MPiK Essay Questions Information Systems

Case: Knowledge Management @ Tata Steel

Question 1: Critically analyse the approach to Knowledge Management at Tata.
Question 2: Utilising evidence from the case study, critically discuss the difference between IT and
IS. Ensure that your answer makes reference to types of information system at Tata.
Question 3: You have been bought in as a consultant to advise on IS / eBusiness strategy at Tata.
Which models do you consider to be most appropriate and why?
Question 4: You have been employed by Tata as a consultant systems designer specialising on soft
issues. Critically examine the social, organisation and cultural issues affecting systems development
and implementation at Tata.

Guidance for students

Answer one question. Your answer should be c.2000 words in length, carefully proof-read for
grammatical mistakes, and fully referenced. The question should be answered in the context of the
Case Study and should make explicit and relevant reference to it throughout. In constructing your
arguments, please make sure that that you consider each of the following areas, which will be what
the markers use to guide the marking process:
1. Focus on the question set
2. Use appropriate material critically
3. Overall argument and conclusions
1. Focus on the question set
You need to answer the question that is set, not what you want the question to be, or what your
friend thinks that the question should be. A clear focus upon the question set will attract higher
marks, unclear, unfocussed or irrelevant answers will not.
2. Use appropriate material critically
The review of the evidence should be both critical in nature and not merely descriptive. You need to
demonstrate engagement with appropriate academic literature and this will include theoretical
models and possible techniques. These should be treated in a critical fashion and you should look
for evidence of problems or issues that have emerged with applying these models in other contexts
to demonstrate wider reading and your ability to compare and contrast.
3. Overall argument and conclusions
The overall argument(s) will be assessed by looking at your use of logic, links between claims you
make and the evidence that you present in your answer. Your work should be cohesive and well
signposted rather than a series of unrelated arguments. Conclusions should draw together from
themes that you developed within your answer and new work should not be introduced in the
conclusion itself.