ABSTRACT
As reviews of information and communications technology (ICT) research demonstrate (Frew 2000; O’Connor and Murphy 2004), this subject has been researched from a variety of perspectives. However, because the technology often transcends traditional ways of managing operations and organizing activities, it is not easy to select specific research studies in the operations field or to categorize them. In particular, the Internet and web-based systems are enabling new business models and ways of doing things that blur the distinction between operations and marketing (as the previous chapter on electronic distribution demonstrates). Nonetheless, this chapter explores the types of technology now in use in the industry and how ICT has changed operations in particular. In doing this, three themes emerge: the first is how ICT has put more power in the hands of the guest; second, how ICT has improved the operational efficiency of service staff; and finally, how ICT has improved information flows to senior management thus providing more capacity for understanding, forecasting and strategic planning. Further, the exploration of these issues will also consider ways in which these emerging technologies can provide fresh insight into long-established service management theory.
