Big Data in Business Assignment
1. Introduction
You must submit an individual report that incorporates the Big Data strategy, including the problem analysis, value proposition, technology solutions design and feasibility assessment, etc., to address the problem situation given. The report should not exceed 20 pages of A4 with a minimum font size of 10, including tables and diagrams/illustrations but excluding references and appendices.
The report is expected to be based on the group work that is carried out throughout the term. Each group must give a presentation in the final week that provides the proposed solution. While the solution development is carried out through the group work activity, the report must be written individually, and it should not exhibit any evidence of collusion in writing.
2. The Problem - "Supporting Independent Living in the Ageing and Diverse Society"
You are tasked to devise a solution to support independent living in the ageing and diverse society through the use of Big Data and analytics technologies.
The UK has an ageing population, yet often elderly individuals living at home and in care homes may become disconnected from their communities and/or lack sufficient support to live independently and lead an active a social life. There is also increased awareness that social inclusion issues still remain for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) communities. According to the most recent factsheet by the charity Age UK:
- There are now 11.6 million people aged 65 or over in the UK; by 2040, nearly one in four people in the UK (24.2%) will be aged 65 or over
- 3.5 million 65+ live alone. This is 36% of all people aged 65+ in GB
- 39% of people aged 65+ think businesses have little interest in the consumer needs of older people.
- Evidence suggests that OLGBT's are more likely to live alone in old age, with fewer links with younger generations, thereby increasing their risk of isolation.
- 76.1% of people aged over 65 don't take part in any sport, compared to 53.8% of the total population. Around 20% of over 65s would like to do more sport.
- According to a survey in December 2014, 2.9 million older people (65+) in Great Britain feel they have no one to turn to for help and support.
- 8.5% or 975,000 older people (65 and over) often or always feel lonely
- People with a high degree of loneliness are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's than people with a low degree of loneliness
- Other than maintaining their health and independence, respondents were most likely to choose having a circle of friends they see frequently as being important to them when they are 60 or older.
- People aged 65 and over spend on average three and three quarters hours a day watching TV (or DVD/Video)
Reasons for the sense of loneliness are numerous and may include a lack of easy access to transportation and also a lack of awareness of local activities and events. Often engagement may require individuals to have access to websites, social media or applications which elderly individuals may be unfamiliar with. Furthermore, they may not have the required technical knowledge or even access to necessary technologies. Yet elderly citizens have much to offer the local community in terms of years of experience and practical knowledge to name but a few benefits. According to the same report:
- People who took part in more health-maintaining and independence-maintaining behaviours were less likely to feel isolated and more likely to feel that their community was a good one to grow old in.
This shows that there is a need to support the elderly to overcome the sense of loneliness and isolation and to lead more independent living where possible.
3. Your task
Your task, to be addressed in a group, is to propose an innovative solution to support independent living among those who are thought to be isolated making use of Big Data and related technologies. This may not be using a large amount of data (volume) but other aspects of Big Data such as variety and velocity, as well as relevant analytics approaches. Also the topic can have a broader interpretation as well as scope, e.g., the geographical domain may not be confined to UK, and the population may not be limited to the aged. However, there must be a clear non-commercial beneficiary of the solution. The proposed solution is expected to be made available within the next three years but can include expectations for its future evolution.
Your solution must include the following, which should be included in the report.
1. Problem situation and domain analysis - you should provide the analysis of the problem situation to be addressed to identify the scope and focus, and carry out the domain analysis, e.g., stakeholder analysis, organisational analysis, strategy analysis, etc., as appropriate.
2. Value proposition - you should provide the value proposition, making clear for the stakeholder(s) for whom the value(s) is(are) generated by the proposed solution.
3. Business model - you should develop a business model that will support your proposed solution, e.g., by using the Business Model Canvas.
4. Technical solution design - you should provide the technical design of the proposed solution, e.g., how to collect and manage the data, what analytics will be performed, how the solution will be made available to targeted users, etc.; you should critically approach this to ensure that the proposed solution and its elements are justified.
5. Feasibility demonstration/analysis - you should demonstrate the technical and operational feasibility of the proposed solution; the solution does not have to be implemented or working, but it should demonstrate that it can be made to work with a reasonable technical competence and effort; you should also consider various systems and tools that are introduced during the course to demonstrate the feasibility through, e.g., example scenarios and mockups.
This should also assess how the proposed solution would work in practice (operational feasibility), e.g., any issues in gathering, managing, analysing, etc., the data suggested.
6. Professional and ethical issues - you should assess the professional and ethical issues that need to be considered for the proposed solution.
The elements above are expected to be addressed through group work and should be part of the final presentation.
In addition to the above, the report should include:
7. Critical evaluation - you should provide a critical evaluation of the analysis and proposed solution.
The report should also ensure that it is professionally structured and formatted, e.g., there should be introduction and conclusion, as well as references and appendices as appropriate. This is reflected in the assessment of the quality of report in term of consistency, logical argumentation, coherence, flow, style and structure.
Assignment Files -
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6z9vhonc2j6biqr/Assignment%20Files.rar?dl=0