Overview

This assignment is in two parts. You are required to:

Part 1: Conduct analysis in Excel of data related to the case study provided and write a business report of 1,000 words for the owner of the business. The business report will analyse and discuss both profit growth and the various options available to help increase future profitability of the business. (This part is worth 24/30 marks.)

Part 2: Write a 300 word reflection on the development of your data analysis skills in this course and how you applied those skills to the assignment case study. (This part is worth 6/30 marks).

Submission: This assessment task should be submitted by the Due Date electronically via Turnitin.

Learning Outcomes

The targeted Course Learning Outcomes for this assessment are:

CLO2: Explain the role of information systems in managing and sustaining digital transformation.

CLO3: Critically analyse various types of enterprise information systems and their role in data-driven decision-making.

CLO4: Demonstrate the ability to identify, evaluate and communicate strategic and operational issues suited to the application of information systems management concepts and theories to real-world practice.

 

Assessment details

 

Part 1: Analyse a Spreadsheet and Write a Business Report

 

Report Content

The analysis, findings and recommendations which you prepare for the case study should be provided in a professional business report.

This report should include:

A title page – with a report title, student name/number, course name (Business Information Systems), course number (ISYS2056), your workshop time and your workshop tutors’ names.

A Table of Contents (TOC).

A brief introduction that clearly outlines the purpose of the report.

The analysis you have undertaken and a discussion regarding the results of this analysis.

A discussion based on the results of your analysis that outlines possible options for increasing future profitability.

A discussion of at least one business issue you have identified as a result of your data analysis that you believe may need further analysis. For example, you require further information from the business owner before you can take action. Clearly explain your reasoning.

A short concluding summary of the major findings of the report.

Clear recommendations that business owners can adopt. These recommendations must be drawn from the analysis you have carried out and must have been discussed in the body of your report.

 

Report Format

The report should be written and presented to a high professional standard and directed towards the business owner. Specifically, you should:

Ensure your report is concise: 1,000 words. This word count includes the title page and table of contents; it does not include appendices.

Present the report in a professional, business format with no spelling or grammatical errors.

Use appropriate headings and subheadings throughout the body of the report.

Use double or 1.5 line spacing.

Fully justify all text in the report.

Include a page header with a suitably formatted title (the header must not appear on the title page).

Include a page footer with your name, student number and page number (the footer must not appear on the title page).

Include relevant charts and tables you have created – either in the body of your report (appropriately labelled) or as an appendix at the end of the report. The material in the charts and tables must be discussed as part of the report.

Include in an appendix screenshots of calculations that you have used to assist in your analysis (note: you do not need to refer to this appendix in the body of your report). A guide to inserting screenshots in a MS Word document is provided below.

Do not include references or citations in this report.

 

Resources

The following resources are provided for you to complete Part 1 of this assignment:

PinkLadyApple Case Study_AT2_S1 2023.docx Download PinkLadyApple Case Study_AT2_S1 2023.docx and Pink Lady Apple Orchard Case Study Data_S1 2023.xlsx Download Pink Lady Apple Orchard Case Study Data_S1 2023.xlsx (Case study files for assessment task 2)

Writing a Business Report Download Writing a Business Report (PowerPoint slides with information on how to write a business report)

A guide to inserting a screenshot in MS Word Download A guide to inserting a screenshot in MS Word

Make sure you read the document on ISYS2056 Assistance with your Business Report Download ISYS2056 Assistance with your Business Report to get the most out of this assignment.

 

Part 2: Personal Reflection

Write a 300-word reflection about the development of your data analysis skills this semester. The purpose of this reflection is for you to better understand what you have learned and how this can be enhanced in future. This is a personal reflection and so should be written in the first person.

Your reflection should consider the following:

Briefly reflect on the data analysis skills that you had before you studied this course.

How did you apply the data analysis skills that you have learned so far in the course for the task?

Were there parts of the data analysis/report writing that you found to be particularly easy/ difficult?

What are the transferable skills from this course that you can use in your studies, business or life?

What other learning or professional development could you do to improve your data analysis skills for the future?

Please note it is important that your reflections are analytical and not purely descriptive or a summary of course notes.

 

Assessment Criteria

This assessment will measure your ability to:

Structure and present a business report (10%)

Write a professional business report – introduction, analysis, supporting evidence, conclusion, recommendations, language (70%)

Reflect on your digital analysis skills development (10%)

Reflect on your future skills applications and further learning needs (10%)

Refer to the assessment rubric below for further details.