The Report -
The second part of this assignment is a report. A report is a clearly structured document that presents information as clearly and succinctly as possible. Reports should be easy to read and professional in presentation. Reports are used to help make decisions or account for actions. The common feature of all reports is that they are structured into sections with headings.
Your report should have the following sections:
A. Completed declaration and criteria sheet. Found at the end of this document.
B. Title page. This page should include: the report title, which states the report's purpose and your name. It should be designed well.
C. Executive summary. An executive summary is a paragraph that provides the reader with a quick overview of the entire report, including its purpose, context, methods, major findings, conclusions and recommendations. It is often easier to write the executive summary once the report has been completed.
D. Table of contents. The table of contents lists the main sections (headings) of the report, and the page on which each begins.
E. Introduction. The introduction should define the purpose of the report, outline the issues to be discussed (scope) and inform the reader of any limitations applying to the report, or any assumptions made.
F. Selected Emerging Technology. This section introduces the selected emerging (information) technology outlining the motivating factors for its development, scientific or technological breakthroughs on which it is based, the benefits that the technology provides, any factors that have inhibited its uptake or time to market, and likely future developments. This introduction should be based on factual details that you have identified in the academic literature (and suitably referenced!) and presented in the form of a chronological account.
G. Indicative Usage Scenario. This section should explore one or more usage scenarios for the technology in a corporate context. Consideration should be given to any business processes, information assets or organizational entities affected by the deployment of the technology. Specific issues that might arise as a consequence should be identified and suitable remedies should be proposed for each of these.
H. Cost and Uptake Expectations. This section should provide an indication of the likely costs associated with the deployment of the technology for the usage context(s) identified in Section G. The likely market penetration for the technology should also be investigated and substantiated in order to build the case for organizational adoption. The cost and uptake projections should be based on reputable and current academic and industry sources.
I. Ethical Considerations. This section provides a critical assessment of the ethical concerns associated with the deployment of the selected technology in a corporate setting (such as identified in Section G). These may include concerns such as environmental sustainability (e.g., carbon footprint, water consumption, material recycling), personal data privacy, security and safety, human rights, fair pay, etc). Ethical concerns may arise from a wide range of different perspectives other than directly from the technology itself, such as issues arising from its deployment in a corporate context e.g. managerial decisions, organizational changes, etc. This section must include a fact-based critique addressing at least one ethical concern arising from the deployment of the technology in a corporate information system environment.
J. Conclusion. This summarizes the key findings from the previous sections and may be numbered here for clarity. Relate your conclusion to the objectives of the report and arrange your points logically so that major conclusions are presented first. Some reports may require a discussion of recommendations, rather than a conclusion.
K. References. This must contain all the material cited in the report. It must be accurate and consistent with the QUT Numbered referencing style. Refer to www.citewrite.qut.edu.au
L. Appendixes. These contain extra supporting information that is put at the end of the report so as not to distract the reader from the main issues. They contain detailed information, such as questionnaires, tables, graphs and diagrams. Appendices should be numbered in the order they are mentioned in the text.
