Case Study (35%)

General Information

In this assignment you will respond to a series of questions based on a case study. The questions relate to contemporary aspects of ICT that affect organisations. The assignment allows you to extend your knowledge and critical thinking about ICT beyond what is strictly in the textbook or course lectures.

You need to reference external material other than the textbook in order to complete this assignment successfully. Use Harvard format for all citations and the bibliography.

Case Study
The case study is titled “Google, Apple, and Microsoft Struggle for Your Internet Experience” and is sourced from the Laudon & Laudon textbook chapter 7.

Download a copy of the Case Study from the Overview section of the course website. The file is named Laudon_CaseStudy_ch7-­-v2.PDF.

Download this file now if you have not yet done so.

Your Task
To complete this assignment, answer the four Case Study Questions outlined below after reading the case study in the Laudon_CaseStudy_ch7-­-v2 file. These questions are different from the ones found in the textbook – do not answer the questions found in the textbook.

The Case Study Questions

1. The business models of Google, Apple, and Microsoft are described as they were about 5 years ago – 2009-10. Contrast their business models and comment on their strengths and weaknesses in the light of today’s marketplace. Explain your reasoning, using examples where appropriate.
2. Given your research into disruptive technologies or trends in the first assignment, how will these impact the three large companies and their current business models?
3. Describe the mobile platform offerings of Google, Apple, and Microsoft as described in the case and use current literature to bring them up to date. Which company do you think is going ahead of its rivals and why? Explain your reasoning.
4. In your considered view, are mobile wireless technologies disruptive, or no longer disruptive, or does it still have some way to go in deeply affecting business and society? Explain your reasoning, using literature and examples to back up your points.

What you need to submit

You are required to submit a single document in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). If you use any other word processor, you will need to save your work in Word format (.doc or .docx) before submitting it. Most word processors allow you to do a Save-­-As to Word format.

Use the Word template available from the course website (Assessment page) as a blank document into which you can insert your details and assignment response.

Warning: penalties are severe for plagiarism. Plagiarism includes copying the work of other students, using purchased answers from Internet services, or un-referenced copying from any other sources. All submitted files are processed through TurnItIn, a copy detection service.

Hints

Try to limit each response to around 500 -­- 700 words. If you can say what you need to say in less, then that is fine – don’t write for the sake of writing. There is no single “correct” response. You need to give a considered view or opinion as appropriate and justify your response based on the case and external literature. You may use the course news forum to ask or to discuss the issues with others.

ASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT -­- PAGE
4
Assessment Criteria

Criteria Mark Range Mark Given
Question 1QuestionQuestion 1
Limited response that fails to address most or all of the discussion points; external literature not used or is not relevant to informing the response.
0 - 5

Response addresses some but not all of the discussion points; references used 6 - 10

Thorough response to discussion points (and possibly beyond) with good linkage to and use of external literature
11 - 15

Question 2Question 2
Limited response that fails to address most or all of the discussion points; external literature not used or is not relevant to informing the response.
0 - 5

Response addresses some but not all of the discussion points; references used 6 - 10

Thorough response to discussion points (and possibly beyond) with good linkage to and use of external literature
11 - 15

Question 3Question 3
Limited response that fails to address most or all of the discussion points; external literature not used or is not relevant to informing the response.
0 - 5

Response addresses some but not all of the discussion points; references used 6 - 10

Thorough response to discussion points (and possibly beyond) with good linkage to and use of external literature
11 - 15

Question 4Question 4
Limited response that fails to address most or all of the discussion points; external literature not used or is not relevant to informing the response.
0 - 5

Response addresses some but not all of the discussion points; references used 6 - 10

Thorough response to discussion points (and possibly beyond) with good linkage to and use of external literature
11 - 15

General (Penalty)
Referencing (-1 per error, to maximum of -10) Note: this criteria relates to citation format or omission errors (i.e. source appears in reference list but not cited or not cited correctly). Plagiarism
(unreferenced/copied) material will result in a referral to the office of Learning and Teaching for action. Severe penalties apply should plagiarism be proven.

Total possible marks 0 – 60*
* The total will be expressed out of 35 for results purposes.