Republic of the Philippines

Surigao del Sur State

University
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur
Telefax No. 086-212-5132
Website: www.sdssu.edu.ph

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

APPLIED BUS. TOOLS AND

TECHNOLOGIES
KENT GUERTA ORCULLO,MBA(CAR)
BSHM INSTRUCTOR
AY 2022

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 APPLIED BUS. TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES

COURSE DECRIPTION

This course identifies common tools, technology and techniques used in the Tourism and
Hospitality industry. It includes an overview of the applications or systems composed of technical
processes, methods, software and hardware that have evolved and streamlined certain functions in the
workplace. These applications and systems include those used in an (1) organizations internal functions,
(2) business-to-business operations (including operations with suppliers) and (3) business-to-consumer
transactions. The goal is to expose students to different applications so he/she can identify, learn, analyze
and understand available devices and solutions, from which they can select the one/s that is most
appropriate for the business function. Topics covered: how to utilize information technology applications;
how to perform administrative and clerical procedures; how to receive and process reservations; how to
access and retrieve electronic-based data; how to use various channels in dealing with guest and
colleagues; how to source and to provide destination information and advice; how to produce applicable
travel documentation, etc. the student will also learn to appreciate the impact of technological innovations
to the economy, the industry, the organizations business model and to specific functions/operations of the
organization. This will also ensure that the students will also know the value of including tools and
technology in its business strategy.

COURSE OUTCOME

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

1. Articulate and discuss the latest developments in the field of information and communication
technology in tourism and hospitality industry.
2. Perform basic functions of management such us planning, organizing, leading and controlling
3. Apply Information and communication technology skills required by business environment
4. Manage and market service oriented business organization
5. Show ability to perform in a multicultural work place and work effectively as a team in globally-
diverse environment.
28 6. Exemplify professional, social and ethical responsibility.
7. Utilize various communication channels proficiently in dealing with guest and colleagues.
Plan, develop and evaluate tourism sites and attractions.

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 TAKE NOTE!!!
 Work through all the information and complete the activities in each section. Suggested
references are included to supplement the materials provided in this module.
 Most probably your instructor/professor will monitor you via Facebook messenger or cell phone.
Your instructor/professor is there to support you and show you the correct way to do things.
 You will be given plenty of opportunity to ask questions and you may use internet as your
reference. Make sure to think critically on answering questions related to this module. This way
you will improve your memory and boost your learning’s and widen your knowledge.
 When you are done answering all questions and passing your activities or task that was given to
you. You must inform your instructor/professor for the process of submitting your output.
 You need to complete this module before you can move or proceed to the other next Module.

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 VISION, MISSION, GOALS, OBJECTIVES

Week : 1
Lesson No. : Lesson 1
Lesson title : VMGO of the University
Duration : 3 Hours

Specific Learning Outcomes:

know the overview of the course/subject

memorize and explain the VMGO & University Quality Policy
understand the University policies and classroom guidelines (requirements and grading
system)
VISION
A leading “Glocal” University with widened academic perspectives that focus on attaining food
security, supporting poverty alleviation, developing renewable energy, and conserving natural
environment.
MISSION
SDSSU shall provide competency-based higher education training driven by relevant and
responsive instruction, research, extension and sustainable resource management.
GOALS
KRA 1. Instruction
Develop highly competent, globally-competitive and morally upright graduates.
KRA 2. Research
Produce research for the advancement of knowledge, new technology and innovative approaches
for competitive endeavors.
KRA 3. Extension
Empower the rural poor to improve their lives through transfer of technologies and knowledge.
KRA 4. Production
Sustain University operations through viable and profitable income generating projects.

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 THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY LESSON 2

Week : 1-2
Lesson No. : Lesson 2
Lesson title : The Tourism and Hospitality Industry
Duration : 3 Hours

Specific learning outcome:

Discuss what composes the tourism and hospitality industry;

Provide examples of the tourism and hospitality industry establishments;
Create an article that discusses how tourism and hospitality establishments communicate their
products and services to their prospective clients through their websites

INTRODUCTION

The tourism and hospitality industry helps a country in terms of economic stability. People of varying
skills are hired in travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, airline companies, gaming companies, catering
establishments, and the like, thus, producing a large number of employed individuals who provide a great
and rewarding experience in the hospitality world. These industries continue to grow and present new
trends that a guest could surely benefit from regardless of how much it may cost them.

THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY

The Travel Industry History shows that human mind has an

innate bent towards travel. In the book Leadership and
Personality Development for Tourism and Hospitality
Professionals (Rodolfa, Aquino, Dellova, and Tiongco, 2011), it
stated that the earliest stages of human evolution had shown a
desire of travelling spurred by their needs for survival. Travel
on foot just to get into the place they wanted was very common
because there was no other way at that time. There were no
uniformed personnel to assist them in their travel.

During the introduction of some modes of transportation, the personnel were not that really well-trained,
28 and companies will not even look for someone who is well educated, with height accepted in their
qualifications as long as they could be able to handle whatever work they will be assigned to. According
to that same book, the introduction of different modes of transportation in three different ways such as air
(by plane), land (by buses, trains, etc.), and water (by ships, vessels, etc.) wherein the purpose of travel is

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 no longer just for pure survival but for so many reasons as business, leisure, religious, or health had
affected the search for individuals who could serve as their front lines in dealing with the travelers.

With varying requirements of travelers, services offered varies as well depending on the type of clients
the travel industry caters to. Information from services offered to how they satisfy the clients will serve as
bases for the industry as to how it is doing currently, and how it should do in the future. Systems on how
to manage such considerations are needed to ensure that everything is not overlooked, especially that the
demands of the clients nowadays continue to evolve.

In simple terms, the travel industry is concerned with providing services related to travel from one
location to another. This includes services that are directly related to the travel itself, such as
transportation, but also includes services related to catering for travellers’ needs and wants after they have
arrived at their destination.

It is often associated with the tourism industry and, as you will learn later in this article, there is
significant cross-over between the two, especially in terms of the businesses that fall under their
respective umbrellas.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY AND THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

While the travel industry and the tourism industry are interlinked, it is important to understand that there
are some notable differences between the two. Essentially, the tourism industry relates to the industry
centred on tourism, which is the specific act of travelling to a different location, either for business or
pleasure.

By contrast, the travel industry is simply related to a person’s travel from one place to another and the
various services they use in that process. In some ways, this means that the travel industry is slightly
broader than the tourism industry because it covers a wider number of travel purposes and includes trips
to non-tourist destinations.

WHAT SECTORS AND COMPANY TYPES OPERATE WITHIN THE TRAVEL

INDUSTRY AND HOSPITALITY?

1) Transportation
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For many people, when they think of the travel industry, they immediately think about transportation and
the companies that offer transport services. In reality, this is only one sector of the travel industry, but it is
perhaps the single most important, as it centres around actually facilitating travel from one location to
another. Included within this are road, rail, air and water transportation services, as outlined below:

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 Airline Industry
The airline industry provides various forms of air travel, including commercial and chartered flights.
These flights can be overseas or domestic and can cater for relatively short distances, right through to
trips to the other side of the world. Different airlines tend to serve specific regions and airports.

Car Rental
Car rental plays a key role in the travel industry, dealing with the provision of temporary access to
cars and other similar vehicles. For travellers, the main benefit of this is the freedom that is provided
via access to a car, as it means the process of getting around is not reliant on scheduled public
transport services.

Water Transport
Water transport refers to any transport that moves people across the water, including rivers, lakes,
canals and oceans. Examples of some of the forms of transport that are included within this category
are ocean liners and ferries. Cruises are also included in this, as cruises have a set path and travel is a
fundamental part of the experience.

Coach Services
In many cases, travellers opt to use coach services to travel to their chosen location and this is often
more cost-effective than the main alternatives. Coaches also facilitate day trips, while local bus
services provide a means for getting around once travellers have arrived at their destination.

Railway
Railways are one of the main ways that people travel domestically, while many rail services also
facilitate long-distance international travel too. Moreover, underground or subway-style train services
tend to provide a convenient way for travellers to get around large cities once they have arrived.

Spacecraft
Finally, one of the emerging sub-sections of the transport category of the travel industry relates to
spacecraft and commercial space flight. Virgin Galactic is the most well-known example here, with
the company aiming to provide space tourism services in the near future, allowing customers to travel
28 to outer space.

2) ACCOMMODATION

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 Another vital sector within the travel industry is the accommodation sector. After all, most long-distance
travellers will require somewhere to stay overnight. With that being said, people’s accommodation
requirements can vary quite significantly, depending on the length of their stay, the purpose of their
journey, the budget they are operating on, the experience they wish to gain, and their own personal
preferences.

Hotels
The hotel industry and the travel industry are closely linked, with hotels being the most popular form
of accommodation for those travelling to a different location and staying overnight. Hotels are
establishments that provide access to beds within private rooms. These rooms usually have en suite
bathrooms and additional facilities.

Shared Accommodation
Shared accommodation has emerged as an increasingly popular option for travellers, thanks to the
success of services like Airbnb. Through these platforms, guests can find homestay offerings. This
may mean having access to a private room in an occupied house or may mean having access to a
room that is shared with other guests.

Hostels
A form of sociable accommodation, hostels provide dorm rooms with multiple beds, and guests
effectively pay for a bed, rather than a private room. There is a wide range of hostel types, with either
mixed or same-sex dormitories, and guests will typically share kitchen, bathroom and living spaces.

Camping
Considered a form of outdoor accommodation, camping involves staying overnight in basic shelters,
such as a tent. Travellers may opt to spend their time in a commercial campsite, which will usually
provide additional amenities, or they may instead camp in publicly accessible conservation areas,
28 such as national parks.

Bed and Breakfast

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 A bed and breakfast is similar to a hotel, in the sense that guests are provided with a private room for
overnight stays. However, B&Bs tend to be converted family homes, often with the owners still living
there. As the name suggests, breakfast is provided, while a B&B will usually have a fairly small
number of rooms.

Cruises
Aside from being classed as a form of transportation, cruises are also a type of accommodation in of
themselves. After all, guests on cruises will spend the majority of their time on the cruise ship and
will usually be allocated a cabin aboard the ship, where they can relax and sleep.

Farmhouse Accommodation and Agri-Tourism

Agri-tourism is a niche industry, which is becoming increasingly popular, with people wishing to get
away from their usual environment, spend time on a farm, see the day-to-day activities and perhaps
even take part themselves. Farmhouse accommodation facilitates this and often resembles a bed and
breakfast set up.

Time-Share Accommodation
Time-share accommodation refers to a property, such as a condo or a holiday home, which is shared
between multiple different owners. Ownership rights are split evenly and usage rights are allocated to
each of the owners for a specific period of time, meaning every owner gets their own time period in
which to use the property.

3) FOOD AND BEVERAGE

The food and beverage sector primarily caters for the basic needs of travellers, through the provision of
food and drinks services. However, it is essential to understand that businesses and services in this
category go beyond this primary purpose. Indeed, a huge part of the food and beverage sector is also
based on providing travellers with places to go to relax, enjoy themselves and/or socialise with other
people.

Restaurants
For most people, restaurants are the most immediately obvious category within the food and
beverages sector. Restaurants exist to allow people to enjoy meals that are prepared for them. There
are a wide range of restaurant types, from fast-food chains, through to luxury or family restaurants, all
28 catering for different needs and tastes.

Catering

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 Catering tends to refer to the provision of food and drinks in locations that are more remote or self-
contained, with examples of this including entertainment venues, tourist attractions and parks. In
addition, catering services are provided on many forms of transport, including aeroplanes, trains and
ferries.

Nightclubs
A nightclub is an entertainment venue, which operates until late at night and places an emphasis on
both music and alcohol consumption. Common features include a bar, a stage for live performances,
and a dance floor. Nightclubs may put on a variety of different themed club nights or may cater to
specific music genres.

Bars & Cafés

For travellers, bars and cafés provide a means to enjoy food and drink on a more casual basis than
with restaurants and nightclubs. Cafés tend to focus on hot drinks and light snacks, while bars will
generally focus on alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. These premises also offer a way for travellers
to meet new people.

4) ENTERTAINMENT

The entertainment sector plays an interesting and complex role in the travel industry. After all,
entertainment sites can sometimes be the single biggest factor attracting travellers to a particular part of
the world. On the other hand, businesses in this category can also play a smaller, more supplementary
role, helping to keep travellers entertained during their trip, even if entertainment was not the intended
purpose of their trip.

Casino
Casinos are establishments which provide gambling activities, with examples including card games,
dice games and a variety of other luck or skill-based games. In many cases, casinos also offer
additional entertainment and they are sometimes connected to hotels or resorts, especially in locations
like Las Vegas and Monte Carlo.

Tourist Information
Tourist information services provide travellers with information about tourist sites and activities they
can engage in. There are both offline and online services, with examples of offline tourist information
including tourist information offices and tourism literature, while online sources consist of
informational websites.

Shopping
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Shopping is another crucial part of the travel industry, catering to both basic needs and travellers’
desires for luxury items or consumer products. Within this category are supermarkets, shopping
centres and local markets, while duty-free goods are sold at airports and in certain other locations.

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 Tourist Guides & Tours
Through the provision of organised tours, tourist guides are able to assist travellers with sightseeing
and other tour-related activities. Aside from handling the logistical aspect of actually planning routes,
tourist guides are also able to educate travellers by providing them with important information,
insights and facts.

5) CONNECTED INDUSTRIES

Finally, there are a range of industries or sub-sectors which are broadly linked to the travel industry.
These related industries may offer products or services to travellers before they actually depart on their
travels, or may operate to try to promote or improve the travel industry itself. They include both online
and offline services, with some of the most significant related industries outlined in more detail below:

Financial Services
There are a number of financial service providers that fall within the travel industry umbrella. Perhaps
the most obvious examples that would come under this definition are travel insurance, trip protection
insurance, and travel medical plans, along with services related to currency conversion.

Travel Agents
Put simply, travel agents are retailers that provide travel and tourism products, and serve as
intermediaries for travellers and suppliers. They may, for example, offer flights, hotel stays, airport
transfers, travel insurance and tourism activities, often as a package. Travel agents usually receive a
commission and may also offer advice.

Tour Operators
A tour operator will typically provide travellers with package holiday products, which combine travel
and tour components. This might mean providing: travel to a destination, overnight accommodation,
hotel transfers and the services of a tour rep. It may also include a pre-planned itinerary, or a variety
of organised activities.

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)

Online travel agencies, or OTAs, provide similar services to traditional travel agents, albeit through a
website or web app. One of the key differences between OTAs and classic travel agents, however, is
the emphasis that OTAs place on self-service, with the website or app connecting users with the
travel products they are looking for.

Tourism Organisations
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Tourism organisations are organisations that are actively involved in promoting the tourism industry
and its interests. It includes organisations that either regulate or influence national and local tourism
policies, with examples including tourist boards, tourism-related charities, and tourism inspection
agencies.

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 Educational
Last but not least, educational sub-section is one of the fastest-growing components of the travel
industry. An increasing number of people travel to business conferences, exhibitions, training
sessions or academic institutions, and businesses in this sub-section provide these services and cater
to travellers’ needs along the way.

HOW IS TECHNOLOGY BECOMING A DRIVING FORCE?

The Hospitality and Tourism industry is being driven to the next levels with the help of technology.

Digital Technology in Tourism is more of a commodity now as illustrated by the below infographic by
IIBM.

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 BUSINESS TOOLS TECHNOLOGIES LESSON 3

Week : 3
Lesson No. : Lesson 3
Lesson title : Business Tools Technologies
Duration : 3 Hours

Specific Learning Outcomes:

Define and discuss the basic business Terms

INTRODUCTION

Learning basic business terms is pivotal to improving your business acumen. This lesson will walk you
through the basic business terms in easy-to-understand ways.

BASIC BUSINESS TERMS TO KNOW

Here are some of the fundamental business terms you should know. If some of these seem too easy for
you, let us know in the comments what you'd like to learn more about.

1. Accounting
This concept should be in every entrepreneur's arsenal of basic business terms. Accounting
involves the systematic recording and reporting of business financial transactions. Accounting is
often complicated. You may want to hire a professional to handle this.

2. Accounts receivable
This is the amount of money your customers or clients owe your business for goods or services
you supply. This total value can give you a snapshot of the amount owed to your business at any
given time.

3. Accounts payable
Accounts payable is a measure of how much you owe your creditors for goods or services
supplied to you.

4. Assets
"Assets" refers to your business' cumulative financial holdings. These are usually classified as
current or fixed. Current, or short-term, assets include cash or inventory. Fixed, or long-term
28 assets, include equipment or land.

5. Liabilities

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 Liabilities are debts your business owes another person or entity. Like assets, you'll have to define
liabilities as current or long-term. Current, or short-term, liabilities might include an expense
payable to a supplier. Many business loans are long-term debts.

6. Revenue
Revenue refers to the income you get from a business activity in a given time. You can calculate
earnings by multiplying the per-unit cost of goods or services by the number of units sold.

7. Expenses
Does your business incur expenditures for equipment, utilities or inventory? These are all
examples of expenses‚ money you spend to operate your business. For the self-employed,
legitimate business expenses are tax-deductible.

8. Owner's equity
Usually represented as a percentage, Owner's Equity refers to the owner's part of business assets.

9. Balance sheet
This key financial document provides a snapshot of business assets, liabilities and owner's equity.

10. Net profit

Also known as your "bottom line." Net profit represents total revenues less total expenses. This
figure is especially important at tax time. This is because you pay self-employment taxes as a
percentage of net profit.

11. Net loss

If your total expenses exceed your overall revenues, you have a net loss. The risk of a net loss is
one of many strong reasons to keep company costs under control.

12. Profit margin

This essential business term measures how much profit you keep relative to total sales. There are
three types of profit margins: gross, operating and net. Calculate these by dividing the profit
(revenue minus costs) by the revenue.

13. Cash flow

Cash flow is the movement of money in and out of your business. You want there to be a higher
flow of income into the business than there is an outflow of expenses from the business. This is
called positive cash flow.
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14. Return on investment

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 Your Return on Investment, or ROI, shows how much you gained or lost on a business
investment relative to how much you spent on it. Calculate ROI by dividing net profit by the cost
of the investment.

15. B2B/B2C
Is the purpose of your business to supply goods or services to other business? If so, you operate a
B2B, or business-to-business, venture. On the flip side of B2B businesses are B2C businesses.
These businesses supply goods or services directly to an end user or consumer.

WHAT IS A BUSINESS TOOL?

A business tool can be considered as any asset that helps or assists the organization to achieve its
stated aims or objectives. There are various types of tools that may be used in a business varying in size,
complexity, danger, and importance to the business operation. There are the large, heavy tools such as
stoves, refrigerators, cars or freezers. This unit aims to consider the items that are portable and valuable,
and by their very nature present unique management challenges to the business.

There are various considerations that relate to the management of these items that are not
applicable when considering their other cousins. For example it is very easy to misplace a mobile
telephone, but very difficult to misplace a freezer. The cost of using a mobile phone can vary
significantly; the cost to the business of the mobile can be reasonable or exorbitant depending on use. It is
also a challenge to misuse a freezer. However, there have been several cases where the misuse of a
telephone has had significant implications for employees and for the business.

Modern managers must to be able to manage these tools to ensure that they are available when
required, are in a usable and operating condition and that the user is sufficiently trained to use the device
efficiently. A mobile phone must have a sufficiently charged battery, a mobile service, and a user who is
sufficiently trained or experienced to be able to use the tool in an efficient and productive manner. To
continue the example of the mobile telephone, it is possible to imagine a situation where an employee is
given a phone with a flat battery. A charger is eventually found and the battery charged. When the phone
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is switched on it asks for a security code, which is unknown, but also later located. When this is entered it
is discovered that the bill has not been paid and there is no service. This is a simple example of the care

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 and management that is necessary to ensure that the tool does meet the needs of the business and that the
tool enhances the performance of the business.

DEFINING A BUSINESS TOOL

Each business will need to develop criteria so as to identify which tools are to be monitored and therefore
controlled to ensure that time and effort is devoted to managing the proper and important tools. Obviously
a mobile phone supplied to a salesperson will need to be monitored and controlled to ensure that all costs
are consistent with business activity. However, the mobile of the business owner is probably immune
from such controls. A mobile phone may be on a contract and have a purchase price of zero, while a
stapler to fix paper together may cost a few hundred dollars.

There are several criteria than may be used to identify and classify a business tool, and most businesses
will use a combination of these criteria to establish the classification of an individual tool. Once
identified, the tools need to be considered as a group and it is logical to provide a name for the list that
recognizes the importance of the group. Possible names could be:

• Portable and Attractive Tool:

This states that the item is portable and probably does not have a fixed location. It also states they
are attractive, meaning they could be a target for theft or excessive use

• Significant Small Items:

This is very similar as the items are small so they can be easily lost and they are significant to the
business

• Significant Small Tools:

Regardless of the group name that is identified, it is important to note that the tools:

- Represent an investment to the business

- Require control as their use or loss can represent a significant cost to the business
- Will generally require training to prevent damage to the user or the business
- Are attractive in terms of cost and can be attractive to a potential thief
- Are often portable so they are susceptible to damage and loss as a direct result of their
portability and the exact location of a tool at any time may not be known.

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 BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TOOLS & HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TOOLSLESSON 4

Week : 4-5
Lesson No. : Lesson 4
Lesson title : Business Tools Technologies & Hospitality Industry Tools
Duration : 6 Hours

Specific Learning Outcomes:

Identify and discuss the business technology tools

Select appropriate business technology and/or software applications to achieve the requirements
of work task.
Enumerate and learn what are the Hospitality Industry Tools and how does it helps the
Hospitality Industry

INTRODUCTION

Successful businesses rely heavily on technology for communication, productivity and tracking purposes.
As a matter of fact, it drives and sustains their business operations. That’s why it is important to
understand the modern-day technology that’s readily available to us and how it can be used to our
convenience. There are various types of business technology; however, some are more commonly used
than others.

Here is a comprehensible list of the most common types of business technology to help you easily make a
transition from the traditional practices to modern-day techniques:

Computers

Computers are used across multiple businesses. They´re

equipped with software that enables them to perform all
sorts of tasks such as analyzing financial information,
sending and receiving emails and designing sales
presentations. The computer is made as a desktop apparatus
or a mobile laptop for either office or traveling purposes.
PCs (Personal Computers) with Microsoft Windows are the
most frequently used. Macintosh computers with Apple
operating system are also used but mostly among
professionals.

28 Computers are vital because they allow businesses to manage their daily activities in a more
productive and efficient way.

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 Software and productivity tools

Computers use different kinds of programs and operating

information, known as software, to do specific tasks.
Businesses utilize productivity tools such as Microsoft
Word, a word processing package, and Microsoft Excel, a
financial spread sheet system. Microsoft PowerPoint and
Apple Keynote are also used to easily and quickly prepare
professional-looking sales presentations. Businesses use
certain software that is suitable to their needs.

Networking of Computer and Printers

Networking is used to interact with groups of people to share information and documents, to store
information and to communicate using email. It also permits computers to share a printer or a
storage device. A network can either be restricted to computers within an office location or
connected among numerous offices. Networking is essential to businesses because it provides a
means to build relationships with others within their related fields in order to find new customers
and partnerships, and to grow.

Telephone Communication and voice mail systems

Communication is the key to establishing business relationships. For this reason, businesses use a
form of telephone system to communicate with customers and organizations. This provides a fast,
efficient and one-on-one personal connection with others. Having great customer service with
clients and effective communication with your staff will ultimately help your business build a
successful reputation and grow. There are now business telephone systems that come with a
variety of features to fulfill the needs of a company. Voip, Voice Over Internet Protocol, has
become extremely popular that allows users to make phone calls using the Internet instead of the
traditional analog phone system.

Accounting System or Financial Accounting System

28 Accounting systems are software that enables businesses to manage their expenses and revenue.
Quickbooks is most often used in small businesses. This is easy to set up and maintain. On the
other hand, bigger companies use SAP 0Business One or Sage Accpac, which allow more

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 customization and integration with other systems. Choosing the right accounting system depends
on the size and needs of your business. It is recommended to consult your accountant to explore
your options before making your decision.

Inventory Control System

An inventory control system is used to handle all inventory of a business. It precisely keeps track
of items including how much is in stock, updating the system when new inventory arrives as well
as when it is sold and to keep accurate records. Companies require an adequate and organized
system to manage its inventory in order to maintain the right balance of items in their warehouse,
to understand what they have and to review their finances.

Customer Relationship Management Systems

Similar to having a useful telephone system for effective communication purposes, a customer
relationship management system (CRM) is equally important that can help a business move
forward. It keeps track of customer interactions by collecting and storing information about them.
In addition, it allows a business to make calls, send emails, create reports, add notes and much
more. By gathering crucial information, businesses can build long-lasting relationships with their
clients. HubSpot and Salesforce are two popular CRM software packages.

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TOOLS

Often times the spectrum of customer service ends up in a frustrating circle. The hospitality industry is
ever-changing and a close eye must be kept on keeping up with those responsible for solid five star
customer services. To attain the best levels of guest experience you must focus on the tools that you
utilize in a hotel.

The thing is that managing a hotel can be an all-consuming role for a hotelier! There are melanges of
tasks that a hotelier will need a hotel marketing tool to ensure their brand is relevant and stays at the top
of mind with current and potential customers in your niche. To help make this task a little easier, we are
28 going to unveil the top ten types of handy tool every hotel marketer should know. So, fasten your
seatbelts & enjoy the ride!

APPLIED BUS. TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES 2022 | KGO

 1. Social Listening Tools:
On social media in today’s world, everyone has a voice. So what are people saying about your
brand on social media? Wouldn’t it be great to know when your audience mentions your hotel
brand? Good news is, you can listen to those conversations with the help of social media listening
tools. These tools allow you to monitor conversations through flagging certain keywords,
hashtags, or brand mentions online.

Social media listening tools will help you identify these conversations happening in the sea of
content online. Some of our favorites tools are Mention, Hootsuite, and Tweetreach.

2. Analytical Tools:
One tool in your marketing toolbox is your hotel website. To figure out how well this marketing
tool is performing for you and your property, you can use Google Analytics. This free tool from
our friends at Google empowers you with the digital analytics tools you need in order to figure
out all the touchpoints your customers receives during their customer journey. Knowing how
customers interact with your website can tell a qualitative story of how customers come and go
into your ecosystem. If you’re creating content on your hotel website (for example, with a blog),
Google Analytics also tells you how much traffic your posts are generating.

Google Analytics is an especially powerful tool when it comes to direct bookings. It tells you
from which sites your visitors found your site, how long they stayed on your website, and even
where they are located geographically. This is especially useful information to know if you’re
using paid advertising. By knowing where your biggest audience is, you’ll know which
geographic location you want to target your ads.

And since we’re on the topic of Google, a bonus tool to is Google Alerts. Set an alert for the
frequency you’d like to be notified and on a keyword that you want (your hotel’s name is a great
first step) and start getting notifications of when you’re mentioned on the web.

3. Survey Tools:
Surveys are a great way to get honest and quick customer feedback and conduct market research.
28 While you may not think of a survey tool as a hotel marketing tool, it can inform you as to what
people want to see more of from your brand. What kind of hotel promotions do your customers

APPLIED BUS. TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES 2022 | KGO

 want to see more of? What do they love about staying at your property? Figuring out these
nuggets of information can inform what you show off more often in your hotel marketing.

Now that we’ve convinced you to give survey tools a test drive, we have some suggestions on
tools to try. Companies such as Typeform, Google Forms, or Survey Monkey are great tools to test
out and see which ones you like the best.

4. Task Management Tools:

Managing your upcoming marketing campaigns and work load is an important aspect of running
any business. Good thing there are task management tools can make this a whole easier. Being
able to organize, track, and prioritize your day to day, for yourself and your team, can be made
easier with a few these tools. It’s especially handy when you’re planning out a new marketing
campaign (for example, a seasonal hotel email marketing campaign or a user-generated content
campaign).You can track each project milestone, add comments, attach important files, and see
what other work is still left to be done in the project.

There’s a whole host of hotel marketing tools out there to help you stay on task and focused when
it comes to marketing your property. And with so little time and so many marketing projects to
take on, these tools are here to help you be smarter about how you market your hotel and best of
all, save time in the process. Trello, Asana, and Flow are just a few of the options out there to
help organize your working day.

5. Channel Management Tools:

It is relatively easy to manage your hotel’s own website, but it becomes increasingly difficult as
the number of distribution channels start to grow. When hoteliers decide to use online booking
platforms or metasearch engines to gain more visibility, bookings are then made and modified
simultaneously on multiple websites – making it nearly impossible to track them all. This is when
channel managers come in handy.

28 Channel managers oversee all distribution channels, continuously updating the number of
available rooms on across all of them. That means you do not risk overbooking your property or
misinforming your guests about the availability of certain rooms. Not only is it significantly safer,

APPLIED BUS. TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES 2022 | KGO

 as you do not have to fear misleading your customers, but most importantly, it is much more
efficient, as you can focus on other tasks, instead of keeping an eye on every website you
cooperate with.

Some of the best channel management tools include Cloudbeds, Hostaway, and Cubilis, but there
are many more solutions you can choose from.

6. Online Travel Aggregators:

Love them or hate them, today it is nearly impossible to run a successful hotel business without
OTAs. Websites dedicated purely to bookings have taken over a large chunk of the industry.
There are various types of OTAs dealing with different aspects of hotel and lodging, however,
most of them are focused on hotels and flights, with car rentals and activity packages taking the
next spots.

There are a few ways hotels can fight back. One is making sure that the local governments make
the mandate of rate parity illegal. Secondly, hotels can use online travel agents that do not charge
a commission, such as Bidroom.com. Bidroom has found a way to work successfully without the
need of imposing any fees on hoteliers and it also fights against the unfair practices of other
OTAs.

7. Email Tracking Tools:

While on the subject of increased productivity, it is impossible to dismiss email tracking tools. As
a hotelier, you send hundreds of emails each week. Some of them are more urgent, some can
wait, but they are all important in their own way. That’s why email tracking tools are so useful.
On many occasions, you want to be sure your message was delivered and not sent to spam. You
want to know whether it has been opened or left untouched. Tracking tools let you better control
your conversations and be more aware of what is happening in your relations with recipients.

They are also useful for marketing purposes, as you can see how many clicks you got and how
many of your messages were even taken into consideration. Gmail has its own dedicated tracking
tool called the MailTracker and Chrome also offers its own tracking engine. Yesware is another
28 great option that works with both Gmail and Outlook.
8. Offers:

APPLIED BUS. TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES 2022 | KGO

 The most important section on your website is, of course, the offer page. You want them to be
clean and easy to navigate. You need your guests to know exactly what to do and which buttons
to click in order to make a booking. And you also want to maximize your sales possibilities.
There are a few useful tools you should think about using to improve the buying experience as
well as possibly increase your revenue.

Firstly, you need the right system of the booking buttons. One you should consider as it is very
popular in the industry, is Siteminder’s BookingButton. It makes your guests’ experience a lot
easier, gives you many additional options you can choose from and works on mobile devices as
well as desktops.

Secondly, you should think about adding special offer options to your web page. A good tool for
this purpose is Picreel. It makes special offers you customize pop up on the screen when guests
want to leave your website. You can tempt them with special offers, additional benefits or
discounts to convince them to book a room in your hotel.

9. Online Payment Tools:

Lastly, when guests decide to book at your hotel, they often expect to be able to pay online.
Paying with cash is becoming less popular, and even credit card payments are losing their
popularity. People want to do everything quickly – find a hotel, book it and pay for it, all in one
sitting. It goes without saying that online payment tools are a must for any entrepreneur
displaying business on the Internet.

The most popular of online payment tool is PayPal. It processes millions of transactions each
day, operating in almost every country in the world and in nearly 30 different currencies. Few
alternatives to PayPal include Google Wallet, Authorize.net or Square.

10. Content Management System:

In today’s digital world, blog writing and content creation prove to be the most necessary
ingredient to success for several companies including the hotel industry. Earlier days (in 2013-
14), mostly all the blogs were only thought of as personal diaries published to the Internet.
28

However, today nearly 40% of companies use blogs for marketing purposes, and over 46% of
people read blogs more than once a day (good job, content creators!) Regardless of the industry –

APPLIED BUS. TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES 2022 | KGO

 whether you are running a bakeshop, law firm, a hotel or technology start-up – creating and
managing content properly should be the top goal in order to increase more inbound traffic to
your website and become a trusted advisor of your brand.

ASSESSMENTS:
NOTE: All your activities, assessments, assignments and projects will be posted in our
Google classroom. Please be guided. Thank you

REFERENCES;
Management Information System in Tourism & Hospitality Industry By: Bernardo B. Rodolfa Jr. 2014

https://www.trilyo.com/blog/10-essential-tools-for-hotel-marketers-to-save-time/

https://mileiq.com/blog-en-us/basic-business-terms

Management Information System in Tourism & Hospitality Industry By: Bernardo B. Rodolfa Jr. 2014

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APPLIED BUS. TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES 2022 | KGO