B302 coursework assignment

Management and the Technology Professional – B302

B302 coursework assignment

Academic year 2009/10

Coursework Title:	Analysis of case study scenarios
Coursework Due Date:	February 28 and March 10, 2010
Lecturer:	C Nguyen

COURSEWORK DESCRIPTION

Analyze each case study scenario for ethical, financial or management issues. There are 2 case study scenarios, write a response for each case study to support and explain a specific behaviour or action. Each answer will receive 0–10 marks, according to the criteria described at the bottom of this page. The coursework mark is the sum of marks received for both responses. This coursework contributes 40% to the B302 unit mark.

Each written response should inform the reader in a way that is easy to understand and reflects your own personal style. Students are encouraged to write in the first person perspective. The emphasis is on quality of reflection and analysis – not quantity of words. Typical answers should be 250 to 500 words. Students are not required to use a referencing or citation format.

Coursework responses may be submitted up until midnight of the due date. The timestamp on the coursework submission page is final.

Plagiarism will result in a zero for the entire coursework mark.

COURSEWORK SUBMISSION

Students are required to submit their coursework online using the Mosaic website.

CASE STUDY 1 – Response was due February 28, 2010

SCENARIO
Professional career success has different meanings for everyone. The culture and management practices of a business has a direct impact on personal career success. You are conducting research about companies to apply for work. Review the descriptions of the companies in the article below and select one company that you would like to apply for work.
QUESTION
Which one of the companies described in the article would provide the most suitable environment for you to develop a successful career? Explain the analysis leading to your selection.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCE
Four radically different cultural models: Best Buy, Google, GE, Semco

CASE STUDY 2 – Response was due March 10, 2010

SCENARIO
There was a team meeting during the first week at your new job as a help desk support analyst. The Helpdesk Manager explained to everyone that there were problems with the current project to upgrade the customer relationship management (CRM) system. The project objective is to upgrade the in-house bespoke system to a new Microsoft Dynamics system using an outside technology consulting vendor. This upgrade would increase the capacity of the company to handle more clients. Once the new system is implemented, it is estimated that the company revenue could increase by approximately £90,000 at the end of the first year.
- The project was planned for 6 months and has a budget of £30,000 for labour and licensing fees. Now, at the end of 5 months, £27,000 has been spent and there is only a 30% probability of the project completing on schedule. If the project does not complete on schedule, the manager estimates that the project would require an additional 3 months and £9,000 of labour costs. There is only a 5% probability for the project to fail even after the extra time and money.
- Another option is to cancel the project with the outside technology consulting vendor and incur £1,500 fees to terminate the contract. This approach would save labour costs by having the in-house staff finish the project. However, the manager estimates that this approach would take 6 months because the in-house staff need time to learn the Microsoft Dynamics system. This approach has a 85% probability of success. Failure would mean the project is not implemented at all.
Although the Helpdesk Manager will make the decision, everyone has been asked to think about the situation and provide feedback. As a new employee, this is an opportunity to demonstrate your experience and risk analysis skills. Additionally, if the project is brought back in-house, you will likely be assigned to the team working on the project.
QUESTION
What is the feedback you would provide to the Helpdesk Manager? Provide the decision tree, expected value calculations and analysis used to support your feedback. Using a discount rate of 8.5%, calculate the net present value of your recommended action.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Worldwide cost of IT failure: $6.2 trillion
£18 billion scandal as Whitehall's IT plans spin out of control
Oak Park, IL cancels PeopleSoft implementation

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Each case study response will be marked according to the following criteria:

Marks	Criteria
8–10	Provides a compelling and creative position or course of action. Contains thoughtful personal reflection, comprehensive and creative analysis, and highly relevant sources and facts.
7	Provides a convincing position or course of action. Contains thoughtful personal reflection and comprehensive analysis using relevant sources and facts.
6	Provides a well defined position or course of action. Contains thoughtful personal reflection and effective analysis using relevant sources and facts.
5	Provides a specific position or course of action. Contains some personal reflection and analysis using relevant sources and facts.
4	Provides a general position or course of action. At a threshold level, the response demonstrates a basic comprehension of the scope and consequences of the main issues.
0–3	Provides a vague position or course of action. Demonstrates minimal comprehension of the scope and consequences of the main issues. Contains an unacceptable number of factual errors. Contains unrelated statements that tend to wander or ramble.