Essay Assignment Guidelines
Topic: How the technology changes the behaviour of individual in organization/society.
Assignment description - Students are required to submit a research report/essay which analyses and presents the main findings on a topic related to Information Systems and the role of the bicultural context of New Zealand within the discussed topic area. The essay consists of two parts - literature review and a reflection.
Choice of topic -
2.1. Choice of Topic for the literature review - The literature review should have a purpose related to Information Systems and technology. For example, rather than just describe, e.g. the use of ERP in Manufacturing, this topic could be used, for example, to examine the impact of ERP on management practices, or on business strategy in manufacturing firms. It usually helps to first pose then answer a question, eg, what are the organisational impacts of ERP on small manufacturing firms? A topic might be chosen for one or more of the following reasons:
- Possible value in your planned career or field of work.
- It is of general interest to you, based on previous reading, work experience, or other course work.
- The topic represents an area of IS about which you know little, and feel the need to advance your knowledge.
- Practical application in a part-time work environment.
- The topic's increasing or future importance.
The following list suggests some topics and you can select one of them without further approval:
- Key issues in e-commerce, IT evaluation, data management, etc.
- The role of feedback from peers and superriors on use of information systems.
- The impact of outsourcing on organizations
- ERP post-implementation issues.
- The role of information systems and technology in value creation for organisations
- The role of IS for sharing and creation of knowledge
- The role of information systems in business process management and improvement.
- The relationship between IT investments and productivity (personal, team and organizational)
- How NZ businesses value their IT investments.
- Barriers to knowledge transfer in organizations
- The impact of data management practices on organisations/individuals/society
- Challenges for adotion of business intelligence tools in large organisations or SMEs
- How technology changes the behaviour of individuals in organisations/society.
- Key technology factors influencing individuals to seek health related information online.
- Key technology factors influencing individuals to purchase goods and services online.
- How artificial intelligence has changed/may change the way people live.
The topics provided above provide a list of acceptable topics which is not exhaustive. You can also select a different topic but that will need to be approved by the course supervisor prior to starting work on itto ensure that the topic meets the requirements of the assessment.The topic should relate to the course material. The topic should be specific and focused, so as to be feasible and useful. If you choose an alternative topic, this topic should be submitted for approval by 8th March.
2.2. Choice of topic for the reflection part
The purpose of the reflection section (part B) is to demonstrate an understanding of the bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand and interpret and discuss how this bicultural environment relates to information systems issues and practices. This is a personal discussion note showing your interpretation but at the same time you must provide evidence to support your statements and interpretations. To approach this part of the assignment you would need to first read some of the readings on Maori values and business practices and using those and the learning from the class session select how these readings would apply to the topic you have discussed in the literature review or another aspect of Information Systems in organisations. Here are some questions that may guide you in your reflection and discussion:
How can Maori values be reflected in this IS context?
How can Maori values be applied in the context of this IS issue or practice?
How can Maori values be interpreted in this context?
What is the role of bicultural New Zealand context or Maori values within this Information Systems topic?
How can Maori values affect the IS issue or practice that has been discussed in the literature review?
The questions above are provided to help you approach this section of the assignment. You do not need to address all of them, you need to select only one.
Advice about conducting a literature review -
1. The purpose of a literature review.
The purpose of the literature review is to increase your knowledge and understanding of the current research in a particular area and to provide an overview and commentary of significant literature on the topic. The review is based on the work and ideas of other authors but you need to provide your analysis and interpretation of that work. A good literature review will:
- distinguish what has been done from what needs to be done;
- discover important themes, variables and issues relevant to the topic;
- synthesize current work to provide a new perspective;
- identify relationships between ideas and practice, theory to applications;
- establish the context of the topic;
- justify the importance of the topic;
2. The process
2.1. Reading and collecting literature
- Start reading from more general to specific sources - from books to articles.
- Use the university library catalogue, the article databases, Google scholar to search for relevant material. Experiment with combinations of keywords.
- Read with a purpose- relate what you are reading to your research essay questions, think how the material contributes to addressing them. Be disciplined and note only relevant material.
- Make sure that you take notes as you read- note ideas and interpretations, major findings.
- As you read, start developing a framework to organize your readings around major themes, findings, ideas.
- Have a system to organize your articles - you can number them or keep them in alphabetical order. Using End Note can help.
2.2. Writing up
- Do not wait until you have finished reading all papers to start writing.
- Organize your thoughts as you go through the articles and create a logical structure for your final report. Organize around themes and ideas, NOT around papers/authors. You can draw a map or a diagram to represent relationships between ideas. Or you can create a table and list categories and articles that cover them. Or you can create subsections based on the main themes and start writing summaries for each section. These summaries are drafts and can be modified or deleted later.
- Treat the literature review as one coherent document that focuses on answering your set of questions. It has to be clear how sections and subsections are relevant to the main focus and how they are related to each other.
- While some description is allowed, it is more important that you synthesize, evaluate and analyse the reading material. Ensure that you use supporting evidence and arguments when you present your position.
- Ensure that you have included Introduction and Conclusions section. In the introduction section you need to clearly state the main focus of the review (the topic) and what you aim to achieve. Then you need to justify the importance of the research question as indicated in the literature and briefly preview the main sections.
Attachment:- Assignment File.rar