CCSM Assignments

University of Central Lancashire
BSc (Hons) Business Computing and Information

Systems
Corporate Communication Systems Management

Assignment
Spring 2020
Words: 1600
Weighting: 40%
Learning Outcomes assessed: 1,4,5
Submission date: 8 May 2020 (11.59pm UK time)
Module Leader: Stuart Hutchison
Important notes
• Please refer to the Assignment Presentation Requirements for advice on how

to set out your assignment.
• You must familiarise yourself with the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism
Policy relating to this programme and ensure that you acknowledge all the
sources which you use in your work. The policy is available to access though
your programme handbook.
• You must complete the Statement and Confirmation of Own Work found at the
back of this assignment.
• Please make a note of the recommended word count. You could lose marks if
you write 10% more or less than this and additional words may not be marked.
• You must submit a digital copy of this assignment through the CN virtual
learning environment. Media containing viruses, corrupted media, or media
which cannot be run directly, will result in a fail grade being awarded for this
module.
• All electronic media will be checked for plagiarism.
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Assignment Guidance
The learning outcomes assessed in this assignment are as follows:
Module Description
Learning
Outcome
LO 1 Critically analyse current and future networking services
LO 4 Select and justify the use of a variety of systems and tools for network
management
LO 5 Evaluate and analyse alternative technologies in relation to the solution

of a practical problem
• It is the student’s responsibility to familiarise themselves with the Academic Dishonesty

and Plagiarism policy contained in the Programme Handbook.
• Any assignment submitted after the submission deadline, without prior approval, will be
given 0% and the student will be referred.
• The late assignment submission may be marked as a referral attempt, but only a
maximum mark of 40% can be awarded for that particular assessment.
• If a student requests an extension to the official submission date this must be done in
writing to the Course Director at least five full UK working days before the official
submission date. This request must be accompanied by supporting evidence.
• This assignment is worth 40% of the overall final mark for the module.
• Students should write no more than 1600 words (+/- 10%) for this assignment.
Additional words may not be marked.
• Students are encouraged to read widely in preparing for the assignment, making
reference to articles in academic journals and other relevant sources.
• All references should be cited in text and included in a reference section at the end of
the report using the Harvard Referencing Scheme.
• The Statement and Confirmation of Own Work must be completed and submitted with
the assignment.
• This assignment must be submitted by the due date and time as given on the front of
this assignment.
• Please refer to the Assessment Criteria contained in the Programme Handbook which
shows how the level of marking relates to your standard of work.
Page 2 of 9
Corporate Communication Systems Management © NCC Education Limited 2020
Submission Requirements
You must read and understand NCC Education’s policy on ‘Academic Dishonesty and
Plagiarism’. You must complete the attached form ‘Statement and Confirmation of Own
Work’ and attach your completed form to your assignment.
Scenario
You are a Computer Network & Telecommunications Consultant, contracted to work for the
following organisation. Your job is to advise the company on how best to design, install and
operate a state-of-the-art networking and communications system that supports the
organisation and all the following locations, services and requirements. This system must
support voice, data, images, video and audio streaming and associated computing
platforms. It must be fully costed.
“Publishing Unlimited” are an internet-based publishing organisation aimed specifically at

self-publishing authors who cannot or do not wish to go down the traditional route of
publishing their work via a mainstream publishing house. This allows authors to have
maximum control of their work, save time and money plus have in-depth monitoring and
management of their publishing and sales channels. Here is how it works…
The content to be published can cover any genre (history, romance, comedy, science,
nature etc.) and be factual or fiction. Any author over the age of 16 can set up an online
account with the company via its website and there are no limits to the number of titles
published nor the number of copies per title. The only restriction is that each author must
submit a signed statement confirming that the work is all their own and no copyright
infringement has occurred. Setting up an account is free and as part of that process the
author must link a payment method to their account – such as a PayPal account or bank
account. Once this is done, self-publishing can commence.
There are no fixed fees but instead the author pays on a ‘per copy’ basis. This ‘per copy’
model has two dimensions. Most authors are happy to publish entirely in digital format and
as they are providing all the content and doing all the layout and formatting, there is no cost
to them for hosting the e-book. However, once uploaded to the company’s own e-book store
(www.from-me-to-you.com) and associated partner sites, including the beast known as
Amazon, the author is charged ‘per copy downloaded’. This figure is based on 15% of the
retail cost of the e-book. So if an author sells 100 digital copies of their latest book at £10
each, then the company takes £1.50 x 100 = £150.00 and the author gets £8.50 x 100 =
£850.00 – paid directly into their nominated PayPal or bank account.
A smaller number of (more experienced and better known) authors also like to offer their
readers a hardcopy version of their books, alongside the digital offering. This is because
they can confidently predict substantial sales volumes. In this case, the company can
arrange in-house printing of the book (details below) and the author is then charged on a
‘per copy printed’ basis. The fee is a flat £3.00 per book up to 200 pages and £5 per book
over 200 pages. There is no charge for actual sales or distribution. Like the e-book model,
sales proceeds are passed automatically to the author at the end of each month. The
company deals with all accounting issues and these can be tracked by the author through
their account.
Page 9 of 9
A very small number of authors are actually quite famous and have a substantial fan-base
with book sales that compare very well with even the largest mainstream publishers. These
high-profile authors can opt to have the company build them a customised author micro-site
hosted alongside the main e-book store so that fans and readers can follow their favourite
author, as well as read their books. This obviously demands substantial IT involvement and
as such is reserved only for the company’s premier sales authors. The fee for setting the
author website up and maintaining it is negotiable with each author and fees are confidential.
The core content is obviously supplied by individual authors – from around the world - who
write their work locally at home or at their own place of work and then submit this work in
various electronic formats such as PDF, MOBI, EPUB etc. to the online portal. Once
uploaded, it can be self-edited and laid-out using the company’s platform software.
Even though the company is focussed on self-publishing, many new (and some not-so-new)
authors value the input of professional editors and graphic designers and for an additional
fee can engage the services of these publishing professionals. In this case, draft work may
be emailed into the company for review and feedback. There are currently over fifty editors,
each with a genre specialism (such as computer science, mathematics, nature, comedy,
romance etc.) managed by the Editor-in-Chief. Some editors are freelance themselves and
work remotely from home, but most editors and their lead editor are based at the company’s
headquarters (HQ) in Reading, UK where each has their own workstation running standard
office software and specialised publishing packages. They all work in a single large open-
plan office on the first floor of the HQ building known as Vanity Towers. All the core
services like HR, Legal, Accounts etc. are also based here but in different rooms on the
third floor. The CEO and board, plus their personal assistants, work on the fourth (top)
floor of Vanity Towers.
Once the content and layout is finalised and agreed, the next stage is for the in-house
publishing and graphic design experts to use specialised desktop publishing software to get
the electronic files ready for either hardcopy printing using a traditional printing press or to
upload the electronic versions to a central secure server where the public can access them
via the company e-book store. They are also copied over to partner websites and uploaded
to Amazon. These staff (ten of them) work in another room on the second floor of Vanity
Towers.
The dedicated author websites are developed mainly by the central in-house IT team which
comprises a team of twelve IT professionals housed in the CITS (Central IT Services)
Building which is located two hundred meters away from Vanity Towers. CITS is also
responsible for running all the internal IT platforms, including the main e-book store. Some
specialised work (such as computer animations) is outsourced to freelance web developers
who work from home.
The actual physical printing of the hardcopy books demands large, heavy printing presses
and these can be found in the company’s modern, purpose-built printing facility (Print Point)
on the outskirts of the city – about 10 miles from Vanity Towers.
Page 9 of 9
The company is also considering more advanced features such as ‘Keynote Webinars’
where high-profile self-publishing authors will give live presentations to discuss and promote
their latest book and also to give self-publishing advice to newer authors. It is also desirable
to maintain contact - via voice, data and video - with all the off-site players in this enterprise
as well as the on-site core staff. This will demand high-performance communications links
to support real-time streaming of audio and video content.
Final Point
The above is simply an outline of the company and you will need to make your own
assumptions and interpret or even extend the scenario as you go. Use your imagination as
you see fit, but you must clearly document all assumptions and extensions.
The specific tasks are set out on the next pages.
Page 9 of 9
Assignment
General (20 marks)
Research, referencing and presentation skills.
Task 1 (20 marks)
The above scenario is what the managing director has told you over the phone in the initial
discussion, but some aspects may not have been mentioned at all or may need further
clarification. This is what reality is like – grey, not black and white. To provide a solution to
a problem you must first fully understand the problem. Consequently, your first task is to
resolve this ambiguity by:
a) Drawing a schematic (not a networking) diagram of your understanding of the

physical layout of the company, focussing on the number of staff, current IT resources
and business functions at each site, using arrows to indicate the type (basic data,
voice, multi-media data, video etc), volume (call duration, file sizes etc) and direction
(source and destination) of traffic flow for each site. You will undoubtedly have to
make assumptions regarding the volume criteria so be sure to fully document these.
HINT: Research real-world data traffic statistics.
b) Draw up a list of additional products, features and services that could be added to
those above that will enable the company to function more efficiently. Provide a
business rationale for each suggestion. Decide who needs access to these additional
features and where they should be physically placed. Add them to your existing
diagram but denote them by drawing them in red.
Please see the following pages for tasks, 2, 3 and 4.
Page 9 of 9
Task 2 (20 marks)
Now that you have a full understanding of the business, its operations and the traffic flows
around it, you should draw up a detailed network design for the whole enterprise. This may
seem a daunting task so, like any complex task, break it down into the following steps:
a) For each of the various sites; research, document and discuss the various technical
options available for local (on-site) communication, considering the number of users,
the type and volume of data and any physical restrictions dictated by that location.
Support your narrative with suitable diagrams.
b) Investigate and explain the various technical options available to link the different
sites (inter-site) together, considering any physical restrictions dictated by the
distances between sites. Support your narrative with suitable diagrams.
c) Research the technical options available to support easy communication between

the company and the remote workers – staff, contractors and authors. Again,
support your discussion with suitable diagrams.
General advice: For each of the above three sub-tasks, as well as discussing each technical
option and its strengths/limitations, be sure to provide suitable supporting topology
diagrams, a list of requisite hardware, firm evidence that you have researched those
technical options (fully cited using the Harvard referencing system) and, most important of
all, provided a sound rationale and business justification for/against each option. Do not just
focus purely on technical points but also pay close attention to the background business
within which that technology will operate.
Task 3 (20 marks)
Having drawn up a set of possible technical solutions, you must now recommend a single,
unified networking architecture for the company, based on the technical and business
criteria outlined in task 2. Draw a single network diagram showing this recommended
solution, including all hardware, networking devices, cabling and software. Then provide
a detailed breakdown of all costs to implement and operate that solution. Again, provide fully
referenced evidence that you have researched current commercial options. You should aim
to provide at least two TCO figures (Total Cost of Ownership).
HINT: Present your two budgets in a table for easy comparison. The two budgets should be
different ways of implementing the same networking solution you have put forward and
should include hardware, software, networking and staffing costs, including any recruitment
or training deemed necessary. Research real-world costs for all items and provide a
web link to the sources used.
Page 9 of 9
Task 4 (20 marks)
Your final task is to advise the company on both the benefits and the risks that your proposed
solution may bring. On the positive side, you should aim to ‘sell’ your solution by
emphasising the ROI (Return on Investment) angle. Research this concept if needed.
Likewise, on the negative side, you have a duty to inform the company of potential threats
and problems that may occur going forward – technical or otherwise.
Total marks for the assignment = 100 marks.
Your report should be 1600 words (+/- 10%) plus diagrams.
References do not count towards this word limit. For your prices you need to show
via references where the prices have come from so that these figures can be
validated. If you use any work which is not yours (for example a picture or a piece of
text which helps you to explain your argument) then this must be correctly and fully
referenced using the Harvard referencing system.
Page 9 of 9
Statement and Confirmation of Own Work
Programme/Qualification name:
All NCC Education assessed assignments submitted by students must have this statement as the
cover page or it will not be accepted for marking. Please ensure that this statement is either firmly
attached to the cover of the assignment or electronically inserted into the front of the assignment.
Student declaration
I have read and understood NCC Education’s Policy on Academic Dishonesty and
Plagiarism.
I can confirm the following details:
Student ID/Registration number:
Name:
Centre Name:
Module Name:
Module Leader:
Number of words:
I confirm that this is my own work and that I have not plagiarised any part of it. I have also
noted the assessment criteria and pass mark for assignments.
Due Date:
Student Signature:
Submitted Date:
Page 9 of 9
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University of Central Lancashire

BSc (Hons) Business Computing and Information

Corporate Communication Systems Management

• Please refer to the Assignment Presentation Requirements for advice on how

LO 5 Evaluate and analyse alternative technologies in relation to the solution

• It is the student’s responsibility to familiarise themselves with the Academic Dishonesty

“Publishing Unlimited” are an internet-based publishing organisation aimed specifically at

The specific tasks are set out on the next pages.

General (20 marks)

Research, referencing and presentation skills.

Task 1 (20 marks)

a) Drawing a schematic (not a networking) diagram of your understanding of the

Please see the following pages for tasks, 2, 3 and 4.

c) Research the technical options available to support easy communication between

Task 3 (20 marks)

Total marks for the assignment = 100 marks.

Your report should be 1600 words (+/- 10%) plus diagrams.

I can confirm the following details:

Student ID/Registration number:

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