nine months ending December 31, 2008. Unrealised losses (mark-to-market) as at December 31, 2008 on unexpired hedge contracts maturing up to August 2010 stood at EUR129.5m.
A feature of hedging agreements is that collateral, usually in the form of cash, needs to be deposited with the hedge counterparties when losses on the contracts exceed a set level. All airlines are of course required to account for losses arising not only on the volumes contracted for the year, but also losses expected to arise on volumes contracted for future years, if the fuel spot price is lower than the contracted price under a hedging agreement. These are in accounting terms referred to as contingent losses from mark-to-market operations.
Air Mauritius has now been forced to appoint hedge specialists to develop risk-reducing strategies and restructure the hedge portfolio accordingly. However, this is a complex operation and it is too early to determine any potential benefits that may be realised, especially in this current market. Air Mauritius has hedged directly with financial institutions. As of today, these counterparties for fuel hedging are Barclays Capital, BNP, Mitsui and Morgan Stanley.
Air Mauritius has had to issue collaterals totaling EUR117.9m in various forms including cash, letters of credit and government guarantee. To ease pressure on the company's cash flow, the Mauritius government has pledged guarantees to the tune of $110m (EUR78.5m) of which the equivalent of EUR60.7m has been utilised. Depending on future fuel price movements the actual hedging loss could be higher or lower than the projected unrealised hedging loss. At current oil prices, Air Mauritius expects the current collaterals in place to be sufficient to meet the company's liabilities, except for an equivalent amount of EUR18m, a facility that it is currently renegotiating; and that cash resources must be available to meet the commitments of the company as hedge contracts mature and losses must be settled in cash. The current collateral in place could also be affected by a decline in demand for travel and cargo, it is this factor which will tell during 2009 and will hurt Air Mauritius and others in the same situation.
Indeed, the third quarter results of Air Mauritius were impacted by declines in demand for travel and cargo resulting in lower revenue to the order of EUR6.4m compared to the same period last year. For the financial year ending March 31, 2009, the company is expecting a revenue shortfall of EUR26.3m compared to corresponding figures of the last financial year. So estimated results for Air Mauritius as at December 31, 2008 and forecasts going to March 31, 2009 on the basis that unrealised hedging losses would be recognised through the Hedge Equity Reserve Account - the impact of the afore mentioned factors has resulted in estimated losses of EUR18m at the end of December 2008 (2007 saw a profit of EUR11.6m) and projected losses of EUR23.1 m at the end of March 2009 (2008 saw a profit of EUR15.6m).
Air Mauritius has resolved that the total funding needs of the company are estimated at EUR65m and are expected to be met principally from the realisation of non-core assets and bridging finance, together with a call for fresh capital. The injection of fresh capital will consolidate the company's equity base in the interest of all its stakeholders. The board has resolved to recommend accordingly. Air Mauritius is currently reviewing its network in the light of current reduced demand, relying on agreements with the likes of Air France-KLM to take on more code sharing. Therefore the new operating plan has implications on fleet and other resources including human resources. It is thought that some members of the board will step down during 2009 as redundancies are announced.
Of course all these actions and variables are well and good - the real problems will start though if oil were to fall below $30 a barrel and/or if the Euro were to depreciate against the US Dollar - a distinct possibility at this time. If either of these events occur during the next few months then all bets are off for Air Mauritius and they will have to entertain the possibility of a worst case scenario of deep cuts to fleet and staff levels.
If you think that this is a scenario limited to Air Mauritius then think again. Weak demand is now a given, oil prices, debt levels and currency fluctuation hold all the keys for the future and they are very hard to plan for or predict. Many companies are indeed in the lap of the gods during 2009!

Motor Insurance

Motor insurance is in good demand of corporate and individual customers. Car risk insurance is required by all car holders. You can purchase a set of offered insurance services at cut rates.
Car insurance Subject of insurance is a car ansupplementary equipment. GPI Holding’s car insurance includes several insurance schemes (automechanic, automatic, autotronic). Each insurance scheme, within the sum insured, with various insurance limits, provides for the reimbursement of losses caused by damages to or destruction of a car or its parts due to the following risks:
Accident (collision, overturn, collapse);
Fire, spontaneous combustion;
Natural disaster;
Car theft, damages during a car theft, theft of different parts, glass damages and other damages caused by the third party’s unlawful acts (burglary, robbery).
GPI Holding will reimburse:
Any necessary and reasonable costs incurred by an insured for keeping his/her insured car, for preventing and/or reducing damages, for identifying a size of damages;
A car transportation cost to the nearest repair shop where the car is not in running order due to the insured accident;
Car repair costs including reimbursement of costs incurred for certain equipment, special parts and labor;
Total sum insured in case a car’s damage exceeds 70% due to the abovementioned risks.
An insured shall immediately notify the insurance company on the insured accident and allow GPI Holding’s experts to examine his/her damaged car and to make relevant estimates.
The main factors of insurance premium calculation are as follows:
1. Car type and model;
2. Engine power;
3. Actual car value;
4. Term of insurance period.

Health Insurance

Everyone knows that insurance premiums can be affected by your credit history or perhaps a spotty driving record in the case of auto insurance. But few people realize that an insurance company's loss experience is one of the biggest factors for determining how much they will pay for coverage. How so? Well, say for example an insurance company paid out a large amount of homeowner insurance claims due to a particularly catastrophic year of floods and fire damage. The same insurance company may also provide auto insurance coverage. To compensate for the losses experienced under their home owner insurance division, they may raise premiums for their car insurance customers even if they had no accidents or tickets. Or, they could simply increase the insurance prices for house insurance policyholders in another state. Insurance is a business, and like any other business it needs to generate profit. Monetary losses from an excessive amount of insurance claims are usually shifted to the consumer in the package of higher insurance premiums. If the insurance company had an extremely profitable year, they may lower rates to attract more customers and increase the number of policyholders they have. For this reason, insurance rates vary greatly from one company to another.Health and life insurance rates are very low right now in this competitive insurance industry. However, some health and life insurance companies offer low initial rates to gain insurance customers and then gradually increase these teaser insurance rates over time. The best way to ensure you are getting the best price for your insurance needs is to review your policy rates regularly and compare them against what other competing insurance companies are offering. You can do this by requesting insurance quotes from multiple insurancecompanies.

Industry organization.

Goods and services. The insurance industry provides protection against financial losses resulting from a variety of perils. By purchasing insurance policies, individuals and businesses can receive reimbursement for losses due to car accidents, theft of property, and fire and storm damage; medical expenses; and loss of income due to disability or death.
Industry organization. The insurance industry consists mainly of insurance carriers (or insurers) and insurance agencies and brokerages. In general, insurance carriers are large companies that provide insurance and assume the risks covered by the policy. Insurance agencies and brokerages sell insurance policies for the carriers. While some of these establishments are directly affiliated with a particular insurer and sell only that carrier’s policies, many are independent and are thus free to market the policies of a variety of insurance carriers. In addition to supporting these two primary components, the insurance industry includes establishments that provide other insurance-related services, such as claims adjustment or third-party administration of insurance and pension funds. These other insurance industry establishments also include a number of independent organizations that provide a wide array of insurance-related services to carriers and their clients. One such service is the processing of claims forms for medical practitioners. Other services include loss prevention and risk management. Also, insurance companies sometimes hire independent claims adjusters to investigate accidents and claims for property damage and to assign a dollar estimate to the claim.Insurance carriers assume the risk associated with annuities and insurance policies and assign premiums to be paid for the policies. In the policy, the carrier states the length and conditions of the agreement, exactly which losses it will provide compensation for, and how much will be awarded. The premium charged for the policy is based primarily on the amount to be awarded in case of loss, as well as the likelihood that the insurance carrier will actually have to pay. In order to be able to compensate policyholders for their losses, insurance companies invest the money they receive in premiums, building up a portfolio of financial assets and income-producing real estate which can then be used to pay off any future claims that may be brought. There are two basic types of insurance carriers: primary and reinsurance. Primary carriers are responsible for the initial underwriting of insurance policies and annuities, while reinsurance carriers assume all or part of the risk associated with the existing insurance policies originally underwritten by other insurance carriers. Primary insurance carriers offer a variety of insurance policies. Life insurance provides financial protection to beneficiaries—usually spouses and dependent children—upon the death of the insured. Disability insurance supplies a preset income to an insured person who is unable to work due to injury or illness, and health insurance pays the expenses resulting from accidents and illness. An annuity (a contract or a group of contracts that furnishes a periodic income at regular intervals for a specified period) provides a steady income during retirement for the remainder of one’s life. Property-casualty insurance protects against loss or damage to property resulting from hazards such as fire, theft, and natural disasters. Liability insurance shields policyholders from financial responsibility for injuries to others or for damage to other people’s property. Most policies, such as automobile and homeowner’s insurance, combine both property-casualty and liability coverage. Companies that underwrite this kind of insurance are called property-casualty carriers.Some insurance policies cover groups of people, ranging from a few to thousands of individuals. These policies usually are issued to employers for the benefit of their employees or to unions, professional associations, or other membership organizations for the benefit of their members. Among the most common policies of this nature are group life and health plans. Insurance carriers also underwrite a variety of specialized types of insurance, such as real-estate title insurance, employee surety and fidelity bonding, and medical malpractice insurance. Other organizations in the industry are formed by groups of insurance companies, to perform functions that would result in a duplication of effort if each company carried them out individually. For example, service organizations are supported by insurance companies to provide loss statistics, which the companies use to set their rates. Recent developments. Congressional legislation now allows insurance carriers and other financial institutions, such as banks and securities firms, to sell one another’s products. More insurance carriers now sell financial products such as securities, mutual funds, and various retirement plans. This approach is most common in life insurance companies that already sold annuities, but property and casualty companies also are increasingly selling a wider range of financial products. In order to expand into one another’s markets, insurance carriers, banks, and securities firms have engaged in numerous mergers, allowing the merging companies access to each other's client base and geographical markets.
Insurance carriers have discovered that the Internet can be a powerful tool for reaching potential and existing customers. Most carriers use the Internet simply to post company information, such as sales brochures and product information, financial statements, and a list of local agents. However, an increasing number of carriers are starting to expand their Web sites to enable customers to access online account and billing information, and some carriers even allow claims to be submitted online. Many carriers also provide insurance quotes online based on the information submitted by customers on their Internet sites. In fact, some carriers will allow customers to purchase policies through the Internet without ever speaking to a live agent. In addition to individual carrier-sponsored Internet sites, several “lead-generating” sites have emerged. These sites allow potential customers to input information about their insurance policy needs. For a fee, the sites forward customer information to a number of insurance companies, which review the information and, if they decide to take on the policy, contact the customer with an offer. This practice gives consumers the freedom to accept the best rate.