Hants Hotel Strategy - Case Study Example

Hants Hotel Strategy Report Business Strategy An organization’s business strategy is a blue print of thatshows what the organization is aspiring to achieve and how it is going to achieve it. The strategy must give a breakdown of things or issues to be accomplished in and thus the strategy includes: the purpose of the existence of the organization; the goals and the objectives of the organization; the plans and the methods that will be established to achieve these goals and objectives (Miner, 2007, p. 37. ). In summary any business strategy involves: (a) The determination of the intricate long term goals and the objectives of the organization, the adoption of courses of action that includes the methods and the tactics that will be used to achieve the goals and objectives; and lastly the allocation of the resources that are key to the achievement of the espoused goals and objectives (Martin & Fellenz, 2010. p. 20 ). A strategy is about the direction which the business or organization is going to, the ways in which the organization can achieve the set objectives, satisfying the basic needs of the stakeholders, the blending of the company’s internal resources, a response to the environment and most important the attaining competitive advantage. A strategy is important in the general running of the business enterprise, strengthening the organization’s competitive situation, satisfying the customers and achieving established performance targets. Therefore, in developing a business strategy it is important that the organization begins by: (a) clarifying the existing objectives; (b) carrying out both internal and external audits; (c) conducting a SWOT analysis (d) developing specific plans to achieve the objectives (e) implementation of the set plans; (f) review and evaluation of the outcomes of the strategy developed; and (g) preparation of the next plan (Martin & Fellenz, 2010, pp. 24-26). The Hants Hotels has many problems, especially with the tactics and methods that are used to achieve their objectives in terms of Information Technology infrastructure and the entire business organization and structure. The business as it is shows some signs of growing, but much has to be done if the company has to be among the best Hotels in the region. This necessitates the creation of a good business strategy. The company has shown that in its bid to expand and cover a large population, the acquisition strategy is the best. This strategy is good for expansion and this is because a company is able to integrate and consolidate key resources such as financials, physical assets, and brand names among others. Key competencies, skills, knowledge bases and practices can lead to a more strategically placed organization. Hants hotel can continue using this strategy to expand its reach in cities. In order to attract more clients to come to the hotel, the hotel has to develop its infrastructure that is the physical assets such as the hotels themselves. It must have a unique selling proposition. This can be based on excellent customer care, quality customer experience, cleanliness and high standards of service. These can be achieved through training of staff that will be able to offer professional services in line with the company’s objectives. The company could also offer free accommodation for some of its loyal customers and this is a competitive advantage that will encourage switching from other hotels. Information system strategy An information system strategy is part and parcel of the organizations business strategy. An information system strategy is an organizational perspective on the investment in, deployment and the use and management of information systems. An information system has been defined as all people, equipment, activities and processes aimed at the collecting and processing of data to supply the information requirements of people found inside and outside the organization (Boddy, Boonstra, & Graham, 2008, p. 43). There are a variety of information systems and all these serve various purposes and combine various elements in and outside the organization. Information systems can be categorized into three broad categories; (a) those aimed at management support such as executive IS, management reporting IS and decision support information systems; (Stair & Reynolds, 2011, pp. 46-47); (b) those aimed at the support of knowledge work and these include business intelligent systems, office information systems and knowledge management systems; and the last category is those intended for operational support such as Transaction processing systems. It is important that each and every organization chooses an information system or a combination of information systems that matches its needs and can be supported by available resources in terms of personnel and finances (Daft & Marcic, 2010, pp.183-185). Hants hotel has major information dependence, just as any other hotel in the world. The situation at the hotel can be described as wanting because there are virtually no information systems in place to support its business objectives. The company is going to require at least one information system from each of the above mentioned categories to continue supporting its objectives. The required systems will make it easier for the company to make quick and timely decisions and also support its day to day operations as a hotel. The company is first going to require information systems for operational support and thus, take the transaction processing systems. These systems will be used to manage hotel bookings and reservations, check room availability, manage guest menus, process orders from clients among others. In this category, databases will be very crucial to the storage and management of the information. A functional website will also be important in collecting information from customers on hotel bookings, personal details, and these will be stored in the databases. Secondly, the decision support systems and the management reporting systems will also be important. The decision support systems will be used to guide the management on purchase decisions, expansion decisions as relates to the number of customer bookings or increased number of customers. The management reporting systems will be used to facilitate the collection of operational data at the different hotel branches in order to help make decisions. These systems usually provide aggregate data about the performance of the organization. These systems will be used to support decision making. Lastly, office management systems will be required and these will include the basic office applications for processing data. The hotel will now enter data in excel workbook or specialized financial applications that make data generation manipulation and presentation easy. A hotel requires a centralized information system to support its objectives. The company is still growing and therefore a centralized approach to its information is crucial. Stakeholders, company staff and customers can easily access this information at any time to facilitate their functions. The current state at Hants hotel where information is scattered and non-standardized is not good. Standardization of operations and data will make the company achieve operational efficiency and, at the same time, improve customer experience and satisfaction that may lead to increased profits. Information Technology strategy Information technology strategy is concerned with the planning, introduction and the use of technology or Information technology resources for the benefit of the organization stakeholders and its customers. Introduction of the IT strategy may require a change in working practices and culture of people within the organization (Chew & Gottschalk, 2009, p. 12). IT strategy goes hand in hand with the IS strategy and therefore, the IT strategy will require that the organization identifies its information needs which must be led by the needs of the organization and not the availability of technology (Rapp, 2002, pp. 20-22). Hants hotel has a poor IT strategy at the moment. The hotel uses computers for billing purposes but the computers all have different systems, most of which are outdated. Reservations are handled manually in all the hotels as there is no central reservation system. Financial reports are generated manually which increases chances of errors, and the communication systems are poor leading to late implementation of decisions and sometimes confusion. Hants hotel has to come up with a better information technology strategy. First, the company has to lay down the basic IT infrastructure. These include, first, the purchase of computers that can support the latest software and upgrades. These computers must be linked in all the hotels and this means that there will be a centralized system from where all the information can be got. It means that the company has to invest in databases and servers to support the centralized system. The systems must be linked over the internet, so that it is possible for any of the hotels to access the data or information that they require. Secondly, the Hotel has to buy software that will facilitate the whole process. There are a lot of application software that can be useful for hotels. The most common software that Hants hotel must have are: the central reservation system software and the Internet booking engine (IBE), sales and catering software for tracking sales and in the restaurants and room service, event management software that is used for managing room bookings, functions etc., hotel accounting software and hotel front desk software. All these must be linked over an internet connection, so that any branch of the hotel can access information or data anytime. List of references Boddy, d., Boonstra, A., & Graham, K. (2008). Managing information systems: strategy and organization. New York: Prentice Hall Financial Times. Chew, K., & Gottschalk, P. (2009). Information Technology Strategy and management. New York: Idea Group Inc. Daft, R. L., & Marcic, D. (2001). Understanding Management. Wardsworth: Cengage Learning. Martin, J., & Fellenz, m. (2010). Organizational behaviour and Management. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Miner, J. B. (2007). Organizational behaviour: From theory to practice. New York: M. E Sharpe. Rapp, W. V. (2002). Information technology Strategies: How leading firms use IT to gain Advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sahaf. (2004). Strategic marketing:Making Decisions For Strategic Advantage. New York: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Stair, R., & Reynolds, G. (2011). Principles of Information Systems. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Read More