strategic information management : information systems

14. Assessments

 

 

Module Number and Name:           BMP6010- Strategic Information Management

 

Assessment Number:                      1

 

Assessment Title:                            Essay

 

Assessment Length:                       2,500 words (50%)

 

 

Submission Deadline:                    27/11/2020

 

 

Learning Outcomes:

 

LO1:  Critically appraise the key processes involved in management decision-making at all levels within a business organisation and the way in which information and information systems support this decision-making

LO2:  Evaluate the structure and function of different types of computer-based information systems

 

 

Assignment Brief:

 

You are required to write an essay critically analysing the following:

 

• The major functions of a business that are important for understanding the role of information systems.

 

 

• How systems serve managers at different levels in a business.

 

 

• How enterprise applications and intranets improve organisational performance.

 

 

• Why systems for collaboration and teamwork are so important and what technologies do they use?

 

12. Guidelines for the Preparation and Submission of Written Assessments

1. Written assessments should be word-processed in Arial or Calibri Light font size 12. There should be double-spacing and each page should be numbered.

 

2. There should be a title page identifying the programme name, module title, assessment title, your student number, your marking tutor and the date of submission.

 

3. You should include a word-count at the end of the assessment (excluding references, figures, tables and appendices).

Where a word limit is specified, the following penalty systems applies:

• Up to 10% over the specified word length = no penalty
• 10 – 20% over the specified indicative word length = 5 marks subtracted (but if the assessment would normally gain a pass mark, then the final mark to be no lower than the pass mark for the assessment).
• More than 20% over the indicative word length = if the assessment would normally gain a pass mark or more, then the final mark will capped at the pass mark for the assessment.

 

4. All written work should be referenced using the standard University of Bolton referencing style– see: https://www.bolton.ac.uk/library/Study-Skills/Referencing/Home.aspx

 

5. Unless otherwise notified by your Module Tutor, electronic copies of assignments should be saved as word documents and uploaded into Turnitin via the Moodle class area. If you experience problems in uploading your work, then you must send an electronic copy of your assessment to your Module Tutor via email BEFORE the due date/time.

 

6. Please note that when you submit your work to Moodle, it will automatically be checked for matches against other electronic information. The individual percentage text matches may be used as evidence in an academic misconduct investigation (see Section 13).

 

7. Late work will be subject to the penalties:
   • Up to 7 calendar days late = 10 marks subtracted but if the assignment would normally gain a pass mark, then the final mark to be no lower than the pass mark for the assignment.
   • More than 7 calendar days late = This will be counted as non-submission and no marks will be recorded.

 

Late submission of assessments on refer and those which are graded Pass/Fail only, is not permitted. Students may request an extension to the original published deadline date as described below.

 

In the case of exceptional and unforeseen circumstances, an extension of up to 14 days after the assessment deadline may be granted. This must be agreed by your Programme Leader, following a discussion the Module Tutor.  You should complete an Extension Request Form available from your Tutor and attach documentary evidence of your circumstances, prior to the published submission deadline.

 

Extensions over 14 calendar days should be requested using the Mitigating Circumstances procedure, with the exception of extensions for individual projects and artefacts which, at the discretion of the Programme Leader, may be longer than 14 days.

Requests for extensions which take a submission date past the end of the module (normally week 15) must be made using the Mitigating Circumstances procedures.

 

Some students with registered disabilities will be eligible for revised submission deadlines. Revised submission deadlines do not require the completion extension request paperwork.

 

Please note that the failure of data storage systems is not considered to be a valid reason for an extension. It is therefore important that you keep multiple copies of your work on different storage devices before submitting it.

 

14. Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct may be defined as any attempt by a student to gain an unfair advantage in any assessment. This includes plagiarism, collusion, commissioning (contract cheating) amongst other offences. In order to avoid these types of academic misconduct, you should ensure that all your work is your own and that sources are attributed using the correct referencing techniques. You can also check originality through Turnitin.

 

Please note that penalties apply if academic misconduct is proven. See the following link for further details:

https://www.bolton.ac.uk/about/governance/policies/student-policies/

 

Minimum Secondary Research Source Requirements:

Level HE6 – It is expected that the Reference List will contain between fifteen to twenty sources. As a MINIMUM the Reference List should include three refereed academic journals and five academic books.

 

Specific Assessment Criteria:

(Please note that the General Assessment Criteria will also apply. Please see section 16)

 

First class (70% and above):

Students will provide an in-depth appraisal of the effectiveness of a sustainable tourism plan, demonstrating excellent critical reasoning skills. Focused and justified recommendations will be made as to how problems/weaknesses identified in the plan may be overcome, and sustainability improved.  Extensive research demonstrating use of a wide range of current secondary research sources will be evident. Academic style and referencing will be excellent.

 

Second class (50-69%):

Students will provide a comprehensive appraisal of the effectiveness of a sustainable tourism plan, demonstrating critical reasoning skills. Justified recommendations will be made as to how problems/weaknesses identified in the plan may be overcome, and sustainability improved. Research demonstrating use of a wide range of current secondary research sources will be evident. Academic style and referencing will be good.

 

Third class (40-49%):

Students will provide a satisfactory appraisal of the effectiveness of a sustainable tourism plan, demonstrating critical reasoning skills. Considered recommendations will be made as to how problems/weaknesses identified in the plan may be overcome, and sustainability improved. Research demonstrating use of a range of current secondary research sources will be evident. Academic style and referencing will be fair.

 

Fail (39% and below): Students who do not meet the requirements of a third class grade will not successfully complete the assessment activity.

 

Minimum Secondary Research Source Requirements:

 

 

Level HE6 – It is expected that the Reference List will contain between fifteen to twenty sources. As a MINIMUM the Reference List should include three refereed academic journals and five academic books.

 

 

General Assessment Guidelines for Written Assessments Level HE6

	%	Relevance	Knowledge	Argument/Analysis	Structure	Presentation	Written English	Research/Referencing
Class I (Exceptional Quality)	85-100%	Directly relevant to title.  Expertly addresses the assumptions of the title and/or the requirements of the brief.	Demonstrates an exceptional knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level. Demonstrates the ability to expertly identify and critically appraise the most important issues, themes and questions. Demonstrates originality in conceptual understanding.	Makes exceptional use of appropriate arguments and/or theoretical models. Presents an exceptional critical evaluation of the material results in clear, logical and insightful conclusions. Demonstrates distinctive or independent thinking.	Coherently articulated and logically structured. An appropriate format is used.	The presentational style & layout is correct for the type of assignment. Effective inclusion of figures, tables, plates (FTP).	An exceptionally well written answer with standard spelling and grammar. Style is clear, resourceful and academic.	Sources accurately cited in the text. An extensive range of contemporary and relevant references cited in the reference list in the correct style.
Class I (Excellent Quality)	70-84%	Directly relevant to title.  Addresses the assumptions of the title and/or the requirements of the brief.	Demonstrates an excellent knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level. Demonstrates the ability to identify and critically appraise the most important issues, themes and questions.	Makes creative use of appropriate arguments and/or theoretical models. Demonstrates some distinctive or independent thinking. Presents an excellent critical evaluation of the material results in clear, logical and illuminating conclusions.	Coherently articulated and logically structured. An appropriate format is used.	The presentational style & layout is correct for the type of assignment. Effective inclusion of figures, tables, plates (FTP).	An excellently written answer with standard spelling and grammar. Style is clear, resourceful and academic.	Sources accurately cited in the text. A wide range of contemporary and relevant references cited in the reference list in the correct style.
Class II/i (Very Good Quality)	60-69%	Directly relevant to title. Addresses most of the assumptions of the title and/or the requirements of the brief.	Demonstrates a very good knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level. Demonstrates the ability to identify and critically appraise key issues, themes and questions.	Uses sound arguments or theoretical models. Presents a sound critical evaluation of the material resulting in clear and logical conclusions.	Logically constructed in the main. An appropriate format is used.	The presentational style & layout is correct for the type of assignment. Effective inclusion of FTP.	A very well written answer with standard spelling and grammar. Style is clear and academic.	Sources accurately cited in the text and a wide range of appropriate references cited in reference list in the correct style.
Class II/ii (Good Quality)	50-59%	Generally addresses the title/brief, but sometimes considers irrelevant issues.	Demonstrates a good knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level through the identification and critical appraisal of some key issues, themes and questions.	Presents largely coherent arguments. Evidence of attempted analysis and critical evaluation, with some descriptive or narrative passages. Conclusions are fairly clear and logical.	For the most part coherently articulated and logically structured. An acceptable format is used.	The presentational style & layout is correct for the type of assignment. Inclusion of FTP but lacks selectivity.	Competently written with minor lapses in spelling and grammar. Style is readable and academic in the main.	Most sources accurately cited in the text and an appropriate reference list is provided which is largely in the correct style.
Class III (Satisfactory Quality)	40-49%	Some degree of irrelevance to the title/brief. Superficial consideration of the issues.	Demonstrates an adequate knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level. An attempt is made to critically appraise some key issues, themes and questions.	Presents basic arguments, but focus and consistency lacking in places. Issues are vaguely stated. Descriptive or narrative passages evident which lack clear purpose. Conclusions are not always clear or logical.	Adequate attempt at articulation and logical structure. An acceptable format is used.	The presentational style & layout is largely correct for the type of assignment. Inappropriate use of FTP or not used where clearly needed to aid understanding.	Generally competently written although intermittent lapses in grammar and spelling pose obstacles for the reader. Style limits communication and is non-academic in a number of places.	Some relevant sources cited.   Some weaknesses in referencing technique.
Borderline Fail	35-39%	Significant degree of irrelevance to the title/brief. Only the most obvious issues are addressed at a superficial level and in unchallenging terms.	Demonstrates weaknesses in knowledge of theory and practice for this level. Key issues and themes not identified or appraised.	Limited argument, which is descriptive or narrative in style with little evidence of analysis. Conclusions are neither clear nor logical.	Poorly structured.   Lack of articulation. Format deficient.	For the type of assignment the presentational style &/or layout is lacking. FTP ignored in text or not used where clearly needed.	Deficiencies in spelling and grammar makes reading difficult. Simplistic or repetitious style impairs clarity.   Style is non-academic.	Limited sources and weak referencing.
Fail	<34%	Relevance to the title/brief is intermittent or missing.   The topic is reduced to its vaguest and least challenging terms.	Demonstrates a lack of basic knowledge of either theory or practice for this level, with little evidence of understanding.	Inadequate arguments and no analysis. Descriptive or narrative in style with no evidence of critique. Conclusions are sparse.	Unstructured.   Lack of articulation. Format deficient	For the type of assignment the presentational style &/or layout is lacking. FTP as above.	Poorly written with numerous deficiencies in grammar, spelling and expression. Style is non-academic.	An absence of academic sources and poor referencing technique.