BUS5600 Business case development - Semester 2 , 2006 unit guide

Semester 2, 2006

Chief Examiner

Yen Cheung

Lecturers

Clayton : Yen Cheung

Outline

Lectures will introduce students to aspects of business improvements for adapting businesses to a rapidly changing competitive environment. This involves concepts of business analysis, business modelling (methods and techniques), aligning IT and business strategies, business process re-engineering, change managements and business case development. Practical case studies will be introduced in the lectures to supplement the lecture materials. In addition, students will undertake a business case where they will work in teams to study and (perhaps solve) a particular business problem. Specifically the lecture content are: 1.Business analysis and modelling techniques such as the object-oriented analysis and design techniques. 2.BPR and Change Management within organisations: the concept of business processes, BPR projects (case studies) and their effects on organisations, force field analysis as a change management tool and managing the change process. 3.IT and business improvements: particularly the role of IT in business improvements, business strategies for IT enabled BPR projects and emerging technologies such as integrated business systems; 4.Problem solving techniques such as the 'seven basic tools' (process flows, cause and effect analysis, pareto analysis, scatter diagrams, histograms and control charts) and the benchmarking process; 5.TQM and business Improvements: the TQM philosophy and its role in business case development; 6.Teams and people Issues: team compositions, leadership styles and ethical issues of business case development. Overall the subject consists of two main sections: Business case concepts and case studies - addressed by the lectures, Business Case Development - addressed by tutorials and group projects.

Objectives

Knowledge and Understanding

Students completing this unit will have obtained core knowledge in the area of business processes, analysis, process modelling, process re-engineering, quality management and tools, management of teams and organisations and change management.

Attitudes, Values and Beliefs

Students completing this unit will have developed an attitude of exploration engendered by the opportunity to analyse business improvement issues and work with others with diverse backgrounds and expertise to develop business solutions that benefit industry.

Practical Skills

Students completing this unit will acquire 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 and basic skills in problem solving in a small team environment and public presentation of business cases.

Relationships, Communication and TeamWork

Students completing this unit will learn basic communication skills by developing business cases in a small team environment and participating in the public presentation of their group efforts.

Prerequisites

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed BUS9520 or equivalent.

Unit relationships

BUS5600 is an elective unit in the Master of Business Systems Degree.

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed BUS9520 or equivalent.

You may not study this unit if you have successfully completed BUS3600.

Reason: There are some overlaps between BUS5600 and BUS3600 in terms of Objective 1

Texts and software

Required text(s)

Yen Ping Cheung and Ian Martin. 2002, Business Case Development, Pearson Education Australia, ISBN 1 74009 406 9.

Textbook availability

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.

Software requirements

There is no software requirement.

Optional software:

Microsoft Project and SmartDraw - both are available in the computer labs of the school.

Hardware requirements

On-campus students 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.

There are no computer laboratory assessed work but you will need access to a PC to access study materials

Recommended reading

Hammer & Champy, 2001, Reengineering the Corporation, Nicholas Brealey UK. ISBN 1 85788 097 8.

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 & Bruton, 2006, The Management of Technology & Innovation: A Strategic Approach, Thomson South-Western, ISBN 0-324-14497-0.

Library access

You may need to access the Monash library either personally to be able to satisfactorily complete the subject.  Be sure to obtain a copy of the Library Guide, and if necessary, the instructions for remote access from the library website.

Study resources

Study resources for BUS5600 are:

available at the BUS5600 web site on MUSO, where lecture slides, tutorials and assignment specifications and practical test will be posted.

Unit website

http://muso.monash.edu.au/

Structure and organisation

Week Topics
1 Introduction
2 Object Modelling
3 Process Modelling
4 Performance Measurement
5 Internal Strategy
6 External Strategy
7 Quality Management
8 Case Study
9 IT and Business Improvement
10 People and Teams
Non teaching week
11 business case presentation
12 business case presentation
13 summary & review

Timetable

The timetable for on-campus classes for this unit can be viewed in Allocate+

Assessment

Assessment weighting

Final Examination 60%
Assignments 15%
Business Case 25%

Assessment Policy

To pass this unit you must:

pass the final examination, otherwise your final mark will be that of the final examination. If you have passed your final examination, your overall marks for this unit will be the examination plus all other assessed components.

Your score for the unit will be calculated by:

If you did not pass the final examination, your final mark will be that of this examination (100% weightage of exam)
Otherwise, final mark will be: Final examination (60%) + Assignments (40%)

Assessment Requirements

Assessment Due Date Weighting
Assignments Week 11 15%
Business Case Weeks 11 and 12 25 %
The exam is 2 hours long and is closed book. Exam period (S2/06) starts on 23/10/06 60 %

Assignment specifications will be made available BUS5600 website on MUSO.

Assignment Submission

Assignments will be submitted by electronic submission to MUSO.

Extensions and late submissions

Late submission of assignments

Late assignment will be accepted using the following sliding scale:

No of Percentage
Days Late of Grade

1 80%
2 60%
3 40%
4 20%
5 0%

This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment. 

Extensions

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 seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. 

Requests for extensions must be made by email to the unit lecturer at least two days before the due date. You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary. A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Grading of assessment

Assignments, and the unit, will be marked and allocated a grade according to the following scale:

Grade Percentage/description
HD High Distinction - very high levels of achievement, demonstrated knowledge and understanding, skills in application and high standards of work encompassing all aspects of the tasks.
In the 80+% range of marks for the assignment.
D Distinction - high levels of achievement, but not of the same standards. May have a weakness in one particular aspect, or overall standards may not be quite as high.
In the 70-79% range.
C Credit - sound pass displaying good knowledge or application skills, but some weaknesses in the quality, range or demonstration of understanding.
In the 60-69% range.
P Pass acceptable standard, showing an adequate basic knowledge, understanding or skills, but with definite limitations on the extent of such understanding or application. Some parts may be incomplete.
In the 50-59% range.
N Not satisfactory failure to meet the basic requirements of the assessment.
Below 50%.

Assignment return

We will aim to have assignment results made available to you within two weeks after assignment receipt.

Feedback

Feedback to you

You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This feedback may be provided through your participation in tutorials and class discussions, as well as through your assignment submissions. It may come in the form of individual advice, marks and comments, or it may be provided as comment or reflection targeted at the group. It may be provided through personal interactions, such as interviews and on-line forums, or through other mechanisms such as on-line self-tests and publication of grade distributions.

Feedback from you

You will be asked to provide feedback to the Faculty through a Unit Evaluation survey at the end of the semester. You may also be asked to complete surveys to help teaching staff improve the unit and unit delivery. Your input to such surveys is very important to the faculty and the teaching staff in maintaining relevant and high quality learning experiences for our students.

And if you are having problems

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem with your study. The semester is short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Plagiarism and cheating

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Communication

Communication methods

(1) Visit lecturer or tutor during their consultation times
(2) Email lecturer or tutor
(3) Noticeboard on MUSO website

Notices

Notices related to the unit during the semester will be placed on the Notices Newsgroup in the Unit Website. Check this regularly. Failure to read the Notices newsgroup is not regarded as grounds for special consideration.

Consultation Times

Please refer to MUSO (under Syllabus) for consultation times.

 

If direct communication with your unit adviser/lecturer or tutor outside of consultation periods is needed you may contact the lecturer and/or tutors at:

Dr Yen Cheung
Senior Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 52441

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All email communication to you from your lecturer will occur through your Monash student email address. Please ensure that you read it regularly, or forward your email to your main address. Also check that your contact information registered with the University is up to date in My.Monash.

Last updated: Jul 31, 2006