HC1041
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS
FINAL ASSESSMENT
TRIMESTER 1, 2021
Assessment Weight: 40 total marks
Instructions:
• All questions must be answered by using the answer boxes provided in this paper.
• Completed answers must be submitted to Blackboard by the published due date and time.
Submission instructions are at the end of this paper.
Purpose:
This assessment consists of six (6) questions and is designed to assess your level of knowledge of the key topics covered in this unit:
Question 1: (250-300 Words) (5 marks)
Integrated Information Systems (or Technology) are designed to produce synergy and other potential benefits to an organization. Yet, many organizations still have disjointed computerized systems. Identify and discuss at least 2 potential issues that can arise from such a situation, and what benefits could be obtained from an integrated system.
ANSWER: ** Answer box will enlarge as you type
Question 2: (250-300 Words) (5 marks)
What is the typical construction design of an organization’s database? Why is this design still relevant today and how it is used within the online shopping market industry? Use current peer-reviewed referencing support to justify your solution?
ANSWER: ** Answer box will enlarge as you type
Question 3: (200-250 Words) (5 marks)
What is the relationship between a Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence? Furthermore, what are the 3 steps in moving data to the data warehouse environment? Explain each step and their purpose. Provide examples where appropriate. Support your solution with current peer-reviewed in-text references etc.
ANSWER: ** Answer box will enlarge as you type
Question 4: (250-300 Words) (5 marks)
Many of you are studying marketing or accounting. Pick either stream and describe how IT is used within your industry stream. Moreover, how it benefits employees within your industry and how this helps other businesses and the public, at large. Give your opinion about this statement and provide examples to support your answer. You must also include some peer-reviewed support of your solution.
ANSWER: ** Answer box will enlarge as you type
Question 5: (350-450 Words) (10 marks)
Describe what you have learnt in this unit this semester, in terms of Information Technology for Business. Moreover, how this knowledge and skill can be utilized by you in your current job or future position. Write your answer in a reflective essay format. You are not required to use references, but may wish in your answer.
ANSWER: ** Answer box will enlarge as you type
Question 6: (350-450 Words) (10 marks)
Question 6 Instructions – Firstly, please read the case study below the question and then answer the following case study question.
Case Study Question:
The changing of a current system, typically which is manually driven to a new digital system can impact many stakeholders, of an organization. With this background, identify the issues that the company had in the case study, and ways it could have minimized this change over process. You must discuss and use examples from the case study to prove your argument, and use appropriate peer-reviewed referencing support.
ANSWER: ** Answer box will enlarge as you type
Q6 Case study Reading - Change for the Sake of Change?
The word change does not usually evoke comfortable feelings or create a warm impression. When change is mentioned in business organizations, it often creates anxiety or, in its worst-case, resentment or opposition. Change can be implemented in many ways: through imposition or edict; consensually or democratically; gradually or precipitously. The approach or tone of the execution of change is as important as the basis for change itself.
Consider the example of Springfield, Ohio and employee timecard entry. The local nuclear plant, consisting of 4,000 employees and 200 supervisors, embarked on the implementation of a new online system for employees to enter their timecard data. The timecard entry process involved approximately 30 timekeepers.
The plant replaced several legacy systems with the new online system. The new system combined two systems: an internally developed time and attendance system and an “off the shelf” payroll and human resources system. The challenges of the new information technology system extended beyond its technology components: Employees would have to learn a new process of entering their hours into the system and being paid. The System developer Homer often forget to assess how familiar the system’s stakeholders are with the computer and other skills they would need to use the new system, but the plant administrators knew they needed a sensible and reasonable approach to manage the change. A well- developed information system without an appropriately planned implementation with its stakeholders can often fail.
The plant created a team to manage the change to the new system and develop a change management strategy. The team used several methodologies to ensure that stakeholders were involved throughout the implementation, communicating with key department personnel to “build on existing processes, drawing up communication plans and creating a well-thought-out training
plan.” The team was comprised of several managers from the various financial, operational, and payroll functional departments as well as their local educational institution, Springfield University, led by Professor Lisa Simpson.
From this team, they established a communication process to connect with customer departments. This network was responsible for determining training needs, analyzing a security procedure, coordinating training, and gaining valuable input from the various stakeholders. Ultimately, the goal of this process was to maintain the lines of communication among the employees and other stakeholders. The process involved not simply words, but also actions. In addition, since quality training was an important component of the system rollout, the Information Systems department worked closely with Springfield University to develop and conduct training sessions as well as to provide technical assistance to support employees through the installation.
An essential component of change management is to gain acceptance by the system’s stakeholders. The plant understood that appropriate communication would help gain acceptance and reduce employee anxiety. The final version of the communication plan changed “substantially” from the initial version. As input was received and evaluated, so did the methods and approach to how and what they communicated. Constant and interactive communication through newsletters, emails, surveys, meetings and an intranet site provided timely and constant information flow.
Over 250 issues were reported and tracked during the first parallel test run of the new system. A total of four system changes were approved to be implemented, resolving 255 issues, with only seven issues unresolved before the second parallel test. At the final implementation, the employees successfully used the new timecard system with only six payroll checks processed in error for the first payroll period.
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Submission instructions:
• Answer All 6 Questions in the provided answering boxes.
• Save submission with your STUDENT ID NUMBER and UNIT CODE e.g. EMV54897 HC1041
• Submission must be in MICROSOFT WORD FORMAT ONLY
• Upload your submission to the appropriate link on Blackboard
• Only one submission is accepted. Please ensure your submission is the correct document.
• All submissions are automatically passed through SafeAssign to assess academic integrity.
• Where required, you must adhere to Harvard rules of in-text referencing and your reference list for your answers.
Academic Integrity
Academic honesty is highly valued at Holmes Institute. Students must always submit work that represents their original words or ideas. If any words or ideas used in a class posting or assignment submission do not represent the student’s original words or ideas, the student must cite all relevant sources and make clear the extent to which such sources were used. Written assignments that include material similar to course reading materials or other sources should include a citation including source, author, and page number.
In addition, written assignments that are similar or identical to those of another student in the class is also a violation of the Holmes Institute’s Academic Conduct and Integrity Policy. The consequence for a violation of this policy can incur a range of penalties varying from a 50% penalty through to suspension of enrolment.
The penalty would be dependent on the extent of academic misconduct and the student’s history of academic misconduct issues. All assessments will be automatically submitted to Self Assign to assess their originality.
Further Information:
For further information and additional learning resources, students should refer to their Discussion Board for the unit.
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