INF11114 Digital Business Environments
Report 2
Learning Outcomes Covered:
Assessment Type:
Overall module assessment
For this assessment:
Assessment Limits:
LOS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Report
100% Continuous (two reports)
70%
3000 words, plus or minus 10%
Submission Date:
Submission Time:
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Submission Method:
Turnitin:
Module leader:
Tutor with Direct Responsibility:
You are advised to keep a copy of your submitted assessment.
Please note regulation Section B5.3.b regards component weighting.
Late submissions will be penalised following the University guidelines as follows:
Up to 5 working days late, the mark will be capped at P1.
After 5 working days late, a mark of F5 will be assigned.
Extensions to the submission date may only be given by the Module Leader for
exceptional circumstances. – by submitting the appropriate request form available here
Extenuating circumstances.
Feedback on submissions will normally be provided within three working weeks from
the submission date.
The University rules on Academic Integrity will apply to all submissions. The student
academic integrity regulations contain a detailed definition of academic integrity breaches
which includes use of commissioned material; knowingly permitting another student to
copy all or part of his/her own work
By submitting the report, you are confirming that:
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•
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It is your own work except where explicit reference is made to the contribution of
others.
It has not been submitted for any module or programme degree at Edinburgh Napier
University or any other institution.
It has not been made with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
1.
Requirements
This is a formal piece of work, worth 70% of your mark for the module. Report 2 assesses the following module learning outcomes:
LO1: Evaluate the concepts and applications underpinning the exploitation of digital
technologies by businesses and other organisations
LO2: Assess the organisational, managerial and competitive implications of digital
technologies
LO3: Critically assess operating models that businesses deploy for the online environment
LO4: Synthesize solutions to the problems of customer engagement across different
channels and ‘touchpoints', online and offline.
LO5: Present the output of independent and directed study in the form of reports
You must produce a report on the ways in which a specific organisation is exploiting the
digital environment. The organisation can operate within the private, public or third
sectors. The report wordcount should be 3000 words (plus or minus 10%). See further
requirements below.
In Report 1 you undertook preparatory work for a study examining how one organisation is
operating within the digital environment. In Report 2 you will move beyond preparation
and undertake the actual analysis. You may have decided to change your focus and
approach as a result of undertaking Report 1 – no justification of any change is required
within Report 2. That said, if you are changing focus, you may wish to repeat the main
tasks of Report 1 for your 'second choice' organisation to ensure you are adequately
prepared. In this instance, you are encouraged to contact the module leader to discuss
further.
The preparatory work undertaken for Report 1 should have helped define your subject,
locate relevant secondary (and potentially primary) data and consider your analytical
approach. 2.
Report Content Areas
The following elements must all be included in your report. Please use the exact headings
underlined below, and take note of the explanatory text under each heading indicating
what is required:
Abstract
The abstract summarises the entire content of the report.
Introduction
To set the focus and scope of the work.
Identification and analysis of contextual factors affecting the organisation's exploitation of
the digital environment
The contextual factors will vary depending on whether the organisation operates in the
public, private or third sectors, is completely digital or has offline presences, and has
physical or virtual products and services.
However, the section could potentially address:
Analysis of micro and macro environments including assessment of competitive
opportunities and threats balanced against capabilities
The consumer channel structures and the supply chains (digital and/or physical)
in operation in the sector (external view, looking at the sector as a whole rather
than your business)
Analysis of customer segments and online behaviours (again, focusing on the
sector as a whole)
Analysis of the current contribution of digital capabilities to the organisation
In this section you should draw on the tools and frameworks covered in the lectures and
tutorials to analyse how the organisation is exploiting digital capabilities to succeed in the
digital environment. Again, the content covered should be appropriate to the organisation
and sector, but could potentially address:
The business model (using the business model canvas)
Digital Marketplace Map (using a Persona and showing the importance of digital
intermediaries online) or else a Customer Journey Map (also based on a
Persona but showing offline as well as online experiences and interactions)
Value configurations in operation (using the value 'chain', 'shop' or 'network'),
and the place of 'digital' in supporting value-adding processes
Development of the business' consumer channel structures and wider supply
chains Analysis of how the business is exploiting the 'search', 'social' and 'mobile'
ecosystems (drawing on relevant analytics data). (n.b. data discussed here can
also be drawn upon for Digital Marketplace Map or Customer Journey Map)
Analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the current customer-facing
Website or Mobile App, compared to that of one direct competitor
Conclusions, recommendations, and critical assessment of the work that has been
undertaken
Clear conclusions derived from your analysis linking to specific and actionable
recommendations. Critical assessment which highlights the strengths of the approach that
you have taken, together with the scope for further work.
3. Format
The report should contain a Title Page showing the word count and your matriculation
number (do not include your name). It should also include a 300-word Abstract. The
maximum word length of the main text of this assignment is 3,000 words (plus or minus
10%). This word count excludes title page, abstract, all tables and figures, reference list,
appendices - please enter this total on the title page. Reports with a word count over
3,300 will gain a maximum grade of P1 (the lowest pass grade possible). A report of much
less than 2700 words is unlikely to contain adequate content, which will reduce the marks
available.
This is an academic report, and as such must make explicit reference to the concepts,
tools and theories covered in the module. Therefore, appropriate literature should be
cited. However, it is also important that you critically assess the operations of the
organisation, and present some clear recommendations as to its future direction.
Following the Title Page containing the word-count, matriculation number and Abstract, the
report must contain the following mandatory sections:
1. Introduction
2. Identification and analysis of contextual factors affecting the organisation's
exploitation of the digital environment
3. Analysis of the current contribution of digital capabilities to the organisation
4. Conclusions, recommendations, and critical assessment of the work that has been
undertaken
Use the marking criteria to plan the report – this shows the relative weighting of each
section.
All sources consulted must be formally acknowledged through good referencing practice,
adhering to the School of Computing Guidelines linked from here:
https://my.napier.ac.uk/your-studies/improve-your-academic-and-study-skills/referencing-
and-academic-integrity/referencing-guidelines Page layout: Submissions should be in Arial font, 12 pt, 1.5 line spaced.
Figures and tables, appendices: Captions for tables and figures should use the same font
as the main text. They should be referred to in the text using Arabic numerals, e.g. Figure
1, Figure 2, Table 1, Table 2, etc., in order of appearance.
Before you submit the report, it should be spell-checked and proofread. The final version
must be submitted in the Report 2 submission link on Moodle. If you have specific
problems which are outwith your control and prevent you from meeting the deadline, you
may request an extension in advance of the due date by completing form RE1 and
submitting this to your Module Leader for a decision. Late submissions that have not been
approved by your Module Leader will be capped at P1.
Marks and feedback will be provided within three working weeks from submission.
4. Academic Skills Support
We have a dedicated Academic Skills Advisor, Annemarie Douglas, experienced in
supporting postgraduate students. Please contact Annemarie directly on
a.douglas@napier.ac.uk
