GENERAL ECONOMY OF NIGERIA (INTRODUCTION)
Nigeria is a third world country located in West Africa. It is bound by Niger Republic and Chad to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, Cameroun to the east and Benin Republic to the west. Its administrative capital is Abuja, and its commercial capital is Lagos. Nigeria is home to diverse mineral and natural resources such as Petroleum, Cocoa, Rubber and Timber amongst others. Nigeria has an export-based economy with a GDP of $377.6 billion per annum according to 2010 estimates, which approximates to $2,500 per capita, and the estimated GDP growth rate is 8.2 %. It holds about $33 billion in foreign reserves. Nigeria’s main export is Petroleum which contributes 95% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange holdings and about 80% of budgetary revenues. Nigeria contributes about 3.3% of the world’s petroleum supply at 2.2 million barrels per day; therefore it is the 15th largest oil-producing country in the world. Nigeria is also blessed with abundant human resources as its labor force is about 47.33 million strong according to 2009 estimates, and its unemployment rate is around 4.9%. The distribution of their labor force per sector and each sector’s contribution to GDP is as follows: Agriculture -70% of labor force – 41.8% of GDP
Services – 20% of labor force – 29.6% of GDP
Industry – 10% of labor force – 28.6 % of GDP
Nigeria’s agriculture output ranks 25th in the world, and 1st in Africa. However growth in this sector has failed to keep up with Nigeria’s population growth and thus Nigeria imports more agricultural produce than it exports; and this significantly hampers its net output potential in this
area. The Industrial sector ranks 44th in the world and 3rd in Africa. The services sector ranks 63rd worldwide and 6th in Africa.
COLONIAL ECONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE
Economic of Nigeria in colonial times was inextricably linked to those of their colonial masters, Britain, and other European powers of the time. The area that is now called Nigeria was a prime source of raw materials and the slave trade. Many a ship sailed from the shores of Lagos and headed towards Europe and colonial settlements in the Americas. Their cargo consisted not only of cocoa, rubber, and other cash crops, but also of men, women, and children from the poached or captured from the hinterland. These were all prime commodities in the period between the mid-17th century and the early 19th century. Great Britain relied great upon raw materials from Nigeria in order provide cheap goods to its citizens, and to give itself competitive advantage in international trade. An example of this was the creation of the Royal African Company in 1672. It held a monopoly on Nigeria and most of British-controlled West Africa, and this monopoly was necessary in order to build and maintain the necessary infrastructure to efficiently manage trade goods. At the time, France and Holland were fierce competitors in the African trade. Therefore the British declared what we now know as Nigeria to be a protected territory, and then later to be a Crown colony. This was done in order to prevent market entry from their competitors in the field, and any forced entry would have resulted in war.
The benefits of British colonial activity in Nigeria were by no means limited to the British economy. Nigeria’s economy also greatly profited. From the early 1800s, British political reform led to the suppression and eventual abolition of the slave trade which had previously deprived the Nigerian economy of valuable labor. Long before colonial times, the tribal nations of pre-colonial Nigeria already had a market driven economy with diverse production emphases such as hunting, fishing, metal works, pottery and farming. The tools were rudimentary, and the techniques were archaic, but there were definitely well-established systems of production and trade. Trade was conducted primarily using an admixture of barter, and the use of precious metals, such as iron and gold, as money. Indeed the Yoruba, Igbo and Uneme tribes are known to have had iron smelting technologies and to have used gold as a means of foreign exchange as early as in the 14th century. However frequent wars among the highly heterogeneous ethnic cultures posed a significant barrier to trade, unlike the modern scenarios where certain economies derive benefit from war as an opportunity to boost their GDPs through increased production and government spending. Also their rudimentary production techniques were relatively inefficient compared to the European technologies at the time. The arrival of the British brought in relatively modern production technologies, and more efficient monetary systems, as well as relative political stability. It also opened vastly expanded markets for Nigerian products and now Nigerians were beginning to enjoy some of these opportunities for trade, and the centralized government under the British crown vastly improved market coordination of production and trade.
The primary exports were Palm oil and kernels, Tin, Cocoa, and peanuts. By the early twentieth century, British-educated Nigerian elites had begun to emerge. This was a privileged class that was able to maximize a modern British education in order to tap into Nigeria’s market potential. This was true regardless of ethnic background, from the Yoruboid tribes of the southwest who traditionally rallied around god-kings, to the Hausa-Fulani caliphates of the north who submitted to the banner of Allah, to the Igboid tribes of the southeast who were more republican in nature and submitted to no man as king. This new elite class comprised of all these ethnic nationalities, and they used their newfound economic empowerment to spearhead nascent nationalist movements which eventually evolved into Independence movements. Nigeria’s status as a colony allowed for the British to enforce economic policy. One such significant policy was the issuance of trade licenses only to well-establish firms, which of course were typically British. This served as a major barrier to market entry, not only against other European powers, but also against local indigenes. Such restrictive and discriminatory policies would eventually lead to civil unrest that fueled the push for independence. The onset of the Second World War and the Great Depression also affected the economy of Nigeria. The real incomes of many Nigerians fell sharply during the 1930s and 1940s, and the total control of the colonial government over the local economy prevented the locals from having much input into economic policy.
These hardships cause the nationalist movements which were initially ethnically homogenous, to become multi-ethnic in nature, thus evolving into Pan-Nigerian independence movements. The elites certainly expected to benefit economically and politically from any future independent local governance. The Depression and the War greatly reduced British investment in the local economy as much of their resources had to be diverted into the War effort. Labor activity grew in response to contractionary colonial economic policy, and the local educated elite began to demand more participation in local governance in order to influence macroeconomic policy. By the late 1950s British control over her colonies was greatly compromised and increased nationalist fervor and economic hardship strengthened the positions of independence movements to the end that Nigeria eventually gained formal independence from Britain in 1960.
COUPS, MILITARY GOVERNMENT AND THE BIAFRA WAR
At the time of Nigeria’s independence in 1960, it operated under a federal system of government comprised of three semi-autonomous regions (North, East, and West). The Federal Government (FG) held central power and was responsible for defense, foreign policy, and economic policy. Initially, Nigeria prospered economically post-independence, and petroleum was discovered shortly after, which in theory should have heralded an increase in her fortunes. However this period of economic wealth was grossly mismanaged through numerous corrupt practices in government and in the civil service. Also there were residual nationalistic and inherently tribalistic tendencies from the late colonial era, and there was perceived marginalization of certain ethnic groups. These factors coupled together led to the first coup d’état in Nigeria in July of 1966. The Military seized power with the excuse of corruption and economic mismanagement. Reform and fresh elections were their chants. However, they hardly performed better and Nigeria’s fortunes declined sharply under the unstructured and inevitably corrupt governance of successive military administrations. A coup d’état hardly inspires confidence, and both private and foreign investment in Nigeria fell sharply. And of course, the military governments were ill-equipped to understand and implement fiscal policy, and thus government spending on basic infrastructure was largely diffused into private pockets. The embezzled public funds would have still fueled economic growth if these offenders had kept the money in the country and invested in legitimate businesses which in turn would have increased production and created jobs. But instead, the vast majority of these funds was flown abroad, and added value to foreign economies at the expense of Nigeria’s own. The Biafra war was especially detrimental to Nigeria’s economy. It is estimated that upwards of 3 million Nigerians died on both sides of the war, including over 1 million adults who could have contributed to the labor force.
There were also deliberate policies implemented to suppress the formerly Biafran middle class. For instance, Igbo people who had fled during the war returned to find that their homes, properties and jobs had been taken over. Thus a large number of them had been rendered unproductive. In addition to this, public and private infrastructure in eastern Nigeria which had been damaged or destroyed during the war was not repaired or rebuilt. Such repressive policies have also been applied to ethnic minorities unrelated to the war. Another source of wastage from the war was the fact that arms and other war equipment were purchased from abroad rather than manufactured locally. This means that the majority of government spending did not serve to create jobs or put more money in the pockets of citizens. Rather the Nation’s reserves were depleted in order to destroy the lives and property of its own citizens. This was a double-whammy of sorts. The net effect is that overall production dropped, the economy was operating far below potential output, and capital flight increased. Such loss of output has scarcely been replaced since. In the years between 1965 just before the first coup, and 1998 just before the return of civilian governance, the Per Capita GDP of Nigeria had declined from $1000 to $300. This fact summarizes the damage done to Nigeria’s economy by fiscally incompetent Military governance. CURRENT CIVILIAN GOVERNANCE AND INSTITUTIONALIZED CORRUPTION
Nigeria has a historically high ranking as being one of the three most corrupt nations in the world. During the military era, especially in the late 20th century, Nigeria consistently ranked 1st or 2nd in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Nigeria finally returned to Civilian Government in May 1999. In that time there have now been three successive civilian presidents, a first-time occurrence in Nigeria’s long history of political instability. The advent of democratic, or some would say pseudo-democratic, government in Nigeria has brought about a significant increase in public expectations of government. Whereas during the military era, private citizens and the media could hardly raise their voice in public criticism of mismanagement of public funds, civilian government has brought about a certain degree of accountability. Now, this is not to say that angels are now at the helm of government affairs, but rather relative to previous experience, Nigerians now have a louder voice. The effect of this is that Nigeria is now perceived to be less corrupt now than under military rule. Recent CPI publications show this. Year
CPI Score
Nigeria’s CPI Ranking
Remarks
1996
0.69
54/54
Most corrupt
1997
1.78
52/52
Most corrupt
1998
1.9
81/85
2nd most corrupt
1999
1.6
98/99
2nd most corrupt
2000
1.2
90/90
Most corrupt
2001
1.0
90/91
2nd most corrupt
2002
1.6
101/102
2nd most corrupt
2003
1.4
132/133
2nd most corrupt
2004
1.6
144/146
2nd most corrupt
2005
1.9
152/159
3rd most corrupt
2006
2.0
142/163
5th most corrupt
2007
2.2
147/180
9th most corrupt
2008
2.7
121/180
59th most corrupt
This increase in reputation has helped Nigeria attract more foreign investment. Also it is estimated that Nigeria has recovered and saved over
$300 million worth of public funds which could have been lost through criminal practices and budget wastage. Civilian government has also brought about other policies which have the potential to boost Nigeria’s long term economic future. Below is a brief outline of some of such policies: The minimum capital base required for banks to have an operating license has been raised to about $185 million before end of December 2005 (previously about US$ 15 million). Consolidation of banking institutions through mergers and acquisitions. Enhance a risk focused and rule-based regulatory framework.
Eliminate weak corporate governance, misconduct and lack of transparency. Creation and empowerment of EFCC (Economic and Financial Crime Commission) and ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices Commission) to investigate financial mismanagement in both public and private sectors, and to enforce anti-corruption measures. Establishment of BMPIU (Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit) to monitor and enforce proper implementation of budgetary allocations.
By and large, the anti-corruption fight is slowly being won, and if the present civilian government continues to lend its muscle in sincerity, then it is only a matter of time before Nigeria begins to reap the economic benefits through increased private and foreign investment.
SUMMARY
Nigeria as a nation has suffered from years of underdevelopment through successive repressive and/or incompetent governments, from the colonial years through the military years to the present time. However recent civilian governments have made some improvements and implemented policies to enhance consumer confidence and increase fiscal responsibility. This has led to budgetary savings from corrupt practices and increased private and foreign investment. Nigeria still has a long way to go in order to establish a vibrant economy, but some of the basic steps are being put in place to secure this.
REFERENCES
The web links to references are classified under each section of the paper. However some works were referenced in multiple sections. General Economy of Nigeria (Introduction)
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/NIGERIAEXTN/0,,menuPK:368902~pagePK:141159~piPK:141110~theSitePK:368896,00.html http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/index.php?page=subpage&spid=12&mnu=null https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13949550
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Nigeria
Colonial Economy and Independence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_Nigeria http://www.onlinenigeria.com/links/adv.asp?blurb=467
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3485317
http://www.articlesbase.com/literature-articles/precolonial-nigerian-economy-dynamic-or-stagnant-941809.html
Coups, Military Government and the Biafra War
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2836.htm
http://www.onlinenigeria.com/economics/?blurb=498
http://lumina.hnu.edu.ph/articles/omotoyeMar11.pdf
http://www.jstor.org/pss/4006378
http://afraf.oxfordjournals.org/content/83/331/267.extract
http://www.africamasterweb.com/BiafranWarCauses.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafra#Economy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War
Current Civilian Governance and Institutionalized Corruption http://blogs.worldbank.org/governance/what-about-corruption
http://www.africanoutlookonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1916nigerian-oil-production-corruption-and-its-effects-on-post-colonial-economy-of-nigerian&Itemid=53 http://www.enelsyn.gr/papers/w16/PaperbyProfOyelowoOyewo.pdf
Ethics Issue In “Pirates Of Silicon Valley”
Business Ethics
Ethics Issues in “Pirates of Silicon Valley”
The film, “Pirates of Silicon Valley,” is a review of the building of both Apple Computer and Microsoft as told through the lens of people that worked with both Steve Jobs at Apple and Bill Gates at Microsoft. The film addresses both the inner working of the two companies and the ethical issues that arise from their leaders, Jobs and Gates, desire to be the most important person in their chosen industry. While the film primarily focuses on Jobs and Gates, the workings of their respective companies and their rivalry play an integral role. Due to the fact that the film was produced in 1999, many issues have arisen in both companies in the years since that have changed the way the world uses computers. In an effort to address the films ethical issues, it will be necessary to address Steve Jobs and Apple and Bill Gates and Microsoft, while then moving on to the unique way in which the two men worked with and against one another, before finally concluding why their relationship changed the world. In this film, we are introduced to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as Berkley college students intent on creating something new and different for the computer world. We are lead to believe that Jobs was something of a free spirit, willing to experiment with drugs and take large risks, while Wozniak was somewhat more mainstream in the beginning of their relationship. We will see this change when money becomes an issue. One of the early ethical dilemmas presented in the film was the fact that Wozniak worked part time for Hewlett Packard and had apparently signed a non-compete clause which gave HP the first rights to any of Wozniak’s work. While the viewer understands that Wozniak must show the early computers to HP, the ethical dilemma presented is thus: is Wozniak required to show them his best efforts and sell his computer to them, or does he have the right to undersell the product. When HP turns down the computer, the viewer is left to ponder what might have happened has HP bought that early Apple prototype. Another ethical issue that presented itself in the early days was Jobs’ personal issues and the way in which they negatively impacted the company. As Apple was on the rise, the issue of Jobs’ first child and his treatment of the child’s mother provided negative publicity for the company. As the face of the corporation, his anger and maltreatment of employees also played a pivotal role in the way in which he was released from the company. As an ethical issue, one must be aware that private issues and anger can harm a company; regardless of the issues have a direct link to the company. While jobs was focusing on making better computers, he forgot to focus on the external forces, such as Gates and Microsoft which would have a major influence on Apple as a whole. In the film, we see Bill Gates as a Harvard student focused on computers language more than the actual computers themselves. Gates recognizes early on that computers will be worthless for the average person with the software needed to run them. Gates also realizes that the money to be made in computers lies more in licensing of software than in production of machines, a way in which he was far ahead of his time.
The issue that arises early in the Microsoft world is presented when Gates sells a DOS system to IBM, while never actually owning the product. Microsoft now works diligently to protect intellectual property, but it must be addressed that they started by selling someone else’s work as their own, only hoping that they could buy the product and follow through on the claims they had made to IBM. Another issue with Microsoft came from their desire to create a product that everyone would need but no one else could supply. While Gates makes a statement to this effect in the film, the United States actually sued Microsoft for Monopoly practices two years after this film was released, and much of the system (Windows) that Gates produced was based on information obtained from Apple, thus creating the odd dichotomy which proceeded between Microsoft and Apple in the years since this film was produced.
The largest ethical issue presented in the film deals with the fact that both Apple and Microsoft used unethical behavior to gain information from other companies which the then used to further their agendas. In the case of Apple, the used information obtained from Xerox to help create their graphic interface on their LISA system, while Microsoft used information from the LISA system to help create Windows. While Jobs was decidedly anti IBM, Gates used IBM to further his software business. While both Jobs and Gates lead the computer revolution, I venture that it can be agreed that both took steps along the way which would be seen as less than ethical. As I watched this film on my Windows based laptop using my Google account, and then typed this paper Microsoft Office 2010, it became more painfully obvious that both Apple and Microsoft own large portions of our lives. Almost everyone own a product made by one if not both companies. Does this mean that the unethical behavior should be condoned because it lead to benefits, or should the computer programmer that sold his system to Bill Gates for $50000 all those years ago have some recourse? While ethics in business may not always be easy, it is certainly the best approach, even if it is more costly or time consuming.
Hotel Reservation System Task
1.1 Background of the Study
As the technology continues to improve, it also affects the different aspects of the life of the people. For business, proper utilization of technology can brought up good edge against competitors. The use of technology has become an important issue in operating different kinds of businessfor it may improve or deteriorate their market. Green Ridge Apartelle, established since 2008 in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, desires to switch its manual processes to a faster and easier way through automation. Like other businesses who adopt automation in their processes, Green Ridge Apartelle wants to have the same advantage and that is to improve their standards. They are currently
using manual processing of transaction in reservation and cashiering and they don’t have inventory monitoring for their restaurant. In this system, the receptionist is the one liable for all the transaction like providing check-in form, listing reservation, and calculating the payable which is really consumes time. Having a website of its own also helps to enhance the communications and interactions between the apartelle and its potential customers. Potential customers can check out the current apartelle room rates from the apartelle website and made online reservations. Apartelle receptionists, on the other hand can update the latest and upcoming events. The receptionist and the owner will be given different access rights, since they have different role and job responsibilities. The current manual calculation of billing will be replaced by a fully computerized and automated cashiering system, to save on processing time and improve efficiency.Included in the system is an Inventory monitoring and record function that allows the user to monitor current Inventory for the mini-restaurant. Product information is inputted in the Inventory records for easy and fast access for product information.
Fig. 1.1 (Workflow)
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Will GRAAS able to handle reservations online and offline?
Does GRAAS have cashiering that will handle the calculations of every transaction of apartelle? Will GRAAS able to handle inventory monitoring?
Does GRAAS able to generate essential reports for the business? Will the Green Ridge Apartelle Automated System (GRAAS) able to speed up processing of transactions? Is there a significant difference between the manual systemof Green Ridge apartelle to the automated system? Stakeholder’s Issues
The group conducted several interviews in the apartelle to know the different concerns regarding the automation of their processes. We then figure out important issues of the different stakeholders of the business. Users of the system can be classified into two which is the Administrator (Owner) and the receptionist. These two will be provided different access rights in the system. The administrator shall have the right in editing, creating and
deleting user accounts and can access all the features of the system while the receptionist shall have the right to access the main transactions of the business such as cashiering, inventory and reservation.
The system should provide different reports and receipts for the transactions. It must be user friendly so that the users will not be hesitant to used it and let them adapt easily to the new system. The customer shall have the option to transact to the appartelle through online or offline transaction. Online clients should be able to know the available and reserved dates as well as the information about the room and other features of the apartelle that they can avail. Developer’s/Engineer’s Issues
The developers gather different information about the client and come up to sets of problems involving their current system. The group decided to give specific designation to each of the members based on their capacity. In this manner, we can focus properly and we will have a good working system.
Programming language is an issue in developing the system and the programmer of the group should study more on the languages the group will use. Consultations to our instructors are also made to ask for different issues such as functions, processes and documentations. The online reservation was also a hard challenge for the group because they don’t have any background in making such online system.
1.3 Objectives
The general objective of GRAAS is to automate the manual processes and make it faster and easier for the convenience of both users and customers.
Specific Objectives:
Develop an automated system that will handle online and offline reservation for the apartelle. Provide inventory monitoring in the system that will monitor all the stocks and provide necessary information of each of the items in the inventory. Include a cashiering in the system that will allow the user to calculate the bills of the customers. Allow the system to
generate reports that will be needed by the business.
1.4 Hypothesis
The automation of the processes of Green Ridge Apartelle is faster than the manual processing and there is a significant difference between manual and automated processing in the apartelle.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The general recipient of benefit of the Green Ridge Apartelle system is the business itself. It will improve different aspects of the business such as customer accommodation and increase the speed and efficiency of transactions. Specific:
RECEPTIONISTS – They are the main user of the system and the one who will accommodate the clients and customers of the apartelle. By using the GRAAS, they will able to easily handle transactions and fasten their processing time. They can also keep track to the inventory and the payables of the customers/clients of the apartelle. Reservation will also be easier because the information on the available rooms and reservations are transparent in the system.
OWNER – The owner of the business which is also the administrator of the system will have the opportunity to monitor properly the business anytime and anywhere as long there is an internet connection.
CLIENTS/CUSTOMERS – They are considered as the life of the business. With the automated system of Green Ridge, they can easily transact to the business online or offline. Information about the available rooms, products, and reservations are transparent so that they can easily know what they are looking for.
1.6 Scope, Delimitation and Limitation
There are three main processes of the system namely reservation, cashiering and inventory. These processes are divided into sub processes and it was
accessible depending upon the access rights of a user. Reservation of clients was one of the functions of the system. The reservation starts upon the inquiry of a client. The system process the client preferences to check its availability and let the client choose on the available schedules from the list provided. When the final preference was set, the system process the reservation and the client’s details. The reservation shall be completed upon the confirmation of the apartelle receptionist through a call or e-mail of the client only. The inventory stores the products available and edit, add or delete as the situation requires.However, the food catered in the function hall is not included in the inventory because the customer can choose what will be served or choose the combination of menus that will be served. The price of the food will be inputted in the cashiering as other payable and the amount shall be defined by the receptionist. The inventory is also the reference of prices for cashiering function. Cashiering was also included in the system and was used for the computational transaction and sales. It processes the client or customer payable in the rooms, function hall and in the restaurant. The system has only three possible users, namely: the client, the administrator, and the receptionist. Non-admin can only access limited data. For instance, the client can only access the reserved and available schedules and the products of the apartelle online. Administrators can access all the functions in the system and can add edit or delete user accounts. The passwords of each receptionist cannot be accessed by the co-receptionist for privacy purposes.The receptionist can also access all the system functions excluding the user accounts. For the systems side, the website can handle reservation, payment, queries and comments or feedbacks via online.
1.7 Definition of Terms
GRAAS– An acronym/name of Green Ridge Apartelle Automated System. Client- The person who reserve for rooms using online systemor not. Customer –The person who purchase at the mini restaurant in the apartelle. Administrator- An authorized person that fully operates/manipulates the system. Receptionist–An authorized person that operates/manipulates the system but it doesn’t have full control over it. Automated Transactions–The processes are faster and easier than manual processes. Inventory Records–An update
for data that has been saved and retrieved. Online Reservation–The process of reserving available rooms using the online system. Unified Process Model – is a popular iterative and incremental software development process framework. Komodo – Komodo Edit is a fast, smart, free and open-source code editor. Adaptive Maintenance – maintenance activities intended to enhance the system by adding features, capabilities, and functions in response to new technology, upgrades, new requirements, or new problems. (www.hit.ac.il/staff/leonidm/information-systems/ch81.html)
Corrective Maintenance – maintenance activities intended to remove errors or bugs from the software, the procedures, the hardware, the network, the data structures, and the documentation. (www.hit.ac.il/staff/leonidm/information-systems/ch81.html)
Perfective Maintenance – maintenance activities intended to enhance the system by improving efficiency, reliability, functionality, or maintainability, often in response to user or system personnel requests. (www.hit.ac.il/staff/leonidm/information-systems/ch81.html)
Perfective Maintenance – regularly scheduled maintenance activities; the intent is to anticipate problems and correct them before they occur. (www.hit.ac.il/staff/leonidm/information-systems/ch81.html) Reengineering – changing a system to make it better without affecting its functionality or external behavior. (www.hit.ac.il/staff/leonidm/information-systems/ch81.html) Xampp -is a free and open sourcecross-platformweb server solution stack package, consisting mainly of the Apache HTTP Server, MySQL database, and interpreters for scripts written in the PHP and Perl programming languages. MySQL- is a relational database management system (RDBMS) that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases Php – is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. It is among one of the first developed server-side scripting languages that is embedded into a HTML source document, rather than calling an external file to process data. JavaScript – A popular scripting language that is widely supported in Web
browsers and other Web tools. It adds interactive functions to HTML pages, which are otherwise static, since HTML is a display language, not a programming language. JavaScript is easier to use than Java, but not as powerful and deals mainly with the elements on the Web page.
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Apartelle’s are popular in the Philippines. The word means “A combination of Hotel and Apartment, often a cheaper value for long-term visits” Hobotraveler.com (2012). It is commonly used in the Philippines and it refers to the apartment like businesses that offers renting and other services. Automation
Automation involves a lot of aspects. It is defined as “the technique, method, or system of operating or controllinga process by highly automatic means, as by electronicdevices, reducing human intervention to a minimum” dictionary.reference.com (2012). One important factor that supports automation is the use of information technology. According to McNurlin (2006) Information technology was “initially used to perform existing information work more quickly and efficiently”. Making the information more quickly was similar to the definition of automation which is reducing human intervention to minimum. “In actuality, information technology is the use of computers and software to manage information”jobsearchtech.about.com (2012) and that is the key to increase the capacity of work with less human intervention. Since computers are already involved, Human-Machine Interfaces comes in. “A human machine interface is an interface which permits interaction between a human being and a machine”wisegeek.com (2012) while the activities between the computer and the user is called the Human-Computer Interaction.Human-Computer Interaction was defined by encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com (2012) as “An interdisciplinary field focused on the interactions between human users and computer systems, including the user interface and the underlying processes which produce the interactions”.
Automated vs. Manual
Nowadays, apartelle businesses are growing fast and owners started to look for an edge against their competitors. One solution that was presented was automation of processes which greatly help in speeding up their transactions.Few advantages are mentioned in mge.com (2012). “Hotel room automation includes a variety of products and applications that can be combined in various ways to suit a business’ specific needs.” On the other hand, there are certain disadvantages of automation that are putting the owners in doubt. “A computerized system will have an initial higher cost than a manual system” was one of the mentioned disadvantages in answers.yahoo.com (2012) and the most common of it. Blurtit.com (2012) posted the advantages and disadvantages of manual front desk in hotel industry. Some of the said advantages are “More customer satisfaction, Services can be better customized for a particular customer through a manual system, and Complimentary services can be given for frequent customers or for unsatisfied customers”. There might be negative and positive side of manual and automated, the key for decision making is considering the cost and benefit of the system. Online Automated Systems
GreenRidge Apartelle Automated System was a system with the functions suited in the apartelle and has an online reservation that enables the web users to transact through internet.
When we say online, we directly associated it with the internet. Dictionary.reference.com (2012) defined it as “connected by computer to one or more other computers or networks, as through commercial electronic information service or the internet” According to thefreedictionary.com (2012) automated means “to convert to automatic operation or to control or operate by automation”. A machine, facility, or thing are said to be automatic if it lessen the effort of user. As thefreedictionary.com (2012) define it, “operating with minimal human intervention”. A system is defined as “a group or combination of interrelated, interdependent, or interacting elements forming a collective entity; a methodical or coordinated assemblage of parts, facts, concepts, etc.” by the thefreedictionary.com (2012).
In conclusion, Online Automated systems can be defined as an internet based
system with the less hassle on user and offer better processing. In the case of GreenRidge Apartelle, only the reservation was enabled online while the cashiering and inventory can be accessed offline.
Programming Languages and Tools
There are certain concerns in making a system and one of it is the programming language that will be used. Depending on the system and the functionalities that will be needed, the programmer decides what language that will be used for the task. The following are some of programming languages that are used in making systems: JAVA
“For the enterprise, Java and Microsoft’s .NET rule. However, Java has the edge, as it is No. 1 language in terms of number of developers. According to Evans Data, there are more than 9 million Java developers in the world. That means there are tons of Java applications out there that will have to be supported, updated and maintained. Furthermore, Java is the language of the Android mobile operating system. Android provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications for the Android OS using the Java programming language. Java ranks No. 1 on the TIOBE Programming Community Index for June 2010 (after a brief stint at No. 2, behind C, in May). The need for Java developers to build new Java applications is not about to wane.”eweek.com (2012)“Java continues to dominate the developer landscape as the No. 1 programming language in use today. It remains atop the TIOBE Index. According to Simply Hired, since April 2009, Java jobs increased 52 percent. With Oracle now the steward of Java and having shepherded two new Java Specifications Requests mapping out the next two versions of the language and platform—Java 7 and Java –the language is due for enhancements to “move Java forward,” Oracle said. The language is used for a variety of things, including enterprise apps, as well as Web and mobile development.” myitview.com (2012) C#
“C# is a multiparadigm programming language encompassing imperative, functional, generic, object-oriented and component-oriented programming disciplines. Microsoft developed C# within its .NET initiative and the language was later approved as a standard by Ecma and ISO. C# also is slated
by Microsoft to become the primary development language for Windows Phone 7. Like Java, C# is big in the enterprise. However there are considerably fewer C# developers than there are Java developers. But the importance of C# as part of the Microsoft .NET strategy and its support through the Visual Studio tools suite make C# a formidable contender in the programming language race. C# ranked No. 6 on the most-recent TIOBE Index.” eweek.com (2012)“Microsoft’s C# was developed as a Java alternative and borrows from its predecessors: Java, C, C++ and Delphi—as it should, since Anders Hejlsberg, creator of C#, also created the Delphi programming environment while at Borland. Powered by Microsoft, C# has become very popular among developers and among Microsoft shops. It ranks as the No. 5 language on the TIOBE Index. According to Simply Hired, since April 2009, C# jobs increased 52 percent.”myitview.com (2012) C/C++
“We know they are not the same language, though C++ builds on C and began as an extension of the C language. Though sometimes viewed as “nichey,” C++ is widely used in the software industry. Some of its key application domains include systems software, application software, device drivers, embedded software, high-performance server and client applications, and entertainment software such as video games. C++ has greatly influenced many other popular programming languages, most notably Java. Furthermore, C and C++ ranked No. 2 and 3, respectively, on the most-recent TIOBE Index.” eweek.com (2012)“C is one of the most popular languages ever. It is used as a systems programming language and also for applications—such as embedded systems applications. It ranks as the second most popular language on the TIOBE Index. According to Simply Hired, since April 2009, C jobs increased 11 percent.” myitview.com (2012) “C++ was developed as an enhancement of the C language (also at Bell Labs, where C itself came from) and was initially known as “C with Classes.” It quickly became one of the most popular languages amongst developers. C++ is used for developing systems software, application software, device drivers, embedded software, high-performance server and client applications, and entertainment software such as video games. It ranks as No. 3 on the TIOBE Index. According to Simply Hired, since April 2009, C++ jobs decreased by 13 percent. However, because the pool of opportunities for C++ developers is so much greater than that for
many less popular languages, it remains among the top languages developers seeking jobs.” myitview.com (2012) JAVASCRIPT (Along with CSS and HTML)
“JavaScript is the language of the Web. It powers all of the popular Web browsers and that says it all. JavaScript was ranked No. 11 on the most-recent TIOBE Index.” eweek.com (2012) “As the language of the Web, JavaScript is huge for Web developers. JavaScript is primarily used in the form of client-side JavaScript, implemented as part of a Web browser to provide enhanced user interfaces and dynamic Websites. However, itsuse in applications outside Web pages—for example, in PDF documents, site-specific browsers and desktop widgets—is also significant. Despite being No. 12 on the TIOBE Index, according to Simply Hired, since April 2009, JavaScript jobs increased 76 percent.” myitview.com (2012) In GRAAS (GreenRidge Apartelle Automated System), javascript was used as the front end of the system. VISUAL BASIC
“Like the BASIC programming language, Visual Basic was designed to be easily learned and used by beginner programmers. The language not only allows programmers to create simple GUI applications, but it can also be used to develop complex applications. Programming in VB is a combination of visually arranging components or controls on a form specifying attributes and actions of those components, and writing additional lines of code for more functionality. With ease of use as a selling point, Visual Basic caught on like wildfire. There is simply too much VB code out there to ignore this language in any list of 10 programming languages. Visual Basic ranked No. 5 on the most-recent TIOBE Index.” eweek.com (2012) “Visual Basic is the third-generation event-driven language and integrated development environment from Microsoft for its COM programming model. Microsoft designed VB to be relatively easy to learn and use, and it quickly became popular with developers, particularly those building departmental apps. VB ranks No. 7 on the TIOBE Index. According to Simply Hired, since April 2009, Visual Basic jobs increased 112 percent. VB is part of the Microsoft Visual Studio tool suite.”myitview.com (2012) PHP
“PHP is very popular for corporate applications and for Web design. If you
want to be a freelancer it’s a good language to know. PHP was designed as a general-purpose scripting language that was originally designed for Web development to produce dynamic Web pages. PHP was ranked No. 4 on the most-recent TIOBE Index.” eweek.com (2012) “PHP is a widely-used general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML. It was originally designed to produce dynamic Web pages. PHP ranks as No. 4 on the TIOBE Index, According to Simply Hired, since April 2009, PHP jobs increased 58 percent.”myitview.com (2012) In GRAAS (GreenRidge Apartelle Automated System), javascript was used as the back end of the system.
OBJECTIVE-C
“If you want to make a lot of money, but probably also work on very intense high-pressure projects where risk is often involved—as in a lot can go wrong—learn Objective-C. Objective-C borrows from Smalltalk and the C language, and it influenced the creation of Java. Objective-C is used primarily on Apple’s Mac OS X and iOS. With the wild popularity of Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, there are simply not enough Objective-C developers out there to meet the needs of users hungry for more apps for these devices. Objective-C ranked No. 9 on the most-recent TIOBE survey, but that is up from being No. 45 in the survey in June of 2009.” eweek.com (2012) PERL
“Many say Perl is the new COBOL. Perl is also viewed as “the duct tape of the Internet” and is used to integrate databases and other systems together. While demand for the dynamic or scripting languages such as Perl, Python, PHP and Ruby lags behind that of Java and more mainstream languages, the popularity of these languages is growing and there is a need for programmers in each of those communities. However, according to Indeed.com, the demand for Perl programmers is tracking higher than that for PHP, Python and Ruby developers, in that order. Perl was ranked No. 8 on the most-recent TIOBE Index.” eweek.com (2012) “Perl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic language. Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier. Perl ranks No. 9 on the TIOBE Index. According to Simply
Hired, since April 2009, Perl jobs increased 33 percent.”myitview.com (2012) PYTHON
“Want to work on the leading edge and build applications for the cloud? Dynamic languages, especially Python, are being used to create Web/cloud applications on frameworks such as Django. Google App Engine is built with Python and originally only supported Python. The advantage of Perl and Python over PHP among the dynamic languages is that while PHP is a Web-only, server-side language, Perl and Python are both general purpose languages with usage in multiple industries, from aerospace and defense to sciences and to financial to hi-tech. Python was ranked No. 7 on the most-recent TIOBE Index.” eweek.com (2012) “Python is a dynamic language that is used in a wide variety of application domains. Python is often compared to Tcl, Perl, Ruby, Scheme and Java. It enables developers to write code quickly. Python ranks No. 6 on the TIOBE Index. According to Simply Hired, since April 2009 Python jobs increased 69 percent.”myitview.com (2012) RUBY
“Ruby is a language of careful balance. Its creator, Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto blended parts of his favorite languages (Perl, Smalltalk, Eiffel, Ada and Lisp) to form a new language that balanced functional programming with imperative programming. The popular Ruby on Rails framework has helped to promote the use of Ruby. Since its public release in 1995, Ruby has drawn devoted coders worldwide. In 2006, Ruby achieved mass acceptance. Active user groups have formed in the world’s major cities and Ruby-related conferences are filled to capacity. Ruby is used for building Web apps, simulations, 3D modeling, business apps, robotics, networking, telephony and system administration systems among other uses. Companies such as Engine Yard, Heroku and New Relic provide Ruby with cloud hosting and developer tools support. And demand for Ruby developers is strong. As Yehuda Katz, a core Ruby on Rails contributor and an architect at Engine Yard said at RailsConf 2010: “I don’t know any Ruby developers who are unemployed.”” eweek.com (2012)“Ruby is a dynamic, open-source language with a focus on simplicity and productivity. It has an elegant syntax that is natural to read and easy to write. Ruby is catching on in the enterprise given the recent acquisition of Heroku, a Ruby and Rails app hosting/cloud service
provider, by Salesforce.com. Ruby is No. 11 on the TIOBE Index. According to Simply Hired, since April 2009, Ruby jobs increased 78 percent.” myitview.com (2012)S
Review of Related Literature (Local and Foreign)
Hotel Reservation and Billing System (HRBS)
Authors: RebeccaAkello ,RichardBalemwa, BrianBuggah,DenisHalonda,KamalizaEnock , Anita Gatare , JosephKigula,BenonKubanja,andMunduruBabraKyomuhendo Source: http://dspace.mak.ac.ug/handle/123456789/1130
Date: March 9, 2012
Time: 10:14pm
Abstract:Uganda’s hotel industry since its inception has been providing accommodation services to clients who require these facilities. As a result, hotel practitioners have had to improve on their service delivery due to competition and technological changes within this industry. The development of hotels in Uganda is growing tremendously due to a number of reasons that range from political, economic and social changes. These factors have positively impacted the existence and development of this industry in Uganda. The management systems being used in Uganda’s hotel industry are both paper based and also involve automation of some business processes such as writing up weekly reports using Microsoft Word. Despite this automation, nearly all of the business activities are carried out using a paper based approach. To tackle this problem, the development of an automated management system was proposed. The Hotel Reservation & Billing System (HRBS) would manage the key processes with greater ease and simplicity. The project set out to develop the HRBS based on collected system requirements and specifications obtained by using different techniques including interviews, observations & questionnaires. The system was designed to cover the main functionalities of reservations and billing processes. This was modeled using DFD’s which were constructed using Microsoft Visio. The system was developed using various tools including Dreamweaver, Apache Web server and MySQL based on several technologies with HTML, PHP, JavaScript, CSS and SQL
to run on client server architecture. The system will be accessed via a browser with two views, the primary view from where clients will be able to browse through the website. The second view will be accessed via a login form on the home page of the website. The adoption of this system would be valuable to hotel practitioners since such a system can help handle the ever increasing volumes of information. Additional functionalities can be incorporated which include virtual tours, security controls, and on line payment services.
658 Apartelle Online Reservation System
Source:http://www.oppapers.com/essays/658-Apartelle-Online-Reservation-System/375787 Date: July 15, 2011
Time: 10:06am
Short term base lodging is the main reason that a hotel has been established. In the Philippines, wherein many foreign people go and have a vacation, hotel is always their first destination to have relaxation after long hours of travel in an airplane. Because of the rapid increase of foreigners visiting the Philippines for a vacation, a common sight is the establishments ad sophisticated hotels for competitive advantage. As the result of the competition between different hotels, various business strategies had been made to attract customers, such as putting discounts, having beautiful and relaxing environment and above all having a state of the art computer system and facilities. The current problem observed is the manual guest list records; the manual reservation of guests, the manual booking of rooms for the guests takes a long time to accomplish. According to the manager in the establishment, because they keep on doing their job manually, it resulted to a very messy office, lots of papers around the desks and sometimes important documents disappear. From the information gathered, the proponents came up with an idea of proposing a system that is relevant to the needs of the establishment, highly efficient to meet their needs and most of all simple, easy to use system. The 658 Apartelle Online Reservation Management System is not only a database for guest list but also an online reservation system, where potential guest can have online reservation which will automatically be sent to the database of the 658
Apartelle. Based on the proponent’s observation and interview, they have found many problems such as time consuming logging of the guest list names to the log book, difficulties in making reservations and difficulties in retrieving information on their previous guests because of the papers that are scattered everywhere and misplacing of the guestless records.
MC Mountain Home Apartelle Launches Online Reservation System on Website Source: http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/mc-mountain-home-apartelle-launches-online-reservation-system-website Date: July 15, 2011
Time: 9:45am
Summary: MC Mountain Home Apartelle provides guests with a convenient way of booking rooms at the hotel by integrating a reservation system on its website. Tagaytay, Cavite, Philippines – Reserving accommodations at MC Mountain Home Apartelle in Tagaytay, Philippines has just gotten easier and faster with the integration of a new reservation system on the hotel’s official website. By simply going online, guests can now book the room of their choice in a matter of minutes. Through the new service, guests need only click on the Reserve Now button on the Tagaytay hotel’s website to view room rates, features and availability over a 14-day period. Upon specifying their chosen rooms and duration of stay, guests will get instant confirmation of their reservation via email immediately after paying the required 10% deposit using WorldPay. The secure system makes the process of booking accommodations at the hotel safer and more convenient for guests. Located along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway in Cavite Province, MC Mountain Home Apartelle is only a few hours away from Manila, making it an ideal impromptu vacation getawayfor families or groups. Some popular attractions near the hotel include the Taal Volcano and Lake, Sonya’s Garden, Calaruega Chapel, Chapel on the Hill, SplendidoTaal Golf, and the Royale Tagaytay Country Club, to name a few. The hotel provides guests with cozy yet affordable Tagaytay accommodations that overlook the scenic Taal Lake. Each room comes complete with air-conditioning, television, deck/balcony, and private toilet and bath with shower. Breakfast is served daily and is
already included in the room rates. Other features of the hotel in Tagaytay include the MC Mountain Restaurant which serves a delicious array of dishes, a multipurpose hall, high-speed Internet at the common areas of the hotel, dry cleaning and laundry services, and room service. Holiday Bookings Online
Source: http://www.holiday-bookings-online.com
Date: July 19, 2011
Time: 5:21 am
© Copyright 2010 Holiday Bookings Online Ltd.
Whether you have a cottage, villa or apartment management of your holiday lettings is simple using Holiday-Bookings-Online. Customers can check availability, make a reservation and receive confirmation – at any hour of the day or night. This gives your business the opportunity to take secure bookings 24/7 from around the world. Holiday-Bookings-Online professional holiday accommodation rental software has helped some owners increase occupancy levels to over 90%. This cost effective booking software is suitable for property owners with a single cottage, villa or apartment through to agencies with multiple properties. Not only does the online booking system help generate more bookings for owners; it also makes the management of your bookings easier. Management of your tariffs, invoices, booking preferences, deposits and reports is simple via the online admin control panel. The booking software allows you to take secure payments online via PayPal or a merchant account as well as via bank transfer or cheque. The online booking system includes not just an online booking calendar but also a sophisticated availability search facility which is useful for accommodation owners and agents with lots of rental properties. It also includes a special offers page, enquiry page and rental tariffs page – essential tools for a successful accommodation provider.
Hotel Online Booking System
Source: http://www.hol.co.uk/services/online-booking-system
Date: July 19, 2011
Time: 5:45 am
©2006-2011 Hotels Online International Ltd. All rights reserved
The Hotels Online Booking System is an easy to use, web-based internet reservation system used internationally by a diverse range of accommodation providers including Holiday Villas, Guest Houses, Bed & Breakfasts, Self-Catering Apartments, Independent Hotels & Hotel Chains, Tourist Boards, Travel Agents & Travel Companies. The HOL online booking system is reliable, fast-loading and most importantly very user-friendly requiring very little training or times to get your hotel or guest house online and taking reservations! Smaller hotel groups and individual guest houses utilizing the Hotels Online reservation system gain the same online reservation potential as the major hotel chains/groups – but for a mere fraction of the cost! Our hotel room reservation system currently facilitates hundreds of online hotel reservations each day on behalf of our client accommodation providers. The Hotels Online hotel booking system offers a very cost-effective online marketing solution for your hotel, guest house or self-catering accommodation. Hotel Management System for StayInn
Source: http://sst.unisim.edu.sg:8080/dspace/handle/123456789/128 Authors: Su, Ze Cong
Issue Date: 2009
Date: July 23, 2011
Time: 10:44 pm
StayInn hotel aims to put the hotel in control of its internet presence and exposure as it is the shortest path to establishing interactive relationship with customers. The hotel wishes to eliminate the current cumbersome and inefficient operations like processing of payment, generating reports which involve manual work and lot of paperwork so that it not only increase the efficiency of its staffs but also helps the company in cost cutting. The thesis describes the design and development of a web-based hotel management system. The finding and methodology use to develop the system. Investigating and exploring ways to ensure high performance, reliability and identifying potential data integrity problem which might arise due to high volume booking rate during holiday peaks. Security control and features also include setting the database privileges and user’s access rights to protect
the system against threats from the interne. The outcome of the project was a success as it complied with the client specification. The functionalities of the final system were able to reduce the processing time and the amount of paperwork needed. Key statistics reports generation were automated, coupled with high level of data accuracy to facilitate the planning of its marketing strategy based on the trends identified in the report. The content management functionality in the system allows staffs to create news and promotions onto the website to raise awareness and publicity. EHOTEL RESERVATION SYSTEM
Source: http://sst.unisim.edu.sg:8080/dspace/handle/123456789/593 Authors: CHONG, MAY KWAN
Issue Date: May-2011
Date: July 23, 2011
Time: 11:01 pm
The main objective of this project is to create an EHotel Reservation System with basic functions to handle room reservations more efficiently. The benefits are not only customers can book room reservation conveniently online, the hotel can also keep track of customer’s records in a more trouble freeway. This document seeks to present the details of work and milestones in the development of EHotel Reservation System for “4 * Hotel”. A list of proposed system scopes has been designed & developed to suit the primary objective of this project. The Web interface is designed using Dream weaver, coded with PHP, integrating with MS SQL, which is chosen to develop the database part of “4 * Hotel”. The general feature of the EHotel Reservation system will be user-friendly with basic reservation functions like checking room’s availability, create room reservations, generating reservation IDs, triggering auto email confirmation to customers upon successful reservation etc. Besides having the basic reservation functions, member’s reward program is also created to give value add in this project. With all the goals in mind, the project has established strategic objectives and deliverables to ensure smooth operation of the project till completion. This report captures the appropriate information for analysis, design and development of this project. Note that the term “Customer” in this context
will represent the hotel customer, who will be the actual individuals interacting with the EHotel Reservation system and “Client” in this context represent the “owner”, who identify the business needs. Lastly, this report will conclude with recommendations for future work, as well as screenshot of the final Website.
CHAPTER 4
Methodology
3.3Logical Design
a. Entity Relationship Diagram
b. Use Case Model
Figure 3.3.1Use Case Diagramlogging in
The diagram shows the interaction or the process of login by the user of the system. The user is required to input the username and password to be able to login and redirected to the main form of the system. If the user fails to provide the correct username or password, the system will prompt an error and redirect the user back to the login form.
Figure 3.3.2Use Case DiagramAdding User Accounts
The administrator is the actor of diagram. Information is required for the user that will be added and it will be inputted by the administrator. After filling up the necessary information, the administrator can then save the new user to the database and the system will prompt when the New User was successfully added or not.
Figure 3.3.3Use Case DiagramEditing User Accounts
The administrator is the actor of diagram. User accounts can be edited by the administrator only. The administrator can select the user account that will be edited and input information that will replace the old record. The administrator can then save the changes made to user accounts and the system will prompt if the changes were successful or failed.
Figure 3.3.4Use Case DiagramAdding, Editing, Deleting Products
There are two possible users that can access the function of add, edit, and