FIT3103 Business case development - Semester 1, 2010

Prerequisites

Completion of 24 points at level 1

Prohibitions

BUS3600, BUS5600

Teaching approach

• 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 (comprising not more than four members) by their tutors to provide a mix of students in each team (local, foreign, industry based learning stream, coursework stream, male and female students).  The members of a team must be selected from the same tutorial to help organise team meetings and improve  the convenience of reporting team progress to tutors. Normally there are four to five distinct teams in each tutorial. Each team then works on 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 written business case report (not exceeding 25 pages).

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.its.monash.edu.au/

Unit Schedule

Week	Date*	Topic	References/Readings	Key dates
1	01/03/10	BCD Unit overview, Introduction to Business Environment & Business Case Development	BCD Textbook Chapter 1
2	08/03/10	Business Processes & Modelling	BCD Textbook Chapter 3
3	15/03/10	Human Factors and Change Management	BCD Textbook Chapter 7
4	22/03/10	Measuring Performance of Business	BCD Textbook Chapter 2
5	29/03/10	Measuring Performance	BCD Textbook Chapter 2	Assignment 1 due
Mid semester break
6	12/04/10	Business process reengineering	BCD Textbook Chapter 4
7	19/04/10	BPR/Change Management Case Study	BCD Textbook Chapter 8
8	26/04/10	BPR & IT Case study	BCD Textbook Chapter 6
9	03/05/10	Quality Management	BCD Textbook Chapter 5
10	10/05/10	Business Strategies and Innovations		Assignment 2: case study report due
11	17/05/10	Case Study Presentations	BCD Textbook Chapter 9	Assignment 3: Case study presentation
12	24/05/10	Case Study Presentations	BCD Textbook Chapter 9	Assignment 3: Case study presentation
13	31/05/10	Summary and Review

*Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.

Improvements to this unit

New material was addded 2009.

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 requirement for a specific software for this unit. However, general purpose software like powepoint, Visio are to be used for presentation and drawing models.

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, tutorial materials, assignments, case studies and at least some parts of a past exam paper will be posted. In addition, tutorial solutions (if any) can be requsted from the tutors.

Overview

Examination (2 hours): 60%; In-semester assessment: 40%

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 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.

• The unit is assessed with three 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 (individual)

  Description:

  Business Process Modelling exercise
  

  Weighting:

  10%

  Due date:

  April 15 (Thursday), 2010 (Week 5)

• Assignment task 2

  Title:

  Case Study Report (group)

  Description:

  Each team should have no more than four members selected from the same tutorial. Tutors will assign a case study to each team.  Teams must be formed by Week 4. A written report (not exceeding 25 pages) is to be submitted. A draft structure of the report is given below:

  • 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:

  May 14 (Friday), 2010 (Week 10)

  Remarks:

• Assignment task 3

  Title:

  Case Study Presentation (group)

  Description:

  Each team will present its business case for 15 minutes to the assessors and their peers in Week 11 or 12.

  Weighting:

  12%

  Due date:

  May 18 or May 25 (Week 11 and Week 12)

  Remarks:

  The lecturer/tutors will determine the date of each team's presentation.

Examination

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

  • Normally in three sections.
  • Section A composed of several multiple choice questions. Students are asked to answer all questions.
  • Section B includes mini-cases. Students are asked to answer all questions.
  • Section C contains several discussion questions. Students are given choices.

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.