Critique in Systems & TechnologyValue:18%Due date:12-May-2018Return date:05-Jun-2018Length:2200Submission method optionsAlternative submission method Task Journal Entry. The Journal function in...

Journal Entry. The Journal function in Interact2 must be used. External journal sites are not permitted. If your country geo-blocks Interact2 website or your circumstance prevents you from accessing the Internet (eg. due to a disability or if you are in a correctional centre), please contact your lecturer immediately. If it is an office/organisation firewall preventing access, you must find an alternative Internet access point to complete this task.

Warning: Entering or editing data in this journal entry after 2359 hours on 9 May will result in deduction of marks (as specified in Penalties for Late Submission).

Write a business report based on the following:
A group of private education institutions around the world has come together to form World University. It is a fully online university where lecturers teach online from any of its campuses to others around the world. Many different courses are offered. Students can sign on any time to study. All interactions with staff are online. Students can even choose which country they graduate from. A student who has studied his entire degree from Australia may choose to graduate from World University USA, as an example.
Senior management has finalised on the following decisions:
1. A customer loyalty scheme called StudyTogether Loyalty will reward students who introduce another student with fee credit depending on which course is picked. The university also uses agents to sell its offerings to employers. Applications are approved in less than 5 minutes. Payment for non-refundable fees are by credit card or Paypal.
2. E-book and laptop purchases are part of the course and will be available online. Students cannot opt out of purchases. A pre-configured laptop loaded with required software will be sent out to all students.
3. (intentionally left blank)
4. (intentionally left blank)
[Points 3 and 4 will be given to you by your lecturer 7 days before date due. This is to allow everyone to work in this timeframe and to prevent unauthorised assistance with your work.]

[If you noticed, this question focuses on the business side of education. Not the teaching side of education.]

This task meets Learning Outcomes 5 & 6:
Students will :

be able to critique management processes and involvement in planning for Information Systems and Information Technology in an organisation;
be able to identify and co-relate emerging technology issues in management and provide a short balanced analysis report.

Presentation

Journal Presentation Formatting Requirements:
1. Journal space on Interact2 presentation text width between 85-95 characters including spaces.
2. Font types and sizes consistent (use Arial 12pt) throughout and paragraphs well formed.
3. Submit answers to all work in one single journal entry.
4. No attachments to journal entry allowed.
5. Avoid using dot points, bulleted points, numbered points in your work. Lists do not display your
understanding of the subject matter and may even appear disjointed to the reader/marker.
6. Meet word limits in each question (allowance of +/- 5%). Table of contents are not required.
Reference List is not included in the word count.
(Failure to follow all the above rules, [eg. if you do not meet word limit for one question but meet for the others]
this is considered as not meeting word limit for all: no partial mark allocated.)
7. Use either UK spelling or USA spelling but do not mix both.
8. All work presented should be carefully proofed, so that spelling and typographical errors are
corrected.
9. All language used should not be sexist.
10. If acronyms and jargon are used, please explain them in the first instance, then use the
abbreviated form in the rest of the report.
11. Appendices are not to be used.
12. Use of headings and sub-headings can be used for clarity.
13. It is important to get the balance right between the citing of referenced material and your
own interpretation and ideas. When using your own thoughts and ideas, you can signal the
reader by using words and phrases such as 'it can be argued that...", "it is evident that..." and
"it seems as though..."
14. Writing in the third person is expected in all pieces of work.
15. Do not submit multiple copies (or versions) of your work. If you do, the marker will only
pick the one with the lowest mark awarded. You have full editing rights, kindly remove all
unnecessary material before date due.
16. All date/time mentioned and used is in Australian Eastern Standard Time (or Australian
Eastern Daylight Savings Time) or Sydney time.

Business report format
Readers of business reports expect certain information to be in certain places. They do not expect to search for what they want and the harder you make it for them the more likely they are to toss your report to one side and ignore it. So what should you do?
1. Follow the generally accepted format for a business report: Title, Executive Summary, Introduction, Main Body, Conclusion and Reference List.

2. Organise your information within each section in a logical fashion with the reader in mind, usually putting things in order of priority - most important first.
Report Title. This is simply up at the beginning of your report.
Executive Summary. Give a clear and very concise account of the main points, main conclusion (and recommendation). Keep it very short (see word limit). Some people, especially senior managers, may not read anything else so write as if it were a stand-alone document. It isn't but for some people it might as well be. Keep it brief and free from jargon so that anyone can understand it and get the main points. Write it last, but do not copy and paste from the report itself; that rarely works well.
Introduction. This is the first part of the report proper. Use it to paint the background to 'the problem' and to show the reader why the report is important to them. Then explain how the details that follow are arranged. Write it in plain English.
Main Body. This is the heart of your report, the facts. It will probably have several sections or sub-sections each with its own subtitle. It is unique to your report and will describe what you discovered about 'the problem'. These sections are most likely to be read by experts so you can use some appropriate jargon but explain it as you introduce it. Arrange the information logically, normally putting things in order of priority -- most important first. In fact, follow that advice in every section of your report. Do not write in dot points or numbered points as this will appear disjointed and look like notes taken in a meeting.
Conclusion. Present the logical conclusions of your investigation of 'the problem'. Bring it all together and maybe offer options for the way forward. Many people will read this section.
Recommendations. What do you suggest should be done? Don't be shy; you did the work so state your recommendations in order of priority.
References. As your business report must be academically sound as well as making good business sense, it is essential that your report is supported by accurate in-text referencing and the inclusion of a reference list. Although some business reports in the workplace do not require full referencing (and some students may be used to this), it is a requirement in the academic environment. This is equitable for all students.