7117IBA

Trimester 1 2017

GRIFFITH BUSINESS SCHOOL

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & ASIAN STUDIES
7117IBA Business Intelligence Systems
Individual Assignment
Trimester 1 2017
Due Date: Week 10 Friday 12-5-2017 (SAFE Assign)
Total Value: 40% 2500 Words approx.

In this individual project, you are required to identify a business intelligence application (system) in
an industry or organisation and explain how the system can help and/or support these businesses
improve their functional activities and gain competitive advantages. Alternatively, you are required
to identify a problem in an industry or organisation and explain how a Business Intelligence
solution can help and/or support these businesses improve their functional activities and gain
competitive advantages. These might include, decision making, organizational performance issues,
data and information issues and any other relevant BI issues. You will be required to write a
business report in Word and develop a clear discussion derived from the relevant literature related to
your topic. You are encouraged to use examples of BI tools or applications to illustrate the findings
in your report. Examples are the spreadsheet package Excel, database application Access, BI tools
like SAS, Cognos etc., development programs, diagrams, charts and tables that help better
understand your report.

The report should be targeted at the Board of Directors or Executive Management group and be
formatted as a formal business report. The content of the report, including tables and graphs must be
appropriate for a Senior Management audience.

Assignment focus:
There is a large amount of information available on Business Intelligence. I
suggest
that you identify key themes described in the course and use those themes as
a
basis of their analysis. This approach will give you the ability to study the key
aspects of the course at a reasonable depth.

While the theoretical underpinnings of the assignment will be primarily drawn

from lectures/seminars, tutorials and the textbook, students are expected to
supplement this with academic and practitioner-based literature.

A limitation of this assignment is that you have only got a short period of time
to identify, collect, analyse, and report on your findings. Assessment of your
work will take this into account as long as you demonstrate a reasonable
attempt

Narrow down your focus to an issue/problem that is small enough to allow you
to complete your analysis in 6 to 8 weeks while avoiding addressing a trivial
issue.

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Use tables and graphs, as appropriate, to communicate your findings and

recommendations

Criteria guide for Project

A general guide used for marking is attached. A rubric will be used to assess
and mark the project.

Section
Executive Summary
Introduction and Background. Describe the business context, the problem and the main aims
of the report.
Literature review: relevant literature review to the topic, systems and/or the BI applications
proposed in this report.

Evaluation. Explain the model approach used and the development process. Reflect on the
usefulness and limitations of the BI as well as any management issues identified.
Discussion and analysis: using relevant ways and approaches to explain the main issues
supported by relevant citations. Charts, diagrams and tables should be also used to help
explain your argument
Main BI issues in the study should be covered, explaining the impacts of BI on organizational
aspects such as performance, quality of products and services, and customer satisfaction
Demonstrates creative and original thinking
Comprehensiveness of report
Write clearly and present report professionally.
Use correct spelling and grammar
Conclusions and recommendations
Clearly state the main conclusions of the report and case study with some practical
suggestions or solutions for your organization.

Submission Instructions:

The project submission should be organised using the following guidelines:

A University cover page must be attached to the front of the assignment

The report must be submitted to SAFE Assign by 5pm Friday 12 May 2017
Students are encouraged to utilise Safe Assign to check their assignment before submission.
Marks will be lost for poor writing, inadequate report structure, and poor discussion.
Extensions: Requests for an extension beyond the submission date must be accompanied by
supporting documentation and be submitted to the course convenor in writing before
the due date.

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Penalties: University penalties for late submission without an extension are 10% per day or part
day. Penalties for cheating or plagiarism range from a reduced result to program
exclusion. For full details, refer to the course outline or Griffith web site.

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