Download Competencies for Information Management

Chapter 10
Information Management
Managing Technology in the Hospitality Industry
Fourth Edition
(469T or 469)
© 2003, Educational Institute
Competencies for
Information Management
1. Define the purpose of management information
systems and describe functions performed by
information technology.
2. Describe the typical responsibilities of managers and
staff working in the information systems area of a
hospitality operation.
3. Describe the data processing cycle and cite the
advantages of electronic data processing.
4. Identify the types of data and distinguish bits from
bytes.
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Competencies for
Information Management
(continued)
5. Identify major features of database management
software and describe how they can be used by
hospitality operations.
6. Distinguish hierarchical database structures from
relational database structures.
7. Distinguish multidimensional database structures
from traditional database structures.
8. Describe the features and functions of frequent diner
applications.
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Management Information
System—Purpose
 Monitor progress toward goals.
 Measure performance.
 Identify trends/patterns.
 Evaluate alternatives.
 Support decision making.
 Assist in corrective action.
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Management Information
System—Functions
 Enables managers to monitor/administer
transactions/ activities
 Provides control over business resources
 Produces timely/comprehensive reports
formatted to managers’ needs
 Eliminates unnecessary documents
 Streamlines procedures
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Electronic Data Processing
Transforms data into timely, accurate, and useful
information by reducing throughput, streamlining output,
and minimizing the handling of data.
Throughput: the time elapsing between data input and
information output, a measure of data processing
efficiency
Streamlining: only generating output (reports) requested
by those who actually use the information
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Bits and Bytes
Bit: smallest unit of electronic data (either 0 or 1)
Byte: sequence of bits representing a single character
and a measurement of memory
Kilobyte
1,024 bytes
Megabyte
1,048,576 bytes
Gigabyte
1,073,741,834 bytes
Terabyte
approximately 1 trillion bytes
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Database Management Features
 Files, records, fields
 Create, access, and merge data files
 Add, select, and delete data
 Index, sort, and search data files
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Database Management Hospitality
Functions
Personnel management
Payroll processing
Marketing research
General ledger accounting
Tax reporting
Direct mail marketing
Sales reporting
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Hierarchical Database Structures
 Files, records, fields arranged like roots of a tree
 Precise data searches
 Comprehensive statistical analyses
 Rigid perameters
 Time-consuming to incorporate new data definitions
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Relational Database Structures
 Files, records, fields formatted as rectangular tables of
rows/columns
 Popular due to simplicity of data arrangement
 Ease of data manipulation
 Flexibility of data handling
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Multidimensional Databases
Data warehouse: supports organization-wide decision
making enabling elaborate queries on large amounts of
data requiring extensive searching
Data mart: a multidimensional database organized for
one department or function
Data mining: exploring a database to uncover patterns
and relationships
Online analytical processing (OLAP): decision support
software enabling a user to quickly analyze information
summarized into multidimensional views and hierarchies
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