Culture Shock, Computers and the Art of Making Decisions

For more than three decades, computerisation has seemed to promise much to help managers perform more effectively. However, various attempts to develop management information systems in the 1960s and 1970s appeared to do little beyond overwhelming managers with hard data that may have borne little relevance to the soft data actually used to make decisions. New advances in computer hardware and software in the 1980s offer the prospect of more complete Decision Support Systems (DSS). Other service organisations such as airlines and tour operators are beginning to exploit DSS. If hospitality organisations are to cope with the 1990s, some changes in their corporate culture must be envisaged, to take better advantage of management skills.