Managing Technology and Marketing Systems

At the end of this chapter you will learn to:

Understand the role of Management Information Systems within enterprises.

Define basic hardware and software computer components.

Describe the telecommunication interfaces used for marketing functions.

Describe enterprise operations information system interfaces.

In The Real World

You are working as a Manager in Training (MIT) for the Food and Beverage department of a resort. You are assigned to a restaurant outlet. You notice many problems with the point of sale system at the restaurant. It seems that the system frequently crashes, servers are frequently lined up waiting to input orders and the remote printers commonly fail to communicate. It seems that the system goes down at the busiest parts of each shift. When this happens, you must contact a technician and wait to have the systems repaired. It seems that everyone who works in the restaurant is very frustrated with this system.

One Saturday night, the system went down as usual near closing time for the restaurant. You called the technician who arrived just after the restaurant closed for business.

Tom, the technician, finally arrives one hour after the restaurant closes. You had to use manual systems to close out the shift prior to his arrival. You decide to follow him around as he diagnosed the hardware and software problems that caused the crash. You look over his shoulder and ask questions as he works on the machines. It seems to you that he is fixing things that he has already repaired many times.

When the technician finishes, you offer him a cup of coffee and start to ask him about the restaurant system. He says, ‘Your outlet is the only one in the hotel with these problems.’ You ask, ‘Why is that?’ Tom replies, ‘Well, the hotel controller recently purchased this system on the basis of its low price.’ ‘That makes sense,’ you say. ‘Yup,’ Tom answers, ‘It always seems to make sense if you don’t understand systems.’ You ask, ‘What does that mean?’ ‘Well,’ Tom starts, ‘The main problem with your system is that it is incompatible with the hotel’s PMS. That’s the main reason that it crashes.’ ‘But why do I have lines of servers waiting to input orders?’ You ask. Tom smiles and says, ‘That is the extended reporting feature that your controller wanted on these machines. You see, the accounting office wants a lot of detail reports for cost-control purposes. These machines are programmed to force service personnel to enter more details than normal so those reports will be automatically generated.’ He looks at you to be sure you are following his logic, as you pour another cup of coffee. Tom continues, ‘This means that your servers are filling in additional screens of information that have nothing to do with entering orders. The more screens, the more time it takes to process a transaction.’

‘Wow,’ you say, ‘That is not very guest friendly.’ You continue by saying, ‘What about the kitchen printers going down all the time?’ ‘Oh,’ Tom replies, ‘That is a wiring issue.’ You look perplexed as he continues, ‘You see, kitchens are hostile environments for electronic interfaces. Your controller chose a lesserpriced wiring scheme to save installation costs.’ You ask, ‘How would you have wired it, Tom?’ Tom says, ‘For a kitchen or any high-traffic work area, I would go wireless.’

As Tom packs up his tools and prepares to leave, you ask him how you can learn more about POS machines. Tom tells you to pick up a management information systems book at any store to read up on the systems.

The next day, you meet with the restaurant manager, Erin, and fill her in on what Tom told you. ‘Hmm,’ Erin says, ‘I guess we both need to learn a little about technology basics so we can discuss this situation with the F&B Director and Controller tomorrow.’