BCO1102 Information Systems for Business Case Study Project – Report and System Requirements Scenario You work as a graduate consultant for a consulting firm in one of the branches (Australia, Malaysia or Hong Kong) of Victoria University Information Systems Consulting (VUIS). You have worked there for six months. The company has been in operation for five years and has 70 employees including the general manager, consultants, administrative staff, project managers, programmers, business analysts, a technical writer and a trainer. The company provides Information Systems consulting services and also develops lightweight database driven information systems in Visual Basic for small businesses, organisations and charities. Introduction VUIS Consulting has three new clients who need advice on whether to adopt a different kind of information system: • Barry's Beans • Rhonda's Scrapping Emporium • Sam's Office Plants You and your team will provide consulting services to one of the clients mentioned above as part of a consulting team. You will choose the members of your team in tutorial six and work with them in tutorial and outside of class to complete the Case Study Project Report. The consultancy report and specifications will provide your chosen VUIS Consulting client with an overview of the selected system so they can determine if they want to proceed with implementing such a system in their own business. It will also guide them on the requirements for the new system. The report will also highlight the benefits and issues associated with adopting such a system. Learning objectives After successfully completing this assessment task, you should be able to: • Demonstrate understanding of the fundamental concepts of information systems • Conduct independent research • Explain the issues and benefits associated with implementing an information system • Produce a professional report for a business audience Preamble To be able to successfully complete this assessment task you need to be familiar with the content in lectures and tutorials. Throughout the semester we have emphasised that Information Systems is significantly different from just computing or computer science. Information systems comprise five components; computer components and software but most importantly people, procedures and data. An information system produces information that helps with decision making. 1 We have also learnt that information systems assist in the vital areas of customer relationship management, supply chain management and electronic commerce. These are integrated systems that are used by all types of businesses to reduce costs, differentiate themselves from other businesses and to increase market share. These systems are of particular importance to all business students irrespective of their chosen discipline. Tutorials We have a range of activities to do in tutorials but you should treat tutorials as a formal meeting time for your project wherever possible. It will be a time when you can discuss issues, present back to the class, identify problems, learn from other groups and consult your tutor who is deemed to be your VUIS supervisor. You will also need to work and meet outside of class time to complete these assessment tasks. Report Format You need to download the report template file available from Blackboard and use it to prepare your report. Your report should show your tutor that you have research the topic, applied it to the case study and have argued a direction the business should take. We are not expecting detailed computer specifications in the report. But you should be able to relate the things you have found about these systems to the various components of information systems: hardware, software, data, people and procedures. The most important are the last three components so ask questions such as: • People ◦ What sort of things will need to be done to include people who use the system? Remember, we are not talking about customers but people in the business. • Procedures ◦ What changes will be necessary to the current processes (or procedures) in the business to ensure that the system will be successful? • Data ◦ What sorts of data will be collected and how will this be done? Presentation In week 9, your team will be required to make a short progress presentation to the class. This should take not more than 4-5 minutes. In the final week of semester you will be required to present your findings to a panel. The number on the panel will vary according to the number of people available. You are to treat the panel as if they are representatives from VUIS and the company for which you are researching a solution. The aim of the presentation is twofold: to show that panel that you understand what you have written in the report, and that you can convince the panel that your recommendations are appropriate. Submission The report component of this assignment is due for submission in week twelve (12). Prior to submitting your assignment you need to be submit it through Turnitin via the BCO1102 VU Collaborate site. You must make a copy of the originality report. In Week 12 you need to submit a printed copy of your assignment (report including system specifications), the Turnitin originality 2 report and the cover sheet including the Peer Assessment breakdown. This should be provided to your tutor, done in a presentation folder. 3