| Author: | Suen, Yat-heung Eunice |
| Title: | The application of information technology to the club industry : a case study of a private club in Hong Kong |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2000 |
| Subject: | Clubs -- China -- Hong Kong -- Case studies Information technology -- China -- Hong Kong -- Case studies Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Multi-disciplinary Studies Department of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | vii, 94 leaves ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | In response to the keen competitions in the club industry, club managers are now paying attentions to the application of information technology (IT) in order to improve operational efficiency, customer service, company image and cost-effectiveness of their businesses. Apart from operational tasks, IT can also be used for managerial decision making. Clubs should also consider using information strategy as a building block of the business strategy. It was found that clubs were the last sector in the hospitality industry to become computerized. Most clubs bought technology piece-meal with no long-term plan. Some computer software was tailor-made for a specific task which was not interfaced for other functions. There are many reasons hindering the IT implementation and developments in clubs. One of the reasons is the perceived high cost of computer investments. Another reason is related to the human factors which include employees' resistance towards IT, lack of IT knowledge and negative perceptions of IT. Inadequate attention to human factors was found as one of the main reasons of IT project failure in previous studies. In order to smoothly implement IT in clubs, considerable attentions must be paid to the employees. These attentions include understanding employees' attitudes toward IT usage, their expectation and experience towards IT, training arrangement and creation of an IT support environment. The objectives of this research study are I) to explore the current IT applications in one of the private clubs in Hong Kong (the Club) and the related problems of IT usage; II) to examine the future planning of IT of the Club; III) to analyze the awareness and attitudes of the Club's employees toward IT usage; IV) to examine the gap(s) between employees' expected and experienced importance of IT in various motives (competitive, efficient and operational); V) to explore the possible difficulties or problems that may hinder smooth IT implementation in the Club and the recommendations. These objectives are achieved through personal interviews with the management staff and questionnaires with all the employees of the Club. The findings show that about 50% of the Club's employees do not have computer experience. However, those having computer experience show a positive attitude towards IT usage. In addition, significant gaps are found between the expected and experienced importance of IT by these employees. This research aims to share the above information with club managers and researchers who are interested to further study the IT applications of the club industry. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b15555215.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 3.02 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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