Online Degrees Grow in Popularity and Prominence

Online Degrees Grow in Popularity and Prominence Up to this point, an online degree was bound to be related with a recognition factory than an authentic organization of advanced education. Without a doubt, now and again, this notoriety was all around earned. Numerous for-benefit online schools are unaccredited and have been the objective of government examinations and claims because of their false practices, which incorporate charging absurd expenses and promising employments they can’t convey. Nonetheless, a significant number of those schools have been driven bankrupt. What's more, presently, online degrees and authentications are getting increasingly well known with understudies and bosses. What’s answerable for the adjustment in observation? Renowned schools Such Ivy League schools as Yale, Harvard, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and Dartmouth offer either online degrees or declarations. A portion of the numerous other top of the line schools with online projects incorporate MIT, RIT, Stanford, USC, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Purdue, and Penn State. â€Å"More lofty colleges are grasping the online degree,† as per Dr. Corinne Hyde,â assistant teacher for USC Rossier’s online bosses in educating degree. Hyde tells ThoughtCo, â€Å"We now observe top-positioned schools taking their degree programs on the web and conveying exceptionally great substance that is identical to, if not now and again better than, what they’re conveying on the ground.† All in all, what’s the draw of online instruction to top schools? Patrick Mullane, official executive of Harvard Business School’s HBX, tells ThoughtCo, â€Å"Universities consider online to be as an approach to widen their range and all the more viably satisfy their missions.† He clarifies, â€Å"They see mounting proof that when online projects are progressed admirably, they can be as viable as in-person education.† Common movement of innovation As advanced innovation turns out to be progressively omnipresent, purchasers anticipate that their learning alternatives should mirror this degree of inescapability. â€Å"More individuals in all socioeconomics are comfortableâ withâ the on-request nature of innovation and the nature of item or administration it can deliver,† Mullane says. â€Å"If we can purchase stocks, request food, get a ride, buy protection, and address a PC that will turn on our parlor lights, at that point why can’t we learn in a manner totally different from how generally learned in the past?† Comfort Innovation has likewise created a desire for accommodation, and this is one of the essential advantages of online instruction. â€Å"From the student’s viewpoint, there is a huge intrigue to having the option to seek after an alluring degree without getting and move the nation over, or even without driving across town,† Hyde clarifies. â€Å"These degrees are commonly exceptionally adaptable as far as where understudies can be while finishing the work, and they offer access to a similar excellent assets and workforce that understudies would get on the off chance that they were in a blocks and cement classroom.† While shuffling school with work and different requests is trying, best case scenario, it’s clearly simpler when not fastened to a physical class that is offered now and again that are unchangeable. Quality Online projects have additionally advanced as far as quality and execution. â€Å"Some individuals promptly consider unoriginal, nonconcurrent courses when they hear ‘online degree,’ however that couldn’t be further from the truth,† Hyde says. â€Å"I have shown online for a long time and fabricate extraordinary associations with my students.† Usingâ webcams, she sees her understudies live for week by week class meetings and routinely has one-on-one video gatherings when not in class. Actually, Hyde accepts that online training gives more prominent chances to interfacing with her understudies. â€Å"I can see the earth where understudies are learning †I meet their children and their pets †and I take part in discussion and utilization of the ideas to their own lives.† While she probably won't meet her understudies face to face until the initiation program, Hyde says she has created associations with them well before then †and regularly, these connections proceed a short time later. â€Å"I endeavor to make a genuine network of students in the homeroom by participating in profound, keen discussion, tutoring them in their work, and remaining associated with them via web-based networking media once my class is finished. Learning Approaches Online projects are as various as the schools that offer them. Be that as it may, a few schools and colleges have taken web based figuring out how to another level. For instance, HBX centers around dynamic learning. â€Å"As in a Harvard Business School study hall, there are no since a long time ago, drawn-out workforce drove lectures,† Mullane says. â€Å"Our online business courses are intended to keep students connected all through the learning process.† What does dynamic realizing involve at HBX? â€Å"Open responses† is one of the activities that permits understudies to thoroughly consider choices just as they were the business chief in a given circumstance, and depict the decisions they would make. â€Å"Interactive activities like arbitrary cold pitches, surveys, intuitive exhibits of ideas, and tests, are different ways HBX uses dynamic learning.† Understudies likewise exploit innovation stages to ask and answer inquiries among themselves, notwithstanding having their own private Facebook and LinkedIn gatherings to draw in with one another. Just on the off chance that learning In any event, when understudies don’t seek after an online degree program, they can get propelled preparing that can regularly prompt professional success or meet the prerequisites of a business. â€Å"More and more understudies are going to online accreditation or endorsement projects to gain proficiency with a particular range of abilities, as opposed to returning to class for a master’s program or second bachelor’s,† Mullane says. â€Å"A partner of mine has called this move one fromâ ‘just on the off chance that learning’ (which is described by the customary multi-discipline degree) toâ ’just in time learning’ (which is portrayed by shorter and increasingly engaged courses that convey explicit skills).† MicroMasters are a case of certifications for representatives who have a bachelor’s qualification and might not have any desire to seek after an all out advanced education.  Look at this rundown of the most mainstream online degrees.

No Child Left Behind an Example of the Topic Government and Law Essays by

No Child Left Behind The enactment of Public Law 107-110 all the more famously alluded to as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 is a push to perceive the essentialness of training as national and social issue. Ideologically, there is little uncertainty of the pertinence of the benefit of initiating instructive frameworks and gauges that guarantee access of training without separation. As indicated by Kahlenberg (2003), social advancements are testing instructive frameworks not exclusively to guarantee adapting yet in addition to guarantee profitability and social investment. The arrangements perceive the extraordinary instructive difficulties introduced by the need to improve instructive norms for understudies, instructors, levels of capability, making social pertinence, creating organizations with guardians and the network, perceiving social and ethnic legacy, changing laws, resolutions and arrangements and creating adaptability and responsibility in training (US Department of Education, 2004) Need paper test on No Child Left Behind subject? We will compose a custom paper test explicitly for you Continue Be that as it may, there has been noteworthiness pundit in regards to the NCLB. As a rule, the center of the worry is about the disappointment of the NCLB program to impact the adjustments in instruction it has guaranteed. More regrettable, there are reactions that it has in certainty has prevented access to quality instruction (Houston, 2007). An assessment of the issue makes an acknowledgment that instructive change involves more than enactment yet necessitates that they can be operational in real settings (Pennington, 2007). The target of this paper isn't to deny the significance or earnestness of the destinations of NCLB, anyway this exploration will give proof that it has not had the option to convey the changes it imagined and that there is a need to alter the demonstration considerably in the event that it is to be powerful (Noll, 2005). Issues and Concerns NCLB is portrayed as a result based: by setting high targets, instructive projects will be progressively compelling (Allen et al, 2007). For as far back as twenty years, there has been a functioning exertion to create social foundations that perceive and react to social, financial and political components that influence learning methodologies, instructive projects and access to these projects (US Department of Education, 2004). Prior, concerns were fundamentally financial in nature and as of late, culture and ethnicity have gone to the front line. The essential inspiration driving the program is to guarantee access to instruction and to permit schools to create techniques to improve execution and attainability of training programs (Johnson, 2001). Financing One of the essential issues raised against NCLB has been in disappointment of subsidizing leaving programs not completely executed, it by any stretch of the imagination. The national government has been the most reprimands with respect to the issue that has just had a past filled with not organizing instruction spending (Nelson and Jones, 2007). The reliance on government subsidizing for the NCLB programs created from declining charge incomes and the organization of bureaucratic norms for understudies and instructors. Moreover, Pennington (2007) brings up that the however the demonstration was an organization supported enactment, the President nor the Senate have really mentioned the assets as given (Cooper, 2007). Actually neighborhood governments don't have the ability to help the NCLB which thus has made the necessities for instruction change yet not the way to meet them (Noll, 2005). On a mental level, the need subsidizing upholds the possibility that the changes to for execution are not viewed as critical as opposed to the first reason of the enactment. There is likewise dread that the arrangements of NCLB are provoking a spiraling decay in instructive establishments. Consider this situation as indicated by the arrangements of the NCLB, schools that have performed well as indicated by all accounts are managed better financing as motivator. Be that as it may, inability to fulfill guidelines of execution don't accommodate bolster projects and in this way, schools who are as of now confronting critical pressure may additionally be distraught (Chubb, 2007). Social Conflicts NCLB has additionally been censured to disregard the state, protection and social value. Instruction has generally been state-overseen however since NCLB is government enactment, states need to consent to the arrangements whether it is relevant to them or not and whether they have the way to execute it. The states perceive the ideological estimation of the NCLB yet call attention to that states ought to be maintained all authority to pick what arrangements are to be executed (Noll, 2005). This isn't simply to help the intensity of the state over training enactment yet in addition to maintain the constitution that gives no establishment to government enactment on the issue. Another issue is the arrangement of the NCLB perceiving strict gatherings as instructors, making the qualified for open subsidizing. In spite of the fact that the arrangement can be considered as a push to perceive these gatherings, it additionally brings up the issue of the partition of chapel and state (Lewis, 20 07). An issue raised in regards to protection has originated from the arrangements in area 9528 that necessitates that military enlistment programs be considered as organizations of advanced education. This gives them access to the individual data of all understudies without the need to illuminate guardians aside from in the event that they have straightforwardly quit from it. Questions with respect to the technique for separating assets are likewise a worry (Gingrich, 2006). The NCLBs correctional measures for schools that neglect to meet its necessities and in the event that they can fulfill the guidelines, the motivating force is to have execution desires set lower. In the main situation, it is seen that schools with issues will be left with even less competency to meet prerequisites while in the last situation, bringing down of desires energizes relaxing from gauges or not having supportable projects (Lang and Wilkinson, 2000). Normalization of Education Another significant issue is with respect to execution of normalized projects and instruction evaluations. The investigate is that it leaves no adaptability as far as perceiving social conditions, culture or ethnicity among others in training (Chubb, 2007). Simultaneously, there are fears that attention on the state sanctioned tests won't take into account community oriented study hall experience (American Association of School Administrators, 1991). Backers of the program, reason that NCLB can achieve this by setting non-biased norms in appraisal. Notwithstanding, the investigates are that the program doesn't think about the setting of issues or the accessibility of the projects in the state. The issue brought up specifically with local language appraisal that requires a capability test before taking and English capability test (Vance, 2004). As of now, not more than ten satisfies have the projects set up and most of these projects constrained to Spanish capability testing. The NCLBs center around math and perusing as measures of execution additionally raise concerns with respect to the impediment it sets on understudies by and large educational plans. Simultaneously, since the NCLB gives that states can structure their own gauges of testing then this may persuade states to deficiently test understudies in light of the corrective measures and effect of subsidizing (Lang and Wilkinson, 2000). Another social issue identified with normalize testing that continues is the apparent social inclination. It has been set up that state administered test naturally can not suit completely for social characteristics, learning handicaps and different conditions that block understudies from most of understudies (Vance, 2004). End The issue of instruction is one that will consistently energize huge discussion on account of social essentialness and effect (Pennington, 2007). There is no uncertainty that the NCLB is a push to make better access to instruction and to make programs that are delicate and receptive to the growing needs of society. There is likewise no uncertainty that huge numbers of its arrangements have demonstrated to be hazardous when applied. Past the managerial, social and operational worries of the program, there ought to be acknowledgment that the program makes a stage for misuse, defilement and incidentally, the weakening of instructive principles (Noll, 2005). Along these lines, this paper infers that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has not been parcel to raise the nature of instruction thoroughly and neither will the present arrangements have the option to do as such (Cooper, 2007). Therefore, a large number of its underlying advocates, similar to Ted Kennedy now, unexpectedly, restricting further execution (Lewis, 2007). There is acknowledgment that the deserting of the help to the program may likewise have its political inspirations however the absence of noteworthy effect appears to help the possibility that the program has not had the option to satisfy its guarantee (Butzin, 2007). Disappointments in execution and activity have made political dissimilarity concerning NCLB as well as the government training program all in all (Gingrich, 2006). There ought to be an acknowledgment that changes must be operationally feasible and viable. All in all, the disappointment of the Act isn't on the grounds that the worries are not legitimate but rather it has fizzled due to the absence of regulatory and operational prescience in executing the projects that has rendered the projects worthless if not an obstacle to its own goals. References Allen, JoBeth, Altwerger, Bess, Edelsky, Carole, Larson, Joanne et al. (2007). Standing firm on NCLB. Language Arts, 84(5), 456-464. Recovered August 8, 2007, from Research Library database, Document ID: 1272627141 American Association of School Administrators (1991). Learning Styles: Putting Research and Common Sense into Practice. Arlington, VA: American Association of School Administ

What to Capitalize in a Title

What to Capitalize in a Title The rules related to the capitalization of titles change depending on the formatting style you use in your document. For this quick review, well cover the most commonly used stylesâ€"particularly AP and Chicago stylesâ€"and the exact words to capitalize when writing in title case.The most common approach to capitalizing in title caseIn most cases, you will want to capitalize the first and last words of the title, along with all words except:Articles (a, an, the)Coordinating conjunctions fewer than four letters (and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet)Prepositions that are not used adjectivally or adverbially (at, by, in, of, to, on, up).Note: A major difference between AP and Chicago styles is Chicago style does not capitalize a long preposition, such as between; AP does.Below are examples of titles written following these rules:Stand by MeStand By for More (by is used adverbially, and thus should be capitalized)Located at the Top of the WorldNot Now or EverOnline resources for capitaliz ationIf you still get confused when trying to capitalize a title, there are a few great online resources you can use to make sure youve done it correctly.CapitalizeMyTitle.comCapitalize My Title allows you to write a title in one of the four main title capitalization styles: Chicago style, APA style, MLA style, and AP style. All you have to do is write in the title and choose a style, and the program will capitalize it for you based on the rules of that particular style.TitleCaseConverter.comTitle Case Converter advertises itself as A Smart Tool for Capitalizing Headlines and Titles. Similar to Capitalize My Title, Title Case Converter allows you to choose the style you want out of AP, APA, Chicago, MLA, New York Times or Wikipedia. It also gives you the options to keep words in all caps, enable multi-line input, show explanations (which provides explanations of why each word was capitalized or lowercased), highlight changes, and convert when text is pasted.So whats the deal with Is ?A lot of writers falsely assume that is should not be capitalized in a title. However, is is a conjugation of the verb be, and therefore, should be treated just like any other verb in the sentence and capitalized.

The Second Largest Prison System - 2166 Words

The state of California has the third largest prison system in the world and the largest in the United States. To understand how California got to this point in prison reform, you have to go back as far as 1994 when Proposition 184 was approved by voters with a 72% majority vote. Proposition 184 was the strictest three strikes sentencing law in the United States, which doubled the penalty for a second felony if the first one was serious or violent and carried a mandatory prison sentence of 25 years to life for a third felony (Greenwood, 1994). California went a step further by being one of the only states where the third felony did not have to be a serious or violent crime to count. The expansion of the three–strikes legislation†¦show more content†¦According to research, Clemmitt (2007) states: â€Å"Prior to the 1980s, rehab was a strong component in correctional health thinking†, says M. Douglas Anglin, associate director of the Integrated Substance Abuse Programs at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Then you had a huge philosophical shift. Rehab had shown only marginal results, so the thinking became, let’s throw a sentence at people’. As a result, Congress and state lawmakers enacted a plethora of tough-on-crime laws — such as minimum sentencing and three-strike laws — that ended up mandating incarceration even for nonviolent drug users and low-level dealers (Katel, 2007). Yet despite a large percentage of inmates in California prisons being addicts and mentally ill, lawmakers continued to cut funding for drug and mental-health treatment programs both inside and outside of prisons. Policy at that time was directed at solving the drug problem through imprisonment. As inmate levels increased to record levels, so did the volume of law suits filed by prisoners. From the late 1980’s to the early 1990’s, federal courts experienced an unexpected increase in prisoner litigation. Most complaints were focused on an inmate’s constitutional right to due process being violated because of an overwhelming rise in the inmate population which was backing up the court system. The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) of 1995 was designed to significantly decrease the volume by

What Is Titration

Titration is the process in which one solution is added to another solution such that it reacts under conditions in which the added volume may be accurately measured. It is used in quantitative analytical chemistry to determine an unknown concentration of an identified analyte. Titrations are most commonly associated with acid-base reactions, but they may involve other types of reactions as well. Titration is also known as titrimetry or volumetric analysis. The chemical of unknown concentration is called the analyte or titrand. A standard solution of a reagent of known concentration is called the titrant or titrator. The volume of titrant that is reacted (usually to produce a color change) is called the titration volume. How a Titration Is Performed A typical titration is set up with an Erlenmeyer flask or beaker containing a precisely known volume of analyte (unknown concentration) and a color-change indicator. A pipette or burette containing a known concentration of titrant is placed above the flask or beaker of an analyte. The starting volume of the pipette or burette is recorded. Titrant is dripped into the analyte and indicator solution until the reaction between titrant and analyte is complete, causing a color change (the endpoint). The final volume of the burette is recorded, so the total volume used can be determined. The concentration of analyte may then be calculated using the formula: Ca CtVtM / Va Where: Ca is the analyte concentration, usually in molarityCt is the titrant concentration, in the same unitsVt is the volume of titrant, usually in litersM is the mole ratio between the analyte and reactant from the balanced chemical equationVa is the volume of an analyte, usually in liters

Behaviors in Organizations Free Essays

Positive psychology refers to the study of the processes and conditions which contribute to the functioning and thriving of the people and communities. (Gable and Haidt, 2005). Positive Psychology Center in University of Pennsylvania state that there are three main concern of positive psychology. We will write a custom essay sample on Behaviors in Organizations or any similar topic only for you Order Now First is the positive emotion which include study on the contentment, happiness and hope of oneself. The other one is positive individual traits which entail the study of strengths and virtues. And positive institutions involve the study of strengths that promote better communities. (Positive Psychology Center,2002) Positive psychology according to Mary can be used effectively within the executive coaching context by helping coaches in identifying the client’s vision of what they want and then they turn it into reality by focusing in positive emotions. Positive emotions can have significant impact on increasing intuition, creativity and widening of attention. In this context coaches focuses on what energizes and pull people forward. (Stober and Grant, 2006). According to Foxhall (2002), coaching not only focus in helping executive identify his/her strengths and weakness, but also include other areas of focus such as serving as a sounding board for strategic decision-making, helping employees manage their stress, mediating conflicts between executives and coaching newly promoted employee with no background in supervising. It is very important for the coaches to identify the client’s visions and strengths in order to have a deeper understanding of what are the capabilities and limitation of one self. It is also important because it can help the coach on how what way to approach their clients in order to improve their performance in the work area. Realizing the strengths can achieve levels of satisfaction and meaning in one self. Positive psychology is a great tool in the executive coaching context. It identifies the strengths of the client which is very beneficial in attaining the goals and in achieving levels of satisfaction. Focusing on the positive emotion can really help boost the creativity and intuition of the client. References: Foxhall, K. (2002). More psychologists are attracted to the executive coaching field. Monitor on Psychology,. 33 (4). Retrieved October 3, 2007 from http://www. apa. org/monitor/apr02/executive. html Gable, S. Haidt, J (2005). What (and Why) is Positive Psychology? Review of General Psychology, 9(2). Retrieved October 3,2007 from http://faculty. virginia. edu/haidtlab/articles/gable. haidt. what-is-positive-psychology. pdf Seligman, M. E. P (2007). Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 3, 2007 from http://www. ppc. sas. upenn. edu/aboutus. htm Stober, D. R. , Grant, A. M. (2006). Evidence based coaching handbook. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, Inc. How to cite Behaviors in Organizations, Papers

Information System Management For Travel And Tourism

Question: Discuss about the Case Study for Information System Management For Travel And Tourism? Answer: Introduction Relax Ltd is one of the very well known hotel and resort chains of the United Sates. Over the past few years, the organization has grown considerably through acquisition and merging programs and now conducts business across several destinations of the European Union and South East Asia. The acquisition process has resulted in the co-existence of several legacy information management systems throughout the organization and at present, the Information Systems Manager of the organization had been provided with a budget of around 5-8m for the development of an integrated IT system for the group. This report is aimed at providing the Board of the company of Relax Ltd an insight into the existing IT infrastructure and the risks that are associated with the said ICT systems. Besides, the reports also contain detailed information regarding the ICT systems that are currently being utilized in large scale in the tourism industry. The AS-IS Scenario As stated in the section above, the US-based tourism organization has grown over the last few years through several acquisition and merging processes: Relax Ltd started taking over resorts and hotels in Europe from 2005 onwards and had spread out their operations over various parts of South East Asia by 2010. In spite of the steady growth, the management of the organization had not emphasized on the implementation of an efficient information system and had continued with the utilization of the legacy systems that were used by the organizations that the Relax Ltd has taken over. As matter of fact, the following information systems co-exist within the IT infrastructure of Relax Ltd: 3 distinct information management systems that are used for maintaining the flow of information between the various departments of the organization: however, there exists no common shared database which can be used for the storage of data (Warren 2012). A custom designed customer relationship management system that is concerned solely with retaining old customers: however, it is worth mentioning that the system developer no longer conducts business with Relax Ltd (Amalfitano et al. 2014). The organization also utilizes 3reservation systems: one for supporting telesales operations, another for supporting the website that has been solely created for the conducting marketing and sales operations, and the third one for supporting the cloud based intermediaries like that of ebookers.com, expedia.com and Trivago (Srinivas et al. 2016) The following sections of the report are aimed at providing a detailed description of the risks that are associated with the existing system and the issues that are bound to arise in case such systems are added on without any proper integration. Risks associated with the current system At present, Relax Ltd has continued the use of the legacy systems that were inherited by the acquisition and merging process. Now, legacy systems are defined as the old and outdated technologies, computer systems or networks that are in dire need for up-gradation or replacement (Victor 2013). Thus, the primary risk associated with the utilization of legacy systems is that in case such systems might face is that since all legacy systems are essentially custom built, the vendor would stop updating the product after a specific period (Khadka et al. 2014). Needless to say, any changes that are to be incorporated in this system after the said period of time would require lump-sum investment on the part of Relax Ltd. Thus, in case the organization is unable to invest high amounts periodically, new vulnerabilities to the system would neither be detected nor be patched (Laguna and Crespo 2013). It is a well known concept that most legacy systems were developed at times when the techniques of identifying security threats were much less sophisticated that that used at present (Warren 2012). Thus, thus security systems of most legacy networks would be it able to function when targeted with the modern and sophisticated attacks that present day hackers or intruders are capable of launching (Amalfitano et al. 2014). Under such circumstances, the legacy systems being used by Relax Ltd indeed lack security. Last but not least, legacy systems are, as a matter of fact, dependent on old and backdated operating platforms. It is a well known fact that most OS vendors have stopped updating the legacy platforms, thus making them vulnerable to a wide range of security attacks (Laguna and Crespo 2013). The computer systems currently deployed at Relax Ltd are thus vulnerable to the attacks launched on the OS platform as well. Thus, the security issues associated with current computer system of Relax Ltd can be summarized as: Vulnerabilities arising from lack of vendor support. Vulnerabilities arising from old threatscape (Khadka et al. 2014). Vulnerabilities arising from insecure platforms. Evaluation of issues that could arise if the systems are increased Relax Ltd has been utilizing several legacy systems concurrently, for quite some time. Thu, it might appear to the board of directors that integrating the old systems with custom devised new ICT systems would be much easier than replacing the legacy systems entirely. However, such an integration process is found to generate the following issues: Migrating data from the legacy system to the newly developed ICT system becomes difficult as the system designers are made responsible for the herculean task of deciding the process using which data stored in the two systems would be linked to each other (Klammer and Pichler 2014). In general, system designers either use meta-data or integrate data at semantic levels: however the efficiency of each of the techniques is compromised with cost and complexity issues. Most legacy systems lack proper documentation; its becomes immensely difficult to decide on the strategies and protocols that would be utilized for connecting the system components of the legacy system with the newly developed ICT system and for routing messages between these components (Laguna and Crespo 2013). Making the legacy systems adapt to the business rules implemented in the newly developed ICT system requires high financial investment, besides being a time-consuming process (Amalfitano et al. 2014). Last but not the least, the integration with less secured legacy systems generates security vulnerabilities for the data stored and managed by the new ICT system (Alcaiz et al. 2014). Benefits of an Integrated Information System strategy to the business An integrated information system would provide Relax Ltd with the following benefits: Improving process efficiency throughout organization: It is a well known fact that each organization has to conduct certain key operation activities on a regular basis. The incorporation of an integrated information system has been found to help in the management of such key process, thus increasing their efficiency (Alkazemi, Nour and Meelud 2013). Thus, it is expected that the efficiency of the following key operational processes would be enhanced with the implementation of an integrated information system strategy at the Relax Ltd: Order management, Order fulfillment, iii. Invoicing and cash collection (Argyropoulos et al. 2015). Granting approvals. Financial consolidations and so on and so forth. Improved Visibility of information: Real time availability of data facilitates the process of efficient decision making among all other things. Since Relax Ld runs several hotels and holiday homes across several locations of the globe, a centralized and integrated information system would facilitate a drastic enhancement in the visibility of information (MihaliÄ , PraniÄ eviĆ¡ and ArneriĆ¡ 2015). This, in turn, would help the higher management of Relax Ltd developing organizational strategies. Implementing an integrated information system would also facilitate the development of intimate relations with the customers and the suppliers alike (Law, Buhalis and Cobanoglu 2014). While integrated ICT solutions would help in promoting the brand to the potential customers, customer relationship management and supply chain management systems would help in retaining customers and developing partnerships with other business organizations. Strategic alignment between travel and tourism goals and information systems: In the last few years, the tourism and hospitality sector has been immensely benefitted by the incorporation of various internet and communication systems. The following sections of the report would dwell on some such ITC systems that have facilitated the growth of the tourism industry since the last decade: E- reservation: The American Airlines was the undoubtedly the first organization to implement the first electronic reservation system way back in 1962 (Angore, Sawe and James 2014). The field of computer science and technology has gained much growth since then: however automated reservation systems still remain the most widely implemented ICT system that the tourism sector utilizes. Property Management Systems (PMSs) The last decade has witnessed the rapid incorporation of the Property Management Systems or the PMSs in the lodging and hotelier industry, the system being aimed at facilitating the sales, front office and other day-today operational functions of business like that of planning, sales, etc (eriĆ¡, Gil-Saura and Ruiz-Molina 2014). The hotelier industry has implemented PMSs aggressively with the aim of improving their inventory, for interacting with their customers in a better way and reducing operational costs. The operational functionalities that Property Management Systems are capable of managing to include the following: Reservations: PMSs are capable of managing reservation of property through emails, faxes, phone calls, online bookings through official websites, bookings from GDS and so on and so forth (Singh 2014). Check-in and Check-out facilities Guest check-in facilities are utilized for creating guest portfolios and calculating charges. On the other hand, check out facilities help in the process of providing billing information to the guests and collecting the same (Angore, Sawe and James 2014). iii. Room management Room management modules help in keeping a track on the availability of the room, thus facilitating the automated reservation system (Azevedo, Azevedo and Romo 2014). Besides the above mentioned modules, PMS s are also capable of offering services for maintaining guest records, for facilitating back office jobs and scheduling the function' rooms of a hotel facility (Singh 2014). On the other hand, the integration between automated reservation systems and PMSs have been found to be effective in reducing the response time for both customers and the management, improve the efficiency of the operational activities along with the reduction in cost and improved control over these activities (Jayawardena et al. 2013). Destination management systems: Destination Management Systems can be defined as ICT systems that are capable of consolidating and distributing tourism products utilizing a wide range of platforms and channels (Bethapudi 2013). As Destination Management Systems use customer-centric approaches in marketing and managing tourist destinations as holistic entities, organizations operating in the tourism industry utilize such systems to provide information related to tourist destinations, make reservations in real-time, devise tools for managing destinations and for supporting small, independent tourism partner organizations (Mihalic and Buhalis 2013). The systems that must be included in the organization In the light of the discussions made in the section above, the higher management of Relax Ltd is being recommended to implement the following information and communication systems within their organizational infrastructure: Integrated Enterprise Resource Planning System Enterprise resource planning systems can be defined as cross-functional software modules that facilitate organizational planning, tracking and management of the daily activities of business units (Angore, Sawe and James 2014). Driven by an integrated software-module core, ERP systems support the transportation of enterprise information (generated by the operational activities of the enterprise) throughout the organization (Azevedo, Azevedo and Romo 2014). Relax Ltd would be able to avail the following benefits through the implementation of an integrated ERP system within their organizational infrastructure: The requirement for procuring and managing multiple software systems would be reduced drastically, as integrated ERP systems support several operational activities, as conducted by the various departments of a hospitality facility, simultaneously (Mihalic and Buhalis 2013). An integrated ERP system would not only help in smooth access of enterprise data by all the departments but would also allow the management of Relax Ltd to take organizational decisions that are based on concrete information (Ruiz-Molina, Gil-Saura and eric 2013). The integration of a customized Customer Relationship Management or CRM system with the proposed ERP system would also facilitate the process of providing better services to the loyal customers of the organization (Jayawardena et al. 2013). Property Management Systems Section 3 of this report provides an insight into the various functionalities provided by the property management system or PMS. In the light of the discussions made in section 3, it can be said that the higher management of Relax Ltd should incorporate PMSs within their organizational structure to avail the following facilities: An integrated hotel property management system, besides being effective in enhancing the operational facilities, is available with surprisingly low investment (Singh 2014). Thus, the incorporation of such an ICT system would invariably act as a cost effective operational management tool. The property management system also facilitates the process of generating reports and efficient recording of enterprise information. With the incorporation of this ICT system, the employees of Relax Ltd would be able to register any malfunctioning operational element (with the PMS system) and report the higher authorities without any delay (Mihalic and Buhalis 2013). Along with the above mentioned factors, a PMS would also be beneficial to the housekeeping services of the hotel chain (Jayawardena et al. 2013). Conclusion and Recommendations This report contains detailed discussions on the ICT systems that are currently being utilized by Relax Ltd and changes that need to be incorporated into their organizational infrastructure. In the light of the discussions made in section 2 of the report, it can be concluded that the organization should immediately stop using their legacy systems and incorporate enhanced and customized ICT systems to support their organizational activities. The hospitality and tourism industry has been immensely benefitted by the growth achieved by the information and communication industry in the last few decades. This sector has been observed to be efficiently reaping the advantages of a bunch of specialized ICT systems, the said systems being aimed at increasing the efficiency of the operational activities of hotels and lodging facilities. Some such ICT systems have been discussed in section 3 and 4 of this report, so as to bring them in to the notice of higher management. In the light of the discussions made in this report, the following recommendations are being provided to the board of directors of Relax Ltd: The utilization of the existing legacy systems should be stopped at once as these systems are vulnerable to a wide range of security risks. New systems should not be randomly incorporated into the organization as such incorporations would only increase the risks of security breaches. 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