Kent Institute Australia Pty. Ltd. Assessment Brief ABN 49 003 577 302 CRICOS Code: 00161E RTO Code: 90458 Version 1: 22nd December, 2016 TEQSA Provider Number: PRV12051 ASSESSMENT BRIEF COURSE: Bachelor of Business / Bachelor of Accounting Unit: Business Information Systems Unit Code: B01BUIS213 Type of Assessment: Assessment 3 – Individual Assignment Length/Duration: 1500 (10 % plus or minus) word report on the topic provided Course Learning Outcomes addressed: 1. To develop effective oral and written communication skills 2. To develop the skills to demonstrate a broad understanding of business principles and demonstrate depth in at least one discipline 3. To develop the skills to allow the acquisition and synthesising of information within a complex professional setting Unit Learning Outcomes addressed: 1. Have an understanding of the core concepts, principles and components of the IS discipline. 2. Have an understanding of how Information Systems work. 3. Recognition of how Information Systems can be used to improve business processes. 4. Have demonstrated competence with basic Information Technology applications, including basic computer management, email, web browsers, webpage creators, and productivity software. Submission Date: Written assignment submitted to Moodle in week 10 Assessment Task: This assignment requires you to demonstrate an ability to present a sound argument showing reasonable decision-making and evaluative skills based on the material learned and to demonstrate ability to research and use credible references to aid the decision-making process and the presentation of the argument. Total Mark: 20 marks Weighting: 20% of the unit total marksKent Institute Australia Pty. Ltd. Assessment Brief ABN 49 003 577 302 CRICOS Code: 00161E RTO Code: 90458 Version 1: 22nd December, 2016 TEQSA Provider Number: PRV12051 Students are advised that any submissions past the due date without an approved extension or without approved extenuating circumstances incurs a 5% penalty per calendar day, calculated from the total mark E.g. a task marked out of 40 will incur a 2 mark penalty per calendar day. More information, please refer to (Documents > Student Policies and Forms > POLICY – Assessment Policy & Procedures – Login Required) ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION: Zodiac cycle part manufacturer (ZCM) is a small firm based in Eastern Melbourne. They have registered a slow growth over the last few years. Still, their current in-house Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and Business Information Systems (BIS) are not able to cope with increasing demands for efficient information and state of art technology from users, e.g., employees, customers, and suppliers. ZCM would like to enhance and upgrade their IT infrastructure and BIS. However, given the tough and ever increasing competition, they would like to make informed decisions about investments and various other aspects relating to the issue. They have hired you as their IT consultant. You are required to present a report in a management meeting to enable directors to make an informed decision about future directions for the company’s IT needs and meet the challenge of satisfying all stake holders. Your report should discuss organisation, management and technology dimensions of Business Information Systems and establish an argument in favour of cloud computing that it is a viable option for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as compared to the traditional in-house hosting. You’re Task in Report 1. Discuss why information systems are so indispensable in today’s businesses? Identify the trends in the business environment that have made information systems so essential. 2. Discuss the management challenges involved in building, operating, and maintaining information systems in Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs). 3. Define what is Cloud computing, and different types of Cloud services, which can be used by ZCM? 4. Make recommendations to implement successful Cloud computing for SMEs, with at least two examples of companies that have successfully migrated to Cloud services. ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION: The assignment must be submitted online in Moodle in Microsoft Word format. Other formats (e.g., pdf or MAC file) may not be readable by markers. Please be aware that any assessments submitted in other formats will be considered LATE and will lose marks until it is presented in MS Word. No paper based or hardcopy submission will be accepted.Kent Institute Australia Pty. Ltd. Assessment Brief ABN 49 003 577 302 CRICOS Code: 00161E RTO Code: 90458 Version 1: 22nd December, 2016 TEQSA Provider Number: PRV12051 MARKING GUIDE Marking Criteria – Max marks Max marks Lecturer Expectation Marks assigned Comments Report Structure and Presentation 4 Cover Page, Executive Summary, TOC, Introduction, Body, Conclusion, References Executive Summary 1.5 Correctly written (Note it’s not an introduction or a conclusion) Contents and Information 7 Succinct, clear, and relevant Argument, Recommendation, and discussion 5 Use of varied reasons to support your argument References 2.5 Using appropriate style in the text and complete information provided in the reference list Total Max 20 Total GENERAL NOTES FOR ASSIGNMENTS Assignments should usually incorporate a formal introduction, main points and conclusion, and will be fully referenced including a reference list. The work must be fully referenced with in-text citations and a reference list at the end. We strongly recommend you to refer to the Academic Learning Skills materials available in the Moodle. For details please click the link http://moodle.kent.edu.au/kentmoodle/course/view.php?id=5 and download the file “Harvard Referencing Workbook”. Appropriate academic writing and referencing are inevitable academic skills that you must develop and demonstrate. We recommend a minimum of FIVE references, unless instructed differently by your lecturer. Unless specifically instructed otherwise by your lecturer, any paper with less than FIVE references may be failed. Work that includes sources that are not properly referenced according to the “Harvard Referencing Workbook” will be penalised. Marks will be deducted for failure to adhere to the word count – as a general rule you may go over or under by 10% than the stated length. GENERAL NOTES FOR REFERENCING High quality work must be fully referenced with in-text citations and a reference list at the end. We recommend you work with your Academic Learning Support (ALS) site (http://moodle.kent.edu.au/kentmoodle/course/view.php?id=5) available in Moodle to ensure that you reference correctly. References are assessed for their quality. You should draw on quality academic sources, such as books, chapters from edited books, journals etc. Your textbook can be used as a reference, but not the lecturer notes. We want to see evidence that you are capable of conducting your own research. Also, in order to help markers determine students’ understanding of the work they cite, all in-text references (not just direct quotes) must include the specific page number/s if shown in the original.Kent Institute Australia Pty. Ltd. Assessment Brief ABN 49 003 577 302 CRICOS Code: 00161E RTO Code: 90458 Version 1: 22nd December, 2016 TEQSA Provider Number: PRV12051 Before preparing your assignment or own contribution, please review this ‘YouTube’ video by clicking on the following link: Plagiarism: How to avoid it PLAGIARISM: HOW TO AVOID IT You can search for peer-reviewed journal articles, which you can find in the online journal databases and which can be accessed from the library homepage. Wikipedia, online dictionaries and online encyclopaedias are acceptable as a starting point to gain knowledge about a topic, but should not be overused – these should constitute no more than 10% of your total list of references/sources. Additional information and literature can be used where these are produced by legitimate sources, such as government departments, research institutes such as the NHMRC, or international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO). Legitimate organisations and government departments produce peer reviewed reports and articles and are therefore very useful and mostly very current. The content of the following link explains why it is not acceptable to use nonpeer reviewed websites: Why can't I just Google? (thanks to La Trobe University for this video).