Managing Strategies in Amusement Park Cum Resort - Case Study Example

 Veega Land-An Amusement Park cum Resort- Improvement of Off Season Promotion Process Through launching website and LAN Network Table of Contents Abstract ……………………………………………………………………… 3 1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………. 4 2. A System Based Diagnosis of the Situation ………………………………… 4 3. Analysis of the Process ……………………………………………………… 6 4. The Role of Information …………………………………………………….. 8 5. Proposal for the Change……………………………………………………… 9 5.1 Implementation ……………………………………………………. 10 5.2 Duration for commencement ……………………………………… 11 5.3 Personals Involved ………………………………………………… 12 5.4 The Benefit of the Change ……………………………………….. 12 6. Self Reflection……………………………………………………………… 12 7. Conclusion………………………………………………………………….. 13 References………………………………………………………………….. 14 Abstract This case study is in fact looking at the details of a real world situation in an Amusement Park cum Resort. Mainly, this study will analyse the managing strategies with its various problems to diagnose and bring about the inevitable changes in promoting their off season revenues as the resort is open round the year but off season brings an income much less than the expenses at the moment. In order to assess the situation minutely this study uses the Innovation System for Performance Improvement and RE-organization (INSPIRE) systems methodology. The role of information system is evaluated and critically discussed as a preamble to the suggested proposal for change. The change that would take place in the company after the proposed information system has been implemented successfully is summarized. The resources and involvement needed for the change is also described in the latter part. A self reflection at the end gives light to the expertise and foresightedness needed for an administrator in implementing an information system to change a key processing with its experience. In the diagnosis and the latter part of the work are based on theory and academic notion. 1. Introduction “Veega Land, India's first water theme park, has since its inception been an irresistible attraction for hundreds of thousands of fun loving people of all ages from all over India. Spread over 30 acres of landscaped space, built to international standards and impeccably maintained, Veega Land has a mind boggling array of sophisticated rides to thrill anyone till one can't take any more” (Veega Land) Veega Land Amusement Park is situated in the outskirts of Bangalore City in the South Western part of India. It is about a 30 km west to the heart of the city. It is a well established company located in the capital city of the state. The park offers verity of Caravans and motor homes. There is a water theme park with quiet a number of rides for both children and adults. A visit to the park in fact can be an experience of the life time. Park also has a small shop which can be utilised to increase the revenue. Since the shop is with in the premises the products are sold at a high price. There are a number of games rooms for the children and adults who would be staying over night. The park could almost be filled to the brim during the peak season. The theme park as with all the companies of the same kind has lot of rides made for both children and adult. Especially the Veega maintains another park for the small kids alone. Thus the peak season of the year is being the summer holidays. In spite of all the changes the company had down the years the company still remains to be a family business. It is owned and managed y the same person. 2. A System Based Diagnosis of the Situation The issue is to improve the promotion process to stabilise the customers flow to a certain extend during the peak season and off season. A diagnosis of the current promotion process is needed in a unique knowledge based approach called INSPIRE which has been designed to help drive and implement change, to help managers to simultaneously harness innovation, and to control the organizational change process (Kawalek, 2009). The promotion process being one of the management processes there is a common need for explicitly enquiring thinking, communicating and stating about perceived processes (Kawalek, 2009 p.65). The diagnosis however is based on an enquiry to the existing process. The studies will also include seeking details from the staff in the administrative levels, promotion agents located in the different hotels and tourist’s bungalows and tourist’s hubs in the city. Data would also be collected from the customer as well as the human resource wing of the organization. The real world issue in the question is depicted in a rich picture below witch will help identify the complexity in the various aspects of the problem. It helps to gain a better comprehension of the situation (Checkland and Scholes, 2007). The rich picture shows how the various facilities and plans go unnoticed by the customers. Even worse, when the change of plans or promotional plans, which are made for different seasons including the off season, are falling short of the customers ears due to the inadequate promotional process and infrastructure that the company still uses along with the inefficient and centralised management process. At the moment the company uses has a PC which they can use to handle the basic requirements of the business. The firm currently depends on a manual booking systems. The company would definitely look for a computer based operational methods for better efficiency and database maintenance. While it is the inner circle, the outer front is even interesting as the company has a website, but it practically have no option for customers to communicate with the company representative or facility for an online order placement or booking. Therefore, they are unable to communicate with their customers and advertise their business on the Internet. The company already has access to broadband, so they would easily be able to access a website if one existed. The company could use this means to also view their booking system and notify customers of any important notices. Currently the promotions of the firm are limited at the hands of agents located in the different parts of the city and state. They work at the same time for many companies on an incentive basis. The off season flow of customer in the existing procedure works entirely through this primitive system. This marketing process needs change from the basic constructs to a new ‘effective marketing process’. 3. Analysis of the Process Numerous system constructs is used to make the old inefficient marketing process to an efficient marketing process. The transformation will not effect by replacing the currant marketing stations but rather the transformation will be to change the current marketing stations to be electronically communicative work stations for the company. The process would start with the installation of the hardware to run a website in the office to the entire process. There are considerable number f activities to be done to make the marketing process effective. Planning new packages and their incentives for the promoters. The conceptual boundary for the efficient marketing process would be from the installation of the server to the smooth launching of the website. The beneficiary of the change is directly the firm itself. At the same time the process will directly be making the work easy for the staff at the front desk and the ticket vendors who are the immediate beneficiaries of the process. Moreover, the staff at the administrative level also have the easy access to the data through the process. The decision making and the senior staff who are most likely to make decisions on day today activities of operation will have a system to rely on. On the next level, everyone has constraints within which one must move and work in the organisational set up. The system will set them the constraints as their possibilities for involvement in the process. The efficiency and effectiveness of the process will be better acknowledged on the basis of human performance outcome. The expected change will bring about more than 95% efficiency in the hospitality and marketing department with an increased enthusiasm for public relations. The analysis of the efficient marketing process revels the following problems in the existing process. a) Data can be lost in the manual booking. Thus valuable customer details could be lost. b) A systematic job profile is not followed, as there seems to be no proper job allocations especially in the customer care and public relations which need to be the face of the organisation as far as the promotion is concerned. c) The company boasts on the past glory and not making adequate improvements or changes as per the growing competition. d) They do bookings over the phone, which is not a safe way of giving personal details since this may also include bank details. e) A lot of customers are lost because of the reason that they have to visit the office or one of the outlet to know the rates and plans and make a reservation. f) Work load on the staff pressurises them and at times the stress makes their dealings harsh with the customers, causing further lost of customers. g) The human resources is not utilised to the maximum, as in the existing conditions of the company the hard work from the staff do not yield as much a out put as the change would bring to the company. 4. The Role of Information ‘Information Technology is not any more a business resource but it is the business environment’ (John Browning 1990). The Information technology has grown and will continue to grow in importance very fast. It has significant influence on almost every human and particularly business activity (Persic M and Stojanovic M 2010). Now is the time of technology economics where the technology is integrated with managerial expertise to change the organisation’s setting which was designed in yesteryears. Mc Farlan and Mc Kenney (1983) had a long time ago acknowledged the obvious new trend of strong trend of unification of the technologies of computing and telecommunications. A considerable amount of information needs to be flowing throughout the process of an organization with all the Physical and non-physical elements such as knowledge, power, attitudes, people, machines and technology (Kawalek, 2009). The Advancement of Information technology is being used to get the job done better, quicker and most importantly cheaper especially in terms of time, cost and efficiency (Kurek, H., Zilinska, H. 2003). In the existing scenario of Veega Land Information System is to be considered as the “devices that transmit, manipulate, analyze, or exploit information; in which a digital computer processes information integral to the user's communication or decision task; and that have made their appearance since 1970 or exist in a form that aids in communication or decision tasks to a significantly greater degree than did pre-1971 forms” (Huber 1990). The process must be considered as a combined task completion and maintenance of the components such as computers, communications technology, work stations, robotics, and computer chips (Morton, 1988). The performance of an organization is uncertain as long as there exists a difference between the amount information and infrastructure needed to perform a task and the amount of information and infrastructure an organisation possessed (Galbraith, 1973:5; Schoderbek, 1967). The information mentioned here is the catalyst and enabler of business processes. It works with people and technology to bring efficiency to the process (Cash, et al. 2008). Moreover, in Veega Land the technology is to be used to convey and communicate the information to the customers a process of promotion and marketing between the company and its prospects. Thus IT takes control of people and processes by collecting and measuring the accurate data of the organization’s managerial processes. It, by its accurate evaluation and facilitation, reward and compensate both the organization and it’s customers at the same time (Pearlson and Saunders 2006). Chaffey and Wood (2005) have quoted Prof. Marchand who defined the main four ways by which information generates value to the processes in an organization. The above explained aspects of information technology add value by improving the quality of products and service. They would help reduce cost by making business process more efficient. They would help the management with minimum risk in innovating and creating new plans and services. 5. Proposal for Change To prevent businesses from drifting apart, it is important to implement a Business Information System that would incorporate e-commerce and e-business operations to use the right technology to drive the business. At the same time "Management assesses IT risks with respect to information reliability. Information reliability depends on IT system reliability, and IT system reliability depends on IT controls. The implementation of effective IT controls will help ensure the creation of reliable information” (IFAC, March 2002). Nevertheless, the main reasons for the organisation to have computer based system is mainly to make the advertising and booking efficient and secondly for the data protection. This is in fact the proposed possible change after diagnosing the real world problem situation and depicting it through the Rich Picture. The proposal for change includes the implementation of a Computerised Promotion and E-Booking System. The system will provide for instant information to be given to the agents at different stations for receiving customers or giving them the exact timings of availability. It will help the managerial staff to develop timely changes of the pricing and setting new package according the seasons and trends. The system will provide the customers with an instant access to the inner circle of the organisation. The change would be innovative and unparalleled as the promotions and packages can be accessible to the public exiting the customers round the year. Moreover though the websites have been in use for many firms the LAN is not yet launched by any firms for the e-booking and public relations. 5.1 Implementation Kopinski. A (2003) has stated that Information system is reliable if it is capable of operating without material error, fault of failure. The hardware, software, data and information have to be constantly available. This exhortation has been given utmost respect in chosing the hardware for the system installation. The proposed systems main server will be a Dual Inter Quad-core server with Intel 5400 series Harper town processor. The system would be tightly integrated combination of hardware and software optimised for security. Provided the volume of data the system will efficiently collect and store the system will be up to 24 GB DDR2-FBDIMM 667 Mhz memories. 15K SAS drives in RAID 10 configuration with a Battery-backed hardware SAS Raid controller with 256MB write Cache. With a start up facility of 3 work stations in the office, at the existing three booking windows, the installation will cost the organisation $2000 for the main server. With $1000 each for the three main work stations in the administrative office of the park itself. The installation will also cost $1000for a PC in the General Manager’s office. In the extensive network, the initial installation will cover 5 sub work stations from the existing 15 agent locations situated in the popular hotels and other tourist attractions in the city. The design of the proposed systems calls for 9 workstations initially, four within the main office and five in the field, all connecting to the main feeder and server at the central office of the company. To handle the expected demands of the work load, the profile will develop use of Ethernet for the data Link layers. Although “Ethernet is non-deterministic when operated in a shared access mode (due to collisions), Ethernet technology has advanced to provide switched access which minimizes collisions. In addition, Ethernet provides a growth path to higher-speed Ethernet networks with 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps bit rates in common use, besides the existing 10 Mbps” (Brunello G. and Cambell C.B 2001). This process system is used after considering the factors including the cost, the needs of the operation, possibility of adapting to the existing system of operation in the organization, quality it would provide in place of the existing ineffective system along with the user friendly nature of the software plus the feasibility of the language. The system would be regularly and initially used by three work stations in the office plus almost 15 agents around the city. 5.2 Duration for commencement The changes in the promotion process can not be underway overnight. The setting up and launching will not mean that the system is fully up and running moreover, once it is up and running does not mean that it is fully integrated. It would be a fortnight before the first trial after installing and training the personals. Then 3 days after first trial to make necessary changes. 5.3 Personals Involved . A successful installation will require expertise from an outside hosting company and the senior level staff co-operation. Followed by, a group of software trainers and the team of chosen staff from the organisation along with their team leaders. The whole task needs to be managed by an efficient project manager. 5.4 The Benefit of the Change Based on the current running system of the organisation the senior staff opined that the integration of IS is essential and critical. The introduction of the system will practically maintain the customer flow 80% equal during the on and off seasons. Which will bring a stable revenue to the organisation reducing the four loss incurred months to nil. That will add up to almost $1 million an year. 6. Self Reflection . It is significant to have an efficient marketing process for a business to reach and remain at the top. The diagnosis showed that the promotional process the Veega Land had for these many years actually played a negative role in the customer flow of the organisation. Undertaking and successfully implementing this project shows that innovative thinking is crucial in information system integration and management. The technical expertise and knowledge will be an added advantage but won’t be indispensable. Listening, and interacting to know the opinion of all and choosing what is worthwhile is the higher level of prudence an organisational manager must possess. The flexibility and confidence to go along with decision taken in spite of difficulties is another experience the implementation of project provides. The senior staff also needs to decide on the critical factors like when to make such remarkable IT decisions at what department at on what expenses. 7. Conclusion The Veega Land had very unpredictable customer flow often left the company in loss for almost four to five months a year. The diagnosis showed that it had a very poor and primitive promotional process which in turn had the marketing very weak and ineffective. Considering the ways of information system a new IT supported marketing system was proposed analysed and was implemented. The new change will bring immense competence to the marketing and promotions in exiting and attracting the customers even at the off seasons. Thus, there ought to be change in the way company move forward and immense value be brought to the company operations through this systems. References Brunello G. and Cambell C.B (2001) An Application of A Protective Relaying Over an Ethernet LAN. 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