BCO6603 Semester 2, 2014
Assignment 2 Management Case Study Report
“Best of Breed versus ERP Systems”

Due date Refer to VU Collaborate
Assessment 20 %

Topic statement
Organisations are becoming increasingly reliant on information systems to support and manage their business processes. Victoria University, like many other organisations, has purchased and implemented a range of information systems: Finance One – Finances, Talent 2 – Human Resources, Beams – Asset Management etc. Victoria University’s information systems architecture is often referred as to “Best of Breed”. However, other universities such as Latrobe and Monash have implemented an ERP system to support and manage their business processes.

Requirements
Your task is to produce a 1200-1500 word management report which discusses the issues outlined in the topic statement. Discuss the topic statement using case study examples (from literature searches) to illustrate different company’s experiences. The report should demonstrate a depth and breadth of reading and should be appropriately referenced using the VU Harvard style guide.

Your report should cover the following areas:

• Definition of each approach
• The main features of each approach
• The advantages and disadvantages of each approach

Your report must include:
Introduction: Introduction to the topic, a statement of the purpose of the report and a brief description of the report’s structure.
Body: Discuss, compare and/or contrast different perspectives, present arguments supporting the purpose of the report including relevant case studies to illustrate key points. All points must be presented with Harvard citations to high quality (journal/book) references that have a corresponding entry in your reference list.
Conclusion: A summary of the points you have made in the body of the report. These should match your stated purpose.
Reference list: A complete Harvard format reference list. Review the Library
style guide for citation and reference list examples http://bit.ly/1jvBd0i.
Presentation: You should include a title page that has your name, the title of your report, your tutorial day and time and your tutor’s name on it. Every page should feature a footer that includes your name, student ID, and page number.

Submission
Your report must be submitted via the Turnitin link on VUCollaborate in MS Word format. Name your assignment 2 file in the form s3999999Assn2.docx, where the 39999999 is replaced by your student number. You do not need to include an assessment declaration (because the assessment declaration it is a standard template it will boost your similarity results so don’t upload it). However, note that when you submit to Turnitin you are formally agreeing to the statements set out on the declaration relating to academic honesty. Your submission to Turnitin must include only a title page, your report, and the reference list. Your submission on Turnitin will be marked electronically, so ensure it is complete. If your tutor requests a hard copy submission, you must supply the complete Turnitin originality report version.

Notes on referencing, paraphrasing, Turnitin and similarity
You must include citations with matching references to demonstrate research relating to the discussion and analysis in the body of your report. You should aim to paraphrase sources where possible, writing the report in your own words and including citations and corresponding reference list entries to demonstrate research where appropriate. You should submit your report to Turnitin well in advance of the due date to ensure your similarity does not exceed twenty per cent (for a submission including your reference list). Note that:

• Turnitin scores higher than 20% will be heavily penalised.

It is normal that your reference list is highlighted in Turnitin; this is acceptable and is factored into the 20% threshold. It is not acceptable for whole paragraphs to be highlighted. This usually indicates exact similarity with another source. If this happens you must revise your work and resubmit. Note that you can resubmit your report up until the submission deadline. Initial originality results are returned within minutes. Resubmission results can take up to twenty four hours to process. Therefore, ensure you submit early so you can avoid problems at the last minute.