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A WEB-BASED RENTAL SYSTEM (A CASE-STUDY OF UNIBEN TRANSPORT SERVICES)

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0       INTRODUCTION

Database driven websites are commonplace in the web today. The purpose of designing a website that is database oriented is to bring in dynamism and interaction between the website and its user. To have such liveliness in a website, the data presented to the website users have to be updated frequently without manual intervention. The data is displayed from the database automatically. Such automated process is less prone to errors. But such cannot be said of the manual update process which may be error prone.

In the course of this study, Uniben transport services will be termed “UnibenMaingate car rental (UMCR)”

UnibenMaingate car rental (UMCR)is a private limited organization established under the commercial law of Edo state and it is located in the capital city of Benin. It is owned and Managed by UNIBEN. Eligibly registered members are allowed into the organization to operate with their own car for as long as they abide by the rules and regulations of the UMCR organization. Thus, the organization has about 80 employees and 80 cars.UnibenMaingate car rental (UMCR) organization gives car rental service mainly to students and staffs in and around the school campuses.  This organization carries out its daily work by providing its services to the customers using manual system. The organization uses a manual system for reserving and renting a car through phone calls placed to the car operators by intending users. Under this manual method, there is little or no record of all the rental activities and customer information. The detailed existing system functions are listed as follows: –

• During vehicle reservation, the customers reserve a vehicle by making a phone call to the organization; otherwise he/she is expected to go to the organization to make reservation.

Its mission includes:

• To be a growth-oriented car rental organization by efficiently serving value-conscious customers for all of their car rental occasions.
• To consistently deliver a quality product, friendly service and great value that make customers confident that UMCR is their best car rental choice.

Various companies form their database based on what they need from and what they present to their customers and with respect to that, UMCR form its database based on the following:

• When was the car rented? (date)
• When was the car returned? (date)
• For how long was the car rented?
• How much was deposited?
• Is there an outstanding?
• Customers name
• Employee name

The value of any financial institution rests on its ability to quickly make informed and effective decisions. But the institution’s decision-making power is only as strong as its underlying data. Weak data erodes confidence, creates delays or worse – it could lead to misguided judgment. Alternatively, a robust data platform provides a foundation for accountability, operational efficiency and the development of innovative products and portfolios.

 

• MOTIVATION

Database driven websites has its demand in so many areas of life. Since the inception of UMCR, it has carried out its daily work by providing its service to customers using manual system. The organization uses a manual system for reserving and renting a car through phone calls placed to the car operators by intending users. Under this manual method, there is little or no record of all the rental activities and customer information.During vehicle reservation, the customers reserve a vehicle by making a phone call to the organization; otherwise he/she is expected to go to the organization to make reservation.

Such manual system is ineffective due to the following bottleneck and drawback associated with it:

1. During reservation a customer reserves a vehicle via phone call or he/she is expected to go to the organization for reservation. This has the following problems

• (i) The organization phone may be busy or may not work when customer is calling to make reservation.
• (ii) It may be difficult for customers to get the phone number or the location of the organization.
• (iii) The customers may make unnecessary extra expenses and waste their time.
• (iv) There may accrue duplicated reservation of the same vehicle.
• (v) The organization may not be able to serve many customers.
• (vi) The customers may not get service of the organization 24/7 (twenty four hours a day and seven days a week), the service thus being limited by time.

1. When renting a vehicle, the customer information and contract made between them are stored on the operator’s memory.

• The customer information and contract made between them may be difficult to recall due to massive collection of data.

1. When generating report.

• When generating report, it takes time and it may not be easy to manage and analyze work due to massive collection of data and the generated report may not be accurate.

 

1.2       OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The general objective of this project is to develop interactive web based system for UnibenMaingate Car Rental (UMCR) organization that will enable customers to reserve a vehicle of choice online from anywhere. A system where every work process is done using computer, thus there is no need for expensive, difficult and time consuming hard copies.

 

To achieve the objective stated above, this project aims at:

1. Studying the existing system to find out its problem.
2. Finding the solution to the problem found in the existing system
3. Designing and building a web-application of the system.
4. Carrying out a case study of the transportation system in the university of Benin

 

1.3       METHODOLOGY

1. Introspection

This method has been the primary base for the project. Therefore using the current or background knowledge and experience gotten from my study of the internet, World Wide Web application (www), decision support system, HTML, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, window OS 7 platform, I was able to identify and list out the common functionalities and requirements for the project.This background knowledge aided the proper conduction of other methodologies applied herein.

1. Interview

This methodology encapsulates two types of methods. These methods are closed and open interview. I selected an open interview for interviewing the manager and employees for recognizing the existing working procedure of the organization. So I was able to gather information about the organization and requirements (see Appendix A)

 

 

• CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE

This project is expected to create a database of UMCR service and to use a web based application for projecting the information that would be beneficial for making informed decision both for the company and the customers.