6-27. Viva Vacations (A Systems Study for a Time-Share Rental Agency)

Viva Vacations operates in Tampa, Florida. The company sells timeshares and also manages residential properties that it rents to vacationers. Because of the large dip in the real estate market over the last few years, most of its recent income has come from its rental business.

Until now, Viva has maintained its reservation records manually. To do this, the company maintains a separate manila folder for each rental property. The information in a folder includes reservations for the coming six months, maintenance and repair records, and receipts for other expenses that it collects for the property owner.

The company charges a client 30 percent of short-term rental income, and 10 percent of long-term rental income (rentals of 3 months or more). The companys rental business has grown steadily, and Chad Anderson, the owner, thinks it may be time to computerize this portion of its business. The problem is that he knows little about computers and has hired you as a consultant to study his situation and make recommendations.