And develop individual knowledge on management information systems based on the PMS systems. Highlight the significance of the application of MIS to hotels - Research Paper Example

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS Management Information Systems Today, businesses internationally make use of MIS extensively. In these businesses, MIS is employed as a tool for accumulating and assembling figures and facts about all business processes that are essential (Khosrowpour, 2006). Normally, the information is organized well and presented in meaningful ways such as reports. Particularly, the MIS aims at controlling the policies and the work force, technologies, practices and procedures of the business.

Management Information System helps the business in efficient and effective decision making process. The data of the organization, such as information on the standard operating procedures, processes, and even methodologies of audit preparation are all organized and presented in the way of reports (Dash-Wu, 2011). Additionally, the internal controls for all departments that list the work flow between workers, the management-responsibility interactions or relationships, are all listed by the Management Information Systems.

Using MIS enhances a two-way flow of communication. The management freely and easily tells its workforce its jobs, as well as the means in which they are supposed to accomplish those tasks assigned to them. The workers in turn; discuss their concerns, problems and doubts. In this case, there so many process models, for instance, A Logical Model (Ford & Sturman, 2012). This model clearly shows what, and how the system is, or even depicts the independent of the system of any technical implementation (Ammenwerth, Brig, & Haux, 2010).

Sometimes, the logical model is also called the business model as it focuses on the real requirements of the business. Normally, a sound logical design helps to put in order the physical design process simply by defining the structures of information clearly as well as the link between them.  An ideal data model is designed by thinking about the future and current requirements of business (Singh & Bhattacharya, 1995).  A logical data model entails all the required attributes, entities, relationships and key groups that not only represent business information, but also define the rules of business.

MIS represents the approach a business takes to collect information necessary in making key decisions in the business. The hospitality industry, just like any other industry requires a system to collect and distribute information relevant to running the business. Administration in the hospitality sector revolves around several different responsibilities, beginning from sales and marketing to housekeeping, room rentals, facilities’ management and food service maintenance (Shajahan & Priyadharshini, 2004).

An information system can assist organizations track both operational and financial information at one point, enabling administrators to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of hotels. One of the key benefits of the systems is that it allows managers in the hospitality sector to determine how best they; market their points, sell rooms, monitor profit obtained every night, determine the staff required to run the business and the cost of auxiliary services. In the case of franchised hotels, this information is usually sent to the uppermost management in a company for review.

Conventionally, management information systems entail several manual processes that convey information from one party to the other (Wood & Brotherton, 2008). However, computerized systems reduce the lead time for the transfer of information and allow hotels to deliver information in real-time capacity to the intended parties. A property management system (PMS) is software employed to mechanize or computerize the hotel operations (Kamel, 2003). It is the core of the operations of a property since it handles processing of check-ins and check-outs, as well as reservations.

It keeps track and record of the number of rooms unoccupied giving the rate at which they are going. It also handles marketing and front office accounting. Since the front desk normally makes the difference between ‘long-term relationships’ and ‘regrets,’ employing PMS system such as Application Service Providers (ASP) is vital (DAtri, 2010). This software is meant to meet the different needs of any size of the hotel. In addition, this system provides all the tools needed by a hotel staff to do their daily jobs such as checking guests out and in, making reservations, managing room inventory, assigning rooms, accommodating the requirements of in-house guests, as well as handling billing and accounting (Deakin, 2004).

The PMS software is adaptable to the requirements of each property and operates in either multi-property mode or single-property mode, and all properties controlled by an enterprise shares a single database. The key benefit of PMS is that it can be tailored to fit the operational needs of the business. It can also be scaled to suit hotels size; help a business become productive, professional and profitable. Lastly, it avails fast, precise and online information on the property. With the invention of applications that are web-based for a wide range of business functions, operators of hotels have been pursuing a way to leverage this novel technology for the hospitality industry (Colombo, 2010).

Operators of hotels are driving this shift as they seek to find ways to cut down their capital costs, as well as ongoing costs linked with the Property Management Systems solutions. Another key advantage is that ASP PMS is easier to install. Today, most PMS products require several days of on-site training. Nonetheless, several web-based PMS vendors such as ASP require no installation on-site (Green, 2002). Training is carried out via web tutorials or with a computer-based model of training (CBT).

Normally, other vendors send those being trained to the property, although only for a short period; usually not more than one week.  The ASP model also provides a golden opportunity not only to hotel chains, but also to management of companies (Bardi, 2011).  By taking up an ASP Property Management System strategy, a hotel chain, as well as company management, at the business level can give centralized hosting of the server and database; thereby spreading costs to several properties. In turn, this can provide extra savings by eliminating or reducing the need for knowledge in information technology (Kumar, 1996).

Setting up properties data into a centralized database provides a company management with the chance to deploy CRM tools and extract reporting that is customized from the database. This facilitates viewing of progress across the enterprise.  Traditionally, database structures have been kept in the application level of property, an aspect that restricts the ability to interface property data in a central location. (Schäfer & Botella, 1995). The ASP PMS model, in this case, eliminates the need for such databases, allowing the integration of data across several locations within a company.

Therefore, ASP PMS solution offers an opportunity for a standard change in the way the PMS requirements designed for the hospitality industry can be availed. This is because it makes use of the internet as a vehicle of cost containment and integration with the trend of services delivery that are web-based.  References Ammenwerth, E., Brig, B., & Haux, R. (2010). Health Information Systems: Architectures and Strategies. Guildford, Surrey: Springer London. Bardi, J. (2011). Hotel front office management.

Hoboken: Wiley. Colombo, L. (2010). Computer-based modeling of novel carbon systems and their properties : beyond nanotubes. Berlin: Springer Science. Dash-Wu, D. (2011). Modeling risk management in sustainable construction. Heidelberg: Springer. DAtri, A. (2010). Information systems: people, organizations, institutions, and technologies. Berlin Heidelberg: Physica-Verl. Deakin, M. (2004). Property management: corporate strategies, financial instruments and the urban environment. Aldershot: Ashgate. Ford, R., & Sturman, M. (2012). Managing quality service in hospitality: how organizations achieve excellence in the guest experience.

Clifton Park, N.Y: Cengage Learning. Green, S. (2002). Dust in the solar system and other planetary systems: proceedings of the IAU Colloquium 181, held at the University of Kent, Canterbury, U.K., 4-10 April 2000. Amsterdam: Pergamon. Kamel, S. (2003). Managing globally with information technology. Hershey, Pa: IRM Press. Khosrowpour, M. (2006). Emerging trends and challenges in information technology management. Hershey, Penn: Idea Group. Kumar, S. (1996). The codesign of embedded systems: a unified hardware software representation.

Boston: Kluwer Academic Publ. Schäfer, W., & Botella, P. (1995). Software engineering-ESEC 95: 5th European Software Engineering Conference, Sitges, Spain, September 25-28, 1995: proceedings. Berlin: Springer, cop. Shajahan, S., & Priyadharshini, R. (2004). Management information systems. New Delhi: New Age International. Singh, M., & Bhattacharya, A. (1995). Management information system. Singapore: SSMB Publishing Div. Wood, R., & Brotherton, B. (2008). The Sage handbook of hospitality management.

Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage.