BS4S04: Management Systems and Financial Information for Decision Making

(2014-15)

Assignment 1
A critical analysis of information systems within an organisation and its potential
impact on management decision making

Guidelines
1. Select an organisation with which you are familiar and consider the different types
of information systems within that organisation.
Students in part-time employment can (with their employers permission) can
analyse a system within their own organisation.
2. Critically analyse the information systems in relation to their potential impact on
management decision making. (Depending on the size of the organisation and
the information available, you can focus on one or more information systems.)
Key content areas for the report will be discussed during the weekly timetabled
classes.
3. Present your findings in a report format, following the structure and guidelines
provided on Blackboard.
4. The word count is a maximum of 3,000 words.
Only the main body of the report contributes to the word count (i.e. executive
summary, contents page, reference list and appendices are not counted).
5. Deadline: Sunday, 30 November 2014, 11.59pm.

Further information

You must acknowledge and appropriately cite all sources used within your report,
using the Harvard method; see the University of South Wales University guide to
Harvard referencing.

Only online submission via TurnItin (set up in the module on Blackboard) will be
accepted.

TurnItin has been set up to allow multiple submissions, so you can take
advantage of the Originality Report.

If you have any queries, you should email me for an appointment

(Julie.Prior@southwales.ac.uk) well in advance of the deadline.

You will be able to access your feedback and grade online via GradeMark, no
later than 20 working days after the submission deadline.

Julie Prior (Module Tutor for Management Systems)

BS4S04: Management Systems and Financial Information for Decision Making

(2014-15)

Your work will be assessed using the following criteria:

1. Knowledge and understanding of:
Importance of key management information systems.
Value of the information to different levels of management decision making.
Applying theories and principles of management decision making in an
organisational context.
2. Analytical/Report writing skills:
Has the questioned been answered?
Appropriate and relevant information used to address the question. (Ideas are
succinct, clear and inter-related, not just reproduced information).
Shows appropriate use of theory in practice. (Examples of how key issues are
considered and applied in the organisation selected).
Range of evidence used to support analysis (including appropriate use of
referencing).
Information is logical, well structured and presented in an appropriate business
format.

Marking Grid
Guidelines
Executive Summary Succinct summary of report.
Introduction
Purpose of the report.
Sets organisational context.
Main findings
Identification of information systems
Application of theories and principles of
information systems linked to organisational
context (appropriate links between theory,
evidence and organisational examples).
Outline of advantages and disadvantages
Conclusion
Concise summary of findings
Recommendations* Clear rational for recommendations.
Based on evidence from main findings.
Overall presentation Information coherently structured.
of the report
Professionally presented (visual presentation,
writing style, grammar, spelling, etc).
Accurate referencing within the narrative and
in the reference list.

Weighting
5%
10%
60%

5%
10%
10%

* If you are analysing an organisation, with which you are not very familiar, you can
exclude the recommendations section. The 10% of marks will be reallocated to the
Main Findings section (=70%).

Julie Prior (Module Tutor for Management Systems)