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“We believe in transparency and good governance because at the end of the day, we become better,” said Aboitiz Transport System Chief Executive Officer Enrique M. Aboitiz Jr. during their 2008 Annual Stockholder’s Meeting.

Aboitiz Transport System (ATS)

* A Filipino-owned management and investment company established in the late 1800s.

* The private holding company of the Aboitiz Family.

* Business interests span various industries in the Philippines: power, banking, food production, integrated transportation and logistics (air/land/sea), property development, construction, shipbuilding and leisure/resort.

* Its mission is “To be the best at what we do!” Its new brand position is “Passion for Better Ways” which means that the organization is driven to lead, excel and serve. It is a fresh expression of a cherished century-old mindset of never being content with the status quo and always finding ways to improve the way we do things.


Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) is the only total and integrated transport and logistic solutions provider in the country. Its principal business units are engaged in the movement of people (SuperFerry) and the movement of cargoes (2GO). It is member of the Aboitiz & Company (AEV).

The Aboitiz group is one of the largest and most diversified corporations in the country with business interests spanning various industries in the Philippines such as power, banking, food production, property development, construction, shipbuilding, and leisure/resort. The Aboitiz name has been synonymous with transport since it embarked on its first shipping venture more than 100 years ago. Today, it is the largest inter-island movers of passengers and cargo in the Philippines.

ATS embodies a proud legacy of leadership and service, and today its unique work ethic remains unchanged. It has pioneered many innovations in the industry, including the introduction of SuperFerrry, Supercat and more recently the 2GO brand. With a renewed promise but still holding true to the vision of its founders, ATS continues to strive for excellence by setting new standards in the local maritime industry. ATS holds the distinction of being the first shipping company in the Philippines to have received the prestigious International Ship Management (ISM) Code certification and the only company to a have a fleet-wide certification. ATS' fleet maintains the highest standards on safety management, environmental protection, emergency preparedness, maintenance of ship requirements, crewing, and development plans for shipboard operations. ATS has the infrastructure, technology and most importantly, the people to ensure customers can rely on our brand promise of passion for better ways to deliver and serve our customers.


ATS Best IT Practices:


Ticketing.

Nexus is a system for the on-line reservation, ticketing and boarding of SuperFerry passengers. It leverages on the Oracle technology Database and the company’s wide-area-network to provide real-time ticketing and related operations to the riding public.

E-Ticket System.

Launched in 2000, the E-ticketing System offers passengers easy 24/7 access to shipping schedules and online ticket reservations.

Mirus

Mirus, (the oracle 11i application), implemented in 2004, is an upgrade from the previous Oracle Applications 10.7 version. It is an integrated and comprehensive suite of applications that automates and streamlines financials, procurement and human resource processes. Built on unified information architecture of Oracle eBusiness Suite, it provides better business information for effective decision-making and enables an adaptive enterprise like ATS for optimal responsiveness.

Tequila Management System

TMS is an enterprise-wide operational planning and management application used in 2GO to maximize the use of resources 2GO trucks, containers, delivery vans, vessels and warehouses.

Quikair and Zip

These systems are the primary applications that support the 136 business. They are used to monitor movement of cargos from acceptance to delivery. Both have rich functionalities that include booking, customer and rate set-ups, forms monitoring, cargo acceptance, scanning, proof of delivery, tagging and monitoring of billing attachments, receipting, invoicing, and recording of adjustments.

SMS

ATS has invested in easy and quick SMS facility that allows passengers and cargo clients to book tickets, inquire for ship schedules, and track shipments via SMS.
SuperFerry 09178892421
2GO Freight 09189942605

SAP

This was implemented in 2GO to support supply chain business.

Freight Online System

FOS is the main system used by 2GO Freight for monitoring all transactions involved in cargo delivery. Its cycle starts from container pooling, booking, empty release, in-gate tagging, booking summary, load list preparation, BL preparation, recapping, release tagging, delivery order and adjustments until cashiering.

Container Tracking System

Introduced in 2003, CTS is an in-house system that makes use of bar-code scanning technology to track movement of containers as well as to efficiently manage container yards.

Track and Trace System

The system, which makes use of scanning technology to read bar-codes, provides easy monitoring of cargoes and documents and facilities tracking via the internet or SMS.

Electronic Chart Display Information System

Installed in all SuperFerries, the ECDIS allows for onboard computerized navigational charting and is interfaced with the on-board gyroscope, geographical positioning system (GPS), steering and the echo sounder,

Portable Satellite Phone

SuperFerries have portable satellite phones that provide seamless voice communication at any given point and time.


ATS Vision

Our dreams inspire a passion for better ways to delight those we serve.

ATS Mission

ATS is in the business of providing solutions for the movement of people and products. We will keep on improving our people, systems and our network, making it easier for you to deal with us, creating more and more value for all.


Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) Brand Values:

Our brand attributes define the way we behave and set us apart from our competitors:

Passion
Our attitude and drive to constantly challenge industry standards to strengthen our competitive edge. Our passion unites us.

Integrity
We uphold honesty, transparency, and fairness. We have a commitment of constant growth, in a considered and stable manner.

Competence
Our team of highly skilled and dedicated people provide peace of mind to our customers. They are our most valuable asset.

Dynamism
We are constantly looking to find new ways of delivering value to our customers.

Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) is composed of socially responsible companies that align its business operations with social values.

ATS believes that the long-term interests of a business are best served when profitability and growth are accomplished alongside the development of communities, the protection and sustainability of the environment, and the improvement of the quality of life of the Filipino.

Towards this end, ATS supports education and skills development, enterprise development, environment conservation and protection, primary health and childcare, and social advocacy programs that benefit the communities where its business units operate.

These acts of volunteerism provide additional avenues for team members across the group to give back to society and live the corporate values of accountability, transparency and openness, balanced life, and team work.

ATS supports nationwide or area-specific relief efforts to address extraordinary situations that cause immense human suffering such as war, accidents, terrorist attacks, environmental disasters caused by human error, act of God (e.g., flood, earthquake, volcano), and encourages team members to participate in such efforts in the spirit of volunteerism.

The ATS Corporate Social Responsibility Program is aligned with the Aboitiz Group Foundation, Inc. (AGFI) program. AGFI is the Aboitiz Group's social development arm and is a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP).

The Program works within the United Nations Millenium Development Goals framework.
It is also aligned with the roadmap developed by the PBSP to help the Philippine business community respond to the Millenium Development challenge.

For the roadmap, PBSP identified strategic action points for business which it grouped into four cluster areas: business & poverty, business & education, business & health, and business & environment.

The ATS CSR Program impacts all four cluster areas.


Officers:
Chairman: Jon Ramon M. Aboitiz
President, CEO, and Director: Enrique M. Aboitiz Jr.
SVP, CFO, Treasurer, and Corporate Information Officer: Lilian P. Cariaso

Contact Information
Aboitiz Transport System
12th Floor, Times Plaza Building
United Nations Avenue corner Taft Avenue
Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines
Trunkline: (+63 2) 528.7171


Contact Information
Mr. Virgilio G. Mundo
Head-Southern Mindanao Area
William Lines Bldg., 5th Sta. Ana Ave., Davao City
Tel. No.: (082) 221-1385; Fax No.: (082) 221-1386
Website
www.atsc.com.ph


REFERENCES:

http://www.atsc.com.ph/ContactUs/index.asp
http://www.atsc.com.ph/AboutUs/company_description.asp
http://www.atsc.com.ph/
http://www.answers.com/topic/ats-wheels
http://www.business.com/directory/transportation_and_logistics/ocean_and_maritime_transport/aboitiz_transport_system_atsc_corporation/profile/
http://www.aboitiz.com/Main/33:About_Us.html
http://www.aboitiz.com/Main/index.php?p=366
http://www.atsc.com.ph/AboutUs/brand_structure.asp

Man’s capacities have never been measured; nor are we to judge of what he can do by any precedents, so little has been tried.

- Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)

Begin. Metamorphose. Live!

The young hue fades away. The azure sky is on its dazzling pulchritude blessed by nature. The fogbound thing breaks into chain rouge with rainbow. I stand tall. I had transcended the days of knowing my existence and months of living this life I have encountered for so many years. And now I am gathering all my strength to conquer this new stage of my college life – my career decision.

Am I ready for college? This was the question I asked upon entering my first class in this university. But more than the readiness for college, I felt that it was more important to set my priorities straight.

At first, I thought that it was just the first encounter that was different (of course, I ha to deal with different faces with varied personalities, culture, principles and attitudes). But I guessed, it was all the corners of college life were dissimilar. All were new in my sight. As days went by, together with the ripening of mangoes and the pollination of flowers, the frustrating yet complex adjustment I underwent turned out to be an easy thing to manage.

Haply, I found my place – my sense of belongingness when I met some high school classmates, schoolmates and old friends as well as my linked pals from the recent English Bridge Program last summer.

By the way, I ventured to take the program BSIT, a program in which I can boost all my potentials as an innovative being, innate and acquired. Not only that, I considered it as a precious treasure sent by God above. Moreover, I love to explore the hidden secrets of computer, from different drives to the technicalities of software.

I’m guided by professionals. As a neophyte in the campus I have also depended my adjustment to the teachers I met. As the class begun, one by one, I had discovered that teachers here were guided by different teaching principles and strategies and acquired varied degrees and program but they were joined by one similar objective: a prudent crystallization of smart and brilliant USePians.

Truly, they are the pillars working for the success of every student, who, at their perspective, have the right to access a quality education to their beloved USePians.

Good day everyone…

We are coerced to make a reflection based on Management Information System, which is one of our subject under the instruction of Dr. Randy S. Gamboa. As what I have comprehend and realize of what he tackled last meeting and based on my research on the internet I have found out the different ideas concerning the subject matter. Below is the discussion and explanation of what I have discerned.


First and furmost before understanding the wide-ranging scope of the Management Information System, we should define first what does Management means. According to Wikipedia, when we say management it comprises the interlocking functions of formulating corporate policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing the firm's resources to achieve the policy's objectives. The size of management can range from one person in a small firm to hundreds or thousands of managers in multinational companies. In large firms the board of directors formulates the policy which is implemented by the chief executive officer.



More to the point, Mary Parker Follett (1868–1933), who wrote on the topic in the early twentieth century, defined management as "the art of getting things done through people". She also described management as philosophy. One can also think of management functionally, as the action of measuring a quantity on a regular basis and of adjusting some initial plan; or as the actions taken to reach one's intended goal. This applies even in situations where planning does not take place.


If we can still bear in mind the past lessons that Dr. Randy S. Gamboa articulated, that management comprises of planning, directing, organizing and controlling: an important keywords when relating to management. It is also a must to be acquainted with this different keywords so that we can further scrutinize the topic.


A plan can play a vital role in helping to avoid slip-ups or recognize veiled opportunities. Preparing a satisfactory plan of the organization is fundamental. The planning process allows management to grasp more clearly what they want to accomplish, and how and when they can do it.


Meanwhile, organizing, is the act of rearranging elements following one or more rules. In companies point of view, is the management function that usually follows after planning. And it involves the assignment of tasks, the grouping of tasks into departments and the assignment of authority and allocation of resources across the organization.


On the other hand, directing is indistinguishable with leading. It is the act in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.



Controlling is one of the managerial functions like planning, organizing, staffing and directing. It is an important function because it helps to check the errors and to take the corrective action so that deviation from standards are minimized and stated goals of the organization are achieved in desired manner.


According to modern concepts, control is a foreseeing action whereas earlier concept of control was used only when errors were detected. Control in management means setting standards, measuring actual performance and taking corrective action. Thus, control comprises these three main activities.


Henry Fayol uttered that “Control of an undertaking consists of seeing that everything is being carried out in accordance with the plan which has been adopted, the orders which have been given, and the principles which have been laid down. Its object is to point out mistakes in order that they may be rectified and prevented from recurring.”


Above and beyond, Stafford Beer stressed out that “Management is the profession of control.”


So after defining what management is, let’s take a peek on what is Information System all about. In a general sense, the term Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization's manual and automated processes according to Wikipedia. In a narrow sense, the term information system (or computer-based information system) refers to the specific application software that is used to store data records in a computer system and automates some of the information-processing activities of the organization. Computer-based information systems are in the field of information technology. The discipline of business process modelling describes the business processes supported by information systems.


If we combine the two terms Management and Information System a new by product will arise. Reminiscing the past lesson we have learned that Information System (IS)= Hardware(HW) + Sofware(SW). So, when we amalgamate Management and Information System a new formula will crop up. This formula is Management Information System (MIS) = Hardware (HW) + Software (SW) + Peopleware (PW).



Wikipedia affirmed that “A management information system (MIS) is a subset of the over-all internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solving business problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy.”
Furthermore, MIS refers broadly to a computer-based system that provides managers with the tools for organizing, evaluating and efficiently running their departments. In order to provide past, present and prediction information, an MIS can include software that helps in decision making, data resources such as databases, the hardware resources of a system, decision support systems, people management and project management applications, and any computerized processes that enable the department to run efficiently.


In addition, it is a planned system of the collecting, processing, storing and disseminating data in the form of information needed to carry out the functions of management


All of those elements play a vital role in MIS thus; they are indispensable and reliant to each other. Without PW it cannot be equated to MIS rather this is called as Information System. Moreover, there would be an absence of information that is one of the ingredients in MIS and on the same way without HW or SW the information accumulated cannot be processed, stored and disseminated.MIS are divergent from regular IS in that they are used to scrutinize other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization.


A query has been thrown in the midst of the class discussion that does Management Information System is the correct description of the subject. Apparently, I can say that it is appropriate in the sense that management of information technology tools assists executives and the general workforce in performing any tasks related to the processing of information. MIS and business systems are especially useful in the collation of business data and the production of reports to be used as tools for decision making.


Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management methods binds to the computerization or support on human decision making.

They also provide a valuable time saving benefit to the workforce. Where in the past business information had to be manually processed for filing and analysis it can now be entered quickly and easily onto a computer by a data processor, allowing for faster decision making and quicker reflexes for the enterprise as a whole.


Hope you comprehend the discussion written on this blog....


Till next post... God Bless us all..

First of all, let us know about the background of Henry Mintzberg before understanding and scrutinizing his theory about Leadership Roles.


Henry Mintzberg is an internationally renowned academic and author on business and management. He is currently the Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at the Desautels Faculty of Management of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he has been teaching since 1968, after earning his Master's degree in Management and Ph.D. from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1965 and 1968 respectively. His undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering was from McGill University. From 1991 to 1999, he was a visiting professor at INSEAD.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Mintzberg)

Henry Mintzberg writes prolifically on the topics of management and business strategy, with more than 150 articles and fifteen books to his name. His seminal book, The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning (Mintzberg 1994), criticizes some of the practices of strategic planning today and is considered required reading for anyone who seriously wants to consider taking on a strategy-making role within their organization.

He recently published a book entitled Managers Not MBAs (Mintzberg 2004) which outlines what he believes to be wrong with management education today. Rather controversially, Mintzberg claims that prestigious graduate management schools like Harvard Business School and the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania are obsessed with numbers and that their overzealous attempts to make management a science are damaging the discipline of management. Mintzberg advocates more emphasis on post graduate programs that educate practicing managers (rather than students with little real world experience) by relying upon action learning and insights from their own problems and experiences.
(http://www.impm.org/ and http://www.CoachingOurselves.com/)


Managers undertake activities to achieve the objectives of the organization. Mintzberg (1994) notes a number of different and sometimes conflicting views of the manager's role. He finds that it is a curiosity of the management literature that its best-known writers all seem to emphasize one particular part of the manager’s job to the exclusion of the others. Together, perhaps, they cover all the parts, but even that does not describe the whole job of managing. Mintzberg's role typology is frequently used in studies of managerial work.


Describing the manager's work has been an ongoing pursuit of researchers and practitioners. The manager's work is characterized by brevity, variety, and fragmentation of tasks, a preference for action (as opposed to reflection), and a preference for verbal communication over formal reports. Managers in organizations are continuously confronted by an array of ambiguous data and vaguely felt stimuli which they must somehow order, explicate and imbue with meaning before they decide on how to respond. Kotter (1999) identified two main roles for executives: agenda setting and network building. While agenda setting is concerned with figuring out what to do despite uncertainty and an enormous amount of potentially relevant information, network building is concerned with getting things done through a large and diverse group of people despite having little direct control over most of them.


A number of models describing the manager's work have been proposed including functional descriptions such as planning, organizing, directing, controlling, coordinating, and innovating. Similarly, frameworks based on the methods used to accomplish these functions, for example, Mintzberg's role typology, have been proposed.


According to Mintzberg (1990), the manager's job can be described in terms of various roles:


1. Informational Roles.


By virtue of interpersonal contacts, both with subordinates and with a network of contacts, the manager emerges as the nerve center of the organizational unit. The manager may not know everything but typically knows more than subordinates do.

Processing information is a key part of the manager's job. As monitor, the manager is perpetually scanning the environment for information, interrogating liaison contacts and subordinates, and receiving unsolicited information, much of it as a result of the network of personal contacts. As a disseminator, the manager passes some privileged information directly to subordinates, who would otherwise have no access to it. As spokesperson, the manager sends some information to people outside the unit.


2. Decisional Roles.


Information is not an end in itself; it is the basic input to decision making. The manager plays the major role in a unit's decision-making system. As its formal authority, only the manager can commit the unit to important new courses of action; and as its nerve center, only the manager has full and current information to make the set of decisions that determines the unit's strategy. As entrepreneur, the manager seeks to improve the unit, to adapt it to changing conditions in the environment. As disturbance handler, the manager responds to pressures from situations. As resource allocater, the manager is responsible for deciding who will get what. As negotiator, the manager commits organizational resources in real time.


3. Interpersonal Roles.


As figurehead, every manager must perform some ceremonial duties. As leader, managers are responsible for the work of the people of their unit. As liaison, the manager makes contacts outside the vertical chain of command.


Leadership roles according to CSC


Changes in both information technology and competition continue to amend the role of the information systems executive. CSC (1996) has recommended six new IS leadership roles which are requisite to carry out IS’s future agenda: chief architect, change leader, product developer, technology provocateur, coach and chief operating strategist. Although these roles were created by the CSC consultancy firm without any scientific approach, they seem very well modified for scientific investigation into IS leadership roles. People who fill these roles do not necessarily head up new departments or processes, but they exert influence and provide leadership across the organizational structure. When Stephens et al. (1992) selected CIOs for observation, they applied the following criteria:


• Highest ranking information technology executive


• Reports no more than two levels from CEO, i.e., either reports to the CEO or reports to one of the CEO's direct reports


• Areas of responsibility include information systems, computer operations, telecommunications, office automation, end-user computing/information center


• Responsibility for strategic planning of information resources.


As originally envisaged, the chief information officer’s accountability would include all corporate information, not just information on computers. Traditionally, however, the focus of the CIO's job was primarily information technology. This engross a number of roles including strategic information system roles, the most critical of these being strategic information systems planning, strategic management through partaking in top management planning teams, strategic alignment of business and information systems plans, and interpretation of external IT success stories for potential applicability for the organization. In addition to strategic planning, the CIO's errands also include a number of tactical IT roles. These include architecture planning, development, and management; fostering relationships between the information systems department and including the superiors, functional units/line managers, vendors and end users; and technology champion - gaining support and commitment of top management during the execution of new technology.





1. Chief architect. The chief architect designs future possibilities for the business. The primary work of the chief architect is to design and evolve the IT infrastructure so that it will expand the range of future possibilities for the business, not define specific business outcomes. The infrastructure should provide not just today's technical services, such as networking, databases and desktop operating systems, but an increasing range of business-level services, such as workflow, portfolio management, scheduling, and specific business components or objects.


2. Change leader. The change leader orchestrates resources to achieve optimal implementation of the future. The essential role of the change leader is to orchestrate all those resources that will be needed to execute the change program. This includes providing new IT tools, but it also involves putting in the place teams of people who can redesign roles, jobs and workflow, who can change beliefs about the company and the work people do, and who understand human nature and can develop incentive systems to coax people into new and different behaviors.

3. Product developer. The product developer helps define the company’s place in the emerging digital economy. For example, a product developer might recognize the potential for performing key business processes (perhaps order fulfillment, purchasing or delivering customer support) over electronic linkages such as the Internet. The product developer must "sell" the idea to a business partner, and together they can set up and evaluate business experiments, which are initially operated out of IS. Whether the new methods are adopted or not, the company will learn from the experiments and so move closer to commercial success in emerging digital markets.


4. Technology provocateur. The technology provocateur embeds IT into the business strategy. The technology provocateur works with senior business executives to bring IT and realities of the IT marketplace to bear on the formation of strategy for the business. The technology provocateur is a senior business executive who understands both the business and IT at a deep enough level to integrate the two perspectives in discussions about the future course of the business. Technology provocateurs have a wealth of experience in IS disciplines, so they understand at a fundamental level the capabilities of IT and how IT impacts the business.


5. Coach. The coach teaches people to acquire the skill sets they will need for the future. Coaches have to basic responsibilities: teaching people how to learn, so that they can become self-sufficient, and providing team leaders with staff able to do the IT-related work of the business. A mechanism that assists both is the center of excellence - a small group of people with a particular competence or skill, with a coach responsible for their growth and development. Coaches are solid practitioners of the competence that they will be coaching, but need not be the best at it in the company.


6. Chief operating strategist. The chief operating strategist invents the future with senior management. The chief operating strategist is the top IS executive who is focused on the future agenda of the IS organization. The strategist has parallel responsibilities related to helping the business design the future, and then delivering it. The most important, and least understood, parts of the role have to do with the interpretation of new technologies and the IT marketplace, and the bringing of this understanding into the development of the digital business strategy for the organization.

I realized that being a manager or a leader in undeniably a crucial duty.Each manager must possess appropriate values which will contribute for the attainment of the desired goals. Therefore, leadership roles must be observed and practiced. These roles are requisites for a good management of an organization.If it is exercised by leaders or managers a fruitful and better outcome will be the aftermath.