اتخاذ تکنولوژی تأمین الکترونیکی تجهیزات در یک هتل زنجیره ای: مطالعه موردی اکتشافی

As the lodging sector evolves into a more technology-oriented industry, the need to understand e-Procurement practices becomes more important. The main purpose of this study was to understand the challenges faced by decision makers at a chain hotel company in its adoption and implementation of e-Procurement. Results indicated that the company suffered from a lack of purchasing standardization across properties. Furthermore, this study suggests that not all vendors of e-Procurement solutions may be ready to partner with hotel companies. e-Procurement offers considerable potential for the industry but uncertainties such as those exhibited in this case must be addressed before significant resource commitments are made to e-Procurement.

The proliferation of Information Technology (IT) creates opportunities and threats in the hospitality industry that are pushing and pulling IT implementation. Opportunities are created due to changes in the behavior of consumers, and development of alternative service/product delivery channels, and changes in business operations (Fesenmaier et al., 2004). On the other hand, the widespread use of IT has changed the rules which govern the industry. These changes have resulted in a substantial expansion in the availability and transparency of information, new forms of competition, and an increase in the speed with which changes occur (Kanter, 2001). When estimating the total cost of purchasing a product, an organization considers not only the product price but also the operational costs involved in the procurement and maintenance of the product throughout its life cycle. Depending on the type of product and business, these overhead costs can be higher than the original price of the product. This concern becomes even more significant when the business operator has to purchase many such items frequently for daily operations. Given the magnitude of these costs it is imperative to understand the business process that generates them. This challenge for lodging operators characterizes their crucial need in procurement improvement. This study explores the hotel purchasing function in order to better understand the purchase process and identify barriers to the adoption of e-Procurement. This will be accomplished through a case study methodology that integrates observations and interviews with the executives of a hotel chain company with an analysis of the services offered by vendors offering e-Procurement solutions.