Carnival Cruise Line

Technology use at Carnival is characterized by two words: justified and flexible. Justified refers to the fact that management realizes it is neither prudent nor profitable to set the IT innovation benchmark for the industry. All initiatives must have a bottom-line impact, as defined either by reducing customer cost per bed and/or increasing passenger revenues before and during their voyage. Thus IT is characterized by a focus on what matters for the business: access to data. Data access allows Carnival to learn about customer preferences with respect to products and services offered on-board the ship. In-house business analysts and architects work with other employees to develop the business case behind each new application, thereby ensuring that Carnival's offerings complement customer desires. Nothing is implemented unless justified by "expected benefits and return on investment (ROI)".

An example of Carnival's justified, yet flexible approach to technology is its accommodation of many different distribution channels. The means used by Carnival to process bookings range from web-based data files to paper faxes and everything in between. The size of the operations Carnival interfaces with run the gamut from small-time, independent travel agents to large, high-volume, internet-only operations. Technology use at Carnival is characterized by two words: justified and flexible. Justified refers to the fact that management realizes it is neither prudent nor profitable to set the IT innovation benchmark for the industry. All initiatives must have a bottom-line impact, as defined either by reducing customer cost per bed and/or increasing passenger revenues before and during their voyage. Thus IT is characterized by a focus on what matters for the business: access to data. Data access allows Carnival to learn about customer preferences with respect to products and services offered on-board the ship. In-house business analysts and architects work with other employees to develop the business case behind each new application, thereby ensuring that Carnival's offerings complement customer desires. Nothing is implemented unless justified by "expected benefits and return on investment (ROI)".

An example of Carnival's justified, yet flexible approach to technology is its accommodation of many different distribution channels. The means used by Carnival to process bookings range from web-based data files to paper faxes and everything in between. The size of the operations Carnival interfaces with run the gamut from small-time, independent travel agents to large, high-volume, internet-only operations. To maintain market-share, Carnival must cater to the typically low-tech means used by "independent mom-and-pop agencies" while also accommodating more efficient, high volume channels popularized by internet travel sites.

Carnival