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Dr Mahbubur Rahim
Senior Lecturer
Phone: +61 3 990 59952
Fax: +61 3 990 58731

Contact hours: Friday 2pm to 5pm

Lecturer(s) / Leader(s):

Clayton

Dr Mahbubur Rahim
Senior Lecturer
Phone: +61 3 990 59952
Fax: +61 3 990 58731

Contact hours: Monday 2pm to 5pm

South Africa

To be advised

Malaysia

To be advised

Introduction

Welcome to FIT3103 Business Case Development for Semester 2, 2008. This 6 point unit is core to the Bachelor of Business Systems in the Faculty of IT. The unit has been designed to provide you with the fundamental of business improvement and the opportunity to develop and present a business case in a team.

Unit synopsis

This unit focuses on the broader aspects of business improvement as a whole including the analysis and modelling of the current system, benchmarking to identify improved processes and industry best practice, developing impoved processes, and then presenting a business case including change management, orally and in writing, to obtain approval to change the business processes.

Learning outcomes

At completion of this unit, students will have obtained core knowledge in the area of business processes, analysis and modelling, acquired skills for analysing and solving business problems, i.e. recognize where problems are amenable to solution, which problem solving and decision-making techniques are the most appropriate ones to use for business case development, developed an attitude of exploration engendered by the opportunity to analyse business improvement issues, acquired basic skills in problem solving in a small team environment and public presentation of business cases.

Contact hours

3 x contact hrs/week

Further unit information

Due to significant changes to course demand over the last five years the Faculty has restructured all coursework courses. During this restructure, the Faculty has been mindful of changes in the profession and has consulted with relevant professional associations and senior IT executives. The new programs have been accredited by the Australian Computer Society. A key consideration in deciding which units are being taught in 2008 and beyond has been maintaining the educational objectives of each program. A consequence of the downsizing of the Faculty has been the reduction of electives in a number of programs.
 

Workload

  • Two hour lecture.
  • One hour tutorial requiring advance preparation.
  • A minimum of one to two hours of personal study time per one hour of contact time in order to satisfy the reading and assignment expectations.
  • You will need to allocate up to 2 hours per week in some weeks for group assignment meetings.

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

Completion of 24 points at first year

Prohibitions

BUS5600 or BUS3600

Relationships

FIT3103 is a core unit of the Bachelor of Business Information Systems degree. You may not study this unit and BUS3600 in your degree.

Teaching and learning method

  • The approach to teaching and learning in this unit is to reinforce the lecture topics with a practical assignment and real case studies. The particular emphasis is on simulating the business environment by working in teams to develop and present case studies, orally and in writing.
  • Students are nominated into teams of six by their tutors to provide a mix of students in each team (local, foreign, industry based learning stream, coursework stream, male and female students).  Normally there are three distinct teams in each tutorial. The student teams then work on a   a separate case study.
  • Case studies are provided to the different teams and business cases for change and improvement are developed during the semester in concert with the lecture topics. The teams orally present their business cases in the lecture theatres to the assessors (tutors and lecturers) and their peers. The teams also submit a twenty page written business case report.

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.cc.monash.edu.au/

Unit Schedule

Week Topic References/Readings Key dates
1 Introduction BCD Textbook Chapter 1  
2 Business Processes & Modelling BCD Textbook Chapter 3  
3 Human Factors in Change BCD Textbook Chapter 7  
4 Measuring Performance BCD Textbook Chapter 2  
5 Measuring Performance BCD Textbook Chapter 2  
6 Business process reengineering BCD Textbook Chapter 4 Assignment 1 due
7 BPR/Change Management Case Study BCD Textbook Chapter 8  
8 BPR & IT Case study BCD Textbook Chapter 6  
9 Quality Management BCD Textbook Chapter 5  
10 Internal and External Strategies   Assignment 2: case study report due
Mid semester break
11 Case Study Presentations BCD Textbook Chapter 9 Case study presentation
12 Case Study Presentations BCD Textbook Chapter 9 Case study presentation
13 Summary and Review    

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

  • Prescribed Text: Business Case Development (2002) published by Pearson Education Australia, ISBN 1 74009 406 9, Yen Ping Cheung and Ian Martin.
  • Prescribed Text: Reengineering the Corporation (2001) published by Nicholas Brealey, ISBN 1 85788 097 8, Michael Hammer and James Champy.
  • Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Recommended text(s) and readings

  • Bhuvan Unhelkar, 2005, Practical Object Oriented Design, Thomson Social Science Press, ISBN 0-17-012299-9.
  • Porter M E, 1985, Competitive Advantage Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, The Free Press, ISBN 0-684-84146-0.
  • White and Bruton, 2006, The Management of Technology & Innovation, A Strategic Approach, ISBN 0-324-14497-0.
  • Grose, M, 2003, Why First Borns Rule The World and Last Borns Want to Change IT, Random House, ISBN 978-1-74051-198-8.
  • Handouts and recommendations at lectures.

Required software and/or hardware

There is no software requirement.

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the Faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook. You will need to allocate up to 3 hours per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

  • This unit information outlining the administrative information for the unit.
  • The FIT3103 website on MUSO where the lecture slides, assignment, case studies and past exam papers will be posted.

Assessment

Overview

Assignments:40%
Exam: 60%

Faculty assessment policy

To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

  • 40% or more in the unit's examination, and
  • 40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
  • an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 44% then a mark of no greater than 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

  • The unit is assessed with two assignments and a two hour closed book examination.
  • To pass the unit you must pass the exam and achieve no less than 50% of possible marks.

Assignment tasks

Assignment coversheets

Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.

  • Assignment task 1
    Title:
    Assignment 1
    Description:
    Business Process Modelling exercise
    Weighting:
    10%
    Due date:
    August 28, 2009 (Week 6)
  • Assignment task 2
    Title:
    Case Study Presentation
    Description:
    Each team of six students will present their business case for 15 minutes to the assessors and their peers in week 11 or 12.
    Weighting:
    12%
    Due date:
    October 9 or October 16 (Week 11 and 12)
    Remarks:
    The tutors will determine the date of each group's presentation.
  • Assignment task 3
    Title:
    Case Study Written Report
    Description:
    A twenty page written report to include the following:
    • Executive summary.
    •  Introduction.
    • Problem statement.
    • Approach/methodogy.
    • AS-IS model.
    •  Benchmarking.
    • Alternative solutions considered.
    • TO-BE model.
    • Proposal/business case.
    • Implementation and conclusion.
    Weighting:
    18%
    Due date:
    September 25 (Week 10)

Examination

  • Weighting: 60%
    Length: 2 hours
    Type (open/closed book): closed book
    Remarks:

    • Normally in two sections.
    • Section A composed of 60 multiple choice questions. Students are asked to answer all questions.
    • Section B composed of five short answer questions. Students are asked to answer four of the five questions.

See Appendix for End of semester special consideration / deferred exams process.

Due dates and extensions

Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date may be subject to a penalty of one mark per day late. Assignments received later than one week after the due date will not normally be accepted.

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Appendix

Please visit the following URL: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/appendix.html for further information about:

  • Continuous improvement
  • Unit evaluations
  • Communication, participation and feedback
  • Library access
  • Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)
  • Plagiarism, cheating and collusion
  • Register of counselling about plagiarism
  • Non-discriminatory language
  • Students with disability
  • End of semester special consideration / deferred exams
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