I need help with this Management Information System Case Study.

Case Study: Nothing Special on the Ground: A Night at the Airport

Ruths plane was scheduled to depart at 9:15 p.m. and although the trip to the airport could be quick, she thought she should skip the shops and get right to the train. She navigated the station, and the train arrived quickly. Before she knew it, she was at the airport. When she saw the departure display indicating her flight was running 45 minutes late, she briefly regretted leaving the conference as early as she did, but she proceeded to check in. With only one family ahead of her, Ruth got in line at the check-in counter, and someone got in line behind her. An employee came by, asked whether they were there to check in and said that anyone waiting to check in should use the self-check-in machines. When Ruth said she had a question, he asked what it was, and she replied that her plane was listed as delayed and asked whether there was a likelihood of further delays (she was hoping to find out whether the plane had left the ground from its previous destination). He got the flight information from her, went to a computer, and told her simply, 9:36. Ruth replied, Theyve changed the departure time to earlier? The employee then told her that the arrival time was 9:36 and the flight would depart at 10:01. She was a little surprised that hed started out by telling her the arrival and not the departure time, since shed already confirmed she was there to check in; but she shrugged it off and proceeded to check in. She found the self-check-in to be relatively straightforward, although a touch annoying. One of the first questions was whether she wanted to upgrade to first class (for a fee, of course), and throughout, one had to read carefully to select the correct (not necessarily intuitive) answer. She finished up, and knowing the TSA waiting lines and noted that the flight was listed with a blank departure time. Thinking that was odd, but considering that it might simply be a pause as the time was updated, she made another stop and then checked again. It was still blank, so she went to an information desk hoping someone there could clarify matters. The agent told her the flight was canceled and suggested she proceed to the ticket desk. Ruth went up to the third floor ticket desk and got in line before 8 p.m. While she was in line, she heard an announcement that the flight was canceled. She called her husband and asked him to check flight schedules to see whether there were any plausible flights out that night and he stated no. Ruth got to the ticket agent and explained she was one of the passengers on the canceled Albany flight and asked for assistance in rebooking. The agent took her boarding pass, checked the computer, and said that Ruth had been rebooked for a 7 a.m. flight to Charlotte, with a connecting flight to Albany that would arrive around 3 p.m. Ruth replied that an 8-hour trip didnt make much sense to her, as she could get to Albany faster by train. She told the agent she wanted to get home sooner and asked about other flights. The agent then found the 6 a.m. route offered that to Ruth. Ruth supplied her New York State drivers license and Identification. The agent finished setting up the flight and told Ruth to check in by 5 a.m., saying she was all done. It was clear the agent expected Ruth to take her drivers license and depart, but Ruth didnt understand why. Ruth asked where she was to stay that night, and the agent told her she should go home. Ruth then patiently pointed out to the woman who had just been looking at her New York State drivers license that shed been trying to get home. Since the cancellation was due to mechanical failure, the airline should provide lodging. The agent said shed provide a hotel voucher, but this turned out not to be a simple process.She told Ruth to take the voucher to a hotel Ruth had never heard of in Arlington and also gave her a taxi voucher. Ruth persisted for the whereabouts so, the agent wrote the name, address, and phone number on a scrap of paper. Ruth was then given a meal voucher and told it was good only for the airport facilities. Ruth wondered whether this would be useful, as it was now almost 9 p.m. and based on her conversations with the store clerks, places in the airport started closing at 8:30. Ruth then text messaged her husband (at 8:57) and asked him to check on the hotel, thinking primarily of the possible amenities and wanting to know what to expect rather than anticipating any problems. Ruths husband messaged back saying, Reviews from last year not good neighborhood and hotel. But might have improved. Suggest seeking another option if possible (at 9:14). After calling him and confirming this meant that the neighborhood had been described as unsafe. Ruth decided to ask the baggage agent whether he could help (rather than return to what she expected was a very long line upstairs). After the agent made the necessary request, Ruth asked whether she could get some help with her hotel. The agent politely listened to Ruths concern, asked the other agent at the desk whether she knew anything about the hotel or neighborhood, and then explained that he could do nothing from that desk, and that it would take a supervisor to change a voucher that had already been completed. He attempted to summon a supervisor by walkie-talkie. At first, there was no response, and then he had to ask the supervisor to call him by phone because he couldnt hear him. He then asked Ruth to wait outside, saying hed come get her when he had more information. When the agent came out, he quietly told Ruth that hed heard previous complaints from passengers about the hotel Ruth had been assigned to, and told Ruth shed have to go back to the third floor ticket desk to get a new voucher. She tried going directly to the desk to explain that shed been told a supervisor would meet her there, but was abruptly instructed to get in line. She did so. After a while, Ruth noticed some other passengers out of line who were calling for a supervisor. As a supervisor was the person she needed, and expecting that the new voucher had already been prepared, Ruth joined them. She found out that they had been at a desk downstairs and had been treated rudely. The woman said that the last shuttle would leave at 11:00 p.m. from door 9 and they should get someone there to request that it wait for the rest of the group. When Ruth, got to Door 9 and did not see a hotel shuttle, she became concerned as it was already 10:55. Ruth inquired at the shuttle desk and, contrary to what the airline supervisor had said, was told that shed have to call the hotel to request the shuttle be sent. The shuttle desk staff gave her the phone number for the hotel. Ruth explained that a number of people were at the airport and being sent by the airline there and would need a shuttle. The hotel staff then informed her that the hotel did not accept vouchers. Ruth replied that theyd specifically been given a voucher and confirmed that shed called the hotel listed on hers. The response was that the hotel used to take vouchers but hadnt accepted them in a while. Ruth returned to the group waiting for luggage and explained what shed been told. Some members of the group said they would go to the hotel anyway and demand a room. Others pointed out that the hotel had nothing to do with the situation and had no reason to help them with a problem with the airline. The group then proceeded to the nearest airline representative, which happened to be the baggage agent . By the time Ruth received hers, the other passengers had left the area. The baggage agent said the ticket counters would re-open at 4 a.m. An announcement over the PA system woke Ruth. As it was 3:58, she decided to get up and go to the airline ticket desk to make sure her travel arrangements were in order. She went up to the third floor and found that airport employees had reset the barriers for the lines to the counters. While the other counters were already staffed, the airline she was booked on was not.. The clerk told Ruth there was no flight that would get her home faster and no direct flight available until noon. Ruth took her boarding passe. When busses started arriving to take the passengers to the plane, an agent at the door handed out yellow luggage tags to people to put on some of their carry-on luggage before getting on the bus. This seemed to slow down the line, and again, The plane departed from the airport after 6:30, but once the pilot announced that the flight would take less than 45 minutes. Upon landing, they were told to wait by the plane for their luggage, but not to go behind the wings. A jetway was attached to the plane, and Ruth walked up it with the other passengers. She was puzzled when they came out into a waiting area without a door to get outside and retrieve their luggage. She then returned to the jetway and waited for clarification, and eventually luggage started coming in. The group of people heading for Albany started walking together back into the airport. While the gate number for the connecting flight had been printed on their boarding passes, they heard the end of an announcement about gate changes. They stopped at the departures display to double-check on their gate, and were puzzled when they couldnt find their flight. Ruth wondered whether the displays in F concourse only showed flights departing from that concourse, but not knowing how far it was to the shuttle bus and new concourse, she didnt want to stop and check. They boarded without incident, and although they were behind other planes for takeoff, they eventually departed without incident.

- The objective of this discussion is to develop an understanding of the role sociotechnical systems play in an organization's ability to respond to existing and emerging technological, organizational, and environmental issues.

I. Context II. Identification of relevant problems III. Identification of Options or Alternatives IV. Decision Recommendations V. Implementation Tactics VI. Assessment Criteria for Success or Failure