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Select an organization from hotel industry and observe how the management used information technology in communication?

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This report is a thorough essence of my rigorous studies which I undergone through in a period of two months in Sareena Hotal. I have exclusively studied and observed the operations/ functioning of the hotel and tried my best to abreast myself with all the dimensions of the hotel. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the performance of Sareena in diversified avenues and give concrete recommendation for further improvement. Although the hotel is functioning satisfactory, but the path to ultimate success is still full of threats and hurdles. It was a great experience to work there and contribute handsomely in the process of appraising its pros and cons and feeling to be a significant part of the bank. I am thankful to all those who helped me in one-way or the other and guided me in the preparation and compilation of this report in a presentable fashion.

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Although previous research has demonstrated the paramount importance of information and communication technology (ICT) for marketing and distribution in tourism, hotels still lag in their strategic implementation and management of ICT. While researchers in Europe and the United States have explored this theme, there is little such research in the Australian context. This article contributes to the literature by exploring in a preliminary study the strategic use of ICT among a small sample of hotels in Sydney, Australia. It aims to identify factors in these hotels which are associated with the adoption of ICT as well as the degree of strategic management and implementation of ICT for marketing and distribution. The preliminary findings indicate that the pattern of ICT adoption and use appears distinct, compared to that reported in the literature, which is mainly located outside Australia. Reasons explaining some differences in the Sydney hotels' adoption and strategic use of ICT ere suggested. Tourism is recognised as one of the largest and most important industry sectors in the world. At the same time, the use of technology is increasingly viewed as playing a critical role in management, marketing and distribution of the tourism product. The technologies, however, also pose challenges for tourism businesses seeking to adopt them. For tourism destinations, such usage is recognised to be an important factor in developing the competitiveness of its tourism products (Werthner & Klein, 1999). Within tourism, the accommodation sector is a very important component of any destination's tourism products. Although in the last few years many authors have discussed the paramount importance of information and communication technology (ICT) for marketing and distribution in tourism, hotels have lagged in their effective implementation of it. Most hospitality business finds out that the use of general purpose computing systems usually a basic personal computers with generic software installed, provides the hospitality firm substantial advantages in respect to access to information sources via the internet. According to Cousins and Foskett. D; specific data about the business financial operation and forecasting of the business, production of routine text and graphic based materials such as menus, nutritional analogy and rotas through an easily set up and operated solutions. These functions are achieved by linking together network especially in large and medium size hospitality industry which when used in this way offer a resource-efficient and effective way of distributing data resources and equipment. Another tremendous benefit of information and communication technology is the systematic analysis of the nutritional content of the menu. Many people are conscious of what they eat, customers requires more dietary information which gives details of composition of individual food or complete dishes at the touch of a button. They may be simple or complex. They are simple were it is required to supply information to average restaurant guest. i.e., Crude break down. They are complex were they are linked to government food tables and give accurately and extremely accurate and comprehensive data which are suitable for calculating detailed nutritional profiles. Serena Hotel is one of the Best Chain of hotels in Pakistan. They have got many branches across the country. However the Islamabad Serena Hotel stands at the foot of the Northern Hills in six acres of landscaped gardens in the center of Islamabad. The Moorish and Mughal architecture and interiors of this excellent hotel reflect the expression and cultural heritage of the local craftsmen who built it. It is primarily aimed at the consumer market such as family, young executive, and middle-upper class. Other groups that can be part of the target market are the business people. If we want to categorize Serena hotel Islamabad in term of product life cycle Page 3 of 25

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stage then we can say that the hotel is at the growth stage and its sales will continue to increase as the tourism and hotel industry in Pakistan is booming. They have 197 rooms and suites having a distinct Punjabi and Swati style with magnificent views of the Margalla Hills and Rawal Lake. Now the second step in strategic management is the Strategy Formulation, which is basically the development of long-range plans so that the environmental opportunities and threats can be managed effectively in the light of companys strengths and weaknesses. So in strategy formulation the first step is to define the corporate mission. So now lets have a look to the Serenas mission statement. In general strategic planning is a management tool, which is used for a purpose to help an organization do a better job, to focus its energy, to ensure that members of the corporation are working toward the same goals, and finally to assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment. In short, strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future. From the fore going, the computers are valuable in the management of a business when applied with information communication technology. Correctly and controlled systems are indispensable to a well-run business that wishes to maximize effectiveness and keep one step ahead of the competitions. Therefore the impact of information and communication technology to the hospitality establishment can not be over emphasized if effectively applied will out perform others in the face of competitions. Now when the strategic analyze the internal strategic factors of the corporation they summarize that analysis on a summary sheet, which helps to analyze that how well the management is responding to these specific factors in the light of their perceived importance to the company. Projects are an investment on which resources are used to create assets that will produce benefits over an expanded period of time. It is a unique process, consisting of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with start and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an objective conforming to specific requirements, including the constraints of time, cost and resources. Serena hotel Islamabad has many competitors and its main competitors in market. So in this situation it is compulsory for them to organize their project before doing any final step.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Title page Acknowledgement Abstracts Table of contents Introduction to the issue Practical study of organization Data collection methods SWOT analysis Conclusion Recommendations References

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The strategic use of information and communication technology in marketing and distribution Although previous research has demonstrated the paramount importance of information and communication technology (ICT) for marketing and distribution in tourism, hotels still lag in their strategic implementation and management of ICT. While researchers in Europe and the United States have explored this theme, there is little such research in the Australian context. This article contributes to the literature by exploring in a preliminary study the strategic use of ICT among a small sample of hotels in Sydney, Australia. It aims to identify factors in these hotels which are associated with the adoption of ICT as well as the degree of strategic management and implementation of ICT for marketing and distribution. The preliminary findings indicate that the pattern of ICT adoption and use appears distinct, compared to that reported in the literature, which is mainly located outside Australia. Reasons explaining some differences in the Sydney hotels' adoption and strategic use of ICT ere suggested. Tourism is recognised as one of the largest and most important industry sectors in the world. At the same time, the use of technology is increasingly viewed as playing a critical role in management, marketing and distribution of the tourism product. The technologies, however, also pose challenges for tourism businesses seeking to adopt them. For tourism destinations, such usage is recognised to be an important factor in developing the competitiveness of its tourism products (Werthner & Klein, 1999). Within tourism, the accommodation sector is a very important component of any destination's tourism products. Although in the last few years many authors have discussed the paramount importance of information and communication technology (ICT) for marketing and distribution in tourism, hotels have lagged in their effective implementation of it Detail Information technology is everywhere, when added to the potential of powerful communication; the possibilities of how it can be used are endless. Almost every thing we use or do comes into contact with information and communication technology [ICT] at some point in its development and delivery. Most equipment used in the hospitality industry as in the case of computers or micro-processors, has computing technology at his heart and wide spread availability of the internet via high speed connection, has revolutionized how we communicate with each other and to this effect the latest development in mobile and wireless technology, we have the basis for whole new ways in how we operate both business and leisure purposes. According to Cracknell, H.L, and Kaufmann, R.J.[2002], From the hospitality business perspective , the most valuable commodity for effectiveness and efficient operation is, a reliable up to date information hence the need for computers and the benefits they provide in information, storage ,manipulation and communication. The hospitality industry which is dynamic in nature consists of small, medium and large enterprise, many privately owned and others owned by organizations. According to J.Lyons, the hospitality industry is a large industry that came into lime light with the first applications of computers as business tool. Since then the use of computers has dramatically increased and today, the availability of cheap powerful computers with low cost access to the internet are within the grasp of the smallest hospitality business. In this seminar paper, focus is on the benefits of information and communication technology and its impact which is achieved with the use of computers with generic softwares installed which provides substantial advantages in respect to access of general information sources via the internet.

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The Benefits Of Information And Communication Technology To The Hospitality Industry Most hospitality business finds out that the use of general purpose computing systems usually a basic personal computers with generic software installed, provides the hospitality firm substantial advantages in respect to access to information sources via the internet. According to Cousins and Foskett. D; specific data about the business financial operation and forecasting of the business, production of routine text and graphic based materials such as menus, nutritional analogy and rotas through an easily set up and operated solutions. These functions are achieved by linking together network especially in large and medium size hospitality industry which when used in this way offer a resource-efficient and effective way of distributing data resources and equipment. Further more, they are so many other benefits information and communication technology has to offer, to the development of the hospitality industry which before now was depending on manual based operation. This new trend which comes in form of software, have helped greatly in the profitability of many small and large hospitality establishment. Some of the software which have aided the development and also of benefit to the hospitality industry are: ELECTRONIC POINT OF SALE SYSTEM {EPOS} The electronic point of sale system is used in recording the details of transaction. At the simplest level, they take the form of a single cash register with a processor, memory and a printer usually supplied in a single case. Although relatively simple to use, they offer greatly enhanced facilities over traditional non-computerized systems. Such as: Detailed information about how two items are performing in respect to sales volume. Price look-up: this enables the user to press a key labeled with the name of a dish or drink and the correct price will be added to the transaction. The electronic point of sale system also helps to reduce work for staff ensuring that items are not omitted from the bill or incorrectly charged, sales breakdown by each outlets number of staff and for each section are also easy to obtain. Information of this type, if intelligently used can assist the management of the business to ensure maximum effectiveness and profitability. RESERVATION SYSTEM {CRS} They are four principle type of reservation system systems used in the hospitality industry which has given the industry a face lift. Single property based system- this system deals with the recording of accommodation sales for a single property. Central reservation system- this kind of system deals with hotels affiliated to one group. This provides a single point of contact for prospective guest and ensures that sales are maximized. Global distribution system(g.d.s) this type of reservation is based on airline this in turn are linked to the central reservation systems and travel agent and thus allow direct selling and reservation to take place. World Wide Web- currently they are number of agencies offering the hospitality industry the opportunity to market hotels in the World Wide Web. This system also offers the opportunity to make direct reservation of hotel accommodation. The benefit of this approach is that is available to any one having access to the internet every thing about reservation is being simplified.

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FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Food and beverage management system takes the concept of stock control one stage further. They add a control frame work when correctly implemented, gives greatly improved level of management control. With this type of system, a data base is created of all recipes in use in the business together with a further data base containing the ingredients used to support the dishes. MENU ENGENEERING Another importance of information and communication technology is menu engineering. This technique utilizes the computer modeling of data and was originally developed in the United States of America. This system holds data about sales volume, cost and profit of each dish on the menu. This is achieved by creating a menu offering the optimum balance between popularity and maximum profit. Before the emergence of information and communication technology in Nigeria, the technique was in use with paper and pencil. But now, it is far more effective with the use of computer system. DIETRY ANALYSIS Another tremendous benefit of information and communication technology is the systematic analysis of the nutritional content of the menu. Many people are conscious of what they eat, customers requires more dietary information which gives details of composition of individual food or complete dishes at the touch of a button. They may be simple or complex. They are simple were it is required to supply information to average restaurant guest. i.e., Crude break down. They are complex were they are linked to government food tables and give accurately and extremely accurate and comprehensive data which are suitable for calculating detailed nutritional profiles EVENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Another noticeable importance of information technology to the hospitality industry is event management systems which are packages targeted at the hotels and conferences centre designed to deal with all element of taking booking and managing events such as conferences, meeting, weddings and banquets. The ranges of facility offered varies, ranging from the costing of the dishes from a pre-designed menus, modules that allow the physical planning of the room layout on the screen and the ability of giving a graphic view of how the room will appear from a specific angle. As with many modern computers management systems, comprehensive management reporting is a major feature. The Impact Of Information And Communication Technology To The Development Of The Hospitality Industry In Nigergia The merging of information technology and communication is having and will in the future continue to have a significant role in the hospitality industry, society, the way we live our lives and certainly how we conduct our business. The obvious manifestation of this is the internet which is a global network of networks. This world wide network of computers allows any one connected to have virtually limitless data base of information and almost instantaneously communicate with anyone connected. For most business users, the internet is used to send and receive e-mail and to access information via the WWW. Technically, the internet is the name of the system and the WWW is the software of its most popular elements. Another impact of information technology is the use of the web services to extract information in addition to text and graphics, many sites offer video, images and sound files and with this, the demands of customers are easily met. Interestingly, websites have become an important marketing and promotional tool for business of which the hospitality establishment in Nigeria is no exception. Also information Page 8 of 25

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technology is the selling aid of reservation of hotel accommodation. Many hotels now have their own websites which serves as an electronic brochure that usually offers opportunity to reserve accommodation. This is already having an impact on global distribution company and traveling agent and the way they do business. Many restaurants and other catering operation are also using website as a valuable means of promotion. Further more it provides a versatile promotion tool that can be used for variety of purposes such as marketing and direct selling. It should not be forgotten that it also offers an unrivalled source of information on current development and legislation particularly in food and catering technology areas. For all hospitality industry businesses, the potentials offered by information and communication technology are unlimited. It can provide them with access to a vast range of global data and expertise that can be used in the operation of the business.

Islamabad Serena Hotel Serena Hotel is one of the Best Chain of hotels in Pakistan. They have got many branches across the country. However the Islamabad Serena Hotel stands at the foot of the Northern Hills in six acres of landscaped gardens in the center of Islamabad. The Moorish and Mughal architecture and interiors of this excellent hotel reflect the expression and cultural heritage of the local craftsmen who built it. It is primarily aimed at the consumer market such as family, young executive, and middle-upper class. Other groups that can be part of the target market are the business people. If we want to categorize Serena hotel Islamabad in term of product life cycle stage then we can say that the hotel is at the growth stage and its sales will continue to increase as the tourism and hotel industry in Pakistan is booming. They have 197 rooms and suites having a distinct Punjabi and Swati style with magnificent views of the Margalla Hills and Rawal Lake. H ierarchy There are three level of management in the Serena Hotel i-e Higher level Middle level Operational level

C ompetitors When we talk about competitors we can say that, Serena hotel Islamabad has many competitors and its main competitors in market are: Marriott Pearl Continental Holiday Inn Islamabad Hotel

These hotels compete with each other and try their best to sell their high quality service and facilities. Each one tries to have more attractive packages to attract business people and high class. As the main target market of these hotels is the higher class or the executive class so Page 9 of 25

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Serena hotel has reasonable rates in their hotel and accommodation prices so the competition is really high Hotel Facilities

387 Rooms including Suites Limousine Airport Transfer Service Zamana Restaurant offering Continental Buffet for lunch and dinner Dawat Restaurant; a fine dining restaurant serving Pakistani cuisine with live music Al-Maghreb Restaurant with Moroccan and Lebanese specialty cuisine Rakaposhi, Caf and Ice Cream Parlor with indoor & outdoor seating Bazaar Court; serving a range hors d'uvres and specialty grilled items Lobby Lounge, open 24 hours a day, offering tea, coffee, soft drinks, and light snacks Nazara Lounge; a unique and special restaurant, located on the 6th level of the Hotels Margalla Wing Baradari, a seasonal outdoor BBQ restaurant serving traditional Pakistani BBQ 24-hour Business Centre Wi-Fi Access High Definition TV with International Channels Currency Exchange Room service, Valet & Laundry 24-hour Doctor on Call

Mission Statement Now the second step in strategic management is the Strategy Formulation, which is basically the development of long-range plans so that the environmental opportunities and threats can be managed effectively in the light of companys strengths and weaknesses. So in strategy formulation the first step is to define the corporate mission. So now lets have a look to the Serenas mission statement Islamabad Serena Hotel Mission Statement: Islamabad Serena hotel is positioned as Pakistans leading and most luxurious hotel. We offer the best value for the money by providing the highest quality of services, product and comforts exceeding customers expectations. It plays an integral part in destination development and remains active in conservation and environment while promoting local culture and heritage. In general we can say that organizations mission is the purpose or the reason for the organizations existence. So a well-conceived mission statement must define the fundamental and unique purpose, which differentiates it with others and it must tells that where the organization stands and what it hopes to achieve in future. In general the mission statement should answer three questions, which are: What are the opportunities or need that we exist to address? (The Purpose corporation) What are we doing to address these needs? (The business of the organization) What principle or beliefs guide our work? (The values of the organization) Page 10 of 25

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So if we look to the Islamabad Serna hotel mission statement we can say that the statement is defined very well, and they identify the scope clearly. We can say that their mission statement is narrowly defined but plainly defines the organization primary activities in term of the services, which they offered and their mission statement clearly answer the above questions like: Purpose: To provide value for the money, provide quality products and services and finally to gain the customer satisfaction and to exceed their expectations. The Business: Positioned as Pakistans leading and most luxurious hotel. The Values: Integral part in destination development, remains active in conservation and environment and to promote local culture and heritage.

Companys Objectives over next five years In general the main purpose of setting the objectives is to state that what is to be accomplished in future within the specific period of time. The main reason for setting-up the long term objectives is to set a target or challenge to work for that and to some extent impress the shareholders and other stakeholders. Five Years Objectives When we talk about Islamabad Serena hotel their next five years objectives include the following: 1. To Increase Profitability: Islamabad Serena hotel has planned to increase their earnings by 15% annually and to reach at least 40% increase over the next five years. 2. To Increase Market Share: Serena hotel has an objective over the next five years to increase their market share from Internet sources and through alliances with airlines and to give more attractive packages to their customers. 3. Delivering Shareholder Value: They are being committed to be growing company. Their success will result in investment returns that are consistently among the best hotel industry. Their primary business objective is to maximize current returns to the shareholders by increasing cash flow available to pay distributions and provide long-term total returns to shareholders. 4. Being the Best: Islamabad Serena hotel has an objective to become an innovative leader in the hotel industry and to continuously improve their products and services. They will seek from their supplier highest quality of product and services at the best value. 5. Working Together as Colleagues: They emphasize on sharing responsibility, accountability and recognition through a climate of teamwork, because this thing will ultimately help to improve their overall efficiency, as the employees will be motivated. 6. Providing a Climate of Enthusiasm: They are committed to every one at Serena hotel by providing a caring and motivating, and rewarding environment. As an industry leader, they have an objective over the next five years to bringing out the best people though effective training and meaning full carrier and personal development and by encouraging individuality and initiative.

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7. Contribute To National Growth: Tourism is a sector of Pakistan's economy that has significant potential and a country can increase the foreign earnings with the help of tourism. Operating under the Serena brand name, Tourism Promotion Services owns and manages fifteen hotels in East Africa and Asia. Besides earning foreign exchange and increasing employment and manpower development, tourism can contribute to national growth in more qualitative ways. So now their main objective over the next five years is to satisfy the wants and needs of tourism businesses and hotels as well as consumers in the 21st century. 8. Maintain High Standards: Now they have an objective to keep the same high standards regarding the quality of their goods and services and to make improvements in those areas where they are lacking behind. 9. To Create An Alliances: Increase business from Internet sources and through partnerships. So in order to capture or increase the market share now the objective of the Serena hotel is to create an alliance with airlines so that all the staff and passenger stay in Serena hotel, which will definitely brings a huge amount of revenues on regular basis. Major Policy Statments Sometimes it may happen that the gap exists between the planned and achieved objectives. So when such a gap occurs management either has to change the strategy to improve performance or to set the objectives more realistic, so a constant review of objectives is always needed. Policy Statements In simple words we can say that corporate policy provide broad guidance for decision making throughout the organization and such guidelines actually link strategy formulation and implementation. Now on the basis of above objectives we suggested the following policy statements: 1. Must protect, preserve and play to our strengths: Strong corporate culture High quality service Training and development program Competent staff Credit worthiness Brand recognition

2. Not to give emphasize on cost reduction if the quality of their service is affected. 3. Not to emphasize on market share at the expense of profitability, as it is basically meant for business-class people. 4. More emphasize on tourism and review of the overall transport infrastructure so that more and more people comer for tourism purpose. 5. Emphasize to increase profits through Internet. 6. To create synergies among all business units. 7. Maintaining our tariff rates, we would plan to keep our image as:

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Exclusively customer oriented 8. Employees need to discharge duties and obligations honestly, professionally and diligently so that it helps to improve the overall efficiency level and is essential for economic growth. 9. Emphasize the following features: Relationship Marketing Price bundling / Product bundling Added benefit to the customer

10. To require its employees to discharge its duties dedicatedly towards the business and not to engage in any activity, which is against the hotel business by doing this Serena, will maintain its high standards. 11. Emphasize on an open-door policy so that anyone with a good skills or who had the ability to fit with in that culture can apply which really helps to create an enthusiastic environment and leads towards competition among employees. 12. To work on TQM (total quality management) so that they can satisfy their customer and can get operational efficiency. 13. Alliances and teamwork are required between the AKFED and government in order to boost tourism and for national growth. 14. All rates or booking will be subject to availability and may change without notice. 15. All rates are subject to government applicable taxes. 16. Giving three months training at the start to every newly hired employee, so that he gets familiar with the culture. Proposed Strategy As we all know that hotel industry is highly attractive market because of increasing trend of tourism, and Islamabad Serena has a strong competitive position so we suggested them to opt for growth strategies. Competitive Position Strong Growth via vertical integration High Islamabad Serena Hotel Medium Low Stability Growth Concentric diversification Average Growth via integration Growth via integration Growth Conglomerate diversification Weak horizontal Retrenchment Turnaround horizontal Retrenchment Sell out Retrenchment Liquidation

Five Year Strategic Plan In general strategic planning is a management tool, which is used for a purpose to help an organization do a better job, to focus its energy, to ensure that members of the corporation are working toward the same goals, and finally to assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment. In short, strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future. Page 13 of 25

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Growth Strategy In simple words we can say that corporate strategy provide a strategic platform to handle the business with a common set of strategic capabilities and it really helps by stating how the company will achieve its mission and objectives. Vertical integration is really beneficial for Serena hotel, and it gives Islamabad Serena hotel the following advantages: Cost can be controlled by eliminating the steps Can create synergy Avoid time consuming tasks like Serena hotel is advertising through public relations with the media people, through magazines, through Pakistan tourism and in flight advertisement etc. Through vertical integration they can differentiate its product and services, like they are providing their customer with the facility of limousine. In general we can say that Serena hotel is following the differentiation strategy as they are providing unique and superior value to their customers in term of their product quality and services.

Serena hotel is targeting the limited market, which is the upper class or business class so keeping in view the highly attractive industry they can open a new hotel for middle class with relatively lower prices. The hotel may start under the same brand name or with a new name. Strategic Plan Work with American Airline to develop alliance to reduce their marketing cost and to increase market share. Within one-year initiate a program to analyze and review the overall transport infrastructure so that more and more people come up for tourism purpose. In addition to attracting new visitors, it is important to broaden the current tourism base, both in terms of time and geography. In order for this effort to be effective, Serena must work with regional organizations and statewide industry associations that are already successfully promoting tourism, and encourage and support regional groups to expand their capacity to promote tourism. Geographically expanding the firm activities by going into other major cities and acquire market share. Strengthen the climate of support that exists for the tourism industry by communicating the economic benefits of responsible tourism development to the general public as well as to the state and local government representatives.

Report to Chairman to Ensure Success In general we can say that strategy formulation is the half part of the story the main thing is the implementation of that strategy. So in order to make the strategy successful the company need to have an excellent implementation plan. The main problems, which lead to strategy towards failure, are given below: 1. Unforeseen problems 2. Lack of coordination among activities 3. Inefficient employee who are involved in implementation process

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4. Implementation process actually goes slow than originally planned Information Technology for Hotel & Restaurant Management

Marissa Brassfield Based in San Diego, Marissa Brassfield has been writing and editing virtually nonstop since 2005. Her work has appeared in "Draft" magazine, "Philadelphia STYLE" magazine and "Trend Hunter." Brassfield holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Pennsylvania. Information technology streamlines nearly every aspect of operations in the hospitality industry, from managing hotel reservations to facilitating communication between restaurant servers and chefs in the kitchen. Computer software also assists management with back-end operations, from completing payroll to tracking inventory. Types According to O*Net OnLine, food service managers typically use point of sale software, calendar and scheduling software, accounting software, inventory management software, and analytical or scientific software. Hotel managers use these same programs, but also use facilities management software and customer relationship software. Significance Information technology in the hospitality field enables managers to digitally track every aspect of business operations and identify areas for improvement. For example, customer relationship software enables front desk employees to check guests in and acknowledge frequent guests, while point of sale software enables restaurant managers to run detailed sales reports to gauge the popularity of specials or other menu items. Considerations It's easy to rely on software, but power outages, database failures and network interruptions still plague any information technology system. Hospitality managers must have a contingency plan with department-specific "emergency kits" to use when a system goes offline. DATA COLLECTION METHOD I collect most of my of my data from my MBA course books. I collect some of my data from internet website www.goolge.com and www.msn.com. I also took help from my friends and family members to complete my project.

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SWOT ANALYSIS
It is a fact that no organizations can work in isolation. It is effected by internal and entrant factors which are also called environment of the organization. The environment has different effects based on situation. The analysis of environment is also called SWOT Analysis. The word SWOT is a combination of fore words: o Strengths o Weakness o Opportunities o Threats INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT The changes in the internal environment of the company give to opportunities and threats. A company can maximize its profit by exploiting opportunities and can grantee it existence by avoiding threats. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS This gives the internal situation of the company, what kind of sources a company has there resources there define the strengths and weaknesses of the company. A company should use its strengths to their minimum and try its better to over come the weakness. SWOT stands for strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis is one of the most important steps in formulating strategy using organizations mission as a context, managers assess internal strengths (distinctive competences) and weakness and external opportunities and threats. The goal is to develop good strategies that exploit opportunities and strengths, neutralize threats and avoid weaknesses. External Environment External environment includes those factors over which the organization has no control. The competitors, external opportunities and threats are included in the external organization of an organization. Now to start with the external analysis of Serena hotel we first need to identify the groups or forces within the organization societal environment and the task environment because these factors really influence the long run as well as short run decisions and are affected by it. T hreat o f N ew E ntrants Within the hotel industry of Pakistan there is significant more threat of new entrants because it is rapidly growing industry with a very strong potential growth. The factors which limit the new entrance or which become the barriers to entry of new entrant are Legal Requirement Capital-intensive industry Proper research and development

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The power of suppliers is strong when sellers are concentrated, or the customers has few alternatives in term of substitutes or the switching cost is high

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Industry Analysis The main purpose of industry analysis is to determine the opportunities and threats that exist for firms within a competitive environment. The examination of important stakeholders within a corporations task environment may be called industry analysis. The main issue within the hotel industry is to take care of consumer tastes, changing trends of the market and to maintain a high quality of the all the products and services T hreat o f N ew E ntrants Within the hotel industry of Pakistan there is significant more threat of new entrants because it is rapidly growing industry with a very strong potential growth. The factors which limit the new entrance or which become the barriers to entry of new entrant are Legal Requirement Capital-intensive industry Proper research and development

The power of suppliers is strong when sellers are concentrated, or the customers has few alternatives in term of substitutes or the switching cost is high B argaining P ower o f S uppliers Suppliers can really affect an industry by raising their prices. In case of Islamabad Serena hotel we can say that they have strong bargaining power mainly because of the following reasons: Their product and services are really unique and different There is no close substitute of hotels they have forward integration and have direct contact with the customers

B argaining P ower o f B uyers Buyers may affect the industry through their ability to force down the prices. In case of Serena hotel bargaining power of buyers is high because Alternative hotels in Islamabad Switching cost towards competitors is low They get discounts if they make reservation online

I ntensity o f R ivalries In Pakistan there is a strong competition within the hotel industry and they all compete aggressively, and there is no alliance between these hotels because the opportunities to differentiate the target market are few. So the intensity of rivalry is severe and the companies defend their targeted customers aggressively. When we talk about Serena hotel we can say that the competition is intense mainly because of the following reasons: Hotel industry is a rapidly growing industry and all the competitors have an opportunity to grow All the competitors are roughly equal in size and power High exit barriers

T hreat o f S ubstitute

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When we talk about the threat of the substitute Islamabad Serena hotel, we come to know that there is no as such threat because there is no close substitute of hotel industry. Strategic Groups: The research specifies that the strategic groups are really useful to better understand the competitive environment. Companies or business units belonging to particular strategic group within the same industry tend to be strong rivals of each other. So from the strategic mapping it is clear that there is no as such competitor of Islamabad Serena hotel because they are providing full range of products and services with relatively higher prices. However up to some extent we can say that Marriott and Pearl continental are some how the competitors of Serena hotel. OPPORTUNITIES Opportunity means an area in environments that, if exploited, may generate high performance. Within the context of Serena Hotel they have the following opportunities: 1. Trend to Tourism: Operating under the Serena brand name, Tourism Promotion Services owns and manages fifteen hotels in East Africa and Asia. Besides earning foreign exchange and increasing employment and manpower development, tourism can contribute to national growth in more qualitative ways. So Serena hotel has an opportunity to introduce more attractive packages because the tourism trend is continuously increasing and as the Islamabad Serena hotel is on its growing stage so they have to lower their prices to gain more and more share in the market. By doing this they can keep hold on to their old customers and can attract new tourists. 2. Establish New Branches: Serena Hotel has a great opportunity to establish their branches in major cities of Pakistan like Lahore and Karachi. Because Karachi is corporate city in Pakistan there is also seaport and International airport in Karachi and most of the business class come from that side. 3. Alliance with Airlines & Shipping Corporation: Serena hotel has a great opportunity to create an alliance with airlines because it really helps them to increase their revenues as well as will boost the tourism so they have a great opportunity to get maximum revenue out of it. 4. Construction of Makran Costal, Indus Highway: The construction of Makran costal and Indus highway give more opportunities regarding tourism and ultimately will be beneficial for the Serena hotel as well.

THREATS Organizational threats means an area in environments that increases the difficulty of an organizations achieving high performance. So when we talk about treats to Serena hotel we can say that they are facing the following threats: Opening of Sheraton Hotel Sheraton Hotel is going to open its branch in Islamabad and it is big threat for Serena Hotel. Since Sheraton Hotel is very established hotel in Karachi and many people are familiar with

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the services of Sheraton Hotel so it is a rumor that Sheraton hotel will be started within next two years in Islamabad, which is a main threat for Islamabad Serena hotel. Existing Competitors: The existing threats for Serena Hotel are Marriott Hotel, Holiday inn, Pearl Continental. Basically we can say that there is no as such threat they are facing, because there are no such competitors, who are so much financially strong and multinationals, but to some extent we can say that their competitors like Marriott and Pearl Continental are threats for the Islamabad Serena hotel because if they start lowering their prices or offer more attractive packages then it may possible that their customers move to them. Changing Government Regulations: The changing government rules regarding tax and holding to the food industry is also a big threat for Islamabad Serena hotel, because if the regulations or policies are not stick then they will fail to stabilize their prices and packages and ultimately the customers will suffer. Strong Competition: Strong completion among the existing competitors is also a big threat for Islamabad Serena hotel because the switching cost of the customer from one hotel to an other is very low so it may possible that if the customer is not satisfied with any particular service of Serena hotel he then move to Marriott or Pearl continental. Internal Environment The internal environment consists of variables Strengths and weaknesses that are within the organization but not usually within the short-run control of top management. They may include corporate culture, structure and resources. In order to carry out the internal scanning the managers need to identify all those strategic factors that may determine whether the firm will be able to take advantage of opportunities while avoiding threats.

S TRENGTHS
Strength is a skill or capability that enable an organization to conceive of and implement its strategies. Serena Hotel is one of the Best Chain of hotels in Pakistan. They have five branches in Pakistan and 20 branches outside Pakistan and it is the first five star hotels in Islamabad. Following are the strengths of Islamabad Serena hotel: Location & Best Property: Islamabad Serena hotel is located on six acres near the lush green Margalla Hills and Rawal Lake, next to the Diplomatic Enclave and it is surrounded by tranquil jasmine gardens, with serene water bodies and, combines the historical architecture of the region, with traditional hospitality. So their main strength is that they have the best location and property in Islamabad as compare to others. Strong Culture

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As we know Pakistan is a country of many different traditions and magnificent background. Its people come from a variety of ethnic groups and religions. So the philosophy of Serena Hotels is to protect these people and their environment whilst ensuring hotel guests have a memorable stay in the groups exclusive hotels. High Quality Services: Serena hotel provide different services like Airport pick-up and drop by Hotel Limousine, Providing services like Free local calls / faxes / Internet, fruit basket, daily newspaper, laundry/pressing/dry-cleaning Small boardrooms and meeting facilities are available as well. The hotel features 24-hour Room Service, ladies and gents hair salon, shopping arcade, travel desk, and in-house doctor.

Recreation and Health: The Health Club of the Islamabad Serena hotel, features an outdoor heated pool. Wellequipped ladies and gents gym, minutes away from the hotel are, golf, tennis and horse riding facilities and walking tracks around the hotel are easily accessible. Training and Development Program: They have training and development program for their employees and their primary purpose of training is to assist the employee in improving professional competence, skills, knowledge and overall abilities so that the personal growth is enhanced and also the needs of the business are met in an appropriate and organized manner. Competent Staff: The primary goal of Serena Hotel is to meet and satisfy the needs of all people associated with the Hotel that includes both guests and employees. So one of the biggest strength of Serena hotel is that they have competent and skilled employees who are available at the proper time and performing the tasks that meet the needs of the Hotel. Credit Worthiness: The credit worthiness of Serena hotel is very high because everyone is well familiar with the Aha Khan Fund For Economic Development so if they want to get loan they can easily get it

W EAKNESSES
Organization weakness means skills and capabilities that do not enable an organization to choose and implements strategies that support its mission .A good and well-reputed organization should over come its weaknesses, in this way company can achieve its goals. So within the context of Serena hotel we come to know the following weaknesses: High Cost:

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Serena Hotel is expensive because basically it was made only for high-class people. Majority of people of Pakistan cannot enjoy its services because of high rates. The main reason of Serenas high prices is that, its cost is really high which includes all like HR cost, services, training, technological advancements etc. Aggressive Leadership: Their leadership style is aggressive they are new because they have just started their business is Islamabad. They are fail to handle or expected customers. They dont have any suggestion box system so the employees and guests cannot express their feelings and ideas in written form; it has to be done verbally. No Branch in Other Major Cities: Serena dont have its branches in big cities of Pakistan like Lahore and Karachi. If they establish their branches in Lahore and Karachi They can gain more goodwill and benefits. Limited Target Market: One of the biggest weaknesses of the Serena hotel is that they have a limited target market. Their basic approach is the only high class or the business class and the middle class cannot afford to stay in that five star hotel. High Tariff Rates: The other weakness of the Serena hotel is that have high tariff rate due to which their services are the most expensive in Islamabad. No Alliances with Airlines: Another weakness of Serena Hotel is that they dont have any alliance with multinationals companies .For example Marriott Hotel have alliance with British Air Ways, all the staff and passenger stay in Marriott Hotel which brings huge amount of revenues on regular basis.

CONCLUSION
From the fore going, the computers are valuable in the management of a business when applied with information communication technology. Correctly and controlled systems are indispensable to a well-run business that wishes to maximize effectiveness and keep one step ahead of the competitions. Therefore the impact of information and communication technology to the hospitality establishment can not be over emphasized if effectively applied will out perform others in the face of competitions. Now when the strategic analyze the internal strategic factors of the corporation they summarize that analysis on a summary sheet, which helps to analyze that how well the management is responding to these specific factors in the light of their perceived importance to the company. Projects are an investment on which resources are used to create assets that will produce benefits over an expanded period of time. It is a unique process, consisting of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with start and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an

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objective conforming to specific requirements, including the constraints of time, cost and resources. Serena hotel Islamabad has many competitors and its main competitors in market. So in this situation it is compulsory for them to organize their project before doing any final step

RECOMMENDATIONS
As we know that the people who implements strategy are totally different with the people who formulate it. So for the success of the strategy that we recommended depends on certain factors first is that: To Communicate Properly: The top management of the Serena hotel clearly communicates the objectives, strategies and policies to the line management, because if the objectives, strategies and policies and their importance to the company are not clearly communicated to the operational managers, obstruction or resistance will be the resulted. Sereena have to improve its information communication technology system. Competency in Management: The other element for the success of a strategic plan proposed by us is the management synergy formed by the Serena hotel. As we now that new strategies and polices call for new human resource and need competency in management because it is very essential part in the success of any business. So in order to implement a strategy in a successful manner Serena hotel need to retrain the old employees or go for the hiring of the new employees. So while hiring new people their first priority will be seeking the competent pole and to give them training so that they learn the required skills. Organic Structure: As far as organizing the new strategy, which we suggests to the top management of Serena hotel is concerned, we suggest them to go for organic structure because in organic structure there is more flat management with few layers of managers, each having a wide span of control and in this type of structure the subordinates have more freedom and as the Serena is a five star hotel so they really need to give more authorities to their employees otherwise they may loose their customers. Hire Capable Staff: The implementation of new policies and strategies needs new Human resource management priorities and different utilization of employees. This means that the company will recruit new employees, lay off the idle staff and provide training to the existing employees to improve the skills. So to ensure the success of the strategy Serenas management need to identify the employees who are not capable for this new strategy and lay them off as well as give training to the retaining employees and higher the competitive pool of new employees for the new strategic plan. Proper Direction: Page 23 of 25

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Successful implementation of new strategy also depends how efficiently and accurately management directs its workforce to utilize their abilities ad skills to attain the organizational objectives.

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Culture Compatibility: In order to ensure the success of the proposed strategies the other thing which management kept in mind is the culture compatibility so in this context the Serena management need to Evaluate the a specific change in strategy will mean to the corporate culture Asses whether the change in culture will be needed, and Decide whether an attempt to change the culture will be likely costs.

The other most important points, which the management of the Serena needs to consider regarding cultural compatibility, are as follows: Is the planned strategy compatible with the companys current culture? If the strategy isnt compatible with the current culture. Can the culture be easily modified to make it more compatible with the new strategy? If the culture cant be change easily to make it more compatible with the new strategy, is management willing and able to make major organizational changes and accept probable delays and a likely increase in cists? If the management isnt willing to make the major organizational changes required to manage around the culture, is it still committed to implementing the strategy?

So in order to implement the strategy Serena management need to consider all the above points and then make needed modification to make the strategy compatible with the culture because culture plays a very important role and it a way the company do things. The hospitality industry was the first to make commercial use of the computing systems. It is increasingly important that users within the industry make use of applied information technology if they wish to remain effective and gain a lead over their competitors.

REFRENCES
o Project management o A systems approach to planning, scheduling and controlling by harold kerzner, phd o o Http://www.scribd.com Http://www.abl.com.pk o Http://www.google.com

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