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Enterprise Resource Planning

notes In post implementation phase itself company trained the in – house people so that, they can help
company in implementation efforts on other units of company and in providing training to the
other employees using of system. This saves lot of money of company that would have been
spent on hiring trainers.

Did u know? The ERP consultants invest significant amount of time and effort to decipher
the process is commendable.

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Case Study information system in restaurant

waiter takes an order at a table, and then enters it online via one of the six
terminals located in the restaurant dining room. The order is routed to a printer
in
A the appropriate preparation area: the cold item printer if it is a salad, the hot-
item printer if it is a hot sandwich or the bar printer if it is a drink. A customer’s meal
check listing (bill) the items ordered and the respective prices are automatically generated.
This ordering system eliminates the old three-carbon-copy guest check system as well
as any problems caused by a waiter’s handwriting. When the kitchen runs out of a food
item, the cooks send out an ‘out of stock’ message, which will be displayed on the dining
room terminals when waiters try to order that item. This gives the waiters faster feedback,
enabling them to give better service to the customers.
Other system features aid management in the planning and control of their restaurant
business. The system provides up-to-the-minute information on the food items ordered
and breaks out percentages showing sales of each item versus total sales. This helps
management plan menus according to customers’ tastes. The system also compares the
weekly sales totals versus food costs, allowing planning for tighter cost controls. In addition,
whenever an order is voided, the reasons for the void are keyed in. This may help later in
management decisions, especially if the voids consistently related to food or service.
Acceptance of the system by the users is exceptionally high since the waiters and waitresses
were involved in the selection and design process. All potential users were asked to give
their impressions and ideas about the various systems available before one was chosen.
Questions

1. In the light of the system, describe the decisions to be made in the area of strategic
planning, managerial control and operational control? What information would you
require to make such decisions?
2. What would make the system a more complete MIS rather than just doing transaction
processing?

3. Explain the probable effects that making the system more formal would have on the
customers and the management.
Source: Himadri Barman, Centre for Management Studies, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh 786 004, Assam.

9.5 summary

l z An IS Manager is required to supervise three key functions, the development of strategy
(both company and IT), support for the end-user and the running of the IT (or DP)
department. Strategy. Although extremely important it is a subject about which very little
has been written.

172 LoveLy professionaL university