Operations research. A study in gastronomy and tourism in Metropolitan Lima

Abstract

Objective: To present the results of the study of the existing technical-organizational conditions for the application of operations research as a support tool for decision-making processes in gastronomic and tourist establishments in five districts of Metropolitan Lima.
Methods and techniques: Documentary review, scientific observation and questionnaires with a mixed approach were applied, in a non-experimental and descriptive design.
Main results: Instruments for the identification of the existing technical-organizational conditions in gastronomic and tourist establishments to apply operations research, studied from the perception of managers and employees; determination of these conditions from the human, technological and information dimensions in 20 restaurants, 89 lodging establishments and 54 travel agencies in five districts of Metropolitan Lima.
Conclusions: For the use of operations research as an alternative tool to support decision-making, it will be necessary to have technical-organizational conditions in the human, technological and informational dimensions; the high recognition of this and the availability of computer resources evidenced in the surveys, could favor its application in the three types of organizational forms, however the limited knowledge about it could compromise its use; it was evidenced that lodging establishments are in more favorable conditions for its application than the rest of the organizational forms; there are still limitations in the technical-organizational conditions required to apply operations research, the most compromising results being the scarce financial resources, as well as the limited knowledge for its exploitation.