Information systems are essential technology and data management tools to support processes, operations, and decisions. These tools lead to significant advantages that include fostering collaboration among employees and customers, increasing revenues, promoting advertising activities, and others. Businesses worldwide understand this state of affairs, which makes them invest more in their information systems. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the business world, emphasizing the role of the tools under analysis. Thus, this paper will demonstrate why information systems are essential for running and managing a business, using Qatar Airways as an example.
There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in essential challenges for business. Firstly, companies should establish remote working environments to ensure that their operations are being performed against the background of numerous restrictions. Secondly, movement restrictions created difficulties for international supply chains and transport companies because some of their routes were banned. Thirdly, this environment has created an increased demand for skilled IT professionals and the necessity to provide them with higher compensation (Mykytyn, 2020, p. 270). Thus, numerous organizations should find appropriate ways to address the challenges.
Various businesses rely on information systems to address the identified and other issues. Conger (2020, p. 328) explains that such tools allow for finding crisis management solutions to have a reasonable workforce to increase revenue and cash flow. It is not a surprise that information systems play a crucial role in establishing remote working environments to address the pandemic limitations. Cybersecurity activities are also possible because of information systems that are represented by security software. Furthermore, these examples denote that businesses have skilled IT specialists to cope with the tasks above, meaning that the increased demand for these professionals does not harm organizations.
Qatar Airways can be considered one of the leading airlines in the world, and it relies on its information systems to address the existing challenges. Garrow and Lurkin (2021, p. 5) argue that the company should use appropriate tools to promote flexibility regarding fleet planning, scheduling, and crew management to achieve the pre-crisis schedule reliability of over 90%. Qatar Airways also invest in dynamic and continuous pricing systems to compensate for damages after canceled flights (Garrow and Lurkin, 2021, p. 7). Furthermore, the organization focuses on information systems to model how the pandemic will develop and how the demand will change.
Numerous theoretical works demonstrate that information systems positively affect organizations’ effectiveness. According to Laudon and Laudon (2020, p. 16), information systems make businesses more efficient because they lead to improved decision making, help managers analyze the existing problems, allow for visualizing the issues, and others. These positive effects can be achieved under normal circumstances when the market and external conditions are relatively stable. Against the background of the crisis, these measures become even more significant because they help companies operate within uncertain environments. Thus, one can state that working information systems promote organizations’ effectiveness within and beyond the crisis.
Information systems provide businesses with essential advantages during the pandemic, and an evident proof of this claim is that specific industries, including food delivery, online shopping, and others, benefit during the crisis (Donthu, 2020, p. 285). Since these organizations heavily rely on information systems, other companies should also use them. Figure 2 by Albers and Rundshagen (2020, p. 4) depicts that airline companies use such techniques to make decisions. Albers and Rundshagen (2020, p. 2) also demonstrate that innovations provided companies with advantages, and a suitable example refers to converting “passenger aircraft into cargo transporters.” Furthermore, Jones (2020, p. 4) indicates that Qatar Airlines rely on information systems to reduce daily flights, open a higher number of cargo routes, and repatriate customers of other air transportation companies.
When the Covid-19 pandemic is over, organizations should still invest in using information systems to recover and grow. In particular, Garrow and Lurkin (2021, p. 8) explain that airlines should draw sufficient attention to dynamic or continuous pricing to attract more customers. Another useful solution refers to a specific and flexible ticketing system that will allow for refunding (Garrow and Lurkin, 2021, p. 8). Furthermore, adequate efforts will be required to assess and predict future demand to have sufficient resources to satisfy it. These three aspects demonstrate that organizations can only achieve effectiveness and efficiency beyond the crisis if they invest adequate resources and efforts in their information systems.
Information systems are essential in business because they allow managers to analyze the existing situations and make the right decisions. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many challenges, and numerous organizations should use appropriate systems to address and mitigate their adverse consequences. Evidence from scholarly sources demonstrates that companies should invest in establishing remote working environments, creating teams of IT professionals, contributing to cybersecurity, and others. Qatar Airlines and other international air transportation companies were used to exemplify the benefits of using such tools. Furthermore, these systems positively impact companies’ effectiveness during the crisis, meaning that they should keep relying on them once the pandemic is over.
References
Albers, S. and Rundshagen, V. (2020) ‘European airlines’ strategic responses to the Covid-19 pandemic’, Journal of Air Transport Management, 87, pp. 1-7.
Conger, S. (2020) ‘The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on information systems management’, Information Systems Management, 37(4), pp. 327-331.
Donthu, N. (2020) ‘Effects of Covid-19 on business and research’, Journal of Business Research,117, pp. 284-289.
Garrow, L. and Lurkin, V. (2021) ‘How Covid-19 is impacting and reshaping the airline industry’, Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 20, pp. 3-9.
Jones, M. O. (2020) ‘Covid-19 in Qatar: well versed in crisis management’, Gulf Insights, (21), pp. 1-4.
Laudon K. C. and Laudon J. P. (2020) Management information systems: managing the digital firm. 16th edn. Hooken, NJ: Pearson Education.
Mykytyn, P. P. (2020) ‘Covid-19 and its impacts on managing information systems’, Information Systems Management, 37(4), pp. 267-271.