BIS2200
Business Information Systems
Coursework 1

2010/2011

Dr. Harjinder Rahanu
留學生dissertation網School of Engineering and Information Sciences

Coursework

2010/2011

This is an assessed piece of work and is compulsory. This coursework will contribute 30% to your overall marks for this module. The second coursework will contribute a further 30% and your exam result will provide the remainder 40% of your mark for the module. To pass the module you need to obtain a total minimum mark of 40% in each of the two coursework assessment components and demonstrate effective personal contribution to your group. Finally, a total minimum mark of 40% in the examination component is required.

Group Assignment

• The aims of this assignment are summarised below To enable the students to manage a group project successfully To facilitate the acquisition of the knowledge gained and to enhance the experience of using software packages such as SmartDraw, MS Word, etc.
• To enforce the understanding and use of particular techniques for data modelling
• To enforce research and critical thinking skills
• To emphasise the importance of the presentation of the deliverables/results for technical recipients and for management
How are these aims to be achieved?

• By applying theories and techniques learned to four assigned tasks
• By working in teams
• By using automated tools

You are required to work with your group in order to carry out the assignment tasks, and in order to produce the required deliverables. It will be necessary to hold meetings in addition to the seminar sessions. You are required to keep brief minutes of the meetings (use the given meetings log) showing the progress of the work and the task allocation among the different group members. These minutes http://www.ttc-switch.com/thesis_sample/Uk_thesis_sample/should be attached as an appendix to your final report. At the end of the assignment you are required to carry out self and peer assessment using the templates (see end of this document).

Submission of Coursework

Due Date: Friday 17th December 2010, 16h00

Your completed answer should be submitted to the student office of your base campus by the stated due date. Late submissions will be penalised.

NOTE:
• It is vitally important that you keep a copy of your submitted work for reference.
• You are to use the Coursework Front Cover Feedback Form available from the EIS Student Office. It is strongly recommended that you collect the form well before the submission date in order to allow time for all members of your group to enter their respective details.
• You must highlight on the Coursework Front Cover Feedback Form details of Tutor's (seminar) name, and the seminar group (Day and Time)#p#分頁標題#e#

FAILURE TO ENTER YOUR DETAILS ON THE FRONT COVER SHEET COULD RESULT IN FAILURE OF THIS COMPONENT OF THE ASSESSMENT REGIME

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is taken seriously. If you are suspected of taking part in any way, you will be awarded a ‘U’, which will affect your final exam results.

If you are not clear what plagiarism is, then please read “Guide and Regulations” page 21 and Section F and on the Middlesex University 24-7 website: http://www.mdx.ac.uk/24-7/

Coursework

Task 1: Input, Processing and Output (Student Application Form)

Applicants for undergraduate courses at Middlesex University can download an application form from the university’s homepage at the following address:

http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/Uni_application_form.pdf

Print off a copy of the form. Read the form and then complete the following:

1. Exhaustively list ALL the data captured by this application form (i.e. the information supplied by the applicant).
2. What processing might be performed on this input data? (need to identify 6 – 8 tasks)
3. What are the likely outputs? (need to identify a minimum of 6 specific outputs)

Your answer should be as full as possible. Please do not simply provide lists of the respective data, activities and information for this application process but offer explanations for each inclusion in your lists.

Task 2: Entity Relationship Diagram

In data planning and database design, end users must identify key data elements that are needed in order to perform specific business activities. This frequently involves developing entity relationship diagrams (ERDs) that model the relationships among the many entities involved in business processes. Read the following narrative description of a business process:

A customer can place one or a number of orders with a company. Any one order can only be raised by a single specific customer. An order can request for a number of different products. A product can appear on any order that requests for it. The company has numerous warehouses across London. Each warehouse stores one or a number of the company’s products. These products can be stored in one or a number of these warehouses. If the inventory levels for these products run low then they must be ordered from a supplier. Any one product can be supplied by a number of different suppliers. Each supplier can supply the company with numerous products.

Using the ERD notation, presented in Lecture notes [readily available via OASISplus], produce an ERD model of the narrative described above.

Task 3: Critical Success Factors in the IS Development Lifecycle

Read the following case study, which outlines how one particular organisation assures that their IT projects are completed successfully and support the goals of the business:

Bill Morris, the Managing Director (MD) of ATP Life Assurance, talks of the successful management of IT projects: “We apply all of the analytical rigour and financial Return-On-Investment (ROI) tools against each of our IT projects as well as other business projects. The use of tools is very important, as well as risk analyses on every investment.”#p#分頁標題#e#

The MD describes how the company monitors each IT project to measure its efficiency and effectiveness during the course of development and applies a red / yellow / green coding system to reflect the current health of a project. Senior line managers, the Managing Director and chief operating officer are all given a monthly report about the status of projects that are valued at more than £250K and those that deal with important strategic content. Also ATP Life Assurance makes use of an investment-tracking database for every IT project to monitor costs on a rolling basis. The approach gives the advantage of permitting the company’s IT and business managers to quickly determine whether a project should be accelerated, delayed or cancelled and assists the finance organisation in forecasting requirements.

Source: Adapted from O’Brien and Marakas “Avon Products and Guardian Life Insurance: Successful Management of IT Projects” in Management Information Systems, McGraw-Hill International.

• What are the key ways that ATP Life Assurances assure that their IT projects are completed successfully and support the goals of the business?
• If you were the manager of a business unit at ATP Life Assurances, identify six more things you would like to see their IT groups do to assure the success of an IT project for your business unit?

Your answer should be as full as possible and approximately between 1000-1500 words in length. You must cite all sources for the information you use, i.e. list ALL references

Task 4: Privacy On-Line

From time to time, you will be asked to submit personal information about yourself (e.g. name and email address) in order to receive or use on-line services on a website. Most organisations (business corporations and government agencies) have a privacy policy that covers the organisation’s use of personal information that they collect when you use their website.

Select three of your favourite websites and print out their privacy policies.

• List what they share in common?
• How do they differ?
• On the basis of what you have found out, from above, write your own website privacy policy.

Your answer should be as full as possible and should also contain a discussion on Cookies (what they are, how they work and what ethical and legal issues are raised by their use). You must cite all sources for the information you use, i.e. list ALL references

Submission Date: Friday 17th December 2010, 16h00

Your submission should include:

? A Coursework Front Cover Feedback Form available from the Student Office
? Coursework checklist (attached at the end of this document)
? Task 1: Input, Processing and Output (Student Application Form)
? Task 2: Entity Relationship Diagram
? Task 3: Critical Success Factors in the IS Development Lifecycle
? Task 4: Privacy On-line
? The meetings log
? Completed self assessment template (attached at the end of this document)#p#分頁標題#e#
? Completed peer assessment template for each group member (attached at the end of this document

NOTE:

1. Failure to include your name on front cover sheet could result in failure of this component of the BIS2200 assessment regime.

2. Do not submit hand written coursework

3. Do not submit coursework directly to your tutor

4. It is essential that you use a software package such as SmartDraw, MS Word, or similar to present your work, including the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) for Task 2.

Written work should normally be handed in to the EIS Student Office. If, in an emergency, you have to send in written assessed work by post, you must send it by recorded delivery to the Hendon student office and keep the Post Office receipt. It will be deemed to have been submitted on the date of the postmark.

Coursework Feedback Forms containing receipts for this work and other work submitted outside opening hours can be collected from the student office.

Returning the Coursework

Feedback for the coursework submitted will be given as follows:
• Annotation on submitted work
• Comments on generic school coursework feedback form

This can be collected from the academic advice session in week 15, 2011.

Marking Guidelines

Diagrams should be neat and clear. It is compulsory that you use the appropriate software to produce your ERD (e.g. SmartDraw, MS Word, etc.) and word processing software (e.g. Word, WordPerfect) to produce the remainder of the coursework submission.

Marks will be awarded for: (%)
Presentation
• Well structured submission with appropriate sections
• Spelling and grammar
• Word processed work and diagram completed using appropriate software package 12
Task1: Input, Processing and Output (Student Application Form)
• Identification of inputs pertaining to the application form
• Sensible set of process activities identified (6-8)
• Sensible list of output identified (min. 6)
• Explanations offered for each inclusion in your input, processing and output lists 22
Task 2: Entity Relationship Diagram
• Identification of Entities, Relationships and Cardinality
• Resolution of many : many relationships
• Logical correctness
• Completeness: all entities pertaining to the system described in the case study should be represented 22
Task 3: Critical Success Factors in the IS Development Lifecycle
• Clearly identify the methods used by the organisation in order to ensure success of its IT project (these are stated in the case study)
• Suggestion of additional methods that can also be adopted to ensure IT project success 22
Task 4: Privacy On-line
• Three websites identified, including the respective URLs
• A list of the commonalities between the three privacy policies#p#分頁標題#e#
• A list of the differences between the three privacy policies
• The group’s privacy policy. This should be based on what has been suggested by the ones you found and also additional inclusions that you can think of. (extra marks on the additional inclusions) 22
Total 100
NOTE:
• Every individual should be prepared to give an oral presentation if requested to do so
• All references, including on-line sources, must be clearly listed

Using the Table below will allow you to convert the percentage grade awarded for this assessment component to the 20 point scale grade/degree classification.
 

20 Point Scale- Grade to Percentage
First Class/Distinction 1
2
3
4 80-100%
77-79%
73-76%
70-72%
Upper Second Class/Merit 5
6
7
8 68-69%
65-67%
63-64%
60-62%
Lower Second Class/Pass 9
10
11
12 58-59%
55-57%
53-54%
50-52%
Third Class/Pass 13
14
15
16 48-49%
45-47%
43-44%
40-42%
Fail, compensation allowed 17
18 38-39%
35-37%
Fail, compensation not allowed 19 0-34%
School of Engineering and Information Sciences
 

Coursework 1 Check List

BIS2200 – Business Information Systems Coursework

2010/2011

1. Have you filled the details on the Coursework Front Cover Feedback Form available from the EIS Student Office:

All group members’ names and student numbers

Tutor's name

Seminar group (day and time)

2. Task 1: Input, Processing and Output (Student Application Form)

3. Task 2: Entity Relationship Diagram

4. Task 3: Critical Success Factors in the IS Development Lifecycle

5. Task 4: Privacy On-line

6. References, including On-line sources

7. The Group Meeting Log(s)

8. The Self Assessment Form

9. The Peer Assessment Form

Group Meetings Log

Date of meeting Time of meeting………… Duration: …………..

Members Present: ……………………………….
……………………………………
……………………………………
……………………………………

Apologies from: ……………………………………………………………………….

Items Discussed:#p#分頁標題#e#
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Problems encountered:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Tasks/Deliverables for next meeting:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….#p#分頁標題#e#

Student Name………………………

Student Signature………………………………….

Student Name………………………

Student Signature………………………………….

Student Name………………………

Student Signature………………………………….

Student Name………………………

Student Signature………………………………….

Self Assessment Template

Using the scale of 0 to 5 please provide a critical appraisal of what has been achieved, and of your contribution and of the other team members’ contribution.
0 = Absent (or Very Poor)
1 = Poor
2 = Satisfactory
3 = Good
4 = Very Good
5 = Excellent

Self Assessment

1. How would you rate your technical contribution to the group work?………..

2. How would you rate your contribution in terms of organisation? …………...

3. How would you rate your contribution in terms of communication? ………..

4. The holistic view of things argues that group work has more benefits than drawback and that groups always achieve more and better results than people working as individuals. Please rank the following in order of importance in the context of group work (using 1 for the most important):

Benefit Ranking
Sharing of knowledge
Sharing the work load
Enhancing Communication
Compromise/Listening to others
Obtaining additional perspectives
Providing Mutual Support
Learning from teaching others

Please insert your name and your Student Number below

Name:……………………………………………………..
Student No:……………………
 

Peer Assessment

Using the scale of 0 to 5 please provide a critical appraisal of what has been achieved, and of your contribution and of the other team members’ contribution.
0 = Absent (or Very Poor) 1 = Poor
2 = Satisfactory 3 = Good
4 = Very Good 5 = Excellent

Member name Member Student No:…………………..

1 How would you rate the above member’s technical contribution to the group work?………..

2 How would you rate the above member’s contribution in terms of organisation? …………...#p#分頁標題#e#

3. How would you rate the above member’s contribution in terms of communication? ………..

Member name Member Student No:…………………..

1 How would you rate the above member’s technical contribution to the group work?………..

2 How would you rate the above member’s contribution in terms of organisation? …………...

3. How would you rate the above member’s contribution in terms of communication? ………..

http://www.ttc-switch.com/thesis_sample/Uk_thesis_sample/Member name Member Student No:…………………..

1 How would you rate the above member’s technical contribution to the group work?………..

2 How would you rate the above member’s contribution in terms of organisation? …………...

3. How would you rate the above member’s contribution in terms of communication? ………..

Any additional comments?

Please insert your name and your Student Number below

Name:……………………………………………………..
Student No:……………………