The prize for a PhD is a half decade of stresses around tenure. The prize for a law degree is the bar exam.

Congratulations, ALCO!

I too despise moving. The most fun part of the apartment was unpacking the kitchen gear, because all of it was new. Packing all the crap back up when we inevitably leave that apartment will be the epitome of :rolleyes:.

And the prize at the end of a Master's in just about anything is a thesis. This Master's in Hospitality requires a thesis and defense. Wonder if I can make a convincing argument to do a thesis on loyalty programs.

There are a couple of FTers connected with a loyalty program consulting company in ZRH who love to talk about it. I think that chrissxb can give you some more information about it than I can.

Congrats ALCO!!!!

Now start studying.

Added another day to this presentation trip in BOS and still came in under my travel authorization ^

Thanks; good to keep in mind. That could also be an avenue of opportunity post-degree.

Decent day at work?

Certainly. There are any number of points of view and directions to approach the issue: economics, brand positioning, psychology to name three at random. And consultants are sure to have insights into existing literature and unresolved issues/opinions.

Forgot to mention - intentionally "opted-out" of the Nude-O-Scope at BOS (although no one else in line did, this was my first encounter). TSA staffer was very professional.

No. Sundays never are. All of the arrivals are biz travelers who despise the notion of tipping to the point that I will open one of the two doors to the lobby and they will open the other door themselves. And yet some people wonder why I hate people.

..another +1 for ALCO here. Congrats!

To be a bit more precise, a PhD in the sciences will get you, after PD fellowship, a lifetime of grant writing to fund your research lab, your academic post and your post doctoral fellows who do the research that you need to publish in order to write your grants which in turn will (if approved) allow you to fund them and your lab. Eventually you will get your tenure if you are good at the above. However, once you become successful at parts 1 and 2, you don't need part 3 anymore since you will be moving every 5 years to better and better (i.e. larger labs and more post doc fellows, more institution support, higher academic levels) until you eventually become a Department Head, and you can rule over all the academics and staffs of your department. If you are really really good, you get to be Dean of the school. Ach, that's another story. And all it takes is a lifetime of writing really great grants :eek::eek:

The wife isnt too happy about my routing decisions for this weekends trip :p

http://www.gcmap.com/map?P=lga-atl-f...X=540x540&PM=*

As a thesis adviser, I would have no problem with this topic and it appears you could approach it from many different levels in regards to the hospitality industry. In fact, I could see you getting in way over your head for just a masters thesis, so if you do this, set strict boundaries for your topic.