Functional propotype of a performance management system for hospitality

António, Nuno Miguel da Conceição

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/8236

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Authors

António, Nuno Miguel da Conceição

Advisor(s)

Serra, Francisco

Abstract(s)

This project involved the creation and real-life evaluation in four hotels, of a functional prototype of a performance management system specific for the hospitality industry, with the objective of testing the viability to develop a commercial service. This system can be defined as a set of dashboards that enable the systematic monitoring of business information (goals, metrics and indicators - constructed from multiple data sources) that facilitate management decision-making. To assert its viability, a three point evaluation criteria was established: (1) that there were no technical obstacles that could limit the system’s scope or performance; (2) that users would identify the benefits of using the system; and (3) that quantifiable improvements could achieved. The system was designed based on distributing computing and agent architecture and its development followed the Design Science Research methodology, which also demonstrated its suitability for management research projects. With the prototype’s development and its use by four hotels, it was possible to confirm that no technical aspects would condition the commercial viability of the system. The same can be said about the users’ perception of the system’s benefits, as they identified a long list of benefits and situations where the system could be used with better results than traditional decision making routines. Although it was possible to verify that three of the participating hotels improved their operational indicators when compared to the previous year, due to calendar constraints and the inexistence of benchmarking data sets it was not possible to produce evidence that those performance improvements could be attributed to the use of the system. Globally, these results - complemented by the request of all the participating hotels to continue to use the prototype and their willingness to pay in the future for a commercial service that provided the same information as the prototype - confirmed it’s viability and commercial relevance.