Hudson Kayak Adventures: Case Study
HACK Into a profitable business. Steve and Linda are convinced that the customize market will expand greatly, and they look forward to sharing their experience and knowledge with others who enjoy nature and kayaking.
Hudson Kayak Adventures advertises in regional magazines and maintains a Web site, which Linda designed. At this time, no other kayak rental firms operate within 20 miles of Hake’s local- Zion. Customers say that the HACK site is attractive and Informative, but the Lanes are not sure It Is attracting new business.
So far, the Lanes’ plan is working out well. HACK rents space at a nearby marina, where Linda runs the office and operates her Web design business. She also handles rentals when Steve is giving lessons or busy with a tour group.
On summer weekends and holidaymakers Jacobs, a local college student, handles telephone inquiries and reservations. Hake’s inventory includes 16 rental kayaks of various types, lengths, and capacities, eight car-top carriers and a large assortment of accessories and safety equipment.
Based on customer requests, Linda is considering adding a selection of books and videos about kayaking and customize. HACK has three main business segments: rentals, Instruction, and guided tours. Most customers make advance reservations for scheduled tours and Instruction sessions, but sometimes space is available for last-minute customers. Rentals are split evenly between reservations and walk-in customers.
Reservations are entered in a loose-leaf binder, with separate tabs for each business activity.
Linda also created a Microsoft Access database to record reservations. When seen NAS time, seen enters ten reservation date, ten reservation details Ana Kayak type, and the customer information into a table, which is sorted by reservation date. Each day, she prints a reservation list.
For quick reference, Linda also displays kayak availability on a wall-mounted board with color-coded magnets that show the available or reserved status of each rental kayak. In addition to the database, Linda uses an inexpensive accounting package to keep Hake’s books.
Although the HACK database handles the basic information, the Lanes have noticed some drawbacks. For example, reservations for guided tours or instruction sessions sometimes conflict with Stave’s or Land’s availability. The Lanes also would like to get more information about rental patterns, customer profiles, advertising effectiveness, and future business opportunities. Steve and Linda have talked about updating the yester, but they have been too busy to do so.
Tasks 1. Develop a business profile for Hudson Kayak Adventures.
Create a separate section for each of the following: Hake’s business activities, organization, resources, customers, and potential for Web-based marketing. 2. List Hake’s main functions and business processes.
Draw a model of an HACK kayak rental, including possible events and results. 3. What types of information systems does HACK use? Do these systems support its current and future business objectives? Why or why not? What would you recommend? 4. From an object-oriented viewpoint, HACK treats kayaks as a class. Based on the background
