Enterprise Architecture Model: an approach proposition A case study of information systems in the hospitality industry

This paper discusses the role of enterprise architecture representation, in the context of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) information systems, as an instrument for an organization to reflect on itself and develop its business strategies and respective alignment with Information Systems. The paper proposes a representation model of enterprise architecture, as a tool for recommending good practices, and it emerges from a case study undertaken in the context of and investigation on advantages and limitations of ERP systems in the hospitality industry. The proposed approach is also inspired on other academic or market propositions suitable for the objectives of the investigation. It consists on a set of items representing the steps that must be taken by top managers and IS managers. With the purpose of identifying major critical success factors when implementing ERP systems, as well as factors that may obstruct organizations from being competitive, a case study was carried out based on data gathered on an important economic Portuguese group. The study also intended to understand how the hospitality industry can solve the problem of the disintegration of information of the various implemented business applications. The research did not seek to confirm or refute hypotheses or the quantitative measurement of the influence of variables in a particular phenomenon. Instead, it attempted to answer proposed questions, interpreting, through the systematic analysis of the collected data, ratings, perceptions, needs and limitations of IS/IT submitted by the people involved in the study.