Length:

• Participation: every class session
• Report: 3,000 words maximum

Format: Case discussion participation and report

Due: Submission in iLearn on or before 11:59pm (Sydney Time) of Wednesday 22nd May 2019

Weighting:

• Participation: 10%
• Report: 15%

Students will be required to:

• Participate in in-class case discussions
• Undertake the weekly hand-on workshops developing data analytics and modelling exercises
• Write an individual report of 3000 words maximum (including appendices). The most important component of this report is the application of insights, concepts, tools and techniques discussed in class to the student’s chosen organisation.

Class contribution: A good class contribution entails active participation in class discussions and adding value and direction to the discussions by sharing student’s insights and work experiences relevant to the subject matter. Moreover, student’s active participation and contribution to group case discussions in class is another aspect of class contribution.  Your mere presence in class and/or e-mail exchanges with your lecturer is not construed as components of class contribution. Students should also be fully prepared with the assigned readings for each session before coming to class and lack of preparation would deduct from their class contribution mark.

The date of submission is planned after the end of the course to ensure students have the opportunity to review all of the material covered in the subject. Students are required to select and make use of topics studied in class in order to (1) draw links to a chosen organisation’s function, department or operation, (2) conduct a gap analysis and (3) elaborate a detailed action plan designed to improve the organisation’s application of big data and analytics to gain insights and profits over a period of 6 – 18 months.

It is highly recommended the chosen organisation be the student’s most recent employer to ensure the assignment is kept real and practical. The report should be written in a concise manner and should be structured in the following way:

1. Brief description of chosen organisation and section within the organisation, including a description of the input resources, transformation process and output goods and services.
2. Gap analysis
   • Problem or topic definition. This section includes the problem or topic definition which is a statement of what your report is about. It defines the main area of opportunity when comparing the current state of the organisation to the best practice tools and techniques studied in class and discussed in the case study
   • Description of current state. This includes the issues or factors which draw the organisation back and contribute towards inefficiencies in the way they collect, store, analyse and gain insight from data.
   • Description of proposed (future) state. For each of the inefficiencies selected in ii, this section includes a description of the intended state by applying a data analytics and management framework based on the 9S framework discussed in class.
3. Implementation plan. This is the most important part of the report. The implementation plan shows the step by step approach required to close the gap and reach the proposed future state. The selection of the right concepts, tools and techniques is critical to ensure the implementation plan is feasible, pragmatic and real.
4. References and bibliography

Report format

Case study reports should be typed single-spaced, with normal margins, and Times New Roman 12pt font. Clarity and structure are critical elements of success. Use the available pages wisely and forego dwelling on defining terms that are obvious and already known. The report should be written as a professional business type of report, reflecting its practicality, applicability and relevance to the business.

Submission details

Students are to submit 1 x soft-copy of their individual report on or before the due date as listed in the box above. The soft-copy submission will be submitted to Turnitin via the MGSM913 iLearn portal, a program used to ensure the originality of the work undertaken by the submitter.

Only ONE single file must be submitted with ALL attachments, displays and charts included within. This can be submitted as a Microsoft Word document (.docx or .doc) or Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (.pptx or .ppt). No file attachments, other than the single Microsoft Word file or single Microsoft PowerPoint presentation will be assessed (please ensure all charts are placed in the one Microsoft Word file).

Please ensure your full name, student number, unit code (MGSM913), unit name (Big Data and Managerial Decisions), and lecturer (Nejhdeh Ghevondian) is clearly visible on the front page of your assignment. No MGSM individual assignment coversheet is necessary.

Late assignments will be penalised 10% per each day delay* unless you have applied for special consideration, and that application is considered acceptable. Applications for extensions must be made before the submission date, and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

*For instance if the deadline for submission is 5:00 pm of 1^st  of June, and the submission happens 5:01 pm of 1^st of June, this is considered as one day delay and subject to 10% of total mark deduction.

Length:

• Report: 6,000 words maximum
• Presentation: 20 minutes maximum

Format:

• Report: PDF submitted through Turnitin
• Presentation: no submission required

Due: 

• Presentations will occur on 29th May and 5th June 2019 during class times
• Report: Final submission on or before 11:59pm, Friday 7th June 2019

Weighting:

• Report: 20%
• Presentation: 15%

Please note: Syndicate groups will be assigned by the lecturer on the first day of class. Groups might experience minor changes up until the third week after the start of the term.

Group assignments’ format are similar to industrial thought leadership papers with no more than 6000 words in total including cover page in the beginning and the references and supplementary information at the end of the paper. The formatting and design of the papers are at the discretion of the students. Important: The criteria for marking the papers include: readability of the report, value-adding information, and creativity in delivering the content and generating new knowledge, extent of the cover of the literature, standard formatting based on industrial benchmarks, and design of the paper.

Each syndicate group will be assigned a topic by the lecturer once the groups have been formed. A list of some possible topics for investigation is included in the table below.

The deadline for submitting the thought leadership paper is the final exam.

Only one PDF file should be submitted through Turnitin platform in iLearn by the group representative.

Each syndicate group will be required to present the summary of their thought leadership paper in class: (1) the duration of the presentation is no more than 20 minutes with Q&A from the class, and (2) there is no need to submit the hard or soft copy of the presentation. Important: The criteria for marking the presentations are: engaging the audience, introduction to the problem, and seamless flow of presentation (What? Why? How?), maintaining eye contact, satisfactory response to the questions asked by the audience, effective time management in presenting the slides and in Q&A, and design and animations used in the slides.  There are no limitations in the number of slides. **All members of the group are required to present**

Syndicate

group

Examples of big data and analytics topics for the group assignment

1

Big data applications in marketing processes

2

Big data and the future of supply chain management

3

Big data and optimizing quantitative decision-making models

4

Big data analytics and re-defining current statistical models

5

Big data and banking and finance

6

Big data and healthcare

7

Big data and customer relationship management

8

Big data and business process management

9

Big data and text mining applications

10

Big data and predictive maintenance

Late assignments will be penalised 10% per each day delay* unless you have applied for special consideration, and that application is considered acceptable. Applications for extensions must be made before the submission date, and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

*For instance if the deadline for submission is 5:00 pm of 1^st  of June, and the submission happens 5:01 pm of 1^st of June, this is considered as one day delay and subject to 10% of total mark deduction.

The final examination will concern all the material (assigned readings, class lectures, group presentations and classroom discussions) from the entire unit. The specific format of the exam will be case studies as well as essay questions.

The MGSM examination period in Term 2 2019 is from 10 – 15 June 2019.

You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the MGSM Examination Timetable. The timetable will be available on 26 April 2019 at https://students.mgsm.edu.au/sydney-students/units/exams/

EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Alternate exam date

Students are expected to sit their examinations on the specified date and time during the examination period.

Only in exceptional circumstances (i.e. in the event of serious illness, injury or death of a close family member, unavoidable pre-scheduled overseas/interstate work trip) will alternative arrangements be considered. In the event of illness, students must submit a medical certificate within 48 hours of the date of the missed exam.

For the purpose of adhering to the Master Degree Regulations, Academic Senate will also treat as unavoidable disruption cases where the student has been prevented from attending an examination for the following reasons:

As a member of the armed forces involved in compulsory exercises

As a person in full-time employment required to be overseas by his or her employer

As a person representing their country at an international sporting or cultural competition

Students, who for any of the reasons set out above, cannot sit in the exam period, must advise their lecturer and submit a Request for an Alternate Exam Date form which can be downloaded from the student website at https://students.mgsm.edu.au/media/documents/ss-forms/Request-Alternate-Exam-Date.pdf.

Full supporting documentation must be attached to any request proposing to sit an exam outside of the scheduled time. Upon approval, an alternate exam date will be advised.

If an alternate exam date is granted, the examination will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period. You are advised that it is Macquarie University policy not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching term that is the final day of the official examination period.