MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS Management Information Systems is a general name for the academic discipline covering the application

of information technology to support the major functions and activities of either a private sector business or public sector institution. In business, information systems support the process of collection, manipulation, storage, distribution and utilization of an organization's information resources, business processes and operations. As an area of study it is also referred to as information technology management. The study of information systems is usually a commerce and business administration discipline, and frequently involves software engineering, but also distinguishes itself by concentrating on the integration of computer systems with the aims of the organization. Management Information Systems are not just statistics and data analysis, but also assessment of human capabilities. They have to be used as an MBOManagement by Objectives--tool. They help to establish relevant and measurable objectives; monitor results and performances (reach ratios) and send alerts to managers at each level of the organization, on all deviations between results and pre-established objectives and budgets. IS managers and professionals should keep themselves updated with evolving information technologies. They should have a solid foundation of technical skills to select appropriate technologies and to implement computer-based information systems. Thus, MIS people must be well versed in topics such as systems development tools and techniques, information architecture, network configurations, databases, and systems integration. Administrators, supervisors and managers need information, but they are often overloaded with data. Information management systems sustain these piles of data into comprehensible and concise descriptions and patterns of performance. Information systems are not just technological facilities - such as databases. They include methods of pondering about your organization that will aid in approaching issues more effectively and efficiently. Management information systems make use of resources that would assist in understanding and making better decisions about the mechanical and personal sides of information systems.

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR The hospitality industry is one of the main engines for growth in the UK economy driven by the UK Tourism industry and the robust business outlook. For example, the Internet has made it possible for customers to search hotels, and make comparisons on price and service and then to confirm bookings online. Online business strategy is becoming a popular key word amongst the Hospitality sector. More tourists, whether from home or abroad, are booking independently. The way the sector does business is changing. The hotel sub-sector is increasingly dependent on information technology. IT is used for a variety of functions to facilitate business operations from reservations to cook chill processes. Many hotels now offer e-mail, Internet and video conferencing facilities to guests. Latest developments include broadband and wireless networking available in rooms for suitably equipped lap-tops.

MIS for Hotel

People prefer hotels when they are out of their homes, might be on vacations, spending their leisure time, or on some official duties. Hotel is a place where people would like to have a distinctive service. Due to lot of competitions in the hotel service, the concept has changed from convenience of stay to comfort and enjoyment. Today, hotels are not only meant for a individual stay but now its a place for business meetings, interviews, conferences, live concerts. Every time the hotel needs to undergo change according to the needs of the customers Main function of hotel industry is to provide a room to stay with basic amenities and facilities so that customer has a comfortable stay. Managers put all efforts to keep hotel occupancy high all the times. Responsibilities of MIS plays important role of providing information to the best possible way, so that customers expectations are fulfilled. Sector trends and issues Hotel groups are looking at guest profiling leading to frequent lodger programmes allowing guests to take their individual preferences from hotel to hotel with a single guest profile number. Hotels in particular are now developing e-marketing strategies both to develop new business and to retain repeat customers. There will be a merging of back office, administration and accounting data with front office customer care and guest histories. All this will link up with reservations, distribution, procurement and supply chain management.

Big changes are coming in the way payments are accepted by credit and debit cards. The new system is called chip and PIN and it's already in effect starting this year 2005. Increasing numbers of restaurants are turning to more technological methods to speed up the process. Hand-held terminals are one way of doing this. Consider this; what technology do your guests look for when they arrive in their hotel room? What do they need? What would they like? And what could they do without? For eg, simply everything the business guest requires has a technology implication! From Wireless Broadband TV, Printers and Fax to access internet through TV! Online marketing strategies including E-commerce development portal and online application development to facilitate and promote service offerings, hotel bookings online through company website. Investing in Property Management Systems, a computer system that links together all the different parts of the hotel. It can be used to gather information from all those systems, such as the phones, restaurant and bar, to calculate guests bills and monitor stock and even staff performance.

Performance Management in the Hospitality Sector Managing information to reflect the business focus Competition for consumer spends continues to be fierce and smart businesses know that to stay ahead they need fast and accurate management information to allow them to respond quickly to challenges and opportunities. In the hospitality industry, as with other service sector businesses, successful performance management is not just about collecting hard data relating to sales figures and room occupancy rates but may also include measures to reflect soft elements like guest satisfaction and brand standards. Effective performance management embraces all the measures the business needs to monitor current success or predict future trends and combines data into reports that give an immediate view of where managers should focus. Successful performance management systems typically take information directly from key systems, combine it and make it available to users in different ways according to their role in the business: Dashboards Scorecards

 Standard reports / briefing book reports Analysis tools Planning, forecasting and budgeting tools Dashboards are used to manage performance on a day to day basis. Reports are highly visual and show at a glance the status of whatever measures the business is focused on while a drill-through facility gives access to the detail behind the summary figures. Exception reports ensure that good and poor performance is flagged up immediately to enable operations staff to take action. In the current climate costs are attracting much more attention as businesses review areas for reduction. Standard Reports and Briefing Books deliver reports like the P&L and Balance Sheet in their familiar format but scheduled for production on demand and customised to display only the sector or department required. Reports are delivered by email (PDF or Excel), web or MS Office (automated PowerPoint, Excel, Word). The major benefit of this type of automatically updated report is that it delivers information to the user from an authentic and reliable source. Analysis Tools are at the more sophisticated end of the reporting tool spectrum and allow ad hoc, extremely flexible interrogation of large reporting databases. The data can be sliced and diced however required by area manager, region, brand or time affording users extraordinary analysis capabilities. Scorecards provide a controlled way of measuring the performance of the business and typically include a range of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that relate to the expectations of different stakeholder groups. For example, Whitbreads scorecard has Investor (shareholders), People (employees) and Guest (customer) measures to reflect the organisations focus on meeting each groups expectations. The Balanced Scorecard was developed by Kaplan and Norton as a strategic tool to give managers a more comprehensive view of the business and its performance with a focus on the areas that drive the financial results. Several large organisations in the service sector, including Whitbread, have attributed their recent success to the implementation of this management tool.

Planning, Forecasting and Budgeting tools take advantage of the access to multiple business data sources afforded by the performance management system to create cross-functional plans that break through departmental silos and touch all areas. They also provide a simple and efficient way to gather up everyones forecasts and manage the budgeting process. Such tools can be extremely useful in accelerating the planning process or anticipating where corrective action may be needed, but care is needed when selecting products as not all tools deliver the same benefits.

Corporate Performance Management Vendors Vendors marketing performance management software include IBM (Cognos), SAP (Business Objects), Oracle (Hyperion) and Microsoft. Bespoke systems avoid the licence costs incurred when using products from the major vendors but can be expensive to develop. Specialist vendors like QlikView provide dashboard systems. For prospective buyers, the demonstrations and claims for the various systems are similar and it is important to question the vendor to understand how the system works. An alternative option is to use the services of an independent BI consultant who can demystify some of the jargon, give an objective assessment of vendor claims and help to develop a specification that accurately reflects organisational needs. How does Performance Management work in practice? Implementing a performance culture clearly has as much to do with the managers responsible for introducing and developing it as the systems designed to support it. But the systems that collect, report and present information to all the parties in the process are crucial to the success of performance management in practice. Communicating accurate information quickly in an accessible format makes managers and their teams better informed and equipped to deal with day-to-day challenges andgives board members the summary information they need to confirm or amend strategic direction. The virtuous circle generated by performance management has a beneficial impact on all stakeholders; by measuring soft elements of business how it is perceived by customers, how well it manages its staff as well as monitoring how these measures translate into financial results, everyone wins. Customers are better treated, staffs feel valued, trading improves and management and investors see an increase in profitability.