ITC-563 Report: IT Management Issues for Mainland Safari Tours

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of IT management issues within the context of Mainland Safari Tours, a company formed by the merger of two coach tour businesses. The report examines the management decisions made during the merger, including the retention of staff, tours, and coaches, and the introduction of a premium service and online booking. It critiques these decisions, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages, such as the potential for increased profits versus the lack of face-to-face customer interaction. The report differentiates between information technology and information systems, offering two technological solutions: enhancing workforce effectiveness through CRM and providing self-service optimizations to improve customer interaction. It further explores how these technological solutions impact customer choices, brand loyalty, and continued patronage, emphasizing the importance of customer service, brand loyalty, and the need for continuous improvement in the company's services to maintain a competitive advantage. The report concludes by underscoring the significance of IT management in reducing complexities and promoting the success of Mainland Safari Tours.

Running head: IT MANAGEMENT ISSUES
IT Management Issues: Mainland Safari Tours
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Executive Summary
The major objective of the report is knowing about case scenario of Mainland Safari
Tours and their new business processes and operations. Information technology
management is referred as an important process for overseeing all the matters,
which are related with specific IT resources as well as operations within the
respective information technology company. Such information can be promptly
processed or stored with better communication network with the core purpose of
ensuring that management, proper operations and entire procedure of decision
making could be supported effectively. Each and every information technology
resource is required to be controlled and such resources mainly include tangible
investments like computer hardware, network, software and data centre facilities.
The report has demonstrated about detailed analysis of management decisions of
Mainland Safari Tours and two recommendations as well as technological solutions
are provided to enhance their business model.

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1. Introduction
A full servicing coach company, Outback Safari Tours with twenty five offices
are being situated in New South Wales, Queensland, SA, Western Australia and
Northern Territory. They provide several types of multiday tour as well as excellent
service. Another popular and brand new lower expenses coach organization,
Mainland Express also provides several distinctive services to their customers
(Marchewka, 2014). The management of these two organizations has taken the
decision of combining them as Mainland Safari Tours to enhance business
effectiveness to a high level. This report will be providing a detailed description of the
entire case scenario for Mainland Safari Tours after consideration of few important
recommendations to improve services.
2. Discussion
2.1 Critique for Every Management Decision for Case Scenario
The management of two organizations, Mainland Express and Outback Safari
Tours have decided to merge them for making Mainland Safari Tours and hence
they have undertaken some of the major decisions to provide utmost benefit to their
business (Bloom et al., 2014). The foremost management decision of this company
is retaining each and every pre existing staff, destination, tour and coach. This would
be termed as both moral and ethical as the employees would not lose their jobs and
the pre determined tours would be followed so that customers do not face any issue
for their plans. The next benefit of the system can be termed as there are no
additional expenses incurred and thus ensuring company will be extremely
benefitted and would enjoy high profits (Jiao & Onwuegbuzie, 2017). Furthermore,
with the combination of traditional system and latest advancement from the two

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previous organizations, it is highly expected that this new company will bring out
more efficacy after following some of the most significant traditional customs and
rules.
The next decision that is being undertaken by the management is to start a
premium service that would be providing every required amenity of an individual in
an extremely low cost. Another important decision by the management is allowing
the customers to make their bookings online and hence saving resources like cost
and time of clients (Hills, 2018). However, an additional 15% charge would be taken
from taken if the booking is made via agents that can lead to dissatisfaction of few
customers. Lack of face to face customer meeting is yet another important drawback
of this company that must be eradicated.
2.2 Major Differences within Information Technology and Information System
with Two Technological Solutions
Information technology could be stated as the subsequent usage of system,
so that the respective organization is able to complete few significant activities such
as data retrieval, manipulation and even transmission of the sensitive data
effectively. Information systems could be stated as a proper formalized,
organizational and socio technical system, which is properly designed to collect,
store and even disseminate the confidential information (Ye & Wang, 2013). Both of
these information system and information technology are proper evolving
technologies, although having few of the differences between them. The first and the
foremost difference is that an information system is responsible for focusing and
analysing on needs of known system and it is the core process of planning and
converting the systems to few significant forms that can be used and dealt with
(Wagner, Vollmar & Wagner, 2014). On the other hand, the information technology is

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solely responsible for focusing on the technologies and technical use of results or
analyses of the organizer of information that can be properly applied to every
available technical advancement.
Two proper and effective technological solutions that can be termed as
extremely appropriate for the organization of Mainland Safari Tours so that they can
reduce the pre existing complexities in such a manner that better effectiveness and
efficiency is obtained and hence improving quality of customer to a higher level are
provided below:
a) Effectiveness of Work Force: This is the first as well as one of the most
popular technological solution that could provide major advantages to Mainland
Safari Tours (Tafti, Mithas & Krishnan, 2013). Each and every organizational
employee or staff must be eventually encouraged to embrace and allow newer
methodologies or techniques so that they are able to improvise the various customer
treatments. For this particular purpose, it is extremely mandatory to maintain an
effective CRM after retaining their customers. It could only occur as soon as the
major staff and employees of Mainland Safari Tours will be working together and will
even be resolving the various customers’ complaints with utmost priority. They
should even provide proper training to their staff to ensure that every staff has the
core capability of gaining more efficient ideas regarding customer controlling and
even fulfilling every valid demand of them (Sun & Jeyaraj, 2013). All of these
services as well as work effectiveness could even be termed as significant to bring
out more competitive benefits within the business.
b) Self Service Optimizations: This is the second vital and noteworthy
technological solution that could provide major advantages to Mainland Safari Tours

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(Passey & Samways, 2016). The management of this particular organization should
eventually search for better creative as well as innovative methodologies to the
customers or clients to interact within the respective business. As they have
eventually not involved face to face meeting and communication or booking with
clients, the self service optimizations could be termed as quite effective to deal with
each and every kind of issue regarding management of customers in the most
efficient manner. This is even effective to ensure maintenance of brand loyalty as
well as effective customer interactions.
2.3 Procedure of Technology mainly affecting Customers’ Choice, Brand
Loyalty and Continued Patronage
Two distinctive and important technological solutions are provided in the
above paragraphs for the upcoming and new organization of Mainland Safari Tours
(Madon & Krishna, 2018). Few important and significant functions are needed to be
highly increased for eventually ensuring that all of such resources are giving all types
of better advantages to the respective company.
a) Customer Choices: This is the most important and significant aspect that
is needed to be analysed on a priority basis. Each and every technological solution
will be quite efficient and effective so that customer demands and choices are being
obtained or analysed without any type of complexity (Dedrick, Kraemer & Shih,
2013). It is noted that most of the customers mainly demand for self service
technology as well as self service optimizations. Although, Mainland Safari Tours will
be providing scope for online bookings, they need to improve their services in such a
manner that the entire business process and operation is enhanced to a higher level.
The management of this particular organization has completely eradicated the scope
of any kind of face to face meetings. Every customer does not have the core

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capability of making bookings online as they might not be accustomed with the
online or Internet services.
For this particular purpose, it is highly recommended to keep a system of face
to face meeting or booking so that each and every customer is able to complete their
bookings without any type of issue faced or without even involving a third party for
making such bookings (Ancker et al., 2013). Customer services would be eventually
enhanced to a better level and hence Mainland Safari Tours can produce services to
the customers by better methods or techniques. These types of service transactions
should also be made hassle free and more convenient and appropriate in
comparison to any other organization. In spite of the fact that they have decided to
deploy a portion of these technologies by inclusion of online payment, however, few
more methods and techniques are required to fulfil each and every kind of customer
choice (Fortunati, Pertierra & Vincent, 2013).
b) Brand Loyalty: The next distinctive and vital aspect, which is required to
be maintain for any specific organizational name is brand loyalty. This particular
aspect can be defined as the most convenient tendency of clients to constantly
purchase the same products from same brand and not switching brands at any cost
since they are extremely satisfied with the current brand (Bai & Sarkis, 2013). Brand
loyalty is stated as a specific positive feeling for a brand and even dedication to
purchase same products or services repeatedly, by not focusing on the actions or
changes of the competitors of that specific organization. It is the major aspect that
states the respective company is able to maintain their position in the market by
retaining existing customers in an effective manner. Moreover, all types of business
and ethical values could even be well analysed, hence gaining major competitive
advantages after successful implementation of loyalty business models.

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As Mainland Safari Tours would be a merger organization that will be made
after combining two popular and significant tour coach companies, it would be
extremely vital for the new organization to efficiently maintain their brand loyalty so
that the customers are as satisfied with as the previous two companies (Melián-
González & Bulchand-Gidumal, 2016). Marketing of an organization plays one of the
major roles in this case and thus providing specialized discounts after starting the
business would be quite effective to the respective business to draw more customers
and also to provide even better services. This type of discounts would be extremely
important for Mainland Safari Tours for seeking brand loyalty more often.
c) Continued Patronage: The third important and significant aspect, which is
required to be taken into consideration during bringing of any type of new and
advanced technologies for the respective company of Mainland Safari Tours is
continued patronage (Marinagi, Trivellas & Sakas, 2014). This type of continued
support would be important for them since they would have to deal with clients in the
business and it is highly mandatory to satisfy the customers on a priority basis. It is
also vital to provide satisfaction to the customers or clients by providing patronage
and thanksgiving messages, with the core purpose to make these clients feel
extremely special and hence they continue in taking the services. Since Mainland
Safari Tours is a brand new player within the market, they should properly
emphasize on the respective patronage to maintain better relation with the
customers and also enhancing customer relationship management.
3. Conclusion
Thus, conclusion can be drawn that IT management is quite vital as well as
noteworthy to effectively reduce subsequent complexities that are associated to
every technology service. Mainland Safari Tours will be an amalgamation of two

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popular tour coach organizations of Mainland Express and Outback Safari Tours.
This specific organization would be mainly responsible for providing few important or
vital services and benefits to their customers. This above report has effectively
demonstrated about each and every new service as well as efficient, which can be
amended to the respective business procedures in Mainland Safari Tours after
considering their previously defined services in a proper manner. Suitable
recommendations and suggestions are even given for this particular company and
thus improving the services.
4. Two Recommendations to Improve Services in Mainland Safari Tours
The improvement of services is extremely important and significant for any
specific organization so that they can easily and promptly obtain some of the most
significant competitive benefits or profits within the business. Furthermore, they
would even gain utmost popularity within their customers and this is only possible
when the pre decided services and operations are being improvised to a better level
after having a major enhancement in the existing business model and business
procedures (Galluch, Grover & Thatcher, 2015). Two of such efficient and
appropriate suggestions or recommendations, which will be quite important and
significant for Mainland Safari Tours organization are as follows:
a) Enabling Customers in Paying through Instalments: This is the first and
one of the most important recommendation or suggestion, which could be termed as
quite effective and efficient for the organization of Mainland Safari Tours so that they
are able to improvise the services. In spite of the fact that the costs or expenses of
organizational services has been decided to be extremely lower as compared to any
other travel agency, this specific tour coach company will also enable the clients to
pay off their required and little amount of expenses by paying them in instalments

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(Taipaleenmäki & Ikäheimo, 2013). This would lower the pressure on customers
majorly and the clients would be much more satisfied with their services and thus
there is a high chance that the company might be obtaining some of the core
competitive benefits for their business. Moreover, Mainland Safari Tours will also
have the major ability of measuring their score of customer effort after setting the
correct key performance indicator or KPIs. Customer and brand loyalty are also
enhanced with this type of improvement, hence it would be possible for them to
attract new customers.
b) Arranging Discount Rate to the Regular Clients: This is the second and
another effective and suitable suggestion to Mainland Safari Tours so that they are
able to improve their business services in a better manner. Existing or regular clients
are termed as the biggest boons to any company and hence it is extremely important
to retain the existing customers to every extent and ensure that all clients are
satisfied with the services provided by Mainland Safari Tours. As it is a brand new
company, it is highly recommended to them to arrange for all types of extra benefits
or advantages for customers so that they are highly satisfied in every means
(Melián-González & Bulchand-Gidumal, 2016). A specialized discount is extremely
effective for retaining every existing customer, who have utilized the services of this
tour coach company for minimum of 3 times within one single year and this particular
additional advantage would be quite effective for the customers as they would feel
special. The customers, who have travelled for more than 4 times in one single year
would be getting an extra 10 percentage of discount and special patronage
messages would also be provided to these customers for ensuring that they utilize
their services once again.

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